WCN March 2020
Create successful ePaper yourself
Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.
WEST COAST NUT
March 2020 ISSUE
SPOTLIGHT:
KNOW YOUR CRITTERS:
IDENTIFYING RODENTS IN
TREE NUT ORCHARDS
SEE PAGE 58
IN THIS ISSUE:
LET THE TREE DICTATE WHEN
TO START IRRIGATING
SEE PAGE 4
NOW IN WALNUT
SEE PAGE 20
PREPARING YOUR ORCHARD
FOR AG TECH
SEE PAGE 26
Register Now for
SUMMER
SHOWS
See Page 51
June 3, 2020
Turlock, California
Alm nd Day
June 24, 2020
Fresno, California
PUBLICATION
LET’S PUT
ABILITY IN
SUSTAINABILITY.
We’re all working to create a sustainable future for our nation’s food supply.
Let us help you get your operation there faster. We’re Valent Sustainable
Solutions. We stand for the science-based, modern grower with proven
products and methods to help you achieve a more sustainable, viable and
profitable operation that is both resilient and enduring.
valentsustainablesolutions.com
Always read and follow label instructions.
LET’S BREAK NEW GROUND.
By the Industry, For the Industry
Publisher: Jason Scott
Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com
Editor: Marni Katz
Email: marni@jcsmarketinginc.com
Associate Editor: Cecilia Parsons
Email: cecilia@jcsmarketinginc.com
Production: design@jcsmarketinginc.com
Tel: 559.352.4456
Fax: 559.472.3113
Web: www.wcngg.com
Contributing Writers & Industry Support
Almond Board of California
Contributing Writer
Alexander Ott
Executive Director,
American Pecan Council
Danita Cahill
Contributing Writer
Phoebe Gordon
UCCE Madera and
Merced Counties
Seth Hansen
Independent PCA/CCA,
Reliant Crop Services
Jenny Holtermann
Contributing Writer
Hazelnut Marketing Board
Contributing Writer
UC Cooperative Extension Advisory Board
Elizabeth Fichtner
UCCE Farm Advisor, Tulare County
Franz Niederholzer
UCCE Farm Advisor, Colusa/Sutter/Yuba Counties
Emily J. Symmes, PhD
Sacramento Valley Area IPM Advisor
Roger Isom
President/CEO, Western
Agricultural Processors
Association (WAPA),
Contributing Writer
Julie R. Johnson
Contributing Writer
Rich Kreps
CCA, Contributing Writer
Mitch Lies
Contributing Writer
Steve Pastis
Contributing Writer
Amy Wolfe
MPPA, CFRE, President
and CEO, AgSafe
Mohammad Yaghmour
UCCE Kern County
The articles, research, industry updates, company profiles, and
advertisements in this publication are the professional opinions
of writers and advertisers. West Coast Nut does not assume any
responsibility for the opinions given in the publication.
IN THIS ISSUE
4 Let the Tree Dictate When to Start Irrigating
10 Understanding Winter Chill in Pistachios
12 Drone Technology Helps with Precise Input Management
16 ‘Moonshot’ Effort Needed to Build Future Ag Water Supply
20 NOW Becoming a Bigger Pest in Walnuts
26 Preparing Your Orchard for Ag Tech
32 Introducing the Superpowers of Pecans
34 Protecting Pollinators
38 Fertility Starts With a Spring Soil Sample
42 Taking the Mystery Out of Rootstock Selection in Pistachios
48 Managing Weeds Beyond Glyphosate
52 Insurance for Hullers and Processors Skyrockets
54 Grower Profile—Valk Ranch
58 Know Your Critters: Identifying Rodents in Tree Nut Orchards
62 Hazelnut Growers Society Annual Meeting
64 AB5 Means Changes for Agricultural Businesses
66 Successfully Navigating the Farm Guestworker Program
70 Gains Being Made in SIT NOW Research
74 Putting Almond Waste to Good Use
78 Introducing Our New Editor
80 Bacterial Canker and Blast in Almond Trees
Let the Tree Dictate When to Start Irrigating
View our ePublication on the web at www.wcngg.com
“The typically stated objective of irrigation is to apply water to match ET. You think of
the soil as a reservoir and we know that plants use water and the idea is that you need
to give them back whatever they use but this system doesn’t tell you when to start
irrigation.” - Ken Shackel, UC Davis
See full article on page 4
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 3
LET THE TREE DICTATE
WHEN TO START IRRIGATING
By JULIE R. JOHNSON | Contributing Writer
(Photos courtesy of K. Shackel)
THIS ARTICLE IS
SPONSORED BY:
There are many available techniques
for scheduling irrigation in
walnuts during the season, says Ken
Shackel, Professor in the Department
of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. These
schedules are based on weather, soil
measurements, plant measurements and
“WYND - What your neighbor does.”
“But, how do you know when to start
irrigating,” he asks.
The most proposed method of late
for scheduling irrigation is Evapo-Transpiration
(ET). But newer research suggests
there may be better alternatives
for determining when to start.
He explains that growers worry
about two things--starting too late, and
starting too early.
“Growers worry that if they wait too
long, trees will use up the deep soil
moisture and run out of their bank
account at harvest,” Shackel said.
Is There a Downside to
Starting Too Early?
Citing UC Integrated Orchard
Walnut and Almond Specialist Bruce
Lampinen, Shackel said, “Trees that are
consistently too wet (above baseline
stem water potential) in the spring
can develop numerous symptoms later
in the year, often mistaken for other
disorders.”
Shackel said nobody should start
irrigating if the soil is wet, but the question
remains, “How does the tree feel?”
Early Season Water
Management Project
A research team of Shackel, Allan
Fulton, Lampinen, Kari Arnold, Nick
Matsumoto, and Hal Crain and Jeff
Phillips as cooperators, started a project
in 2014 on early season water management.
The experiment was conducted
in five different treatments in five
blocks (zones), totaling 25 independent
treatments, in deep, well drained, sandy
loam, silt loam soils in Tehama County
at the Crain Walnut Ranch.
One objective of the project was to
field test four levels of stem water potential
(SWP) for the start of irrigation
in the spring. That spring the team
used a pressure chamber to measure
SWP. Then they let the project site
grower do whatever he wanted in terms
of when to start irrigating, while the
team waited to start irrigating until the
trees were stressed, hitting 1, 2, 3, or
4 bars below baseline (fully irrigated)
SWP value.
“The key grower concern was that
they always saw a lot of water stress in
their trees at harvest, a time when they
had to stop watering so they could get
in the orchards to harvest the crop,”
Shackel said. “They were worried they
weren’t putting on enough water.”
The grower started irrigating in mid-
April that year. The researchers waited
to start irrigating when the trees were
two bars below baseline. That didn’t
occur until around early to mid-June in
different blocks. That year the grower’s
irrigation was “by the book,” matching
ET closely over the season. However,
the orchards’ irrigation manager
noticed that the research team’s trees
“looked healthier at harvest,” they
looked less stressed, even though the
team started irrigating much later
than the grower and put on less water,
Shackel said.
“The next year, and for all the years
after that, the grower started doing
what the research team was doing and
started irrigating his orchards later
in the season,” he added. “The trees
looked healthier, but what about the
yield?”
In 2014 the research team’s trees
looked healthier, but their crop yield
was down somewhat compared to the
grower’s.
“In the second year we again got a bit
of a lower yield than that of the grower,”
Shackel said. “ But they started catching
up in the third and the fourth year
was a big surprise when we actually got
more yield in our trees. Then, after that
the yields from the grower’s trees and
our trees were pretty much the same. It
was pretty much a wash economically,
but the team’s trees looked healthier.”
The Tehama County experiment
was designed to test whether delaying
Continued on Page 6
4 West Coast Nut March 2020
Apply less, expect more?
There’s nothing quite like California agriculture, and successful growers need
a nutrition plan that meets the unique goals, climate and challenges we face.
Get precisely the advanced products and agronomic knowledge you need to
support your crops, your soil and a sustainable future.
Find an AgroLiquid dealer near you.
AgroLiquid.com
Sure-K® and Kalibrate® are registered
trademarks and PrG is a trademark of AgroLiquid.
© 2020 AgroLiquid. All Rights Reserved.
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 5
A research team has learned to-date that a plant-based irrigation delay strategy appears to be working similarly in two contrasting soil
types – the deep, well-drained sandy-loam/silt-loam in a Tehama County walnut orchard study, and a heavier clay-loam in a Patterson
study.
Continued from Page 4
irrigation in the spring was a good idea
to avoid over-irrigation problems, or a
WALNUTS & ALMONDS
WALNUT AND ALMOND PROCESSING EQUIPMENT
Walnut
Almond
Equipment
CONTACT US
Equipment
• Receiving
TODAY
Receiving •
• Precleaning TO GET A QUOTE
Precleaning •
• Hulling
FOR THE BEST
Hulling •
• Drying
PRICES
In-Shell •
• In-Shell
Shelling •
• Shelling
Almond Drying •
• Eletronic Sorting
Eletronic Sorting •
• Hand Sorting
Hand Sorting •
• Packaging
Packaging •
Custom Sizing to Fit Your Needs
Serving the California Walnut &
Almond Industry for over 25 years.
Contact Us Today
209.883.2817
3200 TULLY ROAD, HUGHSON, CA • Grossifabrication.com
bad idea that would cause water stress
problems around harvest.
“It is definitely not a bad idea on this
soil in this location, in fact, trees in
all delay treatments
were less
stressed around
harvest,” Shackel
said. “There is
evidence that mild
to moderate stress
is associated with
higher nut load
and quality in
economic terms.”
Newer Trials
Underway
Based on the
finding from the
Tehama County
project, the
research team
initiated a new
trial in 2018 on
a heavier soil in
a commercial
walnut orchard in
Patterson, California.
The four-yearold
Chandler/
Vlach orchard
with 15-by-24 foot
spacing, 120 trees
per acre, was in a
clay loam soil.
“This new trial is a very interesting
situation,” Shackel said.
Historically, the grower was using
soil water readings to guide irrigation,
keeping the 18-inch-deep sensor from
getting too dry and irrigating longer
to wet the 36-inch-deep sensor if it
showed progressive drying.
“The usual idea is that the shallow
soil is going to get dry and wet as
you irrigate, but that deep soil, if it
starts drying out, if the sensor starts
reading more and more tension, then
sometimes you need to bump up your
irrigation and get that water down deep.
And that is exactly what the grower
had been doing for years at this site,”
Shackel added.
The grower’s soil moisture readings
showed a lot of dryness in August to
We have not yet
"
found the 'sweet
spot' for optimal
water management
in walnuts, but
all indications are
that it will not
be as simple as
applying a give
percentage of ET.
6 West Coast Nut March 2020
Walnut yields were measured from a trial looking at whether or not delaying irrigation at the start of the crop season is a practical and
economical approach for walnut growers.
October, even though it appeared he
was always at or above SWP baseline.
The research team conducted their
delayed irrigation, starting water in
early June when SWP was two bars below
baseline. Both the grower and team
delivered less irrigation that year than
was normally applied following the ET
calculations. In 2019 the team added
another demonstration plot, this one in
Corning, Calif., again a grower versus
delayed start.
Comparing the crop yields at both
Continued on Page 8
PMS Instrument Company
Plant Based Irrigation Scheduling
GROWER
FAVORITE
Model 615
Pressure Chamber
· Fine tune your irrigation
schedule!
· Minimize water usage and
pump cost!
· Optimize nut size and
quality!
PMS Instrument Company
T. 541-704-2299 | F. 541-704-2388
info@pmsinstrument.com | pmsinstrument.com
1725 Geary Street SE | Albany, OR 97322
Contact Us Today
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 7
Continued from Page 8
Dr. Ken Shackel, professor with the UC Davis Department of
Plant Sciences, is part of a research team conducting trials on
delayed irrigation. (Photo courtesy of J. Johnson.)
Knowing when to start irrigating in walnut orchards can be key
to tree health and the economics of water management.
Continued from Page 7
sites, grower versus delay, Shackel
reported that at the Patterson site, the
grower yield was higher, but also a
MYERS BROS.
WELL DRILLING, INC.
Agriculture
Commercial
Municipal
Test Hole
Fax: 559-582-5744
Lic. #548214
8650 E. Lacey Blvd
PO Box 1283
Hanford, Ca 93232
much higher canopy shaded area, so
possibly a local difference in tree size.
However, there was a higher yield per
canopy shaded area in the delay block.
In Corning, with an almost identical
canopy shaded area
in the grower and
delay blocks, the
higher yield went to
the delay block.
“There was no
statistical differences
at either site,” Shackel
said, “which was
consistent with the
Tehama site.”
Well Abandonment
Well Rehab
Serving the Central Valley for 60 Years
Delayed Irrigation
Based on Stem
Water Potential
Shackel said so
far the research team
has learned to date
that a plant-based
irrigation delay
strategy appears to
be working similarly
in two contrasting
soil types – the deep,
well-drained sandy-loam/silt-loam
in Tehama, and a
heavier clay-loam in
Patterson. The water
savings is substantial,
and even if the cost
of water is not a significant factor, monitoring
SWP to delay the start of irrigation
may pay for itself in lower costs
for irrigation system operation, “not to
mention the possibility for improved
tree and root system health,” according
to Shackel.
He said mild water stress is associated
with benefits to nut quality, small
decreases in nut weight, and higher
crop load.
“We have not yet found the ‘sweet
spot’ for optimal water management in
walnuts, but all indications are that it
will not be as simple as applying a given
percentage of ET,” Shackel added.
“This is a good argument that maybe
the ET approach to irrigation scheduling
is not the best approach – might
cause you to start too soon, because if
you don’t match ET you worry about
it; and it may be that walnuts, because
they have deep roots, have access to
a lot of water that you may not know
about.”
However, he noted, irrigation practices
may depend on the particulars of
the orchard’s site, such as the Patterson
test site where they applied only 35
percent of ET and still had the highest
amounts of tree wetness (SWP) of all
the sites in the project.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
8 West Coast Nut March 2020
They may
be unseen,
but they
shouldn’t go
unnoticed.
Nematodes are the invisible threat to almond orchards.
Protect your crops from nematode damage with Velum ® One.
Protection from wide-spectrum
nematode damage.
Can increase yield 8.3% with an
average of $475/bearing acre. 1
58% average increase in canopy
diameter in newly planted trees. 2
Convenient in-season application
via chemigation.
For more information, visit www.VelumOne.com.
1
Profit increase based on 2017 almond price/lb. and average yield/bearing acres with 8.3% increase in yield versus untreated over three-year trial, per trial data of five locations with a single
application of Velum One at 6.5 or 6.85 fl. oz./A.
2
Velum One applied at 6.5 oz./A, spring 2017, via drip irrigation. Trees planted in January 2017. Increase in green canopy pixels based on an average of two rows of untreated trees compared
to an average of two rows of Velum One-treated trees.
© 2019 Bayer Group. Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, and Velum are registered trademarks of the Bayer Group. Not all products are registered for use in all states.
For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.CropScience.Bayer.us. Bayer CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard,
St. Louis, MO 63167. CR0119VELONEB034S00R0
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 9
UNDERSTANDING PHYSIOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF
WINTER CHILL IN PISTACHIOS
By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer
Gurreet Brar hopes to determine
not only what it will take to boost
pistachio yields following warm
winters, but the reason why trees fail
to produce in the absence of winter
W
chill and whether and why treatments
improve yield.
The understanding, Brar said,
will help researchers provide a science-based
solution to what has
NDERFUL PISTACHIO ROOTSTOCK TREES NOW AVAILABLE!
Exclusive from Wonderful Nurseries for our Grower Partners.
WONDERFUL PISTACHIO ROOTSTOCK TREES
True to our “Growers First”
commitment, Wonderful Nurseries
is now offering our proprietary
Wonderful Pistachio Rootstock
(WPR) trees to our grower
partners. This is your opportunity
to reap the benefits of over 20
years of meticulous research and
development into promising
selections of UCB-1 rootstock.
We believe this rootstock can
yield more pistachios per acre
than any other rootstock in the
market. To stand behind our
product, Wonderful Orchards has
designated over 17,000 acres for
planting through 2019.
To find out how you can become
eligible to purchase these
exceptional Wonderful Pistachio
Rootstock trees, call Director of
Sales Dustin Hooper, at 661-301-
7399, for all the details and to
schedule a visit today.
SERVING YOUR VINE, ALMOND AND PISTACHIO TREE NEEDS
WonderfulNurseries.com 661.758.4777
© 2020 Wonderful Nurseries LLC. All rights reserved. WONDERFUL, WONDERFUL NURSERIES and the
accompanying logos are trademarks of Wonderful Nurseries LLC or its affiliates. The Wonderful Pistachio
Rootstock Trees are the subject of U.S. Plant Patent Nos. PP26915, PP26916, PP27318, PP27319 and PP27436.
become a persistent problem in recent
years: low chill accumulation in winter
months.
Brar, an assistant professor in
the Department of Plant Sciences at
California State University, Fresno, is
in the midst of four-year study analyzing
several issues surrounding chill
requirements in pistachios. Among issues
he is studying: How trees respond
to changes in temperature, or the
physiology of chill accumulation and
dormancy break in pistachios; and how
pistachio trees respond to horticultural
oil, an input that growers use to offset
low chill accumulation.
Researchers in Brar’s lab are collecting
flower buds from early January
through March from sprayed and nonsprayed
pistachio blocks and analyzing
the buds for their sugars, starches and
other enzymes and metabolites.
“What that is going to give us are
the complete changes that occur in the
buds, so we can pick out what is going
to be our best strategy to manipulate
dormancy break,” said Brar, who holds
the Rodger B. Jensen Professorship in
Pistachio Physiology and Pomology at
Fresno State.
Brar proposed the project to the
California pistachio industry in the
wake of some severe yield declines in
recent years that were precipitated by
warm winters.
Like cherries and walnuts, in order
to bloom and leaf-out properly in the
spring, pistachios have a high chill
accumulation requirement during the
winter months, Brar said. The average
winter temperatures in the Central Valley,
meanwhile, have been on the rise
since the 1950s, leading to erratic bud
breaks in commonly grown pistachio
varieties.
In the spring of 2015, for example,
Brar said, high winter temperatures
caused the male pollinator variety
Peters to not bloom at all in some
orchards and led to erratic bloom in
Kerman, the most commonly produced
10 West Coast Nut March 2020
variety in California. Fahrenheit temperatures
climbed into the 60s during
much of the winter and even into the
low 70s, Brar said.
“In many areas of the Central Valley,
the pistachio trees did not bloom out
normally and did not leaf out normally,”
he said. “There were very low yields
industry-wide. And for many years,
we have seen that pattern.” He added
that researchers predict average winter
temperatures in Central Valley “will
be much warmer by the end of the 21st
century.”
To date, growers have largely turned
to horticultural oils to help offset
low chill accumulation during winter
months, Brar said. The effects of
horticultural oils, however, are not fully
understood and their performance has
been erratic.
“Industry people do not really know
what the oil is doing,” he said. “So,
every year, hundreds of thousands of
acres across the state are being sprayed
with oil, and we are getting mixed results.
Nobody really knows what makes
the oil work. It is hit or miss.”
In a separate research project, one
of Brar’s graduate students had begun
testing a handful of rest-breaking
agents, or RBAs, including plant
growth regulators and horticultural
oils, to see if there are some promising
compounds available that could be
worth further study. But that research
was discontinued.
“We thought we should first try to
answer basic physiological questions,
such as what is the oil doing in the bud,”
Brar said. “Once those questions are
answered, then we can figure out what
we need to do.
“We need to focus on what we are
looking at first,” he said, “with the
eventual goal of determining where do
we need intervention and at what time
and with what compounds.”
Ultimately, Brar said, new varieties
bred for less chill-accumulation requirements
could provide the solution
to warm winters. But developing new
varieties, he said, could take decades.
“When we think about having a
totally different climate in the Central
Valley at the end of the century, we
know that we need to do long-term
breeding programs to come up with
varieties that can produce a decent crop
in a low-chill scenario,” Brar said. “But
right now, the goal is to do some kind
of intervention, maybe by using growth
regulators or find some other chemical
inputs that can help trees wake up normally
even in a low-chill year.”
Brar compared the research approach
to research of fertilizer inputs.
