OF April_May 2020 e

April/May 2020 

Managing Soil Fertility 

with Organic Amendments 

Choosing Hemp Varieties 

The Key to Optimum Soil and Plant Health: 

Giving Life to the Soil 

UC Students Breed Beans 

for Organic Farming 

June 3, 2020 

Turlock, California 

STANISLAUS COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS 

Alm nd Day 


Fresno, California 

FRESNO FAIRGROUNDS 

PUBLICATION 

Volume 3 : Issue 2 

Photos courtesy of S. Elliot

4 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Managing Soil Fertility with 

Organic Amendments 

PUBLISHER: Jason Scott 

Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com 

EDITOR: Marni Katz 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Cecilia Parsons 

Email: article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

PRODUCTION: design@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Phone: 559.352.4456 

Fax: 559.472.3113 

Web: www.organicfarmingmag.com 

10 

16 

18 

Biological Control of 

Brown Marmorated Stink 

Bug 

Roadmap to an Organic 

California 

The Key to Optimum Soil and 

Plant Health: Giving Life to 

the Soil 

10 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

& INDUSTRY SUPPORT 

Laetitia Benador 

Research Fellow, CCOF 

Danita Cahill 

Contributing Writer 

Steve Elliott 

Western SARE and 

Western IPM Center 

Neal Kinsey 

President of Kinsey 

Agricultural Services 

Sarah Light 

UCCE Agronomy 

Advisor, Sutter-Yuba 

and Colusa Counties 

Vicki Lowell 

Communications 

Manager, Organic 

Farming Research 

Foundation 

24 

Choosing Hemp Varieties 

18 

UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION 

ADVISORY BOARD 

30 

UC Students Breed Beans for 

Organic Farming 

Kevin Day 

County Director and 

UCCE Pomology 

Farm 

Advisor, Tulare/ 

Kings County 

Kris Tollerup 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Parlier, CA 

Steven Koike 

Director, TriCal 

Diagnostics 

32 

34 

National Organic Producer 

Surveys Released 

Private Grant Will Support 

New UC California 

Organic Institute 

24 

The articles, research, industry updates, 

company profiles, and advertisements in this 

publication are the professional opinions of 

writers and advertisers. Organic Farmer does 

not assume any responsibility for the opinions 

given in the publication. 

April/May 2020 www.organicfarmermag.com 3

Managing Soil Fertility 

with Organic Amendments 

By SARAH LIGHT | UCCE Agronomy Advisor, Sutter-Yuba and Colusa Counties 

By definition, anything that was 

or is alive is considered organic 

matter because it contains carbon-based 

compounds. This article 

covers some of the considerations 

around using organic soil amendments. 

The most common types of soil organic 

amendments are manure, compost, and 

crop residue (including cover crops). 

Why We Care About Carbon 

Soil carbon is important in all farming 

systems because of the role it plays in 

building and maintaining soil microbial 

communities. Soil microbes are critical 

for nutrient cycling and building soil 

structure because soil aggregates are 

held together by organic compounds 

produced by microbes, by fungal 

hyphae, and by plant roots. In addition, 

soil microbes are responsible for many 

parts of the N cycle, like converting 

ammonium to nitrate, the form of 

nitrogen most commonly taken up by 

plants. Even if there is sufficient total N 

in the soil, microbial processes will be 

slowed by reduced activity due to low 

soil carbon, cold soil temperatures, or 

inadequate soil moisture. 

Builds Humus & Healthy Soil 

Pacific Gro feeds soil microbes and helps establish a healthy fungal balance. 

This produces soil that’s resilient and efficient at providing nutrients. 

And it increases humus and soil organic matter. 

Used as a foliar fertilizer — Pacific Gro’s salmon oil performs as a sticker 

oil, and the amino acids chelate nutrients to facilitate absorption. 

Provides calcium, salmon oil, amino acids and 

crab and shrimp shell metabolites in a liquid foliar 

and soil fertilizer. 

O Helps microbes feed and defend the crop 

O Builds healthy fungal populations 

O Delivers plant-available calcium 

Produced by Creative AG Products Inc. 

www.pacificgro.com 503-867-4849 

The amount of carbon to nitrogen (C:N) 

affects microbial breakdown of organic 

amendments, and thus potential 

nitrogen (N) release. Like us, microbes 

have dietary needs that have to be met. 

The ideal diet for microbes has a C:N 

ratio between approximately 20:1 and 

25:1. Nitrogen is present in the soil and 

in soil water. When microbes consume 

material with a higher C:N ratio than 

their ideal diet, they will “mine” N 

from the soil profile for their own use, 

making it unavailable (sometimes called 

“tied up”) for crop uptake. It is not permanently 

lost from the system as with 

N leaching or volatilization. Rather, it is 

unavailable in the short term until the 

microbes die. When microbes consume 

materials with a lower C:N ratio than 

their ideal diet, they release the N that 

is in excess of their dietary needs that is 

immediately available for crop uptake. 

Considerations for Organic 

Continued on Page 6 

4 Organic Farmer April/May 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. 


Continued from Page 4 

Amendment Selection 

Material Efficiency: The C:N ratio of the 

material affects both the amount of N 

that will released for plant uptake, and 

the time in which the N will become 

plant available. Materials with a lower 

C:N ratio are broken down more rapidly 

and a larger proportion of the N will 

become available during the growing 

season. Materials with a higher C:N 

ratio are broken down more slowly and 

a lower proportion of the N becomes 

available. These materials need to be 

applied in larger quantities and earlier 

in the season to meet crop N demand 

during peak uptake. In contrast, the 

nitrogen in materials with a very low 

C:N ratio, such as feather meal, guano, 

or some liquid products, becomes 

available very quickly. These products 

provide the opportunity for in-season 

applications through fertigation or side 

dressing, similar to synthetic fertilizers. 

Material Costs: With organic amendments 

that are high enough in N to be 

used as an N source, cost per unit available 

N is more relevant than cost per 

unit weight. However, this may not be 

the only consideration. How much the 

material costs to transport and spread 

can eat into your bottom line quickly. 

Watch for percent moisture because 

this affects nutrient calculations (which 

should be based on dry weight) and it’s 

expensive to move water. 

Calculate the true cost of organic 

amendments when deciding what 

material to use, including percent 

moisture. This includes product versus 

management costs to estimate how 

much a pound of N actually costs with 

each product for the growing season. In 

the short term, the goal may be to meet 

the demand of your current crop. In 

the long term, the goal is to build soil 

structure and fertility. 

Management Considerations: Fresh manures 

can contain a large proportion of 

ammonium-N and can lose a substantial 

amount of N to the atmosphere if 

they are not tilled in soon after application. 

Manures can also be a source of 

weed seeds. 

A Focus on Compost 

Compost is any product that results 

from the decomposition of organic 

material. Since the material that goes 

into compost can vary widely from food 

and yard waste to wood chips to animal 

manure, the fertility and benefit to agronomic 

productivity is also quite variable. 

Not all compost is the same and the 

expected performance of a compost on 

a farm is related to the starting material 

and properties of the finished product. 

While all composts will have the benefit 

of adding organic matter and increasing 

soil carbon, the benefits of which are 

outlined above, not all will be suitable 

to meet the nutrient needs of a crop. 

Manure-based composts are higher in 

fertility than green waste (i.e. yard trimmings) 

and it would be very difficult to 

meet crop nutrient needs with green 

waste compost. For example, while a 

typical chicken manure compost has a 

nutrient content of 44 lb nitrogen, 26 lb 

phosphorus, and 33 lb potassium per 

ton, a typical yard debris compost only 

has 18 lb nitrogen, 3 lb phosphorous, 

and 8 lb potassium per ton. Not only is 

the nitrogen content lower in yard debris 

compost, but a smaller proportion 

of it will become available during the 

next growing season. 

There are advantages and disadvantages 

to using compost over fresh materials. 

The volume of composted versus fresh 

material generally decreases by 30 to 60 

percent and compost is easier to spread. 

Compost has a lower risk of containing 

weed seeds or pathogens and is less 

likely to degrade water quality. Since 

compost has already been decomposed, 

it contains more stable carbon and less 

carbon is lost to microbial decomposition. 

