Tag: California Avocado Commission

Each year the California Avocado Commission partners with Land IQ to produce a Statewide Avocado Acreage and Condition Analysis report utilizing digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools to survey California avocado groves. This data helps the Commission make informed budgeting and marketing decisions and provides industry members with spatial data concerning crop type, location, condition and density. See the full 2023 Report HERE.

According to the report:

• In 2023 there were 52,534 planted avocado acres
• The majority of growing acreage is located in Ventura, San Diego, Santa Barbara, Riverside and San Luis Obispo Counties with a total of 50,818 planted acres
• The five top-producing counties reported 1,059 new/young acres and 3,399 topped/stumped acres

The report also provides acreage data by zip code, county, condition, year planted and density.

The California Avocado Commission’s crop estimating team in conjunction with Land IQ uses the latest in remote sensing techniques to assess avocado acreage in production.  As technology continues to advance refinements in our fourth generation of remote sensing techniques were applied to satellite imagery collected during spring and summer months.  The imagery processing techniques include; segmentation into homogenous polygons, retention of tree crop polygons, calculation of average crop canopy moisture and vegetation indices, analysis of change maps from previous inventories, and classification of avocado groves into four categories; producing, topped/stumped, new/young, and abandoned.  Aerial imagery (for a real-world view), and satellite imagery (for spectral and temporal data) are integrated into previously classified avocado acreage and analyzed for current condition of California avocado acreage statewide.

Microirrigation systems — microsprinklers, drip emitters and drip tape — tend to provide better distribution/emission uniformity than other irrigation methods. However, the miniscule flow passages in these systems can become clogged and thus disrupt the uniformity of water applied to a crop. Clogging also decreases the amount of salt leaching around the lateral line.

Late fall and winter are an ideal time to review irrigation systems for needed repairs or malfunctions. A great resource is the University of California’s Maintenance of Microirrigation Systems website that outlines various causes of microirrigation clogging and means of preventing or mitigating the problems.

The first step in alleviating clogs is identifying the problem. Clogs can be caused by:

• Particulates — sand, silt, clay — from surface water sources
• Biological materials — algae, bacterial slimes — from surface water sources
• Chemical precipitates — such as iron and calcium carbonate — from groundwater sources or fertigation

To identify the issues, first flush water from the lateral lines through a nylon stocking or paint straining cloth and examining what material is collected. If you see mineral particles, you have identified your problem. If you notice that clogging tends to occur at the ends of the lines, this also tends to indicate particulate clogging.

If you identify organic matter when flushing the line, then biological materials are the issue. You also can open the end of a lateral line and feel inside the tube to see if it is slimy. If so, biological materials are the source of your problem.

If you note white, crusty materials or reddish staining of the soil near the emitters, this is indicative of chemical precipitates.

Once you have identified the clogging source, you can take steps to address the issue.

Particulate issues can be prevented by regular line flushing and the use of filters. The website provides a list of various filters and a table noting which filter to choose based on water source, particulates and irrigation system. To adequately flush the lines, water must flush at least 1 foot per second at the end of the drip line — 1 gallon/minute for 5/8” diameter and 2 gallons/minutes for 7/8” diameter drip lines.

If organic matter is the source of the clogging, the best mode of treatment is a good filtration system combined with use of a biocide to remove the biological contaminants. Visit the UCANR site for a list of filters and the aforementioned “how to choose a filter” table.

If calcium carbonate (lime) or iron is clogging your emitters, strong acid can make either disappear if emitters are left in it overnight. Lowering the pH (6 or below) of the water by injecting common acids — sulfuric acid, muriatic acid or hydrochloric acid — can help prevent clogging due to lime. UCANR provides specific formulas to help growers determine the injection rate needed to alter water pH.

If high iron levels are the source of the clogging, aerating the water to oxidize the iron and then allowing the precipitates to settle before irrigating (a reservoir or settling basin is necessary) is the most practical option. Common acids also can be injected to decrease the pH of the water (4 or less).

Other maintenance tasks include addressing leaks. For above ground systems, lines can be inspected routinely by using a motorized vehicles to drive along the lines when the irrigation system is running. Detecting leaks for subsurface drip systems is much more difficult, with many sources of the leaks being identified several feet from where the excessive water is detected. If the tail ends of your lateral lines are exposed, one of the best ways to test for leaks is to open just a few of the ends of the lines and note whether the waterflow is diminished.

