OF Dec Jan 2020

December/January 2020 

The Science Behind Regenerative Farming 

Boron for Growing Organic Crops 

Transitioning to Certified Organic Production 

Pests in Hemp 

Volume 3: Issue 6 

(Photo courtesy R. Dufour, NCAT.)

Dear Reader, 

I am grateful for another successful year of reporting tree nut news to you. For nearly a decade, 

West Coast Nut magazine has been sent to your farm. With a humble beginning of 3,500 subscribers, 

West Coast Nut magazine has become the thought leader in connecting news, research, and 

innovative articles to help tree nut growers farm more effectively. Thank you for allowing West Coast 

Nut to take part in making a difference in our industry. 

Over the last decade West Coast Nut has anchored and paved the way for many other ag-related ventures. 

JCS Marketing offers two other publications, Organic Farmer and Progressive Crop Consultant 

Magazines, as well as monthly newsletters, virtual events, live events, podcasts, videos, and more. 

Today, JCS Marketing reaches over 38,000 subscribers. 

It is truly a privilege to help so many farmers throughout the West Coast. If you have not had the opportunity 

to read about innovations in the industry that we are covering, I would encourage you to 

visit our website at wcngg.com to learn more about the great information you are currently missing 

out on. And update your subscriber information including an email so can provide you with all the 

important news we send out. 

JCS Marketing’s future is bright as we continue to innovate and lead the pack with new opportunities 

year in and year out. We continue to expand our digital footprint, events, and offer endless opportunities 

to expand your knowledge about farming in California. Our publications offer the biggest 

variety of content that is relevant to growing your crops. JCS Marketing assists thousands of agribusinesses 

grow in revenue and sales with more effective farming practices. Thank you for being part of 

the growth. 

The holidays are a time to reflect on all the great things that have happened to us throughout the year. 

This year I would like to extend my gratitude to my family, my work family, and our industry. Though 

this year has been a tough and trying year with the pandemic, political, and economic challenges, I 

am grateful for the opportunity to be part of agriculture and what we do for the world. Like many of 

you, I look forward to life returning to a sense of normalcy. But in the meantime, I continue to reflect 

on the things in life that I have taken for granted and miss so much, like a good old-fashioned live ag 

trade show. 

I personally would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. I look forward to a 

brighter 2021. 

2 Organic Farmer December/January 2020

IN THIS ISSUE 

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 

4 

The Science Behind Regenerative 

Farming 

4 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

& INDUSTRY SUPPORT 

Taylor Chalstrom 

Editorial Assistant Intern 

10 

Boron for Growing Organic 

Crops 

Danita Cahill 

Contributing Writer 

18 

Considerations When Thinking 

About Transitioning to Certified 

Organic Production 

Rex Dufour 

NCAT/ATTRA 

Neal Kinsey 

Kinsey Agricultural 

Services 

24 

Pests in Hemp 

Sarah Light 

UCCE Agronomy Advisor, 

Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa 

Counties 

28 

32 

36 

Creating the Optimum 

Compost 

Growing Organic Vegetables 

with Dry-Farming Practices 

Putting the Winter Back in 

Winter Squash 

Steve Elliott 

UC ANR 

24 UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION 

ADVISORY BOARD 

Surendra Dara 

UCCE Entomology and 

Biologicals Advisor, San Luis 

Obispo and Santa Barbara 

Counties 

Kevin Day 

County Director/UCCE 

Pomology Farm Advisor, 

Tulare/Kings Counties 

Elizabeth Fichtner 

UCCE Farm Advisor, 

Tulare County 

Katherine Jarvis-Shean 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Kern County 

Steven Koike 

Tri-Cal Diagnostics 

Jhalendra Rijal 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Stanislaus County 

Kris Tollerup 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Parlier 

Mohammad Yaghmour 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Kern County 

38 

Organics Continue to Make 

Gains in California 

28 

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. 

December/January 2020 www.organicfarmermag.com 3

The Science Behind 

Regenerative Farming 

Soil Health and Biodiversity Come First, Yield and Profit Will Follow 

BY DANITA CAHILL, Contributing Writer 

It’s cutting-edge science although 

climate-smart, regenerative agricultural 

practices on farms and in 

orchards are not new. Community 

Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) 

has been working with regenerative orchards 

since the 1990s. But now farmers 

aren’t the only ones paying attention to 

the regenerative ag movement – scientists 

are also taking notice and diving 

in, including researchers at the Ecdysis 

Foundation (EF). 

“Regenerative agriculture farmers are 

way ahead of the science,” said Dr. 

Jonathan Lundgren of the EF. “So the 

science is trying to catch up.” 

The EF is based out of South Dakota, 

but has projects from Saskatchewan to 

Kansas, into the southeastern U.S. and 

down into California. Besides orchards, 

the foundation focuses on food systems 

such as pastured dairy, perennial 

and annual crops, rangeland and honey 

bees. 

Research Challenges 

The EF started working in regenerative 

ag with corn crops in the upper Midwest. 

