By Eric Holst

Craig McNamara embodies agricultural leadership in California. He has farmed a 450-acre organic walnut orchard in Winters, California for the past 35 years. He’s been an innovator in implementing conservation practices on his land that both enhance wildlife and benefit his farming operation. He’s also the president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture, and an influential sustainable agriculture educator.

I’ve known Craig for about 10 years and have had the honor of serving with him on the State Board for the last two. I spoke with him about how he integrates farming with ecology and his plan for dealing with potential El Niño rains.

Tell us about the interventions you’ve made on your acreage to protect wildlife.

Do you remember when Earl Butz was Secretary of Agriculture under Nixon? His motto was to farm “from fencepost to fencepost” — removing biodiversity from our farms, which was a big mistake.

Over the past 20 years, we have been planting hedgerows on our land, which is the managed planting of California native grasses, plants, shrubs and trees. This ensures that something will always be in bloom from January to December so we have habitat for native pollinators, which are so critical to our global well-being in terms of food production. The lady beetles, butterflies, and native bees, which are our natural predators, require protein and energy to control pest populations in our orchard. If you don’t have a plant in bloom, they can’t survive.

You and your wife Julie have also done a lot to educate folks about hedgerows.

Twenty years ago we founded the Center for Land-Based Learning to teach high school students about sustainable agriculture and natural resource conservation. We engage students from Yuba City to Bakersfield in activities like restoration and planting hedgerows.

As we plant new acreage of walnuts, we often plant several acres in a hedgerow so that the inner part of the farm will be connected to our watershed of Putah Creek. This makes a flyway and corridor for animals and insects and birds that wouldn’t have had that habitat.

We also collaborate with UC Davis and UC Berkeley on technical research projects studying the populations of bees, bats, birds, owls, and rodents on our land. So we know for sure that these measures have contributed to conservation.

What have you done with sustainable watershed management?

We’re fortunate that our middle son, Sean, has come back to the farm to assist us. He’s taking on the creek restoration project and implementing a whole new mulching and composting regime for us. At harvest time, we remove the high-tannin hulls from the walnuts, and usually farmers just mound them up and they become a toxic mess because of the concentrated tannins, which is bad for water quality. But this year we will be composting the hulls with shredded walnut trees from old orchards.

And then you’ll use the compost?

We need about 1,000 tons of compost a year to feed the ground and fertilize it. We don’t use any synthetic fertilizers, so we depend on compost and cover crops, which are nitrogen-fixing plants.

How has the drought affected you?

We are fortunate to be in a watershed fed from freshwater in Lake Berryessa, but everyone in our watershed is unsustainably pumping from the aquifer, so we need rain. Now, we’re out preparing for the possible El Niño. We want to be able to capture that rainfall on the farm, pump it out from our creek and flood the orchard in order to recharge the aquifer. If we let the creek carry it away, it would quickly go out into the (San Francisco) Bay and the ocean. Our retention ponds that have been dry for years could store the water and it will percolate down.

The beauty is that farmers across California are much more aware of these water-banking techniques than ever before and are prepared to do that if we get the rain.

You’ve been involved as an advisor to the last three governors as a member and now president of the state board. How has that experience affected your farming operations and your interaction with the agriculture community in California?

Serving on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture has been the single most rewarding agriculture experience of my career. The leadership provided by Secretary (Karen) Ross and Governor (Jerry) Brown and my fellow board members has catapulted me into the most critical issues of our time: climate change and drought. I have been able to apply the experiences and models that I have gained at the Board level directly into pro-active farming practices on our farm. The connections that this experience has provided me extend across California agriculture and indeed all the way to Washington, D.C.

Craig McNamara is president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. Eric Holst is a State Board member and associate vice president of the Environmental Defense Fund’s working lands program.

Link to item at the Environmental Defense Fund web site

By Joe Mathews

I feel guilty for having failed, as of this writing, to fulfill a central responsibility of California citizenship. I haven’t been to my county fair this year.

The Los Angeles County Fair can be an ordeal. The event is as sprawling as L.A. itself. Parking is $15. And the fair is held in September, when the Pomona fairgrounds can feel like the hottest place on earth.

