California is the nation’s primary producer of many specialty crops, and table olives is among those choice commodities. Todd Sanders from the Olive Growers Council of California visited with Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to provide an update on the developing 2024 olive crop as well as emphasizing the need for the U.S. to continue protecting the industry from foreign imports with an anti-dumping tariff. Watch this brief interview and read more in California Fruit & Vegetable Magazine.
As apple harvest begins this month in California, Matthew Malcolm from California Fruit & Vegetable Magazine met with the California Apple Commission’s new Director of Programs, Jacqueline Nakashian, to discuss the outlook of the crop this year and an exciting partnership and marketing campaign that will be launching during harvest to boost sales for California grown apples. Watch this brief interview and read more in California Fruit & Vegetable Magazine.
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) recently unveiled its newly improved quarterly holiday reports, now featuring holiday promotional sales information. This integration of new holiday promotional sales information empowers retailers, category managers, marketers, and industry leaders with invaluable data to optimize promotions and drive avocado sales growth.
The latest updates provide detailed analyses of promoted and non-promoted volume and dollar sales, pricing dynamics, lift metrics, and promotional efficiency across various bulk avocado sizes and bagged avocados. The latest report offers in-depth insights on the impact of holiday promotions on avocado volume sales during the first quarter. Big Game, Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter collectively contributed total category promotional gains, boosting first quarter volume sales by more than +23.4M pounds. During Big Game week, large avocado (4225) promotions outperformed small avocados (4046) and bagged avocados, driving +105.1% lift in volume, +47 points higher than the percent volume lift achieved by small avocados (4046).
Photo Caption: The Hass Avocado Board’s recently published first-quarter retail recap reveals that combined holiday-week avocado promotions boosted first-quarter sales by more than +23M pounds. Large avocado (4225) promotions showed strong performance, with a +105% lift in volume (lbs).
Key highlights from the report include:
Volume and dollar sales soared during the Big Game this year, with 62.2M units sold reaching $59.4M, an increase of +3.8M units and +$3.3M in sales versus the year prior. Promotions drove more than +10.3M pounds in additional sales.
During Valentine’s Day, sales reached 49.7M units and $50.7M in sales, with a notable +52.2% increase in promoted organic avocado volume (lbs).
On St. Patrick’s Day, 52.0M avocado units were sold, generating $54.7M in sales, a +13.0% increase in dollar sales from the previous year.
Easter holiday dollar sales grew +10.6% over the prior year and reached $55.1M despite a slight decrease in unit sales and an overall decline in promoted volume across the category.
“This update marks a significant stride in understanding consumer trends and avocado promotions surrounding holiday sales,” said Alejandro Gavito, senior business insights and data services manager for the Hass Avocado Board. “By incorporating detailed promotional insights, our reports enable the industry to effectively monitor sales drivers and identify growth opportunities during key holiday periods.”
These holiday sales insights underscore HAB’s commitment to providing actionable data supporting informed decision-making and fostering industry-wide growth. Findings from this report will be crucial in shaping strategic initiatives and optimizing avocado sales strategies nationwide as consumer preferences evolve.
For a comprehensive overview of avocado sales performance during each holiday, including performance by region, please visit hassavocadoboard.com and download the full report.
About The Hass Avocado Board
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) exists to help make avocados America’s most popular fruit. HAB is the only avocado organization that equips the entire global industry for success by collecting, focusing, and distributing investments to maintain and expand demand for avocados in the United States. HAB provides the industry with consolidated supply and market data, conducts nutrition research, educates health professionals, and brings people together from all corners of the industry to collectively work towards growth that benefits everyone. The organization also collects and reallocates funds to California and importer associations to benefit specific countries of origin in promoting their avocado brands to customers and consumers across the United States.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding crop insurance options for specialty and organic growers beginning with the 2025 crop year. USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) is expanding coverage options by allowing enterprise units by organic farming practice, adding enterprise unit eligibility for several crops, and making additional policy updates. This is the first of several announcements this summer, which will include the expansion of the shellfish policy in the Northeast and new coverage for grape growers in the West and beyond. These expansions and other improvements build on other recent RMA efforts to better serve specialty crop producers and reach a broader group of producers.
