West Coast Nut - March 2022

WEST COAST NUT

March 2022 ISSUE

Your

Connection to the Tree Nut Industry

SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE:

MANAGING HIGH INPUT COSTS ON A TIGHT BUDGET SEE PAGE 30

IN THIS ISSUE:

DEATH BY A THOUSAND CANKERS SEE PAGE 6

FIELD FIXES FOR GOLDEN HILLS SEE PAGE 40

THE PERSISTENCE OF PFA

SEE PAGE 54

APRIL 6, 2022

PECAN

DAY

See page 19 APRIL 7-8, 2022

JUNE 8, 2022

See pages 4-5

See page 83

PUBLICATION

Photo by Marni Katz

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Publisher: Jason Scott Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com Editor: Marni Katz Email: marni@jcsmarketinginc.com Associate Editor: Cecilia Parsons Email: cecilia@jcsmarketinginc.com Production: design@jcsmarketinginc.com Tel: 559.352.4456 Fax: 559.472.3113 Web: www.wcngg.com

By the Industry, For the Industry

IN THIS ISSUE 6

Death by a Thousand Cankers

12

Daniel and Sarah Hrdy: Walnut Growers Embrace Research and Philanthropy

16

With Boron, Planning Ahead Key to Avoiding Issues

20

Air Curtain Burners: One Realistic Solution for Nut Biomass

24

View from the Top: Almond Grower-Shipper Jonathan Hoff Demands Supply-Chain Action Now

30

Managing High Input Costs on a Tight Budget

34

The State of the State of Water in California

40

Field Fixes for Golden Hills Pistachio

44

Practical Nutrient Management in the Wake of Skyrocketing Input Prices

50

Nut Growers Society Annual Meeting

UC Cooperative Extension Advisory Board

54

The Persistence of Pistillate Flower Abscission

Surendra K. Dara Director, North Willamette Research and Extension Center

Steven Koike Tri-Cal Diagnostics

58

Insights and Issues with Ag Technologies

Jhalendra Rijal UCCE Integrated Pest Management Advisor, Stanislaus County

62

How Marketing is Growing the Base of California Walnut Lovers

66

Five Things to Do in Walnut Orchards in the Spring

70

Cal/OSHA Enforcement Trends in Agriculture

74

Hazelnut Propagation Part Two: Tie-Off Layering

78

The Use of Mummy Sprays to Augment Sanitation in Almonds

82

Marketing Milestones: American Pecans’ Successes

Contributing Writers & Industry Support American Pecan Council Contributing Writer

Theresa Kiehn President and CEO, AgSafe

Vicky Boyd Contributing Writer

Rich Kreps CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer

Danita Cahill Contributing Writer

Mitch Lies Contributing Writer

California Walnut Board Contributing Writer

Christopher McGlothlin Director of Technical Services Western Agricultural Processors Association

Taylor Chalstrom Digital Content Editor Kathy Coatney Contributing Writer

Catherine Merlo Contributing Writer

Hazelnut Marketing Board Contributing Writer

Joel P. Siegel Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS

Roger A. Isom President/CEO, Western Agricultural Processors Association

Mike Wade California Farm Water Coalition

Kevin Day County Director/UCCE Pomology Farm Advisor, Tulare/Kings Counties Elizabeth Fichtner UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare County

Mohammad Yaghmour UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Kern County

Katherine Jarvis-Shean UCCE Area Orchard Systems Advisor, Yolo and Solano

View our ePublication on the web at www.wcngg.com

The articles, research, industry updates, company profiles, and advertisements in this publication are the professional opinions of writers and advertisers.

West Coast Nut does not assume any responsibility for the opinions given in the publication.

SPOTLIGHT ARTICLE: Managing High Input Costs on a Tight Budget Water availability, high input costs and low prices converge on growers, who are looking to manage their input costs on a tight budget.

See page 30

March 2022

www.wcngg.com

3

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Walnut Huskfly Panel: Why Does Huskfly Continue to Plague Walnut Growers and What Can They Do About It?

9:00 AM 9:30 AM

Integrating Information Into Irrigation Scheduling

Update on Walnut Mold and its Management in California

The Latest on Post-Harvest Research

Break / Trade Show

10:00 AM 11: 00 AM

Benefits of Delayed Irrigation in Walnuts

Spotlight on International and Emerging Markets

The Future of Pesticides in Walnuts

The Future of Walnut Varieties

11:30 AM 1:00 PM

State of the Industry

1:30 PM

Regulatory Issues Affecting Walnut Growers

2:00 PM

Break / Trade Show

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U.S. Retail Panel: Current Trends and the Opportunity for Walnuts

3:30 PM

SGMA - What It Means for You And Where It’s Coming From

4:00 PM

Adjourn

7:00 AM

We’ve

Walnut Industry Lunch

12:00 PM

pande x E

2AYS

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APRIL 7, 2022 | DAY 1

7:00 AM

APRIL 8, 2022 | DAY 2

WORKSHOPS

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Registration / Trade Show

8:00 AM

Impacts of Drought and Climate Change to Walnut Pests Including NOW

Using Social Media to Reach the Next Generation of Consumers

8:30 AM

Mites: A Growing Concern in Walnuts

Navigating the Challenges of Global Trade

9:00 AM

New Technologies in Spraying and Why Calibration Will Still Be Important

Biologicals: What Are They and Where Do They Fit?

9:30 AM

Crown Gall--Rootstocks, Treatments and Strategies

Living with Low Winter Chill in Walnuts

10:00 AM

Break / Trade Show

11: 00 AM

Walnut Blight- Moving Forward With a New Look at Bactericides for Disease Management

From Research to Purchase: Translating Evidence-Based Nutrition Science in Engaging And Actionable Ways

11:30 AM

At a Crossroads with NOW in Walnuts: What to Do, Where to Go?

Nitrogen Management in Walnuts

12:00 PM

Adjourn

Death by a Thousand Cankers

Monitor Walnuts for Fungal Disease and Walnut Twig Beetle Vector

By VICKY BOYD | Contributing Writer

T

he walnut twig beetle and the thousand cankers disease it vectors don’t appear to be the devastating pests of English walnuts they were thought when first found in commercial orchards. But the pest complex should still garner respect from producers because of its potential to reduce production and kill trees under the worst case.

“It seems it hasn’t been that big a deal for most growers,” said Rick Bostock, a distinguished professor emeritus in the UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology. “But growers have been affected by it, there’s no question.”

Since the pest complex was first found affecting commercial English walnuts in 2009 in California, researchers have slowly unraveled some of the questions surrounding it, such as seasonal beetle activity and relationship to tree stress. But many other questions remain unanswered.

Correlation with Crown Gall

One of the more recent research findings has been a correlation between trees infected with crown gall caused

by Agrobacterium tumefacians and the incidence of thousand cankers disease (TCD), Bostock said. But he was quick to point out that their studies do not confirm cause and effect but merely show a strong association between the two.

“Anecdotally, we had found that crown gall seemed to be associated with TCD,” he said. “Based on survey work we did this past year, the numbers look very strong.

“It’s very likely that crown gall got there first, and then the beetles have come in and in some way were attracted to these trees. So we think it’s a risk factor, and there may be other factors 6

West Coast Nut

March 2022

that we hope to be looking at.”

The UC Davis studies on TCD are funded by a grant from the USDA’s Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program administered by Montana State University.

At about 1/16-inch, walnut twig beetles are smaller than a pencil lead (photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey, UC.)

Searching for Beetle Management

Because walnut twig beetles (WTB) spend most of their lives protected under tree bark, insecticides aren’t a viable management tool, Bostock said. Fungicides that kill the pathogen vectored by WTB also are ineffective.

That’s why researchers have focused on finding alternative controls for the TCD complex.

As part of earlier work, Bostock and Steven Seybold, a chemical ecologist and entomologist with the USDA Forest Service’s Pacific Southwest Research Station in Davis, looked at potential host plant resistance against the TCD fungus and WTB. Although Juglans macrocarpa, one of the parents of an advanced selection of experimental hybrid rootstocks, appeared less attractive to WTB, it was more susceptible to the TCD fungus.

Research assistant Megan Siefker and postdoctoral associate Corwin Parker, both in Bostock’s lab, have continued trials into potential WTB repellents initiated by Seybold and former UC Davis entomology graduate student Jackson Audley. Seybold passed away in 2019.

The most promising is a cocktail comprising limonene, a naturally occurring compound in citrus and other plants, and trans-conophthorin, a component of the pheromones of many bark beetle species.

In trials conducted in 2021, the repellent appeared to significantly reduce

A dark stain on an English walnut tree could be caused by a number of pests, including thousand cankers disease or shallow bark canker. In this case, it was TCD (photo by M. Nouri.)

the number of WTB attracted to trees.

But its scope of influence was only about 2 meters (about 6 feet), and its efficacy only lasted four to five weeks in the orchard, Bostock and Siefker said.

Should the product eventually be commercialized, Bostock said it may be something growers consider applying to only their most at-risk trees, such as those with crown gall, and during periods of high beetle flight activity. It is currently not registered for use.

“Trying to apply this material on every tree would be cost prohibitive, but you might get some benefit from targeting trees that are stressed but are

Continued on Page 8

Removing the bark shows the underlying staining surrounding a canker (photo by M. Nouri.)

An English walnut in San Joaquin County shows the telltale canopy yellowing and thinning and branch dieback associated with thousand cankers disease (photo by M. Nouri.)

Continued from Page 6 still productive,” he said.

Scout to Catch TCD Early

ICE HIL N E

L

V

Surveys conducted by UC researchers and Cooperative Extension in 2012 and 2013 found isolated TCD infestations in English walnuts throughout the state.

Mohamed Nouri, a UCCE orchard systems advisor in San Joaquin County, said he made about four to five farm calls in

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

Pinhole-sized walnut twig beetle entrance or emergence holes and sap staining near cankers in the underlying phloem (photo by M. Nouri.)

2020 and about the same in 2021 to look at suspected TCD issues. He said his colleague in Stanislaus County, Area Integrated Pest Management Advisor Jhalendra Rijal, received similar inquiries from walnut growers and PCAs. The TCD complex has caught the attention of Eric Heinrich, who farms with his brothers and father near Modesto.

They recently removed an old Hartley block riddled with it.

“I’ve seen the effects of it; there was a lot of dead wood,” Heinrich said. The orchard also was severely infested with crown gall.

Aaron Heinrich, an independent PCA, scouts walnuts in Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties. Although he is aware of the disease complex, he said he hasn’t found it.

“We’re monitoring trees from top to bottom, even up in pruning towers,” he said. “My clients and I are really particular, so we’re just on it. It’s on our radar, and we’re scouting for it. We haven’t had to deal with it yet.”

Scouting and early detection are key to management, Nouri said. Among the more visible symptoms are darkish stains on the outer bark surface, especially in mid-summer, caused by underlying cankers. But he said other diseases, such as shallow bark canker, can cause similar bark staining.

To further identify, look for minute adult beetle entry and exit holes, typically the diameter of a mechanical pencil lead,

Walnut twig beetle entrance or emergence holes in a heavily infested English walnut trunk (photo courtesy University of California.)

A close-up of the walnut twig beetle (photo courtesy Steven Valley, Oregon Department of Agriculture.)

in the bark within the stained area.

Another way is to take a pocketknife and remove the surface bark, revealing beetle galleries made in the phloem tissue.

“Since both organisms, fungus and twig beetle, are more likely to be found together, the identification of either can be used in diagnosing a thousand cankers disease,” Nouri said.

In most of the orchards he visited, Nouri said the TCD complex was scat-

tered among the trees. But in an older walnut orchard near Linden, the problem was widespread. In fact, he even found a few symptoms in a neighboring healthy 15-year-old orchard.

Based on literature reports, Nouri said beetles prefer orchards that are stressed, are older or on the decline.

The neighboring orchard fit none of those. When he returned the following year, he couldn’t find any evidence of WTB in the neighboring orchard.

This appears to back up previous research, which found trees can recover from the TCD complex if the infection is not widespread and the trees are kept healthy and free from stress, Nouri said.

“If you keep those trees happy and healthy, they will recover,” he said.

A Complex Relationship

Native walnut tree species in the

Continued on Page 10

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As the disease progresses, cankers coalesce (photo courtesy University of California.)

Continued from Page 9 West were first seen declining in the late 1990s. But it wasn’t until 2008 that tree mortality was tied to feeding by WTB, known scientifically as Pityophthorus juglandis, and to a new fungus that caused cankers to form around the beetle galleries. The fungus, Geosmithia morbida, was subsequently identified as the causal agent of what was named thousand cankers disease.

Native to the Southwest and northern Mexico, WTB are about 1/16-inch long, smaller than a grain of rice. The insects, which belong to the bark beetle family, have expanded their range and are now found throughout California, the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies.

They also have established populations in states east of the Mississippi, and TCD is now found in walnut orchards in Italy.

Bostock said scientists do not know how far back the association between WTB and G. morbida goes, but TCD does not appear to cause significant damage to Juglans major, the dominant walnut species in the beetle’s native range in Arizona and New Mexico.

Despite the walnut twig beetle’s name, Bostock said it prefers branches of at least 0.5- to 0.75-inch diameter and attacks scaffolds, trunks and rootstocks.

Males burrow into the bark to begin horizontal galleries in the underlying phloem. As they do, they emit a pheromone that attracts females and can cause mass beetle attacks. After mating, females lay eggs in the galleries. Both male and female WTB inoculate the tunnels with TCD spores they carry on 10

West Coast Nut

March 2022

their body. At times, trees will bleed around beetle holes.

Gallery construction and subsequent larval feeding and fungal colonization damage the phloem, plant tissue that transports carbohydrates and other important chemicals. This causes cankers that increase in size and coalesce, girdling branches and causing tree decline and mortality under severe infections and beetle colonization.

Affected walnut trees initially have yellowing leaves and thinning foliage in the upper crown, followed by large branch die back and tree collapse.

In English walnut orchards, Cooperative Extension encourages growers to closely monitor newly and mildly infected trees. Should the trees be severely infected or showing severe decline, growers may want to remove and burn or chip the trees.

What growers should not do is move wood from infected trees off orchard property. Researchers believe transport of infected wood is how the TCD complex spread to the East.

A severely infested English walnut tree exhibits numerous cankers that have coalesced (photo by Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE.)

“Since both organisms, fungus and twig beetle, are more likely to be found together, the identification of either can be used in diagnosing a thousand cankers disease.”

—Mohamed Nouri, UCCE.

Walnut Species Susceptibility

Two native black walnut species, Southern California black walnut (Juglans californica) and Northern California black walnut (Juglans hindsii), are very susceptible to the TCD complex.

The dead walnut trees lining Russell Boulevard in Davis as well as many other rural roads are testament to that.

In addition to providing ornamental shade and wildlife food and habitat, J. hindsii is a parent of the hybrid Paradox rootstock.

J. nigra, the Eastern black walnut,

also is very susceptible. Although it is native to the East, it is grown in the West as a shade tree.

English walnuts, Juglans regia, are less susceptible. Because many orchards are grafted onto black walnut or Paradox hybrid rootstocks, they are more vulnerable to TCD. Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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Similarly, Besiege insecticide provides dual-action protection against the most difficult lepidopteran pests, including NOW. Besiege also delivers excellent efficacy against peach twig borer, codling moth, leaffooted plant bug and walnut husk fly. Ideal for application at hull split, it offers excellent knockdown and longlasting residual. ®

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When damaging pests threaten your almonds, walnuts or pistachios, Minecto Pro, Besiege and Proclaim deliver dominance over pests for less rejected nuts and higher profit potential at harvest. These insecticides work together as a powerful, dynamic trio to address challenges in the field, giving you the opportunity to customize your program for maximum profit opportunity.