But I believe I must go before the fair closes this weekend. In this extraordinary state, we simply have too few opportunities to celebrate the accomplishments of ordinary people, in fields including floral arts and cheese-making.

And that’s not all fairs do. Our fairs, like universities and prisons, are among the few institutions that link this big state. And by staying mostly the same year to year, they provide a healthy hedge against rapid change; their timeless role in advancing public knowledge of agriculture has never been more relevant than during this historic drought.

Perhaps most important, the 78 fairs in our 58 counties are among the last vestiges of democracy in this increasingly unequal state. They draw crowds far more representative of our communities than the electorate is these days.

Four types of entities operate fairs – counties, district agricultural associations, citrus fruit fairs and the state agency (Cal Expo) that handles the state fair – and all are democratic institutions. Fair boards are typically volunteers appointed by the governor or counties.

Attendance at California fairs is strongest in bad economic times when cheap entertainment is most cherished. The most recent studies pin the economic impact of our fairs at $2.5 billion, including some 30,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in annual spending by fairgoers. Their value may be highest in smaller places. Paso Robles, with 30,000 people, hosts the California Mid-State Fair that draws more than 400,000 people annually.

Harder to quantify is all the money that nonprofits raise at fairs. One beer booth at the Yolo County Fair helps support four volunteer fire departments.

The California fair season is long, running from February’s Date Festival in Indio through October’s strong slate, including the Kern County Fair, San Benito County Fair, Big Fresno Fair, Desert Empire Fair and the Southern California Fair in Perris. And fairgrounds are vital spaces even when fairs are not in session, hosting farmers’ markets, horse racing, boat shows, car shows, RV shows and concerts.

California fairs face financial and cultural pressures. They bring in their own revenues, but have struggled to find money to invest in their grounds and infrastructure. Fair operators speak with envy of convention centers or arenas that are funded by hotel taxes; they’d like a piece of such revenue streams. (My own idea for a new kind of sin tax – on corn dogs, a fair staple – received an Icee-cool reception when I tried it out on fair people.)

There is worry that, in today’s safety-obsessed society, core fair attractions may come to appear too dangerous. After all, fairs are invitations to leave the safety of your home, spend hours outside in unpredictable weather, and do strange things, often involving fried foods and large animals.

But there’s a price to be paid for democracy, and for fairs. This weekend, I intend to pay it. I’ll head to the L.A. County Fair and walk among the Chinese lanterns, watch pigs race, and taste the irony of a deep-fried Slim Fast bar. These are pleasures, yes.

But they are also civic duties. See you, my fellow citizens, at the fair.

Joe Mathews is California & innovation editor for Zócalo Public Square, for which he writes the Connecting California column.

Link to op-ed

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By Jay Lund

California’s ongoing drought will continue to break records and grab headlines, but it is unlikely to be especially rare from a water policy and management perspective.

Estimates of the current drought’s rarity range from once in 15 years to once in 1,200 years (Griffin and Anchukaitis 2014), depending on the region and indicators used (precipitation, stream runoff, soil moisture or snowpack). In the Middle Ages, large parts of California had droughts far worse than this one, some lasting more than a century (Stine 1994). The probability of California experiencing a once in 1,200-year drought during a short human lifetime is extremely low.

The chance that this dry period is a “new normal” is probably small. Many parts of Australia are paying for expensive desalination plants built when a severe drought was misinterpreted as a new normal. If this drought is as unusual as once in 1,200 years, then why pay heed beyond just getting through it? We are unlikely to see the likes of it again.

The obsession over El Niño and the California drought masks the reality that the atmospheric condition is poorly correlated with stream flows in Northern California, where 75 percent of the state’s water supply originates.

East Coast news media should keep this perspective: Every summer California has a drought far drier and longer than the eastern U.S. has ever seen. This explains California’s extensive water and irrigation infrastructure (and why people move to California).

The uniqueness of an individual drought is fascinating. Each drought is unique in area, persistence, dryness, temperature, internal pattern and how it ends. California’s current drought is unusually severe, and certainly the worst since 1988-1992. Groundwater in the Tulare basin is probably lower than at any time in human history. This drought also has been unusually warm, leading to it having the lowest snowpack in 500 years and driest soil in 1,200 years). In precipitation or stream flow, this drought so far is between the third and eighth driest years on record for most big rivers.