The farmers and ranchers were 

happy to cooperate with the researchers, 

but ultimately that initial study was 

a failure. 

“The problem was they were trying so 

hard to isolate particular components 

that it was misrepresenting what was 

really going on,” Lundgren said. “When 

the farmers changed one aspect of the 

system, they’d have to alter everything 

else in their system. You lose what is 

special about a farm. So, this whole idea 

of how to study regenerative agriculture 

presented unique challenges from 

a scientific perspective.” 

The researchers realized they needed 

to consider all the aspects working together 

to create a functional farm. That 

meant looking at everything from soil 

chemistry and soil/water relationships 

to nutrient density and the economics 

of the system. It also meant looking at 

life on the farms – from the microbial 

communities within the soil to the 

insects and plants. The experiments 

also needed to be done at scale. Plots of 

three feet by ten feet on a research farm 

didn’t react the same way as acreage did 

on a full-scale working farm. Experiential 

knowledge was also something that 

couldn’t be duplicated by researchers 

new to the field. 

“A scientist can step in and say, ‘do this, 

this and this, and then you’re going to 

be a regenerative farmer.’ But knitting 

all those aspects together into a regenerative 

farm requires farming experience,” 

said Lundgren. 

Studying regenerative farming and 

encouraging the practice is important 

for our future. “We’re talking about offsetting 

carbon emissions with our food 

system,” Lundgren said. “Regenerative 

farming practices hold tremendous 

potential for solving so many of these 

planetary-scale problems that we’re facing 

as a society. These include reducing 

water stress on landscapes and promoting 

biodiversity conservation during 

one of the worst mass extinction events 

the planet has ever faced.” He added 

that regenerative ag also increases 

farm resilience and produces healthier 

food, which in turn produces healthier 

people. 

Regenerative vs Conventional 

To succeed as a regenerative farmer 

takes a paradigm shift. Instead of focusing 

first on yield and profit, regenerative 

farmers shift their focus to soil 

health and biodiversity. The yield and 

profits follow. 

There are many ways to create a regenerative 

farm instead of a conventional 

farm, but most, if not all, regenerative 

farms practice the following four methods: 

No tillage. Stop tilling completely, or 

reduce it to maintain living roots. 

Continued on Page 6 




Continued from Page 4 

Never leave bare soil. Plant cover 

crops, or depend on native or resident 

plants to act as natural cover crops. 

Plant diversity. Some is better than 

none; more is better than less. 

Integrate crops and livestock. Carefully 

introduce and manage livestock 

such as sheep, cattle or chickens onto 

cropland or into orchards at specific 

times of the season, but not within 

120 days of harvest. 

While all of the above practices have 

proved helpful to regenerative farmers, 

“Until we apply science, though, these 

become very anecdotal,” Lundgren 

said. “Well, this works for this farm, 

but it might not work for this one sort 

of thing.” 

Research assistant Ali Mohammedsabri uses an aspirator and a 

quadrat to sample for invertebrates (all photos by T. Fenster.) 

Research assistant Hilary Vanderheiden takes a bulk density sample. 

That’s where researcher Tommy Fenster 

of the EF and the Departments 

of Biology and Earth and Environmental 

Science at CSU East Bay come 

in. Fenster did a comparison between 

regenerative and conventional almond 

orchards. His study looked at everything 

from farmer design systems, to 

soil nutrients and microbial communities, 

up through yield and profitability 

of the farm to see how all the 

pieces connected. 

Questions that Fenster wanted 

answered included: Are regenerative 

farms increasing biodiversity? Are 

these practices providing pest control? 

Are they creating real profitable 

and successful business models? Do 

regenerative management practices 

reduce the need for synthetic fertilizers, 

insecticides and herbicides while 

adding value to an orchard? 

To start the study, the researchers 

found regenerative farmers growing 

almonds, and did field assessments 

of their practices. They scored the 

orchards on the practices they used, 

things such as introducing livestock 

and using propane flamers to control 

the vegetation strip between trees. 

Fenster settled on eight regenerative 

almond orchards and eight conven- 


tional almond orchards, pairing one of 

each within a 10-mile radius in similar 

soil type and growing the same almond 

variety. The farms were located north of 

Chico down through Merced County. 

The average age of the regenerative 

orchards was 17 years. Average age of 

conventional orchards was 13 years. 

Fenster found that regenerative farms 

were more likely to have 12 centimeters 

of ground cover compared to 2 cm on 

conventional farms. 

“That ground cover helps protect the 

soil even during dry summers,” he said. 

“Water doesn’t penetrate as well into the 

soil without ground cover or mulch.” 

Some of the things the study compared 

were soil nutrients, soil carbon and 

nitrogen, soil organic matter, water 

infiltration and bulk density, microbial 

diversity and biomass, ground-level 

invertebrate biomass, diversity and pest 

management services. 

At harvest time, researchers assessed almonds 

for pest damage. Damage from 

navel orangeworm was the same. 