This means that less nitrogen will 

be tied up for a high C:N ratio of composted 

material than when applying the 

fresh form of the same material. However, 

this also means that compost can 

also be very slow to release nutrients. 

Compost can improve the physical, biological, 

and chemical properties of a soil 

including reducing erosion, increasing 

water holding capacity, and moderating 

soil temperature. For these reasons, 

compost can be an excellent soil builder 

and can lead to improved soil function, 

but it is important to evaluate the properties 

of the compost before application 

and know what you are using it for. 

Matching Crop Need to 

Application of Manure or 

Manure-Based Composts 

When applying manure or manure-based 

compost to meet crop N 

needs, there may be over application of 

other nutrients. This is because: 

• These materials contain micro and 

macro nutrients other than N. 

• They are lower in percent N (and 

other essential nutrients) than 

synthetic fertilizer and require 

higher application rates to achieve 

crop nutrient needs. 

• Organic N needs to be mineralized 

in order to be plant available and 

not all the N will become available 

for the current crop. 

Consider the following example. If you 

are planting corn and plan to apply 

composted chicken manure to meet 

crop N demand, you can expect approximately 

35 percent of the N to be mineralized 

in year one and available for 

plant uptake. While nutrient concentrations 

can vary due to bedding material 

and maturity of the compost, typical 

chicken manure compost (sometimes 

referred to as broiler chicken litter) has 

a nutrient content of 44 pounds N, 26 

pounds phosphorus (P), and 33 pounds 

potassium (K) per ton. 

Based on the California fertilization 

guidelines, recommended total N application 

rates for high-yielding corn are 

generally 200 to 275 pounds N per acre. 

Let’s assume our goal is 225 pounds N 

per acre for the calculation below. Giv- 



The professionals’ top choice 

coast to coast for all root 

and foliar applications. 



en that only 35 percent of the N will be 

mineralized in year one, you will have 

to apply a higher amount of compost to 

ensure enough is available for your crop 

in that year. 

225 lb. N required ÷ 0.35 = 643 lb. N/A 

needed to apply to meet corn demand. 

Given the amount of N in each ton of 

compost, you will need to apply: 

643 lb. N/A ÷ 44 lb. N/ton = 14.5 tons/A 

of compost (29,000 pounds of material). 

How much phosphorous will be in that 

compost application? 

14.5 tons x 26 lb. P/ton = 377 lbs. of P/A 

(this is 867 lb. P 2 

O 5 

) 

According to California fertilization 

guidelines, P should be applied based 

on crop removal and 60 to 80 pounds of 

P 2 

O 5 

are removed when corn grains are 

harvested from the field and 60 to 100 

pounds with silage corn. 

This means, that you are applying 8 to 14 

times more P in one year than your crop 

needs! Consider the nutrient loading 

that will occur if these elevated manure 

levels are applied year after year to meet 

the crop N demand. While it is unlikely 

that anyone would apply this amount of 

material to a field in one growing season, 

this example can serve to highlight 

the considerations for managing fertility 

organic amendments. 

It can be challenging to balance nutrients 

with organic materials and, when 

possible, consider other sources of 

amendments with different levels of 

NPK. While there is no inherent risk 

in having too much P to your crop, P 

contaminates waterways when soil 

moves off the field through erosion or 

runoff and is one of the main drivers of 

eutrophication. In addition, some organic 

amendments can be high in salts 

and can lead to salt build up in time. 

Efficient application of organic amendments 

is important. In certified organic 

systems, consider incorporating legume 

cover crops into your rotation to ensure 

adequate soil N levels while reducing 

the risk of overloading other nutrients. 

Non-legume cover crops can also 

improve nutrient cycling and reduce the 

risk of nitrate leaching. 

If organic amendments are added consistently 

year after year, the soil structure 

is improved, which reduces the risk 

of soil erosion. In addition, N cycles 

can become tighter. The 65% of N that 

wasn’t mineralized in year one in the 

example above may become available 

in future years although this is hard to 

account for in N budgeting. Organic 

amendments can build microbial activity, 

soil structure, soil fertility, and soil 

health. However, it can be more challenging 

to manage them to meet annual 

crop N demand than with synthetic N 

fertilizer. 

Comments about this article? We want 

to hear from you. Feel free to email us at 

article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974 

FEATURING: 

Office: 559-686-3833 Fax: 559-686-1453 

2904 E. Oakdale Ave. | Tulare, CA 93274 

newerafarmservice.com 


The CLEAN experience - 

superior fruit and higher yields 

500 

Table Grapes -‘Vintage Red’ - 2018 

Earlimart, California 

494.4 

480 

2018 Boxes/Acre 

460 

Don’t Compromise 

on your Organic Nutrients 

Science-Driven Nutrition April/May 2020 www.organicfarmermag.com 9 

Grower Soil Program Organic Foliar Program 

Sawtooth Ag Research, Woodlake, California 

Consumers demand a superior taste and eating 

The second part of the consumer taste experience is 

experience from their organic table grapes – a crisp, flavor which is driven by brix, aromatics and 

firm bite with texture, flavor and sweetness. They flavonoids. To achieve high yields and full flavor 

also want long shelf life. Grocery stores want less requires the vine have large, fully functional leaves 

shrinkage. Growers need high marketable yields of and maximum chlorophyll. The key nutrients: 

superior quality fruit to maximize per acre returns. magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc are 

Agro-K’s CLEAN line of nutritional products and 

needed as the leaves are forming and expanding to 

application program is designed to deliver – 

ensure sufficient leaf surface area and maximize 

superior eating quality consumers demand, less instore 

chlorophyll function to drive optimal flavor, texture 

shrink grocers demand and maximum 

and shelf life. Allowing you to put the best finish on 

marketable yields growers require. 

a quality bunch. 

The first part of a superior eating experience is the Agro-K’s CLEAN line of certified products gives 

bite. It needs to be firm and crisp on the outside 

organic growers the ability to meet “peak nutrient 

with good structural integrity on the inside. 

demand” in a form that goes in to tissues quickly and 

Maximizing calcium uptake into fruit cell walls 

completely, resulting in superior fruit quality and 

during fruit cell division is critical to maximizing 

yield. Plant physiology drives nutrient timing and 

grape skin cell-wall thickness, internal flesh firmness understanding this timing gives growers the ability 

and shelf life (minimizing shrink). Managing the 

to address peak demand timings and maximize fruit 

N/Ca ratio is critical to growing firm fruit that stores quality and profitability. Use the right nutrients, at 

well. CLEAN Cal is designed for rapid and complete the right time, in the right form for the highest yields 

uptake to help growers deliver that “first bite” 

and best quality. 

experience in fruit that also stores better on the 

Talk to Agro-K or your authorized distributor today 

grocery store shelf and longer at home. 

about how CLEAN can help you achieve higher yields 

of superior fruit. 

Product available at 

AGRO-K CORPORATION 

8030 Main Street, NE • Minneapolis, MN 55432 • 800-328-2418 • www.agro-k.com 

440 

420 

423

BIOLOGICAL 

CONTROL 

OF BROWN 

MARMORATED 

STINK BUG 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

BMSB on hazelnut (photo courtesy N. Wiman.) 

Research in the Pacific Northwest 

is focused on finding biological 

and softer alternatives to control 

brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB.) 

The BMSB is an invasive species from 

Asia that first appeared in the U.S. in 

2010 and has since spread and become a 

significant problem in Oregon. 

The samurai wasp, Trissolcus japonicas, 

is a natural predator of BMSB 

that followed its host from Asia to the 

United States. In Asia, the wasp takes 

care of 60 to 90 percent of BMSB eggs. 

“We found the wasp in downtown 

Portland; we started moving it around,” 

said Oregon State University (OSU) Extension 

Orchard Specialist Nik Wiman. 

Populations of the samurai wasp 

have shown up in other states, including 

Washington, New York, New Jersey, 

Delaware, Maryland, West Virginia 

and Washington DC. The populations 

are not genetically related to the others, 

so each is showing up on its own, not 

simply breeding and migrating. 

