By Brian K. Sullivan

California will reach the halfway point in its rainy season this weekend. Hopes that the three-year drought will be washed away are probably already in the past.

While December brought heavy rains that put the state on pace for a normal season, there hasn’t been much precipitation since then. Since Jan. 1, Sacramento and Fresno have received too little to measure.

“We’ve had four weeks of a very minimal amount of rain in the northern part of the state, which is where our key reservoirs lie,” said Pete Fickenscher, senior hydrologist at the California Nevada River Forecast Center in Sacramento.

Now the forecast calls for a high pressure ridge to form along the West Coast, bringing sun, mild temperatures and an extended dry spell.

“They certainly have a dry forecast with that ridge,” said Brian Hurley, a meteorologist with the Weather Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland. “That ridge is going to keep it dry through the weekend.”

The ridge may also deflect any storms coming in off the Pacific, sending them farther north, he said.

California’s drought will probably extend into a fourth year if rain doesn’t fall and snow doesn’t pile up in the mountains. Governor Jerry Brown declared an emergency a year ago and asked residents to cut water use by 20 percent.

The drought affects about 37 million people and 77.5 percent of California is suffering extreme drought or worse, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor in Lincoln, Nebraska.

As of Jan. 21, some of the state’s largest reservoirs are ahead of last year’s levels, according to the California Data Exchange Center’s website. Lakes Shasta and Oroville, for instance, have more water in them than they did a year ago.

While it may look optimistic, without rain to sustain them those hopes could fade. According to one measure, the Northern California Eight Station Index, the state is on track for its driest January on record, Fickenscher said.

In order to equal a normal year, California will need 25 inches of liquid equivalent, either from rain or snow, in February and March, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates, said Matthew Rosencrans, a meteorologist at the Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Maryland.

“They would need records amounts of precipitation to get back to normal,” Rosencrans said. “There will be one or two more storms, but I don’t think it will be the year that turns the tide.”

It may take years to replenish California’s groundwater, Fickenscher said. As for the drought on the surface, the message since the start of the rainy season hasn’t changed.

“What we really need is some concentrated rain back-to-back,” Fickenscher said. “We had one good month; we need to two or three months. It’s looking like it’s probably not going to break out this year.”

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By Edward Ortiz 

The fate of the world’s food supply, the relationship of food to health, and the role of venture capital in farming were among a slate of issues tackled by noted national scientists and others during the official launch of the Innovation Institute for Food and Health at UC Davis on Wednesday.

The center is a partnership between the university and Mars Inc., and signals a deepening of a 40-year relationship between the two.

The institute is destined to operate under the umbrella of UC Davis’ planned World Food Center, which the university has said it wants to establish in Sacramento, possibly in the downtown railyard.

Wednesday’s event at the Mondavi Center was the first held by the innovation institute, which will be funded with $40 million from Mars, the company best known as the maker of Snickers and M&Ms. UC Davis will contribute $20 million.

“This will be a research-based relationship, but there is another element to it. It will also be an innovation-based relationship,” said Harold Schmitz, chief science officer at Mars Inc.

In participating, Mars hopes to find a sustainable business model it can use in the long term for its food operations – especially its growing pet food operation.

For UC Davis, the institute is being seen as a Silicon Valley-like center where startups and innovative research will be created within the food realm.

Mars will not be the only company involved in the center. Other companies, universities and entities will eventually be brought into the fold, said Linda P.B. Katehi, chancellor of UC Davis.

“A number of faculty have already started collaboration work with other companies, and we will invite them to participate,” Katehi said. She did not specify which companies are involved, or what research might be included.

The broad-based approach the institute seeks to take in tackling food issues was evident in the wide-ranging and powerhouse roster of speakers invited to the symposia.

One of those was molecular biologist and Nobel laureate Elizabeth Blackburn, who spoke about how education and genetics affect health. Blackburn won a Nobel prize in medicine in 2009 for her research into how chromosomes are protected by shoelace cap-like end pieces called telomeres.

