Valley Agribusiness 2022

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Publishers Message I.V. agribusiness is more than meets the eye To the untrained eye, Imperial Valley is just another example of what is great about California agriculture. There are lush green fields of produce, acres and acres of alfalfa, hay and field crops growing strong and tall, an abundance of livestock, citrus and date orchards ripening. It is as if the litany of field ripening lusciousness stretches to the horizon.

Imperial Valley agriculture is impressive enough to look deeper.

With a gross agricultural value of nearly $2.03 billion in 2020, the most recent figure available, the county routinely ranks among the top 10 producers in the state and the nation.

Yet, local agriculture is even more exceptional than that. On the pages of Valley Agribusiness, you have a chance to explore an agricultural region like no other. You will meet some of the extraordinary people who make the region special. And you can learn about the innovations and technological advances in development to keep agriculture on the cutting edge here.

It indeed takes some digging – into data, not dirt – to understand what makes local agriculture shine. Economists Dr. Jeff Langholz and Dr. Fernando DePaolis put it in dollars and sense.

The two created the “Crop Report Plus Series.” Each report in the series analyzes existing data to determine agriculture’s value within specific growing regions in California. In August, the pair released

their latest analysis, “Economic Contributions of Imperial County Agriculture.” The report is based on data from the 2019 Imperial County Crop Report and other economic indicators such as local food processing, employment and multiplier effects.

Their analysis concluded that the actual economic output of agriculture here was $4.36 billion, more than double the crop production value of $2.015 billion listed in the county crop report.

What impressed Langholz and DePaolis was the diversity of Imperial County agriculture, which offers protection against such risks as pests and diseases, changing markets, rising prices, floods and other unforeseen issues.

Unlike most agricultural regions, Imperial County boasts a yearround growing season and a reliable year-round water delivery system, which allows growers to raise a stunning variety of crops here. In 2020, Imperial Irrigation District data listed 70 different crops being grown.

The economists reported Imperial County agriculture was the most diverse of the 20 California counties they have analyzed and added, “This likely suggests exceptional protection from economic shocks.”

Crop diversity also is evidence of local growers’ enthusiasm for testing new crops, trying new approaches, innovating and preparing for the future of agriculture.

Yet, Imperial County isn’t just tops in crop diversity; it is also California’s top producer of several commodities.

For instance, Imperial County was California’s top producer of alfalfa, sweet corn, sugar beets, Sudan hay and alfalfa seed in 2019, the most recent year for which data is available.

Imperial County agriculture is many things; it is diverse and a top producer; it is the region’s history and its future. But, most of all, it is worth a deeper look, which you will find on the pages of this edition. n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 3

VOLUME 5 EDITORS & PUBLISHERS Bill Gay Sue Gay Susan Giller Peggy Dale Bill Amidon

CONTRIBUTORS Antoine Abou-Diwan Cierra Allen Ana Gomez Julie Smith-Taylor Darren Simon Shelby Trimm

COVER PHOTO Joselito Villero

GRAPHIC DESIGNERS Alejandra Noriega

PHOTOGRAPHERS Bill Amidon Joselito Villero Peggy Dale Alejandra Noriega

INDEX

WEB DESIGNERS Jesus Uriarte Sergio Uriarte

SALES

Bill Amidon Heidi Gutierrez John Lovecchio

ADVERTISING

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

FIELD CROPS

OTHER STORIES

6 GROWERS, EXPORTERS FACE SUPPLY CHAIN OBSTACLES

8 CLIMATE SMART PROGRAMS HELP IMPROVE FARMS

LIVESTOCK

10 RESEARCHERS, GROWERS STEP UP TO VALLEY’S CHALLENGES

16 BENNETT TURNS BEEF INTO A CAREER

SUBSCRIPTIONS

(Includes Valley Agribusiness and quarterly Imperial Valley Alive!)

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4 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

COLUMNS 13 BROADENING OUTREACH, CONNECTING IN SPANISH 14 PROUD TO BE IMPERIAL VALLEY GROWN 19 KEEPING FARMWORKERS, FOOD SUPPLY SAFE

12 PROTECTION WITH HIGH-TECH TOOLS 24 FUTURE IS HERE AT IVC 28 DROUGHT LEADS TO COLLABORATION, OPPORTUNITY

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 5

Cecil Baker, All American Grain plant manager, talks about using semi-trucks and freight trains to deliver grain across distribution points in the United States and other countries from the facility’s All American Grain intermodal in Calipatria. - Photo By Joselito N. Villlero

Supply Chain Obstacles face local growers, exporters

By Darren Simon

F

or much of 2021, one story dominating news was the global crunch the pandemic has had on the international freight industry. Images of cargo ships sitting idle off the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach — leading to massive supply chain disruptions — were telecast almost daily as port, state and federal officials struggled to find solutions.

Most of the coverage has focused on import stumbling blocks, especially as the holiday shopping season neared and retailers couldn’t fully stock merchandise.

However, the Imperial Valley’s multibillion-dollar agricultural economy also faced countless obstacles in getting local commodities to international

6 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

markets. Export disruptions locally paint a vivid picture of the broader national struggle to get crops to a world market.

This daily struggle is perhaps most clearly evident in the $300 million hay crops, including alfalfa, the second-highest ranking commodity in the Valley, and other grass crops — like Sudan, Bermuda and Klein.

Ensuring consumers around the world understand the impacts on agriculture is critical, local growers and exporters say.

The Valley’s hay industry alone is essential in providing feed to both a national and international cattle industry — and by extension providing a major food source worldwide.

With no end in sight to the export challenges (and related issues, including higher costs to grow crops), local growers

and exporters are bracing themselves for what’s to come in 2022 and taking steps to tell their story and find solutions.

“The first year COVID hit, we saw a few issues in the industry, but we weren’t impacted too much, and in 2020, shippers kept moving product, but in 2021 there were major challenges in shipping,” said Justin Hannon, export sales manager for El Toro Export, based in rural El Centro.

“There were a handful of problems that kept growing.”

El Toro exports about 140,000 tons of Valley hay annually to markets in Japan, Korea, Taiwan and the Middle East. The company relies on the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to get the exports to their foreign markets.

But a myriad of issues are stalling local exports. Those issues include reduced staff

at the ports, fewer available trucks and containers, less space available on already congested cargo ships and shortened timelines to get product to the ports to fight for limited ship space.

Another problem, locals say, is that the shipping industry is placing greater focus on imports rather than utilizing containers and their vessels for agricultural exports, making it that much harder to get local hay to Asia and other parts of the world, including the Middle East.

“Terminals are full of imports, and there is no place to put exports on ships,” Hannon said.

While moving local hay crops has never stopped, the effects stemming from the pandemic and related issues have slowed the ability to transport commodities, made it more expensive to do so, and caused local exporters to face ongoing uncertainty entering a new year.

“We are storing product in containers in our facility and have nowhere to take them,” said Steve Benson, president of Planters Hay in Brawley, a cooperative of seven growers that exports to foreign and domestic markets. “Valleywide, exporters have hundreds of containers in their yards held hostage by logistical logjams of

Baker rides the train around one of All American Grain’s circular tracks. - Photo By Joselito N. Villlero outbound vessels.

“The impact is that everything is slowed down,” Benson said, adding that costs also go up as freight and inventory holding costs increase. Another critical impact is that material farmers need to grow the crops is increasing as supply chain disruptions impact all aspects of farming.

Benson pointed to higher growing costs in fuel, fertilizers, baling twine, and labor, as well as longer lead times for parts and basic packaging materials like plastic sleeves used to protect export bales as impacts growers are facing. Higher

production and export costs can mean the best farmers can do is break even or even face economic losses.

“This has a spillover effect to everything we do,” Benson said.

To move product out of the Valley to ports, exporters for years have relied on the trucking industry, and they continue to do so — and will always rely on local trucking companies. However, in recent years a rail option has also developed in the Valley thanks to All American Grain, a company based in Calipatria that has

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VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 7

ABOVE AND FAR RIGHT: Climate Smart program helps farmers, ranchers with farming practices to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use water more efficiently. - Photo By Bill Amidon

Climate Smart Ag programs help improve Valley farms

By Antoine Abou-Diwan

C

alifornia set up the nation’s first climate-smart agriculture programs in 2014 to help the state’s farmers and ranchers adopt farming practices that reduce greenhouse gas emissions while using precious resources, like water, more efficiently.

Ronnie Leimgruber, a third-generation farmer from Holtville, was one of the first Imperial Valley farmers to receive funding through one of those programs in 2016, which enabled him to upgrade his water pump from diesel to electric and install drip irrigation on 55 acres of alfalfa.

Leimgruber was successful in navigating the State Water Efficiency & Enhancement Program’s (SWEEP) complicated and lengthy application. However, many more farmers were finding the process too burdensome to attempt. Companies that submitted applications tended to be larger operations with sufficient resources to devote to the applications.

Recognizing that the complexity of the applications was holding back adoption of the state’s Climate Smart Agriculture

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programs, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) signed a memorandum of understanding with the UC Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR) in October 2018 to hire 10 specialists statewide to help more farmers qualify for the various environmental farming grants.

That program is funded by California Climate Investments dollars through the Strategic Growth Council, a state cabinet level committee established in 2008 to coordinate the activities of various state agencies to improve air and water quality, protect natural resources and agricultural lands, and strengthen the economy.

When Leimgruber decided to seek additional state grants in 2019, he turned to the nearby UCANR office in Holtville for assistance. Kristian Salgado, one of the specialists hired under the MOU, helped Leimgruber apply for the state’s Healthy Soil Program and the SWEEP grant.

“Most of the farmers don’t know what you need to do,” Leimgruber said. “She knows the rules inside and out. She has direct contact with the rule makers. She knows the hurdles that somebody else wouldn’t know.”

Salgado was born and raised in Calexico. She earned a master’s degree in environment and community at Humboldt State University before joining UCANR in Holtville as a Community Education Specialist.

Salgado recognized early on that she needed to build relationships with the Valley farming community so that growers know she is available. She also needed to understand the uniqueness of ag up and down the state to assist farmers in other areas.

“Every part of California has a different struggle and farming system,” Salgado said. “There is a lot of flood irrigation in the Imperial Valley. The Coachella Valley is dealing with other issues. They do micro sprinklers and drip irrigation for orchards and vineyards.”

She reached out to the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and the Imperial County Farm Bureau, contacted every farmer in the area that had applied for a program, and organized a number of workshops.

Salgado’s timing was good, said Kay Day Pricola, the former director of the Imperial

Valley Vegetable Grower Association.

The Valley’s farmers were taking advantage of local incentives, such as the Imperial Irrigation District’s On-Farm Efficiency Conservation Program, and they knew who to turn to at the IID for assistance.

State programs, on the other hand, were not well known, Pricola noted.

“Farmers are very busy. When they meet someone they do not have to educate on what they need, that time constraint barrier is removed,” Pricola said.

“When (Salgado) came on board, it was a blessing,” Pricola continued. “We (now) had someone from the community, who was articulate and passionate and caring, to talk to the farmers and communicate to the community about the various programs from the state.”

More importantly, Salgado knew just how to go about getting those dollars to the farmers and the improvements into the fields.

The CDFA launched the Healthy Soil Program in 2017 to help farmers improve the quality of their soil in a way that sequesters carbon dioxide, which prevents

A tractor prepares an Imperial Valley field for irrigation..- Photo By Bill Amidon it from being emitted to the atmosphere as greenhouse gas.

“About $25 million were available for the Healthy Soil Program and SWEEP in 2019,” Salgado said.

“They had so many applicants that they ran out of money,” Salgado said.

