California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Vegetables West Magazine

  • Pesticides, Air Quality and Upcoming Statewide Notification System Explained

    California has allocated $10 million to begin the development of a statewide system the provides information to the public about pesticides used around them. DPR is working in partnership with several agricultural commissioners on local pilot projects as part of the development of the system this year. Watch this brief interview with Riverside County Agricultural Commissioner Ruben Arroyo as he explains what this means for the public and agriculture.
     
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • National Watermelon Promotion Board Seeks Directors

    The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) will hold a nomination teleconference on Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 8:00 A.M. (PT) for district 4 and Wednesday, February 16th, 2022 at 10:00 A.M. (PT) for district 5 to nominate qualified watermelon producers and watermelon handlers to fill open positions as directors of the Board.

    District 4 — The States of: Connecticut, Delaware,Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, NewHampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont,Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Washington, DC.District 5 — The States of: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming.

    The NWPB encourages all women, minorities and persons with disabilities who qualify as watermelon producers and handlers to attend the meeting and run for nomination to the NWPB.

    All watermelon producers and handlers in District 4 & 5 are encouraged to attend and vote to nominate their representatives to the NWPB. Nominations are submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and the Secretary of Agriculture makes the final appointments to the NWPB. The newly appointed Board members term of office will begin on January 1st, 2023, and end December 31st, 2025.

    The Board members administer promotion and research programs for watermelon. The NWPB works to increase consumer demand for watermelon and expand domestic and foreign markets through its marketing, consumer public relations and education programs. The non-profit Board works with an administrative staff to enact retail, foodservice and media promotions and research programs.

    All Board members are required to attend two meetings each year to become familiar with and develop the Board’s variety of marketing, research and education programs.

    The NWPB represents about 800 commercial watermelon producers, handlers and importers that finance all of the Board’s programs through assessments on watermelons as authorized by the Watermelon Research and Promotion Act. The 30-member Board is currently comprised of 10 producers, 10 handlers, 9 importers, and a member who represents the public.

    Board members are nominated by their peers, and nominations are submitted to the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, who makes final appointments to the Board. These board members oversee all aspects of the Board, including setting policies and deciding how the Board’s budget is invested in promotion, research and education programs. The USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service monitors the Board’s operations.

    To be eligible for nomination, producers must grow 10 or more acres of watermelon, and handlers must be the first handler of watermelon, according to §1210.306 and §1210.308 of the Watermelon Research and Promotion Plan.

    Consistent with §1210.403, the NWPB will allow proxy voting for Board nominees. Individuals wishing to vote by proxy should prepare signed, dated statements, including the proxy voter’s printed name, address, telephone number, identity as a producer or handler, and the name of the individual authorized to cast the proxy vote. These statements should be given to those authorized to cast the proxy vote, who will then provide the statements to the NWPB no later than Wednesday, February 2nd, 2022.

    The producers and handlers appointed to the Board will represent the NWPB’s interests throughout the district in meetings and other forums, and should be dedicated to supporting the Board’s marketing, promotion, research and education programs.

    Additional information regarding the elections and nomination procedures may be obtained by contacting NWPB Director of Operations & Industry Affairs Rebekah Dossett (407) 605-5984 or Industry Affairs Manager Andrea Smith (407) 613-2972.

  • Moonshadow Joins ‘Galaxy’ of Colorful Tomatoes

    Moonshadow, a deeply pigmented purplish-red, oblong tomato, was bred using traditional crossing methods and derived from a cross between a black grape tomato and a high-flavor orange grape tomato. It is now available for pre-order, for spring 2022 planting, from High Mowing Organic Seeds.

    Moonshadow is the sixth variety in the Galaxy Suite, a colorful, multishaped group of medley grape tomatoes bred by Phillip Griffiths, associate professor in the School of Integrative Plant Science at Cornell AgriTech.

    “There’s increasing consumer interest in foods that are unique, aesthetically pleasing and colorful,” Griffiths said. “Farmers markets have been expanding considerably, and consumers who shop at these markets want both local produce and products not typically available in supermarkets. The market for small-fruited, single-bite medley types is increasing, and it has huge potential going forward.”

    Moonshadow tomatoes.