“We all add nitrogen, potassium,
sulfur and micronutrients to the trees,”
he said. “And because of research, we
know that when there is fruit on the
tree, we need the most nitrogen. And
we learned that at bloom we need boron,
because boron is needed for flower
development. And we learned that
through research.
“So that is what we are doing in
trying to manage chill in pistachios,”
he said.
Brar has three researchers in his lab
focused on the project, including two
conducting lab work and one in the
field collecting samples and monitoring
oil sprays and harvest, as well as documenting
when bloom occurs in relation
to the different treatments. Researchers
are compiling nut growth, nut quality
and yield data, as well as data on percentage
of blanks. Temperature gauges
enable researchers to follow chill accumulation
at the different sites.
Researchers expect to have first-year
data compiled by this spring.
Brar said it could be several years
before the research yields results growers
can take to the field.
“By the end of four years, we will
at least know what changes are occurring
in the trees,” he said. “Then it will
take another two to four years to test
the potential rest-breaking agents, the
chemical compounds that will break
the rest of the tree.”
Several compounds under consideration
for use as rest-breaking agents
currently are registered for use in
pistachios, Brar said. Others aren’t, but
researchers plan to pursue registration
of those compounds if an interest is
showing in doing so, Brar said.
Kraemer & Co. Mfg., Inc.
Nut Drying & Storage Facilities
Almonds • Pecans • Pistachios • Walnuts
• Burners
• Fans
• Drying Systems
• Storage & Handling
• Custom Manufacturing
• Spiral E-Z Let Downs
• Installation & Service
Let Kraemer & Co. Design
and Build the Facility
that is Right for Your Needs
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
Walnut Drying Bins
Bin Features
• Knock Down Kit
• Modular
• Corrugated / Galvanized Construction
• Do-It-Yourself Option
• Low Lead Time
• 6 Ton Capacity
3778 County Road 99 W
Orland, CA 95963
530-865-7982 │ Fax: 530-865-5091
CA Cont. Lic. #485-547 │ Web: www.kcomfg.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 11
DRONE TECHNOLOGY
IN NUT CROPS
FROM BOOTS ON THE GROUND TO EYES IN THE SKY:
DRONES HELP WITH PRECISE INPUT MANAGEMENT
By CECILIA PARSONS| Associate Editor
Growers have put ‘boots on the
ground’ for generations to visually
inspect their fields and orchards.
With the advent of unmanned aerial
vehicles that carry infrared cameras,
growers now have the opportunity
to view real time orchard and field
conditions on their phones and make
management decisions to improve crop
health and production.
Dr. Gregory Kriehn, California State
University, Fresno, engineering professor
and speaker at the Walnut Day
in Visalia, said use of unmanned aerial
vehicles or drones is becoming more
common in agriculture as growers are
seeking more precision in application
of water, nutrients or pesticides. California
farms, which produced 13 percent
of U.S. farm dollars, rely on about
20,000 drones to assist with management
decision and one in 10 California
farmers use drones
to help with management
decisions, mostly
in higher value
permanent
crops,
Kriehn said.
For perspective, last year there were
9,000 registered unmanned aircraft systems
in the United States. Of that total,
Continued on Page 14
12 West Coast Nut March 2020
For more information
818-249-4647
west-link.com
Optical Sorters
Buhler:
Sortex Optical Sorters
Aeroglide Dryers & Roasters
Buhler Grinders
Packaging Systems:
Wrappers
Conveyors, Stretch Wrapping
Processing Systems:
Bin Dumpers, Vibratory Feeders
Bucket Elevators, Air Separators
Aspirators, Bag Houses
Thermo
Metal Detectors, Checkweighers
X-ray - Systems
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 13
Continued from Page 12
nearly half were used in real estate and
aerial photography. Industrial inspections
were the second highest use at 28
percent. Agriculture accounted for 17
percent of unmanned aircraft use.
Multispectral images of an orchard
do not relieve a grower or farm
manager from ‘boots on the ground’
responsibilities but can show trends as
they develop for further investigation.
For instance, Kriehn said, multispectral
imaging identifies plant stress, but
gives no indication of the cause. That is
why visual inspection is still important,
as well as multiple sets of good data.
Extracting useful information from the
multispectral images involves Machine
Learning Algorithms, or MLA. Given
the proper criteria, MLA can interpret
the images to produce patterns of plant
behavior. Multiple runs of data can increase
the accuracy of the information.
“USE OF
UNMANNED
AERIAL VEHICLES
OR DRONES IS
BECOMING MORE
COMMON IN
AGRICULTURE
AS GROWERS
ARE SEEKING
MORE PRECISION
IN APPLICATION
OF WATER,
NUTRIENTS OR
PESTICIDES."
With more
data, the algorithms
can offer increased probability
and create a model that can be compared
with visual inspection.
Using the Data
Transforming raw data from the
images into actionable information is at
the heart of the value of this technology.
The information can allow growers
14 West Coast Nut March 2020
June 3, 2020
Turlock, California
Alm nd Day
June 24, 2020
Fresno, California
Register Now for
SUMMER
SHOWS
See Page 51
to make management
decisions for pest control,
irrigation, and nutrition.
Benefits include more
efficient use of spray applications,
fertilizers and water.
Over large areas, the images
can determine tree populations
or spacing, canopy variation,
and harvest timing.
Integrated unmanned
aerial vehicles are both rotor
and fixed wing. While the public
is primarily familiar with the
rotor type, Kriehn said that the slower
moving, large wingspan drones are
more often used to capture images due
to their stability. In addition to carrying
camera systems, the drones are
directed with flight control software to
fly desired routes.
Images from a camera-equipped
drone can provide a big picture of what
is happening on a piece of land. Multiple
images taken over time can show
emerging trends in an orchard.
Going deeper than aerial photography,
camera use in agriculture involves
multispectral imaging. Multispectral
imaging technology uses green, red, red
edge and near infrared wavebands to
capture images of crops and vegetation.
These spectral bands show the reflectance
of light by vegetation. Every surface
reflects back some of the light that
it receives. Different surface features
of plants reflect or absorb the sun’s
radiation in different ways. The ratio
of reflected light to incidental light is
known as reflectance and is expressed
as a percentage. In his presentation,
Kriehn said that reflectance depends on
the time of day the images were taken.
Normalized Difference Vegetation
Index Imaging shows the difference between
near infrared and red band spectra.
This provides a plant ‘greenness’
index and measures photosynthetic
activity. Potential uses are evaluation
of canopy coverage, long term growth
trending, frost damage detection, largescale
pest outbreaks, biomass production
and soil moisture. Normalized Difference
Red Edge Index Imaging is the
difference between near infrared and
red edge band. This measures canopy
reflectance and potential uses include
optimizing harvest time, hull split in
almonds, sugar content in grapes, crop
stress and pest infestations.
Using multispectral imaging as
a complement to field scouting to
pinpoint specific trouble areas, a nut
grower, for instance, has the opportunity
to determine, based on early trends
supplied by the images, changes in
orchard health that would have gone
undetected for a longer period.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us
at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
“MULTISPECTRAL
IMAGES OF AN
ORCHARD DO
NOT RELIEVE A
GROWER OR
FARM MANAGER
FROM ‘BOOTS
ON THE GROUND’
RESPONSIBILITIES
BUT CAN SHOW
TRENDS AS
THEY DEVELOP
FOR FURTHER
INVESTIGATION. "
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 15
A WORD FROM THE BOARD: THE ALMOND BOARD OF CALIFORNIA
EXPERT PANEL SUGGESTS
‘MOONSHOT’ EFFORT
NEEDED TO BUILD FUTURE AGRICULTURAL WATER SUPPLY
Successful groundwater recharge will require unprecedented collaboration
to capture, move and store water from excess rainfall, according to experts.
(Photos courtesy of Almond Board of California)
After decades of over-pumping
groundwater, California faces declining
aquifers and stark choices
– a future so challenging that a collective
“moonshot” effort is needed to preserve
irrigation supplies and viable agriculture
in many parts of the state.
That message was the theme among
experts participating in a panel at The
Almond Conference 2019 focused on
the state’s landmark 2014 Sustainable
Groundwater Management Act, or
SGMA. SGMA requires many areas
to balance supply and demand for
groundwater, leaving local regions
scrambling to develop plans to ration
pumping while figuring out how to
return more water to aquifers during
times of plentiful rain.
Jesse Roseman, principal analyst
for Environmental and Regulatory
Affairs at the Almond Board of California
(ABC), led the panel. Roseman
said ABC conducts research, education
and outreach to help almond growers
understand their opportunities for
shoring up water supplies through
efforts like groundwater recharge.
“We’re looking very closely at how
we can do recharge in a way that
doesn’t harm our trees,” he said. “We’ve
got an optimistic goal. The Public Policy
Institute of California said that in
the San Joaquin Valley we can recharge
up to 500,000 acre-feet of water per
year, addressing about a quarter of the
overdraft. Let’s work together to make
that happen.”
Making it happen requires unprecedented
collaboration to capture, move
and store water during infrequent
periods of excess rainfall, according to
Kamyar Guivetchi of the California Department
of Water Resources. DWR’s
Flood Managed Aquifer Recharge
program, or Flood-MAR, is looking at
strategies ranging from re-operating
reservoirs, increasing storage and creative
efforts to increase water transfers
and banking and innovative methods
of cultivating crops.
All this will require cooperation
at the local, regional and state level,
including the public and private sectors,
Guivetchi said. Perhaps most important
is building conveyance infrastructure
to carry water during the rare times it
is in oversupply, and identifying ahead
of time the best places to send it in
hopes of storing it underground.
“Everyone has a part to play in
advancing Flood-MAR,” Guivetchi
said. “This is a moonshot for California.
Getting all these water sectors and
agencies to work together is going to
take work, but it really is something we
need to do.”
The panel included several almond
growers with experience in groundwater
recharge. They pointed to the need
to thoroughly assess the needs and capabilities
of individual farms, and their
local irrigation district programs, as
part of developing a recharge strategy.
A key thing to remember is that
when surplus water becomes available,
it often arrives in huge amounts over
very short periods, sometimes with little
warning. But getting ready for those
sporadic events can take years of diligent
planning, effort and investment.
“The flood flows come fast and they
come hard, and you need to capture
them quickly and spread them around,”
said Don Cameron, vice president and
general manager of Terra Nova Ranch,
located southwest of Fresno.
Responding to declines in the local
water table of about two feet per year
since the early 1980s, Cameron said
16 West Coast Nut March 2020
Terra Nova has made tremendous
progress preparing for and implementing
groundwater recharge. But those
advances haven’t been easy, cheap or
risk-free. For example, the farm experimented
with over-applying irrigation
water during especially rainy seasons,
such as 2011 and 2017, to walnuts, olives,
pistachios and almonds.
“We tried a lot of different scenarios,”
he said. “We kind of took a leap,
because no one had done the research
on this and we wanted to find out what
we could and couldn’t do, and where
we would start having problems.”
Since then, more university research
has been done, including groundwater
recharge in almond orchards, led by Dr.
Helen Dahlke of the University of California,
Davis. This work, supported by
a grant from the Almond Board of California,
focuses on how recharge can
be conducted with minimal impacts to
almond orchards.
Cameron said Terra Nova got a
boost to its efforts to pursue recharge
upon receiving a $5 million grant from
the Department of Water Resources.
The grant helped fund a project to pull
excess floodwaters from the North Fork
of the Kings River and carry it through
a new canal to a dedicated recharge
area on the ranch. The project was
supposed to cost $7 million, but costs
soared and will be about $12 million
when the project is finished this year,
after more than eight years of work.
“This takes a lot of patience,” Cameron
said. “You’ve got the CEQA [California
Environmental Quality Act], you’ve
got cultural studies, you’ve got agreements,
permitting, you name it. It’s a
long process and frustrating. But in the
long run, we’ll cover 18,000 acres and
be able to take 500 cubic feet per second,
which is 1,000 acre-feet per day.”
Other growers said the efforts,
though difficult, are not only worth it,
but essential to the future survival of
many farms.
Matt Efird, a fifth-generation grower
from the Fresno-area, said his family
has been practicing recharge for years,
using a flexible irrigation system that
allows him to deliver water to his
trees through flood, microsprinklers
or dual drip lines, depending on the
circumstances. He recently decided to
work with the non-profit organization
Sustainable Conservation to measure
the efficiency of his recharge efforts.
“We found out that when we’re
bringing this surface water in, we are
briefly recharging over an acre-foot per
acre in less than four weeks,” Efird said.
“So, for a 1,000-acre operation, we’re
looking at 1,000-acre-feet of water in a
month.”
He advised growers to cooperate
with their irrigation districts and make
capital investments in their operations
so they can take extra water when it is
available. He also suggested growers
learn which of their soils are right for
on-farm recharge and be prepared to
adjust their other orchard management
practices, as needed, to accommodate
recharge events. These include potential
adjustments to post-harvest fertility
Continued on Page 18
FUNDAMENTALLY BETTER
ACADIAN ® DELIVERS FUNDAMENTAL
VALUE TO YOUR PROGRAM WITH:
• Improved plant vigor
• Enhanced root growth
• Resistance to environmental stress
• Higher yields
When you’re looking to build your
nutritional program – ask for Acadian ® .
CONTACT US TODAY!
Chris Coolidge (Central CA) . . . . 559-779-3579
Taylor Hoover (Coastal CA) . . . . 949-547-0880
Duncan Smith (NorCal) . . . . . . . 209-471-2412
Annalisa Williams (CA) . . . . . . 805-801-5238
Jeff Downs (SoCal/Az) . . . . . . . 559-285-8448
Acadian Plant Health is a division of Acadian Seaplants Limited.
Acadian ® is a registered trademark of Acadian Seaplants Limited.
acadian-usa.com
DO NOT PRINT
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 17
McDaniels Marketing • Client: Acadian• “2020 Acadian Fundamentally Bet-
Almond grower Don Cameron talks about groundwater recharge at a session
on SGMA during The Almond Conference 2019 on “How to Make Lemonade
Out of Groundwater Regulation".
Continued from Page 17
programs and weed control, as these
activities can be hampered or negated
by recharge if not coordinated properly.
Though it takes planning, investment
and adjustment, Efird said recharge
is one of the most direct avenues
for growers to find benefits.
“One of the easiest and most awesome
things we have is the ground to
put the water out on,” he said. “Anything’s
better than allowing it to go out
to the ocean. We’ve got to do what we
can to capture that.”
Madera grower Tony Savant, after
watching his water table drop about
four feet annually over the past 26
years, was eager to figure out how to
turn the tide. He’s been working with
Madera Irrigation District, which
offers several incentive programs, and
because he operates several orchards
in different locations, he’s assessed the
soils and crops at each site so he always
knows the best direction to direct extra
water when it is available.
He’s also installed solar panels to
help reduce his energy costs for moving
water.
“It’s going to cost you a little money,
but in the end, you’re going to get a better
product and it’s good for your crop,”
Savant said. “I’d recommend recharge
to anybody.”
Joe Choperena, director of Sustainable
Conservation’s program for
encouraging recharge in the Central
Valley, works with growers to identify,
pursue and measure success of
recharge, in hopes of sharing success
stories and information that helps other
growers. He said he’s optimistic.
“There are about a dozen different
irrigation districts in the San Joaquin
Valley that are already providing
incentives to participate in recharge
programs,” Choperena said, adding
that the incentives can include direct
payments, discounted water prices,
and pumping credits. “Those incentives
have helped spur more elaborate
and costly recharge projects, not just
over-irrigation on cropland.”
Those more complex projects
include dedicated recharge basins, or
using existing borrow pits or unlined
irrigation reservoirs as a place to store
excess water when it’s available and to
let it recharge aquifers.
Choperena told growers, “If you’re
interested in doing recharge on your
property, I really encourage you to start
communicating with your districts
and your Groundwater Sustainability
Agencies, and even state agencies, and
let them know you want to be part of
the solution.”
To learn more about the role of
Groundwater Sustainability Agencies
and to determine which agency, or
agencies, represent your area, visit
Water.ca.gov/Programs/Groundwater-Management/SGMA-Groundwater-Management/Groundwater-Sustainable-Agencies.
See also “Multiyear
UC Davis study shows little impact
from winter flooding, with best
outcomes in sandy soils,” at https://
newsroom.almonds.com/content/
where-might-almonds-fit-into-groundwater-recharge.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
18 West Coast Nut March 2020
Introducing the Precision Fit 8 Cab (exclusive to John Deere)
• Ceiling Mounted Climate System
• Improved Serviceability
• Greater Visibility
• Roomier
• Quieter
“Celebrating over 35 Years of Orchard Cab Innovation”
www.KeyDollarCab.com (800) 481-0876
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 19
One of the best current guidelines of insecticide use in walnut navel
orangeworm management is to focus protection from husk-split
through harvest, according to research. (Photos courtesy of E. Symmes)
NOW IN WALNUTS:
ONCE A MINOR PEST, NOW BECOMING A BIGGER
CONCERN IN WALNUT ORCHARDS
By JULIE R. JOHNSON | Contributing Writer
Contiguous acreage of nut crops
in California is making navel orangeworm
(NOW) a more pressing
pest concern for walnut growers, according
to Emily Symmes, Sacramento
Valley area IPM advisor with the UC
Statewide IPM Program and Cooperative
Extension.
“Navel orangeworm has a broad
host range and availability in the state,
with tree nuts among the preferred
hosts,” Symmes said. “And we are
seeing expanded, contiguous acreage
in tree nuts of almond, walnut and pistachio,
up nearly 50 percent in bearing
acreage over the last decade.”
The contiguous acreage makes NOW
movement and spread a significant
threat to nut crops.
“What we (researchers) did is we
mapped the walnut, almond and pistachio
acreage in the state,” Symmes
said. “In the Central Valley we see this
expanding continuous acreage of nut
crops prime for NOW.”
She explained this pattern creates
a staggered crop phenology, “which
means we have this continuing available
host and susceptibility period.”
Importance of Sanitation
Enhancing the NOW cycle in
orchards are mummy nuts—those
left over from last year that remain in
trees—or any of the in-season damaged
nuts. NOW have a high dispersal
capacity, with the ability to fly up to six
miles a night. This is a real challenge
when it comes to management of the
pest, Symmes said. They also have a
high reproductive capacity with each
female capable of laying 80 to 100 or
more eggs.
“We have seen a single female lay as
many as 200 eggs,” Symmes added.
Multiple larvae can develop in a
single nut so one leftover mummy nut,
or one in-season damaged nut can bear
multiple larvae.
“We have seen as many as 10 larvae
developing on a single nut,” she said.
NOW life cycle depends on mummy
nuts for overwintering, whether its
walnut, almond or pistachio. Mummies
provide an overwintering bridge to get
NOW from one season to the next, and
can allow early generations to infest
orchards before the in-season crop
becomes vulnerable. In-season crop
susceptibility occurs in damaged nuts
and at husk or hull split.
The nut industry has an extremely
low tolerance for crop damage, less
than 2 percent, out of food safety concerns
with aflatoxin.
“Effective management depends on
sanitation, minimizing damage from
other sources, harvest timing, insecticides
and mating disruptions,” Symmes
said.
Management challenges related to
20 West Coast Nut March 2020
economics and logistics (control over
harvest timing and insecticide timing,
for example) must be addressed
through an integrated approach.
“It really goes back to the map of the
continuous-host smorgasbord,” Symmes
said. “We really have to take an
area-wide IPM approach to this pest
based on its biology, ecology, and ability
to readily move between hosts over
significant distances.”
Four Generations a Year
Navel orangeworm produce four
generations per year now, and this
is the norm statewide, according to
Symmes.
“It used to be that it would sometimes
happen in the Sacramento Valley,
but we can pretty well count on four
generations most years now, partly due
to earlier springs and summer heat,”
she added.
The first and second flight on walnut
are going to cycle through last season’s
mummies and in-season damaged nuts.
“However, the impact of the third
and fourth flights on the harvestable
walnut crop depends on what variety
you have, husk split and harvesting
timing, how abundant the navel
orangeworm population is, and how
much migration into the orchard is
occurring,” Symmes said.
Research and Projects
“So often I hear the question, ‘I’m
trapping, and these are the numbers
I’m seeing in my traps, do I need to
treat my walnuts now, or when, and
with what, to avoid certain crop damage,’”
Symmes said. “So, we have been
looking into what monitoring tools
are available and what information
they are telling us. That really is the
million-dollar question that I wish I
could answer. Our research is working
towards being able to answer that
question.”