“The Risk Management Agency is excited to expand coverage options for specialty and organic growers including the availability of enterprise and optional units for many producers,” said RMA Administrator Marcia Bunger. “Expanding our coverage options gives producers more opportunities to manage their risks. We will continue to build on our work through future announcements later this summer.”
The following changes will be made beginning with the 2025 crop year:
Enterprise and Optional Units:
Expand Enterprise Units (EU) to almonds, apples, avocado (California), citrus (Arizona, California, and Texas), figs, macadamia nuts, pears, prunes, and walnuts.
Allow non-contiguous parcels of land that qualify for Optional Units (OU) to also qualify for EU.
Allow EUs by organic farming practice for alfalfa seed, almonds, apples, avocado (California), cabbage, canola, citrus (Arizona, California and Texas), coarse grains, cotton, ELS cotton, dry beans, dry peas, figs, fresh market tomatoes, forage production, grass seed, macadamia nuts, millet, mint, mustard, pears, potatoes (northern, central, and southern), processing tomatoes, prunes, safflower, small grains, sunflower seed, and walnuts.
Expand OUs by organic practice to all remaining crops where OUs are available, and the organic practice is insurable.
Walnut Quality Adjustment: Allow sunburned damaged walnuts to be eligible for indemnity payments through quality adjustment.
Almond Leaf Year: Expand insurance coverage to younger trees by including trees in their fifth leaf year after being set out.
These revisions come through the Expanding Options for Specialty and Organic Growers Final Rule published today by the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation (FCIC). This Final Rule will update the Common Crop Insurance Policy Basic Provisions, Area Risk Protection Insurance Basic Provisions, and includes changes to individual Crop Provisions.The enterprise unit availability will continue to be rolled out throughout the year with each crop’s contract change date and RMA will continue to evaluate expanding EUs to additional crops.
Additional changes in the June 30 Final Rule include:
New Breaking Acreage:
Reduce administrative burdens on growers and the delivery system by removing written agreement requirements on new breaking acreage.
Reduce coverage penalties on perennial specialty crop producers and producers of intensively managed crops, such as alfalfa, when they move to row crop production. This allows for a seamless transition without losing crop insurance coverage.
Assignment of Indemnity: Provide flexibility for an indemnity payment to be issued via automated clearing house (ACH) or other electronic means when these methods do not allow for multiple payees.
Good Farming Practices (GFP): Streamline and shorten the FCIC GFP reconsideration process by closing the administrative file following FCIC’s initial GFP determination.
Double Cropping and Annual Forage: Clarify a producer must prove insurance history for the annual forage crop and meet the current double cropping requirements to receive a full prevented planting payment.
RMA continues to explore ways to improve risk management tools for specialty crop producers and will be announcing additional program enhancements later this summer. Some of those improvements include:
Piloting the Fire Insurance Protection – Smoke Index (FIP-SI) crop insurance program for grapes in California for the 2025 crop year. The pilot program is an index-based endorsement to the Actual Production History (APH) Grape policy that provides additional protection against smoke damage and covers the liability between the APH policy’s coverage level and 95%.
Expanding the Enhanced Coverage Option (ECO) to walnuts and citrus crops and increasing premium support to be consistent with the Supplemental Coverage Option.
Expanding the Grapevine insurance program to an additional 29 counties in California. Grapevine insurance offers protection against vine losses in the event of several named perils.
Releasing new Organic Practice Guidelines to producers for the 2025 crop year. These guidelines are to help producers report planted or perennial acreage insured under a certified organic or transitional practice.
More Information
This announcement further advances USDA’s recently announced Specialty Crops Competitiveness Initiative, a Department-wide effort to increase the competitiveness of specialty crops products in foreign markets, enhance domestic marketing, and improve production and processing practices.