    “I hope that these tomatoes contribute to making healthy food more fun and more interesting, while providing local and organic growers with increased options for high-value products. If you have limited land, expensive land, you can get more value out of these kinds of crops, especially using high-tunnel greenhouses,” shared Griffiths.

    Farmers markets have blossomed across the U.S. over the past 25 years. In 1994, when the U.S. Department of Agriculture began tracking, there were 1,755 farmers markets. There are more than 8,000 today. Consumer interest in organic foods also continues to grow: in 2020, organic food sales in the U.S. topped $50 billion, growing 4.6% from the year before; total food sales grew by 2%.

    Griffiths began crossing heirloom tomatoes in 2004, and some of those selections became the Galaxy Suite varieties. He specifically wanted to create varieties that were new, different and would support small farmers, organic growers and home gardeners in New York and the Northeast, though the tomatoes grow well across the U.S., he said.

    “I hope that these tomatoes contribute to making healthy food more fun and more interesting, while providing local and organic growers with increased options for high-value products,” Griffiths said. “If you have limited land, expensive land, you can get more value out of these kinds of crops, especially using high-tunnel greenhouses.”

    Even in the small-fruited market classes, growers generally favor bigger tomatoes that are easier and faster to harvest and package, Griffiths said. Meanwhile, consumers seem to prefer one-bite cherry tomatoes; however, many cherries have issues with fruit skin splitting on the vine or after harvest. Griffiths wanted to find a happy medium: small-fruited, high-flavor tomatoes, as consumers prefer, with better shelf-stability and after-harvest quality.

    Moonshadow and the Galaxy Suite fit the bill, said Paul Betz, sales manager at High Mowing Organic Seeds. The company runs test plots with new seeds before offering them to consumers.

    “Sales of the Galaxy Suite varieties have increased every season. I’ve also seen growers trying them one season and coming back for more the next year, so I think they are fitting a nice niche for people,” Betz said. “First of all, the flavor is amazing and rich, at all stages of ripeness. And they’re firmer, more rugged – they can handle transportation and packaging and arrive with unblemished fruit, which is really important for consumers.”

    For those interested in growing Galaxy Suite tomatoes, Betz offers this advice:

    –Plants are quite vegetative, so don’t plant them too closely spaced.  

    -In trials, the tomatoes grew best outside, in a weave or trellis.  

    -They also grow well trellised in a high tunnel, like a caterpillar, but Betz wouldn’t recommend growing them in a traditional greenhouse because they produce so much plant material and pruning cuts their yield significantly.  

    Griffiths continues to work on additional crosses and hopes to add more varieties to the Galaxy Suite in coming years, he said. — By Krisy Gashler Cornell College of Agriculture & Life Sciences

  • Black Beans Help Fix Insulin Resistance and Gut Bacteria Balance

    USDA ARS — Adding cooked black beans to a high-fat diet improved sensitivity to insulin and other measures often related to diabetes and restored gut bacteria balance in obese mice, according to a USDA Agricultural Research Service study.

    As little as the mouse-size equivalent of a single serving a day of black beans—about a half cup for a human—lowered insulin resistance 87 percent in obese mice compared to obese mice eating the same high-fat diet without the black beans. Insulin resistance is when a body’s response to the hormone insulin is impaired so glucose in the blood cannot be used for energy, resulting in high blood sugar, a factor often leading to diabetes.

    Mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet also decreased low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, the so-called bad cholesterol, 28 percent and triglyceride levels 37 percent compared to mice eating the high-fat diet without black beans. These are both risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

    Other diabetes-related biomarkers such as the levels of leptin, glucagon, and a group of inflammatory biochemicals were all significantly better in the mice on the high-fat plus black beans diet.

    The researchers also found that adding black beans to the high fat diet restored the balance of healthier bacteria in the gut, particularly decreasing the ratio of Firmicutes bacteria to Bacteroidetes bacteria in the gut by 64 percent compared to mice on the high fat diet without black beans  and mice on a low fat diet. High ratios of Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes are associated with obesity. Intestinal bacteria associated with inflammation such as Blautia and Clostridium all were significantly reduced in mice fed the high fat plus black beans diet compared to mice on the high fat diet without beans.

