Valley Agribusiness 2019 by ReliancePublicRelations

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Many facets, faces of Valley Ag

ot a single solitary crop would make an appropriate poster child for Imperial Valley agriculture. It would take several. That may be why the region boasts an annual carrot festival; a three-day extravagance, complete with a rodeo, to honor the cattle industry and a honey festival. What makes the Valley’s agribusiness even more exceptional than the celebrated crops -- and numerous others worthy of idolizing – is how many different commodities grow well here. Yet focusing solely on the size of the industry and the breadth of its multiple multimilliondollar component parts fails to capture the essence of this unique growing region. So, in this edition we decided to take readers beyond the dollars and data and to share some of the zest, the spice that makes Valley agribusiness exceptional. Yes, you will find plenty of facts and figures within, but you will also get to go deeper in articles about some of the facets and faces of an agricultural region like none other. To be honest, we could have written about any number of commodity types and countless people. Yet the goal is to bring Valley agriculture to life, not to overwhelm you with an encyclopedia. Focusing on a few was the biggest challenge of compiling this edition. There is so much from which to choose. Imperial County is the state’s only producer of sugar beets and top producer of alfalfa hay, onions, wheat, sweet corn, alfalfa seed and Sudan grass, according to the California Agricultural Statistics. The county also is among California’s top five producers of cattle and calves, lettuce, broccoli, carrots, celery, cauliflower, spinach, potatoes, cantaloupes, watermelon, sheep and lambs, salad greens, grapefruit, dates and honeydew melons. And, as was noted in the Crop Report Plus for Imperial County completed in 2017, the region is heads and shoulders above all others similarly studied in terms of how many different commodities are grown throughout the year, or its crop diversity. The Crop Report Plus delves beyond crop production values to determine agriculture’s multiplier effect on a region’s total economy. Through that lens, Imperial County’s agricultural value for 2016 more than doubled to $4.5 billion. In their report, Dr. Jeff Langholz and Dr. Fernando DePaolis noted that diversity is an indication of a region’s economic resiliency and ability to withstand shocks from market shifts,

disease outbreaks, tariffs or other crises. “Imperial County residents can take pride in having one of the most economically diverse agricultural industries anywhere, with numbers to prove it,” they concluded. In 2017, the Valley grew more than 75 different field, garden and permanent crops in the ground as well as livestock and apiary products in 2017. It is a testament to the region’s year-round growing season, an efficient water system and savvy, dedicated growers. We are grateful to both the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s office and the Imperial Irrigation District for the information they have provided and for the charts, graphs and data that you will see throughout this edition, which help define the magnitude of Valley agribusiness. Yet numbers alone fail to get to the heart of what makes Valley agribusiness so matchless -the people. In this edition, we will introduce you to three very different agribusiness men on diverse paths for a common passion: growing Valley commodities. There is Tom Brundy, president of Imperial

County Farm Bureau, a hay grower who also is raising Brangus beef, who wants to educate the public about what farmers do. You will read about Mark McBroom of Bloom to Box, a citrus grower working to protect the crop from pest invasion. And there is Joe Fejleh, a Syrian immigrant with a passion for growing dates. You will also read about some of the crops not normally associated with the region where cattle are the perennial largest dollar-volume commodity, where vegetable and melons are a $1 billion commodity and where field crops take up the bulk of the acreage. You will read about the Valley’s growing fruit and nut crops and seed crops. Finally, we are grateful for the ideas, assistance and support of partners, the Imperial County Farm Bureau and the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association. Their advocacy, knowledge, insights and assistance were crucial in helping us create a magazine that goes beyond the numbers to showcase the many faces of Valley agriculture.  Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

-Infographic By Alejandra Noriega

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 3

INDEX

VOLUME 2 EDITORS & PUBLISHERS Bill Gay Sue Gay Susan Giller Peggy Dale

CONTRIBUTORS Chris McDaniel Dylan Nichols Jayson Barniske Stefanie Campos Jolene Dessert Brea Mohamed Kay Day Pricola Nate Dorsey

COVER PHOTO Joselito N. Villero

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Alejandra Noriega

WEB DESIGNER Sergio Uriarte

SALES

Bill Amidon Jayson Barniske John Lovecchio

SOCIAL MEDIA Marissa Bowers

ADVERTISING

bill.amidon@reliancepr.com 760-693-5330

SUBSCRIPTIONS

(Includes Valley Agribusiness and quarterly Imperial Valley Alive!) Send name address and email address with $21.70, includes tax, to:

FRUITS & NUTS

6 26 28 29

Bloom to Box Dates with Destiny Gone Organic Olive Oil’s Promising Future

VEGETABLES

4 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Livestock & Apiary by the Numbers

FIELD CROPS

20 Industrial Hemp Planting Awaits State Clarification

OTHER STORIES

P.O. Box 1944 • El Centro, CA 92244

Valley Agribusiness is published annually by Reliance Public Relations, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical for any purpose without the written permission of Reliance Public Relations, Inc.

SEEDS 10 Voluntary Onion Pinning Project 30 Farm Smart: Hands-on Lessons in Ag 24 Seeds Add Green to Local Economy 32 Steve Sharp Tackles Food Insecurity WATER 34 Mosaic Virus 18-19 IID Water Delivery System 48 Conservation Key for IID, Growers

Reliance Public Relations, Inc. www.ValleyAgriBiz.com

LIVESTOCK / APIARY

COVER PHOTO Experimental sunflowers grown at Imperial Valley Research Center in Brawley. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

8 Tom Brundy, Farm Bureau President 22 Invasive Pests, Potential Threats 50 Top 5 Robotic Systems to Watch for in Agriculture

COLUMNS

12 IVVGA: History Provides Growing Perspective 45 Farm Bureau: Advocating for Ag Community

COMPARISON OF VALUATION OF MAJOR GROUPS DURING THE PAST 10 YEARS YEAR LIVESTOCK 2017 2016 2015 2014 2013 2012 2011 2010 2009 2008

$452,708,000 $468,176,000 $502,065,000 $410,512,000 $617,371,000 $483,833,000 $403,880,000 $321,022,000 $690,311,000 $675,242,000

FIELD CROPS $365,819,000 $381,181,000 $422,319,000 $530,849,000 $470,461,000 $587,977,000 $518,257,000 $360,139,000 $312,544,000 $482,588,000

PRODUCTION VEGETABLE & MELON

FRUIT & NUT CROPS

SEED & NURSERY

APIARY PRODUCTS

$1,018,764,000 $1,006,345,000 $805,021,000 $723,260,000 $865,401,000 $718,219,000 $903,959,000 $809,126,000 $343,201,000 $398,789,000

$85,186,000 $80,098,000 $83,277,000 $95,909,000 $100,019,000 $85,154,000 $64,237,000 $51,294,000 $47,765,000 $37,342,000

137,286,000 $123,057,000 $107,673,000 $93,818,000 $100,557,000 $67,432,000 $68,877,000 $52,952,000 $55,577,000 $86,789,000

$5,837,000 $4,357,000 $4,779,000 $4,441,000 $4,708,000 $3,144,000 $4,877,000 $4,001,000 $3,562,000 $3,772,000

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

-Photo By Jimmy Dorantes

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 5

FRIUTS / NUTS

Bloom to Box By Susan Giller

ark McBroom packs more than lemons, grapefruit, tangerines, mandarins, sweet limes, peaches, dates and a variety of field crops into the day at Bloom to Box. His calendar is weighted down with custom farm management services, his own farming operations, various and sundry meetings, operations with his farming partners, travel, service with a slew of farm advocacy groups and efforts to protect California’s citrus from the threat of invasion by the Asian citrus psyllid and deadly citrus diseases it carries. And that’s on good days. Yet even when bracing for one of the thorny challenges that rise to confront local

6 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

agriculture with maddening frequency – McBroom never seems to lose his cool, his indomitable optimism or his willingness to collaborate with others to develop unique, trailblazing solutions. His willingness to learn about issues, listen to all perspectives and work on solutions gains him notice. “Mark attends a lot of meetings to increase his depth of knowledge so when he expresses his thoughts it is always fair, balanced and thoughtful,” said Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association Executive Director Kay Day Pricola. “People listen.” Perhaps McBroom’s approach stems from his philosophy, which is emblazoned on the Bloom to Box Crop Care website. “Live with a farmer’s work ethic. Pray as if it all depends on God. Work as if it all depends on you.”

For McBroom that drive applies to more than soil and seed – it touches the people he works with, too. It is a philosophy he and his wife, Tori, have instilled in their children, Mallory and Marshal, who are part of the Bloom to Box team, which employs about 50 people yearround and up to 400 during harvests. There is no mistaking the family’s style, grace and warm welcome at Bloom to Box in Calipatria, with its corrugated metal accent wall and exquisite rough-edged, polished wood counters. McBroom’s style is more typical of the diversity of people leading Valley ’s agribusiness today than the archaic stereotype of powerful growers who inherited the family farm. “I am a first-generation farmer,” he said. His father was a hay broker in Brawley.

FRIUTS / NUTS

Citrus (above and at right) grows on Bloom to Box acreage in northeastern Imperial County. -Photos By Mallory & Marshal McBroom Though he attended an agricultural education mecca, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he left after two years to help out at home when his father became ill. When that did not work out well, Mark McBroom worked with several local growers before he found his niche with Allyn Scheu, who farmed citrus just outside of Calipatria. “He taught me a lot,” McBroom said. He started out as a hands-on farm manager and worked his way up through all aspects of the operation as they grew their citrus and date acreage from 360 to 1,400. As he continued to manage the Scheu farms operation, McBroom bought his first farm property in 1997 and from there he has purchased more acreage with assistance from Farm Credit. “I’ve been blessed in many ways, he said. “But I wouldn’t have gotten far if they hadn’t taken a chance on me.” Today, Bloom to Box manages about 3,200 acres of a wide variety of tree crops in the Imperial and Coachella valleys and Borrego

CONTINUED ON PAGE 40

FRUIT & NUT CROPS CROP

PRODUCTION

HARVESTED YIELD VALUE YEAR ACRES PER ACRE TOTAL UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

DATES

2017 2016

2,629 2,136

3.45 2.75

9,080 5,878

TON TON

$2,831.33 $3,243.90

$25,712,000 $19,069,000

GRAPEFRUIT

2017 2016

770 818

10.64 12.89

8,190 10,540

TON TON

$560.42 $413.64

$4,590,000 $4,360,000

LEMONS

2017 2016

4,419 4,413

11.42 11.97

50,444 52,805

TON TON

$865.00 $859.07

$43,634,000 $45,363,000

TANGELOS

2017 2016

579 520

4.63 3.66

2,680 1,906

TON TON

$498.00 $621.06

$1,335,000 $1,184,000

TANGERINES

2017 2016

563 510

5.67 5.31

3,190 2,710

TON TON

$938.25 $673.68

$2,993,000 $1,826,000

MISC. CITRUS, FRUIT & NUT CROPS

2017 2016

1,249 1,046

$5,941,000 $4,443,000

CITRUS BY-PRODUCTS TOTAL 2017 TOTAL 2016

2017 $981,000 2016 $3,853,000

ACRES 10,209 VALUE ACRES 9,443 VALUE MISC. FRUIT & NUT CROPS MAY INCLUDE: ORANGE, GRAPE, LIME, MANGO, OLIVES, KUMQUAT

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

$85,186,000 $80,098,000

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 7

Tom Brundy puts knowledge, thought to work as Farm Bureau president By Peggy Dale

om’s Hay Farm sits on the southwest edge of the irrigated Imperial Valley, framed on the west by palm trees protecting against west winds bellowing across the open desert. To the east, the West Main Canal delivers water to hay crops and livestock, and to the south is Mount Signal, known as El Centinela in neighboring Mexico. It is a peaceful place yet brimming with life. Workers tend to customers inside the spacious, orderly, wood-clad feed store. Outside, trucks and equipment are loaded with hay or feed for delivery to customers. Brangus cattle – Brahman/Angus crossbred calves and their mothers -- are tended in adjacent feedlots and fields. This vibrant yet peaceful place is a fitting reflection of its owner, Tom Brundy, a calm, quietly assured, respectful man with a handle on what it takes to farm in the Imperial Valley. He measures words carefully before speaking. Brundy is putting that farming knowledge and thoughtfulness to work as the newest president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau, where he wants to shine the spotlight on unity and education during his two-year term. “There’s a real big gap. The community knows little about ag,” Brundy said. “We need to get out and tell our story,” educating the public about farming and how crucial it is not only for Imperial County, but California residents in general. “They pit the farmers against the residents against the different boards,” he said. “Even throughout the state we’re being played as bad guys. That couldn’t be further from the truth.” Brundy is no newcomer to the county Farm

