In the summer of 1993, I visited the two small farms on the campus of UC Santa Cruz (UCSC). One of them was a flat, sunny site near the coast, the air pleasantly warm instead of blistering hot like further inland. The tour guide showed us a field in which small, round, bright-red tomatoes peeked out from brown, withered, un-staked vines. I felt appalled to see a UC growing tomatoes so incorrectly.
The tour guide then extracted some of the red globes from the brown rubble of vines and gave each of us one to try. The juicy tomato erupted with deep, complex flavor and sweetness. Feeling disloyal to the Jersey tomatoes I had enjoyed every summer growing up, I had to admit that this was the best tomato I had ever tasted. It still is 33 years later. I happily revised my opinion of the UCSC farming methods.
The tour group leader explained that the tomatoes were dry farmed, meaning that they were grown with only the water that the soil absorbed the previous winter. The tomato vines did not need staking because the dry surface of the ground was inhospitable to harmful insects and fungi.
The lack of water concentrated the flavor and sugars into a smaller volume. As researcher, Yvonne Socolar said at a recent dry farming webinar, “Dry-farmed tomatoes and grapes taste incredible, and consumers are willing to pay for that. But most dry-farmed crops don’t have a quality bump, so it is not a slam dunk for dry farming.”
Dry farming concentrates rich flavor in the tomatoes. Photo by Berkeley Food Institute
However, dry farming is getting more attention across California as growers look for ways to farm in a water-constrained environment. But what does dry farming actually involve, where does it work well and what are the tradeoffs?
The dry farm webinar, sponsored by the Berkeley Food Institute, dug into those questions. Socolar — one of two presenters — noted that the changing climate is making the water supply in California less predictable, and 16% of California’s main groundwater systems are running dry.
As in other Mediterranean climates, rain falls mainly in the cool winter season and typically not at all in the summer growing season. Dry farming of tomatoes occurs in coastal areas but potentially could work in parts of the western foothills of the Sierras. By contrast, the inland valley floors are too hot and dry.
Socolar presented a map of suitable locations for dry farming in California that she generated based on interviewing dry-farm tomato growers. The map can be seen in her research paper at Where dry farming could work in CA. Fortunately, the high priority water areas do have land suitable for dry farming.
Researcher Yvonne Socolar of Berkeley Food Institute conducted a study on dry farming. Photo by Berkeley Food Institute
How Do the Plants Survive?
Socolar explained that dry farming is inherently a diversified farming system, with cover cropping and hedgerows complementing the crop. The plants need deep roots in soil that holds moisture. Organic matter from cover crops is central for holding water and creating a conducive microbiome.
Although not widely used yet, biochar can also hold water, and it does not break down, so it might help even in years when the cover crop does not thrive. Cover crops, however, also provide nutrients. Foliar sprays also may be used to distribute micronutrients.
Eight of the 10 farmers who Socolar interviewed also rotate crops, but two do not, growing tomatoes repeatedly (10 years in a row and counting), or switching between tomatoes and fallow.
Socolar wrote in her article, “These management decisions to maintain fields as dry farmed rather than rotating irrigated crops through are particularly compelling in light of recent research on many of the same fields, showing that repeated seasons without any external irrigation result in soil microbial communities that are associated with improved dry farm tomato performance.”
Water Savings
The dry-farm methods used in California come from Greece and Spain, which have the namesake Mediterranean climate. Whereas the average water consumption for irrigated crops on typical dry-farm land is roughly 3 acre-feet per acre, most dry-farm tomato growers use between zero and ten inches of water.
Socolar estimates that nearly half of the water of the Shasta reservoir could be saved — 776 billion gallons/year — if all the potential dry farmland were dry farmed.
Built-In Pest Control
Because the surface of dry-farmed soils is dry during the growing season, weeds, pests and diseases have a harder time gaining a foothold. That lessens the need for labor. “Weed seeds need water to germinate, so they don’t emerge as easily, and fungal diseases that thrive in moisture do not have the conditions they need to take hold and spread,” Socolar described.