Crop insurance is sold and delivered solely through private crop insurance agents. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Learn more about crop insurance and the modern farm safety net at rma.usda.gov or by contacting your RMA Regional Office.
Commission staff was recently informed by the USDA from the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City that following the February 2022 security issue involving an avocado inspector, the USDA is recommending shifting the avocado inspection oversight from USDA-employed personnel to Mexico government personnel.
On Monday, June 23, CAC was contacted by a major media outlet reporter who covered a press conference held by U.S. and Mexican officials announcing the reopening of the avocado inspections and shipments. According to this reporter, “the officials said that they would progressively start replacing APHIS inspectors with Mexican inspectors to avoid stopping exports whenever there’s a security concern.”
Although there has been no official proposal from USDA to modify the OWP, the Commission is taking no chances and proactively stating our adamant opposition to such a change.
The Commission’s release received good pickup (sample links below) and the Commission will continue to advocate against any such change to the OWP.
Scientists with the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) are examining the antimicrobial properties of mushroom extracts. Their goal: make food crops safer throughout the production process, from farm to fork – and beyond – including the ability to mitigate chronic human health conditions.
Petri dish containing the fungus Aspergillus flavus. This common fungus is a concern because it produces carcinogenic aflatoxins that may contaminate certain foods and cause aspergillosis, an invasive fungal disease. (Photo by Peggy Greb)
Mushrooms are a classic example of a two-sided coin. On one side, mushrooms are a valuable source of food and income around the world and are known to have pharmaceutical qualities. On the other, nearly 7,500 cases of mushroom poisoning (over 700 serious cases and 52 deaths) occur each year in the United States alone.
Now, researchers are pitting the good properties of mushrooms against the bad.
“Edible mushrooms [are] a source of bioactive compounds, and certain medicinal mushrooms have emerged as beneficial ingredients of dietary supplements,” said Jong H. Kim, molecular biologist at the ARS Foodborne Toxin Detection and Prevention Research unit in Albany, CA.
Kim is the primary author of a paper on how medicinal mushrooms contribute to food safety.
The role of mushrooms in food safety begins in the farmer’s field. According to Kim, pinecone cap mushrooms, which are a type of fungi, provide the main ingredient in the fight against a worldwide carcinogenic fungus – Aspergillus flavus.
A. flavus produces aflatoxins, some of the most dangerous mycotoxins that widely contaminate many major crops, such as corn, tree nuts, and peanuts. People who eat a large amount of food contaminated with aflatoxins – or products derived from animals that have eaten it – are at higher risk for some adverse health conditions, including liver cancer and stunting in children.
“Many antimicrobial agents have been developed from mushroom ingredients for crop protection, [including] the natural fungicide strobilurin,” Kim said. “Strobilurins [are] one of the most important classes of agricultural fungicide.”
When farmers use strobilurins, the compound inhibits A. flavus growth by interrupting its ability to breathe. Stopping A. flavus in the field reduces the amount of aflatoxins that manufacturers must contend with during food processing and packaging.
“[We] found that a component of the mushroom Taiwanofunguscamphoratus (Tc) could be developed as a food ingredient having antimicrobial potential, thus inhibiting the growth of fungi and bacteria in foods,” Kim said. “Tc lowers the contamination rate of toxin-producing or heat-tolerant fungi that escape the food sanitation process. The application of Tc in the food industry will promote food safety, which is vital for the health of consumers.” – By Scott Elliott, USDA-ARS Office of Communications
After extensive judging of quality California-produced olive oils, The Big Fresno Fair is excited to reveal the 9th Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition (SJVOOC) winners. This competition, which is open to all olive oil producers in California with products made from their 2023 olive harvest, received a total of 54 entries from 20 different olive oil producers from throughout the State.