8 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

ABOVE: Brundy (right) talks with Tom’s Hay Farm employee Jose M. Martin del Campo. BELOW: Brangus cows are part of Tom Brundy’s cow-calf operation on his ranch near Mount Signal. - Photos By Peggy Dale Bureau nor to farming. He has been a member of the agency’s board of directors for more than 15 years and part of its executive board for the last 12. Water dominates Brundy’s telling of the Farm Bureau’s role, and with good reason. Without water, agriculture as we know it would cease to exist in Imperial County and with it thousands of jobs and billions of dollars poured each year into the local economy. “With the water issue, the whole county should be aware of what is taking place,” Brundy said. “Water is our lifeblood. Do they really have an understanding of what’s at stake?” In educating the community about agriculture, water and their combined role, Brundy would like to see more women step forward. He noted several women already working hard at promoting agriculture, among them the Farm Bureau’s Brea Mohamed, Kay

Day Pricola of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, Cherie Watte Angulo of Imperial Valley Water (IV H20), and Paula McConnell Pangle, an organic farmer in the Holtville area. “I think women are more effective than men,” he said. “They’re more credible. If it were a (male) farmer, some would say he’s there promoting his own interest. … If a woman shows up, maybe they’ll all listen.” Brundy considers himself a secondgeneration farmer. His father briefly farmed land west of Calexico before going to work for Frank Dessert, running pasture cattle for 3D Cattle Company. “Beet-top cattle,” Brundy called them, a once-familiar sight being pastured in harvested sugar beet fields. Brundy helped his dad run those cattle during summertime.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 9

VEGETABLES

Voluntary Onion Pinning Project

ince its inception 50 years ago in the midst of labor concerns, the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association (IVVGA) has been there for growers through one controversy, calamity or threat after another. Be it a political challenge, the threat of a seed-borne virus, a pest or a dispute between neighbors, IVVGA has been there to help create a solution. And that is how IVVGA came to be at the center of what is commonly called the Voluntary Onion Pinning Project, or more correctly the Isolation Map for Onion Seed Production. Today, the map that growers voluntarily mark with their onion fields represents a bright spot among the many significant challenges that IVVGA tackles. As Executive Director Kay Day Pricola puts it, “In recent years IVVGA has achieved a peaceful resolution to a varied number of different conflicts.” It wasn’t always that way. A quarter of a century ago the threat of bee cross-pollination of red, white and yellow onions had growers up in arms, according to Steve Sharp, IVVGA

10 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Isolation map for onion seed production. - Photo By Susan Giller Executive Director from 1993 to 1998. The resolution that was ultimately proposed, tried and remains in practice is the voluntary onion pinning map. The map is an Imperial Irrigation District map that reflects

the exact location of all fields in the irrigation district boundaries. It is maintained on a wall in the IVVGA office as well as on the IVVGA website. The association announces when the map

VEGETABLES

Field workers load bagged onions. - Photo By Jimmy Dorantes

is available for pinning about two months prior to planting season. Posted on the map is the agreed upon distance to maintain between seed types. During the weeklong pinning period onion growers voluntarily identify the field and type of onion seed they plan to plant. A red, yellow or white flag pinned by staff indicates the onion color and a colored dot reflects the seed company. Advanced knowledge helps avoid conflicts and opens the door to solutions if a potential conflict becomes evident. The exact start of the onion pining map is lost in the mist of time. Sharp said he thinks the map was already up in the IVVGA office in the Farm Bureau building when he became executive director. Yet the disputes over the threat of cross pollination and the potential of seeing white onions turn pink and other unwanted hybrid colors had more than a few growers seeing red. “It would cause a lot of arguments,” Sharp said. “There were some real knock down and drag outs in there over that map that would go on and on.” Today growers need not come into the IVVGA office to identify their information on the onion map. They can email in their onion field information. The IVVGA staff, however, is the only ones who can pin on the wall map, which is later added to the on-line map by staff. After more than 25 years of use, the onion pinning project continues to maintain a relative peace in the local agricultural community. This may be attributable to a variety of reasons to include less available ground in Imperial County for seed production with growers using the less expensive tenant land in the adjacent Yuma area, an abundance of onion seed, and simply the consolidation of the number of seed companies. Seed growers have also moved away from the lands used for processor onions in the northeast section of the Imperial Valley in case those onion plants mature early. With the successful use and implementation of the voluntary onion pinning project in the onion seed world, it has spawned additional pilot pinning maps that IVVGA maintains, one for broccoli and one for carrots. 

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 11

VEGETABLES

Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association

History Provides Growing Perspective By Kay Day Pricola Executive Director

s I research our archives for the history of Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, I have been overwhelmed by the depth of foresight of those who created and continued IVVGA to become the organization it is today. Founded in a time of significant labor issues, the organization not only dealt with those issues, but many others. During the organization’s 50-year history, it has confronted countless issues and many times developed enduring solutions. My goal is to preserve the history of this extraordinary organization even as we move forward to face the challenges of today and tomorrow. In looking back over the history of IVVGA and the history of the industry it quickly became apparent that some details about our history have faded with time, making the need to preserve the history that much more compelling. In pulling together articles that draw from the IVVGA history, we relied heavily on a number of sources, including organization minutes and the “Valley Grower” magazine, which from its start in about 1977 until 1992 was a publication of IVVGA.

12 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

In Valley Agribusiness, you will find an article about the lettuce mosaic virus and how IVVGA was instrumental in protecting the lettuce crop from a deadly virus. Other projects started in IVVGA’s history continue but with different management. The Saladero Contest, for instance, is now managed by Imperial Valley Boys & Girls Clubs, was started by and managed by IVVGA for many years. The Sweet Onion Festival, now the under the leadership of the City of Imperial, was started and managed by IVVGA. Some of the organization’s initiatives have, sadly, ended with the changing times or are simply no longer needed by growers. We, however, continue the Lettuce Mosaic Virus testing -- and have done so for 50 years. In this magazine, you also will read about the enduring onion seed isolation pinning project started by IVVGA several years ago and expanded this year to include brassicas and carrot seed isolation. Of course, the ever-popular Stag Barbecue is alive and thriving. Our scholarship program, thanks to generous donations, has grown over the years. It funds the future of agriculture. And food safety remains a major focus of all growers. Some of the challenges of 50 years ago remain. Labor issues have evolved, although

the California ALRB seems to be the same. Immigration reform was not an issue 50 years ago, but it became an issue more than 30 years ago in most of California and now is an issue here. Regulations continue to be added and we continue to adapt to them. It only takes one outbreak to upset the food safety chain and our markets. We, of course, take the illness caused by our food production seriously. Should I even mention water? That is the single biggest issue of our future. Looking back through our history provided unique perspective about IVVGA and the dynamic industry we represent. For instance, in 1968, 50 years ago, the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s annual Crop Report listed the total value of vegetable and melon crops at $66.2 million. Back then, broccoli, cauliflower, leaf lettuce and spring mix were not even on the crop list. Now, the 2017 Crop Report posts the total value of vegetables and melons at $1.02 billion. How times have changed throughout our rich history. Looking back brings to mind the quote from Winston Churchill: “History is written by the victors.” The founders and membership of IVVGA, past and present, should certainly be considered victors. 

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 13

VEGETABLES

VEGETABLES & MELON CROPS HARVESTED CROP YEAR ACRES

PRODUCTION YIELD PER ACRE

TOTAL VALUE UNITS UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

BROCCOLI (MARKET)

2017 2016

13,785 14,579

442.11 472

6,094,475 6,885,855

26 LBS. CTN 26 LBS. CTN

$15.56 $17.51

$94,806,000 $120,562,000

CABBAGE (MARKET)

2017 2016

1,949 1,653

642.65 777

1,252,524 1,283,903

45 LBS. CTN 45 LBS. CTN

$21.62 $11.48

$27,079,000 $14,733,000

CARROTS MARKET

2017 2016

4,940 4,642

975.76 706

4,820,247 3,277,906

50 LBS. BAG 50 LBS. BAG

$2.75 $3.29

$13,264,000 $10,780,000

PROCESSING & OTHER

2017 2016

11,525 10,830

31.64 29.07

364,677 314,873

TON TON

$114.53 $162.79

$41,765,000 $51,258,000

TOTAL CARROTS 2017 16,465 2016 15,472

$55,029,000 $62,038,000

CAULIFLOWER (MARKET)

740.75 787

3,551,135 3,484,515

23 LBS. CTN 23 LBS. CTN

$12.91 $10.35

$45,858,000 $36,053,000

HEAD LETTUCE NAKED PACK

2017 2016

2,221,335 2,466,093

50 LBS. CTN 50 LBS. CTN

$9.71 $8.50

$21,558,000 $20,962,000

WRAP PACK

2017 2016

5,553,338 7,398,278

40 LBS. CTN 40 LBS. CTN

$9.35 $8.75

$51,938,000 $64,735,000

BULK

2017 2016

4,442,671 3,945,748

50 LBS. CTN 50 LBS. CTN

$9.71 $8.50

$43,116,000 $33,539,000

TOTAL HEAD LETTUCE

2017 2016

17,115 12,217,344 18,031 13,810,119

CTN CTN

$9.54 $8.63

$116,612,000 $119,236,000

LEAF LETTUCE

2017 2016

15,440 14,310

35 LBS. CTN 35 LBS. CTN

$21.85 $16.62

$217,717,000 $133,212,000

2017 2,557 11,912.67 30,460,689 LBS. $0.56 2016 2,973 11,381 33,835,713 LBS. $0.83 SPRING MIX MAY INCLUDE: GREEN, RED AND BABY LEAF LETTUCE; BEET TOPS, MIZUNA, MUSTARD

$17,004,000 $28,013,000

SPRING MIX

2017 2016

4,794 4,428

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

14 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

645.33 560

9,963,947 8,013,191

VEGETABLES

VEGETABLES & MELON CROPS HARVESTED CROP YEAR ACRES

PRODUCTION YIELD PER ACRE

TOTAL VALUE UNITS UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

ONIONS MARKET

2017 2016

4,153 3,924

1,668.75 1,702

6,930,319 6,678,648

50 LBS. SACK 50 LBS. SACK

$7.77 $9.19

$53,829,000 $61,396,000

PROCESSOR

2017 2016

8,934 9,813

18.53 24.41

165,547 239,569

TON TON

$152.46 $280.00

$25,240,000 $67,080,000

TOTAL ONIONS

2017 2016

13,087 $79,069,000 13,737 $128,476,000

POTATOES

2017 2016

1,589 2,243

491.33 367

780,721 822,732

CWT CWT

$17.99 $26.19

$14,044,000 $21,544,000

SPINACH

2017 2016

9,619 10,165

11,160.38 10,246

107,351,678 104,145,699

LBS. LBS.

$0.79 $0.93

$84,450,000 $96,508,000

SWEET CORN

2017 2016

7,300 7,407

331.52 445

2,420,096 3,296,115

50 LBS. CTN 50 LBS. CTN

$16.01 $12.50

$38,754,000 $41,201,000

ROMAINE LETTUCE

2017 2016

7,867 8,122

419.73 589

3,301,985 4,787,842

35 LBS. CTN 35 LBS. CTN

$14.68 $14.66

$48,480,000 $70,196,000

MISC. VEGETABLES

2017 2016

10,349 $134,702,000 13,349 $96,907,000

CANTALOUPES

2017 2016

4,790 5,068

536.12 620

2,568,015 3,142,582

40 LBS. CTN 40 LBS. CTN

$9.25 $6.93

$23,762,000 $21,789,000

HONEYDEW & MISC. MELONS

2017 2016

1,035 1,283

691.49 691

715,694 886,553

40 LBS. CTN 40 LBS. CTN

$13.93 $9.34

$9,972,000 $8,280,000

WATERMELONS

2017 2016

1,028 773

29.25 27

30,069 20,871

TON TON

$380.00 $364.00

$11,426,000 $7,597,000

TOTAL 2017 ACRES 128,769 VALUE $1,018,764,000 TOTAL 2016 ACRES 133,593 VALUE $1,006,345,000 MISC. VEGETABLES MAY INCLUDE: ARTICHOKE, ARUGULA, ASPARAGUS, BOK CHOY, BRUSSELS SPROUTS, CELERY, CHINESE CABBAGE, CILANTRO, COLLARDS, CUCUMBERS, DILL, ENDIVE, FENNEL, HERBS, KALE, MINT, MIZUNA, MUSTARD, NAPA CABBAGE, OKRA, OREGANO, PARSLEY, PARSNIP, PEPPER, RADISH, RAPINI, RED BEETS, ROSEMARY, SQUASH, SWEET BASIL, SWISS CHARD

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 15

LIVESTOCK / APIARY

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

UNIT ITEM YEAR HEAD GAIN

TOTAL VALUE GAIN UNIT PER UNIT

CATTLE (FEEDLOT)

2017 2016

344,937 337,286

10.05 10.06

3,467,192 3,394,630

CWT CWT

$111.67 $118.01

$387,170,000 $400,614,000

SHEEP (FEEDERS)

2017 2016

60,000 62,000

0.53 0.54

31,620 33,700

CWT CWT

$136.05 $136.11

$4,302,000 $4,587,000

SHEEP (WOOL)

2017 2016

60,000 62,000

4.60 6.60

276,000 409,200

LBS. LBS.