    “This research suggests that eating even a small amount of black beans can have multiple health benefits,” said ARS research chemist Wallace Yokoyama with the Healthy Processed Foods Research Unit of the Western Regional Research Center in Albany, California. Yokoyama led the study, which was published in the scientific journal Foods.

    “We also tested if supplementing the high fat diet with individual components from black beans would have the same beneficial impacts on the obese mice and didn’t find the same effects at all. It was only adding whole black beans, and cooked whole beans at that, which had the benefits,” Yokoyama said.

    Perhaps the most interesting scientific information coming from this study, according to Yokoyama, is data to begin determining just how black beans improve insulin resistance. It appears that black beans may inhibit the JNK/c-Jun pathway, a key metabolic pathway that has many but not necessarily well-defined functions including regulating inflammatory responses. Chronic inflammation is believed to be the basis for insulin resistance and other metabolic diseases.

    Black beans, or more precisely black turtle beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), are generally low in fat and high in fiber and protein. They are popular in Latin American, Mexican and Caribbean cuisines as well as in Cajun and Creole cooking. Like all common beans, black beans are native to the Americas. Today, they have been introduced around the world to become known as frijoles negros or poroto negro in Spanish, feijão preto in Portuguese, and karuppu kaaramani and kala ghevada in various regional cuisines of India.

    The Agricultural Research Service is the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief scientific in-house research agency. Daily, ARS focuses on solutions to agricultural problems affecting America. Each dollar invested in agricultural research results in $17 of economic impact.

  • New Economic Analysis Underscores Impact of Pandemic on Farmers, Agriculture

    We have all felt the seismic shift from the pandemic and its impact on our lives and livelihoods. Throughout the pandemic farmers and farm workers have worked diligently and continually to deliver healthy and safe fruits and vegetables to consumers. But the pandemic further exposed the tight margins of farming and the intense cost pressures being faced in agriculture today.

    The Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) commissioned a new analysis by economists to examine the cost impacts of the pandemic as well as other factors, such as supply chain issues, which are putting pressure on agriculture’s ability to sustain food production in the region.

    The mission of GSA is advancing families, food and farming in Central California. These types of analyses are an important way to assess vulnerabilities associated with increasing costs as well as identify potential areas where better solutions may be necessary to advance our mission. It also allows GSA to assess their role in supporting members and ag employees by relieving or alleviating economic burden through solution-driven work.

    This analysis provides a short and long-run outlook and focuses on current, continuing and impending cost pressures within a landscape of the economic fundamentals of supply and demand. While there are numerous crops produced in our region, the economists determined their analysis would focus on one crop specifically in order to appropriately identify industry cost pressures. Therefore the analysis examines the per carton costs of growing and shipping iceberg lettuce.

    The economists determined the total cost to produce a carton of iceberg lettuce is over $17 per carton. The average baseline production budget for Salinas Valley iceberg lettuce shows typical costs to grow, harvest, and pack is around $15 per carton. According to the analysis, the estimated increase in direct lettuce production costs identified is $2.12 per carton. This includes a $0.68 increase to growing costs and a $1.44 increase for harvest, packing, and cooling costs including a $0.67 increase due to operational changes related to COVID-19.

    At an average price of $15 to $17 per carton, grower-shippers are not able to cover production costs. The economists state that an increase of $2.12 per carton with 24 heads of lettuce may seem immaterial from the consumer perspective – this would work out to $0.09 per head. However, they point out that this change is quite significant for farmers and shippers.

    These findings are sobering and reinforce GSA’s commitment to support our mission through results oriented efforts. As an example, GSA’s work to protect employees from the spread of COVID-19 included the creation of a model quarantined housing program as well as a mass vaccination program responsible for having immunized a majority of the farm workers in the region. While the primary objective of this effort was to keep farm workers and their families healthy, the development and operation of this vaccination program, in partnership with Clinica De Salud Del Valle De Salinas, also likely lowered the economic burden of COVID-19 on ag employers since it allowed the region to continue consistently harvesting and shipping produce.

