Australian citrus farmer Frank Mercuri greeting the Climate Smart Agriculture delegation.

New South Wales: Australian farmers grow some of the same specialty crops as we do in California, including citrus. Frank Mercuri, chairman of Pacific Fresh, hosted us for a tour of as citrus packing house and an orchard. Pacific Fresh is owned by 8 farmers and packs for another 22 growers. The co-op was established in 1997 and has quickly grown to the country’s fifth-largest. It is affiliated with Sunkist in California. Exports are critical to the Australian citrus industry. It ships 65 percent of its production overseas.

Old Parliament House in Canberra, Australia. Once the seat of Parliament, it has served as a museum in recent years.

CANBERRA, the Australian capital: A number of us were late in arriving to Canberra because of weather delays while traveling. So we made a quick turnaround to join up with the rest of the delegation and our hosts for day-one of our visit, starting at the offices of the Australian agriculture ministry.

We then observed the Parliamentary “Question Time” at the Capitol building. Now that is an interesting way for members to question/challenge the prime minister and majority party about leadership policies and proposals!

Australian troops awaiting review by the prime minister.

As we left the building there was quite a display of military in front of the Parliament awaiting review by the prime minister. The Capitol itself is an impressive structure; it is built upon a hill overlooking a reflecting pool, the nation’s war museum, and a mall leading to a war memorial.

The afternoon of our first day ended with a fascinating meeting with staff at Australia’s Climate Change Authority and its Department of the Environment and Energy. The Authority is an independent agency established to advise the government on emissions reduction strategies. It has a nine-member board of experts, including a chief scientist. It has recently undertaken an “action on the land” research project to seek ways to better coordinate action to reduce carbon emissions, enhance the natural environment, and improve on-farm profitability.

Australia’s current Parliament building.

We had a great discussion about what works and what doesn’t; Australia’s reverse credit auction process; and how to achieve/fund multiple benefits from land management practices. The California delegation peppered them with questions. I guess we were inspired by “Question Time!”

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 will explain in greater detail.       

The Farm Bill affects well-being of families across the country, including right here in California, by helping to facilitate access to nutritious foods. With the support of the Farm Bill, California is committed to increasing food access for our most vulnerable and food-insecure communities. According to some estimates, up-to 20 percent of Californians are at risk of food insecurity, including more than two-million children, and more than one-million residents live in “food deserts,” where they lack access to basic grocery stores stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables. As the country’s largest producer of specialty crops, we must work to change that. Two titles in the Farm Bill – Nutrition and Horticulture – are helping us reach this goal.

Nutrition

The first of these titles is Title 4, or the Nutrition title. As the largest piece of the Farm bill pie (Nutrition accounts for over 80 percent of Farm Bill spending), the Nutrition title creates the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP. SNAP is the country’s largest food safety net program, and it helps millions of American families. In California, SNAP is known as CalFresh, and it provides nearly 4.2 million Californians with benefits. This support program also stimulates the economy. According to the USDA, every dollar invested in SNAP generates $1.79 in economic activity. Alongside SNAP, the Nutrition title also provides:

• $200 million for job training to help Americans get back on their feet
• $125 million for the Healthy Food Financing Initiative to help bridge the gap between underserved communities and healthy food retailers
• $100 million in incentives to increase fresh fruit and vegetable purchases
• An additional $250 million for the Emergency Food Assistance Program to help low- income families and senior citizens access food.

Specialty Crops

Numerous studies suggest that lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables (specialty crops) can result in negative health impacts, including higher rates of diabetes and obesity. Through the Horticulture title, Title 10, the Farm Bill provides California with the support it needs for growth in the specialty crops sector through a variety of approaches, including the creation of promotional programs.

One example of this is “California Food for California Kids: Promoting California Grown Fruits and Vegetables in Summer Meals”. This program, established through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program(SCBGP), promotes the quality and benefits of healthy, freshly prepared meals made with California grown fruits and vegetables. Specialty crop programs receive:

• $30 million to increase the consumption of locally and regionally produced agricultural products
• $72.5 million to the SCBGP to support marketing, pest management and food safety efforts
• $11.5 to the Organic Cost Share program to assist organic producers in their certification efforts

Both of these Farm Bill titles are instrumental in ensuring that Californians as well as all Americans have access to nutritious, safe and healthy food. California is the country’s number-one producer of specialty crops. Our farmers and ranchers are committed to producing fresh fruits, nuts and vegetables that have positive impacts for our families.

A magnified photo of tamarixia radiata, a tiny stingless wasp utilized in the Asian citrus psyllid program. The actual size of the wasp has been compared to fleas or particles of dust.

CDFA has initated the release of tiny parasitic stingless wasps in Santa Clara County as part of the Asian citrus psyllid project there.

The wasps, called tamarixia radiata, control psyllid populations by parasitizing their egg masses. Once a population of wasps is released, successive generations are capable of flying up-to eight miles in search of Asian citrus psyllids.

This approach is one of many examples of CDFA pursuing biological control methods in its pest prevention programs.

In this video shot yesterday in San Jose, CDFA’s Dr. David Morgan discusses the program and then introduces the wasps to Santa Clara County agricultural commissioner Joe Deviney. Following that, Dr. Morgan and Deviney release the wasps on a property containing grapefruit, tangerine and kumquat trees.

Please join us next Wednesday, March 22, for Ag Day on the west steps of the California State Capitol. The festivities will be open to the public from 11:30 am to 1: 30 pm. Ag Day is the state’s annual celebration of agriculture, and this year’s theme is “California Grown: Ag Proud,” in recognition of the significant roles California’s farmers and ranchers play in producing a diverse, dynamic, complex food system.

As always, CDFA is co-sponsoring the event with the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and the California Women for Agriculture. The scheduled program will be hosted by California State Board of Food and Agriculture president Craig McNamara.

People attending Ag Day are urged to post photos to social media platforms with the hashtag #CalAgDay.