$1.26 $1.50

$347,000 $614,000

2017 2016

$10,494,000 $12,298,000

AQUATIC PRODUCTS (FISH & ALGAE) MISC. LIVESTOCK

GROSS VALUE

2017 $50,395,000 2016 $50,063,000

TOTAL 2017 VALUE TOTAL 2016 VALUE MISC. LIVESTOCK MAY INCLUDE: CALVES, REPLACEMENT CATTLE, DAIRY ANIMALS, MILK, MANURE/COMPOST, CALIFORNIA MID-WINTER FAIR & FIESTA SHOW ANIMALS. CWT = 100 POUNDS

$452,708,000 $468,176,000

- Photo By Bill Gates

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

APIARY PRODUCTS PRODUCTION

YIELD CROP YEAR HIVES PER HIVE

TOTAL VALUE UNITS UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

HONEY

2017 2016

26,176 17,312

10.18 16.13

266,404 279,193

LBS. LBS.

$1.88 $1.63

$500,000 $456,000

WAX

2017 2016

8,200 14,150

0.76 1.69

6,259 23,900

LBS. LBS.

$3.55 $3.81

$22,000 $91,000

86,520 COLONY 62,591 COLONY

$61.43 $60.87

$5,315,000 $3,810,000

VALUE VALUE

$5,837,000 $4,357,000

POLLINATION 2017 2016

TOTAL FOR 2017 TOTAL FOR 2016 Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

16 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT Protecting the valley’s water rights and energy balancing authority while maintaining affordable rates and providing the highest level of customer service.

IID

centuryDIGEST of service. VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERTAGROWING 17

WATER

Imperial Irrigation District Water Delivery System  Fourth largest irrigation district in U.S.  Largest gravity-flow irrigation system in Western Hemisphere  95 percent of the water used for agriculture  Delivers water year-round to nearly 500,000 acres of farmland in its service area

-Infographic By Alejandra Noriega

18 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

OPERATES:

 The 80-mile-long All-American Canal and 150 miles of main canals  Over 1,400 miles of lateral canals  Over 1,450 miles of drains to collect runoff and subsurface drainage from over 32,000 miles of tile drains under farmland  11 regulating/interceptor reservoirs for water conservation  Delivers water to some 5,600 delivery gates for irrigation purposes

WATER

(Times are estimated averages.)

All-American Canal flows along the U.S. - Mexico border east of Calexico. -Photo By Jimmy Dorantes

SEE MORE ON PAGE 48

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 19

FIELD CROPS

By Chris McDaniel

Industrial Hemp Planting awaits state clarification

ntil the passage in December 2018 Farm Bill, widespread use of commercial hemp as a cash crop throughout Imperial Valley remained just out of reach due to conflicting state and federal laws. Yet even with the passage of the federal Farm Bill lots of work needs to be done before industrial hemp can be planted. State laws allow production, and federal laws prohibited it outright until December. The Farm Bill removing hemp from its status as a Schedule 1 Substance, legitimized its commercial growth. The bill passed that passed both houses of Congress on Dec. 12 with strong bipartisan support was expected to be signed into law by the President Dec. 20. Now it is up to the state and local agencies to develop implementation processes. Then, hemp production could add $200 to $300 million to the Valley’s crop inventories, according to some growers. “Although Imperial County has an ordinance which allows for growing industrial hemp, at this time it is not legal to grow commercial industrial hemp under federal law,” Jolene Dessert, Imperial County assistant agricultural commissioner, said before the Farm Bill passage. The ordinance Dessert was referring to is Title 14, which authorizes cultivation of cannabis and industrial hemp in unincorporated areas of the county in compliance with California Proposition 64, which legalized the growth of recreational marijuana and industrial hemp in 2016. Dessert noted that although Proposition 64 legalized industrial hemp, there are still barriers on the state level that must be overcome, including the issuance of commercial hemp grower applications from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

20 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Hemp “is still subject to regulations which have not yet been finalized,” she said. “California law is clear that industrial hemp growers need to register with the (county) Ag Commissioner prior to planting hemp. At this time, the registration process is not available. Draft regulations for hemp registration in California are in a 45-day comment period and regulations should be available in early 2019.” The saga of how the 2018 Farm Bill came to be approved is complicated. The bill wove its way through Congress much of the year. In June, the Senate and House approved competing versions of the bill, officially named the Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018. On Nov. 29, House and Senate Agriculture Committee Chairmen Mike Conaway (R-Texas) and Pat Roberts (R- Kan.), with Ranking Members Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.), issued a joint statement on the 2018 Farm Bill negotiations. “We’re pleased to announce that we’ve reached an agreement in principle on the 2018 Farm Bill,” the statement said. “We are working to finalize legal and report language as well as Congressional Budget Office scores, but we still have more work to do. We are committed to delivering a new farm bill to America as quickly as possible.” The Senate version of the Farm Bill was endorsed by the Imperial County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 25. “The Senate’s 2018 Farm Bill proposes to (remove) hemp from the definition of marijuana in the Controlled Substances Act, defining hemp as having less than 0.3 percent THC, thereby reclassifying it as a commodity without narcotic capability,” Rebecca Terrazas-Baxter, county intergovernmental relations director, told the supervisors during the public meeting. The Farm Bill gives states the authority to be the primary regulators of hemp production

and to allow hemp researchers to apply for competitive federal grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hemp farmers also become eligible for crop insurance. The Farm Bill also allows the Imperial Irrigation District to deliver water to fields where hemp is grown, something IID was formerly prohibited from doing since the water comes from a federally-controlled source – the Colorado River.

Water for hemp fields

Although California’s Proposition 64 legalized the growth of both recreational marijuana and industrial hemp, prior to passage of the Farm Bill, IID was precluded by federal law from delivering water to hemp crops because cannabis and industrial hemp were listed as schedule 1 substances. IID’s water orders are approved by the Bureau of Reclamation and are delivered through Reclamation facilities, including the AllAmerican Canal. While there are different laws at a state level, IID is subject to federal law because the water is federal water. The IID Board is now clear to take up the hemp issue. During the fall, IID’s staff started putting together a policy to deal with the issue of hemp in anticipation of pending changes for federal regulations. Before the Farm Bill passage, if the IID delivered water to fields where commercial hemp is grown, it could face stiff penalties from the federal government. The new policy must be brought before the board for official adoption, IID Spokesman Robert Schettler told Valley Agribusiness. He added attorneys have been reviewing the documents. Once the policy is in place, and the 2018 Farm Bill is finalized, the IID will probably be in the clear to deliver water to industrial hemp growers. The introduction of hemp as a cash crops could have a major impact on Valley farmers

FIELD CROPS

because the region is prime for hemp production. Agricultural hemp can be grown for food, fiber, construction materials and for Cannabidiol, referred to as CBD, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to treat two rare forms of childhood epilepsy. Hemp can be used in more than 25,000 products spanning agriculture, textiles, recycling, automotive, furniture, food, nutrition, beverages, paper, construction materials and personal care items, according to TerrazasBaxter.

$200 million potential

“The county could become a leader in growing hemp within two seasons,” Chris Boucher, Farmtiva CEO, said. Farmtiva is a fullservice agricultural hemp company that offers legal preparation, cultivation and processing services to the California farm industry. “Large commercial processing, I expect (to begin) in the next 12 to 24 months,” Boucher continued. “Imperial Valley could see potentially

5,000 to 10,000 acres growing worth $200 to $300 million.” Hemp is estimated to be a $1 billion-dollar industry with much of the supply now imported from Canada, China and elsewhere. “The forecast of potential revenue for the county growing industrial hemp and the job creation is quite impressive,” Boucher said at the IID Board of Directors Sept. 11 meeting. “If you look at the entrepreneurial spirit of the Imperial Valley, farmers could probably capture about 15 to 20 percent of the national and global market. Forbes magazine predicts industrial hemp to be up near almost $1.9 billion by 2022, so it is really on an upward trajectory, and it has become really popular.”

Research exemptions

The 2014 Farm Bill included exemptions that allowed the hemp to be grown for research purposes, Boucher said, noting IID could deliver water to such fields. Over the summer, the Imperial Valley Conservation Research Center, located at 4151

Highway 86 near Brawley, recently concluded a registered grow of about 35 acres. The experimental grow was sponsored by Farmtiva. “There is some allowance for research in both the state and federal law, but DEA permits are required for legitimate research projects,” Dessert said. “The 2014 Farm Bill allows an institution of higher learning and a state with a pilot program to conduct research with the right DEA permits. With the passing of SB1409 California may establish by regulation, an agricultural pilot program. The only research entities authorized under the old Farm Bill to cultivate industrial hemp for research are institutions of higher education.” Boucher noted that Ventura, San Luis Obispo and Monterey Counties have let hemp farmers operate such grows under state law at a higher level than Imperial County. “There were over 400-acres being grown in those counties, and they had permission from their county AG Commissioners under the “Established Research Centers” law in California,” Boucher said. 

FIELD CROPS CROP

PRODUCTION

HARVESTED YIELD VALUE YEAR ACRES PER ACRE TOTAL UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

2017 2016

151,620 154,861

6.06 7.19

918,768 1,114,002

TON TON

$162.04 $133.68

$148,879,000 $148,915,000

BERMUDA GRASS HAY

2017 2016

52,101 50,704

6.50 7.89

338,825 399,959

TON TON

$149.43 $135.28

$50,632,000 $54,107,000

COTTON (LINT)1/

2017 2016

3,109 2,004

4.32 3.90

13,432 7,817

BALE BALE

$397.75 $356.79

$5,343,000 $2,789,000

COTTON (SEED)

2017 4,653 2016 2,722

TON TON

$181.20 $155.39

$843,000 $423,000

KLEIN GRASS HAY

2017 2016

TON TON

$169.00 $164.94

$20,723,000 $24,065,000

PASTURED CROPS2/ 2017 2016

38,509 ACRE 36,834 ACRE

$34.12 $36.87

$1,314,000 $1,358,000

STRAW (BALED) 2017 2016

140,151 TON 104,512 TON

$36.65 $37.35

$5,136,000 $3,904,000

SUDAN GRASS HAY

2017 2016

48,331 43,267

5.62 5.66

271,637 244,805

TON TON

$175.88 $150.00

$47,776,000 $36,721,000

SUGAR BEETS

2017 2016

24,929 24,634

45.07 44.75

1,123,667 1,102,333

TON TON

$47.70 $46.93

$53,599,000 $51,732,000

WHEAT

2017 2016

23,441 33,685

3.21 3.21

75,324 108,129

TON TON

$223.90 $287.12

$16,865,000 $31,046,000

MISC. FIELD CROPS 2017 2016 TOTAL 2017 TOTAL 2016

14,510 14,590

8.45 10.00

122,624 145,900

8,626 $14,709,000 10,017 $26,121,000

ACRES 326,667 VALUE $365,819,000 ACRES 333,762 VALUE $381,181,000 MISC. FIELD CROPS MAY INCLUDE: BARLEY, FIELD CORN, MIXED GRASSES, OAT, RYEGRASS, SAFFLOWER, SESBANIA, SORGHUM GRAIN, SORGHUM SILAGE, SUGAR BEET PULP, SUGAR BEET MOLASSES, SUGARCANE, TRITICALE 1/ COTTON BALES = 500 POUNDS 2/ PASTURED CROPS ARE PASTURED ONCE AND THE ACREAGE IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE TOTAL AND MAY INCLUDE: ALFALFA, BERMUDA GRASS, PERMANENT PASTURE