That is why Symmes and her team –
Houston Wilson, IPM specialist, Kearney/UCR;
Chuck Burks, USDA entomologist;
and Jhalendra Rijal, Northern
San Joaquin Valley Area IPM advisor
– are working on current projects evaluating
a number of monitoring tools to
learn how to best predict damage and
when intervention is needed to avoid
damage.
They are also conducting research
on what factors influence NOW populations
and damage in walnut orchards
by focusing on the movement of NOW
between crops and landscape and relating
traps counts to harvest damage and
figuring out what other factors should
be included in a damage “risk model.”
Monitoring with Traps
There are three main trap-based
monitoring tools for NOW that have
been included in current research for
adult NOW – kairomone for gravid
(mated/egg-carrying) females, phenyl
propionate (PPO) for males and
females, and pheromone for males.
“For treatment thresholds it remains
unclear for all three monitoring traps.
This is one of those things that is a
puzzle. You use different types of traps
Continued on Page 22
Navel Orangeworm Control!
Mating disruption product for conventional and organic California tree nuts!!
LESS DAMAGE – MORE PROFIT
SEASON-LONG CONTROL THROUGH POST-HARVEST
MATING DISRUPTION PRODUCT
FOR NAVEL ORANGEWORM IN
ALMONDS, PISTACHIOS & WALNUTS
© 2019, Trécé Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRECE, PHEROCON and CIDETRAK are registered trademarks of Trece, Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRE-1491, 4/19
Navel Orangeworm,
Amyelois transitella
• Up to 80% or more potential reduction in
damage vs. current insecticide program
• Season-long control through post-harvest
• Easy application with ready-to-use
carrier pack
• No moving parts, no batteries, no
gummy deposits
• Removal not required
INCORPORAT ED
INSECT PHEROMONE & KAIROMONE SYSTEMS
Your Edge – And Ours – Is Knowledge.
Contact your local supplier and order now!
Visit our website: www.trece.com or call: 1- 866-785-1313.
®
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 21
Continued from Page 21
and other measures of risk in the environment
and that is how you decide
whether or not to treat,” Symmes said.
Current research shows that fewer
pheromone traps are needed per block
compared to kairomone and PPO traps.
In addition, Symmes said, “Pheromone
traps may be telling you more of a
landscape scale, more of what is going
on in general amongst the flight. The
kairomone and PPO traps may be more
tied to local population pressure and
the damage potential in that orchard or
block.”
Movement Between Orchards
In a 2018 study to determine moth
origin, researchers trapped NOW in
adjacent almond and walnut orchards
in the center of the orchards using different
trap types to see what was being
caught and where. Analyzing the fatty
acids in the captured moths, researchers
learned the male moths moved
between orchards during the duration
of trapping.
“With the females, using the Peterson
traps, we found a similar thing,
while there was some movement
between orchards, what we learned is
that most of the females trapped in an
orchard had developed from larvae
in that orchard. That said, later in the
season we saw an apparent influx of
females into the walnut orchard from
the almond orchard, much more than
movement from the walnut into the
almond orchard,” Symmes said.
The possible reason, she explained,
is that later in the season the females
are looking for
someplace to
lay their eggs. In
August, almond
orchards are
being shaken and
the females are
losing that host,
so they move
over to an adjacent
or nearby
host, in this case
a walnut orchard.
At the same time
the males aren’t
worried about
the orchard, they
are just looking
for the females.
“It is also important
to note
in this study that
we learned that it
is often a misconception
that
‘all of NOW entering into my walnut
are flying in from the almond orchard
next door.’ And certainly we see that
while this is significant, growers need
to understand they still have their own
in-house population of NOW in walnuts,”
Symmes added.
She reported that results from the
study are consistent with the hypotheses
that NOW pheromone traps (for
males) have a greater trapping radius
than ovipositional bait traps (for
females), and that female-based trap
counts may provide more block-specific
data and a greater association with
ultimate crop damage. Evidence of the
second phenomenon has also been
Emily Symmes, Sacramento Valley Area IPM advisor, presents information
on navel orangeworm management to a group of growers.
(Photo courtesy of J. Johnson)
observed in almonds. (Rosenheim et al.,
December 2017, Journal of Economic
Entomology).
In a practical sense, Symmes
asked, what do results of this research
mean for monitoring NOW in walnut
orchards as a decision-support tool for
deciding whether to apply husk split
treatments? Utilizing a combination of
adult trap types may provide the best
two-pronged information: (1) pheromone
traps for male NOW to inform
season-long activity (e.g., population
detection, flight patterns, relative abundance),
and (2) ovipositional bait bag
traps for female NOW or PPO traps
Continued on Page 24
22 West Coast Nut March 2020
POWERFUL MARKETING DRIVES
POWERFUL SALES
It’s true. When our TV campaign is on the air, visits to the California
Walnuts website jump an incredible 500% or more!
And our newly launched consumer campaign tested very highly with consumers,
with 78% saying they would be more likely to purchase after seeing the ad.
Research showed that our consumers are seeking simple solutions to make
life easier and more manageable. The new spots feature humorous vignettes
illustrating that modern life isn’t always easy. This effort will be supported by
an unprecedented investment at retail, to remind consumers to add California
walnuts to their shopping cart.
An Industry Working Together.
At the California Walnut Board, we’re continually
working for you to drive the awareness and
sales volume of walnuts. To stay informed, sign
up for our newsletter at walnuts.org, and stop
by to say hi at the upcoming agricultural shows
and California Walnut Conference.
walnuts.org/our-industry
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 23
Continued from Page 22
for males and females to inform
site-specific pressure and damage
potential.
2019 NOW Research
“We are looking at what these
different NOW traps are telling us
throughout the season and really
trying to analyze the relationship
between moth counts, harvest damage
and these different trap types
and determine where the moths
are coming from over the course of
the season,” Symmes said. “We also
want to compare seasonal changes
in NOW source and abundance in
walnut orchards in the context of
landscape-scale factors such as comparing
almond dominant versus walnut
dominant landscapes.”
Selected 2019 research regions
included the Sacramento Valley, San
Joaquin Valley-North and San Joaquin
Valley-South. Within each region there
were three walnut dominant sites and
Sanitation in walnut orchards susceptible to navel orangeworm is critical as the pests life
cycle depends on mummies for overwintering, says Emily Symmes, Sacramento Valley Area
IPM advisor.
three almond dominant sites, totaling
18 sites of research altogether. Within
each site three trap types have been
established – one pheromone, one PPO
and six kairomone, each monitored
weekly.
Damage evaluation at harvest was
conducted on 1,000 nuts per site, providing
the following general conclusions:
Certain traps/lures may better
predict damage – (more robust data set
needed, which will be collected over
the next two additional seasons).
▶ Factors that contribute to crop
damage are complex – such as
landscape, geography, cultivar,
sanitation, other damage.
ISOMATE ® CM Mist Walnut Plus
Innovative and Effective
Mating Disruption Technology
for Codling Moth
• SEASON-LONG pheromone
release, 200+ days
• PRE-PROGRAMMED,
ready to use
• LIGHT WEIGHT
• EASY to deploy, reduced labor
• For ORGANIC or conventional use
Reliable aerosol disruption from
the Trusted Leaders in
Pheromone Technology
▶ Moths move between orchards –
resident walnut populations are not
negligible.
▶
Sink-source dynamics change
over the season – drivers include
resource availability, hull vulnerability,
harvest timing, and others.
Symmes also summarized the
ongoing Sterile Insect Technique program
for NOW. Houston Wilson and
Chuck Burks are actively involved with
research evaluating the fitness of sterile
moths and optimal release strategies.
She said the concept of the program is
to introduce sterile insects into wild
populations to overwhelm mating
success among the native (non-sterile)
populations, with the goal of reducing
viable offspring, thereby decreasing
NOW populations and crop damage
(See related story on Gains Being
Made in SIT NOW on Page 70.)
PACIFIC BIOCONTROL CORPORATION
www.pacificbiocontrol.com
ISOMATE ® is a registered trademark of Pacific Biocontrol
Jeannine Lowrimore
Northern California
209.603.9244
Christeen Abbott-Hearn
Central and Coastal California
559.334.7664
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
24 West Coast Nut March 2020
The potassium nitrate experts
Three potassium nitrate products
to fit the needs of the Nut grower
KNO3
3-0-10
KNO3
K Plus
KNO3
SQM North America
Tel: 1 (888) 241 0233
E-mail: spn-northamerica@sqm.com
sqmnutrition.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 25
Preparing
Your
Orchard
for
Ag Tech:
DON’T LET THE CHOICES
OVERWHELM YOU. MAKE A
PLAN INSTEAD.
By SETH HANSEN | Independent
PCA/CCA, Reliant Crop Services
Determine the capability of your soil moisture monitoring station to accept
and send weather data to maximize the value of your investment.
(Photos courtesy of S. Hansen)
The technology floodgates have burst wide-open in
the agriculture industry. It is nearly impossible to
read a trade magazine, attend a convention or scroll
through social media without encountering agricultural
technology in one form or another. That should be no
surprise. The rapid pace of technological advancement is
transforming many industries, as well as our daily personal
lives. But the continual procession of new ag technology
products and services can be overwhelming, and the
associated time and cost of evaluating each is proving to
be a barrier to adoption.
Most growers and consultants recognize a need to become
more efficient in their business. Rising labor costs,
suppressed commodity prices and ever-expanding regulatory
requirements are putting intense financial pressure
on many agricultural operations in California. Compliance
programs alone, for food safety, worker protection,
pesticides and nutrient management, are inundating operators
with documentation and reporting requirements.
In light of the significant challenges facing the industry,
it makes perfect sense that researchers, vendors and their
investors see a tremendous opportunity in bringing their
technology solution to your farm. But how do you know
if any one of these “solutions” you encounter will actually
26 West Coast Nut March 2020
solve one of your pressing problems?
Independent crop consultants like
myself face some of these same challenges,
albeit at a smaller scale. How
can I cover more acres without overlooking
a developing problem in the
field? What more can I do for my client
to deliver value and stay ahead of my
competition? How do I maintain all the
necessary documentation required for
compliance, without sacrificing time in
the field? New ag technologies may be
able to address these questions, but the
simple reality is that they will demand
investments of time and money. As
these resources are in limited supply
to most of us in the industry, wisdom
dictates that a careful and deliberate
approach is needed in the pursuit of
technology solutions.
Assessing and Planning
Your Tech Needs
What follows are three simple, yet
important steps you can take as a
grower, consultant or other agricultural
operator, to get the most out of your
ag technology investments. They are
the outcome of many efforts to find,
evaluate, and even promote various
technologies in the field, along with
the resulting successes, and not a few
failures or disappointments.
The first, and perhaps most critical
step, is to develop a comprehensive
technology plan for your operation.
This plan does not need to be complex
or overly technical, but should be thorough
and specific to your company’s
needs.
Consider the planning necessary to
develop a highly productive orchard.
Site selection, as well as rootstock and
variety selection, soil analysis and remediation,
irrigation system design and
evaluation of water sources, are just a
few critical components for success. A
wrong decision regarding any one of
these components could have longterm
effects on the productivity and
profitability of the orchard. The same
is true when making decisions about
ag technology. Each ag technology
investment you make should contribute
to the larger technology and business
objectives of the operation.
Take, for example, a grower searching
for a soil moisture monitoring
system to manage irrigation scheduling
more effectively. In a half-second
search of the web, it is possible to find
multiple suppliers in their area. But
before scheduling any vendor meetings
or comparing pricing, he should take
a few minutes to address some of the
following questions:
• Who will be doing the monitoring,
and therefore who needs access to
the data?
Ag Tech
• What desktop or mobile devices/operating
systems are compatible? Can
I or my employees access the system
from the field?
• Is monitoring the only need, or are
irrigation controls desired also?
• Can reports be produced for
regulatory agencies or sustainability
Continued on Page 28
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 27
Ag Tech
Continued from Page 27
audits, without manually transferring
the data to another spreadsheet
or binder?
• If salinity and weather data is
important, can the system capture
these?
• Does the vendor’s platform integrate
with other software currently used
by the operation?
Without adequate planning, this
grower could invest thousands of
dollars in a specific system on multiple
fields and ranches, only to find it
unable to meet their current or future
operational requirements. Perhaps the
user interface is too complex for the
irrigators who are supposed to interact
with it, and the grower is left to do all
the monitoring and scheduling. The
agronomist may be creating irrigation
schedules in their existing agronomy
software, and is unwilling to manage
another software platform. Or, the
grower may find the moisture monitoring
hardware has limited inputs and
additional costs are incurred to set up
telemetry for a weather station.
There is a very real risk of investing
resources in software, hardware or services,
only to abandon or replace them
before the promised value has been
realized. Before the next technology
vendor calls, take some time to identify
and prioritize the broader technology
needs in your operation, the staff or
consultants to be involved, and specific
requirements for each technology that
will be pursued. This periodic exercise
of planning for your company’s longterm
technology needs will prepare you
to evaluate and invest in ag technology
better.
Lay the Groundwork for
Managing Data
The second step is to expand your
capacity for managing data. As many
new ag technologies consume and
generate tremendous amounts of data,
your operation must have the tools
and talent to manage all of that data
efficiently. Crop imagery providers, for
example, have continued to increase
the resolution, frequency and coverage
available to growers. Improved sensor
capabilities and computing power are
transforming imagery from a basic
indicator of vigor on field crops, to a
sophisticated predictive tool with applications
in water stress, nutrient status
and harvest timing on many specialty
crops. However, will you or your team
have the time to review and react to
imagery generated on all of your fields,
multiple times every week during the
season? Do you or your agronomist
have the expertise to interpret the data
displayed in the imagery? If the answer
is “no,” then you may not be ready for
this technology, or at least not on all
your acres.
Perhaps some of your data management
needs are less complex, such as
soil and tissue analytical results from
Continued on Page 30
28 West Coast Nut March 2020
September 17-18, 2020
Visalia, California
New This Year
Extended DPR
and CCA Topics
Pre-Register at:
progressivecrop.com/conference
Save
The
Date
AG MARKETING SOLUTIONS
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 29
Ag Tech
Continued from Page 28
your local agricultural laboratory. If
you have farmed for many years, and
regularly test soils and plant tissues,
you may have accumulated hundreds of
analytical results, even from multiple
labs. From an agronomist’s perspective,
there is substantial value in observing
trends over time from these reports,
or comparing the current season’s
results to a previous season’s results. Is
this information readily available to
you or your agronomist when making
important decisions about your crops’
nutritional requirements? If not, you
may want to find a way to continue
extracting the value from this data you
have already invested in.
Even a small step such as building
a spreadsheet or buying a software
license to manage your important field
information can be a meaningful step
toward efficiently managing your data.
How do you decide what tool is the best
fit? Reference your company’s technology
plan. Determine what you need to
track, who needs to use it, how it will
be accessed, and what other data you
may want to incorporate in the future.
If you do not have the time or talent to
set up your data management system,
schedule some online training for a
technology-savvy employee, or hire
a freelance data analyst to build it for
you. Expanding your company’s capacity
to manage data will improve your
business processes now, and prepare
you to engage with more advanced ag
technology in the future.
Apply the Westbridge Nut Tree Program
to Improve Crop Quality & Yield
ORGANIC
Contains Auxiliary Soil & Plant Substances
®
Applying the Westbridge Nut Tree Program at key stages of plant
development improves root and plant vigor, which can lead to
enhanced nut uniformity and size, and improved flowering, pollen
viability, nut set and nut retention.
Apply a foliar application in
February at 70% full bloom, and
again in March at 1st mature leaf to
improve flower vigor and nut set.
Call today for additional
application timings and rates.
*When plants are in need of more nitrogen, Organic BioLink® Cal-N
can be substituted for Organic BioLInk® Cal-Plus 7%
®
ORGANIC
Plant Nutrients
Nut Tree Program Includes:
• Organic TRIGGRR ®
• Organic BioLink ® Cal-Plus 7%*
• Organic BioLink ® 3-3-3 Fertilizer
• Organic BioLink ® Micronutrients
(800) 876-2767
www.westbridge.com
®
Choosing the Right
Vendor and Product
After you have developed your
technology plan and are working on
expanding your capacity to manage
data, you may be ready to talk with an
ag technology vendor. The final step
before you invest in any ag technology
is to thoroughly vet the vendor and
product.
The ag technology market is filled
with many exciting, innovative companies.
I genuinely believe some of the
technologies they are developing will
revolutionize our industry and equip
growers to be more productive and
profitable in the future. However, there
are also many new startup companies
with technologies yet to be proven in
the field.
When you have the opportunity to
evaluate any new product or service,
ask about the history of the company.
How long have they been in business,
how many employees do they have, and
do they have sufficient experience in
the field to understand your needs? Ask
them to explain what they do now, and
what are they hoping to accomplish in
the future with their technology. As to
the product or service they provide, try
as much as possible to get a hands-on
demonstration of the technology. Find
out where you can see it in the field. If
it is software or a mobile application,
do not just look at screenshots or a
presentation, but ask for a trial account
and actually use it. After you test it,
communicate what did not work or you
did not like, and determine the vendor’s
willingness and capacity to make
30 West Coast Nut March 2020
Ag Tech
Mobile software can provide convenient access to important production records, activity schedules, and sensor readings, even in the field.
improvements or customizations
for you. Find someone you know
who is using the technology, and ask
them how it works and if they will
continue to use it. Use the same level
of thoroughness in your technology
vetting that you would for any other
major business purchase, thereby
increasing your potential for a return
on your technology investment.
It is a new season, as well as a new
decade. Ag technology is advancing
rapidly, and will continue to transform
the way growers produce their
crops and compete in a global market.
However, there is no need to feel
overwhelmed by these changes. Plan
for your specific needs, build some
capacity for data management, and
prepare to vet each technology you
pursue. Invest some time today in
planning for your company’s technology
needs so you can enjoy the benefits
of adopting the right technologies
in the future.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us
at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
PACIFIC DISTRIBUTING INCORPORATED
Authorized Distributor of Orchard-Rite® Tree Shakers
559-564-3114 orchard-rite.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 31
A WORD FROM THE BOARD: THE AMERICAN PECAN COUNCIL
SUPERNUT GOES SUPERHERO:
INTRODUCING THE
SUPERPOWERS OF PECANS
By ALEXANDER OTT | Executive Director, American Pecan Council
Revitalizing New Year’s Resolutions
We’re now a couple months
into 2020, and like many people,
you may have made plans
for a healthier year. Resolutions have
long been a part of ringing in a new
year – pledges to make this year better
than the last with improved habits and
lifestyle changes. Living a healthier life
is often first on the list. In a recent INC.
com survey, 71 percent of respondents
stated that dieting, or eating healthier,
was their number one resolution for the
New Year.
However, as many of us know, resolutions
of change are easier to make
than keep. In fact, the same survey
indicated that more than 80 percent of
Americans failed at keeping their New
Year’s resolutions – with a separate
Strava study suggesting the majority
fail by Jan. 12, often because goals feel
unattainable and too many lifestyle
changes become overwhelming.
How does this apply to pecans?
Well, as we’ve shared before, we ground
our marketing campaigns in consumer
behaviors and research. We know
that there is a genuine desire by many
Americans to eat more nutritiously, but
that many struggle to maintain significant
eating and lifestyle changes. With
this in mind, we are showing Americans
how they can make the nutritious,
delicious – and simple – change of
adding pecans to their regular eating
and snacking routines. Not only are
they tasty and versatile, but pecans put
their “superpowers” to work effortlessly,
keeping consumers satisfied with
nutrients while they go about their busy
days.
32 West Coast Nut March 2020
Introducing the
Superpowers of Pecans
It’s no surprise that there are many
other brands working to promote
health and nutrition benefits. In order
to stand out in a crowded market, we
are taking a unique approach to our
next big marketing campaign. The
Superpowers of Pecans highlights the
nutritional power of pecans in a fun
and approachable way by introducing a
quirky, nostalgic, and engaging series
of animated, comic strip-styled content.
Superheroes are wildly popular with
today’s consumers – in fact, more than
a quarter of the 100 highest-grossing
movies of all time are superhero flicks.
There is a very good chance you or
someone you know saw a superhero
movie last year, as three of the top five
grossing movies of 2019 were superhero
themed, including Avengers: Endgame,
the highest-grossing movie of all time.