“Both the regenerative and conventional 

farmers did a pretty good job of controlling 

pest damage,” Fenster said. 

The Profit Factor 

Researchers also looked at the nutrient 

density of nuts, yield per acre and 

profitability. They found little or no 

difference in yield between both of 

the farming systems. Profitability was 

about twice as high for regenerative 

growers. 

“There’s really no difference in operating 

costs. There’s actually potential for 

the regenerative orchards to decrease 

operating costs,” Fenster noted. “Increased 

revenue came from a higher 

value placed upon the almonds.” 

Regenerative farms scored significantly 

higher soil health index scores. Those 

farms had higher amounts of organic 

matter, organic nitrogen, carbon, 

calcium and total phosphorus. Conventional 

farm soil had a slightly higher 

aluminum content. 

Getting the key nutrients to the trees 

without the use of synthetics proved 

doable. “And in some cases these key 

nutrients were actually higher,” Fenster 

said. 

There was easier root penetration on 

the regenerative farms and better water 

infiltration, 10 minutes for infiltration 

compared to 64 minutes in one test 

after a heavy rain event. Bulk density 

is lower in conventional orchards; 

conventional orchards had 41 metric 

tons of total soil carbon per hectare, 

compared to 54 metric tons per hectare 

in regenerative. 


SPRAY THE RIGHT BIOPESTICIDES. 

Best practices for crop management require growers to spray the right treatment, on the right 

target pest, at the right rate, right time and with the right equipment. We are here to offer you 

the right solutions you need to protect your organic crops. Equip your IPM program today with 

our line of OMRI-LISTED ® botanical oil-based biopesticides: Miticide-insecticide TetraCURB 

to solve mite and small, soft-bodied insect problems and fungicide-bactericide Thymox Control ® 

to manage fungal and bacterial diseases. They are the RIGHT crop protection tools as they have 

a zero-day PHI, a zero-hour REI; no known resistance, no MRLs, no application restrictions and 

are approved for use on all crops! 

MRL 

EXEMPT 

Visit kemin.com/therightbiopesticide for more information about our products or 

call Richard Jones 626-372-1153. 

MITICIDE-INSECTICIDE 

FUNGICIDE-BACTERICIDE 

FIFRA 25(b) exempt pesticides: These products are exempt from registration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under 

FIFRA section 25(b) regulations. Kemin Crop Technologies partners with Laboratoire M2, Inc. to distribute THYMOX CONTROL ® . Always read 

and follow label directions. Consult your Kemin representative or your state regulatory representative for approval of this use in your state, specific 

applications and labeling. © Kemin Industries, Inc. and its group of companies 2020. All rights reserved. ® Trademarks of Kemin Industries, Inc., 

USA. Copyright 2020 © Thymox | Biodegradable Disinfecting Technologies Manufacturer. 

croptech@kemin.com 


" 

" 

—Dr. Jonathan Lundgren, Ecdysis Foundation 


The difference in the carbon amount 

was in the very top layers of soil. 

“It shows the fragility of where this 

carbon is at,” Fenster said. 

Microbial biomass was higher in regenerative 

farms, including mycorrhizal 

fungi mass. 

“These are really key for getting nutrients 

to trees,” he added. 

Regenerative orchards showed six times 

the biomass of ground-level invertebrates 

and higher biodiversity. 

“Regenerative orchards are supporting 

a more robust and diverse invertebrate 

community.” 

Research assistants Chris Bradley, Ali Mohammedsabri and Hilary 

Vanderheiden prepare to sample for ground-level invertebrates. 

Regenerative Farming 

Key Takeaways 

Maintaining ground cover on orchard 

floors is the most important 

practice for building soil carbon, 

but only functions within a complete 

regenerative system. 

Regenerative orchards slowly gain 

total soil carbon (TSC). Conventional 

orchards slowly lose it. 

There’s a significant correlation 

between increasing invertebrate 

and arthropod biodiversity and 

TSC in top soil layers. A robust 

and diverse population of the little 

creatures plays an important role 

in breaking down the plant matter 

into soil carbon. 

Increasing invertebrate biodiversity 

correlated to reduced pest damage. 

There was a definite link between 

TSC and invertebrate diversity with 

profitability. 

Comments about this article? We want 

to hear from you. Feel free to email us at 

article@jcsmarketinginc.com 


® 

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 


Boron for 

GROWING 

Organic Crops 

Both Soils and Crops Need Adequate Boron to 

Balance Nutrient Utilization 

BY NEAL KINSEY, Kinsey Agricultural Services 

The previous article provided the 

first in a series to be published in 

Organic Farmer on both soil needs 

and plant response for trace elements or 

micronutrients. 

More often than not, the soils we 

receive to be analyzed for growing all 

types of crops are deficient in several 

micronutrients, but the one that requires 

constant vigilance to assure the 

greatest success is boron. Like nitrogen 

and sulfur, boron can be leached from 

the soil. So, just as is true concerning 

sulfur, farmers and growers should 

test for boron content in the soil and 

generally expect it to be required to 

correct soil needs accordingly from 

year to year. 