Valley growers and ranchers applied for

the Healthy Soil program for the first time in 2020. The 13 grant-winning projects received a total $1 million, and are expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by an estimated 3,689 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year, which is equivalent to 797

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FIELD CROPS PRODUCTION

YIELD PER CROP YEAR HARVESTED ACRES

ACRE ALFALFA HAY BERMUDA GRASS HAY COTTON (LINT)1/ COTTON (SEED) KLEIN GRASS HAY PASTURED CROPS 2/ STRAW (BALED) SUDAN GRASS HAY* SUGAR BEETS WHEAT MISC. FIELD CROPS TOTAL 2020 TOTAL 2019

TOTAL GAIN

UNIT

VALUE PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

2020 143,963 7.89 1,135,494 TONS $176.52 $200,441,000 2019 150,562 7.92 1,191,859 TONS $182.44 $217,446,000 2020 71,918 8.49 610,721 TONS $139.45 $85,163,000 2019 64,660 8.60 556,240 TONS $150.29 $83,597,000 2020 2,971 3.31 9,842 BALE $359.41 $3,537,000 2019 3,938 2.25 8,861 BALE $447.53 $3,965,000 2020 3,201 TONS $325.00 $1,040,000 2019 3,168 TONS $147.50 $467,000 2020 21,585 7.06 152,354 TONS $125.21 $19,076,000 2019 20,952 9.43 197,491 TONS $154.41 $30,494,000 2020 30,969 ACRE $39.49 $1,223,000 2019 42,950 ACRE $37.23 $1,599,000 2020 122,267 TONS $35.14 $4,297,000 2019 61,276 TONS $34.26 $2,099,000 2020 47,032 4.89 230,136 TONS $152.00 $34,981,000 2019 53,141 5.18 275,138 TONS $141.26 $38,867,000 2020 23,981 49.25 1,181,064 TONS $55.56 $65,620,000 2019 25,417 47.20 1,199,642 TONS $51.68 $62,050,000 2020 11,432 3.16 36,072 TONS $201.21 $7,258,000 2019 14,127 3.51 49,629 TONS $246.67 $12,242,000 2020 8,291 $22,057,000 2019 11,638 $45,339,000

ACRES ACRES

331,173 344,435

VALUE VALUE

$444,693,000 $498,165,000

Misc. Field Crops may include: Barley, Field Corn, Flax, Hemp, Oats, Mixed Grasses, Ryegrass, Safflower, Sesbania, Sorghum Grain, Sorghum Silage, Sugarbeet Molasses, Sugarbeet Pulp.

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

*

Corrected figures for 2019

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 9

Integrated Pest Management adviser Dr. Apurba Burman conducts a various pesticide efficacy trial on Lygus population, a major pest of alfalfa seed production.

- Photos Courtesy of University of California Cooperative Extension

Cooperative Effort

Researchers, growers step up to Valley’s challenges

By Darren Simon

O

n a stretch of highway between El Centro and Holtville, nestled among green farm fields, is the home of the University of California Cooperative Extension where research critical to ensuring Imperial Valley crops and livestock remain healthy is conducted daily.

For Dr. Oli Bachie, director of the Cooperative Extension here, it is a non-stop challenge to apply research to such key issues as pest control, food safety and water management and address the unique needs of Imperial Valley agriculture.

There is a great deal at stake in the research and outreach effort he leads with his team of advisers as the Valley is home to nearly a half-million acres of irrigated farmland in production — a $4 billion economic driver for Imperial County and a critical part of the food chain for the nation and the world.

“Having the relationships with the stakeholders and local governments is a satisfaction as you extend services as a county

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director,” said Bachie, who not only leads the Cooperative Extension in the Valley, but also the San Diego County program.

While he has led the local program since 2016, the Cooperative Extension has actually been a part of the Imperial Valley since 1916, which means the program has been serving the region for more than 100 years, making it one of the longest-running Cooperative Extensions in the UC system.

The Cooperative Extension is an arm of the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (UCANR). With focus on agricultural research, the work of UCANR includes studies done on UC campuses and separately in field research done in all 58 California counties. The local program is housed in the same campus as the UC Desert Research and Extension Center on Holton Road just outside Holtville. The Cooperative Extension and Desert Research and Extension Center are separate but complementary programs under UCANR.

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Dr. Oli Bachie, director of the Cooperative Extension, shows a beet from his sugar beet trial field.

F

“From Farmer To Farm Sales”

arming and agriculture have always been an integral part of Doug Dahm’s life. He grew up on the Dahm Brothers Ranch, located five miles west of Brawley on Forrester Road. Doug is the second oldest of eight siblings. At an early age, he spent many hours with his father on the ranch, observing and learning the hardwork ethics and responsibilities needed to run a farming operation. As with most other farm families, Doug learned to irrigate, drive tractors and run a small family feedyard.

Upon graduation from Brawley Union High School in 1969, Doug attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, and graduated with a degree in Agricultural Business Management in June 1973. After graduation, Doug and his wife Hilarie moved back to the Imperial Valley to begin building their family and farming operation. For 30 years, Doug farmed approximately 2,000 acres annually of forage crops, sugar beets and other vegetable crops.

In 1997, his son, Andrew, began working

on Doug’s farming operation, and Andrew began to learn the same responsibilities and disciplines that Doug had learned from his father several decades earlier.

In the late 1990s, the economics of agriculture began to change, and in 2001, Doug decided it was time to re-create himself and do something different as far as a career was concerned. A college real estate class bubbled to the surface as something that he was interested in, and was also something that could keep him close to the agricultural community. Thus in 2002, and with a California real estate license in hand, Doug embarked into the real estate profession. It didn’t take long for him to gravitate to agricultural sales. Agriculture had been his whole life as a fourth-generation farmer of an Imperial Valley pioneer farming family.

Over the past 20 years, Doug has grown his real estate business, The Dahm Team Real Estate Company, Inc. He has incorporated the values of honesty and integrity for their

clients into his practice.

One of the great things about changing careers, Doug states, was being able to work hand in hand with other farmers and investors. This has enabled him to maintain contact with the agricultural community.

This is reflected in one of Doug’s branding advertisements where he states, “Farmers know good dirt…Doug and Andrew know all of the dirt.”

The Dahm Team Real Estate Company draws on its early historic roots of Doug being a farmer in the rich Imperial Valley. That early history transitions itself into one of Imperial Valley’s outstanding real estate farm sales companies, The Dahm Team Real Estate Company, Inc. n

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Agricultural Biologist Heriberto Sanchez of the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office interviews an applicator. - Photos Courtesy of the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

Ag Inspectors Protection with high-tech tools

By Peggy Dale

T

he safety of Imperial County’s largest industry ultimately depends upon the cadre of men and women who make up the Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office.

These dedicated inspectors are the first lines of defense against threats to the county’s multibillion-dollar agricultural industry. They and their predecessors have been familiar sights in local fields for decades, taking samples and documenting their observations and findings in thick, hefty binders.

The electronic age is changing today’s inspection process, bringing a lot more information to the table, said Nelson Perez, county deputy agricultural commissioner in charge of the Pest Detection and Eradication division. Data also are used to process monthly invoicing and reports, which once uploaded are accessible by the state, added Agricultural Biologist Supervisor Joe Andreotti, who also served as standards specialist for the Ag Commissioner’s Office.

All of this couldn’t have come at a more opportune time, especially as the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in Imperial County. Crops and seeds still need to be certified for export, pesticides need to be thoroughly reviewed before approving for use , and pests continue

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to threaten production.

“Technology played a big role during the pandemic,” Perez said.

Added Deputy Agricultural Commissioner Julian Lopez, who oversees the department’s Pest Exclusion and Quarantine Program as well as its Weights and Measures division: “Each of our divisions is in its own unique stage of moving from paper to the digital world. The Pesticide Use Enforcement division uses Cal Ag Permits, an online program used to create restricted materials permits and operator IDs. Field maps are drawn by creating polygons through GIS. Inspection reports are completed on iPads using an online tool called CalPEATS. Everything is done using modern tools.”

Where inspectors’ notations were formerly made on hand-drawn maps to show what crops are growing where on whose fields, and what pesticides are being used and by whom, changes now are made electronically on aerial maps connected to the departments GIS system. This is especially helpful in California, where pesticide use is heavily regulated.

CalPEATS, the California Pesticide Enforcement Activity Tracking System, has become an integral part of the process, offering a clearer picture for local inspectors.

“CalPEATS replaced paper inspections with its

CONTINUED ON PAGE 45

Agricultural Biologist Jeremy Scheffler completes his mix load inspection on an iPad.

Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

Broadening our outreach by connecting in Spanish

By Ana Gomez Agricultural Biologist Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office

T

he Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner and Sealer of Weights and Measures office provides essential services to residents. The Agricultural Commissioner is charged with enforcing the laws of the California Food and Agricultural Code and the California Code of Regulations to promote and protect the agricultural industry, the citizens of Imperial County, and the environment. In addition, the Sealer of Weights and Measures is mandated to enforce the Business and Professional Code laws to protect businesses and consumers.

This is done by enforcing point of sale systems veracity, petroleum product mandates, and weighing and measuring device integrity.

According to the 2019 Census, the Hispanic or Latino population accounted for 85 percent of the population in Imperial County, and many agricultural workers speak Spanish only. With this in mind, the Agricultural Commissioner’s office serves this community by ensuring that the agricultural industry, field workers and citizens are informed in Spanish about services and events, via outreach, our website and social media. Approximately 60 percent of the Agricultural Commissioner’s staff are bilingual and able to assist in this important messaging.

Our office has enhanced outreach to the industry and our community by attending Spanish-only speaking events and by ensuring bilingual staff attend in-house and external outreach events. The biggest event we attend is AgroBaja in Mexicali, where thousands of people from both sides of the border attend the region’s largest agricultural exhibition. This event allows our staff the opportunity to share their knowledge and collaborate with their counterparts in Mexico.

The Pest Detection and Eradication Division raises awareness about invasive pests and noxious weeds that have the potential to damage agricultural production and ornamental plants in households and commercial landscapes. Our staff also inspects and monitors communities and agricultural areas.

This division has pamphlets in Spanish, provided by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, for almost every insect pest of concern. The information is handed out during public events and is available at our office. For large pest eradication projects, dual language pamphlets are used as door hangers and mailers for inclusive outreach to the community.

The Pest Exclusion, Quarantine, and Weights and Measures Division works with Spanish-speaking individuals on a daily basis.

Because of this, our bilingual staff provide good communication to industry while inspecting nursery stock, ensuring commodities meet export and import requirements, and inspecting weighing

and measuring devices.

The Pesticide Use Enforcement Division performs inspections on pesticide applications and farm labor crews on a near-daily basis.

We do this to protect agricultural workers, crops, the community and the environment, by ensuring that pesticides are safely applied and workers are appropriately trained in pesticide safety.

Most of division staff are bilingual and able to perform inspections in Spanish as needed. Division staff members also regularly offer trainings and continuing education classes in both Spanish and English. For many of these we partner with other agencies including the Department of Pesticide Regulations (DPR), CalOSHA, the Labor Commissioner, Employment Development Department (EDD) and other agencies.

Most of the Pesticide Use Enforcement Division pamphlets, manuals and forms are available in Spanish. Some of these documents are translated by division staff; for example, the fieldworker training

CONTINUED ON PAGE 25

Office of the

Agricultural Commissioner Sealer of Weights and Measures Crop Statistics The annual Crop Report is a valuable tool.

The information is used by growers, financial institutions, and goverment agencies that issue farms assistance

Thank you to all the growers and businesses that participate in our annual survey.

Visit our website to learn more about the Crop Report and other services that we offer to industry and the public.

agcom.imperialcounty.org (442) 265-1500 agcom@co.imperial.ca.us 852 Broadway, El Centro, CA 92243

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 13

Imperial County Farm Bureau

Proud to be Imperial Valley Grown

By Cierra Allen Policy & Communications Director

D

id you know there are more than 65 types of crops grown in the Imperial Valley? Yes, you read that right. Our little desert valley grows more types of crops than most places in the United States.

The Imperial Valley is a unique place for many reasons.

It is literally a below sea level, irrigated miracle in the middle of a desert comparable to the Sahara. Thanks to some very smart farming pioneers in the early 1900s, cities have been able to grow and flourish in this little valley to this day over a century later. The first people to arrive in the Imperial Valley would never be able to imagine their dream of irrigating a desert would turn into 17 thriving communities and almost 500,000 farmable acres.

You cannot talk about farming in the Western United States without the topic of water and drought coming up. As the Imperial Valley is in the middle of a desert where we receive an average of 3 inches of rain a year, we are very familiar with the word drought. Our miracle in the desert is able to thrive thanks to the Colorado River and the intricate system of dams and canals that funnel water into the Desert Southwest.

This water allows for cities and agriculture to have the water needed to provide for residents and maintain a robust variety of crops. Over the past 20 years, Imperial Valley farmers have worked hard to become extremely efficient with their water use through changing practices and implementing conservation methods. Not only have these conservation efforts prevailed in the past decade, but their drive to grow the very best crops possible has only increased.

The whole world was turned upside down in the last two years, and we are still navigating our way through the new times. If there is anything we have learned, it is just how essential the agriculture industry is.

One thing we can all agree on is that farming is essential. While uncertainty seems like it will always be a part of our lives, one thing is for certain: farming never stops. The world must

14 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

eat, and the Imperial Valley is proud to be a major player in feeding the nation. Farming accounts for 1 in every 6 jobs in Imperial County, according to the Imperial County Crop Report Plus, most recently released in 2019. The report also determined that agriculture contributed $4.3 billion in value to Imperial County in terms of local production, local processing, employment and its economic multiplier effects. Without farming, the Imperial Valley would not be what it is today.