Today’s cultural fascination with
superpowers inspired this latest content
collection. The graphics, curated in
partnership with a professional graphic
illustrator, spotlight different characteristics
that make pecans a stand-out
snack or ingredient.
From heart health*, to vitamins and
minerals, the nutritious superpowers
of pecans are the stars of the series. Pecans
are superheroes in their own right,
but also the ultimate sidekick to busy
consumers everywhere. The content
shows pecans working their superpowers
in easy-to-incorporate ways – a
handful tossed into a smoothie, topping
a salad, or chopped into energy
bars, equally perfect for a snack in the
carpool or at the office.
Superpowering Moms and Families
Another dimension of The Superpowers
of Pecans campaign is its
potential to influence a broad group of
potential pecan purchasers. You may
recall that our primary target audience
is Gen X and Y moms – these are
women with families and children still
living at home, and who hold primary
purchasing power for their household
when it comes to food and groceries.
From fitness-focused moms, to
those that follow particular diets or
lifestyle plans, The Superpowers of
Pecans campaign is universally appealing.
With tailored comic strip captions
and targeting via paid social media, the
program will not only appeal to moms
and kids, but to all those pursuing a
healthier lifestyle.
Getting Involved
The Superpowers of Pecans is built
for industry use, and we are committed
to making resources accessible
and ready to use. The new creative
campaign launched in early February.
Follow @AmericanPecan on social media
(Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and
Pinterest) to check out the latest comic
content as it is released.
See something you really like? Head
to the Industry Toolkit on AmericanPecan.com,
and you can unlock an entire
library of resources ready for your use.
Whether you’re interested in social
media posts of your own, or something
to print out and share in your store
or package with your online orders,
American Pecans has you covered.
Stay Connected
To receive the latest campaign announcements
and updates on resources
made with you in mind, make sure
you are subscribed to our email list.
You will not only receive our monthly
newsletter and Monthly Marketing
Highlights report, but also stay updated
on all other news from the American
Pecan Council.
To register, visit AmericanPecan.
com and navigate to the “For Industry”
tab across the top bar. There, you
can select “Industry Registration” and
submit your information. If you’d like
assistance in this process, please don’t
hesitate to reach out to the American
Pecan Council at 817-916-0020, and a
staff member will help.
*According to the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration: Scientific evidence
suggests but does not prove that
eating 1.5 ounces per day of most nuts,
such as pecans, as part of a diet low
in saturated fat and cholesterol may
reduce the risk of heart disease. One
serving of pecans (28g) has 18g unsaturated
fat and only 2g saturated fat.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
T H E N U T Y O U
T H O U G H T Y O U
K N E W , I S S O
M U C H M O R E
T H A N Y O U
E X P E C T E D .
S U P E R
N U T R I T I O U S .
S U P E R
D E L I C I O U S .
S U P E R
V E R S A T I L E .
LEARN MORE AT
AMERICANPECAN.COM
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 33
AS SPRAY SEASON
APPROACHES,
PANELISTS OFFER
ADVICE FOR
PROTECTING
POLLINATORS
By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer
Adding flowering habitat in the orchard can feed and protect pollinators.
(Photo courtesy of Cal DPR)
34 West Coast Nut March 2020
Pollinator protection starts with
education and communication,
according to panelists at a recent
California Department of Pesticide Regulation
(DPR) brown bag lunch emceed
by DPR Director Val Dolcini.
There are literally thousands of
different kinds of pollinators, including
many varieties of bees, flies, butterflies,
moths, birds, and even mammals such
as the Mexican fruit bat, but honeybees
are the keystone pollinator, and their
numbers are dwindling. Several factors
contribute to honeybee decline, including
habitat loss, pesticides and mites
but it is a problem recognized as far
back as the mid-1970s.
To make up for habitat loss, growers
can plant new habitat in, around or
near their production fields. At least 3
percent of land should be provided for
bee and pollinator forage. Native plants
are best whenever possible, but even if
they aren’t native, planting a variety of
flowering plants can also be beneficial.
Aim for plants with varying bloom
times so bees have pollen available to
them for an extended period.
Varroa mites have caused considerable
damage to the health of honeybee
hives. The mites are an external
parasite. They are dark brown to
reddish brown in color and flat and
oval in shape. Varroa mites are transferred
to new colonies on adult bees
and then crawl into a brood cell before
it is sealed. They then live out their life
cycle in the trachea of the bee, shortening
a bee’s lifespan. Infested bees
don’t fly well, so in a contaminated hive
there may be many crawling bees on
the ground around the hive. There are
currently no controls for varroa.
Avoid Pesticide Problems
“Bee protection starts before bees
arrive on a site. Clean water and good
food keep bees local and healthy,” said
DPR Senior Environmental Scientist
Peggy Byerly. “Pay attention to the ‘Bee
Box’ on pesticide labels.”
Follow the recommendations and
restrictions. Don’t allow pesticide to
drift outside the target area. Beware of
residual toxicity from pesticides. Adult
bees may encounter the residual or
carry it back to the nest.
“We’ve been trying to stress to our
growers not to use any kind of tank
spray during pollination, unless it’s at
night. Especially when the temperatures
are sixty degrees and above, when
pollinators are more active,” said Tim
Pelican, Agricultural Commissioner of
San Joaquin County. “Even fungicides
and fertilizers can harm bees’ respiratory
system.”
Education and Communication
Kelly Rourke, director of programs
and operations with Pollinator Partnership,
suggested people educate themselves
on all the things they can do to
protect pollinators. It’s also important
to educate others, she said. Talk with
people you know at social or agricultural
events about pollinators, their need
for protection, and what can be done to
help them thrive.
“Communication between parties
is also vital,” Byerly said. Growers
Continued on Page 36
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 35
Almond growers understand there is a mutually beneficial relationship
with pollinators and are working to protect them in the orchard.
(Photo courtesy of Cal DPR.)
Tim Pelican, Agricultural Commissioner of San Joaquin County
advises growers to avoid tank mixes during the day when
pollinators are active. (Photo courtesy of Cal DPR.)
Continued from Page 35
or applicators need to let beekeepers
know when and where they are spraying
pesticides, as well as what they are
spraying.
Beekeepers must register in each
county where they keep bees. They
need to notify the county agricultural
commissioner when bees are moved
within a county, and when they remove
the bees from the county. They can
also register hive locations online at
BeeWhere and mark the locations with
simple pin drops. In 2019, more than
2,000 beekeepers with 904,486 bee
colonies registered in the program, or
roughly half the California colonies.
The registration system will become
mandatory in 2021.
“In 2020 the goal is to try to get
COMPLETE PLANTS
Built to Fit Your Needs
WizardManufacturing.com
info@wizardmanufacturing.com
530.342.1861 • Ca Lic. # 1036445
everyone into compliance, because in
2021 there will be fees or penalties,” to
Patricia Bohls, environmental scientist
at CDFA’s Bee Safe Program.
This type of communication helps
growers be aware of where the bees are
so they can plan their spray program
accordingly, while beekeepers can
also see where spray applications are
happening. Applicators must provide
their pesticide and location information
48-hours before spraying. It’s up
to beekeepers whether they want to be
notified or not from applicators, which
will be noted on the site. Beekeepers
also note how they want to be notified.
“Growers used to call the county and
say when they were spraying,” Bohls
said. “The county would look within a
one-mile radius to see where the bees
were. Now it’s all computerized.”
Hives must be
marked with the
name of the beekeeper,
the beekeeper’s
phone number,
city and state. The
information must be
posted on a sign at
the site of the hives,
or stenciled onto
the hives. If several
hives are placed on a
pallet, at least one of
the hives on the pallet
must be stenciled.
“It’s really the
beekeepers’ duty to make sure these
bees are registered. If beekeepers don’t
register, they don’t get warned before
an application,” Pelican said.
Growers face up to $1,000 in fines
if improper spray notification leads to
a bee kill in registered hives. Bees are
treated as livestock. In the case of a bee
kill, an inspection is done. Bees are
gathered and sent to a lab to make sure
it was pesticide that killed them and
that the application was made within a
one-mile radius of the hive.
Registering may help deter bee theft,
too. “One-million dollars’ worth of
bees in Fresno were stolen out of fields,”
Pelican said, so the county ag commission
is working with law enforcement.
Efforts to protect pollinators are
paying off, Bohls added. She noted
improvement in apiary theft prevention
and a decrease in apiary pest pressure,
and in apiary stress due to pesticide
exposure. The current focus of Bee Safe
is to train county and apiary health inspectors,
and to promote the program.
For more on the Apiary Protection
Act, go online to Division 13 Bee
Management and Honey Production
(Sections 290000-29736) of the California
Food and Agricultural Code.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
36 West Coast Nut March 2020
MAXIMIZE YOUR YIELD POTENTIAL
Key first steps to increase nut
set, size and yield.
Add Top Set, Vigor SeaCal
and Agro-Best 9-24-3 to your
pink bud/early bloom sprays.
Right nutrients
Right time
Right form
Right mix
Maximizing profitability in your almond orchard starts with
maximizing nut set every year. Achieving consistent set is key to
higher yields and profitability. The secret is ensuring your trees
have the right nutrients, at the right time, in the right form and
right mix.
Nut set is influenced by boron which stimulates pollination. Boron
is synergistic with calcium and enhances its affect. Molybdenum
plays a direct role in nut set and retention by increasing pollen
production. Moly also synergizes boron. Agro-K’s Top Set DL is
the right tool to apply from pink bud through bloom. Top Set DL
supplies a balanced nutrient mix that significantly improves nut set.
It is soft on blooms, bees and other beneficial insects. It penetrates
tissues rapidly and thoroughly to drive increased nut set.
Once set, nut size and weight is the next step to maximizing yield.
Size is driven by cell division and phosphate is a key energy source
that drives this process. Calcium is a critical factor in nut weight.
Getting it into the nut during cell division is the key to heavier nut
meats. Getting calcium where it is needed at this peak demand
timing is therefore very important. Applying Vigor SeaCal provides
plant available calcium along with an effective seaweed nutrient to
help reduce biotic stress that the tree goes through during bloom.
Vigor SeaCal also supports uptake of phosphate for increased cell
division which leads to increased nut size. Tank mixing AgroBest
9-24-3 a high phosphate/low potassium blend, with Vigor SeaCal
delivers the energy inputs the tree needs to maximize nut cell
division, nut size and nut retention. AgroBest 9-24-3 is the
most cost effective liquid phosphate available and specifically
designed with minimal potassium content for early season
foliar applications to give you more P per dollar and less K at a
time when the tree requires very little K. Foliar applications of
potassium applied during cell division will antagonize calcium
uptake and negatively impact cell wall integrity and nut weight.
This spring make the most of your pink bud/early bloom sprays and
set the stage for increased yield on your farm. Talk to an authorized
Agro-K dealer today about how Top Set DL, Vigor SeaCal and
AgroBest 9-24-3 can help maximize your profitability.
Products Available At:
®
Science-Driven Nutrition
Corporation
8030 Main Street, NE • Minneapolis, MN 55432 • 800-328-2418 • www.agro-k.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 37
SHAKE THE RUST
OFF THAT SHOVEL:
START THE NUTRITION SEASON OFF WITH A SPRING SOIL SAMPLE
By RICH KREPS | CCA, Contributing Writer
A
shovel. A farmer’s best friend
and sometimes worst enemy. You
can hear it, calling your name,
beckoning you to help it shake off that
winter coat of rust and get into that soil.
Of course, it can’t do it alone, but the
Need a career?
Ultra Gro
is hiring.
Looking for 2-3 Crop Advisors to
join our team.
IMMEDIATE OPENINGS IN
MERCED, STANISLAUS AND
SAN JOAQUIN COUNTIES
Contact Craig Fourchy for more
info: cfourchy@ultragro.net
old saying, “the best thing a farmer can
put on his field is his own footsteps,”
rings especially true in the spring. Last
year we had a few incredible deluges
late in the spring here in the Central
Valley of California that upset the apple
cart. This year, we
are praying for that
again as the drought
pattern has set in
early. Until then, we
need to see what has
changed over winter,
under our trees, with
a good soil sample.
Starting the
year off with a
spring soil sample
allows you to
create a road map
for your nutrition
plans. You can get
a better feel for the
nutrient movement
over the winter
with rainwater and
what was pulled
up into the trees.
Knowing whether
you’re sufficient or
out of balance with
your nutrient load
will help you start
the season off on
the right foot.
Soluble Calcium
If your calcium is below 60 percent,
you need to make a correction.
Roots need soluble calcium for the
early flushes as cells divide and build
structure. You’ll also need a constant
supply throughout the season
as the leaves and nuts develop. Once
calcium finds its place in a plant, it
stays there and is no longer mobile
in a plant, even if new growth is deficient.
Unfortunately, many times a
soil sample will show ample calcium
but a deeper dive into the saturation
paste extract will let you know it
isn’t soluble. That goes back to my
old analogy of being hungry, wanting
a steak, but all you have access to is a
frozen side of beef.
Phosphorous
In the spring, plants need phosphorus
to create energy from the
sun. Soil reports indicating P below
20 ppm is troublesome, even more
so if phosphorous is tied up. A plant
can only drink orthophosphate.
Many of our less expensive fertilizers
are mostly poly-phosphate.
Studies show it can take as long
as 100 days to break down poly
into ortho in cooler and wet conditions.
If we dump excess amounts of
unavailable polyphosphate on a soil
heavy with unincorporated, insol-
Continued on Page 40
38 West Coast Nut March 2020
COMPOST
100% Fully Composted Dairy Manure
The Leaders in Dairy Compost Manufacturing
Custom Blending Available
Gypsum - Limestone - Sulfur
YOU CALL, WE HAUL
Servicing the Valley since 1925
559-686-5707
What can Cain do for you?
Ask us about our Dust Control and Fertilizer Products.
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 39
O f f e r i n g O v e r
1 5 0 Y E A R S
of walnut growing experience
A c c e p t i n g
t r e e
2021
o r d e r s
Enrollment
E A S O N I S N O W O P E N
S
CALL US
TODAY
2 0 9 . 6 0 2 . 8 3 9 4
O r e s t i m b a V a r i e t i e s :
Chandler Cisco
Durham Hartley
Ivanhoe Franquette
Howard Livermore
Solano Tulare
Rootstock Available
Clonal
VX211 VLACH
RX1
''Check out our Roots''
www.orestimbanursery.com
We believe in helping other
growers, GROW!
inc
Continued from Page 38
uble calcium, we just created very
hard, small rocks in our soil—rocks
that resemble the same rock we
mined and altered to render those
two nutrients in the first place?!
Don’t shoot yourself in the foot. Use
smaller shots more often, both
upstairs and down. As calcium is
needed more heavily in root flushes,
put it there, and you can go upstairs
that week with your phosphorus. As
temps warm and you bump phosphorus
shots in your fertigation, go upstairs
with a foliar spray of calcium.
Magnesium
Looking at your soil report, one
often overlooked nutrient is magnesium.
On the east side of the valley,
we are very often limited by our
magnesium levels and may need
foliar shots to supplement what is
pulled from the soil. Remember, Mag
is the central element in chlorophyll.
That’s kind of important. But Mag
is going to be a strong contender in
upsetting our Calcium and Potassium
levels. High Calcium and low
Magnesium is a problem. On the flip
side, high Magnesium soils are the
most difficult to make adjustments
to. It’s a smaller element with the
same double charge as Calcium. It
pulls pretty hard as a soil magnet.
Liming high mag soils to increase
Calcium can bring levels in check
quicker but have detrimental effects
on your pH. You’ll now need to try
to increase organic matter and use
acids to treat your water and bring
that pH down.
Potassium
With Calcium and Magnesium
levels in check, Potassium becomes
critical to offset Sodium absorption.
Soils with Sodium over 3 percent
and Potassium at or below that number
will have issues keeping that element
at bay. When my growers are
discussing salts with me, they are
usually referring specifically to Sodium.
Almost every fertilizer is a salt,
but sodium is top of mind. Its nearly
the same
size as Potassium
and has
the same charge.
Unfortunately, it fits
neatly into the same
electrolyte space as Potassium
in a plant and therein
lies the issue. Overloading the
soil saturation with high sodium
levels as late spring potassium
demand increases will give you burn
issues. Treat the water, treat the soil.
It’s easy to make potassium soluble,
but plant ready and salinity index
can be another issue. Murriate of
potash adds Chloride to the soil. Sulfate
of potash adds SO4 which may
already be high from past gypsum
applications. Potassium hydroxide
by itself is caustic potash. Potassium
thiosulfate in heavy doses can burn
roots. Know your nutrients, their effects
and their derivatives. The type
of nutrient is often more important
than the amount.
Make a Nutrition Plan
So, the shovel is gleaming, you
added a bit of iron to your soil with
all your effort, you have a report,
now what? Turning on the water
and doing the exact same thing you
have done for the last 10 years will
probably get you the same results.
If you want higher yields, formulate
a plan. Sit down with your crop
advisor, calculate how much of each
nutrient you’ll need compared to
the budget, and how much the soil
can actually take (without causing
a detrimental effect somewhere
else!) Now plan those applications
to match nutrient demand curves.
Putting out too much nutrition at a
time when a plant can’t drink it can
cause ripple effects elsewhere. Use
these spring soil reports to sharpen
your focus on matching a plant’s
needs. Digging deeper into your soil
will keep you from digging deeper
into your pockets to make a profit.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
-Mark Crow
40 West Coast Nut March 2020
Innovative by Nature
at Bloom and
Petal Fall
INCREASE PLANT GROWTH AND VIGOR DURING THIS CRITICAL TIME
Features:
Bioavailable
nutrients to
• enhance and
support
photosynthesis
Increased
photosynthesis
stimulates
energy
• production for
improved plant
and root
development
Can be tank
mixed and
•
applied with
Grower Standard
foliar program
Improves plant
•
growth and vigor
Supports abiotic
•
stress tolerance
Trial Results for 2019
Benefits of
B Sure®
Boosts plant
metabolism,
increases
• photosynthesis
and stimulates
plant growth
and plant vigor
Enhances crop
quality and yield
under both
•
favorable and
stressful growth
conditions.
Available Through Your Local Retailer
B Sure® is a liquid nutrient solution derived by microbial fermentation that
increases the activity of multiple critical metabolic pathways in the crop.
Premier Product for Conventional and Organic Growers
Agrinos.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 41
TAKING THE MYSTERY OUT OF
ROOTSTOCK
SELECTION IN
PISTACHIOS
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Variability in seedling pistachio rootstocks can
be seen in this nursery selection.
(Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Fichtner)
Interest in planting pistachio trees
continues to grow in California, but
many growers, even those with experience
in pistachio production, may not
be aware of all the basics of rootstock
selection for their orchards. UCCE
Tulare County farm advisor Elizabeth
Fichtner said she receives many questions
from new growers about pistachio
rootstocks, including differences
between seedlings and clones and how
they are produced. Fichtner’s presentation
at the annual Statewide Pistachio
Day was directed at answering many
of the questions and “demystifying
rootstocks.”
In the past 10 years, Fichtner said,
there has been an overlap in tree nut
production, with walnut and almond
growers moving into planting pistachios.
The terminology used in rootstock
production is not uniform across
all nut crops and can be confusing to
new growers.
Rootstocks comprise the roots and
crown of trees and are selected for
certain horticultural characteristics
as is the scion that is grafted to the
rootstock.
Fichtner said primary reasons
certain pistachio rootstocks are chosen
include freeze tolerance, disease or pest
tolerance, adaptability to soil or water
quality or horticultural qualities such
as vigor. The scion variety is chosen
for its horticultural qualities as well as
disease resistance. A disease that may
affect the scion may not affect a resistant
rootstock.
Kern County pistachio growers
realized the importance of rootstock
disease resistance when many orchards
were planted on former cotton ground
that harbored the fungal pathogen
Verticillium. Those early trees planted
between 1969 and 1975 were on
Pistacia atlantica and Pistacia terebinthus
rootstocks, both sensitive to the
Verticillium pathogen, which infects
the roots and leads to flagging in the
canopy where individual scaffolds
collapse and tree death occurs.
The threat of this disease stopped
all new planting until 1980 with the
development of Pistacia integerrima
or PG1 rootstock, which was resistant
to Verticillium. That development
provided new hope and momentum for
pistachio growers, Fichtner said, but
the challenge with P. integerrima was
its sensitivity to frost.