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Daniel and Sarah Hrdy: Walnut Growers Embrace Research and Philanthropy

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wners of Citrona Farms LLC in Winters, Calif., Dan and Sarah Hrdy have been growing walnuts for almost 35 years. During this time, their operation has grown alongside the rest of the walnut industry and has been the subject of a series of University of California research projects focused on sustainable agriculture, habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. They have also established a research fund that will enable early stage UC Cooperative Extension projects to obtain seed money.

However, growing walnuts isn’t the only thing the Hrdys have kept themselves busy with. Sarah, who grew up in Houston, Texas, is a renowned evolutionary anthropologist, elected to the National Academy of Sciences and a Professor Emerita in the Department of Anthropology at UC Davis.

She and Dan met at Harvard University half a century ago in a class on fossil man.

Sarah said, “It was love at first sight. He was the only [person] with any flesh on.” Long retired, she is still hard at work writing her new book. Dan, who grew up in Fresno before earning his Ph.D. and M.D. at Harvard, is a former clinical professor of medicine (infectious diseases) at UC Davis Medical Center. While growing nuts and engaging in habitat restoration at Citrona Farms, the couple also raised three children.

Dan said that commercial agriculture was something he and Sarah had wanted to do since their days at Harvard.

While practicing medicine after moving to California, Dan became involved in developing and operating nut orchards.

“I decided I was enjoying the orchard more than the medicine,” he said. “I retired a little bit early and became a full-time walnut grower.”

Continued on Page 14 12

West Coast Nut

March 2022

Continued from Page 12

Research at Citrona Farms

The Hrdys’ background in academia was the inspiration for getting Citrona Farms involved in UC ANR, UC Davis and UC Berkeley research projects. Both Daniel and Sarah understood first-hand the benefits of research in their own careers and wanted to apply that same ideal to their operation and the ag industry.

“Since we’re both scientists, we both wanted to support research, find out what really works and what doesn’t work,” Dan said. “We really liked the practical nature and wide-ranging scope of the research that UC Cooperative Extension was involved with.”

The first research projects Citrona Farms hosted were in 2000 and involved studies on wild turkey ecology/genetics, loggerhead shrike ecology and walnut field margins. Since then, the operation has been involved in over 40 individual projects with University of California and other entities.

While reminiscing on past projects, Dan noted Claire Kremen’s group’s project from 2008, which focused on native and non-native pollinators and hedgerows. Kremen and her group, hailing at the time from the Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management at UC Berkeley, were at the forefront of studying how different agricultural practices (including hedgerows) affected pollinating insects.

The Hrdys created the Daniel & Sarah Hrdy Fund for UC Cooperative Extension Research to fund walnut research in perpetuity.

Also important to the Hrdys and to the walnut industry has been Rachael Long’s work at Citrona Farms. Long, a UCCE farm advisor in Yolo County, has taken part in three separate projects in 2013, 2015 and 2019 looking at walnut hedgerow systems, weeds in hedgerow and non-hedgerow crop borders, and deep impact of long-term hedgerow plantings on soil carbon and other metrics of soil health, respectively.

“The work on hedgerows has been really encouraging, and work like Louise Jackson’s on how soil can play a role in sequestering carbon is promising. Research like theirs is integral to agriculture becoming more sustainable,” Sarah said.

“You know, we’re grandparents, we care about the coming generation. We won’t be here, but they will.”

Katherine Jarvis-Shean, a UCCE orchard systems advisor in Yolo County, said that Dan and Sarah’s cooperation and dedication have been integral in research over the years.

Jarvis-Shean participated in a research project on Citrona Farms in 2019 that focused on post-plant nematicide trials in Chandler walnuts.

“We were out there messing with their irrigation system to apply these treatments a couple times a year,” Jarvis-Shean said. “That meant we were getting in their way at harvest and making harvest take longer. They were really great about being supportive of that and the complications that can cause, with the bigger picture in mind of improving production.”

Dan mentioned he had always had positive experiences collaborating with researchers on their operation and Sarah emphasizes how the research “enhances their sense of place”.

Key to being a good grower-cooperator with researchers Dan says is “just being open.”

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

After more than 20 years of research collaborations for the walnut industry, the Hrdys took it another step further and created an endowment in late 2021 that will provide as much as $100,000 per year for practical research. The endowment, called The Daniel & Sarah Hrdy Fund for UC Cooperative Extension Research, will fund early stage research projects each year for UCCE advisors and specialists as well as their academic collaborators, according to UC ANR. All UCCE advisors and specialists will be eligible, not just those

related to the nut industry.

When Dan turned 72, he was required to take the minimum required distribution from his individual retirement account. He said he and Sarah decided to use the required distribution for a charitable purpose. After Dan’s death, the corpus will fund the endowment in perpetuity.

“We were beginning to use Sarah’s required distribution for some charity anyways, and then I figured, ‘Well, instead of bits and pieces, why not make mine something substantial?’” Dan said.

Research proposals will be selected by the leaders of UC ANR’s Strategic Initiatives: Sustainable Food Systems; Endemic and Invasive Pests and Diseases; and Sustainable Natural Ecosystems. Areas of special interest include sustainable agriculture, with special regard to climate change; interaction of natural ecosystems and agriculture; habitat restoration and conservation; and wildfire and forest restoration.

The creation of the endowment also

happened to coincide with UCCE’s recent farm advisor personnel expansion which, according to Dan and Jarvis-Shean, was sorely needed. Dan said that watching the cooperative extension system shrink year by year has been painful and that the new cash infusion from their fund will help the expansion as well as pay for new advisors’ research.

As the ag industry has progressed over the years, Jarvis-Shean noted there is less direct funding coming from state and government, leaving UC to rely almost entirely on grants. However, many grants require an understanding be established of why the outcome of a project will be positive, and for researchers that don’t yet have numbers from smaller projects to back this up, receiving the grant is difficult. The funds from The Daniel & Sarah Hrdy Fund for UC Cooperative Extension Research, however, don’t have as many strings attached.

Jarvis-Shean said the liberty these funds offer get cooperative extension

Since 2000, Citrona Farms has been the subject of a series of University of California research projects focused on sustainable agriculture, habitat restoration and wildlife conservation. Sarah, an anthropologist, is especially committed to the habitat restoration work.

the “resources we need to get the momentum we need to go after bigger money and solve big problems in bigger ways.”

The Hrdys hope that the endowment will inspire others within the ag industry to follow suit with similar gifts. “We want to encourage more people to do this,” Sarah said.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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With Boron, Planning Ahead Key to Avoiding Issues

Nut drop, pictured here, is one symptom of boron deficiency in almonds (photo

by P.H. Brown.)

By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer

W

hen it comes to boron in almonds, planning ahead appears to be the best strategy, both to avoid deficiencies and avoid problems associated with excess boron.

In both cases, the downside can be significant.

Too much boron, which occurs in some areas with poor quality groundwater and is becoming more common as the industry stretches north into some boron-rich areas, can cause ongoing issues with sticktights, dead tissue and sugary wounds at branching points that can provide entry points for fungal diseases.

Too little boron, by far the most significant issue with boron in almonds, can significantly lower yields.

To avoid issues with boron deficien-

cies, Patrick H. Brown, a professor in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis, said a simple prophylactic spray pre-bloom can be very effective. And, he said, it is relatively inexpensive.

“It is cheap,” he said, “particularly if you are applying it with other fertilizers. It will cost you just a few dollars to add in boron and you will make your money back with just a few pounds of nuts.

“In general, routinely applying boron in a prophylactic way is a good and safe way to prevent a potential deficiency,” he said.

He added that waiting to see if a tree is deficient of boron is not a good option. “The problem with boron is by the time you see a leaf or a shoot deficiency, you’ve probably lost much of your yield

Boron deficiency in almonds can cause poor fruit set, as depicted in the tree on the right in this photo. The tree on the left received a supplemental boron treatment (photo by P.H. Brown.)

16

West Coast Nut

March 2022

and it is too late to do anything about it.”

Also, Brown said, it can be risky to rely on testing to determine if boron is deficient, given that leaf tissue and soil tests can be unreliable. And hull tests, while reliable, won’t always determine if supplemental boron is needed.

“We have had good luck with doing analysis of the hull, and we’ve got some good standards,” he said. “The one challenge is that at the lower ends, if boron concentration in your hull is less than 120 [ppm] or so in the tree, you may or may not have boron deficiency.

There are a number of other things that interact to determine whether you are going to get a deficiency.”

Excess Boron

Similarly, in cases where excess boron is present in a system, options for addressing it after the fact are limited.

In cases where growers have access to fresh surface water, they can potentially leach the boron out of soil, said Katherine Jarvis-Shean, UCCE orchard systems advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties. But, she said, the best defense against boron toxicity is planting the right rootstock.

“If you have it in the water and the soil, which we have in a lot of Yolo County, your best guard against it is

Continued on Page 18

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Continued from Page 16 choosing the right rootstock,” Jarvis-Shean said. “It really pays to do your homework ahead of time, and don’t just go with the trees that are easiest to get or that are most available. I would say waiting for another year to be able to get a peach-almond hybrid would be worth it rather than going with a susceptible variety, which is going to be a lifetime of heartache.”

Peach-almond hybrids far outperformed pure peach hybrids in an 11-year trial Jarvis-Shean recently concluded.

Boron’s Main Function

Boron’s main function in almond production, according to Brown, is to help the pollen tube grow to the ovary to produce a nut.

At times, such as under perfect flowering conditions, successfully pollinating every single flower is not beneficial, Brown said. “In that circumstance, a mild boron deficiency that compromises a few flowers probably wouldn’t make any difference because you have so much flower potential. So, missing a little bit of boron is not that big of a deal.

“In the opposite circumstance, say you’ve got moderate flowering and poor pollination conditions: it is windy and cold and the bees aren’t flying and the other cultivars in the field are not flowering in synchrony. Then the tree is going to set fewer flowers and nuts and, in that case, a boron deficien-

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

At high levels, boron toxicity in almonds can cause tree death, as pictured here (photo by K. Jarvis-Shean.)

cy will make a huge difference,” he said. “In that circumstance, you are already at the margins of having enough fruit, and then you add a boron deficiency on top of that, and you are in real trouble.”

Application Timing

In addition to the pre-bloom application, there are several other times of the year when boron can be foliar applied, Brown said, including postharvest, an application that can provide significant benefits, particularly after a high-yielding year.

“Get it on the leaves or in a fertigation as soon after harvest as possible when the leaves are still green and healthy, and that boron will go back into the bud, ready for next year,” Brown said.

One caveat to the postharvest application is boron can be leached out of the buds prior to the next season if subject to a particularly wet and foggy winter. “So, even though you may have loaded them up in September of the previous year, there is always a chance that you could lose some of that boron, and then a small amount of boron applied pre-bloom would be a good idea,” Brown said.

Brown cautioned growers from applying boron during bloom, noting that it can actually have a detrimental effect on yield.

“You really should not be spraying boron onto an open flower,” Brown said. “When you do, boron can confuse the pollen tubes to the point where they will lose their directionality, and they might not reach the ovary. And, while we don’t have the data exactly, there is potential for boron to have a negative impact on bees.”

Boron also can be beneficially applied to soil at multiple points in a season. “The only time that it absolutely doesn’t work for a soil application is pre-bloom,” Brown said, “because there is nothing going into the tree prior to bloom.”

Soil v. Foliar Application

When soil-applying boron, Brown advised growers to keep in mind that the developing hull can be a strong sink for boron. “So, if you have a very big crop, you’ve got a lot of sugar going up to those fruit, it can actually compete with the buds for adequate boron,” he said. “A poorly timed boron application might end up simply feeding the hulls.

“So, soil applications will certainly get into the tree and certainly enhance the tree,” he said, “but in a very

high-yielding year, you may benefit from a pre-bloom foliar application.”

After fruit is mature, soil applications of boron can be effective, as long as a tree is healthy and active, Brown said. Putting any fertilizer on a harvest-stressed tree, whether foliar- or soil-applied, is not going to be very efficient, he added.

The bottom line, Brown said, is boron is a relatively inexpensive yet essential micronutrient, and avoiding a boron deficiency in almonds is not that difficult.

“Boron is essential,” Brown said.

“And, quite honestly, given its relative cheapness and its potentially huge effect, I think the approach of just prophylactically making a routine application is the wisest thing to do.”

Boron toxicity in almonds causes gum formations and blockage of a tree’s vascular system (photo by K. Jarvis-Shean.)

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19

Air Curtain Burners: One Realistic Solution for Nut Biomass

By ROGER A. ISOM | President/CEO, Western Agricultural Processors Association and CHRISTOPHER MCGLOTHLIN | Director of Technical Services, Western Agricultural Processors Association

A

s biomass plants continue to close and air pollution control districts move to completely phase out ag burning, the tree nut industry is faced with a major crisis: What do we do with all this biomass? From sticks at the almond huller that have been removed from the incoming field-run almonds, to the annual prunings, and the once-in-a-blue-moon orchard removal, there is a distinct need to dispose of this biomass.

For years, biomass plants solved our problem by taking hundreds of thousands of tons of biomass per year and turning it into electricity. But it is a costly process and one that is fading away to become all but a distant memory. Many have thought new technology, including pyrolysis to create electricity or biochar, or renewable fuels production like renewable diesel or cellulosic ethanol, would be the ticket to solve these problems. But regulatory red tape and substantial capital cost have dramatically impacted the implementation of such technologies, at least for now.

Throughout this crisis, there has been one solution that has surfaced that seems to have worked very well and has conquered the regulatory concerns for the time being. That solution is the air curtain burner. Introduced to

Continued on Page 22

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March 2022

The curtain burner is a very simple device that amounts to a heavy duty burn box with a fan to create a very efficient combustion zone (all photos courtesy WAPA.)

In the end, curtain burners may not be the silver bullet to solve the biomass dilemma, but it works and is now part of the playbook going forward.

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Continued from Page 20 California as one method of helping get rid of the millions of dead trees in the state’s forests, the air curtain burner has been around for several years. After having seen one operate in the Sierra National Forest in 2016, the Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) worked with an almond huller to permit the first air curtain burner at an almond huller in January 2017. Since that time, WAPA has obtained permits for six more air curtain burners at almond hullers in the San Joaquin Valley.

The curtain burner is a very simple device that amounts to a heavy duty burn box with a fan utilized to blow a curtain of air over the top of the flames to bring the smoke back into the combustion zone, thereby eliminating any smoke and minimizing emissions by creating a very efficient combustion zone. The hullers seem pleased with their use and ability to churn through the massive piles of sticks brought in from the orchards at least until other potential solutions can be developed and implemented.

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‘The hullers seem pleased with their use and ability to churn through the massive piles of sticks brought in from the orchards at least until other potential solutions can be developed and implemented.’

Permitting Requirements

Responding to requests from the orchards, WAPA worked with the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District to modify Rule 2280—Portable Equipment Registration to include the use of air curtain burners. There are restrictions and limitations on the use of the air curtain burners used for this purpose, but it does not require obtaining a permit once the device has been registered. These limitations include not operating within 1,000 feet of a school, burning a maximum of 100 tons per day of biomass materials, only burning approved biomass materials and meeting specific emissions and opacity restrictions.

