CDFA Secretary Karen Ross bids a costumed Merry Wells a happy Halloween and a rewarding retirement. There is a thought balloon on the upper left that is part of Merry’s costume and reads, “Oh snap! It’s my last day!!”

Halloween was an ideal occasion for the California Department of Food and Agriculture to celebrate Merry Wells’ 37 years of public service. Family, friends and coworkers in costume laughed along with her as she recounted her years “growing up with CDFA.” Secretary Karen Ross presented a proclamation thanking her for her work as well as her friendship.

Merry’s service took her to five CDFA divisions. She began her public service in 1980 at the age of 17, in the era of shorthand and carbon copies, and she never missed a beat between that and the internet.

Besides her professional accomplishments and capabilities, Merry has a talent for the theatrical – throughout her career she has raised her hand and volunteered time after time to plan special events and take care of the details. Her inimitable character, her creative flair and her wonderful sense of humor will be missed.

She spoke fondly of mentors and managers who helped her along the way, and she called CDFA and the agricultural community her extended family. Her colleagues, in turn, wished her a happy Halloween and a long and rewarding retirement.

Colleagues signed farewell messages to the retiring Merry Wells.

Follow this link to CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation and SWEEP.

INDIANAPOLIS – Students from Arizona, California, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky and Oklahoma have been elected by delegates throughout the United States to serve on the 2017-18 National FFA Officer team.

Breanna Holbert of Lodi, an agricultural education major at California State University – Chico, was elected national president. Holbert is the first female African American elected to the office of president. She previously served as secretary of California’s FFA

Erica Baier, an agricultural education major at Iowa State University, was elected national secretary. Piper Merritt, an agricultural economics major at Oklahoma State University, was elected central region vice president. Bryce Cluff, an agricultural technology and management/education major at the University of Arizona, will serve as western region vice president.

Ian Bennett, majoring in agriscience and environmental systems – plant breeding and genetics at the University of Georgia, was elected southern region vice president. Gracie Furnish, a career and technical education major at the University of Kentucky, will serve as eastern region vice president.

Each year at the National FFA Convention & Expo, six students are elected by delegates to represent the organization as national officers. Delegates elect a president, secretary, and vice presidents representing the central, southern, eastern, and western regions of the country.

National officers commit to a year of service to the National FFA Organization. Each officer travels more than 100,000 national and international miles to interact with business and industry leaders, thousands of FFA members and teachers, corporate sponsors, government and education officials, state FFA leaders, and the general public. The team will lead personal growth and leadership training conferences for FFA members throughout the country and help set policies that will guide the future of FFA and promote agricultural literacy.

Link to FFA web site

This goat was among more than 600 animals sheltered at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo. Photo from the Sacramento Bee.  

By Cynthia Hubert

As smoke and flames threatened her rural property in Suisun City, Cristina Santini’s thoughts turned to her 38 goats and sheep.

She and her husband Flavio had been told to get out ahead of the Atlas Fire that was raging in Solano County. There seemed to be no time for the couple to chase their livestock down, pack them into trailers and drive them to safety. The county seemed unlikely to help, since it was in the process of evacuating thousands of humans threatened by the flames.

“Maybe I should open the gates and let them run for their lives,” Santini recalled thinking at the time.

Instead, she and Flavio decided to phone the Solano County sheriff’s dispatch line. To her surprise, Santini recalled, animal control officers were on the scene within minutes, rounding up frightened livestock for transport to a makeshift evacuation center at the fairgrounds.

“They brought 10 people and three trailers. I’ve never seen such a hard-working crew,” Santini said. “They got all of my animals. They and the firefighters are my heroes.”

Santini’s home was mostly spared, and her sheep and goats are safe and seemingly content at the Solano County Fairgrounds in Vallejo. They were among more than 600 animal evacuees who have been sheltered and fed and received veterinary care since fires erupted across Northern California’s wine country.

Napa, Solano and Sonoma counties are known as places where some of the world’s finest wine is grown and produced. They are also a prime livestock area. Sonoma County alone is home to some 27,000 horses, mules and donkeys, according to a recent study. Rural ranchers raise sheep, llamas, goats and other creatures across the rolling hills.

