California Fruit and Vegetable

Tag: Vegetables West Magazine

  • Brighter Bites Welcomes Gabriela D’Arrigo to It’s Board of Directors

    Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, announces Gabriela D’Arrigo, VP of Communications and Marketing at D’Arrigo New York, as its newest board member.

    “We are honored to welcome Gabriela as the newest member to our board,” said Rich Dachman, chief executive officer at Brighter Bites. “She and the D’Arrigo family have been large supporters of our work over the years and in helping us make a difference in the communities we serve. Our relationship is a wonderful example of when the produce industry locks arms with us in order to make healthy changes in lives across the country.”

    D’Arrigo, a family owned and operated fresh fruits and vegetables supplier serving the Northeast since 1948, has been a Brighter Bites partner following the organization’s launch in NYC schools in 2018. The company has donated a variety of unique fruits and vegetables to the New York programming produce bags and boxes, including plums, mangos, dragon fruit, pumpkins, Brussels sprouts, asparagus, and kiwi.

    In addition to donating produce, D’Arrigo advocates for Brighter Bites’ work and mission with consistent involvement in fresh produce industry networking events. Through this type of support, Brighter Bites has been able to connect with key members of the industry to continue growing its program base.

    “Gabriela has been instrumental to Brighter Bites programming since we began our efforts in New York,” said Shey Hall, northeast regional director at Brighter Bites. “She is always thinking about Brighter Bites and how she can bring us into conversations and present us with opportunities to further expand our mission.”

    “I’ve said this before, but I will say it again, this is the only organization I’ve seen that has the vision and the ability to execute and deliver it,” said Gabriela D’Arrigo, VP of Communications and Marketing at D’Arrigo. “It’s an honor and a privilege to join the Brighter Bites team and have the opportunity to contribute to its future goals.”

    Since launching in 2012, Brighter Bites has distributed more than 50 million pounds of produce and hundreds of thousands of nutrition education materials to over 500,000 individuals through schools, after school programs and summer camps in the cities in which it serves. Brighter Bites uses a simple formula for introducing healthy lifestyles to families: produce distribution, nutrition education, and a fun food experience that helps to demystify produce and show just how great it can taste.

    About Brighter Bites:

    Brighter Bites is a nonprofit that creates communities of health through fresh food with the goal of changing behavior among children and their families to prevent obesity and achieve long-term health. Brighter Bites is an evidence-based, multi-component elementary school, preschool, and summer camp program that utilizes reliable access to fruits and vegetables, nutrition education, and consistent exposure to recipes and messages that feature fresh food. Since 2012, Brighter Bites has provided over 50 million pounds of produce and millions of nutrition education materials to more than 500,000 individuals (including teachers) in Houston, Dallas, Austin, New York City, the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan area, Southwest Florida, Salinas, Los Angeles, Bakersfield, and San Antonio. To learn more about Brighter Bites, visit www.brighterbites.org.

  • UC Cooperative Extension Weed Expert Passes

    David W. Cudney, UC Cooperative Extension specialist emeritus, passed away in Riverside on March 30. He was 82.

    Cudney joined UCCE in 1964 as a farm advisor for Imperial County. In 1978, he became a UCCE weed science specialist for Southern California, based at UC Riverside. While working as a specialist, he earned his Ph.D. from UC Riverside in 1989.

    In 1992, Cudney and six Extension specialist colleagues from all over the western United States, published Weeds of the West, a guide book to identifying weeds in Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. The 11th edition, containing more than 900 color photographs showing the early growth stages, mature plants and features for positive identification of each weed, was published in 2012.

    Cudney, who was active in professional organizations, served as president of the California Weed Society in 1995. He retired in 2003.

    “I met Dave as a grad student at UC Davis when I started my program working on a basic study of herbicide resistance,” said Jodie Holt, director of the UC Riverside Botanic Gardens and professor emerita. “Dave’s the one who cajoled me into presenting a poster at a Weed Day and becoming active in the weed science community. Throughout my career he was a great mentor who kept me and my students connected to on-the-ground weed science.”