Operations that wish to utilize the air curtain burner technology must first go through the permitting process with their local air district. This procedure requires that applicants identify the type of material they would like to burn as well as propose a location for the air burner to be placed onsite.

Additionally, applicants must also submit the necessary paperwork for the equipment to be permitted under the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Title V permit process.

This permitting framework creates additional requirements for applicant facilities to maintain in order to stay in compliance with the overall regulation.

Air burners undergo significant evaluation to ensure that the boxes will not cause an adverse impact to the communities and areas around the huller within the Title V permit framework. With this evaluation comes strict monitoring, reporting and inspection requirements to be conducted by the huller staff designated within the permitting process. Air burner owners are only allowed to operate the equipment during specified hours of the day (typically normal business operating timeframes) and the air district does not allow continuous operation of the burner. Along with the operating timeline limitations, the permit holder is required to maintain daily throughput logs during those allowed hours. These logs must be kept onsite and maintained throughout the operating period as the air district could inspect the equipment and all required logs that pertain to the equipment.

Within the first six months of issuance of the permits to operate, the equipment must undergo a visual opacity test as specified under the EPA’s Method 9 testing requirements. This testing requires a certified inspector to evaluate emissions from the unit during a 30-minute cold-start period as well as three one-hour visual inspections to determine the average opacity readings throughout the use of the equipment. The inspector will develop and submit a finalized report, which will conclude passage and continued use of the equipment or identify a violation during the operation of the equipment and requires owners to make the necessary changes and retest the equipment.

Additional reporting requirements

include permit holders being required to complete and submit two additional reports to the air district on a six-month timeline from when the permit was issued. Permit holders must complete a Report of Required Monitoring (RRM) that details any permit deviation or mechanical failure that occurred in the six months preceding permit issuance. Permit holders must then submit an Annual Compliance Certification form that details all Title V and air district permit conditions as well as any deviation from those conditions.

WAPA has been able to assist regularly in ensuring a permit holder maintains compliance with all of the reporting and documentation requirements.

With those completed and verified for compliance purposes, permit holders

can run their air burners as allowed under their permits.

The permitting requirements that we have laid out may seem daunting, and we completely understand. This equipment requires substantial information in order to be permitted at your site. WAPA understands that and has worked with the local air district and EPA to ensure that its membership that currently hold air curtain burner permits maintain compliance and are able to continue operating the equipment.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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View from the Top Almond Grower-Shipper Jonathan Hoff Demands Supply-Chain Action Now ‘Growers can’t bear this burden and this cost anymore.’

By CATHERINE MERLO | Contributing Writer

T

wo years into the supply chain crisis, Jonathan Hoff is tired of being nice.

“We need somebody who’s going to pound their fist on the table, tell the Federal Maritime Commission to get this done, and get it done now,” he says.

Hoff is CEO of Monte Vista Farming Company, an almond growing, processing and exporting business based in the small town of Denair in California’s San Joaquin Valley.

Since the pandemic exploded in 2020, extensive shipping delays and cancellations have created a logistics nightmare and cut sharply into Monte Vista’s export business. Moreover, Hoff believes returns to almond growers would be at least 25 cents a pound higher if the industry wasn’t dealing with these supply chain issues.

Hoff, who’s also chair of the Almond Board of California’s Technical and Regulatory Affairs Committee, discussed the situation with West Coast Nut magazine in early January.

Q. What aggravates you most about the supply chain crisis?

Since this situation began, it’s only gotten worse. Probably

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

Jonathan Hoff says supply chain issues have created a logistics nightmare for California almond exporters (photo courtesy J. Hoff.)

the most frustrating thing is that the solutions seem to be totally and completely out of our hands. What’s perhaps even more frustrating is that the folks who seemingly should have the solutions well within their grasp don’t. And when we go to them asking questions about how this can be resolved and how we can help, very rarely do they have a solid answer.

Q. Are you talking about the ocean carriers or about government?

I’m talking about the Federal Maritime Commission, which is a government agency, and about the folks at the Port of Oakland. They’re obviously our go-to people because the nature of the problem is so huge. That’s probably been one of the most frustrating parts about this.

Q. How has this situation affected Monte Vista’s business?

Obviously, it’s impacted cash flow and our cash conversion cycle. Not only does it take a long time to get ship-

Continued on Page 26

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Some 85% of California’s almond exports are shipped through the Port of Oakland (courtesy Port of Oakland.)

Continued from Page 24 ments to leave here as an export-centric industry, and for us as an export-centric company, but we have this huge exposure to transportation risk. We’re about 85% export. It takes us three months just to get a shipment out.

Shipments that were supposed to go out in October are just now going. Beyond that, it takes so much more time to get the goods to our customers. We end up with this huge cash-flow lag where if we sold something today, we’re probably going to get paid for it in June or July.

Q. Have you been able to quantify what this crisis has cost you?

In terms of the processing company, I would say it’s been probably a 10% reduction in normal profitability. Actually, it’s more than that because we’ve lost revenue. We also have a lot more goods sitting around here than we normally would, which means we have to rent storage space and buy additional bins.

It’s a real challenge, and I can tell you the frustration that’s building within our logistics team is huge because they 26

West Coast Nut

March 2022

get no answers, no warning, no break.

It’s a constant battle and constant struggle for them.

Q. How have these shipping delays affected your customers?

It’s created a tremendous amount of frustration on our customers’ side.

We’ve missed a tremendous amount of seasonal consumption. In India, it’s around the October-to-December wedding season. In Europe, there’s a lot of consumption around the holiday season. In China, it’s around the Chinese New Year.

We have a certain window to get our shipments to those markets in time for them to be cleared through customs, distributed to manufacturers, manufactured, packaged and distributed out to retail. If you miss that window, there’s simply not going to be goods available for consumers to consume or gift-givers to give during those holiday seasons.

We don’t get that demand back. That’s lost demand. It’s true demand destruction. It’s not as though, if our container arrives a month late, people are going to eat double the almonds they usually

of Oakland and somebody from the Federal Maritime Commission on the panel with me. Growers can’t bear this burden and this cost anymore. Somebody’s got to shine some light at the end of this tunnel. Seems to me the Federal Maritime Commission has the ability and authority to do that. I’m not a bureaucrat. I don’t know exactly what they can do. All I know is that it’s a U.S. citizen relying heavily on exports going out of the Port of Oakland. They seem like the logical party to fix this.

Q. What could really start turning this situation around?

Some huge penalties or sanctions levied against shipping lines calling on these ports. This may be too late, probably should have happened a long time ago, but I think any shipping line whose intention it is to bring goods here, discharge them and head back with empty containers is the genesis of this problem in a big way. Taking

Continued on Page 28

do. It’s just not the way it works. Given the fact that we’re dealing with two very large crops back-to-back and low prices to the farm (in some cases, lower than the cost of production), we can’t afford missing out on any of this demand.

Q. What happens to the almonds?

Are they still sitting at the port?

Right now, they’re still here in Denair. We have shipments leaving, but let’s say in a normal month, during the peak shipping season, our company would ship between 5.5 and 7 million pounds in a month when we’re really cranking. Right now, because we can’t get vessel space or containers, and bookings are constantly being rolled or cancelled without notice, we might ship between 2.5 and 3.5 million pounds.

Q. Why isn’t the supply chain crisis getting resolved?

What needs to happen?

Somebody has got to step up and lead the charge to fix this. That is the most pointed comment I made during the Almond Conference in December, when we had somebody from the Port March 2022

www.wcngg.com

27

West Coast ports lack the efficiencies to support the amount of goods arriving and leaving, Hoff says.

Continued from Page 27 authority over our own ports and not allowing that to happen is probably the number-one way this could have been stopped.

Now that we find ourselves in the soup that we’re in, the

problem is huge. Even doing that today, it would take several months for the global balance of the equipment and vessels to come back. Finding additional yard space at ports to store and stage empty and full containers to clear up some of the congestion would at least help.

If we were to pass a Build Back Better plan, let’s focus on a port infrastructure and automation. A major investment at ports and removal of some barriers would also help to make those ports more efficient. Let’s make these ports bigger, get larger ships in there. One of the reasons we’re having so many issues right now is because not only are the ports so backed up with full and empty containers, but these ports are inefficient.

Q. What’s your message to the powers that be?

We’re looking to someone, anyone for help; to put pressure on anyone, we need to put pressure on to end this situation. Farmers are not only what makes this country so awesome, but we’re a big part of the California landscape.

California is a powerhouse of global production. We rely heavily on the Port of Oakland to ship goods to markets that really want the specialty crops that we’re creating. I just hope that somebody hears that, somebody who can do something about this problem, and we finally get some leadership out of someone to help change this.

That’s not to say that our industry groups haven’t been stepping up and leading the charge. They certainly have. But those folks they’ve been charging against, I want them to finally listen and do something. If I were standing in front of them, I would ask them to quit pointing fingers and get something done.

View Hoff with the Almond Conference panel, “Ag Export Delays: Any Light at the End of the Tunnel?” at almonds.com/about-us/programs-and-events/almond-conference/presentations.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

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HIGH INPUT COSTS ON A TIGHT BUDGET WEATHER WILL DICTATE WHETHER GROWERS CAN CUT CORNERS ON SPRING DISEASE MANAGEMENT WITHOUT RISKING CROP DAMAGE.

By KATHY COATNEY | Contributing Writer

a really nice start to the water year, but now things are dry and they look to be dry for a while, so that makes you nervous. Lake Shasta is only half the volume of what it is on average this time of year,” Niederholzer said.

If weather patterns don’t change, Niederholzer has heard the outlook on federal project water allocation is not good, at least with how it stands right now.

“That’s obviously subject to change if rainfall increases, but there’s plenty of reasons for growers to be very concerned about water,” Niederholzer continued.

The supply chain is another issue that has increased prices for growers.

“UN32 (nitrogen) is more than double what it was several years ago, up almost 50% from last fall. Potassium is up about 20% to 30% over last year, so the price of inputs is way up,” Niederholzer said, plus there’s reportedly a limited availability of certain pesticides coming from offshore.

Bloom Diseases

Improving efficiency or squeezing small reductions across the board are two ways to cut costs at bloom time without risking crop damage (photo by F. Niederholzer.)

C

alifornia almond growers saw a record crop in 2020 of 3.12 billion meat pounds. By comparison, 2021 almond production was about 20% lower at 2.80 billion meat pounds based on 1.33 million bearing acres.

Franz Niederholzer, UCCE farm advisor for Colusa, Sutter and Yuba counties, is concerned about weather and economic conditions for the 2022 crop.

There is a combination of things that are impacting almond growers, Niederholzer said, besides a reduced price,

30

West Coast Nut

March 2022

that include water availability, supply chain issues increasing input costs and heavy crops in previous years.

“This year is going to be a real test,” he said. Given the current dry weather, the looming question is: will there be water to grow the crop?

Current Situation

Right now, it’s too early to tell how the 2022 crop will shake out, but the market currently is not in a great place, Niederholzer said.

Weather is a main concern. “We had

There are several major diseases at bloom, according to Niederholzer, that, depending on weather, can require multiply sprays. These include: Brown rot; Shot hole; Jacket rot if it’s cold and wet; Anthracnose if it’s warm and wet; Leaf blight; and Scab at petal fall if a dormant spray wasn’t applied.

Bacterial diseases at bloom include: Blossom blast if there is frost; Leaf Spot in certain varieties during wet years.

Cutting Corners

Can growers reduce chemical usage without risking crop damage? The answer is weather-dependent.

“If the weather’s dry at bloom, as in no rain, then one good spray will work compared to two,” Niederholzer said, but if it rains at bloom, two sprays, one at pink bud and one at full bloom, are recommended.

If there’s wet weather at bloom, not spraying means there’s a very good chance disease will develop, Niederholzer said.

Planning a Fungicide Program

Planning your fungicide program

has multiple benefits, according to a recent post on The Almond Doctor blog from David Doll.

Doll advises growers to take time and identify fungicides and their modes of action to develop a rotation strategy. This is especially important when money is tight. Doing this gives growers the ability to price and compare different options and swap materials at specific points, he said.

There are several factors that need to be considered when planning a yearlong spray program, including:

it is needed to protect the crop, and the budget will take care of itself,” Doll said.

“The most expensive spray is the one that is not needed,” Doll reminded growers.

Increasing Efficiencies

There are other ways, besides reducing chemical applications, to trim costs.

There are places where growers can save money by looking at efficiencies.

“If things have to be done, and

they’re getting more expensive to do, you really want to make sure that what you do is done right, rather than have to do it again or accept less pest control than if the job was done properly the first time,” Niederholzer said, adding with this strategy, growers can be much more efficient with their materials.

Calibration of equipment is another way to increase efficiency. “If you’re

Continued on Page 32

• Anticipated weather during flowering • Disease history • Materials available •

Operational tolerance to disease

• Ability to spray (budget constraints) “Dry weather during flowering will reduce the need to spray, while free moisture from rainfall or humidity/ fog can increase disease pressure. If dry conditions are present, fungicide sprays can be withheld until conditions change. In these types of years, bloom typically progresses rapidly, making it difficult to spray due to the shorter duration. As the flowering period ends and petal fall begins, it may make sense to consider a “clean-up” spray for any infections that might have occurred,” Doll said.

Budget constraints vary by operation and are an important factor in years with uncertain commodity pricing. Doll suggests that if growers need to reduce expenses, try to be timelier with fungicide sprays by applying only when weather conditions favor disease.

He goes on to say to consider reducing or eliminating various additives instead of reducing sprays.

“These additional products have been shown to have limited success in replicated trials. They also may not be required based on the fungicide being used, and the costs add up with multiple sprays. Spray only when and

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March 2022

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Continued from Page 31 spraying by ground at bloom, you can drive faster than you should once the leaves fill in,” Niederholzer said, adding this will give the grower a labor savings, and labor can be a big portion of pesticide application costs.

“If at bloom you increase your groundspeed a third compared to spring or summer speed, your operator time is cut by a third because you’re faster getting across a block. You can also cut your spray volume, for example, to 70 gallons per acre (GPA) at bloom because there is less surface area in the canopy to cover compared to after leaf-out; so now, Dry weather during flowering will reduce the need to spray, while free moisture from rainfall instead of spraying five acres or less per or humidity/fog can increase disease pressure, according to UCCE’s Franz Niederholzer (photo tank, it’s seven-plus acres, and that saves by Marni Katz.) on fill time,” Niederholzer said. “For a 100-acre block, a 70-GPA spray volume means refilling 14 times instead of the 20 times needed for Planning ahead is also important. “If you wait, and you 100 GPA.” think, ‘Well we’ll skip that, or we’ll just see how things go,’ These are little things, Niederholzer continued, but they you often end up playing catchup, and that’s often harder add up, and so they are worth considering. Make sure your to do, especially as the season goes on and spraying gets sprayer is calibrated to deliver good coverage throughout the tougher and more expensive in vigorous, mature orchards,” tree, especially if reducing spray volume.

Niederholzer said.

“The farm management experts say, when things are tight, don’t quit doing one thing, but try to tighten up everything you do. Try to squeeze a 5% reduction in total costs, 5% improvement in quality or price,” he said. Five percent might WALNUT AND ALMOND PROCESSING EQUIPMENT not be doable, but the idea is to trim in many areas without cutting out one whole proven practice or activity.