The Farm Bureau is committed to seeing agriculture thrive in the Imperial Valley for decades to come, just as it has for the past 100 years. One of the many things we are working on is re-enacting the Williamson Act. The Williamson Act enables local counties in California to enter into contracts with landowners for the purpose of conserving working lands by keeping it in agriculture or related open space use.

The Williamson Act was implemented because the state recognized the benefit of agricultural land to public interest in promoting food security, encouraging agricultural industries, discouraging checkerboard development that adds to urban sprawl, and preserving agriculture and natural ecosystems.

We have been working with the Imperial County Board of Supervisors to look at the Williamson Act and its benefits to Imperial County including the importance agricultural lands will play in carbon sequestration as we work through the state Climate Change Initiative.

Part of conserving agricultural and working lands for centuries to come is by advocating for limiting solar projects on prime agriculture land.

The Imperial County Farm Bureau has been a supporter of renewable energy and in the past decade we have seen an intense rise of solar field projects in our county. We currently have more than 25 solar field projects spread out across the county with more in construction.

Due to the rapid rise of these solar projects, the Imperial Valley is being referred to as the new leader in solar energy in California.

However, as these projects grow, the farmable land decreases. According to the 2019 Crop Report, there are 480,987 farmable acres in Imperial County and right now there are solar

projects on 14,457 acres with another 11,488 in the process.

While solar project land totals may seem small compared to the 480,000 total farmable acres, every bit of farmable land counts when trying to feed the world’s growing population.

Aside from taking farmland out of production, continued approval of projects without the consideration of agricultural impacts will continue to have several other impacts.

Whether it is highly productive farmland or “marginal” farmland, any conversion of agriculturally-zoned land will significantly impact surrounding farming operations, our economy and job availability, and the future of our agricultural industry.

The Farm Bureau believes that it is important for everyone, not just Imperial Valley residents, to understand where their food comes from and why it is critical to the Imperial Valley’s past, present, and future. Furthermore, it is crucial to food security across the country. Being “Imperial Valley Grown” should be a source of pride for all local residents.

In some way, we are all tied to agriculture as it is the backbone of this beautiful Valley.

Additionally, it is important that all of us who live in the Imperial Valley understand just how important water is to the crops we grow here. Without this precious resource that our pioneers worked so hard to secure for us, we would essentially be nonexistent. Crops would not grow here and jobs would not be readily available. The Colorado River is critical to our Valley’s survival. We want to see all of Imperial Valley grow and thrive for many years to come.

Like it has been for the past decades, advocating for agriculture and the Imperial Valley farmers is and will continue to be the No. 1 priority for the Imperial County Farm Bureau.

The Farm Bureau promises to be the voice of farmers and fight for the recognition of just how important farming in the Imperial Valley truly is.

Since 1915, the Farm Bureau has been advocating on behalf of the farmers of the Imperial Valley and we do not plan to stop anytime soon. Many things may have changed over the last century, but one thing stays the same: we are proud to be Imperial Valley Grown. n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 15

Steve Snow, general manager, shows the feed provided to steers at Phillips Cattle Company south of El Centro. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero

Cattle Industry Market calls for innovative strategies

By Susan Giller

E

ven as a kid growing up in Holtville, Megan Bennett knew she wanted to parlay her love of animals into a career.

However, she didn’t dream that finding a place to house her high school 4-H steer would lead to a mentor, an internship, and ultimately a career in the upper echelon of managing cattle, the Imperial Valley’s single-largest commodity.

Today, Bennett is the feed yard manager at Phillips Cattle Company, south of El Centro. She oversees a feedlot crew and the animal health and feeding operations that routinely manage about 15,000 to 20,000 steers annually. It is a big job made even more complex by the necessity of continuously monitoring and applying the newest concepts in nutrition, health care, and marketing.

It also is a position rarely held by women.

“I am lucky to do this,” Bennett said. “You never know what’s going to happen next. There’s always something new and interesting that needs attention right now.”

That may explain why Bennett’s boots are dusty and her desk dominated by an array of digital screens and a high-power computer.

Yet she was ready for the challenge when she started work in 2013 straight after graduating from college, said Steve Snow, general manager of Phillips. He oversees both the feedlot and AgriFeed Industries, the company’s feed-processing and trans-loading facility in Imperial.

“A feedlot is such a challenge because you’ve got a lot of balls

16 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Phillips feed yard manager Megan Bennett stands with general manager Steve Snow. - Photos Courtesy of Phillips Cattle Company in the air at one time,” Snow said. However, he said there was no question Bennett could do the job.

Snow, past president and a board member of the Coalition of Labor and Business (COLAB) of Imperial Valley, is a longtime proponent of offering internships and being a mentor to help develop the talent needed for the workforce of the future.

“I want to make careers in agriculture accessible to everyone,” Snow said. “You don’t have to come from a farm family to work here. I didn’t.”

Snow met and began mentoring Bennett when she kept her

4-H steer at Butterspur Cattle Feeders near Brawley that he then managed.

Later, he hired her for a summer internship at Butterspur while attending Oklahoma Panhandle State University. Even in college, she did not do things halfway. She was on the university’s livestock judging team. Bennett’s work on Butterspur’s Beef Quality Assurance program was exceptional, said Snow, who by then had transitioned to manage Phillips.

“I kind of got thrown into the program,” Bennett said. “Steve is definitely a great mentor, and it was a great way to learn.”

Snow said, “Megan did such an exceptional job (during her internship) that I just knew I had to have her work here in some capacity,” Snow said.

“There is just no quit in Megan,” Snow said. “I have always been impressed with her work ethic. And yet she still manages to find a balance in her life and her work.”

So fresh from receiving her Bachelor of Science in Animal Science, Bennett returned to the Valley. Snow hired her as feed yard manager at Phillips.

Founded in 1966, Phillips Cattle Company is a third-generation family-owned custom cattle feeding and finishing operation.

Phillips is proud of its tradition of dedication and innovation in an ever-changing market. According to the Phillips website, “The company receives and/or purchases young steers and uses the most scientific processes to ensure the health and economic growth of these assets. Both natural and conventional feeding options are offered to clients.”

Today that means many of Phillips’ pens hold Holstein steers in a “natural beef program,” requiring they be raised free of hormones and antibiotics and fed a specialized diet on a regimented schedule.

Other pens have crossbred cattle; some come from barn sales and other cattle Phillips sources for investor customers. Some cattle are in conventional programs that allow the use of supplements and antibiotics.

In still other pens, Phillips fattens, or finishes, Wagyu cattle, which a customer imported from Hawaii. Wagyu is a Japanese beef cattle that is increasingly popular in the U.S. for its flavor and marbling.

Phillips also has finished red/black Angus that a customer

Snow works near a pen of American Wagyu steers at Phillips Cattle Company with helpers Bear (left) and Nic. Bear, a great Pyrenees puppy, is being groomed to guard the feed yard’s latest addition, a flock of goats.

- Photo by Joselito N. Villero imported from Hawaii. As a custom feeding facility, Phillips works to meet the specific needs of each customer’s cattle. As feed yard manager Bennett is responsible for running the system smoothly every day.

Bennett is so confident of the process she manages that she and her mother, Denise E. Matejovsky, Phillips controller/CFO, coowners of M&M Sweet Investments, keep cattle in Phillips’ yard.

Snow invests in cattle raised at Phillips, too.

“Steve is more of a risk-taker than me,” Bennett said, as an example of the different investment strategies routinely accommodated at Phillips.

Typically, growing a 300-pound young animal to a 1,300-pound market-ready steer takes about a year in the Imperial Valley.

Tracking, feeding specialized and varied diets, and the health and progress of thousands of cattle in the feed yard seems like an impossible task.

Yet, Bennett said technology makes the process doable. The yard crew members carry tablets to enter data on feeding or other changes in pens. That data populates computer programs

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

LIVESTOCK PRODUCTION

ITEM

YEAR

HEAD

UNIT GAIN

TOTAL GAIN

UNIT

VALUE PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

CATTLE (FEEDLOT)

2020

382,065

10.39

3,968,128

CWT

$107.63

$427,087,000

2019

386,295

10.16

3,924,760

CWT

$114.41

$449,021,000

AQUATIC PRODUCTS (FISH & ALGAE) MISC. LIVESTOCK

2020 $19,980,000 2019

$18,282,000

2020

$43,566,000

2019

$55,006,000

TOTAL 2020

VALUE

$490,633,000

TOTAL 2019

VALUE

$522,309,000

Misc. Livestock may include: Calves, Replacement Cattle, Dairy Animals, Milk, Manure/Compost, Sheep, Wool, California Mid-Winter Fair & Fiesta Show Animals Cwt = 100 Pounds

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 17

18 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association

By Shelby Dill Executive Director

D

IVVGA keeping farmworkers, food supply pandemic safe

id you know there are more than 65 types of crops grown in the Imperial Valley? Yes, you read that right. Our little desert valley grows more types of crops than most places in the United States.

The Imperial Valley is a unique place for many reasons.

There is little question that Imperial County was adversely impacted throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the worst of circumstances, our local diverse ag industry has continued to feed the world throughout

these past two years. While much of our state was ordered to stay home, our workforce continued to plant, harvest, raise, process and transport food to feed the nation. None of this would have been possible without the efforts of all ag employees.

Imperial County was in its last couple of months of its peak agricultural production season when the pandemic started to escalate in 2020. Overnight, our growers and shippers adjusted their practices to better protect our employees and ensure their health and safety.

Many of the recommendations health officials issued to prevent the spread of the virus called for practices already on the farm for food safety purposes. Such things as

hand-washing and disinfecting are routine requirements on farms. Additionally, the idea of social distancing wasn’t anything new for our industry. While in a field or working in a feedlot, many of the day-to-day operations easily allow for social distancing.

And when social distancing was not possible, our farmers found creative ways to protect their employees.For instance, plastic sheets were used as dividers on harvesting equipment to keep workers separated and safe. And as guidance and regulations changed over the last year, farms continue to adjust and adapt their practices in response.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 19

Don Emanuelli Strong work ethic, love for land and farming are key

By Bill Gay

D

Don Emanuelli is the Imperial County Farm Bureau’s 2021 Jim Kuhn Memorial Farmer of the Year. - Photos Courtesy of the Emanuelli family

20 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

on Emanuelli does not easily embrace publicity.

His LinkedIn account just has the basics. The webpage on his family’s Top Notch Seeds notes he is chief executive officer but talks more about his family than him.

Emanuelli had no control over the top listings of a Google search for his name. It’s all news accounts of his designation as the Imperial County Farm Bureau’s 2021 Jim Kuhn Memorial Farmer of the Year. That honor was a surprise. And had he known in advance, he would have made sure there would have been less notoriety.

“There are a lot of deserving farmers out there,” Emanuelli said. “They kind of set me up. I would have snuck out of there (the Farm Bureau award dinner) had I known.”

But his family was not going to let that happen. His wife Mary wrote the surprise introduction that was read by his middle son, Scott, the Farm Bureau’s first vice president.

Engage Don Emanuelli in a conversation long enough, though, and a listener will find a number of qualities that jump out. Strong work ethic. Proud family man. Mentor. Astute businessman. Deep roots in Imperial Valley’s farming heritage.

Mary wrote of her husband: “…he is genuine, loyal, trustworthy, highly accomplished and generous. He gives his all to his family and work and still manages to be a great friend and helper to many.” Don, she wrote, “is deserving of respect from his colleagues, but he is humble and will not boast about himself.”

That is the essence of Don (or Donnie) Emanuelli, 68, who became exposed to his

future career when his dad started taking him to the ranch when Don was 5.

“Don spent a lot of time with his grandfather, talking and working on the farm,” Mary wrote. “When Don grew older, he worked every summer pulling weeds out of the crops. He learned to appreciate weed-free land, and thus began his reputation on the farm as a perfectionist.”

At 8 or 9, remembers Don, his dad would “leave me out in a field with a jug of water” to work and sometimes the youngster would walk back to the shop by himself.

This close working relationship with his dad, Bob Emanuelli, would continue into adulthood. Toward the end of Bob’s life, as he fought Parkinson’s disease, he would still join his son at the ranch. Don would be the driver.

It was from his dad and grandfather that Don learned what it takes to be a good farmer, traits Emanuelli works to pass on to his three sons: “It takes a strong work ethic. You have to love the land and love what you do. If not, you are better off not being in it.”

