CDFA Secretary Karen Ross (lower, third from left) and Senior Advisor Bob Wynn (next to Sec. Ross) with scientists this week at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory.

I was honored to have an opportunity this week to visit the world-class Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and learn about some of the cutting-edge research underway that has value to agriculture.

The Berkeley lab is an example of our lengthy and fruitful partnership with the University of California, which touches on many aspects of agriculture. During our tour we discussed research initiatives on climate change, water efficiency, soil health and urban agriculture. Those are all crucial pieces as we look to position food production to meet the opportunities and challenges of the 21st century.

Secretary Ross wears a headset to view the inside of a grapevine captured by X-Ray.

The science that was demonstrated was genuinely mind-boggling. One of the amazing things I saw was a project called “Advanced Light Sources.” It’s an advanced X-Ray system in high demand for a number of innovative research projects. It has enabled USDA researchers to actually see inside of grapevines, which has great potential for understanding water management and other issue to improve vine health. I got to see it myself and can confirm that it’s a wondrous innovative achievement.

I continue to be bullish about the future opportunities for California agriculture, even as we work to produce more food using fewer natural resources.  The great work done at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory and within the entire University of California system will definitely help us meet that challenge.

By Pat Bailey, UC Davis

As leaves begin to fall and sunlight takes on a golden sparkle, you may be noticing increased activity in the skies. It’s that time of year when migratory waterfowl are on the move, heading south from their northern breeding grounds

Their presence in local fields and waterways is a signal for chicken owners to be especially on guard against avian influenza or “bird flu,” commonly found in wild waterfowl. The virus can spread to chickens and other domestic poultry causing significant losses.

Whether you own a large flock or just a few backyard chickens, it is important to keep your birds separated from wild birds, which can carry avian influenza without showing any symptoms of illness.

In chickens, telltale signs of avian influenza include depression, lack of appetite, diarrhea, soft or misshapen eggs, and sudden and increased deaths among the flocks.

While the risk of avian influenza transmission is higher in the fall due to the increased number of waterfowl present, it is important to recognize that waterfowl and other wildlife that carry diseases are a constant risk to our chickens’ health.

For that reason, the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and the California Department of Food and Agriculture offer these biosecurity tips aimed at protecting your chickens from bird flu:

1. Wash your hands.

Use soap and water or hand sanitizer before and after working with chickens.

2. Designate a pair of boots or shoes for use only in the coop.

And if you hunt waterfowl, make sure your hunting clothes and equipment are kept separate from your domestic poultry.

3. Prevent wild animals and waterfowl from coming into contact with your chickens.

If you have a pond or other body of water that would attract waterfowl, consider draining it, if that is practical.

4. Isolate new birds.

To reduce the risk of introducing disease into your flock, isolate any new birds for 30 days before adding them in with your birds.

5. Use reputable sources, store feed safely and check the water supply.

Always obtain birds from reputable, disease-free sources that put good biosecurity standards into practice. Purchase feed from clean, dependable sources and store it in containers that are safe from birds, rodents and insects. Provide your birds with clean, fresh water at all times.

6. Place footbaths on a concrete pad or pallet.

If you use a footbath containing approved disinfectants to disinfect shoes and boots, place it on a concrete pad or pallet to prevent dirt from being tracked into it. Make sure to change the disinfectant daily.

7. Report signs of illness.

Report any signs of illness or increased deaths among your flock to your veterinarian or the Sick Bird Hotline at 866-922-BIRD (2473).

In addition, necropsies are offered by the veterinary school’s California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory System.

For more on poultry care and management, visit the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine-Cooperative Extension Poultry website and the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Avian Health Program website.

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USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack

What if I told you a scientist had recently discovered a way to remove up to 98% of the allergens in peanuts without affecting the flavor, thereby diminishing a severe health threat to some 2.8 million Americans who suffer from peanut allergies?

Or that a small family business is working on a project that could quench the thirst of billions of people around the world with technology that’s capable of taking water from any source and making it safe to drink?

If that sounds a little like science fiction to you, you wouldn’t be alone. But both examples exist today as part of the hundreds of scientific breakthroughs made by USDA and USDA-supported scientists since the start of the Obama Administration.