When talking about a tight year, a good way to reduce expenditures is to increase efficiency, Niederholzer said, so long as any efficiency investments (e.g., a new nurse tank for spraying) don’t cost more than the savings.

Niederholzer uses nitrogen as an example. “If you can improve your nitrogen use efficiency by 10%, that saves you $35 an acre in material at current nitrogen prices.” More efficient nitrogen practices could include injecting liquid fertilizers Walnut Almond later in the irrigation set and applying lower rates of fertilizer CONTACT US Equipment Equipment TODAY more frequently.

• Receiving Receiving • TO GET A QUOTE • Precleaning Precleaning • Nitrogen efficiency has the added benefit of potentially FOR THE BEST • Hulling Hulling • reducing hull rot later in the season, Niederholzer said, addPRICES • Drying In-Shell • ing excessive nitrogen applications can contribute to hull rot, • In-Shell Shelling • and reduced hull rot improves yields and a grower’s bottom • Shelling Almond Drying • line.

• Eletronic Sorting Eletronic Sorting • Because of supply chain issues, Niederholzer knows some • Hand Sorting Hand Sorting • growers purchased nitrogen last year when it was cheaper.

• Packaging Packaging • “The indications seem to be that it’s not going to get much Custom Sizing to Fit Your Needs better soon as far as shipping goes.”

In conclusion, Niederholzer said, as the old saying goes, trim the fat, not muscle. “I think the more you look at someServing the California Walnut & thing, the more you might be able to find a little bit more Almond Industry for over 25 years. here and there.”

209.883.2817 Contact Us Today Comments about this article? We want to hear from you.

3200 TULLY ROAD, HUGHSON, CA • Grossifabrication.com Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

WA L N U TS & A L M O N DS

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The State of the State of Water in California

By MIKE WADE | California Farm Water Coalition

W

ith Governor Newsom’s State of the State speech likely to occur around the time this article is published, we’d like to examine one item that serves as a building block for all the issues the Governor will address: water.

While unexpected storms in late 2021 brought some welcome relief to our parched state, the water cupboard was so bare, most reservoirs remain below their historic averages.

The water we do have must move throughout the state by way of a complicated system of reservoirs, dams, canals, pipes and treatment plants. That movement is managed by an equally complicated network of federal, state and local officials.

We can’t improve our water supply or get it to its destination without both the physical conveyance and the management system functioning. And the success of both requires collaboration among water users and the State of California.

California’s water infrastructure is old and failing. And infrastructure not only moves water, but it also allows us to store more water in the face of our changing weather patterns.

In 2021, Congress passed a historic bipartisan infrastructure bill allocating funds for a wide range of infrastructure projects. The governor has also included water infrastructure spending in the State budget.

But a line item in a piece of legislation or budget doesn’t save, create or move one drop of water.

Infrastructure Spending

Our governments must move forward now on both short and long-term projects. As of the time this article was submitted, the Bureau of Reclamation had released a preliminary plan to spend $1.66 billion of the $8.3 billion allocated for Western Water Infrastructure by the federal infrastructure bill. That spending will include: •

$420 million for rural water projects that benefit various Tribal and non-Tribal underserved communities by increasing access to potable water.

•

$245 million for WaterSMART Title XVI that supports the planning, design and construction of water recycling and reuse projects.

Continued on Page 36 34

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Continued from Page 34 •

$210 million for construction of water storage, groundwater storage and conveyance project infrastructure.

•

$160 million for WaterSMART Grants to support Reclamation efforts to work cooperatively with states, Tribes and local entities to implement infrastructure investments to increase water supply.

•

$100 million for aging infrastructure for major repairs and rehabilitation of facilities.

•

$100 million for safety of dams to implement safety modifications of critical infrastructure.

•

$50 million for the implementation of Colorado River Basin drought contingency plans to support the

Construction underway in June 1963 on the San Luis Complex in Merced County. The Federal Bureau of Reclamation and State of California joined forces under the leadership of President John F. Kennedy and Governor Edmund G. “Pat” Brown to build important water supply infrastructure for California (photo by Don Logan, California Department of Water Resources.)

goal of reducing the risk of Lake Mead and Lake Powell reaching critically low water levels.

•

Management Program for watershed planning and restoration projects for watershed groups.

$18 million for WaterSMART’s Cooperative Watershed

Continued on Page 38

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‘The biggest water users in California are farms and the environment.

Each benefit when the other is healthy.’

•

As further incentive for action at the state level, the highly respected Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) released a report in early February also urging the state to move quickly with a focus on projects that would make a difference now.

Adaptive Management and Cooperation

Continued from Page 36 •

$8.5 million for Colorado River Basin Endangered Species Recovery and Conservation Programs.

$15 million for Research and Development’s Desalination and Water Purification Program for construction efforts to address ocean or brackish water desalination.

In addition to physical infrastructure improvements, water must be managed in a way that takes a holistic approach to our environmental health, utilizes the most current science and has the flexibility to adjust as situations change and new information becomes available.

We began the move to a more adap-

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tive system through changes initiated by the Obama Administration and implemented during the Trump Administration. If we want to see improvements for people, farms and the environment, we must continue on that path.

The third element critical to a secure water future is cooperation among water users, and the biggest water users in California are farms and the environment. Each benefit when the other is healthy.

Much of California’s most important wildlife areas exist alongside some of the state’s most productive farmland, and farmers are a key part of preserving this valuable habitat. In addition to preservation, farmers have been funding projects to help struggling fish, such as restoring habitat and food supply.

Farms also provide greenspace in an era of widespread population growth as well as plants and trees that capture carbon, helping offset the impact of climate change.

On the flip side, farms simply cannot exist without a healthy environment, and farmers are committed to doing their part. California farm water use has decreased by double-digits since 1980 and improvements in efficient water use continue to grow.

All Californians need both productive farms and a healthy environment.

California farms are the best and most efficient in the world at growing food and they can’t just be moved elsewhere. Without them, we will be forced to import more food, which could mean higher prices, a less safe food supply, job losses, particularly in disadvantaged communities, and continuing supply chain problems as we’ve seen with COVID-19.

We have the tools to secure our water future; now is the time to use them.

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Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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Field Fixes for Golden Hills Pistachio As acreage grows for the early variety, researchers give advice for addressing some differences.

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

T

he Golden Hills pistachio variety has confirmed its strengths: more upright growth pattern, less pruning after maturity and early harvest. Since being released by the UC breeding program in 2005, growers have recognized these attributes and have planted more than 120,000 acres of Golden Hills pistachio trees in California.

UCCE Farm Advisor Craig Kallsen, in a presentation for the virtual Statewide Pistachio Day, noted the positives about this pistachio variety, but he also acknowledged crop production differences compared to the standard Kerman and some ‘fixes’ Golden Hills trees may need. Some of these weaknesses were apparent in early field trials, Kallsen said, and some were not.

WHEN TO IRRIGATE? MAKE THE RIGHT DECISION AT THE RIGHT TIME

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Pruning mature Kerman trees in the southern San Joaquin Valley can be done later in the winter than the early blooming Golden Hills. Golden Hills’ upright structure also requires less pruning as the trees mature (all photos by C. Parsons.)

His presentation included field fix suggestions and ways to address production differences.

Golden Hills Differences

Golden Hills has proven to be more difficult to bud thanKerman. Although the reason is not clear, Kallsen said that the length of Golden Hills branches that have flower buds and which will eventually be the bud stick tend to taper quickly.

Bud maturity is often variable along the bud stick, with larger, older buds being too old and smaller buds too immature.

Kallsen advised using a nursery licensed to distribute UC budwood and that is also familiar with budding Golden Hills trees.

Buying pre-budded trees from the nursery is the most common practice.

Golden Hills trees should not be tipped late. They should be tipped before early February to be safe. The reasoning is that apical buds begin producing auxins in the spring which prevents buds lower on the branch from pushing. Apical buds should be tipped before they come out of dormancy.

With mature Golden Hills, everything happens earlier in the growing season compared to Kerman, Kallsen said. If terminal buds are tipped after the terminal buds come out of dormancy, buds a foot or more below that point will be extremely slow to push or won’t push at all. In contrast, with Kerman, the buds are dormant ten days to two weeks later, allowing more time for pruning in late winter.

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Jim Britton (559) 994-1221 40

West Coast Nut

March 2022

Kallsen noted that Golden Hills trees have a greater tendency to split at the crotch of the tree during the initial years of bearing. Tree shaking at harvest appears to be associated with some of the splitting, Kallsen added. The split is at the primary scaffold branches and is more common when only two primary branches are formed, compared to at least three primaries. The splits can result in tree death if not addressed early. The initial split is often black or ‘sooty’ in color as mold grows on the sap leaking from the split.

A fix for these splits involves boring a hole at the top of the split perpendicular to the split and inserting at minimum a half-inch-diameter section of threaded rod through the trunk.

Each end of the rod is then secured with a 1 3/8-inch-outside-diameter washer and nut.

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When shaking, Kallsen added, the duration should be just long enough to remove the filled nuts only. Shaking should not be considered as an alternative to poling for removal of mummy nuts or blanks.

There is an alternative to the ‘vase style’ pruning being explored, Kallsen said. A modified single leader training may be a way to reduce splitting as there is not crotch. This experimental method of training is being pioneered by Jeb Headrick and investigated by UCCE researchers Bruce Lampinen and Mae Culumber.

Golden Hills also has a tendency to produce fewer primary and secondary scaffold branches at the training cut.

Kallsen said cutting the young tree trunk or primary branches too early or too close to the terminal bud is more likely to result in insufficient or delayed bud push.

He advised before making the training cut to look for or wait until developing buds are present in the axils of leaves below the proposed cut. The training cut should be made above a leaf axil that has a visible bud to maximize the chance that the buds in axils below the cut will push to form primary and secondary branches.

Kallsen said this training method is particularly important in low-chill winters.

“Barking” at harvest is more likely with cultivars other than Kerman as the uneven trunk growth increases with age.

Golden Hills and Lost Hills also increase in diameter faster than their rootstocks compared to Kerman.

Kallsen also warned about high levels of salts, especially boron in the irrigation water, which will have a negative effect on Golden Hills on UCB-1.

Internal kernel discoloration was discovered in some kernels of Golden Hills in 2020. Kallsen said the problem exists in Lost Hills, but is fairly rare in Kerman. The incidence of discoloration varies from year to year and orchard to orchard, Kallsen said, suggesting there is an environmental component. The cause and incidence requires further investigation, he added.

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Continued on Page 42 March 2022

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Continued from Page 41

One of the suggested fixes for splits at the primary scaffold branches is to bore a hole at the top of the split perpendicular to the split and insert at minimum a half-inch-diameter section of threaded rod through the trunk. Each end of the rod is then secured with a 1 3/8-inchoutside-diameter washer and nut.

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

foliation at harvest time than Kerman or Lost Hills. Preventative measures include adequate irrigation throughout the season and particularly the last three to four weeks prior to harvest. Irrigating postharvest if leaves are green will maximize carbohydrate production. Kallsen said if late season sprays for navel orangeworm (NOW) control are necessary, chemical adjuvants known to cause phytotoxicity should be avoided.

In environments conducive to Alternaria late blight, Golden Hills, due to earlier maturity, may exhibit more late blight infections than Kerman. As the leaves begin drying earlier, there is the potential for providing Alternaria a place to grow late in the season in some years and locations. Kallsen said Golden Hills orchards might require a fungicide spray in late June or early July in the northern San Joaquin Valley and the more humid areas of the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Harvest

Kallsen advised not using hull tatter to gauge harvest readiness with Golden Hills as their hulls do not tatter as much as Kerman’s when ready for harvest.

Once most hulls slip, harvest can begin.

Most nuts will be split even if hulls are not tattered. Intact hulls may reduce NOW damage.

A plus for Golden Hills is a relatively shorter bloom period that translates into more even nut maturity than Kerman or Lost Hills.

Unless bloom was affected by weather or a poor-chill winter, Kallsen said a double shake is unnecessary for Golden Hills. In mature trees, when 10% of hulls begin to slip, waiting an additional eight to ten days to harvest can allow 95% of the nuts to come off the tree.

Even if a second shake is warranted, it can be completed before the first shake of Kerman.

More detailed results comparing the UC released cultivars from 2002 through 2018 can be found at calag.ucanr.edu/ archive/?article=ca.2020a0011.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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PRACTICAL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT IN THE WAKE OF SKYROCKETING INPUT PRICES

By RICH KREPS | CCA, SSp., Contributing Writer

Are you ready for “P”LOOM?

F

ertilizer prices are awful, water is expensive if you can get it and prices are down. The perfect storm is hitting us farmers. When you need a raincoat (if it would rain again), a lecture on weather does you no good to help immediately. So, let’s get a little more practical with this article than theoretical. If our yields aren’t at the top of the chart, fertilizer is only expensive if it doesn’t work. Trying to save $100 per acre on inputs won’t “make” you as much money as increasing yield by 300 pounds an acre. So often we focus on cutting and not on improving.

Let’s get better at getting nutrients into our crops. We should be able to increase yields and orchard health to make a bigger impact to the bottom line.

Smaller Shots

The right “P” makes a difference for your trees during bloom.

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Smaller shots, the “spoon fed” approach, works if it’s still adequate. Think about trying to take a big bite of food with an oversized spoon filled to the max. Whatever you can’t fit in your mouth goes back into your plate and mixes with all the other food on it. You have to keep taking smaller bites. The food is there but not getting into your mouth quickly enough. Now if the waiter clears your plate before you’re done, you only got a fraction of the food that was on your plate. But you’ll still get the bill for that meal.

Relate that to nitrogen. We apply big slugs of nitrogen a few times a year. Three slugs of 50 units a piece in March, April and May will put 150 units of N into your

Continued on Page 46 44

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'

Continued from Page 44 soil. But if your trees can only take up ten units per week, what happens to the other 40 units? Nitrate leaches easily.

The trees take in the available water in an irrigation set and then stop. As the water goes down, NO3 goes with it. The next time you kick on the water, more N should get taken up that may still be in the root zone, but more gets pushed down past those roots and is wasted.

The majority of your feeder roots are in the top 12 inches of soil. We often see irrigations penetrate three feet of soil.

Bye-bye N. The waiter took your plate, but you paid for it.

Now let’s take this to another level.

Plants drink their food, they don’t eat it.

So, the spoon we talk about in smaller feedings gets reduced. It’s now the size of a small straw. That can’t hold much food and it has to be solubilized.

We need calcium as much as nitrogen, but we don’t typically apply enough in a plant-ready form to balance that out.

We are trying to get that nutrition in through those small holes. That takes a lot of energy. We need P to make it.

We focus on N, but P makes it possible.

And nitrate loves to attach to calcium and flow through the xylem. Potassium helps make all that happen in directing traffic. We need calcium as much as nitrogen, but we don’t typically apply

FARMER PROVEN SINCE 1938.

enough in a plant-ready form to balance that out.

Balance Nutrition

Plan the rest of your season to balance your nutrition. If you are planning on 120 units of nitrogen, calculate that out. Now plan on doing at least that much soluble calcium. Try to get

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March 2022

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Nutrient levels start high in the spring, so feed accordingly and plan out the season (photo courtesy Duarte Nursery.)

20% of that N amount, or 24 units, in phosphorus. And get it in early; N and P start high in the spring. When leaf expansion happens, plan to get 10% of the N amounts into your trees in a soluble magnesium. This is the main element in the center of chlorophyll.