Recent evidence of rootstock resistance
to fungal infection was found
in a 2018 farm call Fichtner made to a
mature Golden Hills orchard. In that
instance, she said, the scion was found
to be infected with Phytophthora while
the rootstock PG-1 was healthy. The
infection was caused by irrigation water
hitting the tree trunks above the graft
Continued on Page 44
42 West Coast Nut March 2020
PISTACHIO TREES
platinum pistachio rootstock
(P.N. 1-15 PP#14,706)
ucb-1 pistachio rootstock
clonal (FRP Source) or Seeded (UC Protocol)
• Budded trees to contract •
On-Site Tissue Culture Lab
Sierra Gold Nurseries • (530) 674-1145 • sgtrees.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 43
Mother pistachio tree for seedling rootstock production can be protected at pollination to ensure genetics.
Continued from Page 42
union, Fichtner said. Had the water hit
the rootstock, infection by this disease
would have been less likely.
T5
Most new pistachio orchards are
planted in the spring. The most common
routine in pistachio is to plant the
rootstocks in the spring and bud them
to the desired scion variety in August.
Fichtner said
budding done later
in the year tends to
have a lower success
rate. This routine is
different in walnuts.
Young walnut trees
are typically budded
onto rootstocks in
the nursery and then
planted. She noted,
however, that budded
pistachio trees
are sometimes sold
and some walnut
trees are budded in
the field.
With pistachios,
the T-bud is the
most common
method used to bud
a pistachio scion
onto the rootstock.
The shield is cut
from the budstick
and inserted into a
t-shaped cut on the
rootstock.
Two different
genotypes make
up the genetics of a
100-PTO-horsepower
www.gartontractor.com
pistachio orchard. The scion Pistacia
vera is one genotype and the rootstock
is another. Pistachio growers
in California use multiple rootstocks
in their orchards. P. atlantica and P.
terebinthus are no longer used due to
the susceptibility to Verticillium. The
pistachio industry is using two interspecies
hybrids that have the same
parentage. P. atlantica (male) crossed
with P. integerrima (female) produces
UCB-1 which is Verticillium resistant,
frost tolerant and has salinity tolerance.
The second interspecies hybrid is
trademarked Platinum which is P. integerrima
(male) crossed with P. atlantica
(female) and is Verticillium resistant.
Fichtner said both are vigorous rootstocks
with excellent productivity.
The UCB 1 hybrid rootstock can be
a clone or a seedling. Platinum is an
interspecies cross that is clonally propagated.
It was a selection from a seedling
population chosen for Verticillium
resistance and vigor. PG1 is from a
single species and is a seedling rootstock.
Fichtner said the USDA pistachio
rootstock breeding program is working
on new selections that might benefit
the industry in the future.
Pistachio rootstocks are propagated
sexually from seeds or asexually cloned
using micropropagation. Seedling
rootstocks, even if they were propagat-
Continued on Page 46
44 West Coast Nut March 2020
Potassium
A Vital Nutrient for tree Nuts
KTS® (0-0-25-17S) delivers immediately available potassium to rapidly
developing orchards. KTS blends well with many other products and
can be conveniently applied through irrigation systems directly to the
root zone. Provide the essential nutrients to your crop exactly when and
where they are needed.
Learn more about KTS at
www.cropvitality.com
Or call (800) 525-2803 - Email info@cropvitality.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 45
©2020 Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc. All rights reserved. KTS ® is a registered trademark of Tessenderlo Kerley, Inc.
UCB1 seed on tree
NOW Monitoring System!
Monitoring lures for conventional and organic California tree nuts!!
optimum detection
the choice is yours
NOW L 2 High
Pheromone Lure
Pheromone Lure
NOW L 2 NOW L 2 Low
MONITORING SYSTEM FOR NAVEL ORANGEWORM IN
ALMONDS, PISTACHIOS & WALNUTS
Contact your local supplier and order now!
Visit our website: www.trece.com or call: 1- 866-785-1313.
PHEROCON ® VI
DELTA Trap
For greater attraction use with the
PHEROCON ® NOW PPO-HR L 2 in mating disruped orchards!
High/ Low Amplitude Monitoring Lures
• Targeted lure calibration
• Designed for use in adhesive or non-adhesive traps
INCORPORAT ED
INSECT PHEROMONE & KAIROMONE SYSTEMS
Your Edge – And Ours – Is Knowledge.
© 2020, Trécé Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRECE, PHEROCON and CIDETRAK are registered trademarks of Trece, Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRE-1685, 01/20
®
Continued from Page 44
ed from the same tree, will have genetic
variability. Cloned rootstocks are
genetically identical.
Each clonal line should have no
variability.
Fichtner explained that Platinum
is not available as a seedling rootstock
because it was a specific selection
generated from a seedling population
that was chosen for its resistance to
Verticillium and vigor. To maintain the
desired characteristics of this selection,
the Platinum rootstock is clonally propagated
in tissue culture.
Pistachio trees are dioecious, meaning
both male and female trees are
required to produce a crop. The male
flowers are born on one tree and the
female flowers on another. The pollen
from the male flowers is spread by
wind. It is important that the male and
female trees produce pollen and bloom
in roughly the same time frame.
To produce UCB-1 seed for producing
rootstocks, pollen is collected from
P. integerrima and stored. The pollen
is applied to an Atlantica female tree
at bloom several weeks later. Because
pollen is spread by wind, nurseries producing
rootstock will have their female
trees enclosed to ensure controlled
pollination.
Choice rootstocks from seedling
populations may be selected for asexual
(cloning) propagation. Selections are
made for vigor, disease resistance,
compatibility with scion and tolerance
to soil and water conditions. Clones are
produced from seedling populations,
selected for desired characteristics. This
method can achieve a rapid multiplication
of plants in a short time, allowing
46 West Coast Nut March 2020
Budded pistachio trees in nursery.
nurseries to meet the demand for new trees.
Pistachio rootstock tissue culture is used for rapid multiplication
of plants. Axillary bud proliferation is one method
of micropropagation with high reliability of genetic stability.
Nurseries are using pre-formed buds from stems to generate
new trees. This meristematic-based proliferation system
ensures quality and a reproductive rate five times faster than
seedling generation.
Clones are all derived from UCB seedling parents, Fichtner
explained, but different nurseries made different specific
selections from the genetically variable seedlings to produce
rootstocks with the desired characteristics. There could be
variability between clonal lines of UCB1, but there should be
uniformity within clonal lines, Fichtner said.
Data on the various rootstocks used in the pistachio
industry was derived from field trials from 1989 to 2002 at
multiple sites in the San Joaquin Valley. The freeze episode
of 1990 showed the rootstock Integerrima’s vulnerability to
cold. Atlantica parentage associated with UCB1 and Platinum
showed tolerance for cold temperatures. 2019 field trial
being conducted by Bruce Lampinen and Mae Culumber at
the West Side Research Station is looking at the influence of
the last irrigation date on cold tolerance.
Comments about this article? We want to hear from you.
Feel free to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 47
BEYOND GLYPHOSATE:
ORCHARD WEED
EXPERT STRESSES
THE SCREWDRIVER
RATHER THAN
HAMMER APPROACH
TO MANAGING WEEDS
By STEVE PASTIS | Contributing Writer
Automated vehicles such as this GUSS autonomous orchard sprayer are
expected to play an increasing role in weed management.
(Photo courtesy of GUSS Automation)
“
Sometimes a bigger hammer isn’t
the best solution for our orchard
weed management challenges,” said
UC Cooperative Extension Weed Specialist
Brad Hanson. “A bigger hammer
doesn’t put a screw in any better than a
small hammer. A screwdriver is the best
tool for that job.”
Hanson uses that philosophy as
the principal investigator on several
research projects to find new ways
beyond the use of broad-spectrum
post-emergent herbicides to address
weed problems in the orchard. Glyphosate
is very commonly used in California
orchard production systems for its
broad weed control spectrum. In most
tree nut crops, glyphosate is applied
to about twice as many acres as the
next most important herbicide active
ingredient.
“Glyphosate is widely used because it
is effective and is relatively inexpensive,”
Hanson noted.
Glyphosate, however, has become
controversial in recent years and growers
and handlers are under increasing
pressure to significantly reduce glyphosate
in the products they produce and
sell, according to Hanson.
“A cotton grower or other commodity
crop may have little pressure, but a
wine grower or a walnut grower could
have more market-driven pressure,” he
said.
In addition, some weeds have
developed a tolerance for glyphosate,
Hanson said, describing the process as
“evolved resistance.”
New Strategies to
Counter Tolerance
To limit the potential for glyphosate
resistance, research at UC Davis is
examining the effectiveness of different
herbicide combinations in the winter
and summer. The current focus is on
using more pre-emergent herbicides
in the winter to reduce post-emergent
use in the summer, by as much as 50
percent. This seems to provide better
weed control “and save growers some
money,” according to Hanson, who
conceded, “This is not an across-theboard
solution in all cases.”
One of the eventual solutions to
weed management may be found in
the Cover Crop Project. Hanson and
his collaborators at UC Davis and UC
Agriculture & Natural Resources are
looking into adding new plant systems
to nut orchards as a way to maintain
sustainability and soil and crop health.
“While the cover crop project has
many potential benefits to the orchard
production system, from a weed
control standpoint, the simple idea
here is to put in a plant system that is
predictable and controllable to displace
weeds that are more difficult to predict
Continued on Page 50
48 West Coast Nut March 2020
MAXIMIZE YOUR YIELD POTENTIAL
Key next step to increasing
nut size and yield.
Add Vigor SeaCal, Sysstem-
Leaf Max, Micro SeaMix and
Agro-Best 9-24-3 to your
fungicide & insecticide sprays.
Right nutrients
Right form
Right timing
Right mix
Once nut set is complete and petal fall and rapid leaf expansion is
occurring growers need to focus on two key components affecting
yield – 1) maximizing leaf size and chlorophyll development
during rapid leaf-out and 2) continuing to push nut cell division
and calcium into nut cell walls before the division window closes.
These two steps are critical to achieving top yields at harvest.
Demands for zinc, magnesium, and other micronutrients reach
peak demand timing during rapid leaf and root development.
Soils are often cold and wet during this time which limits nutrient
availability and uptake hindering root and leaf growth and
chlorophyll development. Satisfying peak nutrient demands are
critical to maximizing yield potential. Zinc is the cornerstone
for leaf, root and vascular system development. Manganese
and molybdenum play a key roles in nitrogen metabolism. Iron,
magnesium, copper and manganese are backbones of chlorophyll
development and structure. Shortages of one or more of these
nutrients will limit yield potential. Applying Micro SeaMix and
Sysstem Leaf Max with fungicide or insecticide sprays at rapid
leaf-out is an ideal way to meet early season almond nutrient
needs while simultaneously reducing plant stress. Maximizing
leaf surface area ensures the photosynthetic factory is capable of
supporting and sizing a large nut crop.
At petal fall, nut cell division is not yet finished and it is important
to support the final stages of this process with foliar phosphorus
and calcium. Foliar applications are important as cold and/or wet
soils combined with limited root activity at this time limit uptake
of these important nutrients. Vigor SeaCal supports uptake of
phosphate for increased cell division leading to increased nut size.
Tank mixing 100% ortho-phosphate based AgroBest 9-24-3 and
Vigor SeaCal with fungicide sprays delivers the nutrients needed,
in the right form and at the right time to maximize nut cell division
and ultimately increase nut size. Nut size and weight directly impact
yield. Proper nutrient management at rapid leaf-out also reduces
May/June nut drop another major factor to increased yields.
This spring make the most of your fungicide and insecticide
sprays. Talk to an authorized Agro-K dealer today about how Micro
SeaMix, Sysstem Leaf Max, Vigor SeaCal and AgroBest 9-24-3
can help maximize your profitability.
Products Available At:
®
Science-Driven Nutrition
Corporation
8030 Main Street, NE • Minneapolis, MN 55432 • 800-328-2418 • www.agro-k.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 49
Some growers have developed a peaceful coexistence with the weeds in their
orchards. (Photo courtesy of S. Pastis.)
Research on glyphosate-resistant junglerice (Echinochloa
colona) continues to be a focus of research at UC Davis.
(Photo courtesy of B. Hanson)
Glyphosate-resistant hairy fleabane in almonds will flourish without
integrated herbicide programs. (Photo courtesy of B. Hanson)
Continued from Page 48
or manage,” Hanson explained. “In our
current projects, we’re looking almost
exclusively at winter growing crops.
They have less of a chance of competing
(with nut crops) by not using water at
the same time, and utilizing sunlight
and other resources when the orchard
crop is dormant.”
Various plant combinations have
been studied for use in orchards. A
mustard pollinator mix has recently
produced positive results.
Autonomous Orchard Sprayers
for Managing Weeds
Hanson is intrigued by the possibility
of using autonomous vehicles in
weed management.
“There’s a real incentive with some
crops to use more robotics,” he said.
“Right now, that kind of technology
for weed control is already having an
impact in vegetables and other crops
highly dependent on hand weeding
due to the cost and availability of hand
labor.”
Hanson believes the widespread use
of robotics for orchard weed control
may be “a ways off, but I think there’s
interest. I think automated vehicles will
have some opportunities in orchards.”
Hanson discussed four robotic devices
at a field day in January, including
the GUSS Autonomous Orchard
Sprayer.
“GUSS sprayers do not need to take
breaks, they simply need to be filled
with diesel and spray material and they
will continue working day and night,”
said Gary Thompson of GUSS Automation.
“Currently, GUSS is being used for
foliar applications in orchards, however,
we do plan to begin doing herbicide
applications as well.”
The Kingsburg, CA-based company
plans to add a spray boom to the back
of its current machine, as well as a
lower volume chemical pump, which
will enable growers to continue using
products like paraquat.
“With conventional tractors, it is
impractical, if not impossible, to get all
your tractor drivers to become certified
applicators,” Thompson said. “With
GUSS, a single employee could obtain
the certification and operate a fleet of
GUSS herbicide sprayers.”
Regulations may limit a grower’s
options to use autonomous spray rigs.
Automated vehicles are prohibited in
areas that do not allow driverless cars,
including in some counties known for
their ag production.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
50 West Coast Nut March 2020
June 3, 2020
Turlock, California
STANISLAUS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS
900 N. Broadway, Turlock CA, 95380
Alm nd Day
June 24, 2020
Fresno, California
FRESNO FAIRGROUNDS
1121 S. Chance Ave, Fresno CA, 93702
Pre-Register at wcngg.com/Register
AG MARKETING SOLUTIONS
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 51
State Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara met
with insurance brokers and industry leaders at a
tree nut industry meeting hosted by WAPA.
(Photo courtesy of WAPA)
INSURANCE FOR
HULLERS AND
PROCESSORS
SKYROCKETS
By ROGER A. ISOM | CEO Western Agricultural Processors Association
Our software, Nutware, provides a
complete solution for inventory control,
shipping, and grower accounting.
Including traceability,
grower & sales positions, barcoded inventory,
and integrations with
scales and mobile devices.
Nutstar is located in central California,
allowing face-to-face consulting and training.
We have successfully customized
software for the tree nut industry for nearly
15 years and over 60 customers nationwide
and internationally.
Duration for installation: 1-3 months.
For more more information please call
our office at (209) 250-1324 or visit
NutStar.net
California’s catastrophic wildfires have
claimed yet more victims, and these victims
didn’t see it coming either. While not directly
related, many agricultural processing facilities,
including tree nut hullers and processors, have seen
exorbitant increases in property and stock insurance
as a result of devastating losses absorbed by
insurance companies over the past two years due to
horrific wildfires. Insurance companies have paid
out more than $26 billion in wildfire claims in the
past few years, resulting in cancelled policies, huge
rate increases or, in some cases, insurance companies
leaving California.
Several agricultural processing facilities have
seen double- or even triple-digit increases in the
past year. And it doesn’t stop there. It is also
important to note companies aren’t just facing huge
rate increases. In some instances, they are seeing
an unwillingness of insurance companies to cover
the entire liability. To compensate, some companies
are buying multiple policies, so called “surplus
lines,” from multiple companies in order to try and
cover as much as possible—all at tremendous cost.
This is not affordable, or sustainable.
In seeking answers, the industry has reached
52 West Coast Nut March 2020
out and help meetings with California
Insurance Commissioner Ricardo
Lara, who has been overwhelmed by
the same problem on the residential
side, especially those homes located in
fire prone areas. Commissioner Lara
is stating he is doing all he can in his
power, including looking at changes to
the California Fair Access to Insurance
Requirements (FAIR) Program, which
is the “insurance of last resort” available
to all California property owners.
Unfortunately, the FAIR Program has
many limiting requirements including
a $3 million cap and requirements
for sprinklers to be installed. And in
response to one directive by Commissioner
Lara, the FAIR Program has
sued the Commissioner opposing a
demand that FAIR offer “comprehensive
insurance.”
On the industry side, a recent meeting
was held in Fresno and hosted by
the Western Agricultural Processors
Association (WAPA), where several insurance
brokers shared their stories of
huge increases and impacts to businesses
throughout California. Attendees
urged the Commissioner to convene a
special agricultural roundtable to seek
potential solutions to the problem. It’s
a problem that most likely isn’t going
away soon given the poor condition of
the state’s forests and the potential for
more devastating fires. That effort will
take place this spring. At the meeting,
industry officials asked what “mitigation
efforts” could be employed to help
“protect against” fires or other damages
to help control costs. The Commissioner
urged the industry to put their
proposals on the table at the upcoming
meeting and try to get ahead of the
situation to the extent possible.
The state legislature may also consider
some potential solutions, though
none have been introduced at the time
of this article. Forcing companies to
come back to California is likely impossible,
but having agricultural facilities
Several
agricultural
processing
facilities have
seen double- or
even triple-digit
increases in
the past year.
"
pay huge rate increases or go without
coverage makes no sense, especially
considering these facilities aren’t located
in fire prone areas and face no risk
whatsoever from fire. This is one more
brick on the backs of businesses trying
to operate financially viable companies
in California, and quite frankly struggling
to do so.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
WalnutTek Advantages
• Walnut sorting at the huller, and in-shell
• Green and black re-sorting at the huller
• Several width options — 32, 48, 64 or 80in
• Capacity from 5-30 tons/hour
Automated Moisture Monitoring
at the Dryer
All moisture meters are available for use individually
or in conjunction with the WalnutTek sorter.
• Hand-held moisture meter
• Automated moisture meter
• Automated moisture meter with door control
• Automated moisture meter with door control
• and bin fill
AgTrack
• Traceability from the farm-to-processor
LOCAL
FULL
SERVICE!
TECHNICIANS
AVAILABLE
24/7
Woodside Electronics Corp.
1311 Bluegrass Place, Woodland, CA 95776
Phone: 1-530-666-9190 • Fax: 530-666-9428
Website: www.wecotek.com
Chris Sinclair
530-979-7633
16 Years in Walnuts | 30 Years of Sorting in the Field
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 53
GROWER PROFILE—VALK RANCH
TELLING HIS FARMING
STORY THROUGH
SOCIAL MEDIA
@CALIFORNIAFARMER
By JENNY HOLTERMANN | Contributing Writer
In 1933, Valk Ranch was established
in Oakdale, California at a time well
before Instagram or YouTube and
definitely before smartphones. Generations
later, Ryan Valk is using social
media daily to not only improve his
farming practices, but in his new role as
an agriculture advocate. Like many of
today’s new age farmers, Ryan is using
social media and his phone not only to
help him farm and operate his
business
more effectively and efficiently,
but to help share his farming story.
You might know Ryan better as
@CaliforniaFarmer, his handle on
Instagram and YouTube. You might
even be a YouTube subscriber to his
channel or viewer of his daily Instagram
stories. Maybe you even attended
a recent Blue Diamond grower meeting
or Stanislaus
Valk Ranch has made the transition in
recent years from livestock to permanent
crops such as almonds.
(Photos courtesy of @californiafarmer)
County Farm Bureau
meeting where he was sharing his success
in telling his farming story. Ryan
developed his Instagram and YouTube
platforms as a way for him to interact
with farmers and consumers alike. He
has grown his platforms to now more
than 6,000 Instagram followers and
4,000 YouTube subscribers in less than
two years.
