The Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has announced the launch of its eLearning certificate course Essentials of Produce Safety, an entirely online, affordable and in-depth program covering the key challenges and best practices in produce safety. The course is the first certificate program in PMA’s new educational platform offering, FreshEd Academy. The course was developed in partnership with Intertek Alchemy, the industry leader in produce safety eLearning solutions.
“FreshEd Academy is our commitment to delivering thought leadership to the produce and floral industries, while providing member partners with innovative, yet affordable, educational solutions” said Gina Jones, VP of Insights and Analytics at PMA. “Essentials of Produce Safety is the first of a number of courses and broader initiatives we are launching that pick up where today’s traditional training programs end.”
Taught by produce safety experts with real life understanding of the challenges and risks, Essentials of Produce Safety is available to individual learners and employee groups alike, with all enrollees benefitting from:
Enhanced produce safety proficiency
Improved communication across the organization and supply chain
Immediate application of learnings to the work environment
“It is critically important for produce safety supervisors and managers to have an opportunity to receive education on why they are doing what they do, and to gain insights into how to do it even better,” says course author, instructor and former PMA Chief Science & Technology Officer, Dr. Robert Whitaker. “Essentials of Produce Safety is designed to provide that educational experience; converting staid food safety training into an educational opportunity that cultivates industry leading food safety professionals.”
Essentials of Produce Safety is delivered entirely online via a device responsive learning management system that enables learners to complete the course anywhere, on any device — desktop, tablet or mobile. The course consists of seven learning modules, a review module, and a certificate exam.
Essentials of Produce Safety instructor Afreen Malik, Director of Technical Services at International Food Safety adds “understanding the science based fundamental principles of produce safety can help lead to a safer produce supply chain globally. Essentials of Produce Safety helps us to do just that.”
For more information, visit: https://freshed.academy.
Dr. Eric Brennan is a Research Horticulturist at ARS’s Crop Improvement and Protection Research Unit in Salinas, CA. Dr. Brennan specializes in crop production and climate-smart farming.
Welcome Dr. Brennan (EB) to Under the Microscope (UM):
UM – You have a rather novel alternative approach to control insect pests like aphids in lettuce without using pesticides, called conservation biological control. Please explain:
EB – Sure, biological control is where we use natural enemies of pests to control them. The approach we used in lettuce is called conservation biological control because we are conserving and enhancing the ability of existing natural enemies to control the aphids by providing habitat and food sources for the natural enemies. In other words, the natural enemies are already there on the farm and we’re just helping them to be more effective. Essentially, we’re letting them know that they’re welcome.
UM – How does this method benefit farmers and gardeners in both short term and long term?
EB – Great question. In both the short and long term this can help us reduce our use of pesticides, which is a good thing. In the long term this can also reduce the ability of the insects to develop resistance to pesticides. When we overuse pesticides, insects can become resistant to them, which makes those pesticides useless in the long run. The cool thing about biological control is that pests don’t usually become resistant to attacks by their natural enemies. For example, I don’t know of any situations where aphids have been able to evolve a way to consistently avoid being gobbled up by the larvae hungry hoverflies.
Lettuce aphid, Nasonovia ribisnigri. This pest (about 1-3 millimeters long) of lettuce appeared in California’s Salinas Valley in 1998 and is now found in all lettuce-production areas of that state and Arizona. (Stephen Ausmus, D689-7)
We worked closely with the industry in developing and validating technologies for a better process control, and for improved pathogen reduction. The industry made huge strides in food safety over the past decade, ever since the 2006 E.coli O157:H7 outbreak involving baby spinach. In recent years, a lot of effort has been placed on prevention of pathogen contamination, and it has resulted in stricter farming practices, better farm worker training, industry-wide food safety standards, supply chain joint efforts to improve food safety, and industry-sponsored research initiatives.
UM – I understand you’ve done extensive work on using the plant sweet alyssum as part of this strategy. What are the advantages of planting alyssum in your field/garden, and what crop does it protect best?