Try to get 12 units. We want 80% (100 units) of the N as potassium and 25% of the N in sulfur.

As you start to do your math, you suddenly realize you have never put 12 units of magnesium on your field. But your tissues have shown you may be okay in those levels. If you have amended your soil with gypsum, let’s say two tons in a previous year, you added 920 pounds (units) of calcium to your soil.

Now, do your tissues show adequacy for calcium early in the season? Proba-

bly not. This tells us we need to look at our soils and the water we rinse it with to make supplemental calculations to what we are getting. Look at your meq/l in your soil nutrient reports. What is solubilizing in the water? That’s what the roots actually see in an irrigation, with a caveat.

Those soils in the lab are rinsed

Continued on Page 48

Contact us to see how we can help!

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March 2022

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47

If you are planning on 120 units of nitrogen, calculate that out. Plan on doing at least that much soluble calcium (photo by Cecilia Parsons.)

Continued from Page 47 with a neutral pH deionized water.

None of us are irrigating with that water. So, to keep this below the level of a brain overload, ask your CCA to help

you make a plan. Reduce your supplemental inputs to levels that will get you sufficiency after calculating what the soil should give you in your irrigations. If there will be tie up, add those

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nutrients to a foliar spray (magnesium in particular.)

Monitor how far the water is moving in an irrigation set and tailor those irrigations where you are fertigating to keep the water in the top foot as long as possible. This may mean you have to split your irrigations up quite a bit to make that happen. Desperate times call for targeted measures. When prices are down, keep yields up. Doing it with a purposeful budget and precision farming can keep us profitable. Make sure your trees actually drink the nutrients you buy them.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

'

Trying to save $100 per acre on inputs won’t “make” you as much money as Your Solar Questions Answered 209-668-5303 | JKBENERGY.COM

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West Coast Nut

March 2022

increasing yield by 300 pounds an acre.

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A WORD FROM THE BOARD: HAZELNUT MARKETING BOARD

Nut Growers Society Annual Meeting

By HAZELNUT MARKETING BOARD | Contributing Writer

F

or the first time in two years, Oregon hazelnut growers had the privilege of gathering for the largest event on the industry calendar: the annual Winter Meeting. After an all-virtual meeting in 2021, farmers were joyful to be back in-person for the 107th edition of the event.

An estimated 600 growers, guests, speakers, sponsors and vendors gathered to celebrate all things hazelnuts

and learn about the year ahead for the industry. A new venue, Spirit Mountain, was chosen to host the event to give attendees a new experience.

Educational Seminars

The dynamic speaker panel is the traditional highlight of the day, and this year’s itinerary featured a mix of usual favorites and new special guests.

Following the annual business meet-

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After an all-virtual meeting in 2021, hazelnut farmers were joyful to be back in-person for the 107th edition of the annual Winter Meeting (all photos courtesy Hazelnut Marketing Board.)

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The Grower of the Year award was presented to Tom Rogers, who has been a hazelnut farmer for more than 45 years.

A panel of speakers discussed the latest information on pruning strategies.

ing, Colleen Nihen, executive director of the Hazelnut Industry Office, apprised attendees on the status and responsibilities of the Industry Office, from collecting industry data, to promotional efforts, to grower education.

Logistical issues brought on by the pandemic are causing chaos in all facets of life, with agriculture surely feeling the burden.

A panel of speakers representing the machinery, chemical supply and trucking industries provided attendees with key insights on

‘

An estimated 600 growers, guests, speakers, sponsors and vendors gathered to celebrate all things hazelnuts and learn about the year ahead for the industry.

’

Continued on Page 52

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‘

Polly Owen served as the director of the Hazelnut Industry Office for more than 20 years. During her tenure, the industry ballooned from 30,000 to 90,000 acres.

’

discussion on pruning best practices. Growers with a variety of opinions debated the pros and cons of each method, including the sometimes-divisive vertical hedging style.

Industry Awards

The NGS board of directors and the Hazelnut Industry Office chose to present a specialty award this year to Polly Owen, who has contributed more time and energy to the U.S. hazelnut community than almost any other individual.

Continued from Page 51 what to expect in the year(s) to come as well as what they can do to mitigate the impacts on their operations.

Among the ever-popular presentations are legislative updates from Salem and the pricing report from the Hazelnut Growers Bargaining Association. Both captivated the crowd again as growers listened intently to learn how domestic and global political issues could impact their farms.

Research took the stage next with Jay Pschiedt, Vaughn Walton and Shawn Mehlenbacher from Oregon State University providing news on their ongoing studies. Topics included managing Eastern Filbert Blight and Bacterial Blight, mitigating Filbertworm damage in hazelnut orchards and the hazelnut breeding program.

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March 2022

Each year at the Winter Meeting, prestigious awards are handed out to select hazelnut growers. Chief among them is the Grower of the Year award. Since 1970, this award has annually gone to a grower who has dedicated countless hours and effort in service to the hazelnut industry; this includes serving in leadership roles on the boards of the Nut Growers Society, Oregon Hazelnut Commission and Hazelnut Marketing Board.

The Grower of the Year is Tom Rogers. Rogers has been a hazelnut farmer for more than 45 years. He served as the NGS president in 2017 and served two terms on the Oregon Hazelnut Commission from 2015-19. He continues to be a generous volunteer for the industry, routinely stepping in wherever needed.

The Oregon Hazelnut Commission also honored its recently retired board members with OHC Service Awards.

This recognition is bestowed upon commissioners who completed their terms in the past year. Garry Rodakowski, Tim Newkirk, Shaun George, Sean Denfeld, Tristan Gingerich and Dan Keeley were all presented plaques and recognized for their work.

The NGS board of directors and the Hazelnut Industry Office chose to present a specialty award this year to somebody who has contributed more time and energy to the U.S. hazelnut community than almost any other individual. Polly Owen served as the director of the Hazelnut Industry Office for more than 20 years. During her tenure, the industry ballooned from 30,000 to 90,000 acres. She oversaw the work of the NGS, OHC, HMB and AOHI throughout the highs and lows of this growth period. The PollyO hazelnut tree variety was named by Oregon State University in her honor.

Owen retired in 2021 but remains an influential figure in the hazelnut world.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

The Persistence of Pistillate Flower Abscission

By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer

This walnut shoot shows female flowers at their optimum pollen receptivity stage and proper timing for applying the plant growth regulator ReTain for control of pistillate flower abscission (photo by B. Beede.)

P

istillate flower abscission (PFA), a production problem largely relegated to walnut varieties that make up only a small percentage of California walnut acreage, continues to pose risks for producers growing the varieties Serr and Tulare.

Certain environmental conditions favor the problem and there are some cultural steps growers can take to minimize the effects of PFA. Effectively treating for PFA generally involves

54

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March 2022

deciding to spend hundreds of dollars per acre on a plant growth regulator, a decision made more difficult with low walnut prices.

The California walnut industry first encountered PFA after the release of the variety Serr in 1968. For many years, Serr was widely produced and it continues to be grown today, although only on about 10% of walnut acres.

“Serr was touted as an early variety that had high vigor, good shape and

very high nut quality for its time,” said Bob Beede, a retired UCCE farm advisor who continues to consult for the tree nut industry. “Even to this day, it is a cultivar that has a good edible yield, has excellent flavor and is harvested on a timely basis.

“Then, in the early ‘80s, people started noticing problems with PFA, which they referred to as the ‘Serr drop problem.’ It occurred shortly after fruit-set when nutlets were falling in abundance on the ground,” he said.

At one point, several UC Davis researchers were studying PFA in walnuts in hopes of determining the cause of the Serr drop problem and potential solutions to it.

“A lot of people worked on it,” said Joe Grant, research director for the California Walnut Board and a retired UCCE nut crops advisor. “Early on, nobody knew what caused this. All kinds of things were tried and failed. Finally, Vito Polito, who was then a professor at UC Davis, figured out it was too much pollen.”

Polito, who has since retired, discovered that excessive pollen on the flowers was generating a high level of ethylene, a plant hormone associated with ripening of some fruit. “What was happening is the ethylene was causing a rapid aging of the flower… hence the flower dries up and falls off,” Beede said.

Growers tried a variety of practices to combat issues with PFA, including knocking off some of an orchard’s catkins and altering the amount of nitrogen they applied. But no silver bullet solution emerged and, eventually, as

This Serr walnut tree is showing an abundance of male flowers (catkins) as the female flowers (pistillate) approach peak pollen receptivity (photo by B. Beede.)

the Chandler variety grew in popularity and Serr acreage shrank, the issue was relegated to the back burner. In the early 2000s, however, PFA erupted in several Serr orchards, causing a reboot of research into control measures.

“We had two or three back-to-back Serr yields where the crop was only about 1,000 pounds an acre and the growers were in a panic,” Beede said.

At that point, acreage in Serr was dwindling, but its early harvest meant it was still an important variety for meeting the Thanksgiving and Christmas markets in Europe, Beede said.

And he launched an investigation into the issue after several growers approached him. “I re-rung the bell about

pistillate flower abscission,” Beede said.

At about that same time, Beede heard a report from Polito that in laboratory conditions, the growth regulator AVG, the active ingredient in ReTain, interfered with ethylene development and the rapid aging of flowers.

What happened next, Beede said, ranks as the most dramatic discovery he made in his 35 years as a farm advisor in terms of a yield increase.

Dramatic Discovery

“I went back to this grower who wanted me to work on this, Bill Verboon, and he had a Serr orchard that had only produced about 500 pounds the previous year and I went out with

a squirt bottle one Saturday morning and treated 20 trees and five individual shoots and tagged them,” he said.

Beede came back three weeks later and was amazed at what he found: The treated shoots had set 98% of their flowers, whereas the untreated had set just 20%.

A recount led to the same figures, and over the next decade, Beede conducted 30 experiments on ReTain as well as other plant growth regulators.

“What we learned is AVG is a very powerful plant growth regulator when applied at the proper time,” he said.

Beede documented yield increases as high as 1,500 pounds an acre in some cases when treating Serr walnuts with ReTain.

“We also found some improvement in Tulare orchards,” he said. “I did not study other varieties.”

Still, with the cost of ReTain running $300 an acre at that point and deciding whether to treat orchards with the growth regulator was not and

Continued on Page 56

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still is not an easy decision, according to Beede.

“In order for AVG, or ReTain, to do a grower any good, they first have to have a significant pistillate flower abscission problem,” he said.

Asked how a grower can determine if he or she has a significant problem, Beede said the best way is to get up on a pruning tower, tag female flowers just prior to bloom and mark the shoots with flagging tape. “Spray them with ReTain and don’t spray others and see whether or not within three weeks you have a much better set on the treated shoots than you do on the untreated shoots.”

A second, less labor-intensive method involves buying a bag of ReTain, following label directions and spraying an acre or so of trees at between 30% and 40% bloom and compare that acre’s performance to others in an orchard, he said.

“Either go out and spray a row and sacrifice one season or get out there and tag flowers,” he said.

Historical Yields

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West Coast Nut

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Growers also can look to historical yields to determine if PFA is causing a problem, particularly in Tulare walnuts, where PFA incidence is less of an ongoing issue. “I always tell growers that if their Tulares are already yielding

5,000 to 6,000 pounds, then I would be reluctant to mess with success,” Beede said.

Another factor that can play into spray decisions is whether rainfall occurred during bloom. “We found that rain during bloom, if it was significant, say a quarter of an inch during peak catkin pollen release, diluted the pollen sufficiently that either the value of ReTain or catkin shaking was minimized,” Beede said.

Removing pollinizers from Serr and Tulare orchards can help, Grant said, but isn’t always sufficient to reduce pollen load given that release of pollen from adjacent orchards can still lead to significant pollen loads, regardless of whether a grower takes out pollinizers.

One thing that Grant advises against is to wait until symptoms develop. “You can’t look for symptoms,” Grant said. “You are looking for factors that contribute to it, and that is a lot of pollen or a lack of rainfall that would reduce pollination, and history.”

Application timing and rate are well known by this point, Grant adds. “The only question is are you going to get your money back or not.”

It’s a question that has persisted now for many years.

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Insights and Issues with Ag Technologies

By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor

Common mistakes in use of weather stations that can affect their usefulness are installing infield above tree canopy, installing on concrete or dirt, installing next to running pump equipment, not being level and wind sensors pointed in the wrong direction.

A

utomation and control of irriinsights on advantages for growers and gation can be achieved with new the agriculture industry adopting new technology, Pat Biddy of Vanguard technologies. reported at the 2021 Almond ConferHe also noted some of the issues ence. Many growers have incorporated with precision technology that result in at least some form of these tools that inaccurate information. Poor calibracan help them increase irrigation effition, improper maintenance, and lack ciency and help them with labor savings, of training for field staff, infield verifiirrigation at off-peak, and accuracy in cation and feedback sensors can result nutrient applications. in inaccuracies, Biddy said.

Biddy was one of several panelists Adding a practical viewpoint for at the conference’s precision agriculgrowers, Biddy included ‘in-field ture technology session who shared information’ on installation and use of

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precision tools to ensure their value.

Weather stations have been some of the most common technologies installed by tree nut growers. Weather stations can monitor field variables, including frost conditions, wind speed and direction, growing degree days, IPM and disease models and rain accumulation.

Common mistakes in use of weather stations that can affect their usefulness are installing infield above tree canopy, installing on concrete or dirt, installing next to running pump equipment, not being level and wind sensors pointed in the wrong direction.

Automated sensors

Biddy said that automated plant sensors are becoming more common and some are well researched and have guidelines. Plant-based sensors can identify plant stress, measure fruit growth, watch nutrient flow in sap and can have localized NDVI and stomatal conductance. Issues with their use include installation in the wrong part of the plant, fruit sensors placed on damaged or non-average fruit, having incorrect irrigation model and lack of regular maintenance or replacement.

The manual pressure bomb for determining plant stress has been well researched and has documented guidelines for crop type.

Automated soil sensors can help growers identify plant stress, establish desired root zone, monitor soil temperature and monitor fertilizer movement through the soil profile. They cannot, Biddy noted, provide good information if installed outside the root zone or wetted area, work properly if

Weed control could mean new chemistries and targets, biocontrol, enhancing crop competitiveness and precision tools, according to Cornell University Weed Ecologist and Weed Management Professor Lynn Sosnoskie (photo by B. Hanson.)

installed on the wrong soil type (e.g., a sand streak) and if one sensor is used to cover too many acres. Infield verification is also necessary. If using an automated sensor, he said use of a manual tool is important to verify.

“This is a big one; you have to verify.”

Irrigation technology includes a lot of ‘cool stuff,’ Biddy said, but verification is necessary, and growers need to know the questions to ask when considering purchase or use.

Remote sourced data can be used to monitor field variables, including NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetative Index) soil water content, soil variability and consumptive water use. Delivered via satellite, drone or fixed-wing aircraft, the information can assist with management decisions.

Common issues with this technology include insufficient flights for comprehensive information, smoke or cloud cover on flight days, misinterpretation of data, comparing two separate fields or orchards and cover crop skewing data.

Getting Data Out of the Field

The most stable way to get data out of the field is cellular data transmission. Biddy said it can be upgraded as technology advances. It is reliable and California has excellent coverage. Cellular can be boosted and used with other communication types. Biddy said the majority of telemetry providers have a cellular option.