    Jodie Holt, left, and Dave Cudney inspect perennial ryegrass for bermudagrass invasion in the 1990s.

    Holt also remembered Cudney’s kindness as a friend.

    “On a personal note, when our son was interested in flight simulation software, for his 14th birthday, Dave surprised him by taking us all on a flight and letting Doug fly the plane,” she said. “He was a wonderfully positive, kind and generous friend and colleague!”

    Cudney is survived by his wife, Loretta Cudney, and his children Michael Cudney of Riverside; Jana Cudney of Ontario; and Lisa Zaldivar and her husband, Anthony Zaldivar, and their children Alyssa and Christopher, all of San Dimas and Anthony Zaldivar of Palm Desert; his sister, Rita Suminski and her husband, Russell Suminski of Minden, Nevada. — By Pam Kan-Rice, UCANR

    Read more about Cudney’s life at  https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/riverside-ca/david-cudney-11228967.

  • Ocean Mist® Farms Declares Excellent Quality, Volume On Spring Artichokes

    Ocean Mist Farms, the leading year round producer of fresh California artichokes, is expecting an outstanding 2023 spring crop of artichokes from their northern California growing region in Castroville.

    “The storms that devastated parts of California during the winter months put the season behind about 4 weeks,” said Ben Wilson, Ocean Mist Farms artichoke commodity manager. “That being said, we have recovered nicely, and are seeing outstanding quality artichokes focused primarily on large sizes – jumbos/12-count.”

    “We are excited to see the way our spring crop has lined up this year across our entire family of artichoke offerings,” continued Wilson. “We are expecting excellent quality and plentiful volumes of both our conventional and organic green artichokes, as well as our proprietary and sought-after purple artichoke variety.”

    Ocean Mist Farms Sr. Director of Marketing, Mark Munger

    Sr. Director of Marketing, Mark Munger noted, “Our spring crop peak is an excellent opportunity for our customers. Our research shows that when retailers create displays with a variety of packs, products, and colors, it generates excitement with consumers resulting in increased sales.”

    This abundant volume ensures retailers will have:

    • Promotable volumes through the end of May
    • Great promotional opportunities with multiple artichoke products
    • Availability on various packs and sizes

    Ocean Mist Farms is currently running the “Gold Standard” promotion, which is a national consumer sweepstakes aimed to get consumers primed and excited about the spring artichoke season.

    To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit www.oceanmist.com. To receive weekly trade information, please sign up HERE.

    About Ocean Mist Farms

    Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business in Castroville, CA, the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America, is committed to delivering the highest standards in the industry for food safety, product quality, customer service, innovation, and sustainability. The company’s full line of 30+ fresh vegetables include their award-winning green and purple artichokes, as well as their Season & Steam value-added line of products. To stay up to date on the 2023 artichoke season, follow Ocean Mist on Instagram. To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit www.oceanmist.com. For great recipe inspiration and preparation tips, consumers can follow the brand on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

  • Growers Spend $500,000 Per Year on Automation

    Growers are now spending an average of $500,000 a year on automation in response to the persistent ag labor shortage, according to the Specialty Crop Automation Report released today and commissioned by Western Growers.

    This is the second year the Specialty Crop Automation Report has been released by WG in collaboration with consultants at Roland Berger. The report, which tracks and measures industry progress in harvest automation across the fresh produce industry, is part of WG’s Global Harvest Automation Initiative, which aims to accelerate ag automation by 50 percent in 10 years.

    “This year’s report takes a deep dive into some new areas: The European market, Controlled Environment Agriculture, and the innovator’s side of automation,” said Walt Duflock, VP of Innovation at WG. “We found progress from a fundraising and traction perspective in key areas like weeding, spraying and harvest assist – and less progress in other key areas, notably harvest.”