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

ALFALFA HAY

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 21

Kelley Jackson, Agricultural Biologist II, hangs a yellow panel trap. -Photo Courtesy Of Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

Invasive Pests Potential Threats By Jolene Dessert Imperial County Assistant Agricultural Commissioner

nvasive pests are various kinds of organisms that are introduced from outside areas and become pests in the new environment. The Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s staff is trained to look for invasive species from insects to weeds to exotic plants, and even for microbial pathogens in plants and seeds. These pest detection and exclusion activities are some of the mandates required of county agricultural commissioners and their staffs. There are laws and regulations that address the many aspects and complexities of agricultural production in California, including detection, exclusion and eradication activities. Our office enters into several contracts or agreements each year with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) for detection and trapping activities. Programs include detection methods for

22 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

exotic fruit flies, glassy winged sharpshooters, Asian citrus psyllids, gypsy moths, Japanese beetles and others, which are all executed through the Pest Detection and Eradication and Pest Exclusion and Quarantine Divisions of the county Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. The objective is to promote and protect our agricultural industry, our citizens and the environment by providing outreach and education to industry, community and schools as a priority of this goal. Our department’s mission statement is: To promote and protect our agricultural industry by providing clear direction and appropriate regulatory oversight while protecting our citizens and the environment through the enforcement of pesticide laws, weight and measurement standards, the detection and eradication of pests harmful to our agricultural industry, human health and other plant resources. Some of the invasive or exotic pests that are potentially harmful to our local agriculture and environment that we survey and monitor for include: Glassy winged sharpshooters (GWSS):

GWSS is an insect that was introduced into Southern California in the early 1990s. The insect is native to the southeastern United States and was most likely brought into California accidentally as egg masses on ornamental foliage. The feeding damage caused by this pest is not the main issue; instead, it is the potential this leafhopper has of spreading Pierce’s disease, a deadly bacterium, to many hosts. Preferential hosts include alfalfa, citrus and oleander, which are important to our local economy and environment. Asian citrus psyllid (ACP): this tiny pest was first found in Imperial County in 2008 and is under constant monitoring and control as it acts as a carrier of a devastating disease of citrus trees called Haunglongbing (HLB). HLB has not been found in Imperial County. Field surveys for ACP and HLB are being conducted statewide. In Imperial County, we survey year round for the pest and disease, and also assist in the state enforcement for compliance in movement of citrus, equipment, fruit bins and other potential

RIGHT: John Molina, Agricultural Standards Technician, surveys for HLB. BELOW AND BELOW RIGHT: Pamphlets and handouts available at the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office are shown below, as is a close up of a viable GWSS egg mass. - Photos Courtesy Of Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office. carriers. Our location is particularly important to help in the efforts to combat this pest and disease, as we border Arizona to the east and Mexico to the south, both of which are big citrus production areas. Therefore, we are on the frontline of defense to help protect our local citrus industry as well as the rest of the state. Tropical exotic fruit files are major threats to California agriculture and residential landscapes. The damage caused by larval feeding makes fruit and vegetables unfit for human consumption and their presence can cause major impacts to shipping and trade industries. The Mediterranean fruit fly, or Medfly, has a wide host range including over 250 cultivated crops including lemon, peppers, oranges, pomegranate, tomato, and walnut. Another fruit fly of importance includes the Oriental fruit fly, aka OFF, with over 230 hosts it can attack, including citrus, vegetables and berries. Additionally, the Mexican fruit fly, or Mexfly, is another important fruit fly surveyed for in Imperial County, with a host range including many of our local crops. Efforts to educate or inform our stakeholders and members of the community include providing an informative and updated website, participating in public outreach events, attending grower and industry meetings, community family events, career fairs, and other events where we explain the workings and efforts of invasive species detection activities as well as other aspects of our department. Meetings are often held with our counterparts from Mexicali, Mexico to meet and confer on certain activities or pests that affect both sides of the border. Informational and educational pamphlets and posters are available about various pests of concern, and these tools are dispersed at events throughout the community. Other significant activities in our office are Insect and Pest Identification, Pesticide Use Enforcement, Certification of Agricultural Produce for Export, Pest Management, Seed Law Enforcement, Nursery Inspection, Crop Statistics, and Weights and Measures inspections and certifications. The public is welcome to stop by our office at any time for information or for pest identification services. We are located at 852 Broadway in El Centro.

Invasive Species Links Imperial County Ag Commissioner: http://www.co.imperial.ca.us/ag/ CDFA Plant Health Division: https://www.cdfa.ca.gov/plant/ USDA Plant Health Protection and Quarantine: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/aphis/ourfocus/planthealth UC Riverside, Center for Invasive Species Research: http://cisr.ucr.edu/ 

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 23

SEEDS

Sunflowers are being grown at Imperial Valley Conservation Research Center in Brawley. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

Seeds add green to local economy

hile a single seed might not be much to write home about, some of the showier components of the Imperial Valley’s seed crop/nursery production category can turn a field a hue vibrant enough to inspire poetry. As a production category, the county seed crops and nursery products add plenty of green to the local economy. The category was valued at $137.2 million in 2017, up $14 million over the prior year. And, the county was California’s top producer of alfalfa seed in 2016, the most recent year for which numbers are available. What catches the eye of even casual observers is the occasional local field of sunflowers that turns a yellow so vivid it can stop traffic. Or a field full of the bobbing violet heads of artichoke flowers or fields fragrant with the showy blooms of pink, lavender, deep purple and white stock. The showstopper fields of sunflowers and stock and even golden waves of canola

24 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

flowers are compliments of the Imperial Valley’s unique year-round growing seasons. Climatic conditions in most of North America limit agricultural production to spring through late summer or early fall. Not so in the Imperial Valley, where the temperate fall, winter and spring are perfect for vegetables and melons, fruit and nut crops and for many types of seeds and nursery crops. Ron Rubin of Rubin Seeds in Brawley said the show-stopping sunflowers growing south of Brawley in January are “grow outs” conducted by his firm for seed companies seeking to test seeds intended for use in Northern California and elsewhere. The seeds from the showy flowers are grown in Northern California to be made into oil or as a food, especially for bird food. Of the acreage grown in the Valley, Rubin said, “Basically, it is a quality control process.” Samples of a variety of sunflower seeds are planted and closely monitored to determine if improper hybridization

or other issues of concern show up as the plants grow. That way the seed producer can be assured the seed to be sold is good. This winter, several varieties of sunflower seeds were planted and monitored in the Valley during the process. The variations were clear in the size of the various blooms and even in the unexpected colors of flowers from seeds intended for ornamental use. While sunflowers all have large seed heads, some have dark bronze-red petals and some even have daisy-white petals. Working with a Valley seed company gives growers to the north essentially the chance to have an extra growing season. According to the Rubin Seeds website, “We take seed harvested in the north in late summer-early fall, plant here in the fall and harvest, clean and return the seed increase north to plant in the spring.” Bright yellow canola flowers will grace some winter fields in the Valley while seed companies work to increase the supply available for planting in the north. 

SEEDS

SEED CROPS & NURSERY PRODUCTS PRODUCTION

HARVESTED YIELD VALUE CROP YEAR ACRES PER ACRE TOTAL UNIT PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

ALFALFA SEED NON-CERTIFIED CERTIFIED TOTAL ALFALFA SEED BERMUDA GRASS SEED NON-CERTIFIED

$14,239,000 $15,480,000 $61,194,000 $69,431,000 $75,433,000 $84,911,000 $21,445,000 $13,839,000

2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016 2017 2016

9,299 10,479 35,088 30,670 44,387 41,149 17,616 17,085

677.53 584.37 542.77 667.27 571.00 646.16 245.00 270.00

6,300,306 6,123,618 19,044,550 20,465,255 25,344,856 26,588,873 4,315,920 4,612,950

LBS. LBS. LBS. LBS. LBS. LBS. LBS. LBS.

$2.26 $2.53 $3.21 $3.39 $2.98 $3.19 $4.97 $3.00

Source: 2017 Annual Crop & Livestock Report Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

CERTIFIED 2017 3,204 277.38 888,734 LBS. $5.05 $4,485,000 2016 3,675 481.04 1,767,840 LBS. $3.50 $6,188,000 TOTAL BERMUDA GRASS SEED 2017 20,820 249.98 5,204,654 LBS. $4.98 $25,930,000 2016 20,760 307.36 6,380,790 LBS. $3.14 $20,027,000 ONION SEED 2017 697 347.71 242,351 LBS. $7.27 $1,762,000 2016 684 220.83 151,050 LBS. $9.43 $1,424,000 MISC. SEED & NURSERY 2017 3,660 $20,789,000 MISC. NON-CERTIFIED SEED 2016 1,108 $10,088,000 MISC. CERTIFIED SEED 2017 3,448 $5,690,000 2016 972 $533,000 MISC. NURSERY PRODUCTS 2017 615 $7,682,000 2016 593 $6,074,000 TOTAL 2017 ACRES 73,627 VALUE $137,286,000 TOTAL 2016 ACRES 65,266 VALUE $123,057,000 MISC. SEED AND NURSERY PRODUCTS MAY INCLUDE: SUNFLOWER SEED, BROCCOLI SEED, CELERY SEED, WHEAT SEED, CORIANDER SEED, FENNEL SEED, ARTICHOKE SEED, RAPESEED, PARSLEY SEED, MUSTARD SEED, SWISS CHARD SEED, CARROT SEED, CUT FLOWERS, ALOE VERA, PALM TREES, VEGETABLE TRANSPLANTS

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 25

FRIUTS / NUTS

Dates with destiny By Susan Giller

arming was not in Joe Fejleh’s sights when he left Syria 40 years ago to study aeronautical engineering at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Okla. Dates, however, were. A staple food in the Middle East for thousands of years, dates are central to the Muslim monthlong observance of Ramadan. “Dates were essential to the diet of our ancestors,” Fejleh said. “Date trees grow everywhere there. It’s been said they could live on just seven dates a day.” That soul-deep connection to the fruit, coupled with a strong entrepreneurial drive, sense of adventure and available Imperial Valley land, propelled Fejleh to change course a decade ago and become a grower. Undaunted by his lack of hands-on farming experience, Fejleh moved his family to the Imperial Valley in 2007 to grow Medjool dates when he retired from a successful management and finance career in the Los Angeles area. Fittingly, Aya Farm is what he named his 75-acre date palm orchard north of Westmorland. Aya, in Arabic, is a woman’s name that means “wonderful,” “amazing,” “miracle.” It also means “verse,” as in the Quran. “It’s not rocket science to grow dates,” Fejleh said. “I know a lot of farmers. I figured what I didn’t know, I’d find on Google.” With that leap of faith, Fejleh became one of the legion of local growers whose efforts make Imperial County one of the most diverse and productive regions in the state. Local date producers have put Imperial County on the map as a second-most productive date-growing area in California, which produces 90 percent of the nation’s supply. In 2017, Imperial County date growers harvested 9,080 tons of dates valued at $25.7 million according to the

26 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

FRIUTS / NUTS

county Agricultural Commissioner’s latest Annual Crop & Livestock report. That amounts to nearly one-third of the state’s supply. Fejleh was actually immersed in the business of dates long before he began his improbable journey into farming. For years, he bought dates wholesale in the Coachella Valley, stored them in commercial freezers in Los Angeles and sold them to Muslims throughout North America. For Muslims, dates are more than an important food source. The fruit is entwined in religious and cultural tradition. During the monthlong commemoration of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar, Muslims worldwide fast from sunup to sundown. Traditionally the daily fast is broken by consuming three dates. That date palms are even grown for commercial production in desert regions of the U.S. is the result of an agricultural adventure as exotic as the fruit itself. Indigenous to the Middle East, dates have been cultivated for 5,000 years. They are grown from offshoots of established trees, not from seeds. The commercial date palms in the U.S. are descendents of trees grown from offshoots brought here in the early 20th century by “agricultural explorers” hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to

travel the world and find exotic, potentially profitable crops. Reportedly all commercial Medjool palms growing in California today come from 11 palm shoots imported from trees in Morocco and planted in the Coachella Valley in 1927. Medjools are highly prized. Often called the “king of dates,” they are large, soft, with brown to nearly black skin and flesh that has a rich, honeyed, almost caramel flavor. Low on the glycemic index, dates are packed with nutrition including Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic Acid, Thiamin, Biotin, calcium, iron and fiber. And soon after his Medjool date palms began producing fruit, Fejleh diversified his retail reach. In 2014, he opened Westmorland Date Shake, at 119 W. Main St., and began selling date products online. In addition to shakes, fresh dates and an assortment of baked goods, local honey, olives and produce, the store carries Middle Eastern delicacies. It is drawing enthusiastic reviews online. Initially Fejleh’s foray into farming wasn’t smooth sailing. That first year he prepared about 20 acres of the land he bought north of Westmorland and west of the Salton Sea. Then he planted