On the con side, cellular may not be upgradable with some telemetry providers and it may be expensive. You are also at the mercy of big cellular companies, Biddy added.

The next communication option is a radio system. These are used to cov-

er more acres at a lower cost. They are normally installed as a hub and spoke or a mesh network. Biddy said the hardware cost is less than cellular and there is a low to no annual subscription. The radio system can be used with other communication types and can be used where the cellular signal is spotty. Power consumption is low.

The drawbacks include a need for installation above canopy and it must have a gateway or base station that can be expensive. Radio systems do not have a long range between stations and interference can easily interrupt readings. Biddy also warned that they may require frequent service calls and to be weary of using radios for automation or controls.

LoRaWAN is a newer technology that uses radios for long-range communication. It has many of the same advantages as radio, plus it can be installed below canopy or underground. The same goes for the drawbacks, but Biddy included a note that third-party networks are not very common and you must create your own.

Another communication option that Biddy said he was excited about is Bluetooth. More than four billion BLE chips are made each year. The new BLE 5 chip provides ‘long-range’ integration for ag applications.

“This is a very stable technology that is being adopted by the ag industry,” Biddy said.

With Bluetooth, there are lower hardware costs than all other options.

Other ‘pros’ are comparable to LoRaWAN and radio, but Bluetooth can cover large

Continued on Page 60

March 2022

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Continued from Page 59 areas at a lower cost. Biddy noted that the ‘cons’ are also similar to the other options.

Wi-Fi networks have become more common in the field and can be easily expanded and connect field crews to valuable apps. Biddy said the advantage of Wi-Fi networks is they have lower hardware costs than cellular and can cover large areas at a very low cost.

He warned that it can be spotty and should not be relied on for automation or control.

Research Project Refining ET

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New technologies are likely to improve automation of tried-and-true technologies such as pressure bombs (photo by Marni Katz)

March 2022

A research project focused on refining ET models to support precision irrigation decisions is T-Rex (Remote Sensing of Evaporation Experiment).

UC researcher Nicolas Bambach explained that this project will help growers understand what is happening at the tree level (actual ET versus potential ET.) T-Rex is aimed at determining the quantity of water that is actually removed from a surface due to the processes of evapotranspiration and transpiration. The measurements will be paired with atmospheric demands to help illustrate water stress in plants.

Local environmental conditions, soil characteristics and management will be considered and no crop coefficients will be needed.

Three T-Rex study sites for ground truthing were in Woodland, Vacaville and Ripperdan almond orchards.

Preliminary results at the Woodland site had open ET higher than the ET

that included additional factors. The Vacaville and Ripperdan sites had open ET at lower rates.

Future direction for T-Rex includes testing model parameters and sensitivity to improve ET estimates from satellite and UAV remote sensing. Ground truthing efforts will be expanded.

Bambach said that would also identify key relationships with known parameters used to support irrigation management. Work with industry partners and at tech companies to translate research into field application is planned.

Weed Control with New Technologies

Novel technologies in weed control were explained by Cornell University Weed Ecologist and Weed Management Professor Lynn Sosnoskie. Partnering with UC Davis Weed Specialist Brad Hanson, several precision weed control tools are being studied.

In the future, Sosnoskie said, weed control could mean new chemistries and targets, biocontrol, enhancing crop competitiveness and precision tools.

Her work is focused on improving the efficiency of vision-guided herbicide sprayers and electric weed control.

Vision-guided technology involves sensors that identify weeds and target them for herbicide application. Electric weed control, Sosnoskie noted, is not new, but new application in orchard systems is being studied.

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A WORD FROM THE BOARD: CALIFORNIA WALNUT BOARD

HOW MARKETING IS GROWING THE BASE OF CALIFORNIA WALNUT LOVERS

By CALIFORNIA WALNUT BOARD | Contributing Writer

C

alifornia Walnuts recently launched a new digital advertising plan to capture and expand growing walnut consumption. The digital advertising program is part of the “Do More with Walnuts” campaign, which inspires consumers to discover new ways to use walnuts. Using walnuts in new ways can drive additional walnut purchases.

Today’s consumer is savvier and demands marketing content that precisely fits their lifestyle interests. Therefore, in crop year 2021-22, California Walnuts evolved its approach to reaching consumers. Instead of targeting a specific age group or gender, California Walnuts is reaching audiences based on lifestyle choices.

California Walnuts has always worked hard to get the right message in front of the right audience at the right time.

This updated approach is currently in place and will be continued as we develop plans for 2022-23.

Targeting Related Lifestyles

Past marketing efforts had a primary target of women ages 25 to 54 with behavior data added only in specific instances where the platform was capable of doing so. This was not ideal as only a small portion of that total demographic engages in behavior linked to the purchase of walnuts like cooking, baking or being healthy eaters.

California walnuts is now targeting a more defined, behavior-based audience instead of age- or gender-based. These new targets (Home Cooks, Home Bakers and Health Enthusiasts) offer substantial incremental growth opportunities and generally spend more on walnuts.

A comprehensive analysis was undertaken to fully understand the new audience and uncover insights that are now driving strategic marketing campaigns. For example, determining what Home Cooks, Home Bakers and Health Enthusiasts are excited about is helping to guide how California walnuts are marketed. Trending topics include clean eating, local state of mind and plant-based foods, among others.

Using Research to Target Consumer Groups

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The California Walnut Board and Commission conducts market research and ongoing analysis such as that mentioned above to inform smart decision-making surrounding the messages that are put in front of consumers. The CWB commissions research directly for information on walnut consumers as well as analyzing third-party research which provides insight into bigger marketplace trends and allows insights into the food landscape from a larger perspective.

After obtaining the best data, it is used to inform the planning strategy and ideas. The plan will guide the target audience on their journey from awareness of California walnuts to purchase.

The consumer journey begins with awareness. While most consumers know what a walnut is, they aren’t thinking about them on a regular basis. In this part of the journey, marketing brings walnuts top-of-mind in a way that lets

them know they can do more with walnuts and how walnuts fit across many aspects of their lifestyle. Once a consumer’s attention is gained and they are thinking about walnuts, it is time to move on to education, where marketing informs the consumer all about the health benefits of walnuts and their versatility.

Now that a consumer is aware of walnuts and they are educated on their many benefits, the consumer moves into the consideration phase of the journey. Here, the consumer is shown how others they know, like and trust have used walnuts in delicious and nutritious recipes. Finally, a consumer moves to the last step in the journey: purchase. It is important to keep walnuts, their benefits and the influence top-of-mind at this point so they add walnuts to their shopping cart.

The Incremental Mentality for Walnut Purchases

When thinking about how to get consumers to add walnuts to their cart, today’s approach to growth is an incremental mentality, or “incrementality”.

How do we get the consumer to buy one more bag of walnuts, one bigger bag of walnuts, or generally create one more fan of California walnuts while asking, “How can we squeeze more out of existing investments?” All aspects of marketing now start with this incrementality, from California Walnuts’ social channels and public relations, to how we’re building relationships with registered dietitians and other health professionals, to advertising and instore promotions. Everything in the consumer journey pushes toward a purchase of California walnuts.

Digital and social media allows us to target more precisely than traditional media. We can target those consumers who have the greatest likelihood of purchasing walnuts; for example, those who say that the kitchen is the most important room in their house, or that they enjoy cooking but time is a challenge. And finally, when a consumer shows interest in walnuts by visiting our website or responding to a social media post, we retarget them with follow-up messaging to ensure that they

California Walnuts recently launched a new digital advertising plan to capture and expand growing walnut consumption as part of the “Do More with Walnuts” campaign (photo by Elizabeth Fichtner, UCCE.)

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move down the purchase path.

Today and Looking to the Future

This plan builds off the strong marketing groundwork established over the past five years, which established a foundation of consumer marketing successes with California Walnut Board & Commission efforts to drive awareness of walnut’s health benefits and culinary versatility. Alongside strategic partners, California Walnuts staff enacted a multi-platform approach to reaching U.S. consumers.

At a glance, here is what the past five years of consumer marketing has looked like.

Gained national awareness for California walnuts through multimedia campaign. In the last 5 years, California walnuts’ advertising campaign delivered 19.5 billion total impressions to adults 18+ using an integrated media plan that included TV, magazines and digital components. The brand message highlighted the versatility of walnuts and featured a wide range of recipes.

These included everything from ‘center-of-plate’ items, sides and salads to breakfast and snack items. The campaign also communicated the simplicity of use and the nutritional benefits of walnuts.

Took advantage of social media’s ability to influence product awareness, perception and sales by launching

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Continued from Page 63 California Walnuts social media channels. This allowed California Walnuts to directly share cooking and health content with a new audience of tens of thousands of interested consumers to inspire usage.

Leveraged the proven credibility of health professionals to influence food purchase. Relationships were built with registered dietitians who counsel shoppers in-store at retailers around the U.S. By regularly sharing recipes, walnut usage and health research information, walnuts were kept top-of-mind for in-store influencers. Registered dietitians were also tapped to be expert California Walnut sources for trusted, mainstream media like Good Morning America, Men’s Health and Healthline. Sharing ongoing health research breakthroughs was vital to becoming a reliable resource for these respected messengers.

Gave consumers more reasons

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March 2022

to believe in walnuts for health by sharing findings from ongoing scientific research in key areas of interest including heart health, cognition, cancer, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, gut health, body weight and composition, reproductive health and more.

New research makes important health advancements, giving walnuts a seat at the important scientific and health community tables and allowing walnuts to provide input into the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the gold standard for eating guidance.

Advertised to consumers through in-store promotions and digital media. In key moments throughout the year, like American Heart Month, Summer Snacking, Holiday Baking and more, consumers were delivered recipes and health messaging through key digital discovery platforms like shopping apps or lifestyle websites. Additionally, California Walnuts worked with grocery retailers to secure in-store walnut displays and promotions.

California Walnuts’ consumer journey begins with awareness, followed by education, consideration and purchase (photo courtesy California Walnut Board.)

Interested in learning more about how the walnut industry is Doing More Together in 2022 and beyond? Join us on April 7 & 8 in Yuba City for the annual California Walnut Conference. Head to walnuts.org for more information.

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Things to Do in Walnut Orchards in the Spring

By CECILIA PARSONS| Associate Editor

N

ew Year’s Eve was a couple months ago, but, as spring approaches, a new year is just beginning in walnut orchards.

Depending on the walnut variety and growing area, buds will soon start pushing and roots will begin searching for nutrients and possibly water. With warmer weather, pests and disease will also start new life cycles. These natural occurrences are reminders that certain tasks need to be done in orchards in a timely manner to ensure tree health

and productivity.

Orchard sanitation, including blowing off berms and shredding orchard debris, starts the year off with a clean orchard. Preemergent herbicide applications can present a head start on weed control.

As spring approaches, Tulare County walnut grower Robert Smith noted five significant areas where performance can make a difference.

Monitor for Blight

According to the UCCE publi-

The most susceptible varieties to blight are the early leafing varieties, according to walnut grower Robert Smith (photo courtesy Jack Kelly Clark, UC Statewide IPM Program.)

cation Sacramento Valley Orchard Source, walnut blight caused by the bacterium Xanthomonas arboricola pv. juglandis (Xaj) can cause crop loss. Weather, pathogen levels in the orchard and walnut variety are factors in this disease. This disease overwinters inside dormant bud scales and causes initial infection in the spring when rain splashes the bacteria on developing shoots and walnut flowers.

The most susceptible varieties, Smith said, are the early leafing varieties. Blight damage in later leafing varieties depends more on the level of inoculum on bud scales.

Bud population sampling is used to measure if walnut blight bacteria populations are building or if spray applications the previous year were keeping population levels low.

UCCE guidelines report that buds can be sampled until the time they begin to open. This can be done in March or early April. Dormant walnut

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UC recommends to place codling moth traps in Because treatment timing is important for good scale control, monitoring during delayed the orchard in early March to determine first dormancy is important (photo by Themis Michailides, UCCE.) codling moth emergence (photo courtesy Jack Kelly Clark, UC Statewide IPM Program.)

spurs with large terminal buds should be selected for sampling. A sample size of 100 three-inch-long spurs with buds is recommended. One or two spurs per tree will give a good representative sample. Spurs can be collected from the lower half of the canopy as the bacteria moves down through the tree canopy.

The spurs should be stored inside a paper bag in a cool, dry place until sent to the lab. A UCCE advisor can recommend a testing laboratory.

Have CM Traps Up and Running

Recommendation from the UC Walnut Pest Management Guidelines is to place traps in the orchard in early March to determine first codling moth emergence.

Codling moths overwinter as full-grown larvae under tree bark or orchard trash. Smith said codling moth adults emerge when early walnut varieties begin to leaf out, so having traps out early will help determine control timing. Depending on navel orangeworm pressure from the previous season, pheromone traps can help determine codling moth pressure in the orchard this spring.

The first flight of codling moth typically starts sometime from early March to early April and is from the overwintered generation. Traps with standard 1 mg pheromone (1X) lures should be placed in the southeast quadrant of the tree about six to seven feet from the

ground. Traps placed higher in the tree canopy catch more moths, which may be useful in orchards with low codling moth numbers.

Traps with CM-DA lures should be hung mid-canopy and are most useful in orchards that are either using mating

disruption or near other orchards using mating disruption.

The UC guidelines explain that biofix is the first date that moths are consistently found in traps and sunset

Continued on Page 68

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Continued from Page 67 temperatures have reached 62 degrees F. All moths caught in traps with standard 1 mg pheromone lures will be males. Traps with CM-DA combo lures, which contain codlemone pheromone (the male attractant used in 1 mg lures) and a kairomone made of pear volatiles, attract only males before females emerge and both males and females after that.

Monitor for Scale

Walnut scale is an armored scale that has become relatively common in walnut orchards depending on the growing region. In high populations, it is found in crusted layers on older branches and scaffolds.

Because treatment timing is important for good scale control, monitoring during delayed dormancy is important.

During the growing season, the scale cover, which helps to protect against predators, also conveniently protects the scale from many pesticides.

Scales are very susceptible to pesticide application during the crawler stage when they are exposed.

Sacramento Valley Orchard Source reports that monitoring for scale in walnuts can be done by wrapping a piece of double-sided sticky tape around a branch where scale is present.

The sticky tape will help to determine if crawlers are present. The tape should be replaced each week.

Watch for Signs of Botryosphaeria Infection

This fungal disease can build up in an orchard over time. Watching for signs of infection and pruning out

Research shows that foliar sprays in walnuts are best applied in late spring flush (photo courtesy Rich Kreps, CCA.)

‘TRAPS PLACED HIGHER IN THE TREE CANOPY CATCH MORE MOTHS, WHICH MAY BE USEFUL IN ORCHARDS WITH LOW CODLING MOTH NUMBERS.’ infected wood can reduce the amount of inoculum in the orchard.

“You can think there is not much out there, but all of a sudden there is a lot of infection,” Smith said.

Research conducted at the Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center discovered that ten fungal pathogens in the family of Botryosphaeriaceae and two Phomopsis species can cause blight of walnut fruit and invade and kill spurs with the buds. The killing of the buds, which contain the next year’s crop, can partially explain recently noticed yield reductions.

To control the Bot disease, the Walnut Commission advises removal of dead branches and shoots to reduce the amount spore inoculum in the orchard.

Make Foliar Nutrient Applications

Research trials done by UCCE Farm

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To control Bot, the Walnut Commission advises removal of dead branches and shoots to reduce the amount spore inoculum in the orchard (photo courtesy Themis Michailides, UCCE.)