Although it should be, boron is not 

usually considered as a necessary addition 

for growing most crops including 

corn, soybeans, wheat, vegetables and 

even pastures. Without adequate boron, 

more nitrogen is needed in order to 

produce the same amount of growth. 

Consequently, it needs to be present 

in sufficient amounts as plants begin 

to grow and throughout the growing 

season. Still, it is always best to apply 

boron to the land based on actual needs 

as established by a reliable soil test, 

not by guessing whether it is or is not 

needed. 

Calcium and Boron 

Based on the test we use, the minimum 

boron level in any soil should be no 

lower than 0.8 ppm. But because it can 

be easily leached with rainfall or irrigation 

water, enough material should 

be applied to build for a higher level, 

and 1.5 to 2.0 ppm is considered ideal. 

Excellent boron levels are only most effective 

when there is sufficient calcium 

and phosphorous. Though it can still 

be helpful, there is no need to expect 

the best response from boron under circumstances 

where either one of these 

elements is not at sufficient levels. 

In fact, calcium and boron work together 

in the soil as plants need sufficient 

calcium to take up adequate boron, and 

enough boron is needed in the soil to 

assure that calcium is taken up by the 




All crops and pastures need adequate boron for maximum nitrogen response 

(photo by Linda Kinsey.) 


plants. Also, if phosphate is deficient 

in the soil, boron will not fill the seed 

or grain to the same extent as would 

normally be the case. 

Though some in plant genetics may 

disagree, once all the other needed 

nutrient levels are completely met for 

producing a desired corn yield, if boron 

is not kept above 0.80 ppm, the kernels 

will not fill out all the way to the tip 

of the cob. It is not plant genetics that 

cause this problem. In every case, once 

the nutrients that are lacking have been 

supplied, even the most “susceptible” 

varieties fill out completely. How many 

bushels of corn grain are lost due to 

that lack, even at ¼-inch of grain loss 

per cob per acre? 

As an all-too-common example, one 

corn farmer, new to the program, always 

had problems getting his corn to 

fill all the way to the tip of the cob. This 

farmer had low phosphate and deficient 

boron levels in his fields. We recommended 

both the needed phosphate 

and the boron. However, the farmer 

was convinced by his fertilizer dealer 

that his soils had adequate P levels and 

only needed a little starter P. This was 

also advocated to farmers in the area by 

the land grant university in the state. 

Though sufficient boron was supplied, 

the kernels at the tips of the cobs 

still did not fill out completely to the 

end because the soil lacked sufficient 

phosphate. When both are deficient, a 

primary element such as phosphate or 

potassium should be given the highest 

priority over any trace element, including 

boron. 

That same farm still uses our program. 

Once the needed P was supplied and 

the boron level continued to be maintained, 

the cobs began filling plump 

kernels of grain completely to the tip 

of each ear, and the yield increase from 

that extra grain is now an annual 30 to 

40 more bushels of corn per acre. 

Nutrient Balance 

Soils need boron to maximize the size 

of fruit and seed crops. But this will 

not happen without adequate calcium. 

Calcium is necessary to get starch into 

crop leaves. Boron is needed to get the 

starch from the leaves to the fruit or 

the grain. If either is lacking, seed and 

fruit size will also be lacking. 

Consider again: this response will not 

happen without the proper minimum 

amount of calcium in the soil. And just 

having a “good soil pH” does not assure 

that calcium is adequate enough for the 

best crop response to boron. It is the 

soil saturation of calcium that determines 

how boron will help plants to 

respond in any soil. When the available 



ISOMATE ® Mist NOW 

SCIENCE FOR SOLUTIONS 

Average NOW / Trap / Season 

120 

100 

80 

60 

40 

20 

0 

Grower Standard 

ISOMATE Mist NOW 

Egg 

Replicated 4x - Chico, CA - 2019 

in Traps 

46% 

Reduction 

Pheromone 

99% 

Reduction 

Navel Orangeworm 

Pheromone 

Mating 

Disruption 

Simple 

Deployment! 

- Almond Harvest 

1 Mist Unit/Acre 

Use Rate 

7 

Average NOW Infested Nuts (%) 

6 

5 

4 

3 

2 

1 

75% 

Reduction 

225+ Days 

Pheromone Release 

0 

Grower Standard 

ISOMATE® 

Mist NOW 

Replicated 4x - Chico, CA - 2019 

PACIFIC BIOCONTROL CORPORATION Jeannine Lowrimore Christeen Abbott-Hearn 

www.pacificbiocontrol.com Northern California 

Central California 

ISOMATE ® is a registered trademark of Pacific Biocontrol 209.603.9244 

559.334.7664 



calcium saturation is 60 to 70% in a soil, 

the crop response from using adequate 

boron is excellent. But on that same 

soil, if the saturation of calcium is in 

the 40 to 50% range, the same amount 

of boron can be toxic to the very same 

crop. This is why growers should not 

rely on soil pH as being indicative of 

enough calcium for the safe use of 

boron. 