The Emanuelli family has been farming in

Don and Mary Emanuelli (Center) gather with their sons Brian, Steven and Scott and their families. Brian, Steven and Scott are partners with their dad Don in the third generation of J Emanuelli and Sons.

Julius Emanuelli died in 1975 and Bob, in 2003.

Before Don’s mother Marie passed away, she asked her son never to change the name.

Just as J Emanuelli and sons started with Julius and his sons Bob and Ray and continued with Bob and his son Don, it continues today with Don and sons Steven, Scott and Brian.

And the nature of the crops grown on ranch has evolved from field crops and vegetables

the Imperial Valley for more than a century.

Don’s grandparents, Bob’s parents, relocated to the Valley in 1916 after trading an orange orchard in Rialto for a peach orchard in Brawley.

Julius and Josephine Emanuelli, both Italian immigrants, had first owned a grocery store in San Pedro before moving to the Valley and founding what became J Emanuelli and Sons.

The name of that ranch has stayed the same through the three generations of owners.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

SEED & NURSERY PRODUCTS PRODUCTION

YIELD PER CROP YEAR HARVESTED ACRES

ACRE

TOTAL UNITS

UNIT

VALUE PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

787.20 733.18 735.50 713.10 753.10 721.53

5,625,331 8,139,474 10,179,320 10,952,081 15,804,651 19,091,555

LBS LBS LBS LBS LBS LBS

$1.87 $2.20 $2.86 $2.81 $2.50 $2.55

$10,505,000 $17,907,000 $29,062,000 $30,815,000 $39,567,000 $48,722,000

2020 6,373 964.14 2019 5,025 376.46 1,891,719 LBS $3.82 $7,231,000 2020 4,288 634.12 2019 5,253 321.63 2020 10,661 831.40 2019 10,278 349.05

6,144,482

LBS

$2.30

$14,159,000

2,719,121 1,689,540 8,863,603 3,581,259

LBS LBS LBS LBS

$3.91 $4.96 $2.80 $4.36

$10,620,000 $8,380,000 24,779,000 $15,611,000

215,535

LBS

$11.94

$2,575,000

ALFALFA SEED 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019

NON-CERTIFIED CERTIFIED TOTAL ALFALFA SEED

7,146 11,102 13,840 15,358 20,986 26,460

BERMUDA GRASS SEED NON-CERTIFIED CERTIFIED TOTAL BERMUDA GRASS SEED ONION SEED

2020 544 2019 746 462.00 344,652 LBS $5.00 $1,723,000

396.20

MISC. SEED & NURSERY MISC. SEED 1/

2020 2019

15,727 15,281

MISC. NURSERY PRODUCTS

2020 2019

509 $8,000,000 639 $7,353,000

TOTAL 2020 TOTAL 2019

ACRES ACRES

48,427 53,404

VALUE VALUE

$20,409,000 $40,281,000

$95,330,000 $113,690,000

Misc. Seed and Nursery Products may include: Aloe Vera, Broccoli Seed, Carrot Seed, Cauliflower Seed, Celery Seed, Chinese Cabbage Seed, Chrysanthemum Seed, Coriander Seed, Cut Flowers, Lettuce Seed, Mizuna Seed, Nursery Plants, Palm Trees, Radish Seed, Rapeseed, Ryegrass Seed, Sudan Seed, Sunflower Seed, Vegetable Transplants, Watermelon Seed, Wheat Seed.

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 21

The Scaroni Family has been involved in American agriculture since the early 1900's when the 1st generation Scaronis migrated to California from Switzerland.

President and Founder Steve Scaroni, (3rd generation) has

They are the largest full service H2A user and provider in the

worked in agriculture from a young age, just like his father

USA. With his son's and Executive team’s excellent

and grandfather before him. Steve and his wife Brenda's

management in the United States, Steve focuses on

work ethic and drive for success allowed them to create their

developing and stabilizing the Mexico farming division.

own harvest and packing company in 1983.

Today the Scaroni Family of Companies from farming, labor, harvesting and logistics support, our customer service touches

Areas we serve

25%

of every salad eaten in America.

St Paul, OR Tulelake, CA Finley, CA Yerington, NV Sacramento, CA Salinas, CA Exeter, CA Center, CO Porterville, CA Delano, CA Santa Maria, CA Cadiz, CA Santa Barbara, CA Mecca, CA Aguila, AZ Buckeye, AZ Temecula, CA Goodyear, AZ Imperial Valley, CA Mexicali, MEX Yuma, AZ V. de la Trinidad, MEX Monahans, TX Plant City, FL

De México

22 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Fresh Harvest prides itself on being the best H-2A provider for the following reasons:

H-2A is presently the only legal solution to fill the growing need for Agriculture Labor where there is a lack of local workers available to fill the necessary positions for crops to be grown or fully harvested.

Fresh Harvest is one of the largest

H-2A labor employers

in the Western United States

RECRUITMENT - We Specialize in the selection of experienced and crop specific workers, personally interviewing and recruiting before bringing the guest workers to the US. ONBOARDING - We handle all the transportation to Ports of Entry, trips to the US Consulate for Visas and obtain all required documentation including social security numbers for our guest workers.

MANAGEMENT - Fresh Harvest is different than a labor providers because we take an active role in the infield/job site management of our employees.

Housing and meals

Transportation

Reporting

Training

and has been utilizing the H-2A Guest Worker Program to bring the best farm hands from abroad to its customers since 2005.

LABOR

freshharvestusa.com

(760) 352-2200

Commercial Dumpster

Portable Sanitation

Sewer-Drain Jetting

Alpha Site Logistics, Inc. a local Imperial Valley business, is here to help all residential, commercial, agricultural and recreational customers.

Established in 2005 and part of The Scaroni Family of Companies, we pride ourselves in providing the highest quality of service to our customers. Please call us or email us today for pricing information.

OTHER SERVICES:

(760) 352 8383 alphasitelogistics.com

Concrete Washout Rentals ADA Restrooms Hand Wash Stations and Trailers Equipment Hauling Shade Trailer Rentals Drain Hydro Jetting RV Services

VIP Restroom Rentals (For Special Events)

Potable Water Delivery (Commercial and Residential)

Septic Pumping

(Commercial and Residential)

Leach Line Jetting

(Fresh Water Delivery and Grey Water Pumping)

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 23

Innovation, technology Cultivating the future of ag

By Julie Smith-Taylor

I

n less than one generation, the face of farming has changed dramatically.

Gone are the small, traditional, familyowned and operated businesses that once peppered rural America. Today, large corporations own thousands of acres, employ hundreds of people and increasingly rely on sophisticated software, new technology and innovative solutions to ensure better growing conditions and larger, more successful harvests each year.

Growers constantly have to look for efficiencies in every aspect of farming to keep productivity up and costs manageable. They also face a myriad of other challenges, such as restrictive water resources, increasing state and federal guidelines and an ever-shrinking labor pool. To combat these issues, farmers

are looking for solutions in new technologies and innovative processes that will attract younger, more skilled workers often with STEM backgrounds to help them succeed.

According to a recent article by Walt Duflock, vice president of innovation at the Western Growers Association, Agtech innovation has enabled agricultural production to grow more than 300 percent in the last 70 years. At the same time, the industry has lost almost 70 percent of the ag workforce (both family members and hired farmworkers). As a result, sometimes acres of planted fields go unharvested each year, often because of the lack of available labor.

Larry Cox of Lawrence Cox Ranches in Brawley farms thousands of acres in the Imperial Valley, elsewhere in California and in Mexico. He said the average age of his full-time employees is approaching 54 years old. What happens when this generation of

workers retires?

He understands firsthand how crucial it has become to find skilled workers that can operate the equipment he has invested in as his labor pool decreases. Many growers like Cox are using sophisticated, often computercontrolled equipment in the fields today such as automated planters, plant thinners and weeders.

“We need people on our farms that know electronics, so they can not only operate this equipment but maintain and repair it,” Cox said. “It is a niche skill set but there is such a growing need. We’re hoping to find bright, motivated young people right out of high school eager to stay in their communities, who are willing to earn an associates or technical degree and come work for us. There is so much opportunity right now.”

Two initiatives from Western Growers are

CONTINUED ON PAGE 44

SAVE THE DATE! January 26, 2022

Join Western Growers, Imperial Valley College and CA Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross for a special industry event!

DEVELOPING THE NEXT GENERATION OF TECH-SAVVY AG WORKERS

Imperial Valley College | 380 E. Aten Rd., Imperial, CA 92251

The AgTechX Ed Summit at Imperial Valley College will be comprised of 3 panels covering topics including: industry issues and skill identification; education and workforce development strategies; and current and future workforce needs on the farm.

This event is part of the AgTechX Ed Initiative – a statewide effort, led by Western Growers and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, to cultivate a future workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate emerging on-farm technology.

Register for the event to help us develop the skills of tomorrow TODAY! RSVP at https://pages.agtechxfs.com/imperialvalleycollege

24 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

1:00PM Welcome An event welcome by leadership

3:15PM Panel: Chief Executive Officers Leadership from companies

BROADENING... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 13 program that documents that fieldworkers are annually trained in pesticide safety.

The staff is currently working on translating our pesticide handler training program. DPR also puts a lot of effort into providing literature in various languages, including Spanish. Most of their outreach material is available in multiple languages on their website and they provide printed materials to our office in dual languages.

DPR’s CASPIR mobile app, a system for reporting pesticide-related complaints and incidents, is available in English and Spanish. DPR also has done a lot of outreach directly to field workers to promote this app as a way that they can submit complaints in Spanish and improve their access to county staff.

Pesticide Use Enforcement staff also attend a pair of annual events that cater to agricultural workers crossing the border for work early in the morning. The first event, held on Oct. 28, 2021, at the Mexican Consulate in Calexico was the 10th Annual Farm Worker Health & Resource Fair.

The second event was the 42nd Annual Farmworker Appreciation Breakfast held Dec. 3, 2021. This event is organized and promoted by the Employment Development Department (EDD), in participation with the Center for Employment Training, SRE

Mexico Consulate in Calexico and Calexico’s City Hall. The event recognizes farm workers and their contributions to the agricultural industry. The Agricultural Commissioner’s office utilizes these events to educate farm workers in Spanish about use of personal protections against pesticide exposure and their rights when working near and

handling pesticides.

In an effort to continue making information accessible to the Spanish speaking community, the Agricultural Commissioner’s office has also decided to translate and produce the new 2021 Crop Report Plus in Spanish, which will be issued later this year. n

Harvesters work in an Imperial County field. - Photo by Alejandra Noriega

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 25

Ojeda Industries: Service driven by commitment and faith

T

ony and Patty Ojeda, owners of Ojeda Industries in Brawley, CA, have brought the same commitment and faith they have in God to their business. With unfailing courtesy and kindness, they serve their customers with both goods and services in a way that goes far beyond what any agribusiness customer would expect.

You step into the 4,000 squarefoot warehouse and see a vast array of parts ranging from hydraulic hoses, fittings, and adapters, to a complete line of TeeJet Technologies Spray Parts; you step up to the counter, and you’re greeted with a smile and offered a beverage or treat by sales staff from a casual buffet Patty created for customers.

26 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

among other things, supporting many local fundraisers such as for the FFA or Kiwanis club or a cleanwater well in Uganda. As Tony tells his customers, “When you buy from me, I can provide for them.”

The Ojedas’ customer service ethic means that they serve you as a person, not simply as patron of their business. And it’s not a gimmick; they genuinely care about you.

“We will find that part you’re looking for,” Tony says, “And if we don’t have it and another local business does, we’ll send you there.”

Whether you need to assemble a hose for your old car or get a part for your equipment, they are here to serve you, and they invite you to come visit them. n

Their faith shines in their genuine care for their customers and their commitment to community service by, among other things, supporting many local fundraisers such as for the FFA or Kiwanis club or a clean-water well in Uganda.

The Ojedas’ 40-plus years of experience show not only in their ability to anticipate customers’ needs but also in their commitment to locating that obscure part they may not have in stock as well as solving whatever problems customers bring. Their faith shines in their genuine care for their customers and their commitment to community service by,

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 27

Imperial Irrigation District From drought comes collaboration, opportunity

By Susan Giller

T

he historic drought on the Colorado River in 2021 created a jarring new season of scarcity for certain water users throughout the Basin. Yet even during what was arguably the most challenging water crisis on the river, the Imperial Irrigation District found opportunity in the quest to protect the Imperial Valley’s rights to its sole source of water and to preserve the Salton Sea. In the often contentious arena of water politics, IID found solutions in a new collaborative effort with other water users to improve the sustainability of the river’s diminishing water supply while protecting Imperial Valley water rights and preserving the Salton Sea. A centerpiece of that collaboration was the settlement of a two-year legal dispute between IID and the Metropolitan Water District over environmental issues and water

storage announced in September. The settlement allows IID a modest increase in the amount of conserved water it can store in Lake Mead, which will help stabilize the level of the reservoir.