When people think of USDA, they may not immediately think of cutting-edge science or discovery. But USDA is the world’s largest agricultural research force. USDA employs around 3,000 scientists, economists, statisticians and others, and funds thousands more at land-grant universities and other institutions across the country. Together, their work has helped to shape the lives of billions of people around the world.

Under the Obama Administration, USDA has made a powerful statement about the importance of scientific discovery by strengthening our institutions, building our capacity and leveraging the strengths of our outside partners to do the same. From the farm to the lab to the boardroom, we’ve increased our investment in delivering problem-driven and solutions-based science that empowers farmers, foresters, ranchers, landowners, resource managers, professors and policymakers to help manage the risks we face.

Studies have shown that every dollar invested in agricultural research now returns over $20 to our economy. For our part, since 2009, USDA has invested $19 billion in research both intramural and extramural. As a result of that investment, research conducted by USDA scientists has resulted in 883 patent applications filed, 405 patents issued and 1,151 new inventions disclosures covering a wide range of topics and discoveries since 2009.

USDA also continues to aggressively partner with private companies, universities and others to transfer technology to the marketplace to benefit consumers and businesses alike. Over the years, USDA innovations have created all manner of products Americans use every day, from cosmetics, to insect controls, leathers, shampoos and of course food products. Here is a sample of USDA’s work:

• Frozen orange juice concentrate
• Turf used on many NFL and other sports fields across the country
• “Permanent press” cotton clothing
• Almost all breeds of blueberries and cranberries currently in production
• 80 percent of all varieties of citrus fruits grown in the U.S. and
• The mass production of penicillin during World War II

Still today, our scientists are pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and creating new miracles on behalf of the American people year after year. Their incredible dedication underscores the importance of government funding for research so that we can continue to make cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs with real potential for commercial application and growth. In recent years, some of their other discoveries include:

• A new process to turn old tires into zinc fertilizer
• A new kind of flour made from chardonnay grape seeds that can prevent increases in cholesterol and weight-gain
• A portable method for identifying harmful bacteria in food that prevents foodborne illness and safeguards public health
• A new soil nitrogen test that rapidly and inexpensively determines the total amount of nitrogen in the soil that is available to a plant. The use of this test reduces fertilizer application amounts, reduces costs for farmers, and benefits the environment
• A new process for pasteurizing shelled eggs that uses radio frequency energy that is 1.5 times faster than the current pasteurization process and that does not affect the eggs’ appearance. This fast new technology should increase the number of pasteurized eggs and reduce the threat of illness from uncooked and undercooked shelled eggs

And there are many more where that came from.

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By Kevin Hecteman

Southern California, which in recent times ejected the red palm weevil, has a new problem to ponder. It’s the South American palm weevil, which has arrived in the San Diego area from Tijuana and likes to dine on palm trees—both the ornamental and the date-growing kind.

Insect specialists, farmers and others gathered in Bonita last week to discuss the problem.

“One of the first things date palm growers should be doing is getting informed about the situation,” said Mark Hoddle, an entomologist at the University of California, Riverside. “The second thing they could help with is just to be aware of the risks of how this weevil moves around.”

Hoddle described the weevil as a strong flier.

“But movement of live palm material, especially transplants that get moved from potentially infested areas into uninfested areas, could suddenly bring the palm weevil into close proximity to date-growing areas, where currently there are no known breeding weevil populations,” he said.

The third thing, Hoddle said, is keeping an eye out for potentially infested palm trees and bringing those to the attention of agricultural officials for investigation. The UC Riverside Center for Invasive Species Research, which Hoddle directs, has a website where people can report palm trees that may be infested, at cisr.ucr.edu/palmarum_survey.html.

Albert Keck, who runs Hadley Date Farms in Thermal and chairs the California Date Commission, attended last week’s meeting and described date growers as “very concerned.”

“We don’t want the weevil to get a foothold in the United States and then leapfrog into one of these interior valleys and come into our growing district,” Keck said. “We’re hopeful that it’s still a situation that can be contained.”