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

Joe Fejleh gives a tour of his date grove. -Photos By Susan Giller

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 27

FRIUTS / NUTS

Gone Organic

oc’s Organics, east of Westmorland, is a certified organic-only citrus packing shed that opened in 2017 to meet a need that just keeps growing. The modern, high-tech packing facility works to ensure the quality and organic integrity of the citrus it processes. While organic farming represents a relatively small percentage of the Valley’s total agricultural output, it is growing right along with skyrocketing consumer willingness to pay more for organic fruits and vegetables. Valley grower, Pat Dockstader, decided his farming operation, P&T Enterprises, should plant some organic citrus in 2000. He thought it would be the perfect niche market. By 2016, Dockstader’s organic orchards around Calipatria and Niland had grown to 630 acres and the operation had become so large he formed a partnership with nephew, Dusty, and Dusty’s wife, Gina. The three decided to build Doc’s Organics on a 29-acre lot on Boarts Road between Brawley and Westmorland. “A packing house here offers more control over the fruit,” Gina Dockstader said. Previously, there was so much citrus it had to be sent out of the Valley to four different sheds. Now, she said, “We can leave fruit on the tree until it’s needed. It results in fresher fruit. I believe this is better all the way around — from farmer to shed to consumer.” The Dockstaders had to jump through many hoops to get the packing facility to be certified organic. Doc’s Organics has a PRIMUS certification, which signifies that the shed follows rigorous standards and meets a strict benchmarking process to ensure food safety.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

28 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

FRIUTS / NUTS

Olives are harvested at Beach Line Citrus Co. near the Salton Sea. - Photos Courtesy Of Beach Line Citrus Co.

Olive oil: Promising future in Imperial County By Peggy Dale

ommercially grown olive trees are relatively new in the Imperial Valley, but the oil milled from the fruit of those trees, whose domesticated roots can be traced back thousands of years to the Mediterranean, has a promising future both locally and in the state. “We believe the olive oil industry in California is where wine was 30 to 40 years ago,” said Don Barioni Jr., who with his partners grows, mills, bottles and sells olive oil from their Imperial California Olive Mill company, under the label “Imperial Olive.” When that potential growth is realized, Imperial County’s olive growers will have front-row seats. Olive trees are a good fit in the low desert, said Dr. Oli Bachie, Imperial County director for the University of California-Imperial County Cooperative Extension Service near Holtville. “We do not have much tree crop here, and olives are desirable trees,” Bachie said, pointing to the trees’ economic benefits, hardiness and tolerance for heat, as well as the longer growing season that the desert offers. In addition, Barioni noted, the desert’s growing conditions help ward off olive-related pests and diseases. “Commercial olives for oil are found around the world’s deserts,” Barioni added.

Bachie said because of growers like Barioni, became clear they needed a closer mill. “We built the mill locally, because for olive trees already are proving themselves in thousands of years in the history of olive oil the Imperial Valley. They require only 2 to 3 acre-feet of water production, it is common knowledge that annually as opposed to 5 to 6 acre-feet for CONTINUED ON PAGE 44 other crops, said Dr. Khaled M. Bali, statewide irrigation and water management specialist for the University of California and based at the UC Kearney Research and Extension Center. Additionally, olive trees tolerate the high salinity of the Colorado River water that nurtures them, Bali said. While olive trees can tolerate marginal soil, they prefer the good drainage of alluvial soil like that found in the Valley’s Northend, Bachie said. There, 100 acres of olive trees grown for the oil flourish on the Beach Line Citrus Co. farm owned by the Barioni and Hull families. The olive trees are planted among 2,000 acres of fruit trees, including lemons and dates, on a gentle slope off the Chocolate Mountains that stretches toward the Salton Sea. It is here that four generations of the two farming families are putting their mark on the California olive oil industry, producing thousands of gallons of olive oil each fall. The Barionis and Hulls began planting olive trees about 20 years ago. They went Beach Line Citrus Co. olives are milled in Imperial commercial about 10 years ago and was sent the same day they are harvested. The olive oil is to the coast to be milled. Within a few years it sold under the Imperial California Olive Mill label.

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 29

VEGETABLES

Second-graders from Meadows Union School show their bags of harvested radishes during a Farm Smart tour at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

Farm Smart Hands-on Lessons in Ag By Peggy Dale

ood. Fiber. Flowers. Forest. Fuel. Those five words describe California agriculture, Stephanie Collins told second-graders sitting cross-legged on the floor of the Farm Smart classroom at the Desert Research and Extension Center - DREC near Holtville. The students were among the nearly 6,000 annual visitors to go on Farm Smart and DREC field trips or winter farm tours. There they would discover the relationships between agriculture and nutrition, starting with how food starts on a farm, to the water used to grow that food, to how that food makes its way to the table, said Stacey Amparano, Farm Smart manager. Amparano and Collins, Farm Smart community educators, especially enjoy it when their younger visitors recognize some of the crops and cattle grown at the center. After all, the fields surrounding the Imperial Valley’s cities are full of produce, field crops or livestock

30 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

that help feed the nation as well as the world. Often, though, the children have no idea where their food comes from, other than the grocery store. Many have never seen livestock, such as cattle, up close. “Kids come here asking if they’re real,” Collins, said of the cattle on DREC’s feedlot facilities. Last year more than 5,000 of the center’s visitors, like the Meadows Union Elementary School second-graders visiting this cool, gusty November morning, came through the kindergarten-12th grade field trips or community activities and presentations. Topics change, depending on the season and grade levels. Besides educating the Valley’s youth and their parents, Farm Smart each year also hosts hundreds of “snowbirds” through its Winter Visitor Program. Each goes home with fresh produce from the center and understanding about arid irrigated agriculture. Income from the Winter Visitor Program helps keep programs at low cost local students and adults.

Community educator Stephanie Collins teaches the life cycle of corn during a Farm Smart class at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

VEGETABLES

Following their own tour, the Meadows students would clamor along a couple of rows of radishes, squatting down to tug from the soil the 10 each could take home. But first, this group of students would learn about corn. In the Farm Smart classroom, Collins would describe how corn is a grass that can be found in 3,000 different grocery products, from staples like syrup or cereal to cleaning supplies like brooms. She and Amparano would show how there are different types of corn for feeding humans or animals or for making popcorn or the husks that wrap around tamales. The students would learn that only one to two ears will grow on a stalk of corn, that one ear is made of up to 600 kernels, and that the tassels at the top of the stalk drizzle pollen onto the silks, with each pollinated silken strand resulting in a single corn kernel. The tours and field trips are just the tip of the iceberg, though. Farm Smart community events include school days at the California MidWinter Fair & Fiesta, Carrot Festival, job and health fairs, garden club presentations and an RV outreach highlighting local agriculture. There are one-day events, like Spooky Adventures of the Farm, Popcorn Palooza, Farm-to-Preschool Festival and Read With A Farmer: National Read a Book Day. Read With A Farmer made its debut Sept. 6 with Farm Smart working in partnership with the Imperial County Farm Bureau, Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and Imperial Valley Water. Farm Smart is working on a project with the Imperial Valley Desert Museum and Rainforest Art Project. Future projects include a conservation garden, demonstration kitchen, learning center and art studio/garden art program. As diverse as the Farm Smart programming, so is its operational funding. Farm Smart funding comes from DREC appropriations, donations, grants, program fees and partnerships with state nutrition programs, said Jairo Diaz, DREC director. In a way to increase reach

A second-grader from Meadows Union School rubs dried mature corns to remove kernels from cobs during a Farm Smart class at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero and develop new educational programs, Farm Smart has gained new funds through federal, state and county competitive grants. Recently completed programs like the Burrowing Owls project funded by the Imperial Valley Community Foundation brought together education, art and sciences to develop awareness and a learning site about how

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 31

VEGETABLES

Steve Sharp tackles food insecurity By Stephanie Campos

STEVE SHARP - Photo By Stefanie Campos

32 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

uilding a bridge between those struggling with food insecurity and the bounty produced by one of the state’s top ag producing regions is a tall order to fill. Yet that is the job Imperial Valley-bred, country-hat wearing, third-generation farmer Steve Sharp is tackling. Sharp is a food solicitor for the California Association of Food Banks (CAFB). He brings to the job an extensive knowledge of the Valley farming industry and a depth of contacts with growers, packers and shippers. Joining forces with CAFB and the Imperial Valley Food Bank was something new for Sharp. “When I first started this, I didn’t know anything about the Food Bank. I just thought it was for homeless people,” Sharp said. Through his work, however, he has come to appreciate that the Food Bank serves many people who struggle to afford fresh food. “It is for the farm laborers, for people that are working,” he said. “Vegetables and fruits are expensive in the stores. So a family is going to go buy what they can buy to make multiple meals and make it last and that’s not vegetables and fruits. … It is working people that are using the food banks, probably more than homeless people.” The Farm to Family program works with growers, packers and shippers to get surplus produce to food banks throughout the state, according to the CAFB website. Growers can donate product outright or they can work with Farm to Family to get a modest reimbursement that helps cover harvest and pack out costs. In Imperial Valley, Sharp said, “The farming community is very generous. … I don’t think they realize how big of a need there is out there and that it is working people that you’re servicing, that are being taking care of. … That’s humbling to say, ‘I’ve gotta go to a food bank.’ “ CAFB had already implemented the program in Northern California moving surplus stone fruits — apples, oranges, peaches, plums — but Southern California wasn’t involved until Sharp was hired to be the intermediary between the Farm to Family program and the produce industry. He works with produce from the Imperial Valley, the Coachella area and even parts of Arizona. Another CAFB representative serves the Fresno/ Bakersfield area. Sharp’s work for the program follows the local produce harvest season and the wide range of produce grown and shipped here. One local Farm to Family organic produce supplier has everything from fennel to bok choy.

VEGETABLES

“I don’t think people realize some of the stuff getting grown here in the Imperial Valley; how many different items we’re doing now,” said Sharp. “There’s not much we don’t move down here.” The amount of product that becomes surplus and offered to the program is based on market conditions. It’s Sharp who must allocate available surplus produce to what food banks can store and distribute to those who need it. “This past year, we couldn’t even begin to take what was being offered,” said Sharp. “I mean it was bad. Markets were bad, prices were bad. At the end of the season here I had eight truckloads of cantaloupes. I think I only moved three because they were getting cantaloupes from other areas already up north. It was just too much.” Currently, the Imperial Valley Food Bank doesn’t have the space to accommodate much surplus produce. That is one of the reasons the Food Bank is building a new 28,000 square foot facility on Aten Road in

Imperial. The new facility will have more than 5,300 square feet of cooler and freezer space. The Food Bank supplies 20,000 people a month. “Being the food bank in the Imperial Valley has made us the envy of some of our colleagues,” said Sara Griffen, IVFB executive director. “Our winter growing season allows for fresh produce at a time when few other areas are growing. “It is a wonderful program with wins for everyone involved. We do appreciate all that Steve does to keep us in produce,” Griffen added. Last year the CAFB shipped 160 million pounds of fresh produce to the food banks with which it works. Steve Linkhart, Farm to Family director at CAFB, affirms Sharp’s hand in that accomplishment. “Well, what can you say about Mr. Sharp,” said Linkhart. “He is the first produce solicitor CAFB ever hired. He has helped train the majority of the solicitors hired after him. Mr. Sharp is a very hard-working, passionate

person. He really doesn’t like the word ‘NO.’ It actually drives him crazy. Sharp works part-time for the program during the produce season, though the hours vary widely depending on when surplus produce is offered. “When you’re in farming, hours don’t mean anything,” he said. “It doesn’t stop at 5.” “When a shipper calls you, they have a problem,” said Sharp. “You need to be their solution.” CAFB shipped a total of 160,000,000 pounds of surplus fruit and vegetable last year to the food banks with which it works. Steve Linkhart, Farm to Family director at CAFB, gives Sharp a lot of credit for the program’s accomplishments. “He is the first produce solicitor CAFB ever hired,” Linkhart said. “He has helped train the majority of the solicitors hired after him. Mr. Sharp is a very hard-working, passionate person. He really doesn’t like the word ‘NO.’ It actually drives him crazy. “ 