“By entering into this settlement agreement, both IID and Metropolitan recognize the only way to ensure the longterm viability of the Colorado River system is one where both agencies work alongside one another on these critical matters,” IID General Manager Henry Martinez said. “IID continues to advocate for protection of the Salton Sea and, with our partners, will seek additional state and federal funding to construct much-needed restoration projects.”

The crisis on the Colorado River has been brewing after more than two decades of unrelenting drought. Climate change is making the situation worse along the river that serves more than 40 million people in the West.

Hotter, drier conditions over the last 10 years produced the lowest runoff the river has ever seen, causing the level of Lake Mead, the river system’s largest storage reservoir, to drop precipitously to its lowest level since it was filled in the 1930s.

Due to the ongoing drought and shrinking water resources, in August the federal government declared a tier one shortage operating condition for the first time for the Colorado River in 2022. The declaration triggers cutbacks of water to Arizona, Nevada and Mexico, in addition to Lower Basin and Mexico voluntary reductions associated with the 2019 Drought Contingency Plan.

Though IID is not directly affected by the shortage declaration, Board President James Hanks issued a statement on Aug. 17: “IID supports a collaborative approach to river management and renewed efforts of the Basin States to ensure the long-term reliability of the Colorado River system;

Water Supply & Service Area

nnual Colorado River consumptive use entitlement es

ge

ble

n and

can

28 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

CONTINUED ON PAGE 46

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 A century of service.

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 29

K

Two locations serve local customers

C Welding and Rentals first opened its doors to serve the people of the Imperial Valley in 1951. Founder Casey Mostrong brought his mechanical skills and ingenuity to the Imperial Valley and opened up shop on Fourth Street, laying the foundation for what is now KC Welding and Rentals.

KC Welding and Rentals later relocated to its current main location at 1549 Dogwood Road, El Centro, in 1963. KC was founded with the vision of producing and supplying top quality agricultural tools and equipment. Casey Mostrong invented and patented various original agricultural tools including vegetable planters, tillage equipment, sled shapes, and cultivators, among other farming products. The company’s agricultural products are a key component in the process that puts fresh, American-grown produce on dinner tables across the nation. It

30 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

offers equipment rentals for large-scale commercial applications and small-scale homeowner needs, as well as being an extensive welding and fabrication shop that manufactures custom and original agricultural implements and undertakes any custom fabrication jobs customers

bring in.

KC stocks a wide variety of products in its industrial/agricultural parts supply store.

As a provider for industrial applications it also carries and provides commercialgrade steel. The retail store carries popular brand names like Carhartt, Yeti, Traeger, and more.

In 2015, KC expanded, opening a second location in Brawley. A small-scale version of the main facility in El Centro, the Brawley location offers rentals, a retail store, and fabrication services. n

KC Welding team at their main location on Dogwood Rd, El Centro. - Photos Courtesy of KC Welding

CATTLE... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17 used to monitor gains or health concerns.

She likes the fact that she can continue to monitor what is happening in the feed yard from digital devices on the road or on her computer at home.

“Technology has improved our lives and makes it possible to better track virtually every steer,” Snow said. “We can see quickly if there is a concern, so we can change rations or intervene more quickly.”

Technology is part of a litany of innovations that have continued to improve the Imperial Valley cattle industry.

“Our constant effort to innovate is the reason that U.S. beef has the highest quality and is the safest in the world,” Snow said.

And Snow and Bennett keep testing ideas and innovating, sometimes in unexpected ways.

That is why, as Snow puts it, “We are now the largest goat farmers in the Valley, at least as far as I know.”

The two are now raising a herd of 450 Boer goats. The 450 goats are shipped to a processing facility in Chino, where the meat is highly prized in the large Southern California ethnic communities.

Taking even the addition of a goat herd in stride, Bennett said, “I think it started as Steve’s hobby, but it has grown beyond that

Boer goats feed on alfalfa at Phillips Cattle Company south of El Centro. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero now.”

Despite her growing responsibilities at Phillips, she also serves on the Board of Directors of the California Beef Council, which helps to promote, research and educate about the state’s beef industry.

While her 4-H project may have paved the way to professional growth, Bennett contends that the Imperial Valley makes everything possible.

Today, Bennett and her husband Tyler live in Holtville with their two young sons.

Photos of her family and her work family and animals decorate her office.

“When I went to college, I always knew I wanted to come back here,” she said. “It is such a supportive environment. It is a great way to live and work.” n

Go.Simplot.com/75 El Centro, CA • (760) 352-8931 © 2021 Simplot is a registered trademark of the J.R. Simplot Company

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 31

SUPPLY CHAIN... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7

An empty container is transported to another location for storage after it was unloaded from a truck at All American Grain. - Photo By Joselito N. Villero built an intermodal transportation facility where trucks can deliver local product to trains, which then can directly move those commodities to the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

All American Grain’s initial focus when it began operation some 16 years ago was to import and store corn for Valley cattle yards, but in 2018 the company recognized there was a need for an intermodal facility to export product out of the Valley.

After a six-month trial with one local exporter, the Calipatria rail service was open to other Valley exporters, said Paddy Lawlor, a consultant with All American Grain.

“That trial was very successful,” he said.

32 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

Today, All American Grain in partnership with Kuehne+Nagel — a global shipping logistics company — provides rail line transport services to eight Valley exporters, moving two train loads a week of local products to the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports.

Of adding the intermodal service, Lawlor said, there was a need for a rail line to address the volume of local product that required transportation to the ports.

“There was a gap between the volume versus what was available (in trucks to move product),” he said. “All American Grain provided that pressure relief for the market.”

Since adding the intermodal facility,

All American Grain has expanded the rail lines to handle longer Union Pacific trains and built an overpass to ensure there are no delays in trucks having access to the facility to deliver product for shipment and to ensure safety vehicles have access as well.

With the current challenges, Lawlor said, congestion is a major issue at the ports, and the rail line provides direct access to the docks, which aids in meeting the shortened timelines to get containers to cargo ships.

“What we are providing is reliability, plus simplicity,” said Lawlor. He noted that the

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 33

SUPPLY CHAIN... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 32

34 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

rail service and local trucking industry complement one another.

Hannon said for El Toro Exports, the intermodal has provided an important option. He said about 50 percent of their hay now moves through the intermodal facility in Calipatria.

“We started with them in 2019 and since then we have gradually increased in volume as they have increased their operations,” Hannon said. “The rail option has provided us more flexibility with more stable timing that is needed for picking up containers and returning our product (to the ports).”

For Valley exporters, it is essential to be able to get bookings on cargo ships at the ports under shorter timelines that have resulted from pandemic operating conditions, and the rail line, Hannon said, is one more logistical tool to meet those timelines.

He added that for years before All American Grain began operations, it was known that the Valley would benefit from an intermodal facility.

Benson said Planters Hay also uses the intermodal facility as needed. He noted that rail service does not always fit the customer’s timeframe, but that it does figure into the logistics mix and is a great resource to Imperial Valley.

While the use of rail has been a critical addition to the Valley, it doesn’t change the challenges of a port system that is still slowed by continuing logistics issues.

“I’ve never seen anything like this before — never, not even close,” said Greg Braun, president of Border Valley Trading, based in Brawley, which exports some 200,000 tons of hay products to the international market, in addition to 100,000 to domestic markets.

One key issue is that a large percentage of shipping containers are being sent to international markets empty to be filled with imports, Braun said.

This is occurring for two reasons, according to those interviewed.

Imported containers pay higher shipping rates to ocean vessels than outbound containers, though the travel time and distance are the same. This imbalance is largely due to the US/Asia trade imbalance, leading to higher container demand for U.S. imports over exports.

To hasten the return of containers to Asian customers, the shipping lines now find it faster to return with empty containers overseas to waiting customers. This leads to fewer containers being available in the U.S. for exports — and agriculture firms are forced to compete for those few remaining containers.

Braun said Border Valley Trading, which strictly relies on trucking to move product to the ports, has had to start flipping containers.

When a truck brings in a chassis with an empty container, Braun’s ground operations removes it and loads a full container (stored at their yard) back on the truck to be returned to the port. In the past, when there was more truck time to return containers to the ports, they would fill the empty container with product while still on the chassis. Renting the equipment to flip containers has dramatically increased the costs of operations.

That increased cost, coupled with increased fuel costs and higher shipping rates, is the new norm, Braun said, and like others, he doesn’t see it ending any time soon. In fact, he said, what the pandemic has done is exposed some weaknesses in the export industry, and all stakeholders are going to have to work on it.

He added, “We will survive this but going forward, business as usual is behind us. This will change how we operate logistically. I don’t think there is any going back to what the normal was two years ago.”

While the situation has created challenges — and those

challenges will continue in 2022 — Hannon said the situation for growers in the Pacific Southwest is not as bad as it is for growers and exporters in the Pacific Northwest — in particular those that depend on ports in Seattle and Tacoma, Washington.

El Toro Exports has a joint venture with growers in Junction City, Ore., to export their crops, Hannon said, and it has been more challenging there to move crops as the shipping industry, to some extent, is bypassing smaller ports, like those in Seattle and Tacoma all together.

“At least we can get bookings for our products at the Los Angeles and Long Beach ports,” Hannon said. “We are struggling to get bookings in Seattle and Tacoma.

He added, “We are all struggling, and as an industry we have to find solutions. We need to show how this is impacting us and create ideas on how to overcome it.”

To that end, there are existing organizations, like the Agriculture Transportation Coalition, made up of all aspects of the agricultural industry that depend on exports. The coalition has focused its efforts, over the past year, on getting information out to the news media, the Federal Maritime Commission

and government officials.

It is also seeking legislative support.

A key element of that legislative effort has focused on the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021, which was passed by the House of Representatives in September 2021 and aims to ensure that the shipping industry treats agricultural exports fairly. A Senate version of the legislation is still pending, but the legislation has received bipartisan support.

The shipping industry has challenged the legislation, stating additional regulations could lead to further congestion at area ports.

However, locals say something has to be done to protect agricultural exports.

“We have to continue to get the ag side of this story on the radar a little bit more and not just focus on the imports,” Hannon said.

Braun said, “I think the political pressure is there to get something done.”

He added, “We are going to do everything we can to make sure Imperial Padraig Lawlor, a consultant with All American Valley ag products will still reach their Grain, is shown on a CMA container carrier ship.

- Photo Courtesy All American Grain markets. That’s our business.” n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 35

VEGETABLES & MELONS PRODUCTION

YIELD PER CROP YEAR HARVESTED ACRES

ACRE BROCCOLI (MARKET) CABBAGE (MARKET)

301.94 451.73 755.73 802.65

TOTAL UNITS

UNIT

VALUE PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

2,568,569 5,401,345 1,376,933 1,542,700

26 LBS 26 LBS 45 LBS 45 LBS

$24.28 $19.54 $10.26 $8.76

$62,364,000 $105,521,000 $14,124,000 $13,507,000

2020 2019 2020 2019

8,507 11,957 1,822 1,922

2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019

4,192 793.83 3,327,908 50 LBS $6.59 4,298 825.75 3,549,156 50 LBS $5.84 9,782 35.54 347,689 TONS $149.69 10,029 35.51 356,118 TONS $126.52 13,974 14,327 5,738 731.59 4,197,846 23LBS $12.05 4,815 687.05 3,308,167 23 LBS $11.31

CARROTS MARKET PROCESSING & OTHERS TOTAL CARROTS CAULIFLOWER (MARKET) HEAD LETTUCE NAKED PACK WRAP PACK BULK TOTAL HEAD LETTUCE LEAF LETTUCE ONIONS MARKET PROCESSING TOTAL ONIONS POTATOES 1/ SPINACH SWEET CORN ROMAINE LETTUCE MISC. VEGETABLES CANTALOUPES HONEYDEW & MISC. MELONS WATERMELONS

2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 5,545 2019 13,663 2020 12,001 485.20 2019 14,066 549.31

784,244 1,984,064 1,960,610 4,960,161 1,568,488 3,968,129 4,313,343 10,912,354 5,822,857 7,726,531