But Socolar cautions that not all that potential dry-farm land is ready to be dry farmed immediately. Rehabilitation with cover cropping and incorporating green manure may take years before the field reaches the level of performance needed to dry farm.
For farmers renting land, the lease term would need to be at least ten years to make the investment in soil benefits worthwhile and so the farmer can get to know the fields. The grower also needs a market willing to pay the quality premium.
Socolar notes that some farmers have also found nuts and orchard fruits to be desirable options to add to tomatoes and grapes for dry farming. “These crops have similar market appeal and quality premiums, making them economically viable,” Socolar wrote. Olives, too, being from the Mediterranean area are traditionally dry farmed, and were grown without irrigation until the 1970s. Globally, by far most olive oil crops are still dry farmed, according to Leandro Ravetti of Cobram Estate Olive Oil.
Whatever the crop, the current dry farmers are paving the way for viable options for other California farmers as the squeeze on water tightens.
California’s processing tomato industry for the first time this past harvest season agreed to voluntary equipment cleaning and notification guidelines to prevent the spread of branched broomrape, a parasitic weed that attaches to roots and sucks out key nutrients.
The weed’s tiny seeds can be smaller than finely ground spices, survive dormant in soils for decades and be carried by wind, footwear and other methods. Its resurgence in 2017 in Yolo County threatens the productivity of an industry that brought in $1.6 billion in 2024.
Under former state quarantine rules, any broomrape detection would require a field be destroyed before harvest. With the new guidelines, growers may harvest if they adhere to certain management practices, including equipment cleaning standards developed by the California Broomrape Board, formed in 2024 to advise the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
“There’s 1,000 acres that are actually reported but we know from observation that it’s probably much greater than that,” said Cassandra Swett, a UC Davis plant pathologist who is leading efforts to sanitize field equipment. “There are two main goals: reduce the economic impacts of broomrape on growers in the affected region by allowing them to harvest, and on the other side, keep broomrape out of the regions that do not currently have it.”
In 2025, nearly all growers and processors in the state signed on to compliance agreements regarding cleaning and notification, and this year the California Department of Food and Agriculture is expected to require them, said Zach Bagley, managing director of the California Tomato Research Institute, which has been working on broomrape control issues since 2018.
“It’s overall seen as a positive in the industry,” Bagley said. “The driver for sanitation is not just the biology of this weed and the reality in the field, but it also has regulatory components.”
Also, this year, all processing tomato canneries in the state have agreed to build on-site wash stations or set up cleaning protocols for the 2026 season to help stop the spread from harvest trailers.
“We can never have a 100% guarantee that we’re not moving seed, but we can do our best to take it off in the fields where we know we have a problem, and that’s where the research comes in,” said Bagley, whose organization helps fund related UC Davis research.
Effectiveness and Timing Key
Swett, fabricators with the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, a Cooperative Extension farm advisor and others in the industry are working on prototypes of sanitizing equipment, evaluating spray nozzle size, water pressure, aim and other factors.
Cleaning is no simple task, and it consists of removing debris with physical cleaning and sanitizing. The right combination of debris removal followed by a sanitizer can substantially reduce dispersal risk, Swett said.
The goal is to reach under and around tractors and remove mud, soil, plant material or anything that can collect and carry broomrape seeds. Some versions of these prototype cleaning systems are in the field and others roll under the equipment.
“These machines are running 24 hours a day,” Swett said. “Taking that downtime to clean the machine is really messing up harvest schedules.”
At present, cleaning a tomato harvester can take hours, but industry is hoping it can get to less than an hour to meet labor, costs and logistics needs. “One of the drivers of this work has been, ‘How can we make it faster but still be acceptable at the end of the day?” Bagley said. Agricultural engineer Dan Frank and crop advisor Patricia Lazicki have developed and are testing prototypes of automated systems that can improve cleaning time and coverage, Swett said.
A Better Picture
Before the broomrape compliance agreements, it was difficult to determine how many of the 185,000 to 250,000 tomato production acres might be infected because reporting would mean losing a crop and the money invested on planting, irrigation and other efforts with no hope of insurance covering the loss.
The agreements have changed that, said Brad Hanson, a professor of Cooperative Extension in plant sciences who is an ad hoc member of the Broomrape Control Board.