By focusing on unique aspects of a drought, any drought can become an incredibly rare event. Becoming engrossed in the superlatives, however, can distract from the business of managing water shortages and preparing longer-term solutions.

What’s more relevant for water policy and management is the banality of drought. We should expect to see droughts in California of severity similar to the current drought about once or twice in a generation. Given climate change and the growth in expectations and values for diverse water uses, it seems reasonable to expect such droughts a bit more frequently than in the past. The warmer temperatures in this drought seem likely to become normal for future droughts, with disproportionate effects on ecosystems and small streams.

Agencies, cities, bankers, insurers, farmers and residents should prepare for greater regularity of droughts as harsh as the current one. Severe drought in California should be reclassified from a rare “act of God” to something more like a business cycle swing that recurs several times in a lifetime or career.

California is managing pretty well under the current drought in most areas (Howitt et al. 2015; Hanak et al, 2015) and can survive much more severe and prolonged droughts, if managed well (Harou et al, 2010).

It is more important to focus on managing the dry event and preparing for future ones than understanding the fascinating intricacies of drought origins and statistics. But we probably will continue to obsess about drought statistics and El Niño anyway.

Link to blog post

 

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Deputy Administrator Stan Meiburg have announced the United States’ first-ever national food waste reduction goal, calling for a 50-percent reduction by 2030. As part of the effort, the federal government will lead a new partnership with charitable organizations; faith-based organizations; the private sector; and local, state and tribal governments to reduce food loss and waste in order to improve overall food security and conserve our nation’s natural resources. The announcement coincides with world leaders gathering at the United Nations General Assembly in New York (Sept. 25 – 27) to address sustainable development practices, including sustainable production and consumption. As the global population continues to grow, so does the need for food waste reduction.

“The United States enjoys the most productive and abundant food supply on earth, but too much of this food goes to waste,” said Vilsack. “An average family of four leaves more than two million calories, worth nearly $1500, uneaten each year. Our new reduction goal demonstrates America’s leadership on a global level in in getting wholesome food to people who need it, protecting our natural resources, cutting environmental pollution and promoting innovative approaches for reducing food loss and waste.”

Food loss and waste in the United States accounts for approximately 31 percent—or 133 billion pounds—of the overall food supply available to retailers and consumers and has far-reaching impacts on food security, resource conservation and climate change. Food loss and waste is single largest component of disposed U.S. municipal solid waste, and accounts for a significant portion of U.S. methane emissions. Landfills are the third largest source of methane in the United States. Furthermore, experts have projected that reducing food losses by just 15 percent would provide enough food for more than 25 million Americans every year, helping to sharply reduce incidences of food insecurity for millions.

“Let’s feed people, not landfills. By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources, and protect our planet for future generations” said EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. “Today’s announcement presents a major environmental, social and public health opportunity for the U.S., and we’re proud to be part of a national effort to reduce the food that goes into landfills.”

Ongoing federal initiatives are already building momentum for long-term success. In 2013, USDA and EPA launched the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, creating a platform for leaders and organizations across the food chain to share best practices on ways to reduce, recover, and recycle food loss and waste. By the end of 2014, the U.S. Food Waste Challenge had over 4,000 active participants, well surpassing its initial goal of reaching 1,000 participants by 2020.

In addition to the U.S. Food Waste Challenge, USDA has unveiled several food loss reduction initiatives over the past few years, including an app to help consumers safely store food and understand food date labels, new guidance to manufacturers on donating misbranded or sub-spec foods, and research on innovative technologies to make reducing food loss and waste cost effective. USDA will build on these successes with additional initiatives targeting food loss and waste reduction throughout its programs and policies.

In addition, the USDA is launching a new consumer education campaign through its Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion with information on food loss and waste facts and reduction tips. Moreover, a new section on ChooseMyPlate.gov will educate consumers about reducing food waste to help stretch household budgets.