50 LBS 50 LBS 40 LBS 40 LBS 50 LBS 50 LBS CTN CTN 35 LBS 35 LBS

$16.89 $9.56 $12.94 $9.28 $16.89 $9.56 $15.10 $9.44 $18.90 $14.17

$21,924,000 $20,740,000 $52,046,000 $45,058,000 $73,970,000 $65,798,000 $50,605,000 $37,411,000 $13,245,000 $18,976,000 $25,379,000 $46,041,000 $26,490,000 $37,953,000 $65,114,000 $102,970,000 $110,052,000 $109,502,000

2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019

3,636 1,553.80 5,649,617 50 LBS $3.45 3,109 1,401.50 4,357,263 50 LBS $4.16 8,840 23.32 206,154 TONS $193.96 8,694 21.03 182,869 TONS $148.40 12,476 11,803 * * * * * 2,518 183.33 461,633 CWT $26.30 7,027 8,228.00 57,818,156 LBS $0.81 8,128 13,173.67 107,075,563 LBS $0.54

$19,491,000 $18,119,000 $39,986,000 $27,138,000 $59,477,000 $45,257,000 * $12,139,000 $46,601,000 $57,928,000

2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019 2020 2019

7,623 898.50 6,849,266 50 LBS $14.00 8,246 344.71 2,842,514 50 LBS $11.58 9,940 840.22 8,351,777 35 LBS $9.10 8,050 994.83 8,008,370 35 LBS $7.53 14,928 14,657 3,562 1,804.50 6,427,629 40 LBS $8.96 4,224 717.00 3,028,608 40 LBS $7.04 804 527.50 424,110 40 LBS $10.83 1,398 620.29 867,159 40 LBS $9.70 288 32.91 9,479 TONS $804.76 641 31.06 19,911 TONS $352.38

$95,890,000 $32,908,000 $75,977,000 $60,307,000 $172,002,000 $119,415,000 $57,579,000 $21,334,000 $4,595,000 $8,411,000 $7,628,000 $7,016,000

TOTAL 2020

ACRES

104,235

VALUE

$895,978,000

TOTAL 2018

ACRES

120,415

VALUE

$799,424,000

Misc. Vegetables may include: Arugula, Asparagus, Beets, Bok Choy, Celery, Cilantro, Collard, Dill, Gai Lon, Kale, Mustard, Napa Cabbage, Okra, Parsley, Sweet Basil, Swiss Chard, Vegetable Leaf.

1/ *

36 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

2020 Potatoes are now included in Misc. Vegetables

CLIMATE SMART... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 passenger vehicles driven for one year, according to Salgado.

Funding for the 2021 programs was uncertain, with Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration projecting a $54 billion state budget deficit through the summer of 2021. SWEEP was one of the Climate Smart Agriculture programs getting a budget cut, and a proposed “pay as you go” system and a prioritization for climate change programs that could have resulted in no funding for the Healthy Soils Program or the Alternative Manure Management Program (AMMP).

Fortunately, Newsom approved more funding, upping the Healthy Soils Program to $60 million and SWEEP to $43 million, Salgado said.

“Most of the farmers don’t know what you need to do. The applications have internal tweaks,” Leimgruber said. “If you can’t get from A to B, you can’t do anything. She knows the rules inside and out, and what projects will work and won’t work.”

Much of the effort is in filling out the various tools with which the CDFA evaluates grant applications, according to Salgado.

“Water calculator, greenhouse gas calculator — those tools take a while to learn. If they contact me, it’s easy to say, ‘give me your pump efficiency test, the horsepower,’ and so on.”

Some of that information, like pump efficiency data for the SWEEP application, can be difficult to obtain. The nearest company that performs the necessary test, is based in Visalia, and was unwilling to send somebody to perform just one test.

By working with five local growers, Salgado was able to schedule enough tests to make the trip financially feasible for the company to send somebody to the Imperial Valley to conduct the tests, and those farmers were able to submit their applications.

“They ended up doing seven tests between five companies,” Salgado said.

The particulars of the various growing regions in California can work for or against applicants.

For instance, the prevalence of gravity-fed flood irrigation in the Valley leaves little to no room for growers to reduce emissions to qualify for SWEEP. But working together, Leimgruber and Salgado found a way.

SWEEP encourages farmers to upgrade their diesel-powered water pumps to solar-powered units to reduce emissions. Locally, solar units benefit growers because there is a shortage of electric outlets near ag fields.

Shaded by a small bucket, a melon plant grows through a protective sheet of plastic in a field near Holtville. - Photo By Bill Amidon “It’s designed to save water and save energy. We irrigate with gravity flow. It’s easy to save water, it’s difficult to save energy,” Leimgruber said.

One of Leimgruber’s alfalfa fields was situated near an IID energy line, making it feasible to run an electric pump for drip irrigation.

“It has to be in the right place for power and water. Very few fields in the Valley are like that,” Leimgruber said.

There is an effort to make the application system more accessible to the various ag communities, Salgado said.

Translation services are now available for growers that speak primarily Spanish, and the state is working to expand those efforts to other groups, such as growers in the Fresno and Merced areas that speak primarily Hmong.

“CDFA commits 25 percent of its overall funds for a program for priority populations,” Salgado said. “They are socially disadvantaged farmers defined by ethnic groups that were historically disenfranchised. If a farmer self-identifies as Asian-American, for instance, they’re put in a separate pile. Imperial County, because of our proximity to Mexico, and pollution levels, we’re identified as a priority population.”

Bureaucratic issues aside, farming in California is still worth the effort, according to Leimgruber.

“We’re close to so many markets in Las Vegas and San Diego, we’re close to 40 million people,” Leimgruber said. “There are lots of challenges to farming in California, but no other nation or state is paying farmers to make their soils better.” n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 37

W

Wymore Inc. 75 years of serving Imperial Valley and beyond

ymore Inc. this year is celebrating 75 years of serving the agricultural, industrial, commercial, utility, trucking, geothermal and manufacturing companies of the Imperial, Yuma, Mexicali and Coachella valleys.

Family-owned and operated since its founding in 1947 by R.C. “Dick” Wymore, the company specializes in machining, welding, tools and industrial supplies.

Wymore, who learned to be a machinist in high school, was a World War II Navy veteran and honorary Blue Angel. He also was a Kiwanis Club member and served with the American Heart Association and the American Cancer Society. He passed away in 2020 at age 95.

“There’s no other shop in the Valley that does everything we do,” said Marla Wymore, Dick’s daughter, who in 1999

38 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

took over operations from her brother Rich. Rich had helped their dad run the shop from the age of 19. In 2018, Marla passed the torch to her son, David Byrum, who now manages operations.

In addition to the company’s traditional customers, the pandemic opened the door to a variety of personal service, including things like wheelchairs, Marla said. “Last year we were swamped because you couldn’t get new things, so all the old things had to be repaired. …

We can custom-make parts for just about anything metal that needs to be fixed.”

Wymore’s computer-operated lathes and mills, or CNC, mean hundreds of parts can be manufactured in a fraction of the time it would take a manual machinist.

Wymore’s motto is “If it’s metal, we can fix it, make it or get it!” The epitome of that motto – a piece of American space-

age history -- sits outside the Wymore headquarters at 697 S. Dogwood Road, El Centro.

Fifty-four years ago, the lives of Apollo astronauts, and perhaps the future of the space program itself, depended upon how well this piece of equipment -- manufactured at Wymore -- could replicate the re-entry forces on command module parachutes. The test vehicle on display today at Wymore’s is the third version that, through multiple tests, finally helped prove that the redesigned recovery system was safe enough to get the Apollo astronauts back to earth.

Throughout its nearly 75 years of business, Wymore continues to provide quality service and supplies to its customers. A celebration is planned in Spring. n

DON... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21 to an emphasis on seed crops.

“We have to feed the monster,” said Don Emanuelli.

The “monster” is Top Notch Seeds, a seed company the Emanuelli’s founded in 2007 and run by Scott. The ranch, now operated by youngest son Brian and oldest son Steven, has become the largest supplier of seeds to Top Notch. According to the company’s website, Top Notch “specializes in innovative seed solutions including processing, sales and marketing both domestically and internationally.”

The company produces several proprietary seeds suited for drought and high-heat desert climates, including Chema 1 and Chema 2 alfalfa seeds. The seeds, produced exclusively in Imperial Valley, have been exported to similar arid regions including the Middle East and Saudi Arabia.

The J Emanuelli Ranch’s evolution into new ventures, such as Top Notch, is just part of the changes this family farm has seen over its 100 years of operation.

In 1998, Don and three partners founded Osage Citrus, a citrus and date business. In 2010, Emanuelli was part of another group that organized Planters Hay to facilitate sales of their hay crops. Today it has three hay presses and exports to Asia.

Emanuelli remembers that close to the end of his dad’s life, “he had me bring him the checkbook to see what I spent.” It sparked a conversation between the two about changes. “He told me, ‘I’ve seen in my day so many changes and you will see one hundredfold more’.”

Some changes, especially in this past year, have not been easy — such as labor shortages and disruptions in the supply chain.

“Brian, Steve and even myself drove a lot of tractors this year,” Emanuelli said. This was due to worker shortages caused by COVID. Meanwhile, the supply chain disruptions have increased the challenges. He said it is extremely difficult to get space on container

Don Emanuelli joins the original J Emanuelli and Sons in this photo taken in about 1961. From left are his grandfather Julius, his uncle, Ray; Don, who was about 8 at the time, and his dad, Bob. - Photos Courtesy of Emanuelli Family ships due to backups at shipping ports. “Shipping costs have tripled or quadrupled. These costs are passed on and the end user ends up paying for it.“ As for his own future, Don Emanuelli does not see slowing down as part of his future. “I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it,” he said. And Mary has been there every step of the way. “She used to do all of the books — today she helps out with special projects. The focus of Mary’s time now, though, is with their nine grandchildren.

Eight of them are girls.

And how will that change the “…and sons” legacy at J Emanuelli Ranches?

“The boys will have to figure it out,” said Emanuelli, adding, “girls are a lot smarter than boys.” n

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VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 39

COOPERATIVE... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10

LEFT PHOTO: Dr. Oli Bachie shows Rhodes grass productivity during a field day.

TOP PHOTO: Rhodes grass is a dense biomass from Bachie’s trials. - Photos Courtesy of University of California Cooperative Extension The focus research areas for UCANR include, agriculture and pest management, food and safety, environmental and natural resources, innovation to promote economic development, and research related to yard and garden care. Additionally, UCANR oversees the 4-H youth and community nutrition (CalFresh) programs that introduce agriculture to young people and the community.

“Our work is about applied research and extending that research to our clientele,” Bachie said. “The research findings are explored in workshops, meetings, field days and local newsletter publication and other media outlets.”

In the Imperial Valley, the research focus has largely targeted pest management, crop adaptability, sustainable food production, food safety, crop water use efficiencies and livestock care – all related to the Valley’s unique conditions and issues.

“The low desert is very unique,” Bachie said. “The hot and dry environment provides ideal growing conditions but enhances some unique pests that have to be addressed.”

Another unique condition, he said, comes from the Colorado River, which supplies water with high salinity levels to Imperial Valley farms.

“We have to manage salinity and still have a system for consistent crop production,” said Bachie, who reports monthly to the Imperial County Farm Bureau to keep farmers up to date on the work of the Cooperative Extension and the latest threats to agriculture.

Cooperative Extension work has led to innovative crop developments. One example, Bachie said, is the development of Rhodes grass, which is gaining prominence in the hay industry as a highly drought and salt tolerant perennial. Rhodes grass is an alternative crop gaining acceptance following three years of testing by the Cooperative Extension.

“This is one of the really beautiful examples

40 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

of the studies we do. This crop was tested for the first time in the low desert,” said Bachie.

It is now being grown locally, in Central California and Arizona.

One more critical matter the Cooperative Extension is exploring relates to the banning in 2021 of a commonly used insecticide, chlorpyrifos, which was critical to field crops in the desert, such as alfalfa, sugar beets and some other crops.

“We immediately put together research to look at what the growers need,” Bachie said.

“We want to look at other insecticides that would be safe and effective for operations and serve as alternatives.”

That research has led to key advancements, including a seed-coating formula to protect seedlings, especially such pests as the flea beetles, which prey on sugar beet crops in their initial stages of growth.

Steps still need to be taken to protect crops in their late season phases, he said. However, if young crops are protected and kept healthier, that will keep them more resilient in their later phases, which can help them withstand lateseason pests.

Water efficiency is another research area where the Cooperative Extension’s work has served the needs of the Valley, where farming operations have been implementing conservation in a way that generates water conservation but also maintains and enhances agriculture in the Valley.

“The focus has been on finding irrigation strategies that help crops to yield better, but also resist plant pathogens,” Bachie said.