EB – The great thing about this plant is that it flowers continuously. And those flowers are providing pollen and nectar that are a food source for adult hoverflies, which are a natural enemy of aphids. When the hoverflies have this food in our lettuce fields, they’re able to go about doing what they do best in searching out all those aphids and help to control them without us having to use pesticides. This is a system that works really well in lots of vegetables as well as some other crops. Lettuce is probably the best example in the region where I work, Salinas, which is often called the salad bowl of the world.
UM – It sounds like farmers in this region were already planting alyssum in lettuce, but you found that they were using more field space than was needed, thus limiting their potential crop acreage?
EB – That’s right. My research figured out a new method of planting alyssum in the lettuce fields so farmers didn’t have to give up any field area just for the alyssum. Essentially, my method involved adding about 500 alyssum plants per acre in between regularly spaced lettuce plants, which was really a win-win for farmers because they still got to plant a full field of lettuce and were still effective in controlling the aphids.
UM – Alyssum is good for planting lettuce, but you’ve had mixed results planting with broccoli and other vegetables, why?
EB – The aphids that infest broccoli and lettuce are different species. The aphid that goes on broccoli is commonly called the cabbage aphid and it’s generally a lot more challenging to control biologically than the several aphid species that get on lettuce. I haven’t seen a lot of scientific literature explaining exactly why the cabbage aphid is more difficult to control biologically, but there are likely lots of factors. For example, broccoli has to grow for more time in the field before we’re able to harvest it and so the aphids have more of a chance to cause problems on broccoli than on lettuce. Also, there are differences in the harvested part of the lettuce plant versus the harvested part of broccoli that make the aphids on broccoli challenging. With broccoli you’re producing a flower, and with lettuce you’re just producing a head full of leaves. The broccoli flower has lots of little crevices where aphids can hide and eventually deform the broccoli flower that we eat.
UM – How do farmers know which insects are beneficial and which are enemies of pests in their fields?
EB – This has to do with being trained to recognize pest insects versus beneficial insects. There are lots of good photographs on the web nowadays that can help farmers and gardeners identify beneficial insects versus pests. And of course there’s also the friendly Cooperative Extension farm advisors who are more than happy to help identify these.
UM – I understand you’re also researching the use of cover crops and compost for improved soil health, carbon sequestration, weed control, and other benefits. What are your findings?
EB – I love cover crops and have been working with them for much longer than I’ve worked on beneficial insects. So, as you can imagine I could go on for a long time about the different things that we’ve discovered with cover crops. One of the most important recent findings is that frequent cover cropping is extremely important for maintaining soil health in vegetable systems. In fact, our research suggests that it’s far more important than using compost. Interestingly, these cover crops can also help us conserve some of those beneficial insects that I was just talking about with aphid control.
Various patterns of intercropping alyssum with organic romaine lettuce for aphid control were assessed at ARS fields in Salinas, California
Various patterns of intercropping alyssum with organic romaine lettuce for aphid control were assessed at ARS fields in Salinas, California (Stephen Ausmus, D3050-3)
UM – We’re right in the middle of gardening season. What advice do you have for home gardeners who are trying to keep pests out of their gardens?
EB – Probably the most important advice is to pay attention to what’s going on in your garden. When you see something, be it an insect or some other organism, try to figure out what it’s doing and why it’s there. Perhaps it’s a harmless thing, but it also might be a beneficial organism or a pest. Here’s an example from my home garden. I recently learned that paper wasps were helping to control caterpillar pests on my kale that I had growing in my front yard. I figured that out when I was harvesting kale one day and a wasp landed on some kale that I was holding and grabbed a caterpillar larvae and flew off with it. Wow, that was cool.
UM – What about weeds? How can gardeners control weeds in their gardens?