“With the risk of crop quarantine off the table for growers under the compliance agreements, we can talk about the problem out in the open,” Hanson said. “The daylighting part of this has been really helpful because for the last five years, we’ve been really in the dark.”
Now it’s about working toward a common solution, said Neil McRoberts, a UC Davis plant pathologist who researches ways to support plant health and regulations. He is also a non-voting member of the board and familiar with pests that have caused widespread damage to other crops. With broomrape, the attention is focused before the weed has spread widely across fields in California and potentially to other crops like carrots, potato and sunflower.
“I’m hopeful because the issues are being faced very early on,” he said. — By Emily C. Dooley, UC Davis
Soil sampling is the first step toward effective control of plant-parasitic nematodes. These underground, microscopic worms, especially root-knot species, develop and feed on the root systems of young fruiting vegetables. Their feeding leaves visible galls on roots, which disrupt the plant’s ability to efficiently take up water and essential nutrients needed for healthy plant development.
A single acre of ground can harbor several hundred million nematodes. Because nematodes reproduce quickly, making control applications early in the cropping cycle is critical to protecting developing roots.
Fruiting vegetable growers can now put a nematicide with a new mode of action in their nematode control toolbox, offering a more favorable environmental profile than other products on the market today – Salibro® CA nematicide with Reklemel® active. Salibro CA is a true nematicide that selectively controls plant-parasitic nematodes and does not negatively impact free-living, or beneficial, nematodes, which play an important role in maintaining soil health.
Salibro CA nematicide is in a unique chemical group, making it a strong tool for resistance management and helping prolong the efficacy of all nematicides. It offers excellent compatibility with soil health, including with beneficial nematodes, soil fungi and soil bacteria. Let Salibro CA nematicide protect the roots of tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables for increased yield potential and more marketable crops at harvest.
As of January, California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 9.8 million tons in 2026, which is a decrease of 11% compared to 11.0 million contracted tons forecast in the August 2025 California Processing Tomato Report. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2026 will come from 185,000 acres, generating an average yield of 53 tons per acre. This year’s contracted planted acreage forecast is 10% below the 2025 estimate of 205,000 planted acres under contract in the August forecast.
The USDA-NASS Pacific Regional Office surveyed California’s tomato processors for their intended contract acreage and tonnage for the upcoming 2026 season. The data reported by processors was either tonnage with derived acreage, or acreage with derived tonnage.
This early processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Producers.
An invention developed by two Cornell doctoral students that turns engineered tomato plants a vivid red when soil nitrogen levels are low has been named a finalist in the national Collegiate Inventors Competition.
The RedAlert Living Sensors, created by Jacob Belding and Ava Forystek, is one of five finalists contending in the graduate student category of the competition, run by the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
Developed through the National Science Foundation’s Center for Research on Programmable Plant Systems (CROPPS), the students’ genetically modified sensor plants could one day help gardeners, farmers and hydroponic growers assess if their plants need more nitrogen. When the sentinel plants turn red, growers may then target where and when to fertilize. Farmers currently apply up to 50% more nitrogen than needed, which has led to run-off that pollutes groundwater and lakes, where it promotes harmful algae blooms.
Graduate students Ava Forystek (left) and Jacob Belding check tomato plants.
The two students will present their invention in a “Shark Tank” style pitch to a panel of judges composed of some of the most influential inventors and invention experts in the country on Oct. 16 in Washington, D.C. The judges, including National Inventors Hall of Fame inductees and U.S. Patent and Trademark Office officials, will select two top teams and a people’s choice award, each of which will receive cash prizes and a form that fast-tracks patent acquisition. An undergraduate contest will also take place.
Currently, one common method for detecting nitrogen deficiencies in plants assesses yellowing and wilting in leaves. By the time leaves turn yellow, the plant is already stressed from low nutrients.
“We like to use the analogy of a dog that whines when it’s hungry,” said Forystek, who works in the lab of Neil Mattson, professor in the school of Integrative Plant Science Horticulture Section in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. “It would be kind of ridiculous to wait until you feel its ribs to feed it.”