Parasitized Eggs 

Since the wasps are so tiny – approximately 

the size of the period at 

the end of this paragraph – the easiest 

way to check for their presence is by 

monitoring BMSB egg masses on the 

underside of leaves. Egg masses are 

green to blue-green, barrel-shaped 

clusters. Because of their color, they are 

hard to see. When the eggs are parasitized 

by the samurai wasp, they turn 

black and should be left alone. Blackened 

eggs are also easier for the human 

eye to spot. The wasp larvae feed on 

the BMSB larvae, killing the stink bugs 

before they hatch. 

Wiman and other scientists have 

collected and analyzed wild, fresh and 

frozen BMSB egg masses. The researchers 

are seeing an increase in parasitism 

from the samurai wasp. In 2018, they 

saw a 22.4 percent rate of parasitism. 

In 2019, that number increased to 26.8 

percent. 

Raising and Releasing Wasps 

The researchers are raising the samurai 

wasps in an OSU lab to target-release 

in specialty-crop areas. 

“When we go out to release, we look 

for natural areas that don’t have insecticides,” 

Wiman said. 

He said the 1- to 2-millimeter 

stingerless wasps have spread about 

six miles per year and researchers are 

hopeful that with continued lab work 

and research they can strike a healthy 

samurai wasp/BMSB balance. 

BMSB Detection and Spread 

The brown marmorated stink 

bug – marmorated means marbled or 

streaked – was first detected in the US 

in 1998 in Pennsylvania. It has since 

become a serious pest in apple, pear, 

stone fruit and hazelnut orchards in 

the Pacific Northwest. It feeds on about 

100 different varieties of plants, including 

many agricultural crops, such as 

grapes, peppers, tomatoes, corn, squash 

and soybeans. BMSB also causes issues 

with some shade trees, such as maples. 

The BMSB has been a problem in 

hazelnuts since 2004, according to 

Wiman. Researchers, growers and processors 

have seen 5-15% BMSB damage 

in hazelnuts over the past four-year 

period. 

OSU Statewide Organic Vegetable 

Extension Agent Nick Andrews said 

he’s seen BMSB damage, “intermittently 

in vegetables.” 

The BMSB probably arrived in the 

United States aboard international 

shipping crates. After its arrival, the 

stink bug quickly began expanding its 

territory, spreading across the states. In 

2010, the pest caused 37 million dollars 

in lost apple crops in the Mid-Atlantic 

States. Also that year, more than 90 

percent of some stone-fruit growers’ 

crops were lost. By the end of 2010 

and into 2011, the BMSB had become 

a serious pest in orchards along the 

Eastern states. This stink bug variety 

has now spread and established itself 

in many parts of North America – 42 

states from California to Maine. In 

Oregon, the BMSB is a severe problem. 

It’s also causing agricultural issues and 

is considered a nuisance in California 

and Washington State. 

Feeding Damage From 

Nymphs and Adults 

“The nymphs are a huge part of the 

problem,” Wiman said. 

A true bug, both the BMSB nymphs 

and adults use their tubular mouthpiece 

to pierce developing fruits, 

vegetables, nuts and seeds. They inject 

saliva inside, making a sort of slurry, 

which they then suck up through their 

straw-like mouths. The insect damage 

creates unsightly brown spots inside 

the kernels of hazelnuts. Damaged fruit 

shows a dimpled appearance on the 

skin. Inside are brown areas of rot. 

BMSB are speckled grey and brown, 

with white bands on their antennae and 

a triangle shape on their back called 

a scutellum. They are a fairly large 

bug, broad-bodied and up to 1-inch in 

length. BMSB cannot sting or bite, but 



California 

Organic Fertilizers, Inc. 

Producing Organic Fertilizers for over 28 Years 

We are available to help you develop an agronomy based fertility plan including Nitrogen 

Budgeting, food safety planning and/or crop quality improvement. We are Certified Crop 

Advisors and are very skilled in organic crop nutrition. 

If you are experiencing low yields, poor crop quality, soil health issues, excessive nitrogen 

usage or costs, or plant disease problems, give us a call. We can help. 

COFI offers free consultations, custom nutrient planning and in-field evaluations for all 

crops from alfalfa to zucchini. 

10585 Industry Ave., Hanford, Ca 93230 ♦ 800.269-5690 ♦ www.organicag.com ♦ info@organicag.com 


A female samurai wasp Trissolcus japonicus parasitizing eggs of the 

brown marmorated stink bug (photo courtesy of W. Wong.) 

An adult brown marmorated stink bug (photo courtesy of W. Wong.) 


they stink if disturbed or squashed. 

Stink bugs spray a noxious odor from 

their abdomen as a defense mechanism. 

They live for 6-8 months. Females can 

lay up to 400 eggs during their lifetime. 

Other OSU Research Discoveries: 

• BMSB show a disconnect between 

feeding and responding to pheromone 

traps. 

• Early season response to traps is 

poor. 

• Warning: Bringing pheromones 

into the orchard can cause damage 

in the trap vicinity. Aggregation 

pheromone attracts all the insects. 

Keep them out along the border. 

• Traps are useful for detection, but 

they don’t take the place of scouting. 

• Exploiting pheromones to 

attract-and-kill, or for mass-kill 

sites needs more research. 

Control is Elusive for BMSB 

Insecticides which are effective for 

BMSB are nearly all broad spectrum 

and restricted use, Wiman said. 

Tests have been done with baited 

sheets of netting treated with pyrethroid. 

There have also been experiments 

done using light as a way to 

attract BMSB to such a kill site. The 

problem? Getting the BMSB to land on 



WE WILL PUMP YoU UP 

with our mycorrhizal products 

Ask us about our other soil care products 

• Biological Food Products • BACTERIAL Inoculants 

• Micro Nutrients • Foilar Nutrients 

• Soil Products 

callnrg.com 

Contact Us Today at 1-800-279-9567 

Learn More on Page 21 


Brown marmorated stink bugs on a pear (photo courtesy N. 

Wiman.) 


the netting and stay there long enough 

for the pesticide to do its job. 

“Get BMSB to land for about one 

minute on the netting and it will die,” 

Wiman said. 

Conventional growers can use 

pyrethroids and pyrethrin, but he says 

they aren’t all that effective on BMSB. 

Also, by using insecticides, growers risk 

killing the beneficial samurai wasp. 

“We found the samurai wasp is really 

sensitive to pesticides. Entrust was 

one of the most toxic,” Wiman said. “It 

affects the diamids, which is the softest 

materials of the wasp.” 

For smaller organic farms, exclusion 

is likely the best way to keep stink bugs 

at bay with the use of particle films, 

tunnel row covers and other barriers. 

Kaolin clay, or Surround, also helps 

discourage insects. The spray-on clay 

coating won’t kill the insects, but it 

irritates them, and they don’t like it, 

Wiman said. 

Unfortunately, BMSB is nearly impossible 

to control. 

“You don’t have control,” Wiman 

said. “It’s coming from the environment. 

You can be the best manager, but 

you still can’t control the BMSB.” 

Plant Wasp Habitat 

“Urban areas put out a lot of stink 

bugs,” he said, as do riparian zones and 

forests. So, farms near those areas are 

bound to experience issues with stink 

bugs. If allowed to flourish, the wasps 

will likely show up in these areas as 

Dimpling on pear and internal rot caused by BMSB (photos courtesy N. 

Wiman.) 

well. 

Researchers 

are looking at what plants attract the 

wasps. Samurai wasps that were fed 

honey water in the lab tended to grow 

faster and show signs of better health. 

“They probably enjoy floral resources,” 

Wiman said. 

That steers the organic grower toward 

planting flowers, either within the 

orchards or along the borders. He said 

the flowering plants don’t necessarily 

have to be native to attract the wasps. 

One Grower’s Experience 

with BMSB 

Joe Beaudoin, of Joe’s Place Farms 

in Vancouver, Washington said BMSB 

arrived on his property 4 to 5 years ago. 

Beaudoin said he was the first farmer in 

Southwest Washington affected by the 

stink bugs. 

“Oregon State University and Washington 

State University were out at our 

place for four years,” Beaudoin said. 

The first thing the BMSB hit was his 

peppers. Then they moved on to other 

fruits and vegetables. 