EB – Great question. Probably the most important thing is to pull weeds as soon as you seen them to prevent them from setting seeds in your garden. Eventually you’ll deplete what we call the weed seed bank in the soil. If you don’t have weed seed in your soil, you won’t have weeds. In my home garden and in my research fields we work to control weeds when they are young and vulnerable and prevent them from producing seed.
UM – Okay, let’s let the cat out of the bag. You are a successful YouTuber, with your own YouTubeYouTube channel and dozens of videos, mainly focusing on topics we discussed today. Your video on making an inexpensive hoe for gardening has over 150k views. My favorite is the video comparing cover cropping to juggling. Please elaborate.
EB – Ha. I figured you’d ask about this. My first video was created in 2013 and describes my alyssum research that we talked about earlier. It now has around 19k views and gets about 100 views per week. That’s impact. I became a scientist to help farmers produce food sustainably and efficiently, and YouTube allows me to communicate this in an efficient and fun way (i.e., juggling). Farmers and others love YouTube because it allows them to learn things when it’s convenient for them. And I love it because it allows me to share my results to a broad audience with visuals that help to tell the story behind the research. One of my favorite recent videos is “Bamboo, Oil and Ice Cream. Why scientists need to be on YouTube.” I’m hooked on video and will use it for the remainder of my career to share the research that I’m privileged do on behalf of the American public.
Harvesting of vegetables and fruits is beginning. Soon fresh produce will be available at growers’ markets.
In preparation for providing for this season’s harvest and sales, a food safety practices course is available to growers to meet the regulatory requirements included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule.
New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service, the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture are offering the training online from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, June 29, and Tuesday, June 30.
“We are excited to offer New Mexico’s third remote delivery of the Produce Safety Alliance’s growers training,” said Bob Silver with the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center. “This training is intended for New Mexico fruit and vegetable producers and importers who grow, harvest, pack or hold produce and fruit that is usually consumed raw, and who sell more than $25,000 per year.”
The Produce Safety Rule requires at least one supervisor or person responsible for the farm to have successfully completed food safety training in accordance with the annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous three years.
Participants who complete the course receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials that verifies they have completed the training. The certificate is also useful for meeting buyer requirements for food safety.
“Attendance at the training the whole eight hours is mandatory and if someone does not attend all the sessions, they will not be given a certificate or refund,” Silver said.
NMDA is covering the cost of the manual that will be mailed directly to the participant prior to the video training. The manual is a useful reference for farm safety practices and to develop a farm safety plan.
Registration closes at noon on June 22 to allow for postal delivery of the manuals. The link and password for the webinar will be provided upon registration. Registration fee for New Mexico residents is $45 and $90 for out of state growers. To register, visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/preparedness/psa-training.html.
“Participants will need internet access, webcam and microphone for the session,” Silver said.
Bees are busy pollinators. New Mexico State University and the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation are presenting a six-part weekly webinar series, “Supporting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects in Backyards and on Farms,” beginning June 23. (NMSU photo by Jane Moorman)
New Mexico State University has partnered with the Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation to host a free virtual course series to inform farmers, educators and the general public about pollinator and beneficial insect conservation in gardens and farms in northern New Mexico.
“The six-part weekly series, “Supporting Pollinators and Beneficial Insects in Backyards and on Farms,” will consist of one to one-and-a-half hour live virtual presentations via Zoom,” said Amanda Skidmore, NMSU College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences integrated pest management small farm specialist.
The webinars will be at 3 p.m. Tuesdays, June 23 through July 28. Participants are welcome to attend any and all of the six sessions.
Registration is required for attendance of each live presentation. Live captioning will be provided.
All sessions will be uploaded to the NMSU ACES YouTube channel at a later date with no viewing restrictions.
“The series will cover a range of topics on pollinators and beneficial insects in northern New Mexico,” Skidmore said. “From getting to know the bees and other helpful bugs in backyards and farms, to designing and planting healthy habitat to support those insects and protecting pollinators from pesticides.”