The RedAlert Living Sensors take advantage of a native pathway where the plant detects nitrogen around its roots and translates those signals to the rest of the plant. The tomato plants used in the project were genetically modified to express a red pigment when root zone nitrogen is low. Shades of redness also reflect varying gradients of available soil nitrogen.
“We’re taking a signal from the roots where the plant first notices there’s not enough nitrogen in the soil and it translates that into visible pigment, so we can see on the plant that it is hungry for nitrogen, but it’s not already starving,” said Belding, a member of the lab of Abraham Stroock, the Gordon L. Dibble ’50 Professor in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Cornell Engineering.
Stroock and Mattson are team advisers, along with Margaret Frank, associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science, Plant Biology Section, in CALS, who first came up with the idea for the nitrogen-sensing plants.
One day, farmers may be able to plant tomato sentinel seeds in their corn fields to monitor nitrogen levels; home gardeners might use them in their backyards; and hydroponic growers might employ them to ensure their systems’ plumbing is distributing the necessary nutrients.
“It’s amazing to see this technology move from our research labs into the world where it can positively impact sustainable agriculture,” Frank said.
In large field systems, tractors already equipped with cameras that read infrared and visible wavelengths could survey crop fields for interspersed sentinel plants, to inform farmers of nitrogen needs. The team is exploring the development of a smartphone app that would directly correlate sensor plant leaf colors to root zone nitrogen levels. In this way, small farmers could monitor their fields with their phones.
“It’s kind of a democratization of these smart agriculture tools that have seen a lot of popularity in the past decade, but are mostly restricted to pretty sophisticated, expensive systems, with highly technically trained operators,” Belding said. “This could be a smart ag device that is affordable and can be easily used by even a home gardener.”
Initial work on the project was done by Brandon Williams, M.S. ’23, Ph.D. ’25, a former member of Frank’s lab, and Yinan Wu, a former postdoctoral researcher in the lab of Sijin Li, assistant professor in the Smith School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in Cornell Engineering. Forystek has helped Belding and other engineers work in the greenhouses and in better understanding challenges of field applications. — By Krishna Ramanujan, Cornell University
Contracted production for California processing tomatoes is forecast at 11.0 million tons, averaging 55.0 tons per acre, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The current production forecast is 1 percent below last year’s contracted production of 11.1 million tons, and 7 percent above the May forecast. The projected harvested acreage of tomatoes grown under contract is 200,000 acres, down 10 percent from 2024.
Mild spring temperatures and adequate water supply provided tomato growers with favorable planting conditions and a good start to the developing crop. Cooler than normal summer temperatures have boosted yields to record high levels.
The processing tomato harvest began the first week of July and may finish a little later than last year because of the larger than expected crop. However, if contracts are fulfilled and canneries decide not to process more tonnage, some acreage may be left unharvested. To date, tomato quality is reported to be good.
The Processing Tomato Advisory Board published shipments through August 23, 2025, showing a 6% decrease compared to this time last year. This processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Producers.
Doctoral candidate Alison Blundell of the laboratory of associate professor Shahid Siddique, UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology, is the recipient of the 2025 John M. Webster Outstanding Student Award from the Society of Nematologists.
She is the first UC Davis student to win the award, launched in 2007 to recognize “a graduate student who has demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in his/her thesis research in nematology as well as other skills necessary to be a well-rounded scholar.”
As the recipient of the $1500 prize, Blundell will deliver a 30-minute oral presentation of her research at SON’s 64th annual meeting, to be held July 13-17 in Victoria, British Columbia.
“The evaluation committee was very impressed by your personal qualities and accomplishments,” the committee wrote, in praising her scientific accomplishments, leadership and commitment to the field of nematology.
Blundell, who joined the UC Davis doctoral program in 2020, is completing her dissertation on “Trade-Offs Between Virulence and Evading Resistance in Root-Knot Nematodes.” She investigates how root-knot nematodes overcome Mi-1 in tomatoes and is testing for susceptibility associated with resistance breaking. Mi-1 is a crucial gene in tomato plants that confers resistance against root-knot nematodes, which are parasitic nematodes that can and do severely damage crops.