Blackburn related a key study of 100,000 Californians that found those who did not finish high school had shorter telomeres, a phenomenon correlated with the onset of disease, like cancer.

Blackburn said that an innovation institute could allow such research to get into the hands of those who can use it for the public good.

“Communication is absolutely the key thing,” Blackburn said. “Scientists are skeptical of other areas of science. There’s a lot of mutual mistrust.”

Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, also attended. “I believe this is a watershed moment for food and health” she said. “At the end of the day, nutrition education is an important foundation for helping our youth learn lifelong habits and this is the kind of thing that should happen in this region.”

Climate change and its effect on food security was also a topic of discussion.

“We’re at a tipping point where we’ve seen warning signals. We can no longer plead ignorance, we’re no longer bystanders,” said Benjamin Santer, atmospheric scientist at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. “So, I hope this new institute can do a better job of communicating the science of climate change.”

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that 115 high-impact projects across all 50 states and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico will receive more than $370 million in federal funding as part of the new USDA Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP).  In addition, these projects will leverage an estimated $400 million more in partner contributions—for a total of nearly $800 million—to improve the nation’s water quality, support wildlife habitat and enhance the environment.  Vilsack made the announcement near Phoenix, where the new program will invest in a project with five local partners to clean and conserve water along the Verde River, a tributary of the Colorado River.

“This is an entirely new approach to conservation efforts,” said Secretary Vilsack. “These partnerships empower communities to set priorities and lead the way on conservation efforts important for their region. They also encourage private sector investment so we can make an impact that’s well beyond what the Federal government could accomplish on its own.”

The RCPP competitively awards funds to conservation projects designed by local partners specifically for their region. Eligible partners include private companies, universities, non-profit organizations, local and tribal governments and others joining with agricultural and conservation organizations and producers to invest money, manpower and materials to their proposed initiatives.

Through the RCPP, partners propose conservation projects to improve soil health, water quality and water use efficiency, wildlife habitat, and other related natural resources on private lands.

Four of the selected projects are connected to California:

1) Expansion of Waterbird Habitat – The current sequence of events for rice production creates a situation where birds are frequently left with abrupt changes in habitat availability. The proposal extends the “watering” season of flooded rice fields beyond just the production phase and adds shallow water habitat in the winter/spring and fall months. This proposal supports the California Rice Commission in expanding the Waterbird Habitat Enhancement Program (WHEP) by 50 percent, thus enhancing the wildlife value of 165,000 acres of rice and the long term sustainability of rice agriculture.

2) Rice Stewardship Partnership – The Rice Stewardship Partnership, composed of Ducks Unlimited, the USA Rice Federation, and 44 collaborating partners, will assist up to 800 rice producers to address water quantity, water quality, and wildlife habitat across 380,000 acres in Mississippi, Arkansas, California, Louisiana, Missouri, and Texas.

3) Tricolored Blackbird Habitat – The Tricolored Blackbird once was abundant in California with a population in the millions. It now has an estimated 145,000 birds remaining statewide, and many predict that it is heading toward extinction. This proposal is a partnership between the dairy industry and conservation groups, with Audobon California as the lead partner, to address the factors that challenge California dairy farmers and threaten Tricolored Blackbirds, with the goal of finding a sustainable solution for management of colonies on farms and saving the Tricolored Blackbird from extinction.

4) Klamath-Rogue Woodland Health and Habitat Conservation – Many at-risk and listed species depend on quality oak woodlands that are threatened by conifer encroachment, densification, and severe wildfires in this project area, covering portions of Oregon and California. Working with landowners, including historically underserved producers, and using a sound, science-based approach, the partners will target 3,200 high-priority acres recently identified in a Conservation Implementation Strategy to preserve, enhance, and restore the structural diversity, ecological function, and overall health and persistence of oak habitats and their watersheds.

A complete list of the projects and their descriptions is available on the NRCS website.