    Among the report’s findings:
    • Around 70 percent of participating growers indicated that they had invested in automation in 2022, with an average annual spend of $450,000-$500,000 per grower. This shows a considerable increase since last year when average investments in automation were around $350,000 to $400,000 per grower per year.
    • Most progress was made in the weeding and harvest assist segments; market-ready solutions are able to meet grower economic targets and alleviate key challenges, such as lack of labor availability. Growers reported ROIs for weeding solutions of less than one to two years depending on the type of crop and technology used.
    • Growers want more trained agtech personnel, with 50 percent indicating that they had internal employees who dedicated the majority of their time to the integration of automation investments. This suggests that the process of elevating and upskilling the agriculture workforce is well underway.
    • The time it takes to build automation solutions is getting shorter and the costs are getting smaller thanks to overall advances in robotics and nonagriculture fields that benefit agtech startups, as well as the increasing talent pool that agtech startups are able to add to their teams.The Specialty Crop Automation Report is available for download by clicking here.

    About Western Growers:

    Founded in 1926, Western Growers represents local and regional family farmers growing fresh produce in California, Arizona, Colorado and New Mexico. Western Growers’ members and their workers provide over half the nation’s fresh fruits, vegetables and tree nuts, including half of America’s fresh organic produce. Connect and learn more about Western Growers on Twitter and Facebook.

  • Hartnell College Foundation Presents Annual Western Food Safety Conference, May 3-4

    Nearly 500 people with a professional stake in the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables consumed worldwide will gather at Sherwood Hall in Salinas on May 3-4 for the 18th Annual Western Food Safety Conference.

    The conference will be held at Sherwood Hall at 940 N. Main St., in Salinas, and will focus on the theme, “Food Safety: The State of the Industry” through speakers,  intensive dialogue and education concerning how to keep consumers safe and maintain their confidence.

    The conference will provide participants with current produce safety information, research, and regulatory developments in the fresh produce industry that they can apply to today’s environment. The event features industry-leading scientists, executives, and professionals for the latest science-based industry information and networking opportunities. Speakers and panelists include experts in water quality, data science, sustainable agriculture and state and federal regulation.

    The May 3 keynote speaker will be William (Bill) Marler, attorney and national expert in food safety with Marler Clark, The Food Safety Law Firm. The May 4 keynote speaker will be Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

    Topics for the 2023 conference include:

    •  FDA Field Sampling
    • Rethinking Recalls and Communication in the Supply Chain
    • Technology Advancements for Enhanced Traceability
    • FSMA Inspections
    • Ag Water Regulation Update
    • Field Equipment Sanitation

    Who should attend this conference:

    • Executive Management: growers, shippers, processors, cooling facilities, shipping facilities, and suppliers
    • Food safety directors, managers, and supervisors
    •  Quality assurance foremen and crew leaders
    • Recall team and farm labor contractors
    • Auditors
    • College students

    Registration fees and sponsors’ support in 2022 helped raise $15,000 for scholarships for Hartnell College agricultural students, adding to more than $100,000 previously shared as a result of the conference.

    The Western Food Safety Conference is committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities participating in the event. Online activities are designed to be accessible, meeting the Rehabilitation Act (Section 508). If a person with a disability is requesting reasonable accommodations due to a disability to participate in the event, requests need to be sent to Hartnell College Foundation, (831) 755-6702.  Requests for disability accommodations received three business days in advance of the event will be given priority, although an attempt to fulfill all requests will occur.

    Registration and sponsorship opportunities can be found on the conference website at: https://thewesternfoodsafetyconference.com/.

  • “Thistle be Fun” 63rd Annual Artichoke Festival, June 10-11

    Celebrating the theme “Thistle be Fun,” the 63rd annual Artichoke Festival takes place June 10-11 at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, with online ticket sales now available.

    The 2023 festival will feature a wide-ranging variety of entertainment, including the popular Chef’s Demo, a farmers market, live music, wine tasting, NEW this year a Saturday Night comedy show, and a quilting challenge.

    Following is this year’s lineup, with information about tickets: who wish to sign up should contact joaquin@harmony-at-home.org.

