By Dale Kasler and Ryan Sabalow

It’s only a beginning. But it’s a strong beginning, and it offers at least a rain gauge’s worth of hope to a state enduring its fifth year of drought.

The National Weather Service said Monday that the rainy season in the northern Sierra Nevada is off to its wettest start in 30 years. Mountain conditions are critically important to monitoring the drought because a major share of the state’s water supply is stored for months as snow.

Citing state data from a string of eight gauges scattered around the northern Sierra, the service said precipitation has come in at about twice the average for this time of year, making for the wettest kickoff to the water year in 30 years. The water year, as defined by climatologists and others, begins Oct. 1.

Fine Cooking’s ‘A California Thanksgiving Dinner’

Food & Wine’s California-Style Thanksgiving

A Rustic California Thanksgiving courtesy of Saveur

and some food safety tips (don’t wash that turkey) from USDA.

Happy Thanksgiving!

By Alex Karolyi, Sustainable Conservation

Sand County Foundation, the California Farm Bureau Federation and Sustainable Conservation are proud to announce Lone Star Ranch as the recipient of the prestigious 2016 California Leopold Conservation Award^®. The award honors private landowner achievement in the voluntary stewardship of natural resources.

Lone Star Ranch is owned by Mark and Dina Moore. Mark is a fifth-generation rancher and was raised on the family ranch established in 1896. Located near Eureka, the ranch is approximately 5,000 acres of rangelands, oak woodlands and conifer forests. The Moore’s strongly believe in voluntary conservation practices, often exceeding the minimum regulatory obligations to improve and sustain natural resources, wildlife and ecosystems for future generations.

Dina leads a local watershed group, the Yager/Van Duzen Environmental Stewards (YES) with her ranching neighbors. The group worked collaboratively with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) during development of sediment-reduction standards for the Van Duzen River, allowing the EPA to conduct assessments on the watershed’s 80,000 acres of privately owned ranches. Dina worked with the EPA to conduct anecdotal historical studies and outreach that helped the EPA determine that road-related erosion, not cattle grazing, was the largest source of sediment. Over 15 years, the Moore’s and other YES families have made sediment-reduction improvements on more than 400 miles of ranch roads, reducing enough sediment to fill more than 16,000 dump trucks.

Lone Star Ranch also voluntarily acquired a Non-Industrial Timber Management plan through Cal Fire, which provides regulatory assurances to the landowner in exchange for ensuring that timber is harvested in a sustainable manner. The Moore’s plant approximately five trees for every one harvested – ranging from 3,000 to 5,000 new plantings each winter. They also conduct an annual survey of northern spotted owls and provide setbacks of harvesting timber around streams for the protection of Coho Salmon. Their latest project will restore approximately 150 acres of native black and white oak in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Given in honor of renowned conservationist Aldo Leopold, the Leopold Conservation Award recognizes extraordinary achievement in voluntary conservation. In his influential 1949 book, A Sand County Almanac, Leopold called for an ethical relationship between people and the land they own and manage, which he called “an evolutionary possibility and an ecological necessity.”

“Many Californians don’t realize, but when they look out across the landscapes where they live and travel, more than half of that land is in private ownership,” said Ashley Boren, Executive Director of Sustainable Conservation, which has co-sponsored the award since its inception in California. “And, how those individuals and families manage their properties has a dramatic effect on the health of the state’s natural resources and communities. That’s why we’re thrilled to celebrate the decades-long efforts of the Moore’s. They’ve not only worked tirelessly to steward their own range and timberlands in ways that enhance the important landscapes, water and wildlife under their care. But, they’ve shown relentless commitment in inspiring other landowners to do the same across a vast 80,000 acres.”

“Farmers and ranchers are constantly confronted with changing dynamics that effect their bottom-lines,” says Paul Wenger, President of the California Farm Bureau. Volatile markets and unexpected weather often conspire to challenge the profitability of farmers and ranchers. Protecting and enhancing the natural resources on our agricultural lands is an extremely important endeavor as we in agriculture strive to be the best stewards of our farms and ranches. We are honored to help recognize the extraordinary accomplishments of farmers and ranchers who go the extra mile in managing the natural resources on their farms and ranches. Aldo Leopold recognized that good stewardship required farmers to develop practical and economically feasible solutions in order to be effective stewards of their farms. The Leopold Conservation Award recognizes those individuals who are setting such an example for others to emulate and follow.”