Link to complete news release

An old saying goes, “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” The California Department of Food and Agriculture practices this principle through its Border Protection Stations. There are 16 of them along the state’s perimeter, staffed by state employees dedicated to protecting our food supply and environment from invasive species. Each year, the Border Stations intercept thousands of potentially dangerous invasives before they can enter California.

Two recent issues demonstrate the broad reach of the Border Stations. In late 2014, inspectors at our Needles station stopped a moving van and found a citrus tree, which was confiscated. Subsequent testing revealed it was carrying huanglonbing (HLB), or citrus greening, a fatal disease of citrus spread by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), which has infested a substantial portion of southern California and has also moved into some counties to the north. Fortunately, HLB has been detected in the state just once, and the excellent work at Needles helped keep it that way.

With recent detections of high-pathogenic avian influenza (AI) in wild birds in Washington-state, Oregon and California, CDFA is keeping close tabs on all birds passing through its Border Stations. Our veterinarians know it’s a short journey for AI from wild birds to commercial flocks, so it’s critical to monitor the disease very closely. In this recent event, early detection by regulatory agencies in all three states and preventive measures already in place on our farms have helped prevent these cases from moving into our commercial flocks. It is important to note that the detected strains of AI are not a risk to human health and have not been found in commercial poultry in the United States – and the proactive, preventive efforts underway here in California help keep it that way, including the crucial work at Border Protection Stations.

Cal Poly’s award-winning float, “Soaring Stories,” at the 2015 Rose Parade. Photos courtesy of the California Cut Flower Commission 

Over the last several years I have been honored to receive invitations from the California Cut Flower Commission to spend time with them at the Tournament of Roses, and I was fortunate to be able to visit Pasadena again last week for the annual festivities. The Commission has developed partnerships with the Buy California Marketing Agreement (CA Grown), the floral company FTD, and Cal Poly (both the SLO and Pomona campuses) to place floats in the Rose Parade consisting of California-grown flowers!

Prior to the parade, I was pleased to provide certification that 85 percent of the flowers on the Cal Poly float were California Grown. This is the fourth year in a row the university’s float has been able to qualify for the CA Grown certification. It requires extraordinary planning, creative designs, and innovative engineering on the part of the students as well as a year-round working relationship with flower growers who donate many of the flowers used and have to know the design in order to plant the right crops to be ready for the big day. And all that work paid off – the float won the Lathrop K. Leishman award for the Most Beautiful Non-Commercial Float!

Once again, I was impressed by the outstanding Cal Poly students and their advisors. Their commitment, collaboration and hard work is inspiring and reminds me that the best crop we produce in California is our students – the future of our state.

A first at this year’s parade was CA Grown certification for the cars carrying Rose Bowl VIPs. The cars were sponsored and decorated by FTD. Its floral designer was thrilled to receive the CA Grown certification! In accepting the certificate, he noted that his inspiration comes from being able to work directly with California flower farmers.

The Cut Flower Commission is encouraged by the visibility the certification creates within the FTD national network of floral designers. Proof-positive of the benefits of this exciting partnership to keep locally-grown flowers at the center of the fabulous Tournament of Roses!

The newly released movie Unbroken tells the story of Louis Zamperini, this year’s Rose Parade Grand Marshal, who unfortunately passed away in July. FTD Flowers honored him by adorning a 1936 Packard Standard Eight with delicate flower varieties alongside Olympic rings to celebrate Zamperini’s medal in the 1936 Berlin Games, and a ribbon in tribute to his military service.

Scott Thompson, program director for ReSoil Sacramento, transports scraps collected from a local restaurant. Photo by Andrew Seng -ASENG@SACBEE.COM

By Edward Ortiz

It’s farm to fork to farm.

That describes the loop that is near and dear to Sacramentan David Baker, co-founder of ReSoil Sacramento, a local effort to use bikes to pick up food scraps at area restaurants and deliver them to local farms and gardens.