When asked how he was able to
be so successful, Ryan credits other
farmers. “I started following other
Instagram farmers. I saw the funny,
light-hearted, and goofy side
of farming they brought to social
media. I started tagging other farmers
and tried to start conversations
with them using Instagram stories.
They helped me grow my following,”
he says.
Just by having daily conversations
on Instagram stories with
other farmers, Ryan was soon
creating bonds and brother-like
relationships with farmers across
the nation and the globe.
“I started a daily conversation
with an Oregon farmer and an
Australia farmer, and now we
talk back and forth via Instagram
stories and tag each other
daily. It really helped to gain
Continued on Page 56
54 West Coast Nut March 2020
Under the Instagram handle @CaliforniaFarmer,
Ryan Valk uses social media to strike up conversations
and share advice with other growers on
an international scale.
Grow with us
Signing up new growers
Established walnut handler
Reliable home
Competitive returns
Transparent quality schedules
Exceptional service
Contact Brian Greathouse
530-419-9224
bgreathouse@sacvalleynut.com
sacvalleynut.com | 530-671-7630 | Yuba City, CA
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 55
Continued from Page 54
As a farming advocate, Ryan plans to use social
media more to reach out to consumers to help
them understand life on a California farming
operation.
followers through their interactions
and making farming more fun and
light-hearted. Soon their followers
started following me, and I was able to
grow my followers with an international
audience as well as a non-farming
audience.”
There has been quite a learning
curve he adds, including “what
hashtags to use, don’t use, what words
or terms are hot buttons right now. It
has taken research and a lot of searching
through other accounts to see what
they use and what works for them.”
Ryan says the use of hashtags has
helped him bridge the gap in conversations
he may not otherwise have been
a part of. “Using the word sustainable
with a hashtag when talking about
prunings and grinding them up, is
not what others would imagine when
searching #sustainable.”
He says it has been a mostly welcoming
experience diving into social
media advocacy. “There are a lot of
negative comments on YouTube when
I posted a video on deep ripping. But,
sadly, 75 percent of those negative
comments are from other farmers.
Sometimes we can be our own worst
critics when it comes to farmers on
social media.”
For the most part, he said, on Instagram,
he finds more farmers are intrigued
and wanting to learn how and
why he does certain farming practices
the way he does. And as a new grower
to almonds, he values the opinions
of other farmers who genuinely offer
advice. Ryan and his father consider
themselves both first-generation
almond farmers.
The family has been farming in
Oakdale since 1933, but back then, the
farm looked much different, and not
just from a social media perspective.
Ryan’s great-great-grandfather and
great-grandfather were sheep and cattle
ranchers with occasional feed crops in
rotation. In 1989, Valk Ranch diversified
the cattle business and added
turkey production to the family farm.
In 2005, it sold off the turkeys and has
had chickens ever since. Ryan says the
birds provided an easy transition, but
he wanted to find the fit that matched
his passions for California and farming.
56 West Coast Nut March 2020
It wasn’t until one of his Soil Science
professors at Modesto Junior College
started talking about California’s ideal
and unique conditions for almonds
that he even thought about permanent
crops. While on a church
mission trip in Idaho, Ryan and his
father decided that they would give
almonds a try. Seven years later, he
sees more almonds, and perhaps
fewer chickens, in his future.
Ryan manages the family’s
almond orchards now, and he
values the help other social
media farmers have provided to
him. He has learned new and
innovative farming practices
to incorporate into their farm
from the friendly conversations
of others on social
media. In fact, he credits
social media in part to the
farm’s success. “I have met
so many other farmers that
have offered advice and
even people who do custom
labor and whatnot.”
As for the future of @
CaliforniaFarmer, he
says, “my name alone
has me thinking. My
handle has almost given me an expectation
that I need to help share more
about California agriculture and not
just our farm.” Ryan has plans to share
other farms and commodities on his
YouTube channel to show the diversity
of California agriculture. He explained
how he wanted to show more about the
hundreds of different commodities that
are farmed in California and how the
uniqueness of California agriculture.
Ryan enjoys advocating for agriculture
and his new role as a social
media advocate. He wants to get better
at sharing with consumers, noting
farmers often find themselves talking
to their own tribes, and it can be hard
to break open that barrier to speak outside
of the agriculture community.
“One of my goals is to really focus
on consumer outreach and beyond,”
he says. “Social media is helping to
tell our story, and we need to get more
farmers doing it. If we get more voices
out there, there will be more farmers
for consumers to see.”
Ryan’s advice to other farmers is
Ryan and his family also use social
media to show the lighthearted
and fun side of farming.
simple:
“Get more involved
in social media, period.
Get your story
out there. As long
as we speak up and
share our story, we
aren’t going to get
steamrolled by other
policies, or whatever
it may be that is
impacting our farm.
We are the minority
as farmers, so we
need to speak up so
others can see the
good we are doing.”
Comments about
this article? We
want to hear from
you. Feel free to
email us at article@
jcsmarketinginc.
com
PROUDLY SERVING NORTHERN & CENTRAL CALIFORNIA SINCE 1990
CALL US TODAY!
(530) 891-5545
AGRICULTURAL
COMMERCIAL
MUNICIPAL
DOMESTIC
FAMILY OWNED
AND OPERATED
LIC # 812678 LIC # 534959
-- WATER WELL DRILLING -- -- LOCAL SALES & SERVICE --
NEW & USED PUMPS
MOTORS & CONTROL
WELL DEVELOPMENT
REHAB & REPAIR
WELLINDUSTRIESINC.COM | MEMBER OF BOTH CGA & NGWA | 3282 HIGHWAY 32, CHICO, CA
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 57
KNOW YOUR CRITTERS
IDENTIFYING RODENTS IS
THE FIRST MANAGEMENT
STEP IN TREE NUT
ORCHARDS
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Vertebrate pests chew the bark
on young trees, create extensive
burrow systems that pose problems
with equipment movement and
worker safety, damage irrigation lines
and in extreme situations, affect crop
yields. Roger Baldwin, UCCE wildlife
specialist, said that correct identification
of the problem species is the first
step in controlling populations. What
may work for ground squirrel control
won’t be as effective against a vole
invasion. Understanding biology and
habitat of the target species will help
with choosing the most effective control
strategies.
Identify the Pest
California ground squirrels are
a common pest in many tree nut
orchards. They are a social, diurnal species
that can girdle young trees, chew
irrigation lines and cause crop losses.
Baldwin, in a presentation at Pistachio
Day 2020, said these mottled greybrown
rodents live in burrows that are
normally two-three feet below ground.
Ground squirrels are active during the
day and have two periods of dormancy
during the year. They hibernate during
the winter months, but some young can
be active when winters are not severe.
During summer when temperatures are
high, they have a period of inactivity
called estivation that can last a few days
to a week or more.
California ground squirrel mating
period can start as early as January in
warmer locations and continue through
June. One litter per year is produced.
Ground squirrels usually forage close
to their burrows. Their home range
typically is within a 75-yard radius
of their burrow. After hibernation,
ground squirrels feed on green grasses
and plants. When annual plants begin
to dry and produce seed, squirrels
Continued on Page 60
58 West Coast Nut March 2020
CO-JACK
Rodent Control System
Bright white smoke to detect
connected openings.
Protect your investment from rodent damage with the safe
and effective CO-Jack carbon monoxide delivery system
• Compact and lightweight design
• Available with trailer or on skids
• No permit or license required
• Easy to operate and maintain
Contact Us Today for More Information.
471 Industrial Ave. • Ripon, CA 95366 • 209.599.6118 • www.jackrabbit.bz
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 59
Continued from Page 58
Squirrels feed on grasses and annuals until the food source runs out and then switch to
feeding on nuts (Photos courtesy of UC ANR.)
switch to seeds, grains, and nuts, and
begin to store food.
Pocket gophers are another burrowing
rodent and their presence in
an orchard can be determined by the
presence of fan-shaped mounds of dirt
on orchard floors. Adults are 6 to 10
inches long, including their short tail.
Pocket gophers live in a burrow system
that is usually 6 to 12 inches below
ground. They are active year-round,
and can be active any time of the day
or night. They feed on plant roots as
they dig burrows, including the roots
of young trees, girdling roots below the
soil line. Gophers also damage irrigation
systems by gnawing on the plastic
tubing. Their tunnels can divert water
from the root zone. Pocket gophers
are more common in alfalfa fields and
vineyards, but can also invade nut
orchards.
Meadow mice or voles are smaller
rodents and their populations tend to
be cyclical, but can explode in a short
60 West Coast Nut March 2020
time. Like pocket gophers, they also
gnaw and girdle young trees, but their
damage is generally above ground.
Integrated Management Strategies
Once identified, management strategies
can be implemented. Understanding
the biology of the rodent pest and
the ecology of the infested site are the
first steps in managing the pest.
“Using multiple tools will give better
results,” Baldwin said. An integrated
approach to rodent pests requires
several tools, including habit modification,
baits, fumigation, trapping and
repellents.
Modify habitat for control of rodent
pests in an orchard by removing brush
piles and destroying burrows. Vegetation
that provides cover for rodents
should be removed. If ground squirrels
are the problem, the plan should also
include burrow destruction so squirrels
don’t re-invade the site.
Voles seek vegetation cover when
above ground. Mowing an orchard
cover crop close to the ground can help
along with burrow destruction. Exclusion
can be an effective tactic for pocket
gophers, removing young trees as a
food source by using tree wraps. To be
effective tree wraps have to protect tree
trunks six inches below the soil line.
Baits work best if set out during
the time of year they will be sought by
rodent pests. Baiting ground squirrels
with treated grain is effective in summer
and fall because they feed primarily
on seeds that time of year.
Baldwin said bait placement is key.
Bait application for gophers is only
allowed directly within burrow systems.
With pocket gophers, bait should
be placed in the main tunnel. After
locating a tunnel and making sure it
is an active tunnel, bait can be carefully
deposited in the tunnel. Strychnine-treated
grain is the most effective
bait for pocket gopher control. Zinc
phosphide baits are also available and
like strychnine, both are lethal after a
single dose. These treated baits are only
legal if placed inside burrows. Anticoagulant
baits can be used, but need to
be in larger amounts since they require
multiple feedings to be lethal.
Bait stations for rats and mice are
effective, but they can only be used
during the winter months.
Burrow fumigation is most
effective in spring, when moist soil
helps seal gasses in the burrow system.
Fumigating at this time is also
more effective in reducing ground
squirrel numbers since squirrels
die before they can reproduce.
If squirrel numbers are low to
moderate, trapping is a practical
approach. Live catch traps require
euthanasia by methods considered
humane by the American Veterinary
Medical Association. Drowning
is not an approved method of
euthanasia and is illegal in California.
Box traps and tunnel traps that kill
can be placed near burrows or runways
and baited. Baldwin recommends not
setting the traps for the first few days
so squirrels become accustomed to
them. Once the squirrels are taking
the bait, the traps can be set. Monitoring
populations for reinfestation is
necessary since squirrels will reinvade
over time. Be on the lookout for new
burrows. It is easier and less expensive
to manage a small
population rather
than to allow it to
build up to larger
numbers. Trapping
is a time consuming,
but effective method
for gopher control.
Two-pronged
pincer traps, such
as Macabee, Cinch
or Gophinater work
well. Traps should
be set in all tunnels
present and wired
to stakes to retrieve
them from the burrows.
Baldwin said
there is no advantage
to covering trap
sets other than to
eliminate non-target
species trapping.
Promoting
biological control
is another option.
Predators including
owls, snakes and
coyotes will seek
out squirrels and
gophers as a food
Vole burrow.
Manufacturing Commercial Grade
Products and Solutions to Growers and
Investors of Almonds Around the World
Since 1963.
source, but before they eliminate the
pest, they generally move on to where
prey is more available.
More detailed information about
identification, management, and other
resources is available at the UC Ground
Squirrel Best Management Practices
website, www.groundsquirrelbmp.
com.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
License No. 251698
P. 209-599-2148
sales@riponmfgco.com
www.riponmfgco.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 61
A WORD FROM THE BOARD: THE HAZELNUT MARKETING BOARD
NUT GROWERS SOCIETY ANNUAL MEETING:
HAZELNUT
GROWER OF THE YEAR
RECOGNIZED DURING ORGANIZATION’S ANNUAL GATHERING
2019 Hazelnut Grower of the Year Tim Newkirk, left, is recognized by Oregon Hazelnut Commissioner Sean Denfeld.
(Photos courtesy of Hazelnut Marketing Board)
62 West Coast Nut March 2020
About 800 hazelnut growers
recently converged at Oregon
State University in Corvallis for
the 105th Annual Winter Meeting, hosted
by the Nut Growers Society (NGS).
NGS represents hazelnut growers from
Oregon, Washington and British Columbia,
and is responsible for keeping
growers up to date on the latest industry
news and trends.
The Winter Meeting is one of two
paramount events—along with the
Summer Tour—that are held annually
to bring hundreds of growers together
to share ideas, learn about research
results and find out about the newest
technologies that could benefit them in
the orchard.
The 105th edition of the meeting
featured a robust trade show, complete
with 59 exhibitors; ranging from
hazelnut processors to equipment
manufacturers to financial institutions,
these vendors had ample opportunity
to speak one-on-one with hazelnut
farmers from the Willamette Valley to
British Columbia.
A hallmark of the Winter
Meeting is the seminars. Each
year, the Nut Growers Society
Board of Directors select a group
of speakers to present on topics
deemed most relevant to growers.
Every speaker is an expert in
their field and each topic molds
the hazelnut industry for the
upcoming year.
The keynote speech was delivered
by Allan Fulton, UC-Davis
extension specialist, who addressed
results from his research
on agricultural water management.
In addition, Nik Wiman,
extension agent and orchard
specialist with Oregon State University,
informed growers on his
findings regarding orchard pests,
most notably brown marmorated
stink bug. Kelly Vining, assistant
professor at Oregon State University,
detailed the role genomics
play in the hazelnut industry.
Industry representatives updated
attendees on international
marketing and trade efforts, the
2019 crop price as set by the
Hazelnut Growers Bargaining
Association, the importance of the
USDA Objective Yield Survey and legislation
being discussed at the Oregon
state capitol that could impact hazelnut
growers. Industry representatives and
growers formed a panel for a discussion
on the importance of the Hazelnut
Stewardship Program—a massive undertaking
that is set to launch in 2020
and more clearly illustrate the stewardship
practices being done by growers.
Perhaps the most illustrious moment
of the Winter Meeting is the
annual announcement of the Grower
of the Year. This is the most prestigious
honor the Nut Growers Society
can bestow and is reserved for those
individuals that dedicate countless
hours and serve in leadership roles that
strengthen the hazelnut industry. The
award was first presented in 1970, and
its lineage boasts many luminaries of
the industry.
The 2020 recipient is Tim Newkirk.
He is one of—if not the youngest—recipient
in the history of the award. He
has served on nearly every committee
and in every leadership position
possible, including principal roles
with the Nut Growers Society, Oregon
Hazelnut Commission and Hazelnut
Marketing Board. He also manages his
own orchard, helps operate a nursery
business and provides planting services
for fellow growers looking to expand
or break into the hazelnut industry.
Furthermore, he is a former CEO of
Willamette Hazelnut Growers. He is a
paragon of the hazelnut world and a goto
resource for the entire industry.
Attendance to the Winter Meeting is
included with every Nut Growers Society
annual membership; any hazelnut
grower that is not currently a member
can contact the Hazelnut Industry
Office to sign up and learn about the
additional benefits that come with
membership. The office can be reached
at 503-678- 6823 or juli@oregonhazelnuts.org.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 63
AB5 Changes How Agricultural
Businesses Can Contract for
SERVICES FROM
CONTRACTORS
By JENNY HOLTERMANN | Contributing Writer
California Governor Gavin Newsom
in September signed Assembly
Bill 5, or AB5, into law, which
could have significant impacts on hiring,
manning and staffing in California
by changing the classification of certain
workers from independent contractors
to employees. Also referred to as the
Opportunity to Work Act, according to
the California State Legislature, the bill
aimed to protect workers that were not
otherwise eligible for minimum wage,
sick leave, employment benefits, workers’
compensation and other employee
protections. The bill did outline exemptions
for doctors, dentists, insurance
agents, lawyers, accountants and real
estate agents.
The initial intent of AB5 was for
unions to ensure employees had the
option to unionize. The original targets
of the legislation were Uber, Lyft and
similar rideshare services who rely on
independent contractors. The authors
of AB 5 wanted to eliminate the option
of being independent contractors,
which essentially forced companies to
hire people who were formerly treated
as independent contractors.
The ramifications of AB5 are astronomical.
Almost immediately, the
California Trucking Association set
out to sue the state of California for
now forcing them to hire truck drivers.
Many of these truck drivers operate
their businesses and own their trucks
themselves. The law would essentially
force truck drivers to become a business
entity, whether a corporation or
limited liability company, to continue
to operate for hire. If truck drivers
were not willing to become a business
entity, they would have to be hired
on as employees to continue to earn a
living. This would limit their flexibility
in driving for multiple companies
and being able to set their own hours.
Many companies that use truck drivers
seasonally were also going to face increased
costs down the line by bringing
on drivers as employees.
A federal judge ruled in favor of
the California Trucking Association
and granted a preliminary injunction
against AB5 for truck drivers. The
judge ruled that AB5 conflicts with the
Federal Aviation and Administration
Authorization Act. The ruling allowed
truck drivers to maintain their independent
contractor status.
Another round of lawsuits came
from the American Society of Journalists
and the National Press Photographers
Associations. Freelance
journalists would be limited by AB5 in
the amount of work they can have from
a single publisher. Uber and Postmates
also filed a lawsuit based on limiting
their work. These lawsuits are still
pending. From freelance writers, musicians,
and actors, AB5 aims to limit
contractors to less than 35 jobs from a
single company to maintain independent
contractor status.
The California Farm Bureau developed
a fact sheet of frequently asked
questions to ensure farmers are operating
within the law. A farmer may have
business relationships that fall under
AB5, such as farm labor contractors,
agronomists, pest control advisors, human
relations consultants, or irrigation
contractors. The bill lays out an ABC
test to enforce the employee status on
formally independent contractors that
fail to meet all the conditions. AB5
imposed an ABC test for a worker to
be classified as an employee if they do
not match all requirements. A service
provider that is an individual would be
subject to the ABC test as outlined in
AB5.
A
B
C
a. Under the contract for the
performance of the work and in
performing work, the worker is
free from an entity’s control and
direction
b. The work performed by the
worker for the entity is outside
its usual course of business
c. The worker is customarily
engaged in an established trade,
occupation or business of the
same nature as that involved in
the work performed.
Businesses are not eligible under
the ABC test because they are considered
an entity, not an individual. Only
individuals could be classified as an
employee or an independent contractor.
AB5 outlines a business to business
exemption. To be eligible for a business
to business exemption workers must
meet the Borello Test 12 criteria to
be classified as a business and not an
individual.
The following criteria are outlined to
ensure service providers are operating
as a business and not an individual:
1. Be free from the control and direction
of the service recipient business
in connection with the performance
of the work.
2. Provide services directly to the
service recipient business rather
than to its customers.
B
C
64 West Coast Nut March 2020
3. Have a written contract with the
service recipient business.
4. Have any required business license
or business tax registration.
5. Maintain a business location that is
separate from the business or work
location of the service recipient
business.
6. Be customarily engaged in an
independently established business
of the same nature as that involved
in the work performed.
7. Contract with other businesses to
provide the same or similar services
and maintain a clientele without
restrictions from the hiring entity.
8. Advertise and hold itself out to the
public as available to provide the
same or similar services.
9. Provide its own tools, vehicles and
equipment to perform the services.
10. Be able to negotiate its own rates.
11. Be consistent with the nature of the
work, set its own hours and location
of work.
12. Not perform the type of work for
which a license from the contractors’
state license board is required.
It is essential to ensure that a
business meets all these qualifications.
Purely being a sole proprietor doesn’t
guarantee classification as a business.
The flexibility of being an independent
contractor has now changed. The state
of California wants to ensure service
providers are operating as an actual
business and paying appropriate taxes.
Many companies and even attorneys
are unsure how and what businesses
should do to adjust their dealings to
comply. It is always best to consult a
lawyer to understand how new laws
impact a business.