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 33

VEGETABLES

Mosaic Virus

hen the lettuce mosaic virus (LMV) devastated the iceberg lettuce crop in 1968, the newly formed Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association stepped to the center of the effort to solve the crisis. IVVGA’s founders ultimately did far more than broker an innovative and effective solution. They blazed the solution-focused path on which the organization continues to work and left a major source of funding for future efforts. Yet 50 years ago, after LMV knocked out about half of local lettuce acreage, IVVGA’s only focus was on how to prevent future catastrophic damage from the seed-borne virus that spread field to field by aphids. It took the IVVGA working with the county Agricultural Commissioner and UC Riverside researchers to devise and implement the first solution in 1969, according to an article in the fall 1980 edition of “Valley Grower” magazine. The solution actually required a multipronged approach that featured an innovative, accurate and cost-effective seed-

34 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

testing method developed by UC Riverside researchers. First, an ordinance prohibiting the local sale of lettuce seed unless it was tested and certified virus-free was adopted at the urging of then-county Agricultural Commissioner Claude Finnell. Finnell also was a founding member of IVVGA. Lettuce mosaic virus can devastate iceberg lettuce. The county ordinance, still in effect, sets the tolerance at 0 seeds infected in 30,000 tested. With the county ordinance in place, One of the responsibilities of early lettuce seed companies readily agreed to pay IVVGA executive directors was to spend for testing. These costs are passed on to the summer weeks in San Diego overseeing the grower. greenhouse operation. It was a job eliminated IVVGA agreed to operate a greenhouse in in 1984 when a new laboratory test for the Encinitas that was used to test as many as 70 virus was perfected. An article in the summer types of lettuce seeds during the summers. 1984 “Valley Grower” by former Executive The greenhouse provided a virus- and bug- Director Ron Hull explained the refined lab free environment in which to cultivate a test dramatically reduced the time required for quick-growing variety of ragweed known to testing dramatically. be susceptible to LMV. As the weeds reached The lab testing program continues today, maturity, their leaves were rubbed with a along with IVVGA’s dedication to advocate, mulch that included ground lettuce seeds collaborate and creatively come up with from the lots to be tested. Evidence of infected solutions for concerns facing vegetable seed would quickly appear on the weed. growers. 

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VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 35

2017 Crop Rank & acreage

Imperial Irrigation District Water Department

RANK 2016 CROP CROP ACRES % CUMULATIVE CUMULATIVE RANK 2016 CROP CROP ACRES % CUMULATIVE CUMULATIVE 2017 RANK TYPE DESCRIPTION ACRES % 2017 RANK TYPE DESCRIPTION ACRES % 1 1 F ALFALFA (ALL) 148,397 33.0% 148,397 33.0% 39 41 G KALE 286 0.1% 446,521 99.4% 40 45 G SWISS CHARD (ALL) 253 0.1% 446,774 99.4% 2 2 F BERMUDAGRASS (ALL) 52,050 11.6% 200,447 44.6% 41 35 F RED BEETS 230 0.1% 447,004 99.5% 3 3 F SUDANGRASS (ALL) 43,834 9.8% 244,281 54.4% 42 52 G SWEET BASIL 211 0.0% 447,215 99.5% 4 4 G LETTUCE (ALL) 32,069 7.1% 276,350 61.5% 43 29 G MUSTARD (ALL) 191 0. 0 % 447, 4 06 99. 6% 5 6 F SUGARBEETS 26,498 5.9% 302,848 67.4% 44 47 G PARSLEY (ALL) 169 0.0% 447,575 99.6% 6 5 F WHEAT 16,988 3.8% 319,836 71.2% 45 42 P NURSERY 156 0.0% 447,731 99.6% 7 7 G CARROTS (ALL) 16,475 3.7% 336,311 74.8% 46 74 F BARLEY 153 0.0% 447,884 99.7% 8 8 F KLEINGRASS 14,510 3.2% 350,821 78.1% 47 78 G CABBAGE, CHINESE 140 0.0% 448,024 99.7% 9 9 G ONIONS (ALL) 13,194 2.9% 364,015 81.0% 48 33 F SORGHUM SILAGE 139 0.0% 448,163 99.7% 10 10 G BROCCOLI (ALL) 13,016 2.9% 377,031 83.9% 49 53 F TRITICALE GRAIN 122 0.0% 448,285 99.8% 11 11 P DUCK PONDS 9,546 2.1% 386,577 86.0% 50 62 G SQUASH 88 0.0% 448,373 99.8% 12 12 G SPINACH 8,775 2.0% 395,352 88.0% 51 49 F SPIRULINA ALGAE 85 0.0% 448,458 99.8% 13 14 G CORN, SWEET 7,300 1.6% 402,652 89.6% 52 57 G ARTICHOKE (ALL) 84 0.0% 448,542 99.8% 14 13 P CITRUS (ALL) 7,214 1.6% 409,866 91.2% 53 75 F RAPESEED 79 0.0% 448,621 99.8% 15 16 G MELONS, SPRING (ALL) 5,750 1.3% 415,616 92.5% 54 72 F QUINOA 74 0.0% 448,695 99.9% 16 15 G VEGETABLES, MIXED 5,123 1.1% 420,739 93.6% 55 71 G COLLARDS 70 0.0% 448,765 99.9% 17 17 F CORN, FIELD 4,123 0.9% 424,862 94.6% 56 44 G FENNEL 63 0.0% 448,828 99.9% 57 54 P JUJUBE 57 0.0% 448,885 99.9% 18 18 G CAULIFLOWER 3,699 0.8% 428,561 95.4% 58 64 G BRUSSELS SPROUTS 54 0. 0 % 448, 9 39 99.9% 19 21 G CABBAGE 1,933 0.4% 430,494 95.8% 59 G PARSNIPS 50 0.0% 448,989 99.9% 20 19 G POTATOES 1,589 0.4% 432,083 96.2% 60 59 P ORNAMENTAL TREES 47 0.0% 449,036 99.9% 21 23 G RAPINI 1,539 0.3% 433,622 96.5% 61 61 G ALOE VERA 41 0.0% 449,077 99.9% 22 32 G SUNFLOWERS (SEED) 1,441 0.3% 435,063 96.8% 62 66 P MANGOS 39 0.0% 449,116 100.0% 23 27 G CELERY (ALL) 1,279 0.3% 436,342 97.1% 63 46 F SORGHUM GRAIN 38 0.0% 449,154 100.0% 24 20 F RYEGRASS 1,221 0.3% 437,563 97.4% 64 63 G HERBS, MIXED 33 0.0% 449,187 100.0% 25 24 P DATES 1,174 0.3% 438,737 97.6% 65 55 G RADISHES 33 0.0% 449,220 100.0% 26 22 G CILANTRO 1,126 0.3% 439,863 97.9% 66 56 G CUCUMBERS 30 0.0% 449,250 100.0% 27 26 G WATERMELONS 1,028 0.2% 440,891 98.1% 67 G ROCKETT 25 0.0% 449,275 100.0% 28 25 F OATS 904 0.2% 441,795 98.3% 68 65 P ASPARAGUS 20 0.0% 449,295 100.0% 29 30 F GRASS, MIXED 611 0.1% 442,406 98.5% 69 51 F SAFFLOWER 15 0.0% 449,310 100.0% 30 28 P OLIVES 607 0.1% 443,013 98.6% 70 68 G PEPPERS, BELL 8 0.0% 449,318 100.0% 31 31 P FISH FARMS 480 0.1% 443,493 98.7% 71 76 P EUCALYPTUS 7 0.0% 449,325 100.0% 32 38 F SUGARCANE 472 0.1% 443,965 98.8% 72 79 P PECANS 4 0.0% 449,329 100.0% 33 39 P PALMS 459 0.1% 444,424 98.9% 73 77 P FRUIT, MIXED 3 0.0% 449,332 100.0% 34 G CORIANDER SEED 428 0.1% 444,852 99.0% 74 G MELONS, FALL (ALL) 3 0.0% 449,335 100.0% 75 80 F BAMBOO 1 0.0% 449,336 100.0% 35 34 P PASTURE, PERMANENT 414 0.1% 445,266 99.1% 36 36 G OKRA 379 0.1% 445,645 99.2% Total Acres of Crops 451,015 37 40 G FLOWERS 296 0.1% 445,941 99.2% * Crop Types: F = Field G = Garden P = Permanent Source: www.iid.com 38 50 F SESBANIA 294 0.1% 446,235 99.3%

36 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

BRUNDY... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8 “I was on the back of a horse from (ages) 10 to 18,” said Brundy. One of eight siblings, he grew up in Calexico. Many of his childhood friends came from farming families, with surnames like Menvielle, Scaroni, Claverie and Sutton. In 1972, while Brundy was in high school, his father bought the land where Tom’s Hay Farm now is headquartered. Back then it was all open desert. Frank Dessert rented the land and farmed it. “He helped us out a lot,” Brundy said of his father’s former employer. “He helped me out a lot.” Dessert and other farmers and businessmen lent a helping hand to the young Brundy when he decided to go into the hay business. “I didn’t know how to bale, but I have handled hay my whole life,” Brundy said. First, with his dad’s help, he bought a used baler and used tractor and began building a customer base. Another farmer helped with new equipment. “(Buzz Sutton) basically financed it for me and I went to work, thinking it would be for a short period,” Brundy said. “Here I am today.” As the hay-baling business grew, so did Brundy’s contracting business. He branched out, and today runs four businesses: the farm, the feed store and marketing of its products, a bit of contracting work, and the Brangus cowcalf operation.

Cows and calves are part of Tom Brundy’s Brangus cow-calf operation at his ranch near Mount Signal. - Photo By Peggy Dale Brangus are a blend of Angus and Brahman, a registered and recognized breed of cattle that does well in the desert heat. Brundy said just under 500 cows will be bred this year. Calves come along in the fall. He is toying with working with a Wagyu cattleman to crossbreed Brangus with Wagyu, the highly soughtafter Japanese cattle known for marbling of their beef. “Today, this generation is looking at this designer type in everything,” Brundy said. “You have boutique wine. This would be boutique

meat, so to speak, specialty beef.” Just as others helped him and his family, Brundy watches out for his workers and their well-being. “I have several young men that I really enjoy working with. A lot of promise. A crew that is unbelievable. Nobody has a crew like I have,” he said. “I want to see my workers have the same things, take their families to dinner, go to the movies with no stress. I need to be able to pay them that wage,” he said. 

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 37

DATES... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 27 1,000 date palm shoots, or “pups” as some growers call them. It takes the trees up to 10 years to reach a commercial level of production. “They looked like little sticks,” he said. “The first year or two the weeds were bigger than the trees,” he said. And nearly half of those first shoots planted died. “A few times I came close to leaving,” he conceded. Then the little palm trees began growing. Date palms grow about one foot a year. Fejleh added acreage and planted more offshoots he got from trees in the Coachella area. Now the offshoots he plants come from his young trees. Today, walking into Aya Farm on a hot sunny day is like entering an enchanted forest shaded by a canopy of palm fronds. The orchard is periodically irrigated in the heat of summer. The fruit is harvested from July through September. “Date palms like hot weather,” Fejleh said. “They will grow to be giants with their feet in water and their heads in the heavens.” The fruit grows in clusters on bundles nestled under the fronds of the female date trees. The largest Aya Farm palms have up to Dates are wrapped in cloth bags as they ripen. - Photo By Susan Giller 18 clusters of dates that produce 300 to 400

38 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

pounds of fruit. In late summer, Aya’s crews wrap the date bundles in white cloth bags. The bags collect the ripe dates when they are shaken. The dates are collected from the bags three times as they ripen between August and September. Aya Farm harvested an estimated 100,000 pounds of Medjools this year, a number Fejleh believes will increase annually as his trees grow. “This was supposed to be retirement,” he joked, “but … but it’s a lot of work.” Actually, the orchard is much more than the fuel for Fejleh’s rapidly expanding date retail business. “The trees are my babies,” he said. “I come out here and I talk to them and I sing to them.” And along with his palm trees, Fejleh and his family have put down roots in the Valley. His two sons now do most of the heavy work in the orchard. He dreams of buying more land, planting more palm trees and having his sons take over the operation. “My kids go to school here,” he said. “My daughter was born here. I may not be making millions, but this is home. The orchard will be my legacy.” 