Blundell has collected root-knot nematodes (RKN) isolates from affected fields across the state, developed single egg mass cultures, and is now applying whole-genome sequencing to identify genetic signatures associated with resistance and its breakdown. Simultaneously, she is investigating whether resistance-breaking RKNs suffer fitness costs when rotated with non-host crops—an approach that could directly inform nematode management strategies for growers.
In addition to her scientific contributions, Blundell is involved in professional services with SON, including oral and poster presentations and as vice chair of the SON Graduate Student Committee. She engages in teaching, mentoring, and public outreach on the UC Davis campus. She promotes science education and agricultural awareness by volunteering at the annual UC Davis Picnic Day and the UC Davis Biodiversity Museum Day.
Active in SON, Blundell won first place in the Three-Minute Thesis Competition at the 2022 SON meeting. At the 2024 SON meeting, judges awarded her second place in the 12-Minute Best Student Paper Award Competition.
Blundell, formerly Alison Coomer, holds abachelor of science degree in biology and a bachelor of arts in chemistry (2020) from Concordia University, Seward, Neb., where she received the Outstanding Graduate Student in Biology Award.
In the Webster Award application form, Blundell explained that “California’s processing tomato industry is responsible for one-third of all processing tomato production worldwide. The success of this industry depends on the growers’ abilities to implement management strategies such as integrated host resistance, effective pesticides, and non-host rotation crops to eliminate or control pathogens. Despite these efforts, root-knot nematodes (RKNs), Meloidogyne spp., cause an estimated 5% yield loss in processing tomatoes by suppressing the plant immune system, damaging root tissues, and creating entry points for secondary pathogens such as Fusarium species. These pathogen complexes result in a severe yield loss seen by growers each year.”
“For decades, the resistance gene Mi-1has retained its ability to detect and inhibit RKNs in tomatoes, but the underlying mechanisms by which it recognizes these pathogens remains largely unknown. However, resistance-breaking RKN populations have been increasingly found in both greenhouse and field settings, threatening the effectiveness of the Mi-1 gene and consequently the tomato industry.”
“With this research we aim to improve our understanding of how RKNs evade Mi-1 resistance, increase grower and public awareness about plant parasitic nematodes, and develop management strategies to combat resistance-breaking populations, ultimately supporting California’s tomato growers.”
As of January, California’s tomato processors reported they have, or will have, contracts for 10.2 million tons in 2025, which is a decrease of 10% compared to 11.3 million contracted tons forecast in the August 2024 California Processing Tomato Report. Processors estimate that the contracted production for 2025 will come from 200,000 acres, generating an average yield of 51.0 tons per acre. This year’s contracted planted acreage forecast is 12% below the 2024 estimate of 228,000 planted acres under contract in the August forecast.
The USDA-NASS Pacific Regional Office surveyed California’s tomato processors for their intended contract acreage and tonnage for the upcoming 2025 season. The data reported by processors was either tonnage with derived acreage, or acreage with derived tonnage.
This early processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Producers.
Modoc County, home to 8,500 people and tucked in the remote northeastern corner of California, has been a leader in advancing organic agriculture through its significant ranching and agronomic crop production, namely of potatoes and hay.
In fact, Modoc County is California’s number one county for organic beef cattle production (119,782 acres in 2022), and consistently in the top five counties for total harvested certified organic acres in the state, according to the most recent California Department of Food and Agriculture statistics.
“Modoc County farmers and ranchers in many ways exemplify the values of organic agriculture, adapting and tailoring their operations to the contexts of the unique landscapes we live in,” said Laurie Wayne, University of California Cooperative Extension nutrition, community health and food systems advisor for Modoc, Siskiyou and Lassen counties.
Established in 2020 as an institute under UC ANR, OAI was created to develop research, extension and education support for certified, transitioning and aspiring organic farmers and ranchers across California. The OAI team has been visiting different regions to better understand the unique conditions of organic agriculture in those areas.
“These tours are our chance to build relationships with local farmers, partner organizations and colleagues and see how organic agriculture has grown and developed in that specific region,” said Houston Wilson, OAI director. “We also get to learn directly from farmers and ranchers about how regional contexts and community goals influence organic agriculture in their area.”