A lack of response from boron can 

also be caused by excessive amounts 

of potassium in the soil. This situation 

can cause boron to be tied up and 

unavailable to the crop from the soil. 

More specifically, when potassium is 

over 7.5% of total soil saturation, even 

if the level of boron has been maintained 

as needed, such high potassium 

ties up what would have been normally 

plant-available boron. In such cases, 

the crop will suffer from boron deficiency. 

Still, the more deficient the calcium 

saturation is in any soil, the more likely 

boron toxicity problems will occur. So 

again, a balance between all the soil 

nutrients is needed for best results 

because each nutrient must sufficiently 

be supplied to do its job in order to help 

the other nutrients to properly do their 

job. 

Once there is adequate calcium to 

ensure a safe response from boron, the 

minimum level in the soil should be 

0.80 ppm for general cropping purposes. 

But once the levels of other nutrients 

are built up, boron should be built up 

to between 1.5 to 2.0 ppm. This is the 

recommended level for alfalfa, but 

for maximum response from boron 

on other crops, that same level, when 

safely achievable, should be considered 

as ideal. 

Clay soils can be built up to the point 

that boron is sufficient for a crop or 

even several cropping seasons. Sandy 

soils are much harder to build, and at 

times may not even be safe to supply 

the amount needed to produce the best 

results. Again, only a reliable soil test 

can safely provide that critical information. 

Just guessing can be extremely 

expensive and very dangerous to the 

growing crop in such cases! 

Too much boron can be toxic to growing 

plants, so be careful not to apply 

more than each particular crop can 

stand at any one time. This is true even 

when more is shown to be needed for 

obtaining excellent results. 

Using legumes, plants that are very sensitive 

to boron in the seedling stage of 

growth, as an example, more than two 

pounds per acre of actual boron can be 

toxic, even if calcium is excellent. This 

is true from the time of emergence up 

to setting the first tri-foliate leaf, so 

at least one good soaking rain should 

occur between such an application and 

planting. 

A citrus grower using our program initially 

had severely deficient boron levels 

in his soils. The recommendations 

made were to correct the needed calcium, 

which, with ordinary agricultural 

limestone, will generally take three 

Boron is necessary for efficient nitrogen utilization. It also takes the starch from the leaf and 

puts it in the fruit which gives larger sized tomatoes (photo by N. Kinsey.) 


years to see the full effects for building 

up calcium levels. Because the calcium 

was so low and citrus is one of the most 

sensitive and adversely affected crops to 

excessive boron, the minimum boron 

application was recommended to be 

made with another minimum application 

six months later. 

The grower was warned that in his 

very sandy soils the boron might never 

reach ideal. Due to unexpected circumstances, 

the first application went on in 

late fall instead of late summer. But the 

response was so positive that a second 

application was used in late winter 

instead of six months later. Where this 

was done, the fruit was the size of half 

dollars when the part that did not receive 

the boron was the size of quarters. 

So, in spite of these two applications 

so close together, the results were so 

good that the decision was made by the 

grower without asking anyone to apply 

a third application in the spring. This 

time, the trees showed the classic boron 

toxicity with many brown pustules on 

the underside of the leaves and began to 

rapidly defoliate. This would likely have 

been a big disaster, but an unexpected 

five inches of rain came in the next two 

days and washed enough of the boron 

out to allow the trees to grow another 

flush of leaves. Though these were 

mature trees, the grower said it was the 

best crop he had ever produced there. 

Had it not rained, it would have likely 

been the worst. 

An example of boron use on grass 

may be helpful in several ways as well. 

Samples had been analyzed for the 

same golf course for a number of years, 

and the golf course superintendent 

had been applying everything but the 

recommended boron. Because of its 

reported effect on grass by other golf 

courses, he had been afraid to do so. 

applied. Recommendations were made 

for using a soil application of boron in a 

dry fertilizer mix. 

In about a week, he called to say how 

much better the grass was already 

growing than ever before. Due to improved 

nitrogen utilization, the same 

thing will happen on pastures when boron 

is properly used. But before talking 

about the grass growth, he explained 

how they could not get dry boron for 

spreading in the dry mix, but could get 

Solubor. I cautioned him not to use the 

full rate if the Solubor was used as a foliar 

liquid application because it could 

damage the grass. He immediately 

replied, “No it won’t!” As a test, we have 

already applied it to the grass at the 

nursery; half of one of the greens and 

half of one of the fairways, and in each 

case, the grass is just growing greener 

and taller than ever before. 

DON’T FORGET THE SEASOL... 

Solutions for the Earth 

Increases Nutrient Uptake Efficiency 

Increases Yield for a Bountiful Crop 

Decreases Saline Stress 

Improves Environment for Soil 

Microbial Activity 

Conventional and Organic Products Available 

It then was suggested that he just count 

his blessings under the circumstances 

and switch to applying the recommended 

amount in 12 equal applications over 

the entire growing season, which he 

agreed to do. 

