CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (center) visited the Placer Food Bank this week with representatives of Land O’Lakes, which donated 40-thousand pounds of macaroni and cheese and 20-thousand pounds of refrigerated desserts. CDFA works closely with agriculture to increase contributions to food banks across California.
CDFA is in the midst of preparing California’s recommendations for the 2018 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill is renewed every five years and serves as the policy guideline for food and farming in the United States. The legislation touches all of us in numerous ways, as this series of blog posts explains in greater detail.
When first passed in 1933, the Farm Bill (then known as the Agricultural Adjustment Act) was designed to incentivize struggling growers to produce more food for Americans suffering from the Great Depression. Although that time has long since passed, America’s farmers and ranchers continue to face challenges ranging from volatile market prices to erratic weather patterns.
Take, for example, California’s historic drought: according to economic analyses conducted by UC Davis, California’s drought caused $5.6 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural economy in its final three years. For California’s farmers and ranchers, the farm bill not only provides a healthy safety net, but more importantly, peace of mind.
Specifically, three titles within the Farm Bill help create a strong safety net for our farmers and ranchers: commodities, crop insurance and trade.
Safety Net – Commodity and Insurance
The 2014 Farm Bill brought wholesale changes to programs that support traditional commodity crops. Under the 2014 legislation, both Direct Payments and Average Crop Revenue Election programs were replaced with two new programs: Price Loss Coverage (PLC), which makes payments to growers when the price of covered crops drop below a government set reference price; and Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC), which covers a farmer’s out-of-pocket loss when revenue declines. Additionally, under the 2014 bill, growers gained the ability to choose between both.
For Californians, the Farm Bill commodity programs need to cast a wider net. California’s unmatched range of crops means that many of our commodities do not fall under typical Farm Bill titles, so they do not qualify for insurance or commodity support. A future Farm Bill should look to expand these definitions to include the diversity of crops grown in California.
Trade
As the world’s fifth-largest supplier of food, California’s agriculture sector is a primary player in global trade. In 2015, California exported approximately 26 percent of its agricultural production by volume, at a value of more than $20 billion. Significantly, California is the nation’s sole exporter of many agricultural commodities. We supply 99 percent or more of the following crops: almonds, artichokes, dates, dried plums, figs, garlic, kiwifruit, olives and olive oil, pistachios, raisins, table grapes, and walnuts.
In order to continue providing our high-quality products abroad, California farmers and ranchers rely on several trade/food supply related programs, including the Market Access Program (MAP), Foreign Market Development Program (FMDP), Emerging Markets Program (EMP) and Technical Assistance for Specialty Crops (TASC) program. A future Farm Bill should continue to support these trade programs to ensure equitable trade and global access for our farmers and ranchers.
From water to labor, the dynamics of farming and ranching continue to change. In this environment, building meaningful relationships is critical to telling the story of California agriculture. I truly believe that California is a better place to live, because of what we grow and how we grow it. However, this belief is not always shared in the marketplace and the regulatory arena. We need to do a better job engaging those (all of us!) with a stake in the success of California agriculture.
This is why we have Ag Vision – it serves as a blueprint for the State Board to engage with regulators and other stakeholders to focus on the long-term success of California agriculture as well as address some of the shorter-term needs of the state’s farmers, ranchers and farm workers.
Ag Vision was first developed in 2010 and has been updated several times as the board has reviewed changing landscapes.
Our most recent update is focused on five strategic priorities: Water; Regulatory Environment; Labor/Human Capital; Resource Preservation & Stewardship; and Outreach & Communications.
The update includes two new goals that emphasize the need to create connections between farmers and the consuming public, as well as the need for agricultural entities to thrive.
California Agricultural Vision 2016/2017
Each of these issues is critical to farming and ranching in our state. These priorities were determined in collaboration with a diverse stakeholder group representing agricultural, environmental and consumer interests. It is our diversity that makes California so unique. I look forward to discussing farming and ranching with all of our constituents and engaging them on what it means to be a farmer or rancher in our state.
I would like to thank the many individuals who participated in the Ag Vision Update as well as Nuffer, Smith, Tucker, Inc. for guiding the process.
California Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross joined citrus farmers and food bank advocates today at the State Capitol to celebrate the second annual Citrus Stride – a one mile walk around Capitol Park to raise awareness about hunger and celebrate the positive impact that citrus has on the health, economy, and environment of California.
For each participant who registered for Citrus Stride, California Citrus Mutual growers pledged to donate 1,000 pounds of citrus to California food banks.
The California Department of Food and Agriculture, in coordination with the Western United States Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) will be holding a webinar on federal market development programs designed to assist California companies in expanding export sales.
The webinar will be held on April 25th from 9:00 a.m. to 10:15 a.m. – Register here
WUSATA’s FundMatch program provides reimbursement for promotional trade activities for small food and agricultural businesses wishing to expand market share and sales in foreign countries – effectively doubling marketing dollars. Eligible activities can include trade shows (domestic/foreign); advertising; retail promotions; printed sales material; seminars; translation and more.
Food and agricultural based businesses interested in or currently exporting are encouraged to participate.
The Western U.S. Agricultural Trade Association (WUSATA) is a non-profit organization aimed at increasing the export of U.S. food and agricultural products. WUSATA works closely with each state department of agriculture in the west to enhance the economic well-being of the region. For more than 30 years, WUSATA has offered programs and services to assist exporters of food and agricultural products. WUSATA is funded by the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS), dues from its member states, and administrative fees paid by private companies.
CDFA Secretary Karen Ross speaking today at the unveiling of a new dairy digester at Philip Verwey Farms in Hanford. CDFA’s Dairy Digester Research and Development Program contributed $3 million for the project, which will provide an estimated greenhouse gas reduction of 53,577 metric tons of CO2e per year – that’s equivalent to 11,317 passenger vehicles.
Secretary Ross greets dairy owner Philip Verwey (L) and his son, Brent, and thanks them for being early adopters of modern dairy digester technology.
California Gov. Jerry Brown has declared an end to the state’s water emergency following a five-year drought, thanks to a historically wet winter. Getty Images photographer Justin Sullivan recently revisited areas of California he photographed at the height of the drought, capturing the dramatic changes between the parched landscapes and lush greenery we are seeing today.
JULY 15, 2014: (TOP PHOTO) Horses graze in a field of dead grass on July 15, 2014 in Woodacre, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
APRIL 10, 2017: (BOTTOM PHOTO) Horses graze in a field on April 10, 2017 in Woodacre, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)
See the original post from the Mercury News here.
Asian citrus psyllids on a citrus leaf.
CDFA is observing Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month throughout April. The USDA, CDFA and organizations across the agricultural spectrum are reminding the public about the risks that invasive plant pests, diseases and harmful weeds pose to America’s crops and forests—and how we all can prevent their spread
By Brian Whitehead
The winged insect is no bigger than a grain of rice, but it is threatening to destroy California citrus one tree at a time.
Concentrated the last decade-plus in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the Asian citrus psyllid made its way into north Orange County in 2009. Just the other day, a residential tree in La Habra was removed by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, the first O.C. tree found infected by a lethal bacteria the insect can spread.
To protect the state’s citrus, the ag department has placed at-risk Southern California counties, including Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, Santa Barbara and the San Gabriel Valley, under quarantine; citrus plants purchased at a nursery or a farmer’s market within county boundaries must meet regulations to prevent the insect from spreading its bacteria, said Jay Van Rein, a department spokesman.
“A few great plagues have hit citrus over the years,” Van Rein added. “This is right up there.”
(Learn more about the Asian citrus psyllid and Huanglongbing, or citrus greening)
With origins in humid Florida, where occasional hurricanes spread the insect waywardly, the Asian citrus psyllid leeches on leaves and stems, and can infect citrus trees with Huanglongbing, a bacteria that causes asymmetrical yellowing and molding in leaves, and keeps fruits from ripening.
The disease was first found locally in 2012, in Hacienda Heights. In 2015, a tree was reported in San Gabriel, and last year, Cerritos had its first confirmed case.
All three trees were in residential yards and were removed.