Baker and ReSoil program director Scott Thompson have designed it is a zero-emission endeavor – all of it is pedal-powered, and intensely local.

Three days a week, Baker and others at ReSoil take to the streets on bicycles pulling custom-made trailers. The bikers haul 32-gallon composting bins that they’ve picked up at restaurants.

ReSoil, which started operating six months ago, is a project of the nonprofit Green Restaurants Alliance Sacramento, or GRAS. The endeavor is mostly funded by donations. Typically a restaurant is encouraged to donate $50 monthly per bin, said Baker. The organization also solicits donations on Twitter and Facebook.

ReSoil picks up scraps – known as “pre-consumer waste” – at 18 restaurants, including Hot Italian, Sun and Soil, and Selland’s Market Cafe.

Waterboy, which has also been working with ReSoil since June, discards into the bins items such as vegetable peelings, coffee grounds, egg shells and even recyclable hand towels, said Adam Schultze, executive chef of the midtown eatery.

The restaurant has contributed 6,041 pounds of food scraps since it started participating in ReSoil. That effort has yielded compost that has been taken to Sacramento farm soils, said Baker.

“For years and years our waste was going out to the landfill without getting used instead of helping these farmers and pop-up gardens around town,” said Schultze. “We really appreciate that – it’s an example of garbage being turned into something good.”

Every week more restaurants sign up, Baker said. Midtown craft cocktail bar Shady Lady and the Sacramento Natural Foods Co-op both recently agreed to host ReSoil bins.

Selland’s has been participating in the ReSoil effort since July, said Josh Nelson, co-owner of Selland’s. What does not end up on a plate gets set aside in a yellow ReSoil bin kept inside the restaurant.

“We just separate our pre-consumer waste, and they pick it up,” Nelson said of ReSoil. “At this point it’s something I don’t have to give any thought to. It’s like we’re on autopilot.”

When Baker talks about the composting pickup and delivery effort, it’s a passionate conversation.

“I wasn’t so into dirt when I started this project, but now I’m fascinated by the zillions of microbes that surround us every day,” said Baker. “These microbes enable things like kimchi, beer, wine and compost – and life itself.”

Baker’s original inspiration was restaurateur Alice Waters and her Chez Panisse restaurant.

“She did this from the very beginning,” said Baker. “Farms would bring her produce, and (the restaurant) would compost, and she’d send it back.”

Baker’s focus is to get as much compost as possible into the hands that need them, namely community gardens and urban farmers.

“The local compost was no longer going back into the soil,” Baker said. “ReSoil is our way of controlling it, and getting it back to where we wanted it to go – back into community gardens, back into the ground.”

Urban farmers such as Chanowk Yisrael in south Oak Park see the ReSoil effort as a crucial step in the urban farming process. He gladly takes what ReSoil has to offer for his 11/2-acre Yisrael Family Urban Farm.

“ReSoil provides the bulk of our kitchen scraps for our compost piles,” said Yisrael. “If it wasn’t for the scraps they give us, we’d have to buy compost from an outside source.”

Purchasing compost would not only add to operating costs, but the farm also would move away from its focus on keeping everything it does local.

“That loop system of farming is one we’re striving to maintain,” said Yisrael. “Because what you put back into the soil is local and not outsourced from a far-away location.”

On a larger scale, what ReSoil is doing may have an effect on greenhouse gas issues.

Research has shown that composting can help soil sequester carbon and improve soil fertility and water retention. A recent UC Berkeley study showed that even a one-time dusting of compost substantially boosted the soil’s carbon storage, and the effect has persisted over six years.

ReSoil recently passed the 60,850-pound mark for its scrap pickup. By Baker’s calculations, that effort has eliminated 7.7 tons of methane from the environment, without adding diesel or carbon monoxide to the environment along the way.

He sees what ReSoil does as a no-brainer.

“The nutrient cycle of farm to fork and back to farm? That was nature’s idea. It was the original idea,” he said.