The next day he called back and 

exclaimed, “You just saved my job!” Because 

overnight all the grass they had 

treated was now “dead” and, thankfully, 

no more had been applied that way. Foliar 

boron is fine to use, but it must be 

applied at a safe rate as a foliar which 

is much less than that can be done as a 

normal soil application. 

Soil v. Tissue Testing 

Certified organic growers can apply 

boron based upon proper testing to 

show there is a need. Borax (11% B) and 

Solubor (21% B) have always been al- 


View the Full Study at 

But after attending one of our courses 

and hearing why boron, due to the 

circumstances involved, can cause 

problems in one place while working 

well under different conditions in 

another, the boron was now going to be 

WATER 

SEASOL 

www.earthsol.ag 

earthsol.ag/crops 


In citrus, boron increases nitrogen efficiency, bloom size with thicker petals and larger fruit size 

(photo by John Fair Photos. Used by permission.) 


lowed. Other products may be allowed 

depending on the material and the 

rules used for certification. 

There are some soils with a pH below 

6.0 that still have a sufficient level of 

calcium to justify a safe and effective 

boron application. But there are also 

soils with a pH of 8.0 that have such 

a low base saturation of calcium that 

even half the normally safe rate for that 

soil with a pH below 6.0 could be toxic 

even with the same crop growing there. 

There may be several reasons why, and 

this is in no way meant to imply anyone 

is trying to deceive the growers. First of 

all, too many assume that soil pH is all 

you need to determine whether boron 

will be a problem in plants. This is a 

false assumption. It is not soil pH that 

accurately determines boron toxicity. It 

is whether each soil has enough available 

calcium or not. 

We recommend and use plant tissue 

testing for evaluating nutrient levels in 

plants. However, in certain cases where 

micronutrient levels are in question, 

the plant analysis will come back showing 

a sufficient level when the soil test 

shows there is still a need for more to 

achieve the best results. When it comes 

to the use of micronutrients, we follow 

and trust the guidance of the soil tests 

we use over that of plant analysis. 

For example, leaf testing for boron content 

will tell growers they have enough 

when soil tests will show boron as still 

not being there in sufficient amounts 

for the crop in question. 

Growers should be cautious when 

considering whether their soils need 

boron or not. There is a great disparity 

between plant testing and soil testing to 

show when more boron is needed. For 

example, when sufficient boron is applied 

to the soil to reach the ideal level 

for the best response and growth for 

citrus, leaf tests from this same grove 

may report toxic levels in the leaf. This 

type of warning has been given even 

when there is no sign of toxicity in the 

leaves or other plant parts, and, in fact, 

those who know citrus best would actually 

choose those trees as the best of the 

best based on looks, plant response and 

fruit production. 

Boron is an anion, which means it can 

be leached out of the soil because it 

is not attracted and held by the clay 

colloids in the soil. Humus is able to 

attract and hold some, but generally far 

too little to keep sufficient boron levels 

for the crops to be grown there from 

year to year. Like nitrogen and sulfur, 

boron can be easily leached from the 

soil. Consequently, though in some 

heavier clay soils it is possible to build 

boron sufficiently enough that, for a 

year or two, adding more is not necessary, 

most soils need at least some build 

up every year. 

Although needed in very small 

amounts, boron enables plants to utilize 

needed nitrogen, helps increase size 

in fruit, grain or seed production, and 

at excellent levels along with adequate 

copper, helps in preventing and controlling 

rust and fungus diseases. 

Apply boron based on actual need as 

determined by soil tests. Using too little 

or too much can be extremely costly. 

Do not guess. You cannot manage what 

you do not correctly measure. 

Neal Kinsey is owner and President of 

Kinsey Agricultural Services, a consulting 

firm that specializes in restoring and 

maintaining balanced soil fertility. For 

more information please call (573) 683- 

3880 or see www.kinseyag.com. 





STORE 

SALE 

20% Off Coupon Code: OF20 

SHOP NOW AT: STORE.MYAGLIFE.COM 


Considerations 

When Thinking About Transitioning to Certified 

Organic Production 

BY REX DUFOUR, NCAT/ATTRA 

Farming is a difficult business. 

Farming organically is a bit more 

complicated than farming conventionally 

because it requires a different 

knowledge base and a different approach 

“between the ears” than conventional 

farming. Here are some thoughts 

about transitioning to certified organic 

production. 

First of all, you should know that I’m 

biased toward many of the production 

practices that support organic production 

(cover cropping, use of compost, 

avoiding synthetic chemical pesticides 

and fertilizers, diverse crop rotations), 

because I’ve seen what good soil management, 

and plant diversity above the 

soil line can do. 

There are some basic considerations 

that farmers need to think about prior 

to transitioning to organic: 

• Market and market demand 

• Paperwork 

• Biological transition 

• Certified organic processing 

facilities (for meat, fruits, nuts or 

veggies) 

• Equipment 

• Commitment 

• Mindset 

What’s Your Market? 