    As we address the economists’ findings, GSA and the farmers and farming companies we represent understand their responsibility to grow safe food, protect farm workers, nurture and sustain our farms and the environment around them and be good neighbors and stewards of our communities where we live and work. We acknowledge that thoughtful, outcome-oriented regulations can provide necessary baseline uniformity that govern practices in the workplace including environmental and food and worker safety protections that benefit our community and consumers. However, when new regulations or legislation that impacts agriculture are being considered, farmers should have a seat at the table and cost impacts should be discussed and evaluated, especially in light of the profit margins identified in this analysis.

    While a safe workplace, a healthy environment and safe food are of paramount importance, a strong economy creates important opportunities and support that benefits our communities and should remain a priority as well. In fact, 77% of Bay Area and Central Coast residents agree that agriculture was most or very important to the quality of life and the economy of California in a survey conducted by GSA. This reflects the value of agriculture, including job-creation, support of community initiatives and charities, preservation of green and open spaces and local food production.

    Learn more about the findings from this economic analysis on our new page in the Our Work section of the GSA website. On this page you will find a white paper outlining the findings of the analysis as well as a link to the full report.

  • What US Food Exporters Need to Know about China’s New Facility Registration Requirements

    Port congestion and unresolved international trade disputes are tough enough, without China’s new facility registration requirements going into effect at the start of 2022 for food export destined for China.  Watch this brief interview with Keith Schneller, Trade Policy Specialist for the Almond Board of California,  as he explains the issue and how FDA is addressing it.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • CA Farmland Trust Closes 35th Merced County Easement, Owned by Bowles Farming Co

    California Farmland Trust (CFT) is proud to announce the permanent protection of 327 acres of farmland two miles east of Los Banos, California. Farmed and owned by Bowles Farming Company, the addition of the Lone Tree Ranch agricultural conservation easement (ACE) exceeds 17,000 acres of total farmland protected by CFT.

    Bowles Farming Company is a 160-year-old family farm, with agricultural roots stemming back to the mid-1800s. What started as a cattle and meat processing operation, has since vertically integrated into organic and conventional vegetable and fruit operations. The newly protected property is home to various irrigated field crops.

    “California is the right place to grow so many healthy and nutritious crops, and the loss of California farms is a real problem,” said Cannon Michael, president and CEO of Bowles Farming Company. “With our family’s long legacy in farming, we wanted to see this land preserved and not converted to development like so much of the valley’s farmland.”

    The farm involves the sixth generation of the Bowles and Lawrence families, making the desire to protect the historical land even greater. Putting these fields under an easement ensures their farming footprint will be available and secure for years to come.

    “These subset fields under Bowles Farming Company are unique and valuable, in that they contain high quality soils, reliable water sources, produce high-yielding diversified crops, and incorporate practices which help sequester carbon to offset carbon impacts,” said Chelsea Slaton, conservation director at CFT. “With the growth pressure from the City of Los Banos, the protection of this property signifies the importance of productive farmland protection in order to store carbon and sustain the economy in an area designated by the state as a priority population.”

    Funds for this project were made available through the California Strategic Growth Council’s (SGC) Sustainable Agricultural Lands Conservation Program (SALC), in collaboration with the Department of Conservation (DOC). SALC is part of California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts billions of Cap-and-Trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy, and improving public health and the environment – particular in disadvantaged communities.

    “This farm has been cared for by two Californian families for over 150 years, and we are thrilled to see the SALC program contribute to its permanent conservation,” said Lynn von Koch-Liebert, executive director at SGC. “Congratulations to the Bowles and Lawrence families and the California Farmland Trust on the easement of this landmark property, which is home to numerous ecological and cultural treasures.”

    CFT has worked to permanently protect farmland throughout six counties, with the majority of its ACEs located in Merced County. This property adds to that extensive portfolio in Merced County, where CFT now holds 35 ACEs, with 11,416 acres protected.

  • USAID Awards UC Davis $15 Million for Global Horticulture Research Program

    The U.S. Agency for International Development will provide a base $15 million investment over the next five years, with up to $34.5 million total funding possible, to support a global research program led by the University of California, Davis, that advances fruit and vegetable production, handling, and consumption.

    The Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Horticulture will work with and promote local leadership in communities across the globe to advance horticultural and social innovations for nutritional and financial security. This competitive five-year program was first awarded to UC Davis in 2009 and renewed in 2014.