    Comedy show

    A new event this year is a Saturday night-only standup program called “Thistle Be Funny Comedy Show.” It features comics K-Von at 6:30 p.m., and Jose Sarduy at 8 p.m. The festival offers a special Comedy Combo discount package (two festival tickets, two comedy show tickets, two Saturday wine tasting passes) for $170 plus processing fee. A standalone comedy ticket is $40 for adults only, must be 18 and over.

    Doors open to all comedy show guests at 6 p.m., with the entry for festival attendees at the Monterey Room east entrance. Entry for non-festival guests is at the Monterey Room street entrance, on Fairground Road. Remember, children are not allowed inside the Monterey Room for this event. Participants must show a valid ID to enter.

    • K-Von could be the most famous half-Persian comedian in the world. Millions have seen his appearances on Netflix, NBC’s ‘Last Comic Standing’, and his popular TED Talk that introduced him to a global fanbase. He is the author of the book “Once You Go Persian,” a funny detailing of his upbringing and how he got into comedy.
    • Jose Sarduy takes audiences on the rollercoaster ride that’s been his life. Born in Cuba and deported because of his father’s political prisoner status, he came to the U.S. at a young age. Growing up with a hard working, and always quirky Cuban family brought loads of funny moments. A graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and former officer in the Air Force, Sarduy is also an accomplished aviator and war veterans.

    Chef’s Demo

    • Currently five chefs have confirmed participation for the Chef’s Demo in the Seaside Room, including Chef Brandon Miller of Paella LLC, who will open the demos at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, June 10-11. He will offer recipe inspiration, tips and tricks for cooking artichokes, as well as samples and small bites to enjoy.
    • In addition, Kevin Fisher from Sea Root at Hyatt Regency Monterey Hotel & Spa will return to the stage at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, June 11. Chefs Ivan Guadarrama from Tarpy’s and Chef Luis Osorio from Rio Grill will also be back for a second year performing demos at 1:30 and 3 p.m., on Saturday, respectively. More chefs are expected to be announced by festival organizers.

    Live on the Main Stage

    Free with festival general admission, the festival’s lineup of live music Saturday June 10th features the John Michael Band at noon, followed by Wild at Heart at 2 p.m. and Mustache Harbor hardcore soft rock band at 4:30. Sunday June 11th The Chicano All-Stars will start at 12:30, with Shane Dwight appearing at 3 p.m. Also on the Main Stage will be volunteer awards at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, an artichoke-eating contest at 3:30 p.m. Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, and a canasta contest at 4 p.m. Saturday and 2:30 p.m. Sunday.

    • John Michael Band formed in 2010, and features the following: guitarists Dylan Rose, Markus Yamamoto, D.B Walker, Patrick Golden, Vinny Johnson and 17-year-old Becca Kachman; drummers John Brearton, Keith Wieland, Keith Graves (played with Starship, The Tubes and Quicksilver Messenger Service), Tim Burke, Ric Williams, Craig Underwood; bassists Tiran Porter (Doobie Brothers) David De Silva, Ryan Price, Avey Gonzalez, Chuck Pagano. An upbeat and versatile band playing rock, funk, soul, blues and reggae, they perform all over the Central Coast.
    • Wild at Heart holds a reputation as one of the Central Coast’s premier country/classic rock music, dance, party and show bands This dynamic band includes Lisa Kincad (lead vocals), Sam Nilsson (lead guitar and vocals), Jack Aiello (percussion), Eric Rowe (keyboards and vocals) and Jon McClean (bass guitar). They play everything from RnB and folk-Americana to electronica and synth-pop.
    • Shane Dwight is a critically acclaimed blues maverick  best known for his hit song “No One Loves Me Better,” out on Red Parlor Records. He is known for blues, rock, soul, country and a little bit of hip-hop that shows his California roots. Shane grew up on a ranch in Morgan Hill. His musical roots were FM radio, Album Oriented Rock artists. He has performed over 3,500 shows over the past 20 years, headlining at some of music’s most significant events, including Beale Street Festival, Portland Waterfront, Reno Blues Festival and Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise.
    • Known as a Mustache Harbor hardcore soft rock band, has thrilled audiences across the country with their spot-on renditions of the smoothest music from the 1970s and ’80s. The group performs with the highest level of musicianship and state-of-the-art sound and lighting.
    • The Chicano All Stars, led by Sam Martinez (lead vocals, guitar and percussion), The Chicano All Stars have established themselves as one of Monterey’s local legends as a favorite dance band and has been quoted to be the top Latin Rock band in the area. The band was voted the Monterey County Herald Reader’s Choice “Best Local Band” Award for 2019. They have had the pleasure of performing and sharing the stage with such names as: Los Lobos, Tierra, Malo, Tower of Power, El Chicano, La Sonora Dinamita, Jorge Santana, Brenton Wood, Eddie Money, The Turtles, Ramon Ayala, Los Tucanes, Sista Monica, The Delfonics and The Intruders.