“They sting with their proboscis,” 

Beaudoin said. “One sting in a pumpkin 

or squash pretty much destroys 

them. There’s no repairing the damage.” 

The stink bugs also hit his cherries, 

berry crops and peaches. He noticed 

the BMSB were variety specific in what 

they attacked. He has PF 23 (Flamin’ 

Fury) peaches and Suncrest peaches 

growing next to each other. Both are 

yellow, freestone varieties. 

“The PF 23 was 100-percent ruined,” 

he said, but the Suncrests – a hardy 

variety bred in Fresno, California – 

were virtually untouched. Beaudoin 

grows 15 different varieties of peaches 

all together. “The PF 23 – they liked it 

the best.” 

He noticed that the BMSB had preferences 

in his pear crops, too, preferring 

the russet (brownish) pears rather 

than green pears. 

“It’s kind of strange,” Beaudoin said. 

Then, for the most part, the stink 

bugs moved on. 

“They moved into apple country,” 

Beaudoin said. “They went east into the 

valley. They’re moving out and spreading 

out.” 

The amount of damage to produce 

crops at Joe’s Place Farms has recently 

diminished. 

“We have not had that much damage,” 

he said of last growing season. 

As for the reason the stink bugs hit 

his farm first? Beaudoin figures it’s because 

he is located close to an airport. 

The Pacific Northwest has not been 

as hard hit by BMSB as the East and the 

Midwest, according to Beaudoin. He 

heard the story of one farmer in the 

Midwest who drove his tractor for the 

day through his fields. At the end of the 

day, “He got a five-gallon bucket full of 

brown marmorated stink bugs out of 

his air filters.” 






ROADMAP TO 

AN ORGANIC 

CALIFORNIA 

By LAETITIA BENADOR | Research Fellow, 

California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) 

How can we use organic farming 

to solve the biggest problems of 

our time? A first-of-its kind research 

project from California Certified 

Organic Farmers (CCOF), the Roadmap 

to an Organic California (www. 

ccof.org/roadmap-organic-california) 

investigates how organic is a solution 

to today’s toughest challenges from 

climate change to economic insecurity 

and health threats. 

The urgency of addressing these 

challenges demands building on what 

already works. As a first step, CCOF 

asked: what does the science say about 

organic? The Roadmap to an Organic 

California: Benefits Report, the first 

installation of the project, examines 

three decades of peer-reviewed science 

on organic food and farming. The 

science is clear: Organic farming, with 

its tremendous capacity to pull carbon 

out of the atmosphere and store it in 

soils and its unique ability to stimulate 

the economy while feeding the world’s 

population with nutritious foods, is a 

proven and practical solution to stabilize 

our climate and communities. 

Based on these findings, CCOF 

developed nearly 40 policy solutions 

laid out in the Roadmap to an Organic 

California: Policy Report that serve as 

a blueprint for putting organic to work. 

The Policy Report provides actionable 

next steps for legislators, business 

leaders, and community organizers to 

use organic to build climate resilience, 

foster strong communities, and protect 

the health of all Americans. 

Organic is a Climate Solution 

Organic farmers have pioneered 

many of today’s climate-smart farming 

practices that reduce greenhouse 

gas levels in the atmosphere and 

make farms better adapted to extreme 

weather. Long-term comparison studies 

demonstrate that organic soils are 

healthier, enabling them to draw down 

14 times more carbon than conventional 

soils. With the world’s soils 

capturing 25 percent of annual fossil 

fuel emissions, organic agriculture is 

in a unique position to maximize the 

amount of carbon stored in soils in 

order to stabilize our climate and food 

supply. 

Despite the proven ability of organic 

to help solve the climate crisis, organic 

is not integrated into California’s 

climate strategy. The Policy Report 

details next steps that we can take to 

use organic to foster climate resilience 

by advancing climate-smart agriculture 

programs, conserving organic farmland 

to maximize carbon sequestration, 

and investing in organic research in order 

to build on the resilience of organic 

farms and refine the practices that help 

farmers producer higher yields in a 

changing climate. 

Organic is an Economic Solution 

The organic market stimulates the 

economy by creating business opportunities, 

growing jobs, and reinvesting 

dollars in local communities. Organic 

sales are growing faster than all other 

food sales and generating diverse careers 

and entrepreneurial opportunities 

in urban and rural communities alike, 

from organic seed farms, to organic 

snacks, to meal kit delivery companies. 

By keeping food dollars local, studies 

demonstrate that organic businesses 

can increase household incomes and 

alleviate poverty as much as federal 

nutrition assistance programs like the 

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance 

Program (SNAP). 

Though organic is a proven economic 

stimulus, barriers to the expansion 


Laetitia Benador is a food systems researcher, writer, and farmer. 

As the CCOF Research Fellow, Benador spearheads the Roadmap 

to an Organic California project, which is a first-of-its kind 

research project that investigates how organic is a solution to 

California’s toughest challenges (photo courtesy of L. Benador.) 

of organic agriculture prevent many 

communities from benefiting from 

increased local investment and job 

growth. Communities can benefit from 

stronger local economies if we support 

policies that bolster farm viability, 

invest in a workforce that sustains the 

organic sector’s job growth, prioritize 

farmland transition to foster the next 

generation of organic farmers, and 

develop urban organic agriculture as a 

tool for community development. 

organic food choices in 

school meals and hospitals, 

expanding organic 

meat availability to prevent 

antibiotic resistance, and 

encouraging “food is medicine” 

initiatives to improve 

patient health and lower 

healthcare expenses. 

Organic is Integral to 

our Future 

Concerned consumers 

around the country have 

turned to organic as a 

solution. Today, eight 

out of 10 Americans buy 

organic food, driving the 

expansion of the organic 

sector from $3 billion 

to $53 billion in two 

decades. However, despite the booming 

market, only 1 percent of America’s 

farmland is farmed organically. 

Expanding proven solutions like 

Alm nd Day 



organic requires all hands and boots 

on deck. Organic is a holistic approach 

to growing our food that impacts 

every aspect of our lives, from the 

water we drink and soils in which we 

grow our food to the economy and our 

community’s resilience in the face of 

climate change. 

This message is what brought organic 

farmers to the California State 

Capitol on Feb. 19 together with business 

leaders, schoolteachers, healthcare 

professionals, scientists, and climate 

advocates. With the Roadmap to an Organic 

California in hand, this unlikely 

group of allies embarked on the road 

toward a healthier and more secure 

future. By continuing to work together 

we will cultivate an organic future for 

all—will you join us? 




Register Now for 

SUMMER 

SHOWS 

wcngg.com 

Organic is a Health Solution 

Organic food protects people and 

the planet. Hundreds of crop comparison 

studies show higher levels of 

vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in 

organic foods. However, human health 

is determined not only by the nutritional 

quality of the food we eat, but also 

by how our food made it onto the plate. 

In addition to being highly nutritious, 

organic safeguards our drinking water 

and combats the health impacts of climate 

change. Organic promotes overall 

health for all Americans and for future 

generations. 

While many Americans choose 

organic to keep their families healthy, 

too few communities have access to the 

health benefits of organic. The report 

outlines strategies to protect water 

quality by supporting organic farms, 

expanding access to organic foods 

for frontline communities, providing 


THE KEY TO OPTIMUM SOIL AND PLANT HEALTH: 

GIVING LIFE 

TO THE SOIL 

By NEAL KINSEY | President, Kinsey Agricultural Services 

Those who study life in the soil 

point out that the population of 

beneficial living organisms that 

grow and thrive there determines to 

what extent that soil will grow and produce 

abundant, healthy crops. The life 

in the soil and the health of the soil are 

intertwined. To determine what promotes 

the greatest amount of life in the 

soil will also then provide the greatest 

support for soil health. 

Time after time, the healthiest soils are 

found to be those with the most active 

living organisms. Soil life is a major 

factor in determining soil health. The 

most critical needs for sustaining all 

life are also the most critical to life in 

the soil. Assuring the correct amount 

of life’s most critical requirements is 

the real “trunk of the tree” in regard to 

building better soil health. 

There are four basic needs for life – 

shelter, food, water and air. Which one 

of these on average can more likely be 

missing and life could go on the longest? 