USDA and EPA will also continue to encourage the private sector—food service companies, institutions, restaurants, grocery stores, and more—to set their own aggressive goals for reducing food loss and waste in the months ahead. Organizations such as the Consumer Goods Forum, which recently approved a new resolution to halve food waste within the operations of its 400 retailer and manufacturers members by 2025, are helping to lead the way.

Link to news release

The drought has brought increased attention to water supplies and use in California. The California Rice Commission asked the nationally known science and engineering company Exponent to find out how much water is consumed in a typical day by an average American. The findings are documented in the publication, Water Footprint of Consumption Among the U.S. Population.

By David Mas Masumoto

We have always had a farm dog. The first dog I can remember was appropriately named Dusty. Pat her short fur and a cloud of sandy loam dust always puffed into the air. I didn’t know her breed, farmers often did not pay attention to pedigree. We wanted a creature who barked at strangers, was kind to kids, and liked being outdoors.

We were never very creative with names. Over the decades, we’ve had about six different “Homers” (no relation to Greek writers but a very common name — because they stayed close to home?) We never used some of the most common names like Bailey, Bella, Max or Lucy. We inherited names like Jake and Cody — dogs given to us by friends or a rescue animal — or gone ethnic with Botchan and Takara — Japanese for a famous writer and the word for treasure.

All our farm dogs lived outside, ran though our fields, followed me out to work. One of our golden retrievers, first day on the farm, ran and followed me out on the tractor. He didn’t understand why I turned around at the end of one row to work the next, but with blind loyalty, ran along side the tractor and faithfully trotted up and down the first 20 rows. Then, as fatigue settled in, he stopped short of the end of the row and waited for the tractor to return. Finally exhausted, he sauntered home.

All of our dogs hunted. Rabbits, quail, squirrels, some pheasants, mice and even lizards were fair game. Mostly, they loved chasing them. I loved to watch them all run, dashing and darting with a yelp of excitement. Sometimes they’d bring home the bounty to share by depositing it on the front doorstep.

And of course, the digging. Dirt flying, front paws burrowing, snouts stuck into a gopher hole. Other times a slow, methodical scraping to carve out a cool spot to plant a warm body. Since farm dogs typically are not fenced, none of our dogs employed their excavating prowess to escape. However, a number of young dogs have destroyed Marcy’s gardens and some felt compelled to exhume ancient bones. A few times, they dredged new, creative channels for my irrigation water (the precious liquid then ran down an avenue or flooded a different row).

Most farm dogs share a common trait: loyalty. They greet us with an honest excitement each morning, trot along side their owners, follow masters into the fields. Faithful and devoted. I knew of stoic farmers, hard working and reserved, who often held their emotions in check. Yet they talked to their dogs with emotion and affection. I’m sure other family members envied the attention.

Pets can display a type of absolute love and joy; that’s why they make such great companions. I love watching farm dogs play in the water. Each time, they act as if it’s the first moment of discovery: explore, touch, jump, splash, leap, roll, bathe, cool, lie, rest. I want to join and live vicariously through them.

Except when they act like dogs. Sometimes they disappear for a night, coming home with a slight cut on their leg — probably out drinking and chasing coyotes. Occasionally they appear with a special dog aroma: carrying the scent of place, like a neighbor’s manure or compost pile.

Or they act like, well, animals. First, dogs like to roll in feces. Why? One theory points to instinctual behavior when dogs were hunters and wanted to mask their own scent in order to sneak up on prey. Fortunately, the stink also warns me to avoid petting or hugging them after they bond with their primal character.

Second, farm dogs will seek out and then wear the scent of “dead.” Out in the countryside, they seem to find things in varying stages of decay, roll and rub their backs in it, bringing the odor home as if to announce “where they’ve been.” Then they seem to brag about their aromatic discovery and their new, stimulating perfume. Someone claimed the fatty oils of such sticky things helps their fur’s appearance — but I believe you have to be another dog to really appreciate such a beauty regime (and I’ve seen other dogs deftly sniff each other during such exchanges).

Our dogs also like to eat weeds and grass. They do have a discerning taste: I’ve never seen any eat Johnson grass — which may have a toxic flavor; they hate it and so do I. But all dogs do eat grass and then vomit. It may be their natural way of taking care of an upset stomach, they can’t digest the plant fibers but it can provide a quick and temporary fix — but certainly not pleasant to watch.

Farm dogs remain trusty and create life-long companions. And for old-time farmers like me, who often work alone and in solitude, they may be our only friend we interact with daily for hours and hours. In my lifetime, I’ve buried my share of farm dogs. We re-enact an age old farming ritual: we take care of the dead.

As I age, I begin to think of myself in dog years — together we age rapidly with each passing season. We will grow old, and I accept the fact we, too, will pass from this piece of land we call home.

Today, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) released the results of the 2014 Organic Survey, which show that 14,093 certified and exempt organic farms in the United States sold a total of $5.5 billion in organic products in 2014, up 72 percent since 2008.

The top 10 states in sales accounted for 78 percent of U.S. organic sales in 2014, with California leading the nation with $2.2 billion. Additionally, the industry shows potential for growth in production as approximately 5,300 organic producers (39 percent) report that they intend to increase organic production in the United States over the next five years. Another 688 farms with no current organic production are in the process of transitioning into organic agriculture production.

 

“Producers reported in the 2014 Organic Survey that they expect to expand U.S. organic production in the coming years, making the data even more important for policy and programs. These results will assist with the development of appropriate risk management programs designed to help organic producers,” said NASS Administrator Joseph T. Reilly. “The report also shows that organic producers are providing a wide variety of products to customers and are getting those items from farm to table more efficiently.”

The selection of organic products sold by U.S. farms in 2014 was diverse, from dairy and proteins, to fruits, vegetables and grains. The top five commodities in organic sales were:

• Milk, $1.08 billion
• Eggs, $420 million
• Broiler chickens, $372 million
• Lettuce, $264 million
• Apples, $250 million

The vast majority of organic agricultural products sold in 2014 were sold close to the farm. According to the report, the first point of sale for 80 percent of all U.S. organic products was less than 500 miles from the farm, compared to 74 percent in 2008. Of the sales of organic products in 2014:

• 46 percent were sold within 100 miles
• 34 percent were sold 101-499 miles
• 18 percent were sold 500 or more miles
• 2 percent were sold internationally

Additionally, 63 percent of U.S. organic farms reported selling products to wholesale markets. These sales accounted for 78 percent of U.S. organic farm sales. Wholesale markets, such as buyers for supermarkets, processors, distributors, packers and cooperatives, were serving as the marketing channel of choice for U.S. organic farmers to get organic agriculture products to customers.

“This report helps show a more complete picture of the U.S. organic industry at the national and state levels,” added Reilly. “The 2014 Organic Survey data will serve as a valuable resource as the agriculture industry continues to look for ways to meet agricultural challenges and consumer needs in the 21st century.”

The survey is part of the Census of Agriculture program and was conducted by NASS in conjunction with USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) to provide objective information to serve the organic industry. Survey results are available at www.agcensus.usda.gov/Publications/Organic_Survey/ or the Quick Stats database at http://quickstats.nass.usda.gov. In addition, join NASS for a webinar about the 2014 Organic Survey, hosted by the USDA Organic Working Group, on September 29, from 1:00-2:00 p.m. ET. To join the webinar, visit www.readytalk.com, dial 1-866-740-1260, and use passcode 720 6000.

Link to news release

By Andrew Amenlinckx

Earlier this year, a study led by Purdue University determined that in the next five years there would be close to 60,000 job openings annually in fields related to agriculture, food, the environment, and renewable natural resources. We spoke to three professors at Purdue—a major research university located in West Lafayette, Indiana, which is consistently ranked as having one of the top agricultural sciences programs in the country (and world for that matter)—on which professions are emerging in this field.

Agricultural and Biological Engineering

Agricultural engineers can focus on machine design, design, and processes of getting food produced at the farm to your plate, or environmental challenges working with soil, water, and air, says Bernard Engel, head of Purdue’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. Careers include working for equipment manufactures in the agricultural, forestry, construction, and military industries. On the environmental and natural resources end, there are jobs with various government agencies or consulting firms.