Advisor Emeritus Joe Grant showed that foliar sprays in walnuts were best applied in late spring flush.

CCA Rich Kreps said that orthophosphorus and zinc are big for producing nuts. Many growers are also using cobalt as a means to reduce ethylene. Boron is an important micronutrient for pollen tube elongations.

Both mature and young walnut trees absorb the micronutrient zinc at the same rate. Late spring flush has increased surface area and results in better absorption.

This research also showed that the combination of zinc and nitrate resulted in phytotoxicity in walnuts, and this combination is not recommended.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

®

IMAGINATION

INNOVATION

SCIENCE IN ACTION

Cal/OSHA Enforcement Trends in Agriculture

By THERESA KIEHN | President and CEO, AgSafe

A

s you begin to prepare for your upcoming season, it is an ideal time to implement a new best practice and review your company’s safety program. Safety issues are complex, and it can be a challenge to know where to focus extra time and attention.

We highly recommend agricultural operations look at regulatory agency citation data to have a better understanding of their enforcement priorities and to review industry trends. This information will assist in providing a road map of where to focus your efforts as you begin to plan for the season.

In this article we will investigate Cal/OSHA citation data from October 2020 through September 2021. For this most recent year of data available, the industry’s 10 most common violations resulted in a total of 173 citations totaling $574,635 in fines. On average, agricultural employers paid $3,321 per citation to Cal/OSHA alone, never mind the added expense of appeal and subsequent increased employment

costs like workers’ compensation insurance. The order is based on the total number of citations issued, not the monetary impact of those citations.

Please note, this was an unusual year for enforcement due to COVID-19 as the citation numbers are lower than normal. However, with a new Cal/ OSHA Chief at the helm, we suspect enforcement activity to pick up in the coming season.

#1: Heat Illness Prevention

California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, Section 3395 Violations: 71 Total fines: $235,000 Since its inception, the heat illness prevention standard has historically been one of the ten most frequently violated standards by the agricultural industry. While we have made meaningful strides in improving our day-today operations, we continue to be chal-

lenged by the paperwork requirements of the regulation. One of the industry’s challenges is failing to have a copy of the company’s heat illness prevention plan available in the field. It is critical that this document be available and easily accessible to all employees, not to mention Cal/OSHA enforcement staff, when requested.

As a reminder, the core tenants of the standard include developing a company-specific heat illness prevention program that is in writing, with a copy available to employees in the location where they are working and available for inspection.

The plan needs to include and/or address the following: • Provision of Water • Access to Shade • High Heat Procedures • Rest Periods

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Supervisor Training

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Observation and Response Requirement

• Emergency Medical Services • Provision for First Aid Training • Acclimatization

#3: Injury and Illness Prevention

Total fines: $47,445 When implemented in 1991, the Injury and Illness Prevention Program (IIPP) standard was the first of its kind in the nation. Even today, nearly 30 years later, it stands out as the preeminent regulation specific to creating the foundation of an organization’s occupational safety and health program. The IIPP includes eight required elements: • Identify responsible person(s) for program administration.

#2: Field Sanitation

• Ensure employee compliance with safe and healthy work practices.

Violations: 33

• Investigate injuries and illnesses.

Violations: 32

Growers, packers, shippers and processors still unclear about how to address compliance with the heat illness prevention standard are encouraged to reach out to AgSafe or your commodity trade association for assistance on how to implement this regulation.

California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, Section 3457

• Procedures to identify and evaluate workplace hazards.

California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, Section 3203

•

System for communication with employees relative to workplace hazards.

• Procedures for correcting unsafe/ unhealthy conditions, work practices and procedures.

• Provide employee safety training.

• Ensure thorough recordkeeping and document retention relative to the implementation of the safety program.

The team at Cal/OSHA works from the premise that all employers have an IIPP as the basis for their company workplace safety program. All other programs, such as heat illness prevention, hazard communications and lock out/tag out, to name a few, build upon the core tenants in the IIPP. As such, it

Continued on Page 72

Total fines: $20,745 The second most frequently citated regulation is specific to the provision of clean, usable field restrooms, handwashing facilities and drinking water. The standard overall is relatively straightforward, and as an industry, our compliance challenges stem primarily from cleanliness. The bottom line is that employers need to invest time and resources to ensure field restrooms are kept clean, well-stocked and with ample potable drinking water.

As a refresher, the standard requires the following: • Provide potable drinking water, toilets and handwashing facilities to hand-laborers in the field.

• Ensure there is one toilet and handwashing facility located within a quarter-mile walk for every 20 employees of each gender.

• Facilities must be maintained properly, clean and in good working order.

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Continued from Page 71 is essential that agricultural employers remedy deficiencies that may exist in complying with this standard as they work to improve overall occupational safety and health.

#4: Operation of Agricultural Equipment

California Code of Regulations (CCR), Title 8, Section 3441

Violations: 21 Total fines: $173,925 Fourth on the list of most-common violations for the agricultural industry has to do with the operation of equipment. This standard is incredibly broad in nature, relative to the types of machines that fall within its scope. In addition, it is an area of our businesses that many employers take for granted. We often take employees at their word that they have been properly trained in the safe use of equipment. In addition, it is common practice to not provide the requisite ongoing training or insist that workers follow the company protocol relative to safe equipment operation.

Unlike the preceding standard, this is one that is directly correlated to our day-to-day activities and is exacerbated by complacency, production pressures and labor shortages.

Also, unlike the previous standard, failure to comply with this regulation leads to serious injuries and fatalities, and as a result, should never be taken lightly.

In simplest terms, the regulation states the following: An employee shall be instructed in the safe operation and servicing of all equipment before that employee is assigned to operate the equipment and training shall continue annually.

Examples of this type of equipment include tractors, forklifts, ATVs, UTVs and other custom and specialty equipment.

A compliant program will include: • What personal protective equipment (PPE) is required to operate the equipment • Pre-Inspection Checklist • Use of seat belts

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As a best practice, review your IIPP on an annual basis to ensure it meets current regulatory requirements (photo courtesy AgSafe.)

• Lock Out/Tag Out/Block Out Procedures • Documentation protocol The remainder of the Top 10 list is as follows: #5: Reporting a Work-Connected Fatality and Serious Injury (CCR, Title 8, Section 342); Violations: 5; Total fines: $7,000 #6: First Aid Kits (CCR, Title 8, Section 3439); Violations: 4; Total fines: $9,820 #7: Guardrails at Elevated Locations (CCR, Title 8, Section 3210); Violations: 2; Total fines: $36,000 #8: Confined Spaces (CCR, Title 8, Section 5157); Violations: 2; Total fines: $13,500 #9: Lock Out/Tag Out/Block Out (CCR, Title 8, Section 3314); Violations: 2; Total fines: $8,700 #10: Machine Guarding (CCR, Title 8, Section 4002); Violations: 1; Total fines: $22,500 Given the litany of regulatory issues facing agricultural employers today, it is important to maintain perspective with helpful insight into the areas where we struggle the most.

Use this information to evaluate your own operation, prioritize how to make improvements and consider where your greatest gaps exist.

For more information about worker safety, human resources, labor relations, pesticide safety or workforce development, please visit www.agsafe.org, call (209) 526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org. AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing training, education, outreach and tools in the areas of safety, labor relations and human resources for the food and farming industries.

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HAZELNUT PROPAGATION: PART TWO

A CLOSER LOOK AT TIE-OFF LAYERING AND STOOL-BED PROPAGATION

Jason Whitehead uses a ring of tar paper (roofing material) to hold sawdust around nursery trees with rooting suckers (all photos by D. Cahill.)

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer

U

sing tie-off layering (with hog rings) to propagate hazelnut trees is a popular method among hazelnut nurserymen. Tie-off layering and the stool-bed method can be done using young trees in the orchard rows or in a separate nursery plot. Both propagation methods require less specialized equipment and controlled growing conditions than propagating from cuttings or grafting techniques.

Pruning Nursery Trees to Sucker

In late winter, hazelnut grower Telly Wirth of Tangent, Ore. pruned his nursery trees back hard, lopping off all the branches to about a 36-inch-tall trunk. He then rubbed off all the “prebuds” along the trunk with his hand.

Above ground, the pre-buds grow into limbs. Below ground, they grow into roots, Wirth explained.

“The harder you prune them, the more they sucker,” Wirth said of the nursery trees. He grows 150 acres of hazelnuts and 2,500 acres of grass seed and other crops in the Willamette Valley.

He’s growing quite a few PollyOs, a newer OSU variety that seems to sucker well. Jefferson is another heavy suckering tree, Wirth noted. Some of the other varieties don’t sucker well, such as Yamhill and McDonalds.

There are plusses and minuses to both heavy-suckering and low-suckering

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varieties. Those that don’t sucker as well in the nursery block also don’t sucker heavily in the orchard, a definite plus.

Heavy-suckering varieties are simpler to propagate larger quantities of new trees but create more work in the orchard to maintain.

Use Suckers, Not sprouts

Jeff Newton, semi-retired former farm manager for Crimson West/ Christensen Farms of McMinnville, Ore., said that when propagating hazelnuts, it’s important to make sure that you’re using suckers, which come from the root, instead of sprouts, which originate from the mother tree’s trunk or branches. Suckers produce stronger trees, he said.

The growers that Wirth sells to prefer nice straight young trees. If trees are started from sprouts off the trunk of the mother tree, instead of from suckers, those new trees will have a big curve in their trunks near the ground after they’re planted in the orchard.

This doesn’t much bother Wirth because “hazelnut trees grow every stinkin’ direction,” he said. But out of consideration for the straight young trees his customers are looking for, he propagates from suckers.

Tie-Off Layering vs Stool-Bed

Both Newton and Wirth use hog rings. Newton uses the tie-off method.

Telly Wirth points to a pre-bud. Underground, the pre-buds grow roots.

Telly Wirth in one of his nursery blocks.

One of Telly Wirth’s young nursery blocks. He will prune these trees back hard to produce lots of suckers.

“

Wirth uses the stool-bed method of propagation.

“Some might call it layering,” Wirth said of stool-bed.

The term “stool-bed” means a piece of ground where plants are propagated by mound layering. The difference between layering and stool-bed propagation might be a fine line that boils down to what the grower surrounds the mother trees with. Does he use sawdust, or does he use compost or aged manure? Wirth uses compost, mounding it about six inches thick around his nursery trees.

“It’s basically a low-grade potting soil,” he said. “A lot of guys use sawdust.”

Wirth prefers compost over sawdust because it has more available nutrients for the young trees. He doesn’t feel that sawdust gives trees much available nutrients until the following year.

“Trees store energy for next year.

The fertilizer you use in the spring and summer is for the following year,” said Wirth.

If growers use sawdust instead of compost around nursery trees, Wirth suggests they add some slow-release fertilizer to feed the young developing root systems as well as the mother tree.

Either pile the compost or sawdust

Young hazelnut trees ready for sale at Wirth Farms.

The harder you prune [nursery trees], the more they sucker.

–Telly Wirth, hazelnut grower

”

Continued on Page 76

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Telly Wirth prunes back a young hazelnut tree in one of his nursery blocks.

Telly Wirth pulls out a few young trees that are ready for sale.

Continued from Page 75 thick and wide around the nursery trees or keep it in place with boards or a ring of tin or tar paper (roofing material). Hazelnut grower Jason Whitehead of JRW Farms in Scio, Ore. uses sawdust and a ring of tar paper.

Make sure to keep the sawdust or compost damp so the young developing roots don’t dry out.

Manage the Sucker

Suckers start to shoot above ground in March or April and are generally about pencil-size in diameter by late spring and summer. That’s the size of sucker you’re looking for. Wirth uses a loose hog ring in May or June, sometimes even into July. He digs below the ground and uses hog ring pliers to crimp a loose hog ring around the base of the sucker.

Some growers apply a rooting hormone to the bottom 6-inches or so of the sucker above the hog ring. Wirth doesn’t use rooting hormone. He finds his trees root fine without it.

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Tags identifying hazelnut tree varieties for sale.

As the sucker strangles off from the mother tree, vigorous new roots grow above the hog ring.

In about mid-November, after leaves start to fall, carefully remove the strangled (girdled) suckers. They should break off easily by hand at the hog ring. Heal them into a holding area with damp sawdust until ready to plant or sell.

Wirth grows an average of 50,000 nursery trees a year. The past few years, he’s upped his production some.

“We’re doing more,” Wirth said. “But more guys got into it.”

He likes making a little money on

Telly Wirth shows the root ball on young trees he grew with the stool bed method.

the side with tree sales, but with more people getting into the nursery-stock game, it’s driving down prices of young

trees. Wirth wants to see the prices go back up; otherwise, he’ll likely get out of propagating and selling trees altogether.

The food produced in the leaves of the strangled suckers through photosynthesis can’t reach the mother tree’s root system to feed it. To compensate for this, growers should provide plenty of fertilizer and water to the mother tree and stool.

It’s also helpful to leave some suckers ungirdled by hog rings so the leaves of those suckers feed the mother plant. Wirth and Newton both choose a new sucker each year to become the main trunk of the nursery tree for the following year.

Know Licensing Requirements

Before propagating any hazelnut plants intended for commercial use, be sure to check licensing requirements.

Most of the new hazelnut varieties that come out of the Oregon State University (OSU) breeding program are patented. Any varieties that are protected by plant patents require a license to propagate them, whether it’s for use by the grower himself or to sell to other growers. Each variety requires an individual license and growers must pay for the first 1,000 tree royalties up front. Contact OSU for more information about licensing.

Growing trees in Oregon for sale to other growers also requires an agriculture nurseryman’s license, unless sales are less than $250 annually. Apply for the license through the Oregon Department of Agriculture. A nursery license is also required to propagate and sell hazelnut trees in California. Apply through the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Both the OSU patent license and the agricultural licenses involve keeping records of the numbers of trees sold, and varieties in the case of the OSU license, so growers can accurately fill out paperwork at the end of the year. Fees depend on the number of trees sold.

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com

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77

The Use of Mummy Sprays to Augment Sanitation in Almonds

By JOEL P. SIEGEL | Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS

Applying insecticides to mummy nuts is a simple strategy to mitigate sanitation failure, yet there are barriers to its adoption.

I

n this article, I explore the use of insecticides and their proper timing to augment sanitation in almonds to improve control of navel orangeworm (NOW). Before proceeding, I would like to alert you to an amazing piece of technology that can impact insecticide performance. This technology is often overlooked and/or taken for granted, yet millions of dollars and countless manhours were spent on its development.

This technology is called the product label. Carefully read the label.

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Protracted adult NOW emergence creates some confusion about proper mummy spray timing.

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any insecticide that does not contact the nut is a miss, although it remains in the canopy. In my experience, the best results occur when the droplets are concentrated. This article reports research on mummy sprays conducted in collaboration with Garrett Gilcrease from Syngenta US between 2016 and 2020.

Before proceeding further, I note that as a federal researcher, I do not endorse specific products, but I do use their names if they were part of my studies.