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By Edward Ortiz

California environmental regulators are exploring how rice farmers can reduce carbon emissions, paving the way for crops to become part of the state’s greenhouse gas reduction program and affecting one of the Sacramento Valley’s powerhouse agricultural industries.

The California Air Resources Board this month directed staff to begin the process for including rice in the state’s cap-and-trade program, marking the first time crop farmers could receive credits for reducing emissions through a change in growing practices.

To sell carbon emission allowances, rice farmers would be required to flood their fields for shorter periods. This would reduce the rice straw decomposition process that leads to the emission of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Most of the rice in the Sacramento Valley is grown by farmers who flood their rice fields, typically to a depth of 4 to 5 inches, prior to seeding.

The board action is no small matter for rice growers in the Sacramento Valley who grow most of the 550,000 acres of rice cultivated in the state. Including a crop into the program would also resonate across the state since the board would likely follow suit with other crops, said Robert Parkhurst, director of greenhouse gas markets for the Environmental Defense Fund.

“What has been done with the rice protocol can be leveraged to other crops.” Parkhurst said. “Rice is definitely a gateway crop.”

The CARB comment period on including rice in the cap and trade program begins in late February and lasts 15 days. It will then be followed by a 45-day information-gathering period before a board vote is taken on whether to approve adoption. That vote is not expected until the summer, said Dave Clegern, spokesman for the Air Resources Board.

Before the board can decide, it will have to determine what greenhouse gas emissions are produced during different stages of rice cultivation, such as when rice straw is baled and taken off a farm, Clegern said.

“We need more data,” Clegern said.

Farmers would join the program on a voluntary basis and would participate for a 10-year period, said Clegern. Farmers would get paid a market price for each carbon credit sold at auction. Each credit is equal to a ton of carbon dioxide.

Other factors come into play and complicate the issue, including the fate of migratory birds and the will of duck hunters, both of which use flooded rice fields as surrogate wetland. Shortening the time rice fields are flooded will remove crucial wetland habitat for birds and force them to congregate in smaller areas, increasing the risk of avian disease.

Questions also abound for rice farmers, who stand to receive a new revenue stream but must consider impacts on crop production.

“It’s unclear at this time how many rice growers will change production practices to qualify for the offsets,” said Paul Buttner, environmental affairs manager of the California Rice Commission.

“At the current price of carbon, we would expect the revenue potential would be quite modest – likely less than five dollars an acre,” said Buttner.

California’s cap-and-trade program was launched in 2013 as an outgrowth of the state’s emissions-reducing law, Assembly Bill 32. The 2006 law seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020.

The price of carbon in California’s cap-and-trade program has dipped markedly. In September 2012, the price of a California carbon allowance future peaked at $23.75, according to the market tracking firm Intercontinental Exchange. As of Dec. 24, the carbon allowance future had fallen to $12.58.

It is the first such program in the United States that caps all greenhouse gas emissions from major industries and includes penalties when those industries are in noncompliance.

The program allows industries and other entities that produce greenhouse gases to offset what they produce by purchasing credits or allowances from activity elsewhere that reduces greenhouse gas emissions. If rice were approved for the program, it would join five sectors that include U.S. forests, livestock, urban forests, ozone depleting substances and mines.

Most of California’s major greenhouse gas emitters – those that emit more than 25,000 metric tons of carbon dioxide per year – are required to comply with cap-and-trade regulations. Under AB 32, a company or utility may only emit as much carbon as it has purchased allowances for, over a set period of time.

Purchases, sales or trades of offsets or allowances take place during quarterly auctions run by the Air Resources Board. There have been eight such auctions since the program began.

California’s cap-and-trade program has already operated in the agricultural realm through the livestock industry. In that effort, methods have been put into place to quantify and report greenhouse gas emission reductions on dairy, cattle and swine farms where biogas control systems have been installed to reduce manure methane emissions.

The livestock effort started in January 2012 and has generated 712,000 offsets, according to CARB data.

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