“I hoped to show our visitors just a glimpse at the many lessons I’ve learned and inspiration I’ve gained from the agriculture community in Modoc,” Wayne said.
A common theme across Modoc County is the use of innovative and place-based strategies to farm within diverse ecosystems. For example, extensive rotational grazing is well-suited to the region’s vast sage steppes, perennial grasslands and sagebrush ecosystems.
333 Ranch – a third-generation ranch in Lake City owned and operated by Sophie Sheppard, Lynn Nardella, and their son, Jason Diven – raises rotationally grazed beef cattle and calves, hogs and Icelandic sheep and grows organically managed vegetables.
One of several beaver dams can be seen in a creek at 333 Ranch, where high tensile fencing has been installed alongside the creek. Photo by Houston Wilson
Half of 333 Ranch is under conservation easement to preserve natural resources and wildlife. Their land stewardship practices include working with the Savory Institute – a nonprofit that supports the health of grasslands and the livelihoods of people on those landscapes – on ecological grazing techniques. They also partner with the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service to convert barbed wire fencing into high tensile fencing for riparian habitat restoration. Sheppard reported that one year after the fence conversion, the ranchers saw beavers building dams in their creek and nesting Greater Sandhill Cranes.
Leah Larsen of Bidwell Canyon Farm in Fort Bidwell said she learned high tunnel production from Sheppard at 333 Ranch and others in the area. High tunnels allow farmers to extend their growing seasons to accommodate diverse crop rotations and opportunities for local food production.
Larsen – who grows vegetables, fruit trees and berries on 1.5 acres (including in two high tunnels) – also raises milk goats and chickens, maintains grazing pasture and operates a farmstay rental. With 11 years of experience farming in Modoc’s high desert climate, Larsen offers mentorship to other growers in the region and shares information through channels such as the region’s high tunnel Facebook group.
Canyon Creek Ranch in Alturas uses prescribed burns to manage invasive tree species in the sagebrush steppe. Richard (Dick) Mackey and his family operate 3,300 certified organic acres, with 350 head of cattle and 500 acres of hay, pasture and alfalfa. In addition to organic certification, Canyon Creek Ranch is also Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV)-certified; EOV is a program of the Savory Institute that gathers ecosystem data to verify that ranching practices are regenerating the land.
Dick Mackey (middle) of Canyon Creek Ranch leads the OAI team on a tour of his property, and points out various conservation efforts, such as prescribed burns to manage invasive tree species. Photo by Houston Wilson
Mackey, whose family has owned and operated the ranch since 1946, brought the OAI team to an area of their property that is managed with fire, demonstrating how their agroecological stewardship has improved the land and suppressed invasive species.
“It was remarkable to see the difference ecological management such as prescribed burning and targeted grazing can make in promoting both healthy ecosystems and more productive organic agricultural systems,” said Krista Marshall, OAI policy and partnerships coordinator. “I feel incredibly grateful to have gotten the opportunity to learn from the innovative and thoughtful farmers and ranchers across Modoc County about how we can accomplish multiple goals in agroecosystems.”
Another example of ecological and agricultural goals being met simultaneously can be found at Tule Lake, where rotations incorporate a wetland wildlife refuge and crop production. Rob Wilson noted that this “Walking Wetlands” program has benefited organic producers with good pest and disease control from the flooded years in the rotation.
“The Walking Wetlands program is a great example of public and private land managers working together to meet land use objectives,” said Wilson, the UCCE farm advisor. “The program results in hundreds of acres of restored marshland habitat for migrating waterfowl each year, while providing organic potato and small grain growers with productive farmland largely devoid of soilborne pathogens and nematode pests.”
Farm labor support, meat processing infrastructure investment needed in region
All ranchers on the OAI tour commented on the lack of U.S. Department of Agriculture-accredited meat processors in the county. Ranchers explained that they must transport animals hundreds of miles to other counties or across state lines to access facilities.
Jon and Kelsey Arreche of Cow Creek Meat, Inc. at Arreche Farms in Cedarville said that the year-long wait lists for processing complicates planning.