The constellation of wildfires, collectively the most destructive in California history, left more than 40 people dead and thousands of structures in ashes. As the flames bore down, many residents had mere minutes to figure out what to do about their pets and livestock.

Some had to leave their animals behind, and are still searching for survivors. Others mobilized friends and family members to help evacuate horses and other livestock. Rescue groups such as the SPCA and government agencies, as well as staffers from the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Center, stepped in to search for animals and tend to the injured. Facebook pages were set up to help reunite missing pets with their people.

Animal sanctuaries also scrambled to respond to the crisis. Rescue Ranch in Vacaville packed up its chickens, pigs and sheep and headed for safer ground in Grass Valley. Employees at Safari West, an exotic animal sanctuary in Santa Rosa, evacuated, but keepers quickly returned and the agency’s animals escaped injury.

At the Solano County Fairgrounds, which has sat mostly vacant since horse racing stopped a decade ago, the county Office of Emergency Services announced a day after the fires started on Oct. 8 that it would provide a refuge for displaced livestock. A stream of trailers carrying animals flowed in, and a small army of government workers and volunteers began unloading a menagerie of refugees, including prized show horses and pet donkeys; pigs, llamas, sheep; even some fowl. Some of the displaced livestock came in with phone numbers spray painted onto their bodies to identify them in case they became lost.

“We are treating every one of them the same,” said Erin Hannigan, a Solano County Supervisor from Vallejo who has helped organize and maintain the evacuation center. “They are getting great care, and by caring for these animals we are caring for our people.”

The operation was organized chaos at first, Hannigan said, as workers welcomed an unusual mix of animals that were highly stressed and, in some cases, injured. Trucks started arriving with donated hay, feed and other supplies. Veterinarians and veterinary technicians reported to the scene to evaluate and treat animals. Other volunteers began documenting ownership of evacuees, and getting them settled in barns and stables that had been vacant for years.

Within a few days, “we were a well-oiled machine,” said Hannigan, who has gone to the property every day to offer greetings and comfort to animal evacuees and human helpers.

“I’m not that comfortable in a stall,” said Hannigan, as she patted horses whose owners fled flames threatening Calistoga last week. “But I can say hello, and welcome them, and pet them.”

Livestock owners began retrieving their animals as soon as they could confirm that their properties were inhabitable. As of (last) Thursday, the fairgrounds still held more than 100 animals, including a friendly pig named Daisy, a bonded pair of elderly horses and Santini’s livestock. Santini said she and her husband planned to reunite with their animals after repairing fencing around their property.

“We are so very grateful,” she said. “I just can’t say enough about what everyone did for us and our animals. I never imagined it would turn out this way.”

Others have been looking for pets that disappeared in the wildfires.

Sonoma County Animal Services has received some of those animals, and is working to reunite them with their owners using the social-media hashtags #tubbsfire and #LOSTPETSsonomacountyfire2017. Details are available on the agency’s website, which also is soliciting donations to pay for veterinary care and supplies for animals affected by the fires.

The UC Davis veterinary teaching hospital has treated a handful of burn survivors, including eight cats, a couple of horses and a llama, officials said. The school is collecting money through its Veterinary Catastrophic Need Fund to provide care for animals that are injured in natural disasters or other accidents. Further information is on the school’s website.

At the Solano evacuation site, Dori Pettigrew, a retired hospital administrator and former horse owner, has been working 16 to 19 hours a day tending to her charges. She is one of more than 1,500 people who have helped out at the site.

“I feel for all of the people who have lost so much,” she said. “I am an animal lover, and I have a background in safety and administration. I just felt like the best thing I could do was to be here.”

Kelly McCrary, another volunteer, said she has felt the desperation that many animal owners must have experienced when the fires ignited.

“We are no stranger to fires,” she said. “When you are in such a desperate situation, you have to leave your animals sometimes. Then you hope and pray that someone will be there to help them.”

The work at the fairgrounds has been as satisfying as it has been challenging, said Pettigrew.