A South American palm weevil wreaks havoc by laying eggs in a growing area of the palm tree, Hoddle said; on a Canary Island palm, that would be the apical meristem in the crown, where new fronds grow.

“That’s a large, soft, juicy chunk of meat,” Hoddle said. “If you’re a weevil, it’s the most delicious part of the palm you can get into, and it’s also the most nutritious.”

Female weevils—adults are typically an inch to an inch and a quarter in length—will use their long snouts to drill holes for egg laying. The resulting larvae can grow to 2 inches long, and they feast on the crown. That kills the crown, which in turn kills the tree.

“This could be devastating to the date-growing districts of the state, and it’s just a reminder of how vulnerable we are to these invasive issues,” Keck said.

Dates represented nearly $41 million worth of crops in Riverside County alone last year, according to the county agricultural commissioner’s report.

Keck said that the response to such problems usually, and appropriately, takes an agricultural approach.

“That makes it difficult when you’re trying to reach the urban constituents and why it’s a concern to them,” he said. “Palms are extremely important to our urban, coastal California landscaping. It’s very much an urban issue right now, and we don’t want it to become an ag issue.”

Nick Condos, who directs the Division of Plant Health and Pest Prevention Services at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, talked about potential regulatory responses to the threat; besides trapping and pesticides, these could include quarantines, control methods, outreach and research.

“We have put in a farm-bill request to do a trapping program for exotic palm pests, which would include South American palm weevil,” Condos said.

Details still need to be worked out, he said, as it’s not yet known how far north or east the weevil has spread.

As for a quarantine, Condos said it’s not yet known exactly which varieties of palm are susceptible to weevil infestation. Any quarantine would likely take after a plan drawn in 2012 to combat the red palm weevil in Laguna Beach, though that plan was never activated. Quarantines can be expensive to enforce, Condos said, and can involve steps such as growing nursery stock in an enclosed structure for a year and safely transporting frond trimmings.

“Nobody was rooting for a quarantine right now,” he said. “It was just an opportunity to get all these options out there, let people start thinking about them and what we need to do, to prioritize research to pursue some of these options.”

Hoddle said drooping fronds and a tilted crown are signs a palm tree has weevils. Trouble is, by the time one sees these signs, the tree may be beyond help.

“One of the holy grails for palm weevil research is early detection,” Hoddle said. “How do you know if your palm tree’s infected before you start seeing these very obvious visual symptoms? Right now, there’s no really great early detection technology.”

As if all that isn’t enough, the weevil has a partner in crime: the red ring nematode. If this pest is in the tree, it will find its way into the weevils, which then spread it to other trees. But so far, Hoddle said, the nematode has not appeared in California.

The best chance of containing and eradicating the weevil is when the population is small and localized, he said. The most effective anti-weevil tactics involve using pheromone traps and pesticides simultaneously; traps won’t stop the infestation but will help locate affected trees.

“Then you want to apply the pesticide treatments to those infested palms,” Hoddle said. “That type of multi-pronged approach has been really effective at controlling date-infesting palm weevils in the Middle East, for example.”

Condos said CDFA will encourage palm growers to participate in weevil detection.

“Most of our successful pest responses over the past couple of years have a very large commodity presence,” he said, citing efforts to combat pests threatening citrus crops and winegrapes.

“We really wanted to make sure that (farmers) understood that this isn’t government alone,” Condos said. “They have to be part of the process.”

Link to story at California Farm Bureau Federation web site

By Bettina Elias Siegel

Puréed spinach in brownies. “Red velvet” pancakes made from beets. Oatmeal cookies with cauliflower bits. There are hundreds of creative ways to sneak fruits and vegetables past the wrinkled noses of even the pickiest children.

Whether you think this sort of culinary subterfuge is a great idea or a troubling violation of a child’s trust, it’s understandable that some parents do it. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, nine out of 10 American kids aren’t eating enough vegetables, and six out of 10 don’t get enough fruit.

But what happens when the food industry does the food sneaking for us?

A California company, Oh Yes Foods, is betting that parents will embrace pizza that’s loaded up with hidden fruits and vegetables. (Pizza is the second highest source of calories in our kids’ diets) The product is available in some Western states at Whole Foods and Target.