First would probably be shelter, 

then food, then water, then air. Air is 

the most critical of all since we can 

only live a very short amount of time 

without it. 

Air in the Soil 

When considering clay soils, much 

like the human body, insufficient air is 

considered one of the most significant 

problems. This is usually caused by too 

much water in the soil, which prevents 

the air from reaching to the proper 

depth 

causing 

interference 

in microbial 

activity. Far too 

many individuals 

working in agriculture 

fail to recognize the 

significance of the correct 

amount of air needed in the soil, 

let alone the methods that must be 

involved for correctly solving this 

problem when having sufficient air is 

not the case. That may be one of the 

reasons it is not pointed out as the 

greatest problem affecting soil life and 

soil health. 

Just how important is air for soil 

health? It is a major key for humus 

formation. Humus is formed within 

the soil’s aerobic zone. The aerobic zone 

is the depth of soil to which air remains 

sufficiently 

available for 

the most beneficial 

microbial activity and good plant 

health in each different type of soil. 

Due to the abundance of air, 

microbiologists say that on average 

Continued on on Page 20 20 


® 

The Grower’s Advantage 

Since 1982 

© 

Effective Plant Nutrients and Biopesticides 

to Improve Crop Quality & Yield 

ORGANIC 

® 

ORGANIC 

® 

® 

Contains Auxiliary Soil & Plant Substances 

Plant Nutrients & Adjuvants 

Herbicide EC 

Botector ® 

Biofungicide 

Gargoil 

Insect, Mite & Disease Control 

® 

Blossom Protect 

Bactericide 

For more information, call (800) 876-2767 or visit www.westbridge.com 



Soil textbooks teach that the physical 

structure of an ideal soil is made up of 

50% solids and 50% pore space. Ideally, the 

solids part is comprised of 45% Minerals 

and 5% Organic Matter, while the pore 

space portion is comprised of half Air 

and half Water. However, those same 

textbooks do not tell what changes are 

needed in order to help soils that are 

lacking it achieve that correct physical 

structure. 

70 percent of all humus is formed in 

the top two inches of soil. Ninety-five 

percent of humus is formed in the top 

five inches, and 100 percent is formed 

within the depth of each soils’ aerobic 

zone. 

One good measurement to determine 

each soils’ aerobic zone (how deep 

the microbes that depend on air can 

get enough to live and function) is to 

remember that it as deep as a fencepost 

will rot in each particular soil. This is 

generally between 6.5 to 8 inches deep. 

How many people who advocate 

for building better soil health even 

consider providing an adequate 

amount of air to the soil as the most 

critical step to building excellent soil 

health? And even so, if the soil lacks 

aeration, is there anything that can be 

universally done to change or correct 

that lack? 

Changing Soil Structure 

Air is needed to keep a healthy set of 

microbes to supply plant nutrients and 

build humus in our soils. But what 

can be used to determine if the correct 

amount of air – not too little and not 

too much – is present? 

This is an important question that too 

few can answer. When soil aeration is 

lacking, how can farmers and growers 

detect that actually is the case? What 

provides the proper amount of aeration 

to the soil to best promote soil life 

and soil health? There is a way to 

determine this answer that many in 

agriculture reject because it does not 

translate into immediate 

sales and profits, though 

it is very profitable for the 

farmer and the land in 

terms of soil health. 

That answer has to do with 

measuring and correcting 

the physical structure of 

each different soil. The 

physical structure of a 

soil (how well it works 

up, takes in water and provides the 

needs for plant roots) determines the 

amount of air and water that is present 

in relation to the soils’ mineral content. 

The ideal soil has a specific physical 

structure. That is 25 percent air, 25 

percent water, and 50 percent mineral 

content - of which 5 percent or more of 

that mineral content would ideally be 

humus (see related pie chart). 

Textbooks on soil science illustrate the 

physical structure of an ideal soil as 

50 percent solids and 50 percent pore 

space. However, none of those books 

go on to provide what changes are 

needed in order to enable soils that are 

lacking such qualities reach that correct 

physical structure. 

Achieving the ideal physical structure 

for each soil – the proper amount of 

air in relation to water in each soil – 

can only be correctly determined by 

measuring the percentage of saturation 

of the elements that have a major 

influence on pore space in that soil. 

To correctly understand and farm 

the soil, those elements are calcium, 

magnesium, potassium and sodium. 

In order to bring the physical structure 

of a soil into alignment with the 

textbook definition of an ideal soil; 

first measure and adjust the base 

saturation percentages of calcium, 

magnesium, potassium and sodium to 

match the correct percentages needed 

for the total exchange capacity (TEC) 

of that particular soil. The pie chart 

in this article shows those needed 

relationships. 

Making any needed corrections will 

help promote the proper nutrient 

uptake, the proper physical structure, 

and the ideal biological environment 

for the soil and the crop. 

In other words, to optimize needed 

soil aeration the correct relationship 

between specific elements, namely 

calcium, magnesium, potassium and 

sodium must be achieved. When 

there is too much of any one of these, 

there will usually be too little of one or 

more of the others. Until any excesses 

or deficiencies of any of these four 

elements are corrected, the soil will not 

have the ideal amount of air in relation 

to water. 

Since calcium and magnesium are 

by far the most needed and thus 

provide the most influence of the four 

elements involved for building the 

proper soil structure, always consider 

correcting them first. This is the place 

to begin if soils do not already have 

the ideal physical structure and thus 

the ideal amount of air to provide 

for optimum biological activity. 

Balancing Calcium and Magnesium 

Before correcting calcium and 

magnesium levels, there are three basic 

points that need to be understood. 

First, the base saturation percentage of 

calcium plus magnesium always needs 

to equal 80 percent in order to achieve 

the correct physical relationship 

between air and water in the soil. In 

other words, the proper relationship 

between calcium and magnesium 

ultimately determines the friability of 

each soil – whether it is too tight or too 

loose or works up as it properly should. 

This relationship applies to every soil 

with a TEC of 4.16 or higher. (Lower 

TEC soils must be treated differently 

and require a separate course to explain 

all the differences to consider.) 

The second point is concerned with the 

reaction of calcium and magnesium 

to one another in terms of changes in 

the soil’s base saturation. The change 

is generally expected to be 1:1. This 

means that for every 1-percent increase 

in calcium, the magnesium will 

decrease by 1 percent. And also, for 

every 1 percent magnesium goes up 



POWER UP YOUR PLANTS 

WITH 

For Soil Activation 

 

 

 

Accelerates 

 

Improves 

 

Activates 

 

 

For Plant Growth/ 

Development 

 

 

 

INCREASES 

 

Strengthens 

& Boosts 

Resistance 

Promotes 

 

 

Contact Us Today at 1-800-279-9567 

CallNRG.com 



without adding more calcium 

to counteract it, the calcium 

will decrease by 1 percent. 

(But watch higher TEC 

soils. Some have magnesium 

trapped between the layers 

of clay, while others may 

have an abnormally high pH, 

or percentage of potassium 

or sodium that affects 

magnesium availability.) 

NOW Monitoring System! 

Monitoring lures for conventional and organic California tree nuts!! 

optimum detection 

the choice is yours 

NOW L 2 High 

Pheromone Lure 

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. 

Pheromone Lure 

NOW L 2 NOW L 2 Low 

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 

® 

This brings up the third point which 

is, the principle of nutrient balance 

involves correcting the obvious 

deficiencies in order to help control any 

excesses. 

Here is the basic foundational key to 

excellent soil health: Work to supply 

each soil with the proper amount of 

needed air and that soil will be most 

equipped to perform at its best. And 

only a detailed soil analysis will 

provide the necessary information to 

show what is needed to promote the 

needed air in each soil. 

Cover crops, compost, adding carbon 

and nutrients can all help contribute 

to soil health, but until there is enough 

air in the soil, that most critical 

component will still slow the way to 

excellent soil health. 