Lambs and calves enjoy a snack at Cow Creek Meat, Inc. at Arreche Farms in Cedarville. Photo by Houston Wilson
The Arreches manage 1,300 acres of pasture, alfalfa, wheat, barley and hay and raise 110 grass-fed and grass-fed/grain-finished beef cattle, as well as hogs, lamb and poultry. Cow Creek Meat was certified organic for 12 years and continues to farm organically despite not pursuing certification currently.
Jon Arreche commented that prices for commodities like alfalfa are not stable but rather fluctuate between organic and non-organic markets, with some years offering a better premium than others. He said that they may pursue certification again in the future.
“Greater investment in processing infrastructure and the need for organic market development are two concerns we heard consistently on the tour,” said Shriya Rangarajan, a postdoctoral researcher with OAI. “We have to ensure the long-term economic viability for these local ranchers.”
The remoteness of Modoc County also has contributed to labor challenges for farmers and ranchers across the region. Some growers have pursued hosting farm apprenticeships or internships, through programs like World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms (WWOOF) or through direct hire.
Bidwell Canyon Farm has a farm internship program, which helps with labor on the farm and also contributes to mentoring and teaching the next generation of farmers. There was widespread interest in developing training programs, akin to Rogue Farm Corps in Oregon, to link beginning farmer apprentices with host mentor farmers.
“Hands-on experience working on farms is the best way to inspire and train the next generation of farmers,” said Marshall. “Farmers in Modoc are already creating these types of apprenticeship programs on their farms, so network and capacity building to support these efforts would benefit the agricultural community.
At Oz Garden, Kay Antunez de Mayolo (second from right) shows what’s growing to the OAI team of (from left) Lexie Wilson, Shriya Rangarajan and Laurie Wayne. Photo by Houston Wilson
Markets often dictate whether organic certification is useful
The number of certified organic farms and ranches in Modoc County declined from 34 in 2018 to 19 in 2022, according to CDFA statistics. The OAI visitors learned from growers in the region that markets often dictated if formal certification made business sense for their organically managed operations.
Kay and Erik Antunez de Mayolo grow vegetables, herbs, berries and natural dye plants on a quarter-acre and heritage apples, peaches and other fruit trees on an additional three acres at Oz Garden in Eagleville. They manage their farm organically, but are not certified. Kay Antunez de Mayolo, who markets produce and value-added goods at the Surprise Valley Farmers Market in Cedarville and the Alturas Farmers Market, also contributes to the Modoc Harvest Food Hub.
Most Modoc growers, certified or not, know their customers through direct sales and build trust around the integrity of their operations. Many farmers and ranchers ultimately don’t see the financial benefit of certification because of these direct relationships with their customers – especially given the certification cost and administrative effort required.
While cost-share programs for organic certification fees exist (such as the USDA Organic Certification Cost Share Program), applying for and maintaining certification status takes valuable time – in addition to direct financial outlay.
Modoc growers contribute to conserving plant diversity
The lively local food and farming community in Modoc County also includes smaller-scale vegetable and fruit farms; the State Organic Program reported 1,281 organic vegetable acres in Modoc in 2023. Modoc fruit and vegetable growers are conserving heritage crops on farm and preserving unique plant varieties while producing food for the community.
Known for its stark natural beauty, Modoc County also supports a variety of agricultural activities through the efforts of innovative farmers and ranchers. Photo by Houston Wilson
At Oz Garden, the apple trees are over 125 years old. Through the Modoc Harvest Heritage Fruit Tree Project, Kay Antunez de Mayolo and others work to identify these cultivars through research and DNA fingerprinting at the UC Davis Genetics Lab. Oz Garden grows diverse plant varieties, including the “Old Fashioned Surprise Valley Tomato,” a locally adapted beefsteak variety stewarded by Modoc resident June Perry.
Bidwell Canyon Farm introduced the OAI team to honeyberries, also known as Haskap berries, which look like an elongated blueberry but have a distinct honeyed flavor and produce well in Modoc County.
