As specialty crops become a bigger topic of conversation in the development of a new US Farm Bill, California growers could potentially receive more national support than ever before. Watch this brief interview with Sara Arsenault, new Vice President of the Almond Alliance of California as she explains — based on her presentation at the recent Tree & Vine Expo.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
USDA-NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research & Extension (ECDRE) program brings the nation’s top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions that combat and prevent citrus greening (HLB) at the farm-level. For the first time in the program’s history, NIFA is supporting an HLB-focused Coordination Network (CN) Project led by an interdisciplinary team of scientists representing all three major citrus producing states. This CN project will benefit the US citrus by providing a much-needed synthesis of existing HLB research in an easily accessible online database as well as developing region specific decision support tools for citrus industry stakeholders, the HLB-research community, and research organization administrators.
Among the funded research includes virus-induced gene silencing at UC Davis using insect specific viruses to manipulate psyllid as a strategy to control HLB in citrus. Read about all the funded research projects HERE.
To ensure California citrus growers are well prepared in the event of a potential commercial grove detection of Huanglongbing (HLB), the deadly citrus plant disease that can be spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), the Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program (CPDPP) has developed a response guide for growers to utilize and educate themselves on the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) action plan.
The Response Guide for a Confirmed HLB Positive Detection in a Commercial Grove details the steps taken by CDFA and actions required of the property or grove owner, as outlined in CDFA’s Action Plan.
The actions in the response guide represent the most effective tools known to the citrus industry at this time and are meant to protect California’s citrus groves and support CDFA’s current required regulatory response. While, as of today, there have been no positive detections of HLB in a commercial citrus grove, the CPDPP recognizes the importance of proper preparation.
In addition to the requirements outlined in the guide, growers are encouraged to use as many methods as feasible for their operation in order to limit the spread of the ACP and HLB.
To read or download the response guide, please click HERE. If you have any questions or would like to order physical copies of this response guide, please visit our Resources page. — By the California Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program
Ken Melban, who joined the California Avocado Commission (CAC) in 2011 as director, issues management, has been promoted to vice president of industry affairs and operations. He has served as CAC’s vice president, industry affairs since 2015. In his new role, he will continue to lead the Commission’s industry affairs programs and take on the financial and administrative operations of the organization.
Prior to starting his career with CAC, Melban worked with California commodity boards and the National Grape & Wine Initiative, as well as manager of the Statewide Spray Safe program. He also served as an adjunct professor at his alma mater, Fresno Pacific University.
During his career with the Commission, Melban has assumed responsibility for industry advocacy activities, issues management, production research and grower communications. As part of his efforts to expand the California avocado export market, he secured market access to China and has secured USDA Market Assessment funding and USDA Market Access program grants to promote avocados in South Korea, Japan and China.
He has played a key role in the development of sustainability initiatives, including the adoption of Good Agricultural Practices for the California avocado industry. After the devastating losses from the Thomas fire in 2017, his efforts led to expedited federal funding for impacted industry members. Melban was appointed by the U.S. Trade Representative and USDA Secretary of Agriculture to the Agricultural Technical Advisory Committee in 2014 and was reappointed in 2019.
Throughout his career he has represented the interests of California avocado growers through his service with the California Department of Food and Agriculture Climate Change Adaptation Consortium and Ventura AG Futures Alliance.
A foul-smelling, voracious, wide-spread pest of fresh fruits and tree nuts could become even more ubiquitous with climate change.
A recent modelling study found that changing weather could increase suitable habitat for the brown marmorated stink bug in the United States by 70%. The study, published in Pest Management Science, draws on data from a three-year stink bug monitoring effort in 17 states as well as several potential climate scenarios. However, whether the insects will thrive in new places depends on the conditions of each area and potential mitigation measures.
“Every system will change with climate change, so the fact that you can grow garbanzo beans, lentils or wheat without these pests now, doesn’t mean that you will not have them in a few years,” said study lead author Javier Gutierrez Illan, a Washington State University entomologist. “There are mitigating things that we can do, but it is wise to prepare for change.”
The study found that overall, there is likely to be a northward shift in stink bug-friendly conditions. Regions that may be particularly affected include the Mid-Atlantic, areas surrounding the Great Lakes, and the valleys of the West Coast, such as the Sacramento Valley in California and the Treasure Valley in Idaho.
The brown marmorated stink bug is a generalist herbivore — it is known to feast on nearly 170 different plants including crops and ornamental plants. Originating in Asia, this type of stink bug first appeared in the U.S. about 20 years ago and has since spread coast to coast. It’s been detected in 46 states and considered a pest in 15 of them.
Homeowners may recognize brown marmorated stink bugs because they like to overwinter indoors. In fact, the study found that proximity to populated areas appeared to help the insects get established in new places, but once there, they did not need to be near people to proliferate. Other factors like availability of water mattered more for their abundance.
People are likely inadvertently transporting stink bugs in vehicles or farm equipment to areas that would otherwise be hard for them to reach by flying alone, said Gutierrez Illan.
Stink bugs dislike cold winters, but the rising temperatures brought by climate change are not necessarily a good thing if the land becomes too dry. They need water, so the researchers said that changing patterns of precipitation will likely influence where the stink bugs will thrive.
In some states including Washington, officials and researchers are employing a parasitoid insect, called the samurai wasp, to control stink bugs. The wasps lay their own eggs inside stink bug eggs. This not only destroys the affected eggs, but when the wasp larvae hatch, they eat other developing stink bugs. Measures like these might help prevent or minimize stink bug spread into new areas, Gutierrez Illan said.