    “Horticulture offers big health, economic and environmental benefits,” said Elizabeth Mitcham, program director and a UC Cooperative Extension specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences. “UC Davis will be leading an outstanding global consortium that will be able to make big impacts on developing sustainable, local expertise and innovative technical and social solutions to empower horticulture producers and their communities.”

    UC Davis will be joined in a consortium with Florida A&M University, Michigan State University, Texas A&M, and World Vegetable Center, along with subject matter experts from Penn State University and Making Cents International, to help manage this program.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab will focus their efforts in West Africa, East Africa, South/Southeast Asia and Central America. At the forefront of their research will be the development of environmentally sustainable, market-oriented production and post-harvest handling methods that provide smallholder farmers and other stakeholders in fruit and vegetable value chains more income, as well as improved access to fruits and vegetables to better nourish their families and communities.

    Locally led, globally supported

    Within the UC Davis-led consortium are partners and specialists with expertise in horticulture, agronomics, agri-sociology, agribusiness and agri-policy. The Horticulture Innovation Lab will convene these global, regional and local experts to determine research needs in each geographical area. Once these research needs are defined, the team will emphasize a holistic, locally led approach to build community resilience and to support inclusivity. 

    “We asked ourselves, ‘how do you effect change in a system now that overcomes immediate challenges and those yet to present themselves?’” said Erin McGuire, associate director of the Horticulture Innovation Lab. “We need to understand the implications of our projects and to work closely with local leaders and community members to ensure a pipeline of appropriate innovations now and in the future.”

    Building on fertile grounds

    Fruits and vegetables provide vital nutrients for healthy communities, empower women and youth, and improve overall sustainability in production systems — this was the central tenet informing all of the work that the Horticulture Innovation Lab did during its first 10 years.

    As a direct result of the Horticulture Innovation Lab’s work, more than 750 horticultural technologies are now available for transfer and scaling in communities across the globe. More than 32,000 farmers are applying or using these technologies as a result of the lab and its network’s collective work, and more than 13,000 hectares of land are under new management practices.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab produced a number of innovative technologies, including a chimney solar dryer that more efficiently dries and preserves fruits and vegetables for long-term storage, and a simple tool called the DryCard that lets farmers know if food is safe for dry storage.

    Additionally, researchers facilitated the adoption of improved agricultural methods, such as drip irrigation in Guatemala, and conservation agriculture for vegetable production and a packinghouse in Cambodia, that led to climate and social resilience.

    The Horticulture Innovation Lab is a part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s initiative to combat global hunger and poverty. It brings partners together to help some of the world’s poorest countries harness the power of agriculture and entrepreneurship to jump-start their economies and create new opportunities.  — By Matt Marcure, UC Davis

  • Half Moon Bay’s World Heavyweight Championship Of Godzilla Gourds, Oct. 11

    No weigh? Weigh! Bring it on burly, beefy, bodacious behemoths!
     
    The excitement is building in Pumpkintown as the World’s Greatest Gourd Growers and their mind-blowing, Volkswagen-sized orange orbs hope to squash the world record on Monday, October 11 at the 48th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off — the “Super Bowl of Weigh-Offs” — in the World Pumpkin Capital of Half Moon Bay, California and and this year organizers, in association with title sponsor Safeway, are upping the ante big time to celebrate the world’s greatest gourd growers.
     
    The world’s biggest top prize has been increased to $9/pound (from $7/pound) for the 2021 weigh-off champion. Also at stake are thousands of dollars in super hefty prize money doled out to the top 20 plus the big carrot: a $30,000 total mega-prize for a new world record pumpkin entered at Half Moon Bay.
     
    The weighing of pumpkins will begin around 7am and anticipate ending the weighing around 11am followed by the awards presentation and luncheon.
     
    Defending champion Travis Gienger’s rhinoceros-sized 2,350-pound mega-gourd (he named it The Tiger King) handily won the 2020 Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay CA. It was the heaviest pumpkin weighed in North America in 2020.
     
    Beauty will share center stage with beefy brawn — a special $1,000 prize will be awarded to the “Joe Cotchett Family Most Beautiful Pumpkin”.
     
    Additional special bonus prizes include: Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000; Biggest Coastside Pumpkin — $1,000.
     