The 2016 California Leopold Conservation Award will be presented December 5 at the California Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in Monterey, CA. Each finalist will be recognized at the event, and the Moore’s will receive a crystal depicting Aldo Leopold and $10,000.

The award sponsors also wish to congratulate the 2016 finalists for their outstanding contributions to agriculture and conservation:

Ken and Matt Altman own and manage Altman Specialty Plants in Riverside and San Diego counties. Begun as a hobby, their greenhouse company grows 3,000 plant varieties. The nurseries utilize energy and water-efficient irrigation systems and moisture sensors that have reduced water use per acre by 50%. The Riverside County facility’s new system reuses 1 million gallons of water per day, nearly enough to fill two Olympic-sized pools. Ken and his wife, Deena, founded the Center for Applied Horticultural Research, a non-profit research and teaching center dedicated to the advancement of a sustainable horticulture industry.

C. Jeff Thomson is a fifth-generation famer near Bakersfield (Kern Co.) who grows a variety of annual vegetable crops, including watermelons, onions, potatoes and carrots. Thomson perfected a suite of notable conservation approaches to better steward the soil, water and wildlife both on and off his land. His use of drip irrigation and soil sensors has reduced water use on a number of his crops by up to 60%. To benefit a variety of waterfowl, including imperiled species, Thomson established an 850-acre wetland with help from colleagues and in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The California Leopold Conservation Award is made possible thanks to generous contributions from American AgCredit, Farm Credit West, The Harvey L. & Maud S. Sorenson Foundation, The Nature Conservancy and Environmental Defense Fund.

ABOUT THE LEOPOLD CONSERVATION AWARD^® The Leopold Conservation Award is a competitive award that recognizes landowner achievement in voluntary conservation. The award consists of $10,000 and a crystal depicting Aldo Leopold. Sand County Foundation presents Leopold Conservation Awards in California, Colorado, Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming. For more information, visit www.leopoldconservationaward.org.

ABOUT SAND COUNTY FOUNDATION Sand County Foundation is a non-profit conservation organization dedicated to working with private landowners across North America to advance ethical and scientifically sound land management practices that benefit the environment.www.sandcountyfoundation.org

ABOUT SUSTAINABLE CONSERVATION Sustainable Conservation helps California thrive by uniting people to solve the toughest challenges facing our land, air and water. Since 1993, it has brought together business, landowners and government to steward the resources that we all depend on in ways that make economic sense. Sustainable Conservation believes common ground is California’s most important resource.www.suscon.org

ABOUT CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION The California Farm Bureau Federation works to protect family farms and ranches on behalf of over 53,000 members statewide and as part of a nationwide network of more than 6.2 million Farm Bureau members. www.cfbf.com

It takes a lot of hands to bring a crop to harvest, starting with farmers, farm workers and ranchers. They’re responsible for California’s ongoing status as the leading agricultural state in the country and one of the leading Ag economies in the world. These dedicated people all deserve our thanks this holiday season for the care and attention they devote to our food supply. It’s a wondrous, diverse bounty we can share with our family and friends at our holiday tables and elsewhere .

We also show our gratitude this time of year by sharing with people less fortunate than us. CDFA employees came together last week to donate a number of turkeys to the Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services for distribution to families in need. This annual effort serves as an informal jumping-off point for the State Employees Food Drive, which is facilitated with CDFA and coordinated with the Food Bank (the formal kickoff was back in September).

Sacramento Food Bank and Family Services provides for more than 130,000 food-insecure people every month, including many families with children. The Food Drive continues throughout the holiday season, and I know our employees will continue to look for ways to reach out to those who need a little help.

CDFA gives thanks in another way through its annual Farm-to-Food Bank Month each December. Working with partners at the California Association of Food Banks and CA Grown, CDFA coordinates this effort with farmers and ranchers looking to give back to the needy in their communities.  For a look at how this program helps families, please view a video below from our Growing California series. 