Because filters can clog frequently, many growers opt not to use screen washers in lateral lines and instead use primary and secondary filters to limit contaminants. Filter maintenance consists of occasionally backwashing them to remove collected matter. This can be done by removing and cleaning the screen or opening a valve and using the water pressure to remove buildup.

As concerns pressure gauges, it is recommended these be installed upstream and downstream of filters and downstream from pressure-regulating valves. Liquid-filled pressure gauges are a preferred choice but tend to be more expensive. And remember to check the gauges, especially those exposed to the sun which may need to be replaced yearly. — By the California Avocado Commission

For more information on routine microirrigation tasks, visit the UCANR website.

California Avocado Commission — California avocado growers in the San Diego region are among the first to harvest their fruit, providing local grocers and consumers with a first taste of the season’s fresh crop. To generate excitement and build awareness among San Diego area shoppers about the start of the California avocado season, the California Avocado Commission invited nine well known San Diego-focused influencers on a grove tour and retail sampling event.

The Commission partnered with social media personalities recognized for their interest in great food, healthy lifestyles, sustainability focus and a talent for showcasing unique San Diego opportunities their followers can try for themselves. The influencers included Sophie Chu, Ashely Diedenhofen, Ellie Ferdowsi, Sierra Georgistis, Jas Grover, Arianna Kotlier, Reyna Pizarro, Robin Plotnik and Marie Reginato.

Starting in the early morning in Del Mar, the influencers traveled to Fairfield Farms in Pauma Valley and enjoyed an informative session about California avocados, sustainable production, grower histories and the upcoming season. Upon their arrival, California avocado grower Spencer Steed took the influencers on a walking and wagon tour of the grove, providing an overview of the operation, his family’s agricultural background and the organic and sustainable growing practices they employ. As influencers toured the grove and picked fresh California avocados, they captured the moments with creatively staged photography that were shared across their social channels to help announce the start of California avocado season.

After the tour, the social media personalities visited the Del Mar location of CAC retail partner for the event, Gelson’s, and participated in the year’s first California avocado sampling event. California avocado grower and packer Jessica Hunter (Del Rey Avocado Company) and Andy Lyall (Lyall Family Farms) were on hand to share their own growing experiences as the influencers captured additional photos and video.

Each of the influencers shared their unique behind-the-scenes California avocado grove tour and sampling experiences with their followers in a visually captivating manner, coupling the imagery with messaging that celebrated the start of the California avocado season, the locally grown nature of the fruit and the sustainable farming practices of the growers.

By partnering with hyperlocal San Diego social media influencers with large followings, the Commission was able to effectively target consumers in regions where they could purchase some of the first California avocados of the season. The campaign, which will continue in the weeks ahead, is expected to generate 1.5 million impressions and build demand for and excitement about the upcoming season.

Additional public relations activity is also now underway in other key California avocado markets and will be reported on at a later date.

California Avocado Commission – Avocado sunblotch viroid is an established disease in California that causes symptoms on all plant parts including leaves, stem, seeds, roots and flowers. Asymptomatic infection also occurs. Those trees, which are referred to as symptomless carrier trees, contain higher concentrations of ASBVd compared to symptomatic. Existence of asymptomatic trees and the uneven distribution of viroid in the tree make the identification of ASBVd symptoms in young trees challenging and problematic (see the photos below for a gallery of ASBVd symptoms). Therefore, accurate symptom identification and the distribution of ASBVd in symptomatic and asymptomatic plants and disease detection are of great importance.

Dr. Fatemeh Khodadadi, Assistant Professor of Extension and Assistant Plant Pathologist at the University of California-Riverside is conducting a research project on optimizing a fast and reliable detection method for ASBVd. As part of the study, her team is seeking to sample symptomatic and asymptomatic trees from avocado orchards in California. California avocado growers who are dealing with this disease in their orchard or are aware of orchards, ranches or groves harboring this disease, are invited to contact Dr. Khodadadi at 845.901.3046 or fatemehk@ucr.edu. The team hopes to mitigate the effects this disease has on the California avocado industry by optimizing ASBVd detection methods.

At its Fall Board meeting, the newly-elected California Avocado Commission Board of Directors named current CAC Vice President of Industry Affairs and Operations, Ken Melban, and Vice President of Marketing Terry Splane as co-executive leaders of the organization, effective immediately. During the same meeting the Board elected its new slate of officers, including California avocado growers Jason Cole, chair; Rachael Laenen, vice chair; Daryn Miller, secretary; and Maureen Lamb Cottingham, treasurer.