Sanitation is Foundation

Sanitation is the foundation for control because mummy nuts serve as both harborage and a food source for NOW, which may utilize mummies for up to 75% of the year. In Figure 1 (see page 79), a representative graph from 2017, there are at least four emergence peaks from mummies, demonstrating considerable cycling on these nuts. Sanitation at times may be inadequate due to several factors, alone and in combination, including wet conditions during late fall/winter and excluding shakers and hand poling crews from the orchards, stick tight nuts, the cost and availability of labor, and the predicted price of almonds limiting the budget. Several outbreaks of navel orangeworm occurred in almonds since 2012, most recently in 2017 for all tree nuts. The outbreaks coincided with high densities of mummies left in the canopy, and although this high carryover was recognized early in the season both years, many growers failed to change their management plans and suffered high damage.

Applying insecticides to mummy nuts is a simple strategy to mitigate sanitation failure, yet there are barriers to its

120 MUMMIES

100 80

60 40

20

Sanitation is the foundation for control because mummy nuts serve as both harborage and a food source for NOW, which may utilize mummies for up to 75% of the year (all photos courtesy J.P. Siegel.)

adoption. First is the fear of mite flareups, although selective insecticides can be used. Second is the cost of an additional insecticide application, which can exceed $60 dollars an acre depending on the insecticide chosen.

Third is the mistaken belief that the goal of a mummy spray is to kill larvae already infesting the nuts, which is ineffective. In my research, when I hung laboratory infested pistachios in trees and then sprayed them with Warrior® (pyrethroid), at best I achieved 50% mortality. This is higher than I expected and only occurred because the nuts were so heavily infested that some larvae were webbed on the outside and vulnerable.

Fourth, many potential users are unaware of, or do not fully understand, the benefits of coating the mummy with an insecticide which kills the egg when absorbed through the shell. Newly hatched larvae are also killed by contact as they crawl over the hull or killed by ingesting insecticide when they feed. Eggs do not have to be directly sprayed for the application to be successful. Remember that egg hatch is dependent on degree day accumulation, and it takes 100 degree-days (Fahrenheit) for an egg to hatch. At the height of the summer, an egg hatches in 3 to 3.5 days, while in April or even May it may take ten days or more for the egg to hatch (my record is 30 days for eggs pinned to mummy almonds on February 1.) Depending on the year, a spray made in late April or early May can eliminate eggs laid ten or more days before the application, thereby having a large impact on existing eggs.

Fifth and finally, there is uncertainty

Continued on Page 80

0

85

110

135

160 Almond

185

210

235

260

285

Pistachio

Figure 1. There are at least four emergence peaks from mummies, demonstrating considerable cycling on these nuts.

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Continued from Page 79

tween April 15 and June 1 (Julian dates 105 to 152), and 75% of adult emergence occurs from April 15 through June 30 (Julian dates 105 to 181). Figure 2 clearly illustrates the critical period between April 21 and May 15 (Julian dates 111 to 135). An insecticide applied in mid-April with a duration of control of six weeks or longer can affect the oviposition of females circulating during this period. To repeat, this is a mid- to late April spray and should not be confused with a May spray; application in mid-May clearly would miss most of the flight. Although the graphs depict male capture, females are flying at the same time, and it should not be a surprise that the solid black line with the highest peaks in Figure 2 is from 2017.

about the proper timing of a mummy spray and its duration of control because of the protracted NOW adult emergence from late winter (Julian date 60; March 1) through the beginning of summer (Julian date 180; June 29), a period of 120 days as illustrated in Figure 2 (2017-21).

Timing

Over 120 days, adults emerge sporadically from almond and pistachio mummies, with peak emergence occurring from April 25 to May 15 (Julian dates 115 to 135) (Figure 2). This interval can be divided into two parts based on host availability. In the first part, March through the third week of April (Julian dates 60 to 111), mummies are the only resource available for oviposition. The eggs laid during this period produce females that emerge during the last week of May through mid-June (Julian dates 145 to 166). These females in turn must lay eggs on mummies again and their generation time is longer and survival lower due to the decreased nutritional quality of the nuts. Adults from this cohort/ group typically emerge in August.

During the second part, from the last week of April through June (Julian dates 114 to 181), females must still lay eggs on mummies, but their offspring that emerge in late June through July can oviposit on either mummies or new crop Nonpareil almonds. The females that cause initial damage at hull split originate from eggs laid between late April through May. 35% of the entire overwintering flight occurs in May, 55% of the entire overwintering flight occurs be-

Insecticide Choice

Over the period of 2016-20, we evaluated five insecticides as mummy sprays: Altacor®, Besiege®, Intrepid 2F ®, Minecto Pro® and Proclaim®, and I also evaluated SpearLep®. All insecticides tested, both single ingredient and premixes, provided a duration of control extending beyond four weeks. In one experiment evaluating Besiege®, Intrepid 2F ® and Minecto® Pro, all provided control for 70 days. At that point, while Minecto Pro® still reduced survival by 48%, both Besiege® and Intrepid 2F ® reduced survival by more than 77%, suggesting that their duration of control extended beyond ten weeks.

Intrepid 2F ® also had substantial contact toxicity that was stable for four weeks.

Mummy sprays last longer than new crop applications because their goal is not as challenging. These late April sprays only need to kill the navel or-

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Figure 2. There is uncertainty about the proper timing of a mummy spray and its duration of control because of the protracted NOW adult emergence from late winter (Julian date 60; March 1) through the beginning of summer (Julian date 180; June 29), a period of 120 days.

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An insecticide applied in mid-April with a duration of control of six weeks or longer can affect the oviposition of navel orangeworm females circulating during this period.

angeworm before it emerges as an adult from the nut, and the extent of feeding is irrelevant. In contrast, an insecticide protecting a new crop nut must kill the larva before feeding damage occurs; death or paralysis of the larva at the first bite is the goal if the larva reaches the kernel.

In summary, sanitizing mummies by removing them from the tree and destroying them on the ground is preferable, but when this cannot be done, applying selective insecticides can mitigate sanitation failure. The spray should be applied during the period from early to mid-spring (April 21 to May 5).

I refer to this application as a mummy spray to differentiate it from other insecticide applications applied in May. When insecticides are applied, it should be at the highest label rate to maximize their duration of control.

Mummy sprays target both eggs and newly hatched larvae and their goal is to disrupt oviposition, either by killing eggs laid on the hull/nut by absorption, newly hatched larvae by contact as they crawl on the surface of the nut, or newly hatched larvae when they feed on the nut.

Both single ingredient and premix insecticides were equally effective as mummy sprays, and the most consistent results were obtained with Intrepid 2F (IRAC Group 18, diacyl hydrazine) and Besiege (IRAC Group 28 diamide + IRAC Group 3A pyrethroid). Use the highest label rate to maximize the duration of control. Rotation with a different insecticide family for the hull split application is essential to prevent exposure of successive generations of NOW to the same insecticide family.

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A WORD FROM THE BOARD: AMERICAN PECAN COUNCIL

Marketing Milestones: American Pecans’ Successes

By AMERICAN PECAN COUNCIL | Contributing Writer

T

he year 2017 was a monumental one for the American pecan industry. Uniting to support the passage of a Federal Marketing Order, we commenced our first large-scale domestic marketing effort. Our collective endeavor to increase domestic demand has produced impressive results; in fact, our integrated marketing efforts, begun with Weber Shandwick less than five years ago, have resulted in more than three billion American Consumer Views & Touchpoints (impressions) to date.

The American Pecan Council has also engaged U.S. consumers and influential stakeholders through additional partners and domestic marketing and advertising efforts. Most recently, the Federal Marketing Order (FMO) has blossomed into an international marketing engine working with Weber Shandwick teams in both China and Germany to launch and build regional, integrated, consumer-focused marketing programs.

Where It All Began

As we embark on our next five years of the FMO, we are looking back at our journey and the successes to date in the U.S. From the start, our marketing efforts have been informed by research, and our 2017 consumer analysis confirmed what many of us knew to be true: most U.S. consumers had little familiarity with our beloved nut.

In fact, most did not see the pecan as a nut; few consumers thought of pecans as a snacking or nut option, and instead pecans were most often associated with a baking ingredient.

Fighting this perception and expanding consumer minds about the uses and benefits of pecans, became the North Star of our domestic marketing charge.

These last five years have not been 82

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Most recently, the Federal Marketing Order has worked with Weber Shandwick teams in both China and Germany to launch and build regional, integrated, consumer-focused marketing programs (all photos courtesy American Pecan Growers.)

without their challenges for our industry and our nation more broadly. From severe weather impacts and tariffs to an ever-evolving pandemic response landscape, we’ve remained nimble in our marketing efforts to keep our focus on that North Star, pursuing the greatest possible return on investment of industry’s marketing dollars.

We’re proud the effectiveness of our efforts has been independently confirmed and recognized. A Texas A&M University marketing study mandated by the USDA and released in January 2021 calculated the benefit/cost ratio of

our FMO efforts, finding our industry received $9.90 in marketing benefits for every $1 spent.

Marketing in a Digital Age

Like most FMOs in their early years, budgets require a streamlined approach greatly focused on programs with greatest return on investment. Marketing in a digital-first world does not look like FMOs of the past, but it has allowed us to stretch industry’s dollar

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Continued from Page 82 while maximizing impact.

While we do engage consumers through print media, TV segments, radio advertising and other offline marketing, digital marketing has been crucial in providing the most value and reach for industry spend. Deploying paid social media allows us to reach people most apt to purchase our product and to engage them in spaces they frequent and trust.

Our digital strategy also allows for clear and swift measurement of impact so we can optimize our approach throughout the year. With advanced social media targeting and analytics, we can hypertarget and measure effectiveness well beyond what is possible with traditional advertising.

A Texas A&M University marketing study mandated by the USDA and released in January 2021 calculated the benefit/cost ratio of American Pecan’s FMO efforts, finding the pecan industry received $9.90 in marketing benefits for every $1 spent.

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Share of Voice

Our results are encouraging. In the last two years, pecans were #1 among nuts in social conversation, with a three-point increase (36%) during the last fiscal year. Pecans currently outpace almonds in terms of social media mentions, securing more than one million media mentions over the past two fiscal years, more than 25% higher than almonds.

With this digital-first approach, American Pecans has increased awareness and purchase consideration throughout the year and dominated consumer conversation leading up to and during the holidays. Knowing the importance of the holiday season to push product at high volumes, the American Pecan Council goes big with holiday marketing to capitalize on the season.

We recently completed evaluation of our Q1 FY22 (Holiday 2021) campaign, where pecans held first place among competitors in Share of Voice (SOV) for the third consecutive year, even though our FMO is much newer with budgets that are modest in comparison to more mature tree nut marketing programs.

The SOV measure tells us what percentage, or share, of the traditional and social media conversation we are capturing as compared to competing nuts.

Each year, we leverage creative and impactful consumer campaigns, there-

fore expanding the holiday SOV lead for American Pecans versus competitors and generating momentum at the start of each fiscal year. In fact, pecans led SOV for the months of November and December with 45% SOV for the last two years, a jump of eight percentage points from FY19 and a big win for the most important selling season.

If we zoom out and look at the entire year, pecans still held a strong lead in SOV in FY21 with 34% of earned and social conversations, compared to 31% SOV in FY20. Clearly, our strategy and commitment to ongoing improvements are paying off with a share of the conversation that reflects an outsized impact compared to our share of total marketing dollars spent among tree nut marketing programs.

promoted to consumers via social media, search engine advertising and influencer partnerships as well as nationwide TV segments, thousands of online features and print stories from Real Simple to Southern Living.

With recipes that span seasons, courses, occasions and cultures, we are working to promote the versatility of pecans and a move from occasional or seasonal purchase to a grocery-trip staple.

These recipes have been viewed more than 2.8 million times, with

monthly recipe views up 40% in three years despite decreased spend. Given we represent the full industry and cannot measure sales directly like an individual brand, recipe views are a key performance indicator for purchase intent.

Since our program’s inception, our Google ads have garnered more than

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®

Engaged Consumers

While not all shoppers are online, we know social media is where billions of purchasing decisions are made, providing a huge opportunity to reach consumers. According to market research consultancy Alter Agents, two-thirds of shoppers targeted on social media use what they’ve seen as part of their shopping strategy.

Since our program began, paid social advertising has delivered more than 345 million Consumer Views and Touchpoints, generating more than 209,000 consumer engagements, such as likes, comments and saves. This impact is made greater by delivering these ads to consumers most inclined to purchase pecans, creating a shorter path from consideration to consumption.

When we launched the American Pecans consumer brand in 2018, we targeted Gen X/Y moms as we worked to re-introduce pecans to their grocery list as not only a baking item and dessert favorite, but as a year-round nutritious option for their families. In recent years, we have expanded our marketing to include a broader audience of future pecan lovers, most recently to healthy snackers, and continue to use influential recipe developers to generate usage interest.

To date, we have developed and shared more than 225 pecan-inspired recipes through AmericanPecan. com. These custom recipes have been

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Continued from Page 85 21.6 MM Consumer Views and Touch points. This strategy has brought in more than 780,000 new visitors to AmericanPecan.com, where they find recipe ideas and learn about the many benefits of pecans including nutrition.

Thanks to our broader integrated campaign, which aims to generate consumer interest in pecans, we have also seen an increase in those searching for our favorite nut. During our Super Safe Pecan Debate holiday marketing campaign, we hit a seven-year high for online searches of “pecans”.

Making Headlines

As part of our integrated marketing approach, traditional media engagement continues to play a vital role in how we reach consumers. Through development of media relationships and news-worthy consumer activations, sweepstakes, surveys and more, we have secured thousands of print, broadcast and online media stories, including Good Morning America, Reuters, Travel + Leisure, Food & Wine, PARADE, dozens of major daily newspapers and more. One of our media campaigns even sparked pecan pronunciation debate by former president Obama on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

In addition to leading social media SOV, American Pecans maintains a strong share of news media coverage among competitors throughout the year. Early in our FMO, we overtook the top spot for media mentions during the

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holidays and we have consistently led competitors in media conversation during that priority season.

Most recently, we secured almost one-third of all U.S. media mentions of nuts at the holidays. Our #1 media position reflected 50% more media mentions than #2 almonds over the same period.

Putting the FMO to Work

In addition to generating interest in pecan purchase through national marketing efforts, we have made available hundreds of marketing items for use by individual industry members in their own business’ marketing efforts. Industry is encouraged to download resources in the Industry Marketing Toolkit at AmericanPecan.com. From recipe cards and nutrition brochures to social media images and delicious recipes and photos, every piece of content was created with you in mind.

The ‘Industry’ section of the website is where growers can stay informed about resources available to you as well as how your dollars are being put to work. Subscribing to our mailing list at AmericanPecan.com is also a great way to get the timeliest updates.

Once signed up, you will receive our newsletter, In A Nutshell, that regularly details our marketing efforts, in addition to our Monthly Marketing Highlights report. These communications are also housed in the Industry section of AmericanPecan.com.

If you’d like to learn more about our marketing efforts, request mailed resources or receive support in navigating our online Industry Toolkit, please feel free to reach out to our office. We value your opinion on what resources and information are most helpful to you, and your input is encouraged. The American Pecans team can be reached at industry@americanpecan.com or (817) 916-0020.

What’s Next

It’s remarkable that an industry that spans the entire country, representing 15 states, could come together to build a collective consumer brand and then achieve more than three billion consumer views in its first five years. While we are thrilled by this achievement as well as the many milestones and measurable successes to date, we are even more excited to build on this momentum.

Thank you for your support and your partnership in all we’ve built together. Your investment in this program has provided a foundation for increasing pecan consumption worldwide. We look forward to continued success with consumers and in serving the American pecan industry throughout 2022 and beyond.

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