There are a lot of conventional growers 

that have adopted some or all of the 

practices typically considered “organic” 

because these practices support nutrient 

and water cycling. So, if conventional 

growers are doing this, then the 

first question you should ask yourself 

is, “Why transition to certified organic 

production?” 

If your market demands certified 

organic product, or if the most likely 

sector for growth in your market is 

certified organic, then you better start 

climbing that organic learning curve 

(attra.ncat.org is a good resource.) 

However, if you’re just wanting to “do 

the right thing” and aren’t necessarily 

interested in the organic price premiums, 

then perhaps certified organic 

isn’t the appropriate path for you and 

your farm. 

You can experiment with planting cover 

crops or use of compost on a small 

block and observe the results. I would 

remind readers that most of our soils 

are in a degraded condition from years 

of tillage, compaction, chemical impacts 

and lack of organic matter, so it’s 

likely going to take at least a few years 

of managing your soils with respect, 

and as a complex ecology, to begin to 

bring the life back to them so they’re 

functioning properly. 

“Paperwork” Transition 

Certified organic production requires 

a three-year transition from the last 

application of a prohibited substance to 

the date of harvest of a certified organic 

product. Generally speaking, transitional 

product (i.e. not certified organic) 

doesn’t command any price premium. 

Plus, there’s the paperwork—each 

certifying agency has something called 

the Organic System Plan (OSP) that you 

need to fill out—it’s a record of all your 

inputs and many of your production 

practices. 

You should also be prepared if you’re an 

organic grower in California to register 

with the State of California as an 

organic grower (and depending on the 

size of your farm’s gross sales, you’ll be 

able to pay for this privilege. To see how 

much, visit organic.cdfa.ca.gov/OrganicReg/Registration_Fee_2017.aspx.) 


Organic farming requires a different approach to nutrient and pest management. 

Most importantly, it requires a different approach “between the ears” 

(photo by Rex Dufour, NCAT.) 

Annual inspections of your farm operation 

are also required by the certifying 

agency. And each certifying agency has a 

slightly different fee rate. For the last several 

years, USDA has provided each state’s 

department of agriculture some funds to 

defray the cost of organic certification to 

the grower. This is usually 75% of the cost 

of certification up to $750. These funds 

may or may not be available in the next 

growing season. Check with your state’s 

department of agriculture. 

And on a slightly different note, USDA’s 

Natural Resources Conservation Service 

(NRCS) has a practice under their Environmental 

Quality Incentives Program 

(EQIP) called Conservation Activity Plan 

Supporting Organic Transition (CAPSOT 

138), which will pay for a qualified consultant 

(known in NRCS-ese as a Technical 

Service Provider or TSP) to develop 

an organic conservation plan for your 

transitioning farm— nearly identical to an 

organic system plan. If you’re interested, 

ask your local NRCS Service Center about 

CAPSOT 138, and if they can recommend 

it. 



' 

Transportation costs 

can quickly devour any 

organic price premiums 

that might accompany 

a product, so make 

sure you understand 

what certified organic 

processing facilities are 

available for your farm 

products and what the 

transport costs are. 

' 


Biological Transition 

The biological transition of your ground 

generally takes a bit longer than three 

years. Certainly, your farm’s ecology 

will continue to evolve and revive as 

your expertise in organic practices 

evolves, but it also depends on how creative 

you are in your use of cover crops, 

compost and general management of 

the soil ecology and the above-ground 

ecology. 

You can learn a lot from talking with 

experienced organic growers. You can 

speed up this biological transition by 

implementing the “five principles” of 

healthy soil management (see ATTRA’s 

publication on this at attra.ncat.org/ 

product/manage-soil-for-water.) 

Equipment 

There’s the “equipment curve” as well. 

You need to figure out what equipment 

you should have, but don’t have right 

now, to be an effective organic farmer; 

again, talking with an experienced 

organic farmer will help you avoid 

some of the larger mistakes transitioning 

growers might make. For example, 

cover crops are an increasingly popular 

way to improve soil health. One-hopper 

grain drills can be effective, but 

if you’re interested in planting a more 

diverse mix and different seeding rates, 

multi-hopper, no-till drills are available. 

Do you have equipment to manage 

a cover crop? Many farmers like flail 

mowers to handle heavy cover crops, 

but make sure you have an appropriate-sized 

tractor which has sufficient 

power to handle the flail mower. 


Transitioning to organic production requires a change in thinking about your soils, especially maintaining soil 

quality and fertility. This farmer has planted a vetch cover crop, brought up by winter rains. The vetch will 

protect the soil from rainfall impacts, as well as providing "free" nitrogen (photo by R. Dufour, NCAT.) 


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 

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 

grocery store shelf and longer at home. 

Talk to Agro-K or your authorized distributor today 

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 



Processing Facilities 

A very important consideration is 

the location of processing facilities in 

relation to your farm’s location. Many 

certified organic products require certified 

organic processing facilities—this 

is especially important for nut crops, 

processing tomatoes, vegetables and 

leafy greens, and any meat or dairy 

products. 