Entries were received in two categories: Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) and Flavored Olive Oil, with 10 classes in total. Gold and Silver Medals were awarded, as well as an overall “Best of Show” and “Best of the Valley” selected from all of the highest scoring gold medal entries in both categories. In total, there were 41 EVOO and 13 Flavored Olive Oil entries that were entered for judging. The winners of the 9th Annual San Joaquin Valley Olive Oil Competition are as follows with the counties of ranch locations noted in parenthesis:
Best of Show
Olivaia’s OLA Block x Super Blend (Tulare County) – EVOO
ENZO Olive Oil Company Organic Fresno Chili Crush (Fresno County) – Flavored Olive Oil
Best of the Valley
Olivaia’s OLA Block x Super Blend (Tulare County) – EVOO
Extra Virgin Olive Oils
Gold Medal Winners
Spanish Blends: Joseph Gallo Farms JG Family Estate (Merced County), Olivaia’s OLA Block x Super Blend (Tulare County) – EVOO
Spanish Singles: Cobram Estates Everyday Essentials Mild (Yolo County), ENZO Olive Oil Company Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Delicate (Fresno County), ENZO Olive Oil Company Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Medium (Fresno County), Golden Harvest Estates Extra Virgin Olive Oil (Calaveras County), Olivaia’s OLA Estate Sevillano (Tulare County), Rancho Azul y Oro Olive Farm Arbequina (Monterey County)
Italian Blends: Rancho Azul y Oro Olive Farm Estate Blend (Monterey County), San Miguel Olive Farm Tuscan Gold Eleganza Elite (San Luis Obispo County), San Miguel Olive Farm Tuscan Gold Fantastico (San Luis Obispo County), San Miguel Olive Farm Tuscan Gold Magnifico (San Luis Obispo County), Tres Osos Olive Oil Robust (Monterey County)
Italian Singles: Sutter Buttes Natural Organic Coratina (Sutter County)
Other Blends: Olivaia’s OLA Block X Heirloom (Tulare County)Silver Medal Winners:
Spanish Blends: California Olive Ranch’s 100% CA EVOO (Glenn County), California Olive Ranch Miller’s Blend (Glenn County), Corto Olive Oil Truly (San Joaquin County)
Spanish Singles: California Olive Ranch Reserve Arbequina (Glenn County), California Olive Ranch Reserve Arbosana (Glenn County), Mangini Ranch Olive Oil Picual Reserve (Calaveras County), Olive Crush Farms Arbequina (Calaveras County)
Italian Blends: Regency Olive Ranch Robust (Santa Barbara County)
Italian Singles: La Torre Olive Oil Ascolano (Tulare County)
Other Singles: ENZO Olive Oil Company Extra Virgin Olive Oil – Bold (Fresno County)
Flavored Olive Oils
Gold Medal Winners
Citrus: ENZO Olive Oil Organic Eureka Lemon Crush (Fresno County), ENZO Olive Oil Organic Clementine Crush Olive Oil (Fresno County), Rancho Azul y Oro Olive Farm Orange Infused Olive Oil (Monterey County)
Pepper: Corto Olive Co. Calabrian Chili (San Joaquin County), ENZO Olive Oil Company Organize Fresno Chili Crush (Fresno County), Sutter Buttes Citrus Habanero (Sutter County)
Herbal: ENZO Olive Oil Company Organic Basil Crush (Fresno County)
Other: Sutter Buttes Garlic Herb Olive Oil (Sutter County)
All winners will be on display in the Agriculture Building with educational information on the art of making olive oil and its health benefits. Gold Medal, Best of Show and Best of the Valley winners will have the opportunity to have a booth in the Agriculture Building during the 2024 Big Fresno Fair.
Participants in the 2024 SJVOOC were evaluated and scored on the following criteria:
Gold Medal: Awarded to an olive oil that demonstrated its type and/or varietal character, balance, structure and complexities to the highest standards. Gold Medals were awarded to those oils receiving scores between 86 – 100 points.