“It’s so inspiring to see so many people, from young people to the elderly, giving their time selflessly and generously,” she said. “The hearts of people are good.

“When you see tears of happiness as an owner comes in and finds an animal they had lost, it makes it all worthwhile.”

Link to article

Secretary Ross and Department of Pesticide Regulation director Brian Leahy with retiring agricultural commissioners Jim Allan (L) and Tim Niswander.

California’s agricultural commissioners are holding their annual fall conference this week in Sacramento. I was honored to be able to spend some time with them and remind them yet again how much we appreciate the unique partnership we enjoy with them.

Ag commissioners are our secret weapon in a complex, vibrant food production system. They carry out CDFA programs at the local level, assisting with tasks like pest prevention and organic regulation as well as partnering with the state Department of Pesticide Regulation on pesticide enforcement issues. Commissioners also serve as sealers of weights and measures for their counties, adding other essential functions–consumer protections and the regulation of fair commerce–to their roster of duties.

This week’s conference is especially noteworthy for serving as a transition point for two retiring Ag commissioners, Jim Allan of Solano County and Tim Niswander of Kings County. Together they have nearly 25 years of experience leading their counties, and a great deal more time working in local agriculture. I wish to congratulate both men on their retirements. Although they will be missed greatly, I have confidence that their successors will do an excellent job, having come through the same system that has produced many fine Ag commissioners over the years.

From “Tech Talk,” by Phillip Lan

Over the past few decades, technology has disrupted many industries including manufacturing, media, banking and retail shopping. We also now understand that it is no longer a matter of if but when technology-based solutions, such as self-driving vehicles, will transform transportation and logistics.

Agriculture, on the other hand, has experienced a relatively slow adoption of technology. Sure, some crops require less manpower then they did years ago. Talk to the old farmers here in the Central Valley and they will tell you about climbing up in almond trees to knock down nuts when they first began working out in the orchards.

It took dozens and dozens of laborers working long hours during harvest, and even longer hours when orchards needed to be replanted. Today, two almond workers can manage hundreds of acres with specialized machinery.

Many delicate crops like cherries, however, are still harvested the same way they were 1,000 years ago because advances in agricultural automation have primarily been mechanical, not software-based like many other industries.

This will increasingly become a problem for California’s $47 billion ag industry as a couple of long-term macro trends continue developing.

First, countries such as Mexico, China, Chile and parts of the Middle East have rapidly progressing agricultural industries and lower labor costs. To remain competitive, California farmers need to continually increase per-acre yields.

Second, local agriculture continues to experience a severe and growing shortage of farm laborers. Mexico’s improved economy, current immigration policies and lack of interest in farm jobs by American youth are all contributing to the dire situation, despite a 50 percent pay increase for farm workers since 1996, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Fortunately, recent developments in artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) software are about to give Central Valley farmers a fighting chance to win in the competitive global food production marketplace.

The applications for AI are endless, improving disease diagnosis, new drug development, investing decisions and even enabling the sci-fi dream of self-flying cars (many working prototypes are already being produced). In agriculture, this advanced software is powering a new generation of machines capable of distinguishing between tomato plants and similar weeds, trees that are healthy and trees that are thirsty or lack nutrients, an important first step in increasing yields and reducing labor requirements.

Upcoming developments will soon combine agricultural software, computer hardware and durable farm equipment to build comprehensive solutions that significantly improve farming materials conservation, foliage strength, yield mapping to address yield variation and autonomous self-driving tractor capabilities.

Accurate analysis will one day help farmers increase yields through plant-by-plant optimization instead of field or orchard optimization. Current aerial and satellite photography methods, which only show what is going on in the top layer of fields and orchards, are unable to provide the necessary data.

Several companies are now emerging as leaders in ag tech. Blue River Technologies is leveraging AI software to create innovative solutions for farmers across the nation. Their “see and spray” robotics platform uses computer vision to distinguish between good crops and bad weeds and then sprays herbicide on the weeds with inkjet printer-like precision. Most of our nation’s 911 million acres of farmland is sprayed with fertilizer to control weed growth. Blue River’s solution reduces chemical usage by more than 90 percent, and is beginning to have a tremendous impact on important crops such as lettuce. Their robots can even determine how to allocate resources optimally to grow lettuce, and then autonomously thins the plants to improve yields.