The topics and dates of each session, with links to individual registration pages, are as follows:
• June 23: “Pollinators of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve the Bees in Your Backyard”
• June 30: “Helpful Bugs of Northern New Mexico: How to Identify and Conserve Beneficial Insects for Pest Control”
• July 7: “Conserving Bees in Your Backyard: How to Create Habitat for New Mexico Pollinators in Small Spaces”
• July 14: “Attracting and Supporting Crop Pollinators on New Mexico Farms”
• July 21: “Integrating Pollinators and Pest Management in New Mexico Gardens and Farms”
• July 28: “Ask Me Anything: New Mexico Pollinator and Beneficial Insect Expert Roundtable”
For more details and to register, visit the series website at http://nmsu.life/8m.
Contact Rachel Dunham at rachel.dunham@xerces.org with any registration questions. To submit questions about pollinators and beneficial insects for the “Ask Me Anything,” email nmsuipm@nmsu.edu. — By Jane Moorman, New Mexico State University (505-249-0527)
Jeff Huckaby, currently President of Grimmway Farms and Cal-Organic Farms, is being honored by the Organic Trade Association as Organic Farmer of the Year.
Huckaby started farming organically in 1999 as a farm manager for Grimmway in Bakersfield, California, growing several hundred acres of organic carrots. In 2000, he took over all of Grimmway’s organic farming operations throughout California. A year later, he became general manager of Cal-Organic Farms after Grimmway purchased Cal-Organic to expand their organic operation. Today he still leads the organic operations as President.
During Jeff’s tenure, he has grown the business from several hundred acres to over 45,000 acres of certified organic vegetables. His commitment to owning the land and building up the soil has allowed Grimmway to convert over 95 percent of its owned land to organic and grow over 65 different organic vegetables each year without the use of any outside growers. Today, Grimmway’s organic footprint has grown to cover multiple growing regions in California as well as Washington, Colorado, Georgia and Florida.
Jeff has been the visionary for Grimmway’s organic program, helping develop year-round programs with most major retailers. His leadership allowed Grimmway to work with Costco to convert all of their carrots to organic. As a result, Grimmway is the sole supplier of carrots for Costco in the U.S. and several other countries. He has educated hundreds of buyers and has been asked to speak at multiple retailer produce training programs. He has given farm tours to hundreds of produce buyers, educating them on what it takes to grow organically and be sustainable. He has spoken at organic conferences and USDA meetings, and has testified before a House Agricultural Committee to emphasize the importance of the National Organic Standards Board. He serves on various agricultural boards and advisory committees.
His expertise in organic farming has been tapped by regulators, trade associations, elected officials, California Department of Food and Agriculture, and USDA for input into all areas of organic production. Jeff actively represents Grimmway and Cal-Organic Farms in their support of the Organic Trade Association and The Organic Center.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by my peers and fellow members of the trade association. I look at this as one of the greatest awards anyone involved with organic can receive, and I am grateful to accept on behalf of the many dedicated farmers who work alongside me at Grimmway and Cal-Organic Farms,” Huckaby said. “My passion for farming spans four generations of my family and almost every decade of my life. I’ve been growing organic at Grimmway for more than 20 years, and I am proud to have helped build our organic program and expand the Cal-Organic Farms brand. Over these years, I’ve witnessed the commitment, hard work and downright grit among all members of this community who are fighting to ensure a bright future for organic in the U.S. I am deeply proud to help lead in this charge and pave the way for the next generation of farmers. Thank you for your support.”
The Organic Trade Association’s Annual Organic Leadership Award was established in 1997. Awardees are nominated by their peers and chosen unanimously by the association’s Board of Directors. A complete list of past honorees is featured on our website.
“Each year we look forward to recognizing those within the organic sector who have led with valuable contributions to help grow and expand organic agriculture and products. It is exciting this year to have three organic farmers who together represent the real diversity of what organic farming looks like today in the United States, yet each is a steward of the land, helps feed their communities, and inspires others to do the same.” said Laura Batcha, CEO and Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association.