Silver Medal: Awarded to an olive oil reflecting the correct distribution of balance and character of its type or variety; an oil deemed to be well crafted and of excellent quality. Silver Medals were awarded to those oils receiving scores between 76 – 85 points.
Best of Show: Awarded to an olive oil recognized to possess special characteristics of the highest quality overall.
Best of the Valley: Awarded to the oil that scored the highest with the ranch or office located in the San Joaquin Valley. Medals were awarded for both EVOO and flavored oils. (Kern, Tulare, Kings, Fresno, Madera, Merced, Stanislaus and San Joaquin Counties eligible)
Details and the 2025 SJVOOC entry application will be posted in February 2025.
About The Big Fresno Fair:
The Big Fresno Fair, founded in 1884, is the 5th largest fair in the state of California and represents the 21st District Agricultural Association. Over 500,000 people from throughout the state visit The Big Fresno Fair each year, making it the largest annual event in the Central Valley. Members of the Board of Directors include: Terry Gonsalves, President; Gary Chahil, Vice President; Frank Flores, Secretary/Treasurer; Linda Mae Balakian Hunsucker; Jerry Pacheco; Annalisa Perea, Chuck Riojas and Lawrence Salinas. The 2024 Big Fresno Fair will run October 2 – 14. For more details, please visit www.FresnoFair.com.
By Sudan Gyawaly, UCCE Northern Sacramento Valley IPM Advisor — ‘Leaf curl plum aphid’ and ‘mealy plum aphid’ are the key pests of prune orchards in the northern Sacramento Valley. Both aphid species survive the winter in the orchard at egg stage near the base of buds. Once hatched, around bloom time, they vigorously feed on the young foliage and build up their population quickly. From May (leaf curl plum aphid) and June/July (mealy plum aphid), most aphids leave the prune trees and feed on alternate weed hosts outside the orchard.
Mealy plum aphid
Both aphid species infest growing leaves and stems in spring and summer, which can cause curling and stunting of the leaves. Serious aphid infestation can reduce tree growth, vigor, and potentially reduce fruit sugar content. Accumulation of honeydew, which these aphids excrete while feeding, results in the development of sooty mold which can potentially lead to fruit cracking.
Damage caused by plum leaf curl aphid, Jack Kelly Clark, UC IPM
Determining the need to spray for aphids and optimum spray timing.
The decision to spray for aphids depends on the past and present orchard aphid pressure, which also helps determine the optimum spray timing. Also, the need to spray for other prune pests (such as scale or peach twig borer) can influence the selection of materials and application timings for aphids. Several pesticide options are available for aphid control for different application timings (see table, below). An effective aphid management program should always weigh the relative cost, efficacy, and impacts on natural enemies and surface water quality.
If aphids are a consistent problem in an orchard, a late fall/early dormancy (Nov-early Dec) spray with a low label rate of a pyrethroid insecticide provides good control of aphids. Low label rates of these insecticides applied at this time are effective, yet the risk of surface water runoff is reduced. Oil spray during this period can seriously impact parasites (natural enemies) and is not recommended, especially if leaves are still on trees.
Dormant sprays (late Dec-Jan) of pyrethroid or pyrethroid plus oil treatments are effective against aphids and other pests, such as scale and PTB. However, this application timing poses higher risks of surface water contamination.
If a fall/dormant spray is not applied, dormant spur sampling can help decide the need for aphid sprays at bloom. Dormant spur sampling for aphids involves sampling for aphid eggs, and the treatment threshold for aphids is just 1 egg out of 100 spurs. However, aphid eggs can be hard to find on dormant spurs, and not finding eggs on spurs doesn’t mean none are present. Therefore, a spring/summer monitoring is necessary to complement the dormant spur sampling if no eggs were found on dormant spurs. Bloom time sprays of narrow-range oil are effective against aphids.