Ojeda Industries offers best service, parts available

t’s no secret that agriculture is an important part of the Imperial Valley. According to data collected by Data USA, agriculture accounts for almost 25 percent of the jobs in the Valley. Because of that, it is necessary to make sure that you have the best parts and products for all of your agricultural machinery. Ojeda Industries in Brawley can offer just that. Ojeda Industries opened in January 2017. Owner Tony Ojeda has more than 40 years of experience in the hydraulic equipment industry. Tony runs the shop with his son, Travis, and his wife, Patricia. Ojeda Industries offers the same level of expertise and service as large chain retailers, while also maintaining the personality and familiarity of a small family business. That can be largely attributed to its founder, Tony. Tony Ojeda was born and raised in Brawley. After leaving his former employer, Tony decided to open Ojeda

Industries with his family. The decision to run an equipment shop seemed obvious. “This is all I’ve done. I didn’t know anything else, and it’s not that I couldn’t start selling shoes.” Tony joked. Tony had the confidence to start his new shop because he knew he had a loyal customer base. He knows the community of Brawley well, and he sees his shop as much more than just a run of the mill parts store. According to Tony, “This store is God’s gift to me that allows me to do something for my community. I could sit back and retire if I wanted to, but that’s not what I want to do. I want to give back and invest in the community.” Tony’s business is rooted in faith, and he sees this shop as a great way of giving back to the community. He stated, “The money and profit that we make, a lot of it goes back into the community through kids’ programs such as Little League, 4-H, sports programs,

Christian outreach, literacy programs, youth groups and more. We do what we can to help the Imperial Valley community.” Even in the off chance that Ojeda Industries cannot provide the type of service required, Tony has no problem offering customers alternative stores and solutions that they can turn to. Tony and his family value helping people more than anything else. Ojeda Industries is not a business that is focused only on profit, and because of that, customers can trust that they will be getting the best service and parts available. Tony sees Ojeda Industries as a public service to all who need it. Ojeda Industries is located at 1698 Jones Street, Suite 8, in Brawley. It is open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.. and Saturdays from 7 a.m. to noon. The Ojedas offer after-hours services to their customers. The store’s phone number is (760) 623-7299.

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 39

BLOOM... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

Springs. It also farms alfalfa, Bermuda grass and other crops in the Imperial Valley. He likes citrus, which grows particularly well in the gravelly ground with good drainage and very low risk of frost along the east side of the Valley. Some of the grapefruit

40 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

he planted in 1986 still produce well today. And he grows both traditional and organic citrus today. “Take care of your trees and they’ll take care of you,” McBroom said. “You have to take care of the tree by tree, not acre by acre.”

He is driven to keep evolving and keep up with the latest, most efficient and productive practices and to meet market demands. McBroom is replacing older tangerine trees with mandarin oranges, often referred to as seedless tangerines, for which consumers clamor. His mandarins, harvested in December and January, are marketed under the Cutie and Delite labels. “People say I have names for all my trees,” he joked. “I like to stay in touch with my ground.” Along with his trees, McBroom cares about maintaining relationships he has cultivated within the farming community. He works with several farming partnerships. One that stands out is the longtime partnership and friendship McBroom has with Don Emanuelli and Mike Sudduth. They call their orchard, Osage Citrus, in honor of the Imperial Irrigation District canal that supplies its water. Of the partnership, McBroom said, “it’s a relationship that has grown as great as our trees, even better,” he said. McBroom and his partners are among local growers who work more than 7,000 acres of citrus annually. Most of the acreage is planted in lemons. In 2017, the total local citrus harvest was valued at about $60

million, according to the latest Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Annual Crop & Livestock Report. Lemons accounted for $43.6 million of the total. Imperial County is one of California’s top five grapefruit-producing regions. McBroom’s willingness to work with others has thrust him into countless ag leadership roles locally and statewide. He is a member of the COLAB (Coalition of Labor Agriculture and Business), a past president of the Imperial County Farm Bureau and is currently on the organization’s Executive Board. He has been the state director representing Imperial and San Diego Counties for the California Farm Bureau. He also is a long time member of the Imperial Irrigation District’s Water Conservation Advisory Board and the California Citrus Research Board. Caring for the farm also requires watching the horizon for danger. That is how in 2008 McBroom became concerned about the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), and the bacteria it carries that causes Huanglongbing (HLB), a deadly citrus disease that has the potential to decimate the state’s $2 billion citrus industry. McBroom is the vice chairman of the state Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Committee and is in charge of guiding the state’s outreach program to educate

commercial growers and the public. Even a single infected backyard tree has the potential of spreading the disease and destroying the state’s commercial orchards. He also was instrumental in the formation of Imperial County’s pest control district. “We were the first county to create a pest control district specifically for citrus and we’ve become the standard in California,” McBroom said. “Once we all got on the same page, we have been working very effectively and proactively.” At one point the district went so far as to buy and destroy a small citrus groove in Mexicali that had been infected with HLB to protect local orchards from the spread of the disease. McBroom is equally ready to roll up his sleeves to work to protect the Valley’s water rights. How best to protect those rights readily sparks contentious arguments among growers and bitter debates at IID meetings. While McBroom’s voice is thoughtful in those discussions, his passion for the subject is crystal clear. “Some things are worth fighting for,” Bloom to Box variegated pink lemons ripen on trees he said. “Water is key. Without it we have in northeastern Imperial County. nothing.”  - Photos By Mallory and Marshal McBroom

Experience from the ground up Our business is agriculture. In fact, many of our staff have direct experience in farming or ranching: living – and working – testaments to our timeless commitment to the future of agriculture.

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ORGANIC... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28

Lemons, of varying sizes, are transported by a conveyor to another section for sorting at Doc’s Organics in Brawley. -Photo By Joselito N. Villero

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Gina said the reality of organic farming is, “expenses are higher and profit margins can be too.” That may be why a growing number of Imperial Valley growers are planting organic crops of various types. The 2016 California County Agricultural Commissioners’ Reports, the most recent available, noted 48 Imperial County farms grew organic crops valued at $242,404,000. Mike Reitman, Doc’s salesman, is a “fruit nerd,” according to Gina Dockstader. His expertise has helped everything from sales to shed design. “Our packing facility is custom-built. Mike came up with a design to make everything work in this space.” On a recent tour of Doc’s, Gina noted, “We sell sweet limes, which is a bit odd because they are…. sweet.” They have less acid than ordinary limes and are popular in India, Vietnam, the Mediterranean coast and closer to home, they are popular with the Hispanic community. During the tour of the shed, grapefruit moved through on a fully automated process. The grapefruit is off-loaded by truck and stored in a room until it is ready to be packed. The fruit can be treated with a gas to ripen it to the point it will arrive at its destination at peak condition. It is then loaded onto a conveyor belt where the grapefruit passes through a separation and sizing process. The grapefruit keeps traveling on the conveyor to an area where it is gently rinsed in a mist of water. Next it ascended into a machine for waxing. Gina said, “Organic fruit costs more in the stores. Stores need the fruit to look good to demand a higher price.” The now-glossy grapefruit then passed through a state-of-the-art Aweta grading machine that ferociously flashes lights. Dockstader explained, “Every time the light goes off, it takes a picture that sizes the fruit.” The grapefruit is labeled with a sticker indicating that it has been processed at Doc’s. And, Gina said, “Every piece of fruit here has to have a sticker for

traceability back to the farmer.” The fruit, based on size, can be boxed by hand or bagged with a Giro Bagging machine. Blemished fruit is dropped off the conveyor belt into a large container where it will be used for juice. The boxes filled with packaged grapefruit will take a hairpin turn on the assembly line and travel through a machine that makes a popping sound as it seals each box. The boxes are weighed to ensure all the purchasers’ requirements were met. An employee maneuvered a dolly around a corner to put pallets of grapefruit boxes in a large cooler. The boxes are ultimately loaded onto semi-trucks for distribution. The shed has a capacity of packing 300350 bins a day. It operates from August to May. In its off-season Doc’s packs organic fruit for other citrus farmers. So far, Doc’s Organics is meeting projections and doing well. The packing shed is making a profit and the Dockstaders are optimistic about the future. They have plans to add a date-packing facility and solar panels to offset the cost of energy and to have a greener footprint. When there is excess fruit to meet orders, Doc’s transforms the problem into a blessing by donating the fruit to the Imperial Valley Food Bank, the Orange County Food Bank, the Hosanna Food Bank in Bellflower and the

Grapefruit is sorted at Doc’s Organics. - Photo By Jayson Barniske Find Food Bank in Indio. Doc’s produce is sold through a broker and distributed all over the country. The Dockstaders don’t always know which specific stores or regions in which their product is sold. So, it came as a surprise this year when they heard that their lemons were being sold in their local Vons supermarket in Brawley.

“We made everyone at our house (our son and his friends) get in the car after dinner and drove to Vons,” she said. “It was like hearing your song was on the radio for the first time. They were selling our organic lemons for $1.29.” “It’s always fun to hear where you fruit ends up,” she said. “It’s sort of like find Waldo – instead it’s find Doc’s fruit.” 

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OLIVE... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29

Imperial Olive products can be purchased online and bought locally at Imperial Coffee Company in Imperial and Ramey’s Meats in Brawley. In San Diego, the olive oil is sold at Siesels Meats, Iowa Meat Farms, Mona Lisa Italian Foods, and Holiday Wine Cellar in Escondido, along with farmers’ markets in both the Imperial Valley and San Diego, with more retailers coming soon. you want to turn the fruit into oil within hours of harvest to get quality extra virgin olive oil,” Barioni said. During harvest season each fall at the Barioni farm, the olives are picked in the morning and transported to the Imperial Olive facility in Imperial, where they are milled that afternoon. It was while visiting ranch partners in the Argentinean desert region of La Rioja, starting more than 20 years ago, that Barioni was inspired to try growing olives for oil in the Imperial Valley. “In Argentina, the olives are 400 years old and still commercially productive,” he said. Olive trees grown for the oil they produce have a rich history dating to biblical times and

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can be traced back at least 6,000 years to the eastern Mediterranean region. Olives grown on the Barioni and Hull ranch originated in Spain, Italy and Greece. While a dozen varieties are being tested on their land, the three favorite varieties that are converted to oil are Arbequina, Arbosana and Koroneiki. The fruit, harvested in early fall, is processed in Flotweg brand equipment from Germany. Barioni said, “The brand is famous for separating water from products and is used in processing olive oil around the world. Once milled, the oil is bottled and sold in select stores and online through the company website, www.imperialolive.com.” Barioni said “Celebrity chefs have begun featuring Imperial Olive oil, especially at the recent annual fall San Diego Bay Food & Wine Show. It’s a big compliment to the Imperial Valley.” Some of the oil is shipped to other distributors that bottle it under their own labels.. Barioni credits his wife, Angela, and daughter, Erica, for helping develop the company and it’s packaging, labeling and market placement. The company’s “We are proud to go from our farm to your table” slogan is favored by Erica to help define the Imperial Olive brand. “The olives are truly a legacy project for our families,” said Angela.

Today, experts are excited about the potential expansion of olives grown for oil production in the Valley. “In the United States we import a lot of olive oil from different countries, about 90 percent or more. There is great potential to produce good quality oil in California,” Bali said. The cost of developing and growing olives for oil is similar to his lemon projects in the Imperial Valley, Barioni said. The data provided by Barioni and other olive tree growers will help researchers at Bachie’s office develop crop production guidelines for others interested in growing the trees commercially. “We will look at things like production costs, yields, annual cost benefits,” Bachie said. “Those will factor into guidelines.” “Now we look forward to sharing the ‘fruits of our labor’ with more Imperial Valley farmers, and wider markets,” Barioni said. Bachie sees benefits beyond olive oil, though. “The trees are highly photosynthetic,” he said, and create a microclimate that is beneficial to the area in which they are grown. “Having trees in our ecosystem is a beauty by itself,” Bachie said. “They’re like an oasis in the desert. Our idea is if we can bring in tree crops, it can somehow modify the appearance of our desert.” 