    Using forklifts and special harnesses, the gargantuan gourds will be carefully placed on a 5-ton capacity, industrial-strength digital scale under the watchful eye of officials from the San Mateo County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office of Weights, Sealers, and Measures. Half Moon Bay’s Weigh-Off will serve as an officially sanctioned Great Pumpkin Commonwealth (GPC) site.

    Spectators are welcome. Admission is free.
     
    WEIGH-OFF LOCATION:
    IDES Grounds, 735 Main Street, Half Moon Bay CA.
     
    COVID PANDEMIC RESTRICTIONS: 
    The event will be held in accordance with State, County and City Health and Safety guidelines at the time of the weigh-off. Health guidelines strongly recommend that attendees be fully vaccinated. If not fully vaccinated, guidelines strongly recommend that attendees obtain a negative COVID-19 test prior to attending the event and wear a face covering at the event.

    LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK: Follow the weigh-off Livestream on Facebook.
     
    OFFICIAL RULES:
    • This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only.
    • Pumpkins must be grown, cared for, and entered by the weigh-off contestant.
    • Each contestant is limited to one entry.
    • Pumpkins that have won prizes in any other weigh-off competitions are not eligible.
    • In the event of a tie, prize money will be distributed equally among the tied parties.
    • Decisions of the judges are final in all cases.
    •Pumpkins must be in healthy and undamaged condition, free of rot, holes and cracks through the cavity, chemical residue, and soft spots.
    •To be classified as pumpkin, specimen must be 75% yellow/orange in color; all others will be classified as squash.
    •The vine must be trimmed to one inch from the stem. No foreign material is permitted in the weighing.
    •All pumpkins will be weighed without the use of tarps or other carrying devices.
    •Pumpkins will be classified by division based on where the specimen is grown, not the residence of the grower.
    •The weigh-off will be conducted in accordance with GPC rules.
     
    DELIVERY OF ENTRIES:
    Growers are responsible for bringing their entries to the weigh-off by 7:00 a.m. Weigh-off staff will move using brute strength manpower, special harnesses and forklifts. ALL entries will be handled with care.
     
    WEIGHING:
    The weighing and inspection will be officiated by the GPC and San Mateo County Department of Agriculture Office of Weights and Measures. The official weighing will be conducted using a 5-ton capacity digital scale.
     
    GROWER PRE-REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED:
    This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only. Growers are required to pre-register online on through this Eventbrite page. This will help us manage and control the event and provide an accurate count of entries. Participating growers are allowed to have a limited number of family and assistants (max. 4 including grower). Your cooperation will help us run a well-organized event.This event is open to growers of giant competition-sized pumpkins only.
     
    GROWERS AWARDS LUNCHEON:
    There will be an awards luncheon to honor all contestants immediately following the weigh-off.
     
    GROWERS VIP WELCOME PARTY, SUNDAY EVENING (OCT. 10) AT CAMERON’S INN & PUB:
    Registered weigh-off growers and their small traveling party (4 max.) are cordially invited to a VIP (Very Important Pumpkin) Party with complementary food and beverage at Cameron’s Inn & Pub on Sunday, Oct. 10 from 5-8pm. Please bring your weigh-off pumpkins to the VIP party for news media on-site to preview the weigh-off entries.
     
    WORLD’S BIGGEST TOP PRIZE – $9/Pound
    1st place prize money will be awarded in a “pay-by-the-pound” system with the champion receiving a hefty $9 per pound.
     
    WORLD RECORD MEGA-PRIZE – $30k
    The Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off is offering a special $30,000 mega-prize for the world record breaking pumpkin at the prestigious Half Moon Bay event. To receive the $30,000 mega-prize, the grower must break and hold the world record at the conclusion of the Half Moon Bay weigh-off. If two or more growers happen to break the world record at Half Moon Bay, the prize money would go to the grower of the heaviest pumpkin. The current world record heavyweight champion pumpkin is 2,703 pounds held by Stefano Cutrupi of Italy just set in late September, 2021! Magnifico!! Here’s how the $30,000 breaks down: the winner receives a world’s biggest $9 per pound plus plus the difference to get to a total of $30,000.
     