If aphids are only an occasional problem in the orchard and sprays were not applied at fall/dormant or bloom time, the need to spray for aphids is based on spring/summer monitoring. Spring/summer aphid monitoring involves weekly monitoring (from petal fall until a treatment is applied or July 15) of 40 trees/block for aphid infestation and determining if those trees have significant (aphid covering >10% of tree leaf surface) aphid infestations. Treatment is warranted if a threshold (12 out of 40 trees monitored in a block) have significant aphid infestation. Click this link for details on spring/summer monitoring.
The table below (adopted from Franz Niederholzer) provides a good summary of various prune aphid control materials, their application timings, efficacy against key prune pest and risks to water quality.
Label is the law. Always read the label of the product being used.
Disclaimer: Products listed in this table do not constitute a recommendation, and many of the active ingredients presented in this article can be purchased under multiple trade names.
Each year, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) provides an impact report that details the council’s efforts to keep blueberries front of mind (and top of cart!) with consumers and other key audiences. In 2023, USHBC’s mantra of “Inspiring Possibilities” was more powerful than ever as the USHBC focused on new and innovative ways to boost global passion for blueberries.
Despite 2023’s challenges, the USHBC succeeded in conveying the blueberry industry’s critical messages, provided timely information and news about the market, and sustained consumer enthusiasm for the amazing blues.
Shelly Hartmann from USHBC shared, “I encourage you to spend some time with the report to get a look at the committee members and staff who are leading the charge and learn about all of our efforts in 2023. I think you’ll be inspired when you check out the report – I know I was!”
The report includes:
Exciting consumer promotions and power periods.
Outstanding media coverage.
Health research promotions and partnerships.
Retail marketing efforts.
Foodservice events and activations.
Food manufacturing product development efforts.
Tactics for engaging blueberry industry stakeholders.
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) names Meyocks, a marketing and branding firm, as its agency partner to lead research and nutrition-focused advertising and creative strategy promoting the benefits of avocados to health professionals.
“For nearly 12 years, we have been communicating the growing body of avocado research, resources and usage ideas to health professionals as well as generating awareness of Avocados – Love One Today®,” says Gina Widjaja, senior director of marketing communications with HAB. “We are excited to collaborate with Meyocks ensuring that avocados remain top of mind for health professionals who advocate a food-as-medicine approach.”
The collaboration between HAB and Meyocks will focus on four critical health pillars: supporting heart health, aiding in weight management, managing Type 2 diabetes and promoting healthy living at every age.
“Meyocks helps food, agriculture and healthcare brands make a meaningful difference in the world,” says Kelly Ferguson, CEO of Meyocks. “We can’t imagine a better fit than helping the Hass Avocado Board tell the story of this superfruit’s health benefits.”
HAB leverages its nutrition marketing program to effectively communicate with health professionals and consumers to build demand for avocados. Through its Avocados – Love One Today® initiative, the board provides a wealth of information on the health benefits and delicious ways to enjoy fresh avocados. This program serves as a leading resource, offering the healthiest reasons and tastiest ways for incorporating avocados into a healthy diet.
About Meyocks®
Meyocks is a branding, marketing and public relations agency that has been shaping marketplace meaning for food, agriculture, health and mentor brands across the globe since 1984. Meyocks is a member of AMIN Worldwide, a global network of more than 50 independent marketing agencies.
About The Hass Avocado Board
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) exists to help make avocados America’s most popular fruit. HAB is the only avocado organization that equips the entire global industry for success by collecting, focusing, and distributing investments to maintain and expand demand for avocados in the United States. HAB provides the industry with consolidated supply and market data, conducts nutrition research, educates health professionals, and brings people together from all corners of the industry to collectively work towards growth that benefits everyone. The organization also collects and reallocates funds to California and importer associations to benefit specific countries of origin in promoting their avocado brands to customers and consumers across the United States.
Extra Virgin Olive Oils
Silver Medal Winners:
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) names Meyocks, a marketing and branding firm, as its agency partner to lead research and nutrition-focused advertising and creative strategy promoting the benefits of avocados to health professionals.