Imperial County Farm Bureau

Advocating for Ag Community By Brea Mohamed /Executive Director

or over a century, the Imperial County Farm Bureau has advocated on behalf of the Imperial Valley’s agriculture community. Our focus has been on a wide variety of issues that affect the farmers and ranchers in the Imperial Valley, including water, labor, land use, food safety and a cornucopia of other issues. Our job is to take the needs and concerns we hear from our members and find ways to address them, whether that be by meeting with public officials, offering training or creating an awareness campaign. Farm Bureau is there when you can’t be. Another big role that ICFB plays is with managing the Irrigated Lands Program. Since 2002, we have acted as the liaison between

our members and the Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB). The Farm Bureau’s involvement has allowed Valley farmers to avoid intrusive monitoring activities by the RWQCB by developing a self-compliance program to limit farmers’ Total Maximum Daily Load of agricultural discharge and limit substances such as silt, sediment and other nutrients from draining into regional waterways. For us, 2018 was a busy year. Our number one issue, as always, was water, as the Abatti v. IID lawsuit remains in appeal and the push for a Drought Contingency Plan has been strong. Through it all, Farm Bureau has fought to preserve the Imperial Valley’s water rights. This year, our ag literacy efforts included partnering with Farm Smart, Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and Imperial Valley Water to put local farmers and ag professionals in 14 classrooms around the Valley to read an agrelated book on National Read a Book Day. Additionally, in 2018, we had one of our most successful scholarship barbecues to date, and we administered $34,000 in scholarships to local students who plan to pursue careers in agriculture-related fields. These are just a few of the many projects and issues that we worked on throughout the year. All of our hard work

was recognized by the California Farm Bureau Federation, which honored us as the 2018 County of the Year in our membership category. In addition to our county staff working on local initiatives, California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) has staff that is focusing on state and federal issues. They are in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., fighting for us on a daily basis. The CFBF staff keeps the counties abreast of what is happening on state and national levels, and the county staff provides CFBF with the issues that they are hearing from their members. Every farmer in California — and everyone involved in agriculture — has benefited from Farm Bureau’s advocacy. Whether you’re a fifthgeneration or first-generation farmer or rancher, Farm Bureau has been instrumental in fighting both for your way of life and for your ability to make a good living. With fewer people directly involved in production agriculture, we need every farmer, rancher and business that helps produce, process and deliver the crops we grow to be a Farm Bureau member. If you are already a member, consider getting more involved by joining a committee or upgrading your membership.

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SMART... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 31 Second -graders from Meadows Union Elementary School carry bags of harvested radishes from a field during a Farm Smart tour at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center in Holtville. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

wildlife habitat and communities can coexist. Extension and educational activities have been at the core of DREC since its establishment in 1912. Farm Smart has come a long way since 2001, when former DREC director Paul Sebesta and educator Nancy Caywood, noting the lack

of knowledge locally about agriculture’s role in the economy, developed the program and got funds for it through the National Science Foundation. This grant was led by El Centro School District in collaboration with DREC and other local stakeholders. When that grant

ran out in 2004, the Imperial Irrigation District stepped up with financial support. “We teach water education, energy, natural resources,” said Collins. “Those coincide with the IID mission.” Today IID provides $50,000 a year for the program, but as the program’s popularity continues to grow, so do funding needs. Recently, the IID Board of Directors approved increased IID funding for the program. Diaz said that as important to Farm Smart program as the funding is its volunteers and staff members. For the past 10 years Larry and Shirley Durrans, who live most of the year in Salt Lake City, park their RV in the DREC lot and spend November through May helping with Farm Smart programs. “Our volunteers, our staff members are so committed to this community,” Diaz said. To learn about the Desert Research and Extension Center and the many opportunities available through Farm Smart, visit http://drec. ucanr.edu 

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SA Recycling … a focus on quality S Erosion... A Critical Environmental Issue

A Recycling’s commitment to the environment and sustainability began in 2007 and has since blossomed into more than 70 locations throughout the United States. In 2016, continuing its mission of “redefining recycling,” SA Recycling opened a fully permitted 40-acre organics management and compost facility in Thousand Palms. SA Recycling’s facility is committed to producing superior quality soil amendments and mulch products for the agricultural, turf and landscape industries throughout the Coachella and Imperial valleys. These products are made from locally sourced yard trimmings and are 100 percent organic. The Thousand Palms facility diverts nearly 100,000 tons of organic waste from landfills each year. In addition to reducing GHG emissions from landfills, organic composting fights against global warming by improving soil and plant health and sequestering carbon in local soils. SA Recycling documents organic recycling rates, which helps businesses meet mandatory commercial organic recycling requirements. For SA Recycling, it’s a passion for producing and providing products that improve soil

health. “Healthy soil means healthier foods,” said Kurt Shoppe, general manager for SA Recycling in Thousand Palms. “We’re committed to that. It matters what we’re putting in the ground.”

Organic Soil Amendments and Mulches

In a truly sustainable approach to organic waste management, this process closes the loop by returning composted materials to the soil, where they improve soil health, water retention and nutrient uptake in plants. Utilizing locally sourced feedstock and clean organic landscape trimmings, SA Recycling products meet strict state and federal standards and are safe for food crop production (Registered Organic Input Materials (OIM) CDFA – USCC Certified Compost). SA Recycling is focused on providing quality products to the local farming industry. “They do important work,” added Shoppe, “we want to be supportive of that practice with what we do.”

Renewable Fuels

Renewable fuels derived from organic waste and biomass have played an important role in developing California’s renewable power

capabilities. SA Recycling continues to produce renewable fuel for local power generation. Worldwide loss of topsoil is a critical environmental problem. SA Recycling’s mulches are certified for use as compost blankets and bio berms to minimize erosion and stormwater runoff. As these products slowly decompose, they provide organic matter, nutrients and microorganisms that help build better soils. SA Recycling also operates three scrap metal recycling operations in El Centro, Coachella and Thousand Palms. Scrap metal recycling plays an important role in environmental protection, natural resource conservation and sustainability. Steel, and other metals such as aluminum, made from scrap uses up to 70 percent less energy than the use of virgin materials, which significantly reduces GHG emissions. Balancing economic growth and environmental responsibility, all recycling takes place without public taxpayer money. SA Recycling scrap metal operations follow strict state and local regulations and cooperates directly with law enforcement to help stop metal theft. 

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• Suitable for food crop production • Improves Water Holding Capacity • Increases Soil Organic Matter (SOM) • Improves Soil Structure • Suppresses Weed Growth • Dust Control • No Manures or Bio Solids • Delivery and spreading available VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 47

WATER

Water conservation key for IID, growers

ith a 3.1 million acre-feet annual entitlement to Colorado River water, IID and Imperial Valley growers are careful stewards of every drop of this precious resource. IID’s net water available for use in 2017 was actually 2.578,762 due to water transfers. Though conservation measures date back many years, since the 2003 implementation of the Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA), IID has aggressively been conserving water to meet rampingup conservation schedules to make water available for transfer to urban areas. This is in addition to the 105,000 acre-feet generated annually by the conservation program funded by the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and the 67,700 acre-feet conserved by the All-American Canal Lining Project. Collectively, IID conserved 503,948 acrefeet of water in 2017, which exceeded the amount called for in the ramping up conservation schedule spelled out in the QSA. Of that total, 151,750 acre-feet came from water conserved through voluntary on-farm efficiencies implemented by growers in the IID service area. In 2017, IID was able to store 80,937 acrefeet of excess conservation water for use in

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The Imperial Irrigation District Water Control Center in Imperial is the command center from which water dispatchers, engineers and operation personnel operate the automated gates and checks allow water to move the water through the district’s water transportation system to fulfill farmers’ water orders. Data screens on the wall and on computer screens are used to monitor the real time-flow of water and the level of regulating reservoirs. - Photo By Susan Giller the future. IID and its growers have implemented ambitious conservation programs and efforts that include concrete-lined canals and head ditches to reduce seepage, delivery system automation, regulating reservoirs, scientific irrigation scheduling, tailwater recovery systems, sprinkler irrigation, drip irrigation and land leveling. Additional significant conservation practices have been in place for more than 25 years after the district and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern

California entered into its landmark water conservation agreement in 1988. The various conservation methods have saved millions of acre-feet for Southern California’s urban water use since inception. In doing its part today to help California live within the state’s basic 4.4 million acrefoot apportionment of Colorado River water, IID is the primary implementer of the Quantification Settlement Agreement – the nation’s largest ag-to-urban water conservation and transfer project. 

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Top 5 Robotic Systems to Watch in Agriculture By Nate Dorsey

obots: Are they just a thing of the future? Many in agriculture agree that the industry is heading in the direction of having more technology on the farm, which could even include robots. In fact, there are already several companies that have made significant strides in creating robotic systems for use in agriculture that are either in field-testing stages or already entering the market. At the Yuma Ag Summit held in February 2018 in Yuma several systems were on display or discussed. There is a lot of interest in this type of technology in regions such as Arizona and California, where a lot of produce and specialty crops are grown. These crops often require intensive handlabor, but labor shortages in the industry have created a problem for farmers. This shortage could potentially be solved by robots. Mark Siemens, a precision and mechanized agriculture specialist with the University of Arizona, highlighted some of these robots at the summit. They ranged from robots capable of imaging fields to those that can control weeds through mechanical or chemical methods. From his list, I’ve compiled my top five robotic systems to watch.

1. Vision Robotics

Vision Robotics, based in San Diego, has been developing robotic systems specific to agriculture for several years that currently has products on the market. Their products include a vineyard pruner that images vines and uses a robotic arm to thin plants, as well as an automated lettuce thinner. Lettuce is often planted with a much higher population than needed because of the crop’s high value. This ensures that the fields will meet a target population, even if there is an issue with germination or disease. After the plants germinate, field laborers will cut out extra plants to achieve the correct spacing. The automated lettuce thinner uses vision technology to detect plants and uses a liquid delivery system to spray and remove

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“I think most people in the industry would agree that robots have a place in the future of agriculture, and we may be surprised by how quickly these systems will become commonplace in the industry.”

powered by the sun. It will operate all day using solar power and target-spray weeds by using a camera vision system and rapidly moving arms that provide a small dose of herbicide. It’s easy to imagine a future where a fleet of similar robots could live at the edge of each field and maintain the health of the crops without requiring human input.

unwanted lettuce and achieve the desired plant population. This drastically reduces the labor necessary to thin lettuce fields, and one or two people can accomplish in a few hours what used to take a crew of 15 or more people a whole day.

5. Naoi Technologies

2. Agmechtronix

Like Vision Robotics, Agmechtronics has also developed an automated lettuce thinner. Using vision technology, the thinner detects the number of plants and spacing, and applies chemicals to remove unwanted plants to create the desired spacing. This improves crop health and again reduces labor needs. Another benefit to automated systems such as this is that they can be run at night. Traditional hand laborers can only work during daylight hours for obvious reasons, but the imaging technology on the Agmechtronics system allows their thinner to run at any time. This could benefit larger operations that have many fields that would require thinning at the same point in the season.

3. Rippa

The RIPPA robot was developed by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia. In addition to looking the part of a futuristic ag robot, it can perform several types of field operations. The system uses advanced imaging technology to detect crops, fruit, or weeds, and can then mechanically remove unwanted plants or spray products on crops, such as apples in an orchard, to control pests and disease.

4. Ecorobotix

The Ecorobotix system is truly unique. It is a lightweight, fully autonomous drone

Naio Technologies has several robots that have been fully commercialized and are on the market. They range in size from the small Oz robot, which would be well suited to working with smaller fields or greenhouse environments, to the larger Dino that is designed for larger-acre vegetable production systems. The robots are all fully autonomous and remove weeds from between the rows using mechanical methods, such as tillage. Looking back, it’s amazing to see how the agriculture industry has evolved. For example, in March 2018, John Deere Company celebrated manufacturing tractors for exactly 100 years. This is a big milestone for the company, but also shows how the industry has grown in a relatively short period of time. Precision agriculture technology as we know it, such as GPS and autosteer, are relatively new advancements, having been largely adopted around 15 years ago. I think most people in the industry would agree that robots have a place in the future of agriculture, and we may be surprised by how quickly these systems will become commonplace in the industry. There are many opportunities for technology companies to develop products that will solve problems and bring value–from planting fields, maintaining crop health, to even harvesting. While there are some systems already on the market, this is likely the tip of the iceberg of what we’ll see in coming years.

About the Author

Nate Dorsey is an Agronomist for RDO Equipment Co. based in Yuma. Connect with him on Twitter @RDONateDorsey. 

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RDO Equipment Co. is your trusted partner for exceptional support, parts, and service. Count on us as your on-stop shop for all your equipment and irrigation needs. Call 888-877-7935 or visit your local store today. RDO Equipment Co. 3275 Hwy 86 Imperial, CA 92251

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