    PRIZE MONEY:
    1st Place — $9 per pound
    2nd Place — $3,000
    3rd Place — $2,500
    4th Place — $2,000
    5th–10th Place — $1,000 each
    11th–20th Place — $200 each
     
    SPECIAL PRIZES:
    World Record Pumpkin — $30,000 (total)
    Biggest California Pumpkin — $1,000
    Biggest Coastside Pumpkin (Montara to Pescadero) — $1,000
    Most Beautiful Pumpkin — $1,000
    Special GPC plaques and ribbons will also be awarded.
     
    LIVESTREAM ON FACEBOOK: Follow the weigh-off Livestream on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonbaypumpkinweighoff/
     
    CONNECT WITH US ON SOCIAL MEDIA:
    FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/halfmoonbaypumpkinweighoff/
    TWITTER @HMBPumpkinFest
    INSTAGRAM https://instagram.com/hmbpumpkinfest
     
    2021 PUMPKIN FESTIVAL SIDELINED AGAIN BY CITY COUNCIL VOTE 
    For the second year in a row, the world-famous Half Moon Bay Art & Pumpkin Festival will not be allowed to take place after the Half Moon Bay City Council voted unanimously to deny organizers the required special event permit for this year’s carefully planned, months-in-the-works, single day HMB Pumpkin Minifest 49.5 that had been slated to bring back the uniquely joyous, feel-good Pumpkin Fest vibe to Main Street on October 16. Heartbreak beyond words x two now for our non-profits, our local artists and musicians, our suppliers, vendors and sponsors, local businesses and the entire Coastside community and festival fans everywhere.

  • FDA Findings from Yuma Romaine Lettuce Sampling

    The FDA is releasing the findings of a sampling assignment for which FDA collected and tested romaine lettuce from commercial coolers in Yuma County, Arizona during February and March 2021. The agency tested the lettuce for Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC), specifically enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC), and Salmonella spp. This assignment was part of the FDA’s ongoing surveillance following multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreaks of foodborne illness in recent years linked to or potentially linked to romaine lettuce.

    The agency’s goal in conducting this assignment was to determine whether the target pathogens and specific strains may be present in romaine lettuce from the Yuma agricultural region, to help prevent foodborne illness when possible. If product that tested positive for EHEC or Salmonella was found, the Agency planned to work with industry and state regulatory partners to identify the cause (e.g., farm follow-up investigation) to inform future regulatory and/or research efforts and to develop strategies that could help preventive additional outbreaks.

    The FDA collected 504 romaine samples for EHECs and Salmonella spp., with the testing performed by an independent laboratory on contract, as part of a pilot project. Each sample consisted of 10 subsamples, and each subsample was made up of at least 300 grams of romaine lettuce (whole heads, hearts or individual leaves).  Collecting and testing samples composed of multiple subsamples increases the probability of detecting pathogens if present, since microbial hazards may not be uniformly present.

    During the assignment the FDA detected E. coli O130:H11 in one sample.  The isolate was found to be moderate to high risk and could be capable of causing severe illness in humans, though it was not linked to any known human illnesses, and no product ever reached consumers. The owner of the product did not harvest the remaining crop from the field where it was grown.

    In response to the finding, FDA conducted an investigation at the farm to identify possible sources and routes of contamination. The FDA was able to collect romaine lettuce from the field, multiple samples of soil, water, sediment, and animal fecal material. FDA also assessed farm equipment and other surfaces. Only one of the total 24 samples yielded STEC (specifically, E. coli O116:H-). This sample came from the outer leaves of romaine lettuce. The strain was further characterized as low risk to human health, and FDA’s analysis indicated the strain was not linked with any past known foodborne illness outbreaks.

    Helping to ensure the microbiological safety of leafy greens continues to be a priority of the FDA. Romaine lettuce and other leafy greens are among the most widely consumed vegetables in the United States and are an important part of a healthy diet. The agency is working on several fronts to help prevent microbial contamination of leafy greens and to prevent outbreaks of foodborne illness. Chief among these efforts is the FDA’s Leafy Greens STEC Action Plan (LGAP), which features public health approaches related to response, prevention and addressing knowledge gaps. The FDA continues to collaborate with industry, states, academia and other stakeholders through activities outlined in the LGAP to address this important public health issue.