    Wine tasting

    Pouring of quality wines from around the state begins at 11 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., on Sunday. A raffle drawing for a barrel of wine takes place at 2 p.m., on both days.

    A one-day Wine Tasting Pass for one adult (does not include general admission) costs $30 (plus $3.85 online fee), with onsite purchases $40. Pouring stops one hour before festival gates close.

    Participants must show a valid ID to enter the wine tasting room, and no children are allowed.

    Quilt Challenge

    The fourth annual Artichoke Festival Quilt Challenge invites fabric artists to win prizes and show off their quilting talents in two categories. The Judge’s Choice winner gets a $250 cash prize.

    With the help of the Valley Heritage Quilt Guild from King City, the Quilt Challenge has been a resounding, creative success.

    Farmers Market

    Some claim this to be the “crown jewel” of the Artichoke Festival. Where else can you shop for the best locally grown, hand-harvested fresh vegetables at amazingly low prices? The farmers market includes artichokes in a variety of sizes, lettuce, spinach, cauliflower, onions, berries, peaches, apricots, plums, and so much more. The market is open Saturday and Sunday in the Salinas Room, at the festival grounds.

    Ticket information

    The Artichoke Festival sells a variety of ticket packages available online here. The popular Family Pack includes general admission for two adults and two children, good for one day only, with the cost $50 (processing fees).

    The special It’s A Date package costs $90 (processing fees.) and includes general admission for two adults (21-over), plus two wine tasting passes. The festival also offers special rates for seniors, children and military. Parking passes are available for $15 an $20. There are no refunds.

    All guests will be required to comply with current CDC, California Dept of Public Health and Monterey County public health guidelines regarding safety protocols. A clear bag policy will be enforced, with clear bags available for sale on the website store and at the gates.

    For more information, go to artichokefestival.org.

    About the Artichoke Festival

    California’s artichoke history began in 1922 when the first artichoke shoots were planted in Castroville. Today, more than nine decades later, nearly 100 percent of America’s fresh artichoke supply is grown in California and nearly two-thirds is grown in the small town of Castroville. The first Artichoke Festival was held in 1959 under the sponsorship of the Marinovich Marching Units, with the assistance of the Castroville Rod and Gun Club. In 1961 it was a joint venture of the Marinovich Marching Units and the Castroville Chamber of Commerce to produce a larger festival, and Sally DeSante was chosen as the first Artichoke Queen. In 1963, 1964 and 1965 it was solely sponsored by the Castroville Chamber of Commerce under the direction of the Artichoke Festival Board with Bill Price, one of the originators of the festival idea. In 1994 the Artichoke Festival became a non-profit and became the sole producer of the Artichoke Festival. The festival is currently held at the Monterey County Fair & Event Center, 2004 Fairground Road, Monterey.

  • Ocean Mist® Farms Launches Annual Gold Standard Artichoke Promotion

    Ocean Mist Farms, the leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in North America, announces the launch of its annual spring promotion conveying the health and nutrition benefits and accolades of their famous Gold Standard artichokes. The Gold Standard Giveaway will run from April 24 – June 1, giving participants the opportunity to win one Grand Prize VISA gift card valued at $1,000 or one of five VISA gift cards valued at $100.