Within the California Farm Bureau
fact sheet, there is a description to help
make sense of the service recipient
business exemption criteria. “As a practical
matter, a farmer or rancher receiving
services under a properly written
contract from a law-abiding, separately
established business that has and
advertises for other customers/ clients,
that exclusively controls how its services
are provided, and that performs
its services using its own tools, vehicles,
and equipment should be able to show
the 12 business to business exemption
criteria apply and the service providing
business is an independent contractor
under the Borello test. This is especially
true for the service business organized
as an entity such as a corporation or
limited liability company, as opposed
to a sole proprietorship.”
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
PersonneL & LanD ManagemenT
ProvidinG DependablE LaboR — SecurinG HR & SafetY CompliancE since ‘95
W EBSITE
COTCAG.COM
BAKERS
-FIELD
(661) 588-8675
V I SALIA
(559) 625-5152
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 65
SUCCESSFULLY NAVIGATING H-2A: MAKING
DECISIONS ABOUT USING THE FARM
GUESTWORKER PROGRAM
By AMY WOLFE | MPPA, CFRE President and CEO, AgSafe
As labor shortages continue
across agriculture, many growers
are wrestling with the option of
using the nation’s farm guestworker
program. It has been the subject of
spirited debate in recent years, playing a
critical role in how Congress addresses
immigration reform. For many in California,
though, the program appears
untenable and that assessment is often
made on soundbites of information as
Since 1969
Injection Pumps
opposed
to a thorough
analysis
of the program’s requirements,
as well as its strengths and
weaknesses. The reality is, unless meaningful
change happens in short order,
many growers need to take the time
learn the program’s specifics and make
an educated decision about whether or
not it’s the right fit.
The Nuts and Bolts of H2A
The H-2A temporary agricultural
PBM Supply & MFG., INC.
Quality Agricultural Spray Equipment, Parts and Supplies
www.pbmsprayers.com www.pbmtanksupply.com
-Sprayers- -Tanks- -Liquid Delivery Trailers- -Parts & Accessories-
Chico - 530-345-1334
324 Meyers St. Chico, CA 95928
Yuba City - 530-671-0068
955 N. George Washington Blvd. Yuba City, CA 95993
Fowler - 559-834-6921
3732 S. Golden State Blvd. Fowler, CA 93625
Murrieta - 951-696-5477
41648 Eastman Dr. Murrieta, CA 92562
Walking Beam Sprayers
- New Store Location!
HAV Self Propelled Sprayers
Mixing Trailers
Parts, Tanks & Accessories
program creates a mechanism for US
growers to hire foreign workers, on
a temporary basis, to address the
domestic labor shortages impacting
that operation. There are a variety of
guestworker visa programs overseen by
a network of government agencies, but
the H-2A and H-2B programs address
the needs of production agriculture.
The H-2A program is specifically for laborers
that will work on-farm and with
the crop in its original state, as opposed
to the H-2B program, which is used for
temporary jobs beyond the farm but
still involving commodities, including
packing, shipping and processing.
The H-2A program is overseen by
the US Department of Labor, Wage and
Hour Division (USDOL), with additional
involvement by the US Department
of Homeland Security, Citizenship
and Immigration Services (USCIS).
As can be expected when multiple
agencies are involved, the process to
secure temporary workers is laborious
and includes a number of steps that
must be executed in a specific order.
The first is validating that, in fact, your
operation does not have sufficient
domestic labor to fill your needs. This
includes proving that you have actively
recruited for available positions in line
with the program’s domestic hiring
requirements. When those efforts
have been exhausted, you will submit
your temporary labor certification
application to USDOL, validating your
exhaustive efforts to provide a job to
domestic workers.
Keep in mind that ultimately, the
government wants to ensure that any
willing, able and qualified US worker
is given the job. As such, throughout
this process, there will be steps that
require you to prove you are ensuring
US workers are not being adversely
impacted by foreign workers. This in-
66 West Coast Nut March 2020
The Adverse Effect Wage Rate is determined by the US Department of Labor specifically for the H-2A program using a complicated
formula. This map provides perspective relative to the 2019 and current rates by state.
cludes how your existing US workers
and these temporary foreign workers
are compensated in total, including
wages, benefits, housing and transportation
made available. More on this
shortly.
Once you adequately demonstrate
that there are not enough workers, the
process of applying to bring in foreign
workers begins. The process presumes
that you have identified viable foreign
candidates and when you submit the
second set of paperwork to USCIS,
(Form I-129: Petition for Nonimmigrant
Worker) you are doing so on behalf
of individuals known to you. From
a practical perspective, this means you
have already invested the time, energy
and resources to recruit for the positions
needed. You, or those you engage
to assist you with this process, will now
assist the foreign workers you have
identified with their meetings at the
US consulate or embassy you designate
for them to have their visa applications
reviewed. If that process is successful,
those foreign workers will be allowed
into the country for a maximum of ten
months in a twelve-month period, but
the specific length
of time was determined
based on the
production need you
identified in your
application.
There are a number
of other responsibilities
you take on
as the agricultural
employer using
the H-2A program,
including:
• Wages: Whether
paying an hourly
wage or piece rate
calculated to the
hourly equivalent,
foreign workers
need to receive,
at minimum, the
Adverse Effect
Wage Rate (an
hourly wage
determined
Continued on
Page 68
Nut
processors!
Is your software
ready for next
season?
Upgrade to the industry’s best
nut processing software:
Detailed inventory that sales can trust
Configurable receiving app
Integrated with your ERP
Tyler Marshall
425-408-9500 x 522
TMarshall@ParityCorp.com
ParityFactory.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 67
Continued from Page 67
annually by the USDOL specific to
the H-2A program), the contracted
rate you guaranteed or minimum
wage, whichever is highest.
• Transportation: The employer
assumes the responsibility for all
foreign worker transportation at
no cost to them, starting with their
trip to the consulate or embassy to
secure their visa, then to get to your
farming operation from their home
country, the day-to-day travel while
working for you (including access to
transportation options during their
time off), and then travel back home
once the contract is complete.
• Housing and Meals: Foreign workers
must be provided housing, at no
cost to them, that meets standards
set by the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration with
Puffer ®
ü
ü
ü
NOW Ace
Deploy Faster
Reduce Damage
Made in USA
Made in the USA, the new Puffer ® NOW
Ace delivers the same trusted results in a
single unit per acre. Hang once for seasonlong
control from the #1 name in Navel
Orangeworm mating disruption.
Ask your PCA for details or
email us at agsales@suterra.com
specific details relative to personal
space, bathroom facilities and other
elements. In addition, laundry
facilities must be provided at no
cost and you can either offer free
and convenient cooking facilities
or provide three nutritious meals
each day. If you opt for the latter,
you may deduct $12.07 each day
from workers’ pay, but doing so
must be disclosed at the time of hire,
allowing the employee the option to
decline the position based on those
terms.
Avoid These Common Citations
While agricultural employers are
cited by USDOL for a wide variety of
employment violations relative to using
H-2A, the two most common and costly
citations focus on the relationship
between US and foreign workers. The
agency finds that most often, US workers
who are willing, able and qualified
are not offered the available jobs. As
previously noted, it
is essential that if a
domestic worker applies
for an open position
and is capable
of doing the work,
that the individual
is given the opportunity.
This is such
an important issue,
the H-2A program
requires you to continue
actively advertising
your available
positions for half the
length of the foreign
workers’ contract.
Meaning, if you are
using the program
for six months, you
must prove that you
are still recruiting
domestic workers
for the first three
months of their time
in the US.
The other area of
issue is that domestic
workers doing
similar work are
adversely impacted
by the foreign workers, namely relative
to compensation. If you have
two harvest crews, one made up of
domestic workers and one of H-2A
workers, the program expects that the
domestic workers will receive higher
total compensation. Note that this is
total compensation, which means you
need to calculate the total cost associated
with wages, benefits, housing and
transportation for the foreign workers
and determine the rate your domestic
workers need to be paid that is greater.
The alternative is to provide the
same benefits to your domestic workers
relative to housing and transportation,
which is a costly proposition.
In reality, the H-2A guestworker
visa program is cumbersome and
includes a litany of steps mired in
bureaucracy. However, it is still the
only viable, legal option currently
available to the agricultural industry
to fill our meaningful labor shortages.
This recap of the program is by no
means exhaustive. Each element has a
series of additional specific details that
must be reviewed to more fully understand
the impact to your operation. In
addition, it is critical to consider cost.
AgSafe recently developed the H-2A
Cost Estimator, a tool created with the
support of current H-2A program users,
designed to provide a more detailed
analysis of the true costs of using the
program. To learn more about the
tool, visit https://www.agsafe.org/
h2a-cost-estimator/
For more information about worker
safety, human resources, labor relations,
pesticide safety or food safety issues,
please visit www.agsafe.org, call (209)
526-4400 or email safeinfo@agsafe.org.
AgSafe is a 501c3 nonprofit providing
training, education, outreach and tools
in the areas of safety, labor relations,
food safety and human resources for
the food and farming industries. Since
1991, AgSafe has educated over 85,000
employers, supervisors, and workers
about these critical issues.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
68 West Coast Nut March 2020
NEW Distributor of
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 69
GAINS BEING MADE IN SIT NOW RESEARCH
By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer
Hopes that sterile insect technology
(SIT) can offer a viable
alternative for controlling navel
orangeworm (NOW) in tree nut crops
appear to have undergone a reversal of
fortune as researchers were able to dramatically
improve trial results between
2018 and 2019.
“After the initial field trials in 2018,
we realized we were facing a lot of
challenges with these sterile NOW,”
said Houston Wilson, a Cooperative
Extension Specialist with the Department
of Entomology at University of
California Riverside, who is leading
the research along with Chuck Burks, a
research entomologist at USDA-ARS in
Parlier, California. “As we go into 2020,
it now feels like we have a lot clearer
idea of what specific issues need to be
addressed.”
In 2019, the second year of releasing
irradiated moths into pistachio
orchards, Wilson said researchers
documented significantly improved
sterile moth recovery rates – a key indicator
of moth performance in the field
– and eliminated several concerns they
initially thought contributed to the low
recovery rates of 2018.
“I’d say we are about half-way there,”
Wilson said. “At present, our best
estimate of the expected recovery rate
(for healthy, nonirradiated NOW) is
somewhere around 5 percent (of the
total number of moths released into an
orchard). We weren’t seeing that all the
time with the sterile NOW, but we went
from essentially zero recovery in 2018
to something in the range of 0.5 to 5
percent in 2019.”
Wilson added that researchers
working on sterile moth programs in
other parts of the world have said they
are happy with recovery rates as low as
three percent. “They said, ‘We’d be over
the moon with five percent,’” he said.
“Granted, that is for a different species
of moth than NOW, and we expect
each moth’s recovery rate to be different.
So, is three-percent or five-percent
recovery good enough for NOW? We’ll
need more research to have better confidence
in the numbers we’re currently
seeing.”
Sterile insect technology, which has
been around for decades, was first used
as a pest control technique in the 1950s
to control the New World screwworm,
a pest of livestock in the southeastern
United States. At its most basic level,
the technology sterilizes moths that are
mass-produced and then releases them
into commercial orchards, where they
hopefully mate with wild moths. Wild
moths that mate with a sterile moth
become infertile, which can lead to an
overall reduction, or even eradication,
of the target pest population. Mating
with sterile moths can reduce populations
by either directly blocking reproduction
or through inherited sterility.
The sterile NOW program in California
leads to direct infertility of wild moths.
Discussions about the use of SIT
for NOW began about five years ago,
when the California pistachio industry
partnered with the USDA’s Animal
and Plant Health Inspection Service
(USDA-APHIS) to explore the idea
of utilizing a moth mass-rearing and
irradiation facility operated by the
USDA near Phoenix, Arizona, which
was originally designed for the production
of sterile pink bollworms. With the
eradication of pink bollworm in 2018,
the USDA-APHIS facility had become
available for production of another
insect, and the California pistachio
industry jumped at the opportunity to
see if SIT could work for NOW. The
almond industry is now also getting
involved and investing in the research
project.
Since 2018, Wilson and Burks have
conducted a series of experiments to
investigate several suspected causes of
poor performance of the sterile NOW,
including the effects of irradiation, the
mass-production process, the shipping
and handling and release methods.
They found that by tweaking the
release mechanism, or how the moths
were released into orchards, recovery
rates jumped noticeably. Researchers
used wing traps baited with pheromone
to recover male moths and baited
with pistachio/almond meal to recover
females.
Further, other experiments showed
that the methods of collecting and
storing the irradiated moths appeared
to have a significant effect on their
competitiveness and flight ability.
“Going into 2020, we are hyper-focused
on how they are collecting
and transporting the moths from
the USDA-APHIS mass-rearing and
Continued on Page 72
70 West Coast Nut March 2020
PHEROCON
®
NOW PPO-HR L 2
+
®
MODIFIED PHEROCON TRAPS
NEW! Peelable
Technology
NEW! Patent Pending, High-Release
Microporous Gel Multi-Gender
NOW Attractant System:
PHEROCON ® 1CD
QUICK- CHANGE Trap
NOW/Trap/Week
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
NAVEL PHEROCON® ORANGEWORM
NOW
COMPARATIVE TRAP & LURE TRIAL, Almonds, CA CA, 2019 2019
NOW PPO - HR L 2 + NOW L 2 - L = Multi-gender,
greater attraction in mating disrupted almonds
Pheromone PPO + Pheromone PPO PPO + Pheromone PPO PPO + Pheromone
Wing Trap, Modified PHEROCON® VI DELTA Trap PHEROCON® VI DELTA Modified
Source: SOURCE: Dr. Dr. Chuck Chuck Burks, Burks, Research Research Entomologist, USDA-ARS, USDA-ARS, Parlier, Parlier, CA, N=8 CA Mating Disrupted Almonds, N=8
Key Features:
• Multi-Gender NOW Attractant
• Duplicates Standard USDA vial release rate
• 12 weeks field longevity
• Easy to use; ready-to-use barrier pack
• NOW PPO-HR L 2 + NOW L 2 -L = Multi-gender,
greater attraction in mating disrupted almonds,
pistachios, and walnuts
Trap Options:
• PHEROCON ® 1CD QUICK-CHANGE, with expanded
SNUG-FIT ® spacer
• PHEROCON ® VI DELTA Modified, with cut outs
• PHEROCON ® VI DELTA Trap
PHEROCON ® 1CD QUICK- CHANGE Trap PHEROCON ® VI DELTA Trap PHEROCON ® VI DELTA Modified Trap
®
INCORPORAT ED
INSECT PHEROMONE & KAIROMONE SYSTEMS
Your Edge – And Ours – Is Knowledge.
Contact your local supplier and order now!
Visit our website: www.trece.com or call: 1- 866-785-1313.
NOW PPO-HR L 2
MULTI-GENDER MONITORING SYSTEM FOR NAVEL
ORANGEWORM IN ALMONDS, PISTACHIOS AND WALNUTS
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 71
© 2020, Trécé Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRECE, PHEROCON and CIDETRAK are registered trademarks of Trece, Inc., Adair, OK USA • TRE-1713, 02/20
Continued from Page 70
irradiation facility, specifically how
they are cooling them, how the moths
recover from that chill period, as well
as further aspects of the release mechanism,”
Wilson said. “Of course, we
will also continue to explore improved
release mechanisms and generate data
on the expected recovery rate using
healthy, locally produced, non-irradiated
moths.”
He added that the temperatures they
used to cool and transport the sterile
NOW were originally developed for the
pink bollworm program. “And there
are a lot of issues when you simply
swap out one insect and put another
in its place,” he said. “We now realize
there is something about the current
collection and/or cold storage process
that is having a significant negative
impact on the sterile NOW.”
Wilson cautioned growers from
getting overly excited about using the
technology in the immediate future.
Typically, he said, developing successful
SIT programs for individual pests takes
many years, if not decades. The pink
bollworm SIT program, part of a larger
areawide IPM program to eradicate
the cotton pest, took four decades to
fine-tune, he said. Canadian researchers
worked several decades to develop
and implement a sterile codling moth
program in use in British Columbia’s
Okanagan Valley, which is home to
about 6,000 acres of apples.
Wilson said that even in an optimistic
scenario, pistachio growers probably
won’t be able to commercially utilize
sterile NOW for five to ten years, at the
earliest.
“In a best-case scenario, where, say
this coming year we got everything
to work: we got a totally competitive
moth; we know how to rear it; we know
how to ship it; we know how to release
it; it is right there with the wild moth; it
is mating; it is flying as far. Even if we
were able to get there this year, we still
would have to do additional field work
to understand the timing and the densities
of sterile moths that need to be
released into orchards to actually drive
down crop damage, and that would
take at minimum of two to three years –
and again, that is a time estimate where
everything goes perfectly well, which it
rarely does,” Wilson said.
There are also questions about what
size of orchard block is needed for
sterile insect technology to be effective,
he said.
In British Columbia’s Okanagan
Valley, where growers operate under
more government control, participation
in the SIT program is mandatory. “That
obviously won’t happen in California,”
Wilson said, “since this is not a quarantine
pest.” Instead, growers may need
to come together to develop regionwide
programs that improve the effectiveness
of a SIT program, or like mating
disruption, it could be led by private
industry.
And there are questions about how
the technology will work with existing
integrated pest management programs,
such as mating disruption.
“If mating disruption is trying to
confuse moths from finding each other
72 West Coast Nut March 2020
to mate and SIT is hoping the sterile
moths will find and mate with wild
moths, how do those two approaches
coexist? This is an important question,
but there are examples where SIT and
mating disruption work together,” Wilson
said.
When perfected, researchers envision
that the sterile moth technology
will be part of a suite of methods for
controlling navel orangeworm in pistachios
that includes sanitation, mating
disruption, monitoring, timely sprays
of pesticides and early/timely harvest,
Wilson said.
“Optimistically, we’ve made some
progress towards getting a more
competitive sterile moth,” Wilson said.
“Is this going to be the thing that just
wipes out navel orangeworm entirely?
No. For us, this is one more IPM
tool that we are trying to develop and
understand how to use in conjunction
with the other tools.
Another issue that awaits the team
of researchers working on the technology
is where to release the moths. “We
have 1.5 million acres of tree nuts, so
how do you decide where these moths
go?” Wilson asked. He added, “The
USDA-APHIS facility is currently
able to produce about 1 million sterile
moths per day, but it may be possible to
increase moth production in the future.”
And commercializing the technology
to handle large acreages is another
hurdle California research has yet to
confront.
Wilson pointed out that in Washington
state, which has begun utilizing
the SIT to help control codling moth in
apples, growers are paying a commercial
provider to release the sterile moths
with drones. “The drones fly over the
top of an orchard and drop the moths
from a small container,” Wilson said.
Wilson and Burks had mixed results
in experimenting with drones last year,
and plan to do more experiments with
drones this year.
“We are making progress, and we are
optimistic about our ability to make
some additional gains,” Wilson said.
“But whether or not SIT actually plays
into a viable strategy is yet to be determined.
At present, we are simply trying
to develop a process to mass-produce,
irradiate, ship and release NOW in a
way that allows it to effectively behave
similarly to and compete with wild
NOW.
“It is still a long road ahead of us,” he
said. “These sterile moth programs typically
take multiple years to even get to
the point where you have a competitive
moth, much less be able to use it in a
way that actually reduces crop damage,
and much less take it to a phase after
that in terms of implementation on a
statewide basis.
“But it is nice to see that after making
some tweaks (in 2019), we were able
to get improved performance of the
moths,” he said, “and we’re optimistic
about our ability to make additional
gains in 2020.”
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
The Future
of Mating
Disruption
is NOW
Remote-controlled camera traps and dispensers
Unique variable rate pheromone application
Installation, monitoring, and maintenance included
New for 2020: Water management & per acre
hull split prediction tools
Call us at
1.855.924.3282
or email us at:
info@semios.com
semios.com
A full-service solution of sensors and controls to monitor and
manage pests, weather, disease risk, and soil moisture.
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 73
PUTTING ALMOND WASTE TO GOOD USE:
Conference Panelists explore alternative
uses for wood, shells and hulls
By CECILIA PARSONS | Associate Editor
Make electricity from almonds
trees? Convert almond wood
waste into a biopesticide? Those
are intriguing business plans put forth
by two new companies that aim to
remove wood, shells and hulls from the
waste stream and put them to beneficial
use.