For Washington growers, the researcher recommended using WSU’s DAS, or Decision Aid System, a web-based tool which provides information to help prepare for changes to their agricultural systems, including the possible appearance of these pests.
Gutierrez Illan also advised growers to familiarize themselves with the brown marmorated stink bug through sites like stopbsmb.org, even if they have never had the pest in their fields.
“Most growers learn from their parents or from the previous generation, but the information that they had is probably no longer as useful because the climate is changing, so they need these types of tools,” Gutierrez Illan said. —
The UC Cooperative Extension is hosting an in-person Organic Agriculture Workshop on December 8 from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. The workshop is designed for growers, CCAs, PCAs and other agricultural professionals interested in organic agriculture. The session will cover regulations, assistance programs, fertilization, irrigation, and managing pests, diseases and weeds.
The workshop will discuss the specifics of organic production as related to avocados, citrus and berries. The sessions will include group instruction followed by discussion and questions. Presentation topics of interest to California avocado growers include the following:
Registration is required for this event and registration is limited to 60 persons. Early registration (November 17 – November 27) is $60 per person. Late registration (November 28 – December 5) is $75 per person. The workshop will take place at the Farm Hub-Farm Bureau Conference Room, 420 South Broadway, Escondido, CA.
The complete agenda is available online. For additional information, contact Jan Gonzales at jggonzales@ucdavis.edu.
The U.S. Blueberry Council (USHBC) has released its 2021 Impact Report that details last year’s efforts across all program areas in working toward the USHBC’s vision to make blueberries the world’s favorite fruit.
Guided by the 2021-2025 strategic plan, USHBC recaps 2021 progress and achievements in consumer promotions, health research, foodservice, industry relations, export and food manufacturing, and annual meetings taking place in the spring and fall. An overview of the organization, its committees, staff and financials is also included.
“Last year marked a pivotal point in time for our organization in our journey to drive the next ‘blue wave’ of growth and innovation in the blueberry industry,” said USHBC President Kasey Cronquist. “We launched Grab a Boost of Blue, our inspirational consumer call to action that’s resonating with shoppers and retailers, and being championed by industry marketers and stakeholders. Data and insights took center stage thanks to a host of new resources in our data center. And most importantly, the blueberry industry overwhelmingly recommitted to the USHBC with the passage of a referendum supporting the council’s work. With stakeholder support and involvement, we’ll continue to inspire possibilities and drive demand for our blueberry industry.”
USHBC’s strategic plan, also developed in 2021, addresses the organization’s pillars of focus and the long-term tactics being implemented to drive domestic household penetration and demand for blueberries worldwide. View the full report HERE.
About the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council
Established in 2000, The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is a federal agriculture research and promotion program with independent oversight from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). USHBC represents blueberry growers and packers in North and South America who market their blueberries in the United States and overseas, and works to promote the growth and well-being of the entire blueberry industry. USHBC was established by blueberry growers and currently has 2,500 growers, packers and importers. USHBC is committed to providing blueberries that are grown, harvested, packed and shipped in clean, safe environments. Learn more at ushbc.org.
The San Joaquin Valley Avocado Meeting, which will occur on December 5, will feature a variety of guest speakers and visits to two local GEM avocado groves. The meeting will take place from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at the UC Lindcove Research and Extension Center located at 22963 Carson Avenue, Exeter, California.
The meeting will include the following:
If you are interested in attending the workshop, please RSVP with Mary Lu Arpaia at mlarpaia@ucanr.edu with the subject line: 12/5/22 Avocado Meeting.
Upon the recommendation of the Citrus Research Board (Board), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (Department) has established an assessment rate to be levied on California citrus producers during the 2022-2023 marketing season, which is the period of October 1, 2022 through September 30, 2023. The assessment rate for the 2022-2023 marketing season has been set at three and two-tenths cents ($0.032) per 40-pound standard field box, or the equivalent thereof, of all types and varieties of citrus, as defined by the California Citrus Research Program, marketed by producers and received by handlers or processors during the season. The assessment rate for the 2022-2023 marketing season is two-tenths of one cent ($0.002) per standard field box higher than last season’s rate.
In order to facilitate the collection of assessments, each handler or processor of California citrus is required to remit assessment payments to the Board office on behalf of producers from whom they receive citrus, including their own production. In turn, handlers and processors are authorized to deduct such assessment payments from any money owed to such producers. Assessment forms and additional instructions for reporting and remitting assessments on behalf of producers will be provided to all citrus handlers and processors by the Board office.
Funds generated by this assessment are used to conduct general production research, a variety improvement research program, a quality assurance program on agricultural chemical residues, pest and disease control functions, and other activities pertinent to the California citrus industry.
If you have any questions regarding this assessment rate or the activities of the California Citrus Research Program, please contact Marcy Martin, President of the Citrus Research Board, at (559) 738-0246, or Steven Donaldson with the Department’s Marketing Branch at (916) 900-5018. — Joe Monson, Branch Chief CDFA Marketing Branch
The California Avocado Society’s Annual Meeting will take place in person on Thursday, November 3 from 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. and feature a keynote speaker and three presentations.
The event will include the following:
The meeting will beheld at the Pauma Band of Mission Indians Ellis Ranch located at 18162 CA-76, Pauma Valley, California. Registrations prior to October 27 are $35 for members and $45 for non-members. Registrations at the event are $55. Fee includes lunch and a CAS hat. Interested participants may register online or via mail. If registering by mail, registration fees should be sent to CAS, P.O. Box 4205, Ventura, CA, 93007. Please include a list of attendees’ names if you register by mail.