    With this promotion, Ocean Mist Farms is highlighting their artichoke expertise to ensure their trade partners are aware of all that goes into the Gold Standard distinction, as well as shine a light on the exceptional nutritional qualities of fresh artichokes.

    “Throughout each year, we are proud to share our Gold Standard artichokes,” said Mark Munger, senior director of marketing at Ocean Mist Farms. “Ocean Mist Farms artichokes are THE Gold Standard for providing immune-boosting nutrition and a top source of fiber, with one whole cooked artichoke packing nearly 7 grams of fiber — about a third of the daily minimum target. Thissuperior nutrition profile, coupled with Ocean Mist Farms rich legacy and artichoke expertise, bring the Gold Standard to your produce department.”

    For nearly 100 years, Ocean Mist Farms has cultivated premium quality artichokes – including many patented proprietary varieties – in the coveted microclimate and nutrient-rich soil of Castroville, CA. This is home to Ocean Mist Farms’ spring artichoke production, with the heaviest supply production being in April.

    Decades of farming proficiency and excellence, coupled with their exceptional harvesting practices and land stewardship, further define this brand as worthy of the Gold Standard designation. Ocean Mist Farms is supporting retail sales for the Gold Standard promotion with a variety of marketing activations.

    On-pack messaging will reinforce shopper awareness of Ocean Mist Farms branded artichokes and their Gold Standard commitment. The brand will also drive visitors to the artichoke nutrition webpage and encourage shoppers to purchase artichokes at their local grocery store with the help of their Destini locator tool found on www.oceanmist.com.

    About Ocean Mist Farms

    Ocean Mist Farms, a fourth-generation family-owned business located in Castroville, CA., and the largest grower of fresh artichokes in North America, is committed to delivering the highest standards in the industry for food safety, product quality, customer service, innovation, and sustainability. The company’s full line of over 30 fresh vegetables includes the award-winning Season & Steam line. To stay up to date on the 2023 artichoke season, follow Ocean Mist on Instagram. To learn more about Ocean Mist Farms, visit https://www.oceanmist.com/. For recipe inspiration and preparation tips, follow the brand on Facebook,Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

  • Breeding a Better Potato for a Better Potato Chip

    Photo courtesy of Potatoes USA.

    Potato chips are America’s classic snack: crunchy, salty, greasy and tasting of potato or flavored with sour cream, vinegar, BBQ, maple bacon or Cajun dill. It shouldn’t be a surprise that Americans eat more potato chips than any other nation; more than four pounds a person a year, according to Potatoes USA. About 22 percent of the U.S. potato crop—nearly 7,500 million pounds annually—are made into chips. Consumers spend more than $7 billion dollars buying potato chips at retailers. And USDA’s Agricultural Research Service helps ensure that the country always has the perfect potato for frying into chips.

    ARS’ potato breeding program has already produced some major winners in the potato chip category. One is Atlantic, a variety ARS developed and released in 1976, that remains the number two chipping variety in the United States.

    But potato producers have been ready for an Atlantic replacement for years. Atlantic is vulnerable to internal heat necrosis, where darker spots or flecks form in the flesh of the potato particularly in sandy soils during warm, dry seasons. It is also susceptible to Hollow Heart, a condition in which a hollow depression forms in the center of the potato when moisture levels are very uneven while the potatoes are growing.

    “But diseases and pests keep evolving, so we need to keep breeding new varieties to stay ahead of them,” explained Research Geneticist Richard Novy, with the Small Grains and Potato Germplasm Research Unit in Aberdeen, Idaho.

    Every year, scientists in the ARS potato breeding program make thousands of chipping potato crosses with an eye to improving not only disease and pest resistance, but also achieving perfect potato chip color and proper sugar levels, good storage ability and a whole host of superior agronomic traits such as yield, time to harvest and tuber size.

    Novy has a very promising new chipping potato in the pipeline at Aberdeen, known right now as A13125-3C, which is showing much potential in Idaho and in the National Chip Processing Trial (NCPT). ARS participates alongside universities and industry in the NCPT, which is run through Potatoes USA, to test potatoes simultaneously at sites all over the country.