Transportation costs can quickly devour 

any organic price premiums that 

might accompany a product, so make 

sure you understand what certified organic 

processing facilities are available 

for your farm products and what the 

transport costs are. 

Commitment 

The grey matter between your ears is 

perhaps the most important consideration. 

If you’ve been farming conventionally 

and relying on chemical 

fertilizers and pesticides for managing 

fertility and pests, be warned that organic 

farming is a different animal, and 

really a different way of farming. 

Over-reliance on synthetic chemicals 

has allowed some farmers to mask 

a lot of unsustainable soil and pest 

management practices with increasing 

amounts of chemical inputs, but even 

that approach eventually becomes too 

costly and less and less effective. 

Making a commitment to investing in 

your soils, just as you would invest in 

maintaining farm machinery or farm 

buildings, or training your farm’s staff, 

is an important commitment to make. 

But to invest in your soils, you need to 

understand what investments in your 

soil will provide the best return. You 

can begin by learning the basics of soil 

ecology and applying those aforementioned 

five principles whenever and 

wherever you can on your farm. 

Mindset and Input Substitution 

A word about input substitution, since 

you can make a small fortune with this 

approach, but you have to start with a 

large fortune. For growers transitioning 

to organic production from conventional 

practices, it may be tempting to 

simply substitute organic inputs for 

conventional inputs. This can be done, 

but you’ll likely go broke doing it, since 

organic inputs, including everything 

from organically acceptable commercial 

fertilizers to pesticides, can be pretty 

pricey. It’s much more practical to 

grow at least part of your nitrogen-using 

cover crops and to rely mostly on 

diverse rotations and creating beneficial 

habitats for pest control. 

Changing approaches from reacting 

to problems by applying chemicals 

to a mindset of proactive ecosystem 

management is a radical shift in how 

to approach problems on your farm. It 

can be a steep learning curve as well. 

But many farmers I’ve spoken with 

about this claim that adopting a more 

ecologically based approach to farming 

makes growing crops and livestock fun 

again and more interesting. The bottom 

line is: whether you decide to farm 

organically or not, all of us, including 

non-farmers, need to become better 

stewards of this planet, which, as far as 

we know, is the only place in the whole 

galaxy with life on it. 

Rex Dufour has been working in 

sustainable and organic agriculture 

for over 40 years. He has completed 

the International Organic 

Inspectors Association (IOIA) 

training for organic inspectors, has 

a MSc in IPM from UC Riverside 

and is registered as a Technical 

Service Provider (TSP) with NRCS 

in CA and NV. 




Additional Resources For Making 

the Organic Transition 

To choose a USDA-accredited certification 

agency (ACA), look through the list of options 

on the National Organic Program (NOP) website: 

www.ams.usda.gov/AMSv1.0/nop 

“The Organic Certification Process” found within 

the Program Handbook, and in the ATTRA 

publication: Organic Certification Process: 

attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/summaries/summary. 

php?pub=163 

How growers overcome the challenges of transitioning 

to organic: 

freshfruitportal.com/news/2020/09/21/ 

how-growers-overcome-the-challenges-of-transitioning-to-organic/ 

Transitioning to Organic Production, ATTRA 

News 2006: 

attra.ncat.org/newsletter/attranews_1106.html 

10 myths about transitioning to organic: 

duckduckgo.com/?q=10+myths+organic+transition+attra&t=ffab&atb=v225-1&ia=web 

Organic Certification of Farms and Businesses 

Producing Agricultural Products: 

attra.ncat.org/attra-pub-summaries/?pub=152 

Non-GMO Dairy Transition Guide: 

attra.ncat.org/product/non-gmo-dairy-transition-guide/ 

Organic Transition Training: 

attra.ncat.org/event-calendar/organic-transition-training-2/ 

Thinking about transitioning to organic production: 

agupdate.com/minnesotafarmguide/news/ 

crop/thinking-about-transitioning-to-organ- 

ic-production/article_06cced82-03b0-11e9- 

b116-a7399763cc99.html 

Do the Numbers: Organic Grain Transition: 

anchor.fm/moses-podcast/episodes/Do-the- 

Numbers-Organic-Grain-Transition-eg7mqs 

MOSES Organic Farming Podcast 

anchor.fm/moses-podcast/episodes/Do-the- 

Numbers--Part-2-Dairy-Graziers-on-the-Economics-of-Dairy-Grazing-efk3rf 


WE WILL PUMP YoU UP 

with our mycorrhizal products 

POWER UP YOUR PLANTS 

Ask us about our other soil care products. 

• BACTERIAL Inoculants • Soil Products • Biological Food Products 

• Micro Nutrients • Foliar Nutrients 

Contact Us Today at 1-800-279-9567 

callnrg.com 


PESTS IN 

HEMP 

Crop and Yield Loss Still Being Assessed 

in this New Commodity 

BY SARAH LIGHT, UCCE Agronomy Advisