The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service has a new web site to provide people with important information about which agricultural items are safe to enter the United States – and which ones are best left behind this holiday season. This helps protect the health of our country’s plants, animals and natural resources, ensuring many happy holidays to come.

Food products and other agricultural-based items (plants, seeds, and gifts made from wood or plants) from other countries can carry pests and diseases not found here in the United States. For these reasons, certain items are not allowed to be carried in by travelers. Other items may be allowed with specific documentation. The USDA’s new site helps everyone thinking about bringing an agricultural gift from overseas understand what is okay to bring to the US. 

So whether you are selecting a holiday gift for this season – or just planning ahead for next summer’s vacation souvenirs – please check out the site. 

Visit the site here: https://www.aphis.usda.gov/travel

Learn more at www.dontpackapest.com

From Morning Ag Clips 

 If you’re cooking for friends and family this holiday season, it’s important to make sure you’re not spreading bacteria that can cause harmful foodborne illnesses.

A recent study by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) and North Carolina State University found that Americans are practicing some disturbing food handling behaviors when it comes to preparing food at home.

The study found that in the control group, 66 percent of participants did not use a thermometer to check the temperature of the ground turkey burgers. Even when participants did use a food thermometer, only 54 percent of turkey burgers reached the safe internal cooking temperature of 165°F.

Participants also spread potentially harmful bacteria from raw meat and poultry onto other surfaces or food items in the kitchen. The study found that participants contaminated 48 percent of the spice containers, 11 percent of refrigerator door handles, 11 percent of water faucet handles and five percent of chef salads during the meal preparation.

These statistics are concerning when you consider that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that millions of Americans are sickened with foodborne illnesses (also known as food poisoning) each year, resulting in roughly 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Children, older adults and those with compromised immune systems are especially at risk.

Make sure you’re protecting your family by not falling into bad food preparation habits. Always follow the four steps to food safety:

• Clean your hands thoroughly for a full 20 seconds with soapy water. Always serve food on clean plates and avoid reusing plates that previously held raw meat and poultry.
• Separate raw meat, poultry and egg products from ready-to-eat foods.
• Cook, using a food thermometer to make sure food reaches a safe minimum internal temperature:
  • Beef, pork, lamb and veal (steaks, chops and roasts): 145°F with a three minute rest.
  • Ground beef, pork, lamb and veal: 160°F.
  • Poultry (whole or ground): 165°F.
• Chill leftovers within two hours of cooking. Keep track of how long items have been sitting on the buffet table and discard anything that has been out longer than two hours.

If you are transporting food items to a holiday party, keep hot foods hot (140°F or above) and cold foods cold (40°F or below). Use separate, insulated containers for hot and cold foods, and make sure that cold foods are packed with cold sources, such as ice or frozen gel packs. The best way to ensure that food is being held at a safe temperature while you are traveling is to place an appliance thermometer in the cooler.

Whether you’re wondering how to cook your holiday ham, or debating whether it’s time to throw out those party leftovers, USDA has resources to help. The FoodKeeper app, available for both Android and iOS devices, is a quick and easy resource you can download and use at home to check storage times and preparation tips for more than 500 food items.

For more information, visit Foodsafety.gov

Link to article

 

A new video PSA from Visit California features Governor Brown, Governor-elect Newsom, and a number of celebrities expressing their concern for victims of the recent wildfires in northern and southern California and encouraging viewers to donate what they can to the Red Cross.

By Ruby Larson

Soil health and research on using cover crops were discussed by farmers, researchers and others at the University of California Cooperative Extension’s Soil Health and Cover Crop Field Day on Dec. 6.

Dozens gathered for a presentation on the Healthy Soils Project, which the local UCCE is participating in. The project focuses on managing soil health, changes in soil carbon and reducing greenhouse gases.

Several farmers attended the field day to learn more about cover cropping and improving soil health.

Pete Deen, agronomist with Syngenta, an agriculture supply company, said he attended because he’s interested in expanding his knowledge and “seeing what people in the industry are doing to improve soil.”

Jack Welch, seed market representative with Simplot Grower Solutions, said the retailer has been making a push toward cover crop sales as the industry looks at sustainable growing solutions.

So, he said, he attended to try and stay up to date and learn more about cover crops and soil health.

Topics included in the presentation were managing winter cover crops in annual rotation, soil health demonstrations and managing soil carbon based on management practices.

Cover crops are planted to enrich and protect the soil.

Amber Vinchesi, vegetable crops adviser for UCCE Sutter-Yuba, began the presentation by giving background on the research project.

Vinchesi said part of the goal of the three-year project is to improve public and environmental health. During the course of the project, they will be sampling soil and measuring greenhouse gasses after events, such as rain and tillage.

The site in Meridian will be implementing winter cover crops and will have three treatments, one with low seeded rate, high seeded rate and a control with no cover crop, she said during the presentation.

Vinchesi and Sarah Light, agronomy adviser for UCCE Sutter-Yuba, gave a demonstration on how they would test for greenhouse gasses during the course of the project.

Light said cover crop benefits can include things like increasing organic matter in the fields, improving soil structure, reducing the risk of erosion or compaction and suppressing weeds.

Light said during the research, they are looking at three plant families – grasses, brassica and legumes.

Valerie Bullard, agronomist at the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Plant Materials Center, said her organization has been working on a number of trials with different species of cover crops.

They’ve looked at things like fixation, weed suppression, different management and warm season cover crops, Bullard said.

The right cover crop can depend on what the needs of the grower are, what time of year they have to grow something, what kind of plant they want to grow, height or pest concerns along with other factors, she said.

UCCE’s research is being done on a portion of Vincent Andreotti’s field near Meridian.

During the presentation, Andreotti talked about field management of the winter cover crops, including what’s grown there and how the crops would be planted.

He said they had planned to plant the cover crops earlier in the season, but the rain delayed them.

The statewide healthy soils project is supported by the California Department of Food and Agriculture and funded by California Climate Investments.

Link to article

A diversified farmer from Tulare County and a farm couple from Glenn County have earned awards for achievement and excellence among young farmers and ranchers in California. They received the awards during the 100th California Farm Bureau Federation Annual Meeting in San Diego.

Zack Stuller of Exeter received the Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award, which recognizes accomplishments in production agriculture and leadership activity.

Shannon and Kelly Douglass of Orland received the Excellence in Agriculture Award, presented to young agricultural professionals who contribute through involvement in agriculture, leadership activities and Farm Bureau.

A first-generation farmer, Stuller became interested in agriculture while growing up in Northern California, eventually earning agricultural degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After working for several years as a farm manager in the San Joaquin Valley, he started his own operation last year, farming and managing citrus fruit, kiwifruit and walnuts. His company also helps develop farmland for permanent crops. Stuller serves as treasurer of the Tulare County Farm Bureau and has taken a particular interest in water policy, serving on the county water commission and on the stakeholder committees for two local groundwater-sustainability agencies.

Shannon Douglass operates an agricultural recruitment business. She was elected last year as CFBF first vice president and also serves as a member of the Glenn County Farm Bureau board. Her husband Kelly is a seed sales representative. Together, the couple raise beef cattle and grow sunflowers, watermelons, squash, pumpkins, corn and hay.

Asked to name three important issues facing agriculture, the Douglasses cited regulation, the shortage of qualified agricultural employees, and the need to increase awareness of agriculture among non-farm residents. As farmers, they said, “we feel the pain of each and every regulation with which we must comply,” noting that paperwork becomes “a heavy burden and daunting task” for people trying to start a farming operation.

As winners of their respective awards, Stuller and the Douglasses each earned a $4,000 cash prize sponsored by Farm Credit, Kubota and K·Coe Isom. Stuller also earned 250 hours’ use of a Kubota tractor, furnished by Kubota Tractor Corp.

The winners will represent California in national competitions to be held next month at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in New Orleans.

Link to article

From the UC’s Water Security and Sustainability Research Initiative

There are only two ways to reduce groundwater overdraft: decrease pumping or increase recharge.

While addressing California’s overdraft will certainly require both actions, we convened a meeting of water management experts around groundwater recharge. The goal of the “Recharge Roundtable” was to address California’s severe groundwater overdraft problem through actions that would produce substantial increases in recharge in the next five years.

As a collaboration between the Groundwater Resources Association of California and the University of California Water Security and Sustainability Research Initiative (UCWSSRI), we aimed to motivate focused actions that effect large quantities of recharge and produce regional benefits. The Recharge Roundtable participants and organizers produced a call to action, organized around six key questions and related action steps:

1. How much water is hydrologically available for recharge?
2. How much water can be recharged in different hydrogeologic environments?
3. What are the legal and regulatory bottlenecks, and how can they be eliminated or reduced?
4. How can hundreds to thousands of recharge projects be incentivized?
5. What changes in reservoir reoperation and conveyance are needed?
6. What are the water quality benefits and concerns for recharge?

It is increasingly obvious that tantalizing possibilities for increasing recharge to California’s aquifers exist, yet state and local water agencies and stakeholders are not sufficiently prepared to capitalize on those possibilities. This call to action is intended to help our state prepare.

Link to UCWSSRI web site

From a news release

Dr. Kent Fowler, a CDFA veterinarian and chief of the agency’s Animal Health Branch, has been recognized with a Distinguished Service Award from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP).

The Distinguished Service Award honors exemplary service to the AAEP or a similar organization to the benefit of the horse, horse industry or profession of equine veterinary medicine. Dr. Fowler was honored Dec. 4 during the President’s Luncheon at the AAEP’s 64th Annual Convention in San Francisco.

Dr. Fowler received his veterinary degree in 1977 from the University of California, Davis. Before joining CDFA in 2004, he practiced large animal medicine on the central coast of California.

As host of the monthly National Equine Conference Call, Dr. Fowler facilitates ongoing communication about pertinent veterinary topics between the American Horse Council, AAEP, National Assembly of State Animal Health Officials, United States Department of Agriculture and industry. In addition, he works with state animal health officials and the USDA to develop acceptable protocols for treatment and subsequent testing of horses for equine piroplasmosis, a tick-borne disease that can be fatal. Since the initial discussions of this treatment option, multiple horses have been treated successfully.

Dr. Jamie Peyton, chief of the Integrative Medicine Service with the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, is assisting veterinarians in the Chico-area by using sterilized tilapia skins to treat burns on dogs and cats injured in the Camp Fire.

Peyton first used the procedure on two bears and a mountain lion burned in the Thomas Fire in Ventura County in 2017. She also treated a bear cub burned in this year’s Carr Fire  in the Redding-area.

“We’re trying to change burn care for animals,” said Peyton. “Tilapia skins act as a dermal substitute that provides pain relief and protection and helps these wounds heal better.”

Tilapia skin can transfer collagen, a healing protein, to the burned skin. It also reduces the need for frequent bandage changes, which can be quite painful for animals.

See this UC Davis blog post on the practice

 

CDFA secretary Karen Ross joined the Almond Board of California this week at a meeting to introduce and discuss the board’s sustainability goals for 2025. The goals are:

1. Further reduce the water used to grow almonds.
2. Increase adoption of environmentally friendly pest management tools.
3. Achieve zero waste in orchards.
4. Improve local air quality during almond harvest.

Secretary Ross participated in a video about these goals.