    A13125-3C won’t get a catchy variety name until after it successfully completes several years of trials and then goes through a tissue culture process to remove any viruses and bacteria to allow the production of certified seed for producers.

    “By sharing access to germplasm and testing nationally, you can more quickly identify candidates having variety potential for the chipping industry,” Novy said. “Such a program helps regional chip companies to identify promising new potato varieties for their production of chips.”

    Across the country from the Aberdeen lab, ARS Plant Research Geneticist Paul Collins in Orono, Maine, is concentrating on breeding chipping potatoes with better disease resistance for eastern potato growers. One major focus is potatoes that can better withstand Late Blight, a fungal disease that causes an annual loss of $210 million.

    “Most diseases we are working on can affect the farmer’s ability to produce a potato crop and they can have a staggering economic impact,” Collins said. “Potato Virus Y, for example, causes annual losses of $103 million in yield and tuber quality.

    While ARS scientists are breeding potatoes to fight diseases, most consumers do not have to worry about their snack being affected by any of these viruses. The chipping varieties for the snack aisle, usually Atlantic, Snowden and Lamoka, are not found in the grocery store’s produce bins.

    “Our goal is to breed potato varieties which are resistant to these diseases, and with other agronomic traits that are important to farmers while also having quality traits like color, shape and size that are important to consumers and processors,” Collins said.

    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 U.S. agricultural research results in $20 of economic impact.

  • Soil Nutrients Affect How Attractive Plants Are to Bees From the Ground Up

    Pollination is vital for many plants, and nutrients present in the soil before these plants even sprout may affect how attractive they eventually are to pollinators, according to Penn State-led research.

    In a study with cucumber plants, the researchers found that in general, higher amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil resulted in larger plants and floral display, including flower number and size, leading to increased attractiveness to pollinators and increased fruit production.

    However, they also found that regardless of nitrogen and phosphorus levels, pollinator “rewards” such as sugar content in nectar, the amount of nectar in female flowers, and protein and lipid concentrations in pollen stayed the same.

    Anthony Vaudo, a USDA Forest Service research biological scientist who led the research while a postdoctoral scholar in entomology in Penn State’s College of Agricultural Sciences, said these findings — recently published in Scientific Reports — suggest that plants may prioritize these rewards in all conditions to ensure that they attract pollinators.

    “We found that a plant could become more attractive with the help of certain nutrients in the soil, while also keeping the quality of its rewards consistent, which is necessary for getting bees to visit,” Vaudo said. “This gives us clues for how we can best restore soil, for example, after disturbance from human activity or natural disasters.”

    According to the researchers, previous studies have found an association between higher nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil and faster plant growth, as well as positive effects such as number and size of flowers and pollen number and size. However, little work had been done on how these nutrients affect pollinator attraction and, ultimately, plant reproduction.

    Christina Grozinger, Publius Vergilius Maro Professor of Entomology at Penn State, said that because soil nutrient conditions can change as a result of land use, climate change and land management — such as fertilizers and grazing livestock — it is vital to learn more about how these nutrients affect plant growth.

    “With three quarters of our food crops using pollinators to set fruit and seed, and more than 80% of flowering plants benefiting from pollinators,” Grozinger said, “it is incredibly important that we begin to understand and predict how these changes in soil conditions influence plant-pollinator interactions both in crops and in natural landscapes.”

    For the study, the researchers raised cucumber plants in Penn State greenhouses. They treated the plants with one of five fertilizer solutions: a control that had no added nitrogen or phosphorus and four others with different nitrogen and phosphorus concentrations and ratios.

    The researchers measured several characteristics of the plants, including height and above-ground biomass, the size of each plant’s male and female flowers, how many flowers each plant produced, how long it took the plants to start producing flowers after seeding, and how many cucumbers each plant produced. They also analyzed the flowers’ nectar and pollen, as well as how often the flowers were visited by bumblebees.