I want to wish all of you a happy, healthy and nutritious Thanksgiving and a joyous holiday season. Working together, we can all be part of this miraculous system that continues to produce, distribute and consume California agriculture.

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 31st annual informal price survey of classic items found on the Thanksgiving Day dinner table indicates the average cost of this year’s feast for 10 is $49.87, a 24-cent decrease from last year’s average of $50.11.

The big ticket item – a 16-pound turkey – came in at a total of $22.74 this year. That’s roughly $1.42 per pound, a decrease of 2 cents per pound, or a total of 30 cents per whole turkey, compared to 2015.

“Consumers will pay less than $5 per person for a classic Thanksgiving dinner this year,” AFBF Director of Market Intelligence Dr. John Newton said. “We have seen farm prices for many foods – including turkeys – fall from the higher levels of recent years. This translates into lower retail prices for a number of items as we prepare for Thanksgiving and confirms that U.S. consumers benefit from an abundant, high-quality and affordable food supply.”

The AFBF survey shopping list includes turkey, bread stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls with butter, peas, cranberries, a veggie tray, pumpkin pie with whipped cream, and coffee and milk, all in quantities sufficient to serve a family of 10 with plenty for leftovers.

Foods showing the largest decreases this year in addition to turkey were pumpkin pie mix, milk and a veggie tray comprised of celery and carrots. A 30-ounce can of pumpkin pie mix was $3.13; a gallon of milk, $3.17; a one-pound veggie tray of celery and carrots, $0.73; and a group of miscellaneous items including coffee and ingredients necessary to prepare the meal (butter, evaporated milk, onions, eggs, sugar and flour), $2.81.

“Due to a significant expansion in global milk production, prices fell to the lowest levels since 2009, leading to lower retail milk and dairy product prices. Additionally, this year’s pumpkin prices are slightly lower following the production decline and higher prices seen in 2015,” Newton said.

Items that increased modestly in price were a dozen brown-and-serve rolls, $2.46; two nine-inch pie shells, $2.59; one pound of green peas, $1.58; 12 ounces of fresh cranberries, $2.39; a half-pint of whipping cream, $2.00; a 14-ounce package of cubed bread stuffing, $2.67; and a three-pound bag of fresh sweet potatoes, $3.60.

The average price is down slightly from last year to $49.87. After adjusting for inflation, the cost of a Thanksgiving dinner fell to $20.66 – the lowest level since 2010.

Although the classic Thanksgiving meal priced by Farm Bureau is considered modest by some, “we’re fortunate to live here in America, where many people are able to enhance their holiday meals with another type of meat or additional side dishes or desserts,” Newton said.

The stable average price reported this year by Farm Bureau for a classic Thanksgiving dinner tracks closely with the government’s Consumer Price Index for food eaten at home. The most recent CPI report for food at home showed just over a 2-percent decline over the past year (available online at http://www.bls.gov/news.release/cpi.nr0.htm).

A total of 148 volunteer shoppers checked prices at grocery stores in 40 states for this year’s survey. Farm Bureau volunteer shoppers are asked to look for the best possible prices, without taking advantage of special promotional coupons or purchase deals, such as spending $50 and receiving a free turkey.

Shoppers with an eye for bargains in all areas of the country should be able to purchase individual menu items at prices comparable to the Farm Bureau survey averages. Another option for busy families without a lot of time to cook is ready-to-eat Thanksgiving meals for up to 10 people, with all the trimmings, which are available at many supermarkets and take-out restaurants for around $50 to $75.

The AFBF Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted in 1986. While Farm Bureau does not make any scientific claims about the data, it is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation. Farm Bureau’s survey menu has remained unchanged since 1986 to allow for consistent price comparisons.

Basil growing in a hydroponic greenhouse.

By Stephanie Strom

If a fruit or vegetable isn’t grown in dirt, can it be organic?

That is the question roiling the world of organic farming, and the answer could redefine what it means to farm organically.

At issue is whether produce that relies solely on irrigation to deliver nutrients to plants — through what is known as hydroponic and aquaponic systems — can be certified organic. And the National Organic Standards Board, an advisory group that makes recommendations to the federal secretary of agriculture, will get an earful on the topic at its meeting in St. Louis this week.

On one side are the growing number of big and small growers raising fruits and vegetables in these soil-free systems. They say their production methods are no different from those of farmers who grow plants in dirt — and, they add, they make organic farming more sustainable by, for instance, reducing water use.

“Soil to me as a farmer means a nutrient-rich medium that contains biological processes, and that doesn’t have to be dirt,” said Marianne Cufone, an aquaponic farmer and the executive director of the Recirculating Farms Coalition, which lobbies for aquaculture.

Not so, say the farmers who have spent years tending their soil so that it produces the nutrients plants need. They argue that organic production is first and foremost about caring for the soil, which produces environmental benefits that go beyond growing plants.

“Soil has always been the basis of organic production,” said Steve Sprinkel, an organic farmer in Ojai, Calif. “The soil is alive and releasing micronutrients to plants that use their roots to scavenge and forage those things, and so taking care of the soil is the bedrock of organic farming.”

Sales of organic food in the United States hit $40 billion last year, sending grocers scrambling to find enough organic produce to fill their cases. Keeping up with the demand is difficult and expensive, and financiers and entrepreneurs, many of them from Silicon Valley, have started pouring money into these alternative systems.

Whether the soil-free systems help bring down the price of organic products remains to be seen. Equipment like lighting and organic nutrients are expensive — soil growers count on their dirt to deliver some of those nutrients at no cost — and hydroponically and aquaponically grown fruits and vegetables usually are sold for the same price as organic produce grown in dirt.

“It’s like using an intravenous needle to administer exactly what we think the plant needs instead of allowing the plant to get what it needs in the amount it needs out of the ground,” said Dan Barber, a chef in New York and author of “The Third Plate.”

In the end, the decision about whether these growing systems can continue to be certified falls to the United States Department of Agriculture. In 2010, the Organic Standards Board recommended that hydroponic systems be ruled ineligible for organic certification because they excluded “the soil-plant ecology intrinsic to organic farming systems.” At that time, there were only 39 hydroponic growers with organic certification.

The U.S.D.A. has not acted on the board’s recommendation, allowing organic certification of crops grown in hydroponic systems to continue. According to a survey this year, the number of hydroponic growers with organic certification dropped to 30, but there were 22 certified aquaponic growers and 69 certified operations growing plants in containers lined with things like peat moss and coconut husks that do not provide nutrients on their own.

“The recommendation did not adequately address the diversity of practices and systems in the industry,” Miles McEvoy, the official who oversees the U.S.D.A.’s organic program, said in a statement.

Mr. McEvoy noted that the U.S.D.A. had assigned a task force to report on current practices — but that group split into two camps, mirroring the current debate.

The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 states: “An organic plan shall contain provisions designed to foster soil fertility, primarily through the management of the organic content of the soil through proper tillage, crop rotation and manuring.”

“To me, it seems simple and always has been,” said Sam Welsch, chief executive of OneCert, an organic certification business in Nebraska that has refused to certify hydroponic produce. “There are things the law and regulations require you to do to the soil that you cannot do in a hydroponic system.”

The Cornucopia Institute, an organic industry policy group, filed a legal complaint with the U.S.D.A. this month challenging certification of hydroponic produce and citing the federal law and regulations that govern organic farming. “They’ve illegally been allowing this to happen,” said Mark Kastel, co-founder of the organization, “and now millions of dollars have been invested in infrastructure and the industry is circling the wagons to protect it.”

The Organic Trade Association, which represents the industry, is lobbying in favor of allowing certification of hydroponically and aquaponically grown crops. Nate Lewis, its farm policy director, said some parts of the federal organic law were clearer than others.

He points to its language on cattle, saying it is clear the animals must have outdoor access and eat organic feed in order for their meat to be certified as organic. But the law for plants, he said, was not so obvious. “I would not agree that the law on this is black and white,” Mr. Lewis said.

David Chapman, an organic farmer in Vermont who has been a leader of the opposition to certifying produce from the new systems, said he would be driven out of business if the U.S.D.A. declared hydroponically grown tomatoes could be certified as organic.

“Most people have no idea that the organic tomatoes and peppers they’re buying are hydroponically grown,” Mr. Chapman said. “I think most consumers believe those things are grown in the soil, and that farmers like me are taking care of the soil as they grow them.”

Some 24 countries in Europe, including England, the Netherlands and Spain, as well as Mexico, Canada, Japan and New Zealand, do not allow organic certification for hydroponically grown produce.

Mr. Chapman said hydroponic producers there would like access to the American market, where they could label their products organic and charge a higher price. In fact, one big Canadian hydroponic grower, Golden Fresh Farms, began building 20 acres of greenhouses in Ohio this year. “In Holland, they’ve gotten so good at producing tomatoes hydroponically that they’ve destroyed their own market, so they’re desperate for access to the U.S. organic market,” he said.

Driscoll’s, the berry company, is one of the largest hydroponic growers, using the system to grow hundreds of acres of raspberries, blueberries and blackberries.

Soren Bjorn, an executive vice president of Driscoll’s, said growing the produce hydroponically was hardly different from what the company does when it grows its berries in sandy soils. “Part of the benefit of that is there’s no disease in the soil, but there’s also very little nutrition in sand,” he said. “So for certain kinds of berries, we add the vast majority of nutrients through irrigation.”

But Driscoll’s takes issue with describing its system as hydroponic. Rather, Mr. Bjorn said, it grows some of its organic berries in containers in beds of peat moss, coconut fiber or mulch. “Hydroponics may also be contained,” but it’s a water-based system, he said, “lettuce floating around on water, for instance.”

Mr. Lewis of the Organic Trade Association said, however, that little distinguishes a container system from a hydroponic system. “There really isn’t much difference,” he said.

Colin Archipley’s farm, Archi’s Acres, grows kale, herbs and other produce hydroponically in greenhouses in San Diego. He is frustrated that there is even a debate over whether his produce is organic.

“The reason this has become such a big deal is that systems like ours are becoming more popular because they’re more efficient, which means farmers are more sustainable and profitable,” he said. “That’s put competition on farmers, specifically in Vermont, and so what this really is about is market protection.”

Link to article

California public school students learning about agriculture through an activity called “Solution Soup,” which also teaches children how to convert fractions to decimals.

One of the great challenges of farm-to-school programs is taking the message from rural communities, “preaching to the choir,” if you will, to communities with cultural frames of references other than agriculture. They could be urban communities or communities with geographical differences that make them, by nature, less familiar with farming and ranching.

In September, at the annual conference hosted by the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, we saw just such a partnership come together, and it’s already paying dividends. Second-grade teacher Jami Beck of Three Rivers School, in a community of the same name in the Sierra foothills, watched a presentation by Visalia sixth-grade teacher Julie Cates and struck-up a classroom friendship that has resulted in their students becoming pen pals.

Last school year was Cates’ first year teaching, and she has already made quite an impression. Cates incorporates her passion for nutrition and agriculture into her classroom each week through activities she shares on Twitter. Cates received a $500 Literacy for Life grant from Ag in the Classroom for teachers promoting hands-on agriculture. She used it to establish the #FindYourFavoriteFridays project, allowing her to bring different fruits or vegetables each Friday for students to taste. For her work in this area Cates was named the 2015 Outstanding Educator of the Year by Ag in the Classroom.

“I am in love with agriculture and nutrition education,” Cates said. “I enjoy sharing my passion with students and opening their minds to all agriculture has to offer. I also try to help other teachers learn how they too can make agriculture part of their classrooms.”

Beck, who has been teaching for 12 years, recognizes the importance of teaching students about agriculture. Her community is immediately surrounded by oak woodlands and foothills but lies within California’s top agricultural county, Tulare County, where the most valuable communities produced are milk, cattle and calves, oranges and grapes. However, prior to attending the conference, Beck thought teaching the science aspect of agriculture seemed like a daunting task.

“I was always intimidated when it came to agriculture because I thought you needed to have a strong background in science,” Beck said. “The conference gave me the confidence, connections and resources I needed.”

Conference attendees could almost see the wheels turning in Beck’s mind as she listened to Cates speak. The idea of introducing students to California-grown fruits, vegetables and nuts through was intriguing, and Cates made it sound practical.

Beck was inspired. She immediately returned to her classroom, and before the second-graders entered the room on Monday morning she had created a new bulletin board display titled, “I’m Ag-Excited, are you?” The next day the second-graders experienced their first #TryItTuesdays tasting – an opportunity to experience what may well be new fruits and vegetables for them.

“You should have seen my young students’ faces when they saw the bulletin board. They can’t wait to learn about agriculture,” Beck said.

The students were not the only ones excited to learn more. Cates and Beck met up within three weeks after the conference to attend a seed propagation workshop. Before long, they had developed a new a project tying writing and agriculture together: a pen pal Ag-Venture.

“Dear 6^th Grader,” one of Beck’s students wrote. “My name is Alice. I am in second grade. I love Try it Tuesday. My favorite thing so far was honeydew melon. What was your favorite thing to taste? What is your name? Do you like working in your school garden. Your friend, Alice.”

Just like that, new friendships have sprouted between the two teachers and their 40 students. Both teachers have created agricultural experiences within their classroom walls, and they have opened their student’s eyes to the agriculture that surrounds them.

The California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom helps connect, inspire and equip teachers throughout the state so they can make agriculture a part of their classroom. Follow @cates_julie and @mrs_jbeck on Twitter to keep up with their journey, and watch their seeds and students grow. For free teaching resources, grants and other agricultural education opportunities, visit LearnAboutAg.org.

How do you cut your water use by a third, cut your nitrogen use in half, maintain your tomato yield and improve your fruit quality?  “With patience, perseverance and by treating your soil like a living ecosystem–which it is,” says Jesse Sanchez.

Sanchez should know. He and Alan Sano have been experimenting with soil enhancements for 15 years on Sano Farms in Firebaugh.  They believe they have hit upon a winning strategy—though their experiments continue.

Today, they grow 50 ton per acre tomatoes with half of the nitrogen (120 units) and a third less water than before.  They also report fewer weeds and better tomato quality.

The soil organic matter (SOM)—the living portion of the soil that turns crop residue into minerals needed by growing plants—has gone from 0.5 percent to 3.0 percent, report Sano and Sanchez.  “The soil is like day and night,” says Sanchez.  “You can dig it with your hands,” he says, cupping a handful to prove his point.

So how do you transition largely inert soil into the ecological powerhouse found on Sano Farms?

Cover crops, reduced equipment passes, and subsurface irrigation have been key, according to Jeff Mitchell , UC Cooperative Extension specialist based at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center . These practices combine to feed and protect the soil microorganisms often ignored in agricultural systems. Mitchell has been coaching the Sano/Sanchez team for over 10 years, witnessing their progress and connecting them with like-minded farmers and organizations.

“Farmers sometimes worry that cover crops will compete with the cash crop for water and nutrients,” says Mitchell.  “We’re starting to see at Sano Farms — looking long term—that the tradeoffs might actually be favorable.”

Sanchez says he terminates the cover crop before the tomatoes are planted, leaving the dead residue to smother weeds and feed the soil microorganisms.

The SOM also builds the sponge that allows the farm to thrive on less water, says Zahangir Kabir, Soil Health Specialist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). “A one percent increase in SOM builds your soil’s ability to hold water by 19,000 to 25,000 gallons per acre. Thus, calculating conservatively, Sano Farms’ fields hold 50,000 gallons of water more per acre than they did before.”

You can see this in action at Sano farms. “When it rains here the water soaks into the field. It stays put,” says Sanchez.  “It doesn’t run off like some farms.”

Sanchez, who received a White House Champions of Change Award last summer, says he knows farmers resist change. “But we can’t stop change,” he says. “It’s all around us. If they (farmers) do change the way they work with their soil, they are going to like what they see.”

Sanchez will be a featured speaker at the second annual Latino Farmers Conference taking place on Nov. 15 at the Monterey Hyatt Regency. The event is free but registration is required.

To see Alan Sano and Jesse Sanchez at Sano Farms in Firebaugh watch the YouTube video

Link to news release