“We’re trying to protect from the disease spreading in residential communities,” said Van Rein, adding that Southern California’s commercial citrus trees – those on golf courses, in parks, on medians on the highway – have remained largely unscathed.
Once a tree is infected, it will die. The disease has no cure.
Residents should call the state’s free pest hotline if they believe the insect has infected a tree in their yard. Officials will remove the tree and prevent the formation of a “reservoir of bacteria, which insects can pick up and move to other trees,” Van Rein said.
“California is the latest citrus-growing region to have this arise on its shore,” Van Rein said, noting cases in Florida, Brazil and China. “We’ve learned a lot from other folks who’ve had it.”
Once a big seller, Scott Brown, who owns Anaheim Wholesale Nursery and Landscape Supply, stopped selling citrus trees a couple of years ago when the cost of treating each one every three months weighed on his checkbook.
Brown said larger chain stores still sell citrus trees, but with red or blue tags on them informing prospective owners when they were last treated.
Though many nurseries have stopped selling such trees, Brown said customer demand has risen. “A lot of people are hunting them out. But they’re not out there.”
Seen easiest when new leaves are growing on the tips of branches, the Asian citrus psyllid produces a white, waxy substance. Citrus tree owners should check leaves and stems monthly for the pest.
“We’re trying to preserve our trees,” Van Rein said. “Buying time for the citrus industry to invest in research to come up with a solution to this.”
Mexican free-tailed bat (Tadarida brasiliensis) eats a moth in flight. Photo credited to Merlin Tuttle’s Bat Conservation.
From the University of California’s Division of Agriuclture and Natural Resources (ANR):
Bats, those night-flying creatures of horror film fame, are beginning to migrate back to the Central Valley. It is an annual journey for most bats, flying south for the winter and returning home in the spring to their birth place to roost and give birth to their own pups during the summer.
“I’m getting a number of calls from people who see bats and are worried about them,” said Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties. “If people see bats on the ground or tucked into eaves, they’re likely resting, not sick, from their long migration north.”
Because the insect-eating winged mammals are important allies to U.S. farmers, Long hopes people won’t harm the bats while they are tired and vulnerable. Bats feed on some of the most damaging crop pests – including the moths of cutworms and armyworms – which helps to protect food crops naturally.
Farmers appreciate the pest control provided by bats and many look forward to having bats return to their farms each year, according to Long, who coauthored a study of farmer perceptions of wildlife recently published online in Conservation Letters, a journal of the Society for Conservation Biology.
“Most of the farmers surveyed reported that they like bats and the pest control and crop protection services they provide,” Long said. “Many put up bat boxes on their farms to provide a home for them.”
Rachael Long shines a flashlight into bat houses to identify bat species inside. Photo courtesy of Bat Conservation International.
In their long journey north, bats need to rest along the way. Sometimes they turn up in areas where they’re not wanted, such as in a corner of a porch or in an eave. The presence of bats is often revealed by their mouse-like droppings, or guano.
“In the sun, the guano sparkles, as it’s made of bits of insect parts, making it a good source of nitrogen for plants,” Long said.
Bats live for about 30 years and bear only one pup a year. Males roost independently of females and their pups, so if you see a lone bat, it’s likely a bachelor.
“If you find a bat, please leave it alone if it’s not bothering anyone because it may be perfectly healthy, just tired,” Long said. “A farmer somewhere may be waiting for that bat to come home to help protect crops from insects.”
If you see a bat on the ground, Long suggests placing a box over it and calling a wildlife rescue organization, such as Northern California Bats in Davis. She recommends wildlife rescue because animal control officers must euthanize all bats they catch to test for rabies, which may be unnecessary unless a person or a pet had contact with the bat.
See the original post by Pamela Kan-Rice on the UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources site here.
This video is part of CDFA’s observance of Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month throughout April. USDA, CDFA and organizations across the agricultural spectrum are reminding the public about the risks that invasive plant pests, diseases and harmful weeds pose to America’s crops and forests—and how we all can prevent their spread.
Further information about CDFA’s Plant Pest Diagnostics Center and its various collections is available here.