The Organic Trade Association (OTA) is the membership-based business association for organic agriculture and products in North America. OTA is the leading voice for the organic trade in the United States, representing over 9,500 organic businesses across 50 states. Its members include growers, shippers, processors, certifiers, farmers’ associations, distributors, importers, exporters, consultants, retailers and others. OTA’s Board of Directors is democratically elected by its members. OTA’s mission is to promote and protect ORGANIC with a unifying voice that serves and engages its diverse members from farm to marketplace. The Organic Trade Association does not discriminate on the basis of age, disability, national origin or ancestry, race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, marital status, political affiliation or military status. Persons with disabilities who require alternate means for communication of program information can contact us at info@ota.com
Field Fresh Farms (fieldfreshproduce.com), a leading grower/shipper of conventional and organic produce, has responded to market changes and consumer demand created in part by the COVID-19 pandemic, by building upon existing relationships and expanding its retail presence by establishing new collaborations. In conjunction with this move, the company has refreshed its branding and website, and developed new conventional and organic retail packaging.
“Field Fresh Farms and Beach Road Organics are a trusted supplier of high-quality leafy greens to the foodservice industry. We built our business with strong food service partnerships, and they have been our sole supporters for decades,” said Fernando Ramirez, sales manager. “We have a long history of responding to market needs quickly and decisively. When it became clear retailers were looking for additional sources of conventional and organic produce, we quickly adapted. Now we have the capacity to continue to meet the needs of our foodservice customers, while also filling a gap for the growing retail segment.”
Field Fresh Farms and Beach Road Organics will continue to grow, pack and ship to their existing and new foodservice partners. The retail initiative, which has already gained significant momentum, will broaden our offerings.
“As our business moves into a new phase, we thought it was the perfect time to refresh our website and our branding,” said Jacob Dobler, marketing manager and fourth generation farmer whose family founded the company in the 1950s. “People familiar with Field Fresh Farms will notice that the iconic seaside cypress tree that has been a key element of our farm and visual identity for many years is still featured. However, it’s been updated to make an even bolder, modern statement. We feel the change is a great metaphor for what’s taking place at our company, as we leverage our legacy to build new relationships with respected retailers around North America.”
Field Fresh Farms’ business model emphasizes innovation, sustainability and product quality through careful stewardship of the land and practices such as operating packing facilities that are minutes away from the company’s fields so that teams can harvest, pack and ship products at the peak of freshness. The company is also known for providing attentive and proactive customer service.
The updated logo and website were designed by Salinas, CA-based Moxxy Marketing, an award-winning agency focused on serving agriculture and food/beverage companies. Moxxy also designed the new retail packaging including clamshell labels, bags and cartons to help showcase the high-quality, fresh-packed products, and grow brand awareness for both Field Fresh Farms conventional, and Beach Road Organics, products.
About Field Fresh Farms: Field Fresh Farms is a fourth-generation grower/shipper of sustainably grown conventional and organic produce. Founded in 1953 and headquartered in Watsonville on California’s Central Coast, the company provides top-quality head lettuce, arugula, romaine hearts, spinach, spring and Mega mixes, and other products to foodservice and retail customers across North America under the Field Fresh Farms and Beach Road Organics labels. They operate year-round in California and Arizona. Visit fieldfreshproduce.com or call 831-722-1422 to learn more.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced the USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) has already approved more than $545 million in payments to producers who have applied for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. FSA began taking applications May 26, and the agency has received over 86,000 applications for this important relief program.
“The coronavirus has hurt America’s farmers, ranchers, and producers, and these payments directed by President Trump will help this critical industry weather the current pandemic so they can continue to plant and harvest a safe, nutritious, and affordable crop for the American people,” said Secretary Perdue. “We have tools and resources available to help producers understand the program and enable them to work with Farm Service Agency staff to complete applications as smoothly and efficiently as possible and get payments into the pockets of our patriotic farmers.”