Once the required percentages of 

calcium, magnesium, potassium 

and sodium are met, then the soil 

chemistry is working at its best and 

providing the proper physical structure 

for air and water to function as they 

should due to well aerated soil. Will 

it always be perfect? No. Too much 

rain can reduce aeration, not enough 

water can cause problems as well. But 

once the soil nutrients are there in the 

correct proportions, only then does the 

soil have the best means of re-adjusting 

to the most ideal conditions in the 

shortest period of time. Until the 

conditions are met for proper aeration 

in each soil, there is no chance of 

achieving what is needed for an ideal in 

terms of soil fertility and plant health. 

Neal Kinsey is owner and President 

of Kinsey Agricultural Services, a 

consulting firm that specializes in 

restoring and maintaining balanced 

soil fertility for attaining excellent 

yields while growing highly nutritious 

food and feed crops on the land. Please 

call (573) 683-3880 or see www. 

kinseyag.com for more information. 





From Redox and 

Mother Nature to You. 

Mainstay Si Organic is a reacted plant nutrient with 

10% calcium and 22% silicon. Mainstay Calcium 

Organic has 20% calcium. Together they strengthen 

cell walls and reduce the impact of abiotic stress. 

Call or visit to learn more: 

208-678-2610 

redoxchem.com/organic 

Additional Products: 

TriPlex Zinc Organic, TriPlex Micro Organic, 

H-85 Organic 

redoxchem.com 

@redoxgrows 


CHOOSING HEMP 

VARIETIES 

COMMERCIAL HEMP SEED PRODUCER OFFERS ADVICE ON 

SELECTING AND GROWING HEMP 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

A hemp plant beginning to flower (all photos courtesy of D. Cahill.) 

As larger commercial growing 

operations move into hemp as 

a rotational crop, breeder James 

Knox of KLR Farms offers some advice 

to boutique growers for selecting the 

right variety and competing in an increasingly 

crowded field. 

KLR Farms has hemp hybridizing, research 

and development facilities, and 

hemp-seed production farms in several 

locations in Oregon, and more recently, 

a collaboration on a six-acre indoor 

grow facility in Illinois. It recently partnered 

with a distributor in Tennessee. 

Choosing Varieties 

Knox said the first step is to select the 

right variety. He said growers should 

consider the following when selecting 

a variety: 

Understand your region and your 

growing season. Instead of picking 

the prettiest varieties, choose varieties 

suited for your location. 

If you tend to have a wet fall in your 

region, choose mold-resistant strains. 

You want a variety that will survive the 

end of the season, whatever that means 

weather-wise in your region. In Oregon 

and parts of Washington, harvest is 

generally in October – affectionately 

called “croptober.” It’s often an October 

harvest even for plants labeled as early 

flowering. Knox said. 

In 2019, Knox harvested his personal 

research and development, 25-acre inground 

plot, from Oct. 18 through Nov. 

11. He said his plants were still putting 

on mass and girth through October. 

Knox sold seed for 200 to 300 acres of 



agrinos.com 

Organic Products That Boost Your Bottom Line 

Available Through Your Local Retailer 


Hemp plants grown from cuttings. 


hemp to California farmers. 

“They have more light, more heat and 

a longer growing season, especially in 

SoCal. They were literally harvesting 

into December,” Knox said. 

Plant genetics are studied in depth at 

Knox’s operation. He has a PhD plant 

geneticist on staff. Feminized-seed 

plants are not genetically modified, 

Knox pointed out. 

In 2019, KLR Farms launched its 

offerings of hemp seed to the open 

market – nationally and internationally. 

They offer four different Sativadominant 

hybrids and five different 

Indica-dominant hybrids. One of the 

Indica varieties is an auto flowering/ 

auto hemp. This year they are also 

releasing three different Sativa hybrids 

that are dual-use fiber/oil varieties. 

Sativa 

Tall plants with smaller, thinner, 

finger-like leaves. Takes longer to 

flower than Indica, generally 60- 

90 days outdoors. Use drip tubes 

or tape to water. Originated in 

Africa, Central America, Southeast 

and some parts of Western Asia. 

Indica 

Dense, bushy plant with wide 

leaves. Shorter time to flower, 

usually 45-60 days. Good choice 

for indoor growing, but can 

also be grown outdoors. Use 

drip tubes or tape for watering. 

Originated in Afghanistan, 

India, Pakistan and Turkey. 

Auto Flowering 

KLR is collaborating with Sovereign 

Fields, located in Southern Oregon, 

on their offering of this variety. This 

type of hemp is day neutral and 

flowers without shorter daylight. 

planting 5,000-20,000 seeds per 

acre, typically drilled into the row. 

Overhead water, such as cannons or 

pivots works with this type. These 

plants grow 9-14 feet tall. Harvest at 

4-6 weeks into flowering by combining 

the top 3-4 feet, which is basically one 

big flower head. Cut the rest of the 

plant and lay in windrows. 

Use the top for oil and the rest for 

fiber. Some uses to consider for 

the fiber is dried and chopped for 

animal bedding, garden mulch, or 

use as green manure. Bag and sell 

it, or use it on your own farm. 

Hemp Compounds and 

Components 

There is more to hemp than CBD. 

There are many other compounds 

and chemicals to consider when 

choosing varietal strains. 

THC 

Is the main psychoactive compound 

that produces a “high.” Hemp grown 

for CBD oil is tested before harvest to 

make sure THC is .3 percent or less. 

“We have to increase the 

CBD amount per volume 

and bring the price down.” 

Fiber/Oil Dual-Use Hemp 

This is something 

" 

new on the 

– James Knox, KLR Farms 

market. In 2020, 

KLR Farms is 

introducing 

three new 

varieties. 

Plant at high 

density. Knox 

recommends 

James Knox of KLR Farms in one of his hemp 

propagation houses. 


CBD 

The non-psychoactive known for 

reducing pain, nausea, easing migraine 

headaches and preventing seizures. 

CBN 

Cannabinol is touted to ease 

symptoms of neurological 

conditions and muscle stiffness. 

THCA 

Tetrahydrocannabinol acid is 

similar to THC, but without 

the psychoactive effects. THCA 

may relieve inflammation from 

autoimmune diseases and arthritis. 

It may also reduce the symptoms 

of ALS and Parkinson’s disease. 

Advice on Growing Hemp 

“Go vertical,” Knox said. 

That means buying and using your own 

equipment to plant and harvest. Have 

your own dryer, storage facility and 

oil extractor, or be prepared to ship it 

out to a processor. Plan ahead for labor 

needs and costs. Have your fertilizer 

plan lined up. In addition, he offered 

the following suggestions: 

• Know the origin of your seed. Buy 

good feminized seed. 

• Test plant tissue throughout the 

season to monitor the chemical 

values. 

• Try to be in control of the crop and 

process from start to finish, without 

outsourcing if possible. 


CBG 

Cannabigerol may help with anxiety, 

post-traumatic stress disorder, 

depression and obsessive-compulsive 

disorder. This compound is beginning 

to get more attention, but the market 

is not yet mature, Knox said. If CBG 

is something you want to shoot for 

producing, he suggested planting no 

more than 30 percent of your acreage in 

CBG-rich varieties. 

Terpenes 

These are another natural compound 

found in cannabis. They affect the way 

the plant smells. 

September 17-18, 2020 

Visalia, California 

New This Year 

Extended DPR 

and CCA Topics 

KLR Farms' best-known variety 

is KLR #1, or CherryLimeadeHemp, 

named for its “pungent and complex 

sweet cherry, with strong essence of 

lime and skunky pine.” It’s a Sativa-dominant 

hybrid and one of KLR’s 

best all-around field producers. An 

aggressive grower, it’s got strong stems 

and stocks to hold up well outdoors in 

wind and weather, but also grows well 

under lights. It’s a bit later to flower 

than some of KLR’s other varieties, 

but flower biomass is heavy at end of 

season. If bud rot is a problem in your 

region, with wet fall weather or high 

humidity, this is a very mold-resistant 

variety. Raw flower biomass consistently 

tests at a 16-22 percent total CBD 

value. 

Pre-Register at: 

progressivecrop.com/conference 

Save 

The 

Date 

AG MARKETING SOLUTIONS 


Knox points to the callous forming on a hemp cutting. 



Big farmers are perched and ready to 

enter the hemp industry, Knox predicted. 

“They’ll use hemp as a crop rotation. 