    After analyzing the data, the researchers found that while more nitrogen and phosphorus generally was associated with increased growth, attractiveness to pollinators and fruit production, very high levels of nitrogen began to have negative effects on some of these traits. However, increasing phosphorus levels could then mitigate this.

    Overall, they found that the ideal ratio of nitrogen to phosphorus that they tested was 4:1, which resulted in best overall growth, pollinator attraction and reproduction.

    Junpeng Mu, a researcher at Mianyang Normal University who visited Penn State while working on this project, said he thought it was particularly interesting that certain traits of the male flowers — such as number and size of flowers per plant, nectar concentration and pollen number per flower — varied with soil nutrients, but traits of the female flowers did not.

    “These findings give us a better understanding of the mechanisms that underlie interactions between plants and pollinators,” Mu said, “as well as agricultural ecosystem operations.”

    Additionally, Vaudo said he expects the findings will also be useful in his current position, in which he’ll be part of an effort to rehabilitate areas of forests that have been logged. He said the soil is often very compact from the heavy machinery that has rolled through these areas, as well as lacking in nutrients.

    “After loosening the soil, we’ll apply a material called biochar to increase the soil’s ability to hold water and bind nutrients,” Vaudo said. “Then, we can start reintroducing plants and pollinators to the area. I’m thankful to have the experience from this study, which gave me a good starting ground for actually doing some real-life applications.”

    The China Scholarship Council, Wyman’s of Maine and the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture helped support this research.

    Harland Patch, assistant research professor in entomology at Penn State, and Emily Erickson, University of California, Davis, also participated in this work. — By Katie Bohn, Pennsylvania State University

  • Local Organizations Address Critical Gaps For Those Impacted by Flooding in Monterey County

    Spring marks the return of fruit and vegetable harvest in the Salinas Valley region. With heavy rains, cold winter weather and our area recovering from flooding, that harvest has been delayed but consumers can be assured that they will enjoy leafy greens, vegetables and strawberries with the harvest continuing into November.

    While we understand the importance of providing healthy produce to consumers, recovery remains the priority with major efforts undertaken to help communities recover from flooding. One small town in particular in Monterey County, Pajaro, has suffered from widespread damage due to a major breach of the Pajaro River levee on March 10. This breach left homes, businesses and farms flooded and crucial jobs lost.

    This will be a long road to recovery for this largely farm worker community as federal disaster assistance was not immediately available and not approved until weeks after the flooding occurred. This delayed help with rent assistance, clean-up and repairs to homes and businesses. To offset and augment delayed federal assistance, many businesses and individuals contributed to local charities to help with immediate needs for residents including short-term housing, food, furniture, clothing and other essentials.

    To fill a crucial gap in health care needs, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) and Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (Clinica) immediately stepped in to provide medical care, medication replacement and hygiene supplies in the aftermath of the flooding.

    GSA and Clinica set up a mobile clinic at the main shelter for displaced Pajaro residents so services were readily accessible and then moved it to Pajaro once evacuation orders were lifted. The medical care was funded by a grant awarded to GSA therefore these services were provided free-of-charge to the community.

    To date, 43% (1,500) of Pajaro residents have accessed the medical services and essential supplies provided by the GSA/Clinica partnership.

    “While we were pleased that federal assistance was approved on April 4 to help residents, businesses and farms recover, the flooding occurred on March 10 so it was imperative to provide immediate assistance to this severely impacted community and address gaps,” says Christopher Valadez, GSA President. “As we did during the pandemic, GSA and Clinica worked quickly to provide crucial services for impacted residents to offset delays in government services.”

    Long-term, the attention is on job recovery since individual farms in Pajaro employed hundreds and suffered severe losses and it could take local businesses weeks to reopen. But temporary housing is the most crucial need and unemployment compounds the problem.

    GSA is committed to continue to help communities impacted by flooding. As we enter spring and we see the harvest begin, there is a seemingly reassuring component to a return to the business of providing food to consumers. But, we must keep our attention on those in long-term need of critical support. — Grower-Shipper Association of Central California