In the first six days of the application period, FSA has already made payments to more than 35,000 producers. Out of the gate, the top five states for CFAP payments are Illinois, Kansas, Wisconsin, Nebraska, and South Dakota. USDA has released data on application progress and program payments and will release further updates each Monday at 2:00pm ET. The report can be viewed at farmers.gov/cfap.
FSA will accept applications through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion in financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
In order to do this, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain available.
Getting Help from FSA
New customers seeking one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer general assistance. This is a recommended first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.
Producers can download the CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help producers identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential payments. Producers self-certify their records when applying for CFAP and that documentation is not submitted with the application. However, producers may be asked for their documentation to support the certification of eligible commodities, so producers should retain the information used to complete their application.
Those who use the online calculator tool will be able to print a pre-filled CFAP application, sign it, and submit it to your local FSA office either electronically or via hand delivery through an office drop box. Please contact your local office to determine the preferred delivery method for your local office. Team members at FSA county offices will be able to answer detailed questions and help producers apply quickly and efficiently through phone and online tools. Find contact information for your local office at farmers.gov/cfap.
Policy Clarifications
FSA has been working with stakeholder groups to provide further clarification to producers on the CFAP program. For example, the agency has published a matrix of common marketing contracts that impact eligibility for non-specialty crops and has provided a table that crosswalks common livestock terms to CFAP cattle categories. Updated information can be found in the frequently asked questions section of the CFAP website.
More Information
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/CFAP or call 877-508-8364.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) is realigning resources to adapt to a new climate while focusing on summer sales. Unlike years past when summer months meant in-person events, the socially-distanced approach adjusts marketing and promotional efforts to continue to position watermelon as the go-to choice for kids and families. NWPB has been partnered with the world’s only rock & roll nutrition show Jump with Jill for over eight years, with a national live tour partnership as the leading line item. With stay-at-home orders in place, Jump with Jill and NWPB are teaming up to bring consumers a digital version of the program called the Jump with Jill Digital Tour with unplugged songs, dances, workouts, activities, and tutorials.
“Jump with Jill is our longtime partner for kids content and in-school outreach and their primary delivery mechanism was through a powerful live musical show,” says Stephanie Barlow, Senior Director of Communications. They have realigned so that songs about eating fruit like Nature’s Candy and The Sweet Beat can still reach kids even when they are distance learning.”
Just as the watermelon domestic growing season hits its peak, these free resources and tools serve an important need useful while families are at home. Parents are craving content that can hold their kids’ attention while they work from home and teachers need summer study materials they can use to prevent the summer slide, or the slide backwards that many children make in reading and math skills over the summer.
“From our homes to families everywhere, we are thrilled to be able to perform and teach,” says Jump with Jill creator, Jill Jayne, who brings her credentials as a Registered Dietitian and singer into everything she touches. “When they announced school closures, we were forced to accept that a screen would be a mandatory feature in our relationship with our audience. So we wanted to use it to communicate to kids in a powerful way letting them know that – we are still here, we are still singing, and we still love you.”
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by more than 800 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.
Watermelon packs a nutritious punch, with each serving providing an excellent source of Vitamin C (25%), a source of Vitamin A(8%) and B6 (8%), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories. Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was an estimated 15.6 pounds in 2019. Watermelon consumption in the United States was approximately 5.1 billion pounds in 2019. The United States exported an additional 321.2 million pounds of watermelon.
About Jump with Jill
As a leader in interactive educational experiences since 2008, the music-based nutrition education program Jump with Jill makes healthy rock. The world’s only rock & roll nutrition show use singable anthems to transform nutrition education into a school wide live concert. The supporting digital platform of songs, dances, workouts, activities, and tutorials brings the messages into the classroom and home. Created by a singing Registered Dietitian & her band of extraordinary educators, Jump with Jill gets students moving and learning about health in a way they will never forget. The Emmy-nominated nutrition education program
has been performed over 3,800 times in six countries for over 1.2 million kids.