They’ll treat and sell it as a large commodity 

for companies looking to add 

CBD to their product line,” Knox said. 

If Knox’s prediction proves correct, that 

will leave smaller, craft farmers scrambling 

to find their own value-added 

market niche. Knox points to the 

success of Oregon micro-breweries as a 

business model to emulate. 

To help the industry, Knox said, “We 

have to increase the CBD amount per 

volume and bring the price down.” 

Feminized seed is the best investment. 

Open-pollinated seed will contain 

males. Males produce pollen. Pollen 

blows on the wind and can make other 

growers’ hemp seed out, which ruins 

the crop. 

“It’s always important to look at 

past years’ historical crop data. 

Look at the past three years,” 

Knox said. “Pay attention to all of 

those commercial crops grown in 

your region. Kind of gauge your 

year off of it.” 

Comments about this article? 

We want to hear from you. 

Feel free to email us at article@ 

jcsmarketinginc.com 

“You do not want a 

seeded-out hemp crop, 

ever. Feminized seed 

is the most reasonable 

and responsible.” 

– James Knox, KLR Farms 

Navel Orangeworm Control! 

Mating disruption product for conventional and organic California tree nuts!! 

LESS DAMAGE – MORE PROFIT 

SEASON-LONG CONTROL THROUGH POST-HARVEST 

" 

“Sixty-six percent of the chemical (CBD) 

is taken away because of that seed,” 

Knox said. “You do not want a seeded-out 

hemp crop, ever. Feminized seed 

is the most reasonable and responsible.” 

Be a good farmer. Know, or learn how 

to manipulate water and fertilizer. You 

may need to coax plants into early flowering 

if the season is looking questionable, 

weather-wise. 

Spend the few dollars on a current copy 

of the Farmer’s Almanac. Read it, especially 

the seasonal weather forecast. 

“It’s as accurate as any forecast out 

there,” Knox said. 

Pay attention to what grows well during 

the years that hemp doesn’t grow well. 

For example, 2019 was a bumper crop 

for grapes, but not such a great crop 

year for many hemp growers. This year 

is forecast as another good grape year. 

That means history is pointing towards 

another potentially challenging year for 

hemp farmers. 

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. 

® 


UC STUDENTS BREED BEANS 

FOR ORGANIC FARMING 

By STEVE ELLIOTT | Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education 

Some of the beans bred for organic farming bred by graduate students at UC Davis and now ready for release (all photos courtesy of S. Elliot.) 

Graduate students at the University 

of California, Davis are 

making a very rare commodity 

available to organic growers: high-yield, 

disease-resistant bean varieties that can 

thrive on organic farms. A half-dozen 

new dry bean varieties that were bred 

at the University of California, Davis 

to be disease-resistant, hearty and 

high-yielding are now or soon to be 

available for commercial production. 

And, because they were developed 

through traditional breeding techniques, 

they are suitable for organic 

production. 

“Most crops—about 95 percent—have 

been bred for conventional farming 

and can be difficult to grow in organic 

systems,” said Travis Parker, a doctoral 

student in plant biology who is part of 

the project. “These new bean varieties 

could make a big difference in performance 

and profitability of organic 

legumes like pinto, black and kidney 

beans, as well as heirloom-like varieties 

with high culinary quality.” 

There are five new bean varieties being 

released now, and one that is going to 

get an additional year of testing. All 

have resistance to bean common mosaic 

virus and improved yields. They have 

been in field trials the past two years in 

growing regions throughout California 

should be well adapted to conditions 

across the Western U.S., Parker said. 

“Bean common mosaic virus slows 

down a plant’s growth rate in general 

and causes a lot of problems that 

growers sometimes attribute to other 

pressures, like 

insect pests,” Parker 

said. “And the virus 

is more prevalent 

than people may realize. 

Many growers 

have it and may not 

know it.” 

In addition, many 

of the varieties have 

shorter growing 

seasons than currently 

available varieties, 

some as low as 

85 days instead of the more typical 110. 

Here are the new varieties and the yield 

increases the UC Davis team measured 

over currently available varieties: 

• UC Sunrise, similar to Zuni Gold 

and Anasazi, 56% yield increase 

• UC Southwest Red, similar to 

Anasazi, 87% yield increase 

• UC Tiger’s Eye, similar to Tiger’s 

Eye, 55% yield increase 

“These new bean varieties 

could make a big difference in 

performance and profitability 

of organic legumes like pinto, 

black and kidney beans, as 

well as heirloom-like varieties 

with high culinary quality.” 

" 

—Travis Parker, UC Davis 


UC Davis doctoral candidate Travis Parker 

leads a student-run project to breed beans for 

organic production. 

• UC Rio Zape, similar to Rio Zape, 

16% yield increase 

• UC Southwest Gold, similar to Zuni 

Gold, 47% yield increase 

farmers can store them and sell them 

according to market conditions.” 

But conventionally bred beans can 

present a challenge for organic farmers. 

With limited use of herbicides, 

organic farmers have trouble controlling 

the weeds that battle young 

crops for water, sun and food. 

To address that, the UC Davis team 

are breeding fast-growing plants that 

can outcompete weeds. The new varieties 

grow tall enough to shade out 

weeds without tipping over to make 

it easier for organic and conventional 

farmers to use tractors to mechanically 

control weeds. 

Funded by a $1 million grant from 

the U.S. Department of Agriculture, 

the UC Davis Plant Breeding Center 

project is working with the Organic 

Seed Alliance and organic growers 

in California to set priorities and 

develop new crop varieties. Students 

are leading the project as part of the 

center’s innovative efforts to train a 

new generation of plant breeders. 

“We want to give our plant-breeding 

students experience with real cultivar 

development that results in products 

that growers and seed producers want,” 

said Professor Charlie Brummer, director 

of the UC Davis Plant Breeding 

Center. “This project lets us put those 

pieces together in a very meaningful 

and exciting way.” 

Sample seed for the five new varieties 

has been distributed at grower meetings. 

Commercial quantities are available 

through the UC Davis Foundation 

Seed Program. 

To order seed, go to fsp.ucdavis.edu 

or contact Larry Frame at lrframe@ 

ucdavis.edu. 


to hear from you. Feel free to email us 

at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Parker received a $25,000 graduate 

student grant from the Western 

Sustainable Agriculture Research and 

Education (SARE) program. Parker has 

been working with a team of student 

breeders under the guidance of Professor 

Paul Gepts, a bean geneticist with 

the UC Davis Department of Plant 

Sciences. The bean project is part of a 

larger plant-breeding effort to develop 

new varieties of tomatoes, peppers, 

beans and other vegetable crops that 

can flourish in both organic and conventional 

systems. 

Varieties to Combat Virus 

and Weed Pressures 

Legumes are nutritious and especially 

important to sustainable agriculture. 

They contain symbiotic bacteria in their 

roots that produce nitrogen compounds, 

which feed the crop and enrich 

the soil even after harvest. 

“That’s why beans are so useful in 

rotation with other crops,” Parker said. 

“Plus, dry beans have a long shelf life so 

Organic Farming & Consulting since 1975 

We have developed timing and 

release rates for most crops. 

Beneficial Insects 

Large and Small Quantities Available 

Prices well below competitors 

Robert Weaver Scott Lecrone 

559-977-2563 559-470-7328 

www.bioagservicescorp.com 


NATIONAL 

ORGANIC 

PRODUCER 

SURVEYS 

RELEASED 

Highlighting Challenges and Priorities Can 

Help Guide Future Research Investment 

By VICKI LOWELL | Communications Manager, 

Organic Farming Research Foundation 

The Organic Farming Research 

Foundation (OFRF) and Organic 

Seed Alliance (OSA) released two 

national surveys in February—one for 

certified organic producers and the 

other for producers transitioning to 

organic certification. This collaborative 

effort is part of a USDA-funded project 

seeking to learn more about the 

challenges and research priorities of 

organic farmers and ranchers, as well as 

farmers and ranchers transitioning land 

to certified organic production. 

OFRF, OSA, and a broad coalition of 

organic champions were instrumental 

in securing an increase in federal 

funding for organic research from 

$20M to $50M in the 2018 Farm Bill. 