“Since the departure of CAC’s former president, Ken and Terry have been managing the Commission together very effectively,” said Jason Cole. “Our Board of Directors has utmost confidence in their leadership and the strength of their combined expertise to oversee CAC’s staff, programs and finances.”

Ken Melban joined the Commission in 2011 as director, issues management. He was promoted to vice president of industry affairs in 2015, and to vice president of industry affairs and operations in 2022. He spearheaded the expansion of the California avocado export program, persisting to secure market access to China in 2020 after nine years of process and negotiation. Other highlights of Ken’s tenure with CAC include working with government organizations for the benefit of California avocado growers, sustainability initiatives, development of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) for the California avocado industry, training and widespread adoption of the program.

Food industry veteran Terry Splane was hired in March 2023 to be the organization’s new vice president of marketing. Since joining the Commission Terry developed a new strategic plan and approach to marketing communications, led the search for a new agency of record and reorganized the marketing staff. He has more than 30 years of sales and marketing experience in the foodservice and retail channels, most recently as head of partner success & strategy for Impossible Foods. Before working at Impossible Foods, for more than a decade Terry was Vice President of Marketing for Ventura Foods, LLC.

California Avocado Commission — More than 230 operators from 129+ restaurant brands joined the California Avocado Commission at the Flavor Experience Conference 2023 hosted in San Diego, California from August 20 – 22. The three-day event, hosted in California avocado growing territory, provided CAC with the opportunity to showcase the local terroir, California difference and seasonal availability of the fruit with a targeted audience of west-coast-based multi-unit operators.

At the event, sponsoring companies presented flavor-forward dishes tapping into current trends to share creative menu concepts with R&D/product innovation, corporate executive chefs, culinary directors, purchasing/supply chain and marketing executives representing national and regional foodservice chains.

Connecting California avocados to emerging flavor trends being discussed at the conference was a top priority for the Commission’s team. To demonstrate how to add “California” into trend-forward dishes, Chef Jason Hernandez served three California avocado centric meals during the Sunday evening reception. The California Avocado Middle Eastern Black Bean Torta on Bolillo — featuring herb-braised lamb, California avocado crema, vegetables and sliced California avocados — melded Middle Eastern and the untapped mash-up trends. To showcase the Gen Z and familiar/surprising trends, Chef Hernandez created a California Avocado Sesame Caesar Salad that included shredded kale and romaine, California avocado “sesame croutons,” shaved parmesan cheese and a California avocado sesame Caesar dressing. The Avo-CA-bonara was a big hit with attendees. This dish featured California avocado carbonara miso cream sauce, confit bacon, capers and California avocado pieces atop bucatini pasta.

During the Monday morning grab-and-go breakfast session attendees enjoyed Chef Hernandez’s modified dessert concept — the California Avocado East-Meets-West Key Lime Granola that consisted of California avocado key lime pie topped with granola and fresh avocado.

At the Monday reception, the Commission served three on-trend menu applications. The California Avocado Korean Short Rib Parfait showcased the Gen Z, fermentation and mustard trends with California avocado wasabi-mashed potato, white California avocado barbecue sauce, pickled avocado and kimchi slaw served in a waffle cone. To demonstrate the Gen Z, fermentation and MSG trends CAC served a California Avocado Fried Rice Salad featuring pickled avocado, chili crunch, microgreens, kimchi vinaigrette and MSG mixed with California avocado fried rice. As a fat replacement consideration, the Commission served Double Fudge California Avocado Bone Marrow Brownie Bites topped with fresh California avocado and bone marrow whip. This dessert demonstrated the Gen Z and familiar/surprising trends discussed at the conference.

The Commission also was one of 18 sponsors selected to conduct a 12-minute demo and testing during the conference. Chef Hernandez and CAC Vice President of Marketing Terry Splane spoke to an audience of more than 60 operators about the benefits of in-season California avocados sourced from local growers while walking the attendees through a flavor-pairing exercise that demonstrated how to maximize the flavors of the fruit in a variety of dishes.

The conference, which reported a 15% increase in operator attendees over the prior year, allowed the Commission to expand its target base of chain contacts for future promotion opportunities and cement existing relationships. To encourage demand for and loyalty to the California Avocados brand, CAC staff also engaged and networked with chain decision makers discussing the California avocado season and opportunities to promote fresh California avocados in 2024.