The research also led to irrigation systems that remove any randomness to the irrigation process, ensuring crops are not overwatered or underwatered but receive the exact amount of irrigation they require — which both conserves water and supports the crops.

For local growers, the Cooperative Extension has been an important support in addressing issues, like pests and disease,

when they occur.

“I can tell you that the Cooperative Extension is an asset here in the Imperial Valley,” said local grower Paula Pangle. “The team there has been essential in helping us identify pests and diseases, and deal with them so that we can continue to grow strong and healthy crops to feed the nation and the world.”

Scott Howington, the immediate past president of the Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association, said Cooperative Extension advisers have been here to provide necessary information to vegetable growers of the valley.

“They are very important to the Valley,” Howington said. “They bring a lot of information to the Vegetable Growers Association. They are there when you need them for information, and if they don’t know the answer, they will get it for us from other resources.”

Carlos Ortiz, Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner praised innovations in local agriculture that have come from the Cooperative Extension research and the discoveries that have saved local crops.

“The University of California Cooperative Extension is very important to our local agricultural industry, as well as to our urban landscape,” Ortiz said. “The research performed by the farm advisers involves many of the agricultural practices of growing a crop. Some of the benefits from research include the establishment of new crops, managing pests and diseases, developing new or improved fertilization and irrigation practices, to name a few. The presence of our local UC Cooperative Extension provides the opportunity of conducting research specific to our weather, soil, water, and other unique conditions.”

He added, “I have personally witnessed the efficiency and practicality of local research.

Examples that I can share are the response to

the presence of sugarcane aphid that could have potentially affected our local Sudan grass industry, finding alternative pesticides to the loss of a pesticide, such as chlorpyrifos, providing information to industry about the potential cross pollination of different cultivars of hemp, and the list goes on.”

As Bachie and the Cooperative Extension look to the new year, he highlighted that the UCANR is moving forward with critical staff additions statewide, and in the low desert that will allow for the addition of two new specialized advisers — one a food safety and organic production adviser and the other a plant pathology adviser.

With food safety an ongoing priority, Bachie said, the food safety and organic production specialist will focus on improving food safety with vegetable crops while also finding ways to promote organic production in the Valley, which is nearing 50,000 acres.

The plant pathologist will be a critical addition to the local office in that the adviser will be able to diagnose diseases in crops locally, speeding up the time it takes to understand any new disease and address it.

Currently, without that position, when issues in crops are spotted, cultures must be collected and sent out of the Valley for diagnosis.

“This will allow us to provide an immediate response,” Bachie said of the new position.

Dr. Ali Montazar is shown with his spinach trial while testing best irrigation management and avoidance of downy mildew (a fungus) on the spinach crop - Photos Courtesy of University of California Cooperative Extension In continuing to look at the new year, Bachie said, he and his colleagues are focusing on outreach in the community to build awareness about two grant programs that could bring in new funding to farmers — the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program and the Healthy Soil Program.

The Cooperative Extension, he said, is prepared to offer training and support to those wishing to seek grant funding through

either program. The period to apply for the grant extends through February 2022, and he is hoping more farmers and ranchers consider applying.

“I want to encourage the community that this is a way for low desert farmers and ranchers to secure new funding,” he said, adding two years ago his office assisted in bringing $1.1 million into the Valley in grant funds, and he’d like to see that happen again. n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 41

IVVGA... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 At the start of the pandemic, there was an immediate shortage of masks and other PPE (personal protective equipment) as limited supplies were being shifted to medical professionals fighting the virus head-on. Ag employers searched far and wide to find new PPE suppliers. Often, they had to pay high premiums to get the materials necessary to protect ag employees.

As supply started catching up with demand, programs became available through the county Ag Commissioner’s Office as well as local non-profits like Imperial Valley Vegetable Growers Association and Imperial Valley Economic Development Corp. to provide free PPE to farms and farmworkers. Additionally, when faced with a shortage of hand sanitizer a local farm started producing hand sanitizer to meet the local need.

The Families First Coronavirus Relief Act and California COVID-19 Supplemental Paid Sick Leave expanded sick leave options for employees to provide up to 80 hours of paid sick leave to employees who needed to take leave from work for certain specified reasons related to COVID-19. Additional medical leave was made available to eligible employees who needed time to care for a child whose school or place of care was closed or whose child care provider was unavailable for reasons related to COVID-19.

Early on, it became clear that there may be risks for our ag employees who cross the U.S. Mexico border daily to work. A number of local organizations and agencies worked together to press for the need to keep lines at the border moving quickly to limit the risk of infection for

42 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

essential workers crossing the border regularly.

To prevent delays in border crossing wait times, a series of meetings with Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and Imperial Valley stakeholders was set up to create a dialogue between all parties. Representatives from the agricultural industry pushed for earlier border crossing times to assist the farmworkers as they traveled back and forth. We also provided CBP with a schedule of year-round farmworker activity in the county, so they are better able to prepare for the influx of travel activity in the early hours of the morning to ensure lines move quickly.

Several government programs and initiatives were started to help ag employees during the pandemic as well. One of those was Housing for the Harvest, a program announced

by Gov. Gavin Newsom. It provided funding for temporary hotel housing for farm and food processing employees who needed to selfisolate if they tested COVID-19 positive and did not require hospitalization or if they had been exposed and could not properly self-isolate at home.

The program became available in Imperial County in October 2020 as a resource for local ag employees. Imperial County partnered with the Vo Neighborhood Medical Clinic to administer Housing for the Harvest. In addition to hotel quarantine support, transportation, meals, laundry and wellness checks are also provided to those in need.

When vaccines became more readily available in the Spring 2021, the agricultural community banded together to advocate for and inoculate farmworkers. Days were

spent on the phone coordinating with farm labor contractors so that they would send their workers to vaccination clinics. Most farmworkers report to different worksites, so contacting the contractors was a good way to coordinate vaccinations for more people.

At IVVGA, we partnered with non-profits, medical clinics and Imperial County Public Health Services to set up sites to vaccinate farmworkers. Using several different methods, we hosted mass vaccination clinics, worksite clinics and even went to the border to set up vaccination sites to make it as easy as possible for our workers.

The fact that Imperial County is now one of the counties with the highest vaccination rate in the state is, at least in part, thanks to the work our agricultural community did to set up a strong network of nonprofits, clinics, hospitals and agricultural employers to offer vaccination services.

Throughout the pandemic, there have been a growing number of unknowns that our farms and ranches have faced. But, through it all, we have continued to persevere day after day, and we have continued to do all that we can to protect our employees while continuing to provide the nation with a safe and reliable food supply.

In this time especially, it is important for us all to appreciate the hard work and dedication exhibited by every employee of these essential critical infrastructure industries, including our farmers, ranchers, agricultural employees, and everyone else who is helping put food on our tables during this hard time we find ourselves in. n

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INNOVATION... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 24 now in place to meet the labor challenges: The Global Harvest Automation Initiative – designed to increase the amount of ag products harvested by robots to 50 percent by 2031.

The AgTechX Ed initiative – a statewide effort, led by Western Growers and California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, to cultivate a future workforce with the skills and knowledge needed to navigate emerging on-farm technology and develop the next generation of tech-savvy ag workers.

Dennis Donohue, director of the Western Growers Association’s Center for Innovation and Technology in Salinas, sees the long-term solution as one found in education through long-term partnerships with California universities and community colleges. The goal is to make a career in agriculture a great idea for the youth of America and to transition the ag workforce to master rapidly developing agricultural technology.

There is a three-piece framework that Western Growers is developing with the University of California that includes: Work with educators, innovators and growers to define curriculum requirements.

Use that curriculum content to build a Train-the-Trainer (TTT) program to help get educators up to speed on the new curriculum

44 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

and how best to teach it to students.

Deliver an annual, week-long event that delivers the TTT curriculum to educators from the UC, Cal State University and California Community College systems.

Ideally, the Western Growers Association envisions future ag workers having the following skill set and knowledge base to work with and manage new innovation solutions – a strong STEM background, part engineer, part agronomist, biologist and chemist. Workers also will be great problemsolvers and able to analyze data. They will design and develop automated solutions to improve earlier technologies in the field and build new ones. They will manufacture robots and manage them and have the skills to operate and repair existing and future equipment while understanding irrigation, water testing and food safety.

Donohue says the time is right to start an AgTech revolution--one that changes the perception of what it is to be a farmer today.

Farming now, he says, is a career that allows you to be a good steward of the land and provide food to the world. Such a career is enticing to those who want to specialize in everything ranging from science, technology, engineering, business, natural resources, environmental sciences and math.

On Wednesday, Jan. 26, the first AgTechX

Ed event of 2022 will be held at Imperial Valley College.

The summit will include panels discussing such topics as: industry issues and skill identification; education and workforce development strategies; and current and future workforce needs on the farm.

Several Imperial Valley agribusiness leaders and expects will be on the panels, including: Brandon Grimm, manager of Grimmway Farms in Bakersfield, which farms in the Holtville area; Juli Jessen, CEO of the Gowan Group; Larry Cox – owner of Lawrence Cox Ranches, Sebastien Boyer, co-founder of FarmWise and Jack Vessey, president of Vessey & Co. in Holtville.

Michael Kanyi, Imperial Valley College professor of agriculture and ag program coordinator, will be featured on a panel that will discuss education and workforce development.

The half-day event will also feature a fireside chat with California Secretary of Food and Agriculture Karen Ross. She will lead an in-depth discussion about how to cultivate homegrown talent through partnerships between government, industry and academia.

More information and registration is available at https://pages.agtechxfs.com/ imperialvalleycollege. n

AG INSPECTORS... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 inspection application and can track in realtime, the pesticides used, and name of the applicator through its inspection application,” Lopez said.

“We upload photos of equipment, canals, the application, and the person inspected signs the iPad,” added Andreotti.

A new app called BeeWhere tracks beehives, of which there are more than 60,200 registered colonies of honeybees locally, Perez said. This makes it much easier to ensure no pesticides harmful to bees are applied near the hives.

“It’s a very new app,” he said, noting that locally most farmers have good relationships with beekeepers to avoid harming those hives.

Seeds and crops originating in Imperial County and destined for areas outside California may require Phytosanitary Certification Issuance and Tracking (PCIT), a tool that inspectors use to verify they are fit for export, free from regulated pests and diseases, and that they meet requirements from states or countries that are importing them. County inspectors are trained and certified to do inspections and sign the certification.

“Phytosanitary Certificates are processed electronically. ,” said Lopez. “We can obtain and provide information to the industry much more quickly with PCIT.” “This program is very important for every county in California,” Perez said. “We export a lot of vegetables, which has lots of regulations. Imperial County exports to 90plus countries. Our bigger partners are Japan, Mexico, Korea, United Arab Emirates, Canada, United Kingdom. We ship seed to Central and South America, Europe, and other countries.”

“When we started, we did this all by

Agricultural Biologist Jesus Montano uses an iPad to take a photo of the product label while performing a mix load inspection. - Photo courtesy of Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office hand,” he said. Today those weighty binders still accompany inspectors, just in case, a recommendation that came down from the state Department of Food and Agriculture.

“Everybody has an iPad in my division,” Perez said. “They use that iPad for different things, along with the binders. There are always hiccups on a new application you have to work out. But there’s so much data, you have to be careful.”

The Agricultural Commissioners system is unique to California counties, Lopez said.

Locally, there are 44 people employed by the Imperial County Ag Commissioner’s Office, while other states may have that many employees throughout the entire state. Each county office is tasked with enforcing the California Food and Agricultural Code, a set of laws and regulations that “address the many aspects and complexities of agricultural production in California,” the department’s website states.

California’s system perhaps is a necessity in a state that is the nation’s largest ag producer and exporter, with a total export value of $21.7 billion in 2019, according to the 2020 Imperial County Agricultural Crop & Livestock Report.

Inspectors and their department have the monumental task of monitoring the pests and diseases that threaten the ag industry’s contributions to local economies and to the state.

Labor, drought and water infrastructure, are the biggest threats to the global agriculture community, said Lopez. “In my division, however, the biggest threat is the introduction of a potentially invasive pest entering and negatively affecting our county.”

Threats to agriculture are diverse, changing from season to season, year to year, said Perez.

Armed with technological advances, the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office continues to make strides in protecting growers and the commodities they produce. n

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 45

IMPERIAL IRRIGATION... CONTINUED FROM PAGE 28 however, the district will protect and defend the senior water rights that form the foundation of our rural community.”

That IID would support collaborative water solutions should come as a surprise to no one. As the largest contractor of Colorado River water, IID has a history of working diligently to be a good steward of the finite resource that is the sole water supply for Imperial Valley.