As of May 15, California’s tomato processors reported they have or will have contracts for 12.0 million tons of processing tomatoes for 2020. This production estimate is unchanged from the January intentions forecast and 7.8 percent above the final 2019 contracted production total. The May contracted acreage of 235,000 is also unchanged from the January intentions forecast and 1,000 acres above last year’s final contracted acreage.
Fresno County remains the top California County in contracted planted acreage for 2020 with 72,300 acres. Yolo, Merced, Kings and San Joaquin make up the remaining top five counties, accounting for 75 percent of the 2020 total contracted planted acreage for California.
Dry winter weather caused some concern for water availability. Despite a few rain storms in March and April, planting was on schedule and the warm temperatures through spring helped with early crop development. An unusual heat wave at the end of May required more irrigation than normal for this time of year. There were no reports of disease or pest issues.
This early processing tomato estimate is funded by the California League of Food Producers, in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
Agricultural producers can now apply for USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), which provides direct payments to offset impacts from the coronavirus pandemic. The application and a payment calculator are now available online, and USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) staff members are available via phone, fax and online tools to help producers complete applications. The agency set up a call center in order to simplify how they serve new customers across the nation.
“We know California producers are facing a tough time now, and we are making every effort to provide much needed support as quickly as possible,” said Connie Conway, state executive director for FSA in California. “FSA is available over the phone and virtually to walk you through the application process, whether it’s the first time you’ve worked with FSA, or if you know us quite well.”
Applications will be accepted through August 28, 2020. Through CFAP, USDA is making available $16 billion for vital financial assistance to producers of agricultural commodities who have suffered a five-percent-or-greater price decline due to COVID-19 and face additional significant marketing costs as a result of lower demand, surplus production, and disruptions to shipping patterns and the orderly marketing of commodities.
“We also want to remind producers that the program is structured to ensure the availability of funding for all eligible producers who apply,” Conway said.
In order to do this, producers will receive 80 percent of their maximum total payment upon approval of the application. The remaining portion of the payment, not to exceed the payment limit, will be paid at a later date nationwide, as funds remain available.
Producers can download the CFAP application and other eligibility forms from farmers.gov/cfap. Also, on that webpage, producers can find a payment calculator to help identify sales and inventory records needed to apply and calculate potential payments.
Additionally, producers in search of one-on-one support with the CFAP application process can call 877-508-8364 to speak directly with a USDA employee ready to offer assistance. This is a good first step before a producer engages the team at the FSA county office at their local USDA Service Center.
Applying for Assistance
Producers of all eligible commodities will apply through their local FSA office. Those who use the online calculator tool will be able to print off a pre-filled CFAP application, sign, and submit to your local FSA office either electronically or via hand delivery. Please contact your local office to determine the preferred method. Find contact information for your local office at farmers.gov/cfap.
Documentation to support the producer’s application and certification may be requested after the application is filed. FSA has streamlined the signup process to not require an acreage report at the time of application and a USDA farm number may not be immediately needed.
Additional Commodities
USDA is also establishing a process for the public to identify additional commodities for potential inclusion in CFAP. Specifically, USDA is looking for data on agricultural commodities, that are not currently eligible for CFAP, that the public believes to have either:
suffered a five percent-or-greater price decline between mid-January and mid-April as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,
shipped but subsequently spoiled due to loss of marketing channel, or
not left the farm or remained unharvested as mature crops.
More information about this process is available on farmers.gov/cfap.
More Information
To find the latest information on CFAP, visit farmers.gov/cfap or call 877-508-8364.
USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only, and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with the FSA, Natural Resources Conservation Service, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
Jeff Huckaby, currently President of Grimmway Farms and Cal-Organic Farms, is being honored by the Organic Trade Association as Organic Farmer of the Year.