Another innovative company is Central Valley-based Milano Technical Group, started by UC Merced graduate Dominic Milano. The company is a manufacturer of automation modules that are fitted to row crop harvesters, significantly improving their performance. The company’s solution leverages LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging is a detection system that works on the principle of radar, but uses light from a laser), infrared and computer vision to address high variable data collection and yield monitoring challenges in fields and orchards.

Autonomous Solutions, Inc., is one of the fastest growing robotics companies in the United States. ASI’s broad product line includes market-leading autonomous tractors for a variety of field, vineyard and orchard work. They were recently selected as one of the top companies in the global robotics industry by Robotic Business Review alongside robotic giants Google Alphabet, Boston Dynamics, Bosch Group, IBM, Intel and Uber.

These new software-based technologies will give California farmers another tool to improve quality and reduce costs, positioning them to win in the global marketplace.

Ag tech is starting to gain traction, but one of the key factors holding back investment thus far has been the lack of exits in the industry. Venture capital firms are hesitant to invest in ag tech companies because they haven’t traditionally seen a path to cash out.

Things are changing though. John Deere’s recent $305 million acquisition of Blue River Technologies will definitely accelerate investment and growth in this space.

Link to article

According to production statistics compiled by the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service and released by CDFA, lettuce is the fifth largest commodity in California, with a value of nearly $2 billion. Roughly 75 percent of the nation’s lettuce and leafy greens are grown in California.

There are three main growing regions.  The Central Coast, which includes both the Salinas Valley and the Santa Maria/Oxnard region, is the largest with 75 percent of production for the state, the Desert region is the second largest with 19 percent of production and the Central Valley – which acts as a seasonal transition region between the other two – produces the final 6 percent.

Monterey County is, by far, the largest county of leafy greens production.  Located on the Central Coast, Monterey County produced over 100,000 acres of lettuce valued at $1.5 billion in 2015.  The next biggest lettuce producer is Imperial County.  In 2015 Imperial County produced over 30,000 acres valued at over $2 million.

Lettuce is produced year-round in California, but this crop does demand good weather.  Ideal conditions for leafy green crops are high temperatures in the 60s or 70s and lows in the 40s.  Because of this, the Central Coast is a huge growing region that produces lettuce between the months of April and November.  Winter in the hot Desert Region is perfect for leafy greens from November through March.  And the Central Valley covers the transition period in Spring and Fall.

California is not the only source of leafy greens in the U.S.  Arizona is another substantial producer. It is estimated that combined the two states produce nearly 95 percent of US leafy green crops.

There are 14 different leafy greens covered by the California’s Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement. While lettuce is the most heavily-produced, some of the others include  spinach, kale and cabbage.

With thousands of Californians suffering devastating losses due to recent wildfires, CDFA is offering a web page with resources for recovery.

Included is a program from the California Employment Development Department (EDD) for individual assistance to those who have lost their jobs during the fires, in Butte, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Orange, Sonoma and Yuba counties. This is federal assistance administered by EDD that provides temporary unemployment benefits to people whose jobs or work hours were directly impacted by the fires.

The USDA has multiple agencies that provide financial and/or technical assistance to help farmers, ranchers and rural landowners recover from natural disasters such as wildfires. The web page contains information about programs from the Farm Service Agency, the Risk Management Agency, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, and the Rural Development agency.

Additionally, expertise and assistance on particular subjects (e.g. re-seeding, erosion & flooding, livestock, salvage logging, or reforestation) may be available through local or regional University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Extension offices.

The page also includes a link to the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services for a roster of local assistance centers as well as information about debris removal.

Link to CDFA wildfire resources web page

With Fall now in full swing, Californians are again starting to turn their attention to El Dorado County’s Apple Hill, which is in the midst of its 2017 production season. From CDFA’s award-winning Growing California video series, here’s an encore presentation on Apple Hill’s draw as a tourism destination.