Since its inception in 1911, IID has delivered Colorado River water to about half a million acres of Imperial County farmland, some of the most productive in the state and nation.

In 2020, the most recent year for which data is available, the value of Imperial County farm production was $2.02 billion.

Martinez summed up the district’s efforts to conserve the finite Colorado River supply during Oct. 20 testimony he presented to the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources Subcommittee on Water, Oceans and Wildlife.

“Since 2003, IID’s water management programs have generated nearly 6.8 million acre-feet of verifiable conserved water from both on-farm and system efficiency programs to meet its water transfer obligations and storage objectives.”

46 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

In the spirit of cooperation along the river, IID entered into the sweeping Quantification Settlement Agreement (QSA) in 2003, which included the nation’s largest agricultural-tourban water transfer program, which helps finance water efficiency programs.

Martinez added, “IID and its water user’s exemplary commitment to conservation, with program yields now averaging nearly half million acre-feet annually, will ensure the long-term viability of the nation’s largest agriculture-to-urban water transfer, providing water supply resiliency for California and the Lower Basin.”

While the water transfer helped stabilize the river water supply for California and the entire Lower Basin, it creates significant environmental concerns around the Salton Sea, which is the largest inland lake in the state.

The 360 square mile inland sea is a congressionally designated repository for agricultural drainage. The sea is now more than twice as saline as the ocean, and has served as an essential habitat for migratory waterfowl, including some endangered species.

Since 2003, implementing on-farm water efficiency measures has reduced the flow

of ag drainage into the Salton Sea, causing its elevation to drop by 10 feet. As a result, as the shoreline recedes, exposed playa poses potentially significant dust emission health concerns for residents in Imperial and Riverside counties. Additionally, the shrinking sea is reducing critical waterfowl habitat.

IID has developed more than 2,000 acres of dust suppression projects around the sea.

And the state of California has over 4,100 acres of ponds and islands under construction to create habitat for fish and birds, which also provide dust suppression. However, the mitigation of the transfer’s impact on the sea is ongoing and the state’s restoration activities are in the early stages. IID continues to believe and advocate that the mitigation of local conservation requirements and any new drought protection measures require a shared responsibility at the Salton Sea to address the consequential environmental impacts.

“The linkage between the Colorado River and the Salton Sea is irrefutable,” Martinez stated, “and the challenges facing it are ones both the upper and lower basins must recognize as a community of aligned interests.” n

FRUIT & NUTS PRODUCTION

YIELD PER CROP YEAR HARVESTED ACRES

ACRE DATES GRAPEFRUIT LEMONS TANGELOS TANGERINES MISC. CITRUS, FRUIT & NUT CROPS CITRUS BY-PRODUCTS

TOTAL 2020 TOTAL 2019

TOTAL UNITS

UNIT

VALUE PER UNIT

GROSS VALUE

2020

3,096

2.50

7,727

TONS

$3,562.37

$27,525,000

2019

2,556

3.59

9,175

TONS

$2,471.23

$22,674,000

2020

641

13.80

8,843

TONS

$633.33

$5,601,000

2019

638

15.66

9,992

TONS

$466.50

$4,661,000

2020

4,435

17.55

77,817

TONS

$632.58

$49,225,000

2019

4,126

11.68

48,171

TONS

$757.01

$36,466,000

2020

842

4.26

3,584

TONS

$523.26

$1,876,000

2019

633

6.11

3,870

TONS

$458.97

$1,776,000

2020

737

6.48

4,774

TONS

$662.88

$3,165,000

2019

578

11.51

6,651

TONS

$453.33

$3,015,000

2020

1,093

$4,928,000

2019

1,075

$5,825,000

2020

$2,254,000

2019

$1,219,000

ACRES ACRES

10,844 9,606

VALUE VALUE

$94,574,000 $75,636,000

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 47

2020 Crop Rank & Acreage

Imperial Irrigation District Water Department

2020 2019 CROP CROP ACRES % CUMULATIVE CUMULATIVE 2020 2019 CROP RANK RANK TYPE* DESCRIPTION ACRES % RANK RANK TYPE* 1 1 ALFALFA (ALL) 138,989 31.4% 138,989 31.4% 45 46 G F 2 2 46 44 G 47.6% F BERMUDAGRASS (ALL) 71,763 16.2% 210,752 3 3 SUDANGRASS (ALL) 42,546 9.6% 253,298 57.2% 47 48 P F LETTUCE (ALL) 27,486 6.2% 280,784 63.4% 4 4 48 62 G G 5 5 SUGARBEETS 25,103 5.7%3 05,8876 9.1% 49 47 G F KLEINGRASS 21, 5 85 4.

9 % 327, 4 72 74.

0 % 6 6 50 51 F P 7 7 51 49 F CARROTS (ALL) 13,979 3.2% 341,451 77.1% G 8 8 ONIONS (ALL) 12,047 2.7% 353,498 79.9% 52 52 P G WHEAT 10,357 2.

3 % 363, 8 55 82.

2 % 9 12 53 F F 10 10 G BROCCOLI (ALL) 10,139 2.3% 373,994 84.5% 54 55 G 11 9 DUCK PONDS 9,823 2.2% 383,817 86.7% 55 81 P F 12 11 56 57 F CORN, SWEET 7,623 1.7% 391,440 88.4% G CITRUS (ALL) 7,123 1.6% 398,563 90.1% 13 14 57 61 G P 14 13 58 66 G 91.5% G VEGETABLES, MIXED (ALL) 6,570 1.5% 405,133 SPINACH 5,038 1.1% 410,171 92.7% 15 15 G 59 G 16 16 G MELONS, SPRING (ALL) 4,202 0.9% 414,373 93.6% 60 58 P 17 17 61 63 P CORN, FIELD 3,920 0.9% 418,293 94.5% F CAULIFLOWER 3,714 0.8% 422,007 95.3% 18 18 G 62 64 F 19 23 G 63 34 G CABBAGE 1,709 0.4% 423,716 95.7% POTATOES 1,584 0.4% 425,300 96.1% 20 21 64 67 G G 21 25 P DATES 1,564 0.4% 426,864 96.4% 65 53 F 22 24 G 66 60 G RAPINI 1,525 0.3% 428,389 96.8% HEMP 1,515 0.3% 429,904 97.1% 23 26 67 69 F F 24 22 68 59 G RYEGRASS (ALL) 1,209 0.3% 431,113 97.4% F SUNFLOWERS (ALL) 1,143 0.3% 432,256 97.7% 25 20 G 69 73 P 26 27 GRASS, MIXED 1, 1 25 0.

3 % 433,381 97.

9 % 70 71 F F 27 28 G 71 72 CELERY (ALL) 898 0.2% 433,154 97.9% F CILANTRO 720 0.2% 433,874 98.0% 28 31 72 80 G G 29 19 73 75 P OATS 702 0.2% 434,576 98.2% F OLIVES 663 0.1% 435,239 98.3% 30 30 P 74 76 F 31 56 G 75 43 F ROCKETT 544 0.1% 435,783 98.5% 32 33 P 76 50 F FISH FARMS 485 0.1% 436,268 98.6% OKRA 453 0.1% 436,721 98.7% 33 32 G 77 70 F 34 41 G 78 86 F KALE 403 0.1% 437,124 98.8% SUGARCANE 308 0.1% 437,432 98.8% 35 36 79 77 G F 36 40 P PASTURE, PERMANENT 80 78 G 298 0.1% 437,730 98.9% 37 29 G 81 68 G WATERMELONS (ALL) 288 0.1% 438,018 99.0% CORIANDER SEED 255 0.1% 438,273 99.0% 38 35 G 82 82 G 39 38 P 83 85 G PALMS 250 0.1% 438,523 99.1% MUSTARD (ALL) 234 0.1% 438,757 99.1% 40 37 G 84 65 G 41 45 G FLOWERS 225 0.1% 438,982 99.2% 85 P 42 54 F 86 74 P RED BEETS 197 0.0% 439,179 99.2% 43 42 G SWEET BASIL 182 0.0% 439,361 99.3% 87 84 G RAPESEED 177 0.0% 439,356 99.3% 44 39 F 88 P * Crop Types: F = Field G = Garden P = Permanent Source: www.iid.com

48 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

CROP ACRES % CUMULATIVE CUMULATIVE DESCRIPTION ACRES % SWISS CHARD (ALL) 168 0.0% 439,524 99.3% PARSLEY (ALL) 165 0.0% 439,689 99.3% JUJUBE 153 0.0% 439,842 99.4% HERBS, MIXED 146 0.0% 439,988 99.4% ARTICHOKE (ALL) 136 0.0% 440,124 99.4% NURSERY 119 0.0% 440,242 99.5% SESBANIA 118 0.0% 440,350 99.5% ORNAMENTAL TREES 108 0.0% 440,350 99.5% TEFF GRASS 102 0.0% 440,452 99.5% CABBAGE, CHINESE 101 0.0% 440,553 99.5% FLAX 94 0.0% 440,647 99.6% SPIRULINA ALGAE 85 0.0% 440,732 99.6% ALOE VERA 72 0.0% 440,804 99.6% DILL 59 0.0% 440,863 99.6% GARLIC 58 0.0% 440,921 99.6% MANGOS 40 0.0% 440,961 99.6% ASPARAGUS 39 0.0% 441,000 99.6% SORGHUM GRAIN 38 0.0% 441,038 99.6% MELONS, FALL (ALL) 25 0.0% 441,063 99.7% SESAME 25 0.0% 441,088 99.7% SORGHUM SILAGE 24 0.0% 441,112 99.7% SQUASH 18 0.0% 441,130 99.7% SAFFLOWER 13 0.0% 441,143 99.7% RADISHES 11 0.0% 441,154 99.7% EUCALYPTUS 7 0.0% 441,161 99.7% BARLEY 3 0.0% 441,164 99.7% QUINOA 2 0.0% 441,166 99.7% FENNEL 2 0.0% 441,168 99.7% FRUIT, MIXED 2 0.0% 441,170 99.7% BAMBOO 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% CORN, SILAGE 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% COTTON 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% DUNALIELLA 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% TRITICALE GRAIN 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% BRUSSELS SPROUTS 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% COLLARDS 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% EGGPLANT 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% GARBANZO BEANS 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% PEPPERS, HOT 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% THYME 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% FIGS 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% PECANS 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% PEPPERS, BELL 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7% POMEGRANATES 0 0.0% 441,170 99.7%

Total Acres of Crops 442,596

VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST 49

ADVERTISING INDEX # 5 CROWNS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

A

AG PRODUCT RESOURCES, INC. . . . . . . . . . . . 47 ALL AMERICAN GRAIN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

B

BAJA FARMS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 BROCK ASPARAGUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

C

CALIFORNIA MID-WINTER FAIR & FIESTA . . . 33 COLAB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34 CUSTOM AG, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

D

DOC’S ORGANICS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

E

EMPIRE - CAT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

F

FARM CREDIT WEST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

H

HELENA CHEMICAL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

50 VALLEY AGRIBUSINESS & DESERT GROWING DIGEST

I

IMPERIAL COUNTY AGRICULTURAL COMMISSIONER’S OFFICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 IMPERIAL COUNTY FARM BUREAU . . . . . . . . 15 IMPERIAL IRRIGATION DISTRICT . . . . . . . . . . 29 IMPERIAL OLIVE MILL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 IMPERIAL VALLEY MILLING CO. . . . . . . . . . . . 35 IMPERIAL VALLEY VEGETABLE GROWERS ASSOCIATION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

K

KC WELDING & RENTALS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 KEITHLY-WILLIAMS SEED . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 KLICKA-PARKER INSURANCE BROKERS . . 20 KRONE AMERICA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

N

NUTRIEN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

O

OJEDA INDUSTRIES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 ONE WORLD BEEF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 ONE WORLD TRANSPORTATION . . . . . . . . . . . 31 OWB PACKERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

R

RDO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 RUBIN SEEDS, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

S

SCARONI FAMILY/FRESH HARVEST . . . .22-23 SIMPLOT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 SMITH-KANDAL REAL ESTATE-INSURANCE . . . 39 SPRECKELS SUGAR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 SUN VALLEY APPLICATORS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50

T

THE DAHM TEAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 TOP NOTCH SEEDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 TORRENCE FARM IMPLEMENTS . . . . . . . . . . 20

V

VALLEY AG SUPPLY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 VALLEY HOME INSPECTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 VESSEY CO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

W

WINGATE CO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 WORLD AG EXPO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51 WYMORE MACHINE & WELDING . . . . . . . . . . 38

Z

ZENDEJAS HARDWARE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

U O Y E E S

2 2 0 2 , 0 ruary 8-1

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