These funds will dramatically expand 

competitive grants through USDA’s 

Organic Agriculture Research and 

Extension Initiative (OREI), ensuring 

organic farmers and ranchers have 

the tools and technology to meet their 

unique challenges and the growing 

demand for organic products—leading 

to a more resilient and sustainable 

agricultural system that values healthy 

environments and healthy people. 

Strong farmer participation in these 

surveys is critical to informing that 

investment. Survey results will be 

published in updated versions of 

OFRF’s National Organic Research 

Agenda (NORA) report (https://ofrf. 

org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/ 

NORA_2016_final9_28.pdf) and 

OSA’s State of Organic Seed (SOS) 

report, (stateoforganicseed.org) both of 

which serve as invaluable resources for 

ensuring research funding is relevant 

and responsive to the needs of organic 

producers, while also identifying gaps 

where additional investment is necessary. 

By collaborating on these surveys, 

OFRF and OSA hope to reduce survey 

fatigue and increase grower participation. 

OFRF’s NORA report is a frequently 

cited resource that has helped ensure 

research funding is relevant and 

responsive to the needs of organic 

producers, while also identifying gaps 

where additional investment is necessary. 

“With demand for organic products 

continuing to outpace domestic 

production,” said Brise Tencer, OF- 

RF’s Executive Director, “the organic 

industry needs more research that 

helps existing organic farmers scale 

up, diversify, and increase profitability, 

and also encourages more farmers and 

ranchers to transition to sustainable 

organic practices that are better for the 

environment and people.” 

OSA’s State of Organic Seed (SOS) project 

(stateoforganicseedorg) is an ongoing 

project that monitors the status of 

organic seed in the U.S. and provides 

a roadmap for increasing the diversity, 

quality, and integrity of organic seed 

available to farmers. “Organic farmers 

produce food differently, and that 


“THE ORGANIC INDUSTRY 

NEEDS MORE RESEARCH THAT 

HELPS EXISTING ORGANIC 

FARMERS SCALE UP, DIVERSIFY, 

AND INCREASE PROFITABILITY, 

AND ALSO ENCOURAGES MORE 

FARMERS AND RANCHERS TO 

TRANSITION TO SUSTAINABLE 

ORGANIC PRACTICES THAT 

ARE BETTER FOR THE 

ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE." 

- BRISE TENCER, OFRF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

means they need different seed for the 

crops they grow—seed developed to 

thrive without synthetic fertilizers and 

pesticides, and adapted to their local 

climate and soil conditions,” said Kiki 

Hubbard, OSA’s Director of Advocacy 

& Communications. 

“Understanding the research needs of 

organic farmers, including in the area 

of seed and plant breeding, is critical 

to the ongoing growth and success of 

organic agriculture,” Hubbard added. 

“OSA is privileged to have the opportunity 

to partner with OFRF on this 

critical project with strong support 

from the USDA’s OREI program.” 

The survey is being administered by 

Washington State University and all responses 

will be kept confidential. If you 

have any questions about this survey, 

please contact Lauren Scott at lauren.n.scott@wsu.edu 

or call 1-800-833- 

0867. This study has been certified as 

exempt from the need for review by the 

Washington State University Institutional 

Review Board. 

The project is supported by the Organic 

Agriculture Research and Extension 

Initiative (OREI) grant no. 2019-51300- 

30249 from the USDA National Institute 

of Food and Agriculture. 

Alm nd Day 



Organic Farming Research Foundation 

(OFRF) is a non-profit foundation 

that works to foster the improvement 

and widespread adoption of organic 

farming systems. OFRF cultivates 

organic research, education, and federal 

policies that bring more farmers and 

acreage into organic production. All 

OFRF research results and educational 

materials are available to download for 

free at ofrf.org. 

Organic Seed Alliance (OSA) is a 

non-profit that works nationally to 

advance ethical seed solutions to meet 

food and farming needs in a changing 

world. Through research, education, 

and advocacy, OSA fosters organic seed 

systems that are democratic and just, 

support human and environmental 

health, and deliver genetically diverse 

and regionally adapted seed to farmers 

everywhere. 




Register Now for 

SUMMER 

SHOWS 

wcngg.com 


PRIVATE GRANT 

WILL SUPPORT NEW 

UC CALIFORNIA 

ORGANIC INSTITUTE 

By MARNI KATZ | Editor 

The California Organic Institute will accelerate the development and adoption of effective tools and practices for organic farmers and those 

transitioning to organic farming. Organic strawberries pictured (photo by Mark Bolda, UC ANR.) 

A 

$1 million endowment will 

establish the University of California’s 

first institute for organic 

research and education within the UC’s 

Agriculture and Natural Resources 

division (UC ANR), expanding the 

UC Cooperative Extension’s research 

and outreach capacity to target organic 

growers in California. 

The California Organic Institute will accelerate 

the development and adoption 

of effective tools and practices for organic 

farmers and those transitioning to 

organic by building on the capabilities 

of UC ANR’s Cooperative Extension 

and Sustainable Agriculture Research 

and Education Program. Although organic 

is the fastest growing sector of the 

food economy, funding for research has 

lagged far behind support for conventional 

agriculture, according to a recent 

UC release on the announcement. 

Farmers interested in transitioning to 

organic or improving performance of 

their organic systems often lack the 

guidance they need to succeed. 

Funding comes from a $500,000 endowment 

gift from Clif Bar & Company and 

$500,000 in matching funds from UC 

President Janet Napolitano. Recruitment 

for an institute director will begin 

in early 2020, with a search committee 

including industry representatives and 

partners. The director will work with 

a permanent advisory committee, Clif 

Bar, and UC ANR to launch the institute 

and recruit additional like-minded 

partners to support its long-term 

success. Once the director is selected a 

decision will be made on the location of 

the Organic Institute. 

“California’s organic farmers already 

benefit from UC ANR’s pest management, 

irrigation and crop production 

research, and this partnership with 

Clif Bar will give UC more capacity to 

focus on challenges specific to organic 

farming,” said Glenda Humiston, UC 

vice president of agriculture and natural 

resources. “UC Cooperative Extension 

advisors work directly with farmers 

throughout the state so new organic 

farming techniques can be applied 

quickly.” 

The California Organic Institute is Clif 

Bar’s third organic research endowment 

and the first in its home state of California, 

where the company sources several 

key organic ingredients. California has 

the most organic farms in the country. 

California’s nearly 3,000 certified 

organic farms grow crops on land that 

represents one-fifth of all U.S. certified 

organic land. 

“The California Organic Institute will 

serve many of the organic producers we 

depend on for ingredients like almonds 

and figs, as well as farmers outside our 

supply chain,” said Lynn Ineson, vice 

president of Sustainable Sourcing for 

Clif Bar. “We recognize that the future 

of our food company depends on the 

ecological and economic success of 

organic and transitioning farmers.” 

Ultimately, with the support of UC 

ANR and a constellation of partners, the 

California Organic Institute will be in a 

strong position to increase the performance 

of organic farming for improved 

stewardship of natural resources, the 

economic well-being of rural communities, 

and greater stability for the next 

generation of California farmers. 

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources 

brings the power of UC research in 

agriculture, natural resources, nutrition 

and youth development to local 

communities to improve the lives of all 

Californians. UC ANR is a statewide 

network of UC researchers and educators 

who create, develop and extend 

knowledge on agricultural and natural 

resource management, youth development, 

family and consumer sciences, 

community and economic development, 

STEM and more. UC ANR collaborates 

with private and public stakeholders 

in all 58 counties. Clif Bar & Company 

is California-based manufacturer of 

organic foods and drinks, including 

CLIF® Bar energy bar and related family 

of products. 





NEED HEMP SEEDS? 

No Problem. 

Feminized and Organic Seed Offerings 

KLRFarms.com 

541-550-7441 info@KLRFarms.com 


Sustainable...Compatible... 

Plant Available... 

The Key to A 

Successful 

Finish is How 

You Start... 

Guaranteed chain of custody 

Non-GMO ingredients 

Full line of organic & sustainable 

fertilizers 

Complete programs, proven in 

the field... 

Call (480) 361-1300 or 

visit www.ferticellusa.com 

@ferticell

OF April_May 2020 e

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?