Right from
the Start
Orchards demand well-prepared, smooth terrain. The
versatile Schmeiser Model 77 Orchard Leveler pulverizes
the soil, fills depressions and packs it all in one operation.
The right equipment does make the difference: better floor
preparation leads to better orchard management and
trouble-free harvests.
Eric McAfee of Aemetis Inc., a
renewable fuels and biochemical
company, and Mike Woelk of Corigin
Solutions LLC, an organic ag solutions
company, laid out the science and the
business plans for their technology
endeavors at an Almond Industry
Conference session in December. Their
Count on the Schmeiser Model 77 Orchard Leveler for proven soil preparation that will
benefit your fields now and for the life of the orchard. Contact us for complete information.
A Smoother Orchard Floor Starts with TG Schmeiser
1-800-288-8128 • www.tgschmeiser.com
®
common goal is to divert wood waste
and end open burning of orchard waste.
Aemetis is using new technologies
to produce advanced fuels as replacements
for traditional petroleum-based
products. They are converting first-generation
ethanol and biodiesel plants
into advanced bio refineries to produce
zero emission fuels which also reduce
carbon impacts of transportation.
Energy from solar, wind, hydroelectric
and nuclear all reduce emissions
of greenhouse gases compared to coal
and petroleum, McAfee said, but these
energy sources do not consume carbon
dioxide from the atmosphere. Plants
used as feedstock for biofuels and biogas
consume CO2 as they grow, allowing
greenhouse gases to be reduced by
use of biofuels
McAfee said he is a big fan of
electric vehicles, but “are we making
electricity from coal or almonds?”
The renewable fuel production
proposed by Aemetis will come from
waste plant material that has consumed
carbon dioxide during its life span and
can achieve true progress in reversing
climate change.
According to the California Air Resources
Board’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard,
biofuels lead in carbon reduction
in California. Ethanol, McAfee said, is
cleaner burning than gasoline and its
use in vehicles reduces air pollution.
Ethanol, which is 34 percent oxygen
by weight, burns cleaner than gasoline
by adding oxygen to engine combus-
74 West Coast Nut March 2020
tion. Ethanol fuel cells can be used as
generators to power electric motors for
pickups, vans and trucks.
Aemetis will source the more than
2 million tons of ag waste produced
annually in the Central Valley when
unproductive orchards are removed
as well as other woody waste to produce
cellulosic ethanol, The amount
of wood waste from orchard removals
has been increasing as many biomass-to-electricity
plants close due to
competition from lower cost solar and
wind generated power. Burning waste
wood has increased since 2012, a UC
Feedstock study has concluded, due to
the closing of those plants.
The UC study confirmed that air
emissions assumptions for carbon
intensity score under the Low Carbon
Fuel Standard. It also confirmed
biomass growth and availability tonnage,
identified feedstock pricing and
feedstock projected cost for 20 years as
supply increases due to foreign demand
for almonds.
There are approximately 1.5 million
acres of almond and walnut orchards in
California. With an average production
life of 20 years for almond trees, there
are about 40,000 acres of trees removed
annually providing about 1.6 million
tons of orchard wood waste per year.
Adding in pistachio shells and hulls,
California orchards can support the
production of 160 million cellulosic
ethanol gallons per year at a conversion
rate of 100 gallons per ton of wood
waste. Cellulosic ethanol production
would also create 30,000 direct and indirect
jobs in the Central Valley, attract
capital investment and eliminate open
burning of wood waste.
Aemetis, McAfee said, is building
the first biomass to ethanol plant using
a Lanzatech process that involves a proprietary
microbe in the fermentation
process. The integrated demonstration
unit has already been completed and
operated for 120 days. Aemetis has
a signed 55-year lease on a 140-acre
former U.S. Army ammunition production
plant near Modesto. The site
has additional space for expansion
and waste wood feedstock storage area
adjacent to plant. The plant will be
100 percent powered by hydroelectric
energy.
The business has USDA loan approval
for $125 million. In addition, the environmental
assessment of the plant is
complete and Aemetis has signed a 20-
year feedstock contract and completed
Ethanol Off-Take contracts and process
engineering. Detailed engineering work
is ongoing. Plans for the future include
expansion to four plants in California
with capability of 160 million gallons.
Corigin’s figures show that in 2020,
the almond industry in California will
produce 857,000 tons of shells, 924,000
tons of hulls, 2 million tons of trees,
and 3.8 million tons of orchard waste.
“There is value locked in the waste
stream that could be more valuable
than the kernels,” Woelk said at The
Almond Conference.
That waste, Woelk said, could be
converted into $3.8 billion worth of
Continued on Page 76
Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974
FEATURING:
Office: 559-686-3833 Fax: 559-686-1453
2904 E. Oakdale Ave. | Tulare, CA 93274
newerafarmservice.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 75
Register Now for
SUMMER
SHOWS Continued from Page 76
See Page 51
June 3, 2020
Turlock, California
Continued from Page 75
biochemicals, biocarbons and biooils.
In the process, 3.8 million tons
of carbon dioxide could potentially be
sequestered because the manufacturing
process is carbon-negative. Such carbon
offsets could be sold at $20 to $30 per
ton or whatever the market supports.
Corigin’s process converts 2,000
pounds of almond shells into 1,600
pounds of product. That includes 600
pounds (75 gallons) of biodistillate, a
plant growth stimulant, 600 pounds
of the soil amendment biochar, 400
pounds of bio-oils (55 gallons) and
volatiles, as well as biogas as an energy
source to sustain the process.
The biodistillate process, Woelk explained,
produces phenolics which are
a natural defense mechanism for plants.
The Corigin product Coriphol, made
WE sort THEM ALL
Walnut Almond Cashew Hazelnut Pistachio Pecans Peanuts
Insects Shell fragments Rubber Wood Glass fragments
www.insort-inc.com
Metal
from almond shells, has been approved
as an organic plant growth enhancer by
OMRI and the California Department
of Food and Agriculture. There is potential
for such biodistillates to eventually
be used as a natural pesticide. A
recent USDA Agricultural Research
Service study found Coriphol repels navel
orangeworm at hull split and Asian
citrus psyllids from citrus trees.
A Corigin biochar product made
from almond shells, Corichar, is an
approved organic soil amendment.
Woelk reported it was tested in an
almond orchard where it improved
yields and reduced water use. Woelk
also commented on the potential of
biochar as a livestock feed additive to
reduce methane emissions, and improve
animal health and growth rates.
From a carbon sequestration standpoint,
Woelk explained that one ton of
biochar is equivalent to three tons of
carbon dioxide. But unlike other forms
of CO2-equivalents, Corichar is a tangible
product that is shipped in sacks
adding a level of credibility to buyers of
carbon offsets.
Woelk said that Corigin aims to
build a highly scalable business with
initial capacity of 3,200 tons of biomass
with a maximum capacity of 20,000
tons. The plan is to prove the economic
model at the Merced plant and then
build additional plants in California
and North America.
Production is scheduled to begin
May 2020 at the site in Merced. Corigin
has already been granted OMRI and
CDFA regulatory approval for their
flagship products and permits have
been filed with the San Joaquin Valley
76 West Coast Nut March 2020
Register Now for
June 24, 2020
Alm nd Day Fresno, California SHOWS
See Page 51
SUMMER
Air Pollution Control District.
Dr. Karen Lapsley, Chief Scientific
Officer at the Almond Board of California,
moderator of the conference
session, said the California almond
“Through the
Almond Board’s
biomass research
program, we’re
bringing groups
together – groups
that haven’t worked
together before – to
think differently,
innovate and generate
value. It’s not
just about being
responsible with everything
the orchard
produces. It’s about
looking for new and
innovative uses for
food products that
may solve potential
issues or provide
benefits elsewhere.”
Karen Lapsley,
Almond Board of
California
PACIFIC BIOCONTROL CORPORATION
www.pacificbiocontrol.com
ISOMATE ® is a registered trademark of Pacific Biocontrol
industry is committed to finding higher
value, optimal uses of almond co-products,
noting that doing so is integral to
the orchard of the future.
“Through the Almond Board’s biomass
research program, we’re bringing
groups together – groups that
haven’t worked together before – to
think differently, innovate and generate
value,” Lapsley said. “It’s not just
about being responsible with everything
the orchard produces. It’s about
looking for new and innovative uses for
food products that may solve potential
issues or provide benefits elsewhere.”
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
PROVEN EFFICACY YOU CAN TRUST
ISOMATE® Mist NOW
Pheromone Mating Disruption
Grower
Standard
ISOMATE®
Mist NOW
Jeannine Lowrimore
Northern California
209.603.9244
Christeen Abbott-Hearn
Central California
559.334.7664
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 77
INTRODUCING OUR
NEW EDITOR
I’m pleased to introduce myself as the new editor of West Coast Nut magazine. Many of you I
have met, interviewed, and otherwise known during my 30 years covering the nut industry in the
Western United States. The rest of you I will look forward to meeting and getting to know.
The nut industry has changed a lot and yet in many ways stayed the same since I first began following
it in 1994. Regulations, trade issues, new and emerging pests, resource demands, and new
technologies continue to keep almond, walnut, pistachio, pecan and hazelnut growers on their
toes. And yet, as they always have, growers find a way to adapt and adopt solutions that keep them
moving profitably forward. West Coast Nut works hard to be an important resource in bringing
those solutions to you.
West Coast Nut has grown tremendously in the last decade on its way to becoming the leading
industry publication covering nuts in the United States. Publisher Jason Scott has a commitment
to quality, original editorial content that brings growers to the cutting edge of research, products
and programs to manage their orchards efficiently and cost effectively. I am excited to join Associate
Editor Cecilia Parsons and the rest of the team here at JCS Marketing, in bringing those stories
to you.
If you see me at a meeting, trade show or field day, please come up and say hello and reintroduce
yourself. In the meantime, if you have any questions, comments or story ideas feel free to
contact me at marni@jcsmarketinginc.com.
Marni Katz
Marni Katz
78 West Coast Nut March 2020
August/September 2019
Adopting Diversified Organic Farming
to Increase Ecosystem Services
A Preliminary Evaluation of Using Drip
Irrigation in Organic Spinach Production
November/December 2019
Using Concentrated Organic Fertilizers
Biocontrol of Aflatoxin Contamination
in Nut Crops is Working!
WEST COAST NUT
SPOTLIGHT:
Almond and Pistachio
Growers Need to be on the
Lookout for BMSB
SEE PAGE 38
FEBRUARY 2019 ISSUE
Southern Blight in Processing Tomatoes:
Diagnosis, Management and Monitoring
IN THIS ISSUE: ISSUE:
Entomopathogenic Fungi Antagonizing
Macrophomina phaseolina in Strawberry
Economic Outlook for the
2019 Almond Pollination Season
SEPTEMBER 26-27, 2019
September 26th | 1:00PM - 9:00PM
September 27th | 7:00AM - 1:00PM
See page 25-29 for agenda details
SEE PAGE 4
Maximizing the Efficiency of Airblast Spraying
2019 Nitrogen
Considerations
SEE PAGE 14
5-Year Almond Outlook
Reveals Profitable Prices
SEE PAGE 20
PUBLICATION
Volume 2 : Issue 4
The Effects of Winter Shaking
on Bud Loss and Yield Yield in in Almonds
SEE PAGE 26
PUBLICATION
Volume 4 : Issue 6
November / December 2019 www.progressivecrop.com 1
PUBLICATION
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 79
BACTERIAL
CANKER
AND
BLAST IN
CALIFORNIA
ALMOND
TREES
By PHOEBE GORDON | UCCE Madera and Merced Counties
and MOHAMMAD YAGHMOUR, UCCE Kern County
Cankers caused by P. syringae have spotting. (Photo courtesy of P. Gordon).
Bacterial blast and bacterial canker
are caused by the bacterium Pseudomonas
syringae pv. syringae (Pss).
Both diseases are a tough problem to deal
with in almond and stone fruit orchards.
Bacterial diseases are more common in
cold and humid regions causing significant
damage to orchard trees. However, we can
still see both diseases causing significant
losses under certain conditions here in
California. As detailed below, it doesn’t
require existing wounds for infection (but
they certainly can increase a tree’s vulnerability),
it is exacerbated by but doesn’t need
plant stress to infect, and it currently has
no effective chemical control options.
P. syringae pv. syringae is an epiphytic
bacterium which resides on plant surfaces.
It’s safe to assume it’s in many orchards
in California, however it will not invade
the plant until conditions are conducive
to infection: wet weather accompanied by
freezing temperatures which can damage
plant tissue. Even the mild frosts we
typically experience in California can
facilitate the movement of the bacteria
through the bark. This invasion can
cause bacterial canker infections as well
as bacterial blast, which can move into
twigs in fruit trees progressing sometimes
to canker development (Kennelly et al.,
2007). Late season pruning wounds can
be entry points for infection, and while
leaf scars have been implicated in the past,
later work has not shown any connection
(Sayler and Kirkpatrick, 2003). P. syringae
can also invade leaves through stomata
(Kahlon, 2016).
Symptoms and Causes
of Blast and Canker
Symptoms of bacterial blast are shriveled
up, ‘fried’ looking blossoms, often
on twigs that have died back. In more extreme
cases in California, Pss can invade
buds through the bud scale scar, killing
buds before they have the chance to open.
Some UC personnel regard the two as different
diseases, though they are caused by
the same pathogen. Conditions leading
to bacterial blast are less understood than
bacterial canker. Cool, rainy conditions
can predispose trees to blast, it tends to
be more severe in the lower canopy and in
cold spots in the orchard.
Bacterial canker infections show up as
Continued on Page 82
80 West Coast Nut March 2020
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 81
Continued from Page 80
amber-colored gumballs on the trunk
or scaffolds of trees that end at the graft
union. If you cut away at the bark and
smell the canker, it gives off a sour and
fermented scent. The margin of the
canker is not solid or continuous, such
as on phytophthora for instance, but
shows as streaks and flecks. P. syringae
pv. syrnigae causes damage to plant
tissue by producing a toxin called syringomycin.
This phytotoxin kills plant
cells by disrupting cellular membranes
and leads to the presence of the cankers
we observe in the field.
degree of copper resistance or tolerance
in many Pss populations, and
other work has shown that treatments
that improve the condition of the tree
is more effective at reducing canker
disease severity. Sayler and Kirkpatrick
(2003) examined copper sprays, NPK
and copper+NPK in young French
prune trees and found that copper
sprays did not reduce damage severity
compared to the control, while NPK
and copper+NPK did. Copper sprays
reduced disease incidence, however.
There has been other research showing
that Pss populations found in
California are mostly resistant to
‘REMEMBER THAT STRESS PLAYS A MAJOR ROLE IN PREDISPOSING PRUNUS TREES
TO THIS DISEASE. IF YOU’RE PLANTING AN ORCHARD IN SANDY SOILS WITH A
HISTORY OF BACTERIAL CANKER OR RING NEMATODE, SET YOUR ORCHARD UP FOR
SUCCESS BY FUMIGATING (WHICH ALSO REDUCES THE CHANCES OF GETTING PRUNUS
REPLANT DISEASE) AND SELECTING TOLERANT ROOTSTOCKS.’
“
Cherry tree in Kern Co. showing streaks
and flecks of bacterial canker. (Photo
courtesy of M. Yaghmour).
“
Stress is a Factor
Bacterial canker infections are more
common in stressed orchards. We
have seen them most commonly in
young Prunus species orchards (5 th leaf
or younger) on peach x almond hybrid
rootstocks in sandy soils, with no
fumigation prior to replanting. These
sites often have high ring nematode
populations. Plant nutritional status
may play a role as well, as detailed later.
These conditions are all stressful to
replanted Prunus species, which makes
them more susceptible to infection. It’s
important to note that while ring nematode
feeding increases the susceptibility
of Prunus species to bacterial canker,
the feeding damage itself does not lead
to infection, as Pss only affects aboveground
portions of the plant. Bacterial
canker doesn’t need these conditions
to attack trees: one recent farm call
revealed bacterial canker in a heavier
textured orchard planted into former
rangeland.
There has been some work done
looking at the efficacy of copper as a
bactericide against both bacterial blast
and bacterial canker, however studies
have shown that it often doesn’t work,
likely due to the fact that there is some
copper bactericides, so we do not recommend
relying on sprays to control
either disease.
Nutrient Status and Disease
Research on the connection between
plant nutrient status and bacterial canker
has also been mixed. The previous
study mentioned showed some positive
effect due to added nutrients. In
other work, Roger Duncan and Bruce
Kirkpatrick sprayed third-leaf peach
trees with 100 pounds of low-biuret
urea in 100 gallons of water per acre.
The peach trees were growing either in
fumigated or unfumigated ground and
were artificially infected with Pss. They
found that trees that were grown in
fumigated ground had smaller cankers
than those grown in unfumigated
ground. Urea sprays had no effect on
trees in treated soil. In addition, of
the trees grown in untreated soil, urea
sprays significantly reduced canker
sizes compared to the control, and the
cankers in these trees were no larger
than trees grown in fumigated soil.
However, it should be noted in a paired
trial performed at Kearney REC, there
was no effect due to urea sprays. (Cao
et al., 2005). It seems that urea sprays
82 West Coast Nut March 2020
Cankers caused by P. syringae have spotting. (Photo courtesy of P. Gordon).
work by increasing the nitrogen content
in the trees, which suppresses Pss’ production
of syringomycin, which is what
kills plant cells and causes cankers.
In the absence of the major predisposing
factors described earlier, Cao et
al. (2011) examined inducing nutrient
deficiencies in potted peach seedlings
before purposefully infecting them
with Pss, as well as re-examining the
role of freeze-thaw cycles in Pss infections.
They confirmed the importance
of freeze-thaw cycles in lesion size
development, but the nutrition study
connected only phosphorus to lesion
size: phosphorus deficiency reduced
bacterial canker lesion size. The
researchers were so surprised they
performed another study where they
induced nitrogen deficiency and tried
infecting leaf scars: they found that
more leaf scars were infected in plants
with nitrogen deficiency, but the lesions
developed were very small and there
was no difference in lesion size.
Management Strategies
Rootstock selection is also important
when trying to manage bacterial
canker. Peach almond hybrids and
Mariana 2624 are the most vulnerable,
especially when put in sandy ground,
which has been backed up by farm
advisor observations on field calls.
Viking, Lovell, and Guardian are the
most tolerant.
So, what’s the bottom line? Remember
that stress plays a major role in predisposing
Prunus trees to this disease.
If you’re planting an orchard in sandy
soils with a history of bacterial canker
or ring nematode, set your orchard up
for success by fumigating (which also
reduces the chances of getting Prunus
Replant Disease) and selecting tolerant
rootstocks. This is the most important
thing you can do. Keep your trees
vigorous and in good health, and only
think of post-plant treatments as a last
resort. Work is underway to evaluate
the efficacy of Velum and Movento
as post plant nematicides, however
whether they reduce
tree stress enough
to reduce bacterial
canker would need
to be evaluated
separately.
In the spring
of 2019 there were
localized areas,
including Madera
county, where
there were a large
number of orchards
that were hit with
flower blast. Isolations
done by
Florent Trouillas’s
lab pulled both
Pss and Botrytis
cinerea from
blasted blossoms,
and he concluded
that the spring’s
cool, extremely wet
conditions led to
a disease complex.
While fungicides
are absolutely not a
control option for
Pss, it’s important
in unusually cool, wet springs to select
bloom sprays that will target B. cinerea
as well as the more typical bloom-time
pathogens. Please consult the fungicide
efficacy tables published on the UC
IPM website for the appropriate fungicides
to target B. cinerea.
Comments about this article? We want
to hear from you. Feel free to email us at
article@jcsmarketinginc.com
March 2020 www.wcngg.com 83
Weeds are thieves.
Time to put ’em away.
End weed theft from the start. And six
months from now. Trust long-lasting Alion, ®
the foundational herbicide, to give your
trees and vines the healthy start they need.
Find out what Alion can do for
you at AlionEndsWeeds.com.
© 2019 Bayer Group. Always read and follow label instructions. Bayer, the Bayer Cross, and Alion are registered trademarks of the Bayer Group. Not all products are
registered for use in all states. For additional product information, call toll-free 1-866-99-BAYER (1-866-992-2937) or visit our website at www.CropScience.Bayer.us.
Bayer CropScience LP, 800 North Lindbergh Boulevard, St. Louis, MO 63167. CR0119ALIONNB031S00R0