“That bit of honeyberry was symbolic of the entire tour – a small but memorable taste of the richness and diversity of Modoc County organic agriculture,” Marshall said. “We are so grateful to Laurie and all the farmers and ranchers for taking the time to share their experiences and feedback with us.” — By Lexie Wilson, UC Organic Agriculture Institute
UC Agriculture and Natural Resources brings UC information and practices to all 58 California counties. Through research and Cooperative Extension in agriculture, natural resources, nutrition, economic and youth development, our mission is to improve the lives of all Californians. Learn more at ucanr.edu.
Branched broomrape is an obligate holoparasite that can attach to a wide variety of agricultural crop hosts, including tomato. It has been reported in numerous California commercial processing tomato fields in recent years and is of growing concern to the tomato industry in the state. In late 2022, a 24c Special Local Need (SLN) label was approved for broomrape management with chemigated Matrix (rimsulfuron). Rimsulfuron is widely used a foliar treatment for broadleaf weed control, and this label addendum allows its use as a chemigated treatment targeting branched broomrape. Small plot field trials with several variations of the rimsulfuron chemigation protocol were conducted in 2023 and 2024 in an infested field near Woodland, CA, that has a well-characterized branched broomrape population. To validate those small plot results, a larger scale demonstration study was conducted in a different branched broomrape infested field located near Woodland, CA, during the 2024 growing season.
Materials and Methods
This trial was conducted within a commercially planted processing tomato crop and treatments included a three-treatment protocol similar to the 24c SLN Matrix label and a four-treatment protocol; both protocols’ applications totaled the annual maximum of 4 oz/A (70 g/ha) rimsulfuron. The field was set up with raised beds with a single 7/8” (22 mm) drip line buried 12” (30 cm) deep in the center of the bed with 0.16 gal hr-1 (0.6 L hr-1) emitters spaced every 12” (30 cm). Individual plots were 1275′ (390 m) long and arranged in a randomized complete block design with three replications. ‘HM 8237′ tomato transplants were mechanically transplanted with 12” (30 cm) in-row and in-line spacing with two lines on each bed. Chemigation treatments were mixed in a 26 gal (100 L) tank and applications were made into individual beds with an electric pump during the last third of an irrigation set (Figure 1). Treatments were applied according to a days after transplant schedule and are listed in Table 1.
In the 2024 demonstration study, broomrape emergence was evaluated four times throughout the growing season and tomato yield was collected using a Johnson commercial mechanical harvester (Oxbo, Woodland, CA) and weigh cart equipped with a scale (Figure 2). Tomato yield per 1275; (390 m) plot was collected at commercial maturity on October 2, 2024.
Results and Discussion
In the large-scale demonstration study, there was no visual tomato crop injury observed in any of the treated plots (data not shown). Both chemigated rimsulfuron treatments had reduced broomrape emergence versus the nontreated control (Table 2). The control plots had an average of 122 clusters per 1275′ plot, while rimsulfuron applied three times at 1.33 oz/A (22.3 g ai/ha) resulted in 21 clusters per plot and rimsulfuron applied four times at 1 oz/A (17.4 g ai/ha) resulted in 15 clusters per plot (Table 2). There was no statistical difference in broomrape emergence between the two chemigated rimsulfuron treatments and both reduced broomrape by greater than 83% compared to the control (Table 2). Tomato yield ranged from 20,114 lbs (9,143 kg) to 20,473 lbs (9,306 kg) per 1275′ plot and there was no significant difference between rimsulfuron-treatments and the control (Table 2). Given the significant reduction in broomrape emergence with both chemigated rimsulfuron treatments and saleable fruit yield that was comparable to the control plots, these results could encourage growers to adopt the 24c rimsulfuron protocol as a preventive treatment in fields at-risk of branched broomrape infestation. This research was supported by funding from the California Tomato Research Institute and the CDFA Specialty Crops Block Grant Program and we would like to acknowledge our generous grower cooperator for farming and harvest support. — By Matthew Fatino, Brad Hanson, Plant Sciences Department, University of California, Davis
Figure 2. Commercial tomato harvester and weigh cart harvesting full-bed (1275 ft long) plots