Engel says the all of the programs in his department are in high demand right now. “Many of the advances in agriculture right now are coming in this area. The future looks bright as well, given expectations of even more technology being used in agriculture in the future,” he says in an email.

Biological engineers deal with issues that include food processes, things like making food taste better or making it last longer; and cellular and biomolecular engineering, which concerns “finding better ways to get value from by-products or getting energy from biological materials.” The food industry is a major employer. Engel says there is also a demand in research and development for these graduates, not only in the food and pharmaceutical industries, but also in genetic engineering in plants.

Agricultural Systems Management graduates help make agricultural technology easier to understand and use, says Engel, and students in this area are “highly sought after in careers with machinery, grain handling, and precision technology.”

Soil Science

Students can focus on soil ecology, chemistry, physics, conservation, and soil landscapes—mapping the soil attributes of a certain area—among other fields of study. John Graveel, an agronomy professor and director of the Natural Resources and Environmental Science program at Purdue, says job prospects for soil scientists right now are very strong. Job opportunities include working for state and federal agencies, environmental consulting firms, and other groups, like the Nature Conservancy.

Soil science students are getting some training ingeographical information systems [GIS],” Graveel tellsModern Farmer in a phone interview. (GIS is a computer system that is used for collecting and displaying data as it relates to geographic points on the Earth’s surface.) “It’s hugely in demand right now by consulting firms to have people on staff who know how to do GIS.”

Agricultural Economics

Agricultural economics is the practice of applying economic principles to public and private decisions made in the agricultural sector, explains Kenneth Foster, head of Purdue’s Agricultural Economics Department. The field includes sales and marketing, agribusiness, farm management, policy making, and natural resource and energy economics.

Job prospects are “pretty strong” for graduates in this “heavily data and metric driven” field, Foster says. “We placed 98 percent of our graduates last May by the end of the summer. Well over 100 students got jobs.”

Pro tip: Foster says because we’re entering an era of data-driven decision making, “the students who can position themselves to be strong from an analytical and problem-solving perspective are going to have an edge in the market.”

All three professors agree on what students interested in these fields should be focusing on: math and science. You get a bonus for taking part in extracurricular activities that help build leadership, communication, and organizational skills.

Startups

Finally, let’s not forget the entrepreneurs out there who are tech savvy and like to go it alone. Agricultural technology startups are blooming right now. Last year the industry grew by 170 percent and had more than $2.36 billion in investment, according to the website TechCrunch.

“I think the agricultural tech industry is doing well because it’s been overlooked for awhile. I think that’s really going to change and it’s going to continue to grow,” says Jason Aramburu, founder and CEO of Edyn, a startup that makes a smart watering sensor for crops.

Link to article

Two current wildfires in Northern California, the Valley Fire in Lake County and the Butte Fire in Calaveras County, have left hundreds of people homeless, hundreds of head of livestock and other animals stranded, and thousands of fire fighters in need of a home base. Such challenges often bring out a range of community resources, including temporary staging areas and shelters at fairgrounds, and the support of animal needs through the California Animal Response Emergency System (CARES), a coalition of volunteers and local and state agencies, including CDFA, that provides essential support during disasters.

County fairgrounds at Calistoga and Ukiah are serving as evacuation centers for families in the path of the Valley Fire, and the fairgrounds at Lakeport are the base camp for fire crews. In the foothills, the fairgrounds at Angels Camp in Calaveras County are serving fire fighters on the Butte incident as well as evacuees and livestock, and the fairgrounds at Plymouth, in Amador County, are also housing livestock.

Multiple CARES collaborators are fully engaged at both incidents and include CDFA emergency coordinators, supply procurement specialists, and Brand Inspection support for helping to identify ranchers and cattle owners in the area. Additionally, local private veterinarians, county animal control and sheriff’s officers, the California Veterinary Medical Association, the U.C Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, the California Veterinary Medical Reserve Corps and several other volunteer groups have all been activated through the CARES incident management system.

Crises like these create a great deal of tragedy and chaos. The efforts of CDFA and its partners in the fairs and animal-care sectors, working in close coordination with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, help deliver all the support and organization that can be provided at such a difficult time.