Amy Goldsmith, the chief executive of Oh Yes, said two of the company’s founders, both medical doctors, struggled for years with their picky daughter. “They tried everything to get her to eat healthy food but she just wouldn’t do it,” she says. “It was all about hot dogs and cheese pizza.” In desperation, they dried fruits and vegetables in an old food dehydrator they had, then used their coffee grinder to powder the produce and slip it into their daughter’s pizza crust and sauce.

Now they’re bringing their sneaking prowess to the masses by selling frozen pizza containing 12 kinds of dehydrated, powdered produce: kale, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, tomatoes, green peppers, onion, butternut squash, artichoke, papaya and guava. One 10-inch pie reportedly contains five-and-a-half servings of fruits and vegetables.

Oh Yes isn’t the only company getting sneaky with produce. New York-based Kidfresh offers tot-friendly frozen entrees and snacks, such as macaroni and cheese and pepperoni pizza bites, all with a dose of puréed vegetables — in some cases enough to meet one-third of a young child’s daily requirement. “No more battles or headaches at mealtime with your little ones,” Kidfresh promises, “because we bring a fresh twist to vegetables: It is as if they were not there.”

For beleaguered parents of picky kids, that sort of pitch can be a siren song. Even parents whose children happily accept fruits and vegetables might still welcome these products, which claim nutritional superiority over traditional versions. And the market seems to confirm there’s a growing demand for produce-doctored foods for kids: Kidfresh has seen 50 to 60 percent growth annually and recently received an infusion of outside capital to further expand.

This isn’t the first time a food company has tried to sneak produce into kids’ food. In 2013, for example, the Girl Scouts of America offered a Mango Creme cookie that contained a proprietary fruit powder called NutriFusion. Although it was similar to any white flour cookie, with 11 grams of sugar per serving, the Girl Scouts marketed it as containing “all the nutrient benefits of eating cranberries, pomegranates, oranges, grapes, and strawberries.” Critics said the nutrition claims were misleading, and the cookie quickly disappeared.

Popular cookbooks, including Jessica Seinfeld’s “Deceptively Delicious” and “The Sneaky Chef” by Missy Chase Lapine both advise home cooks to secretly slippuréed vegetables into kid foods like macaroni and cheese or brownies.

Sally Kuzemchak, a registered dietitian and blogger at Real Mom Nutrition, is concerned about the mixed messages adults send when they hide vegetables in food. “It’s like telling kids, ‘This pizza is unhealthy, but this pizza is healthy because it has ground-up veggies in the sauce.’” And by hiding produce in another food, she adds, “there’s an implication that eating fruits and vegetables is a chore to be avoided or worked around, and I find it particularly troublesome when we’re giving that message to kids.”

Another question is whether hidden fruits and vegetables, particularly when reduced to powder form, can be regarded as the equivalent of fresh. Ms. Kuzemchak says they might be, “in a sort of George Jetson way.” But she pointed out that one of the valuable things you’re missing with dehydrated fruits or vegetables is the water. Water “is part of what makes these typically low-calorie, nutrient-rich foods so filling. That’s one reason why they’re an important part of the diet.”

Dr. David Ludwig, an obesity specialist at Children’s Hospital Boston and author of the new book “Always Hungry?”, is also troubled by what he sees as such products’ undeserved “health halo.”

“To fully understand the problems with processed foods,” he says, “we need to think beyond simply nutrients and calories.”

He notes that a 12-ounce Coke has about the same calories and sugar as two apples. “But you can’t make them equally healthy by adding a serving of Metamucil and a sprinkle of vitamins to the Coke,” he says.

In the case of pizza — and all the other highly processed foods that line our grocery shelves – Dr. Ludwig says there’s generally too little fiber to slow our digestion, resulting in a surge and later crash in blood sugar which causes many people to overeat.

Matt Cohen, founder and chief executive of Kidfresh, sees the issue differently. From 2007 to 2009 he owned a New York City retail store, also named Kidfresh, specializing in healthy food for children. “We tried fruit sushi, veggie skewers, cutting it into funny shapes.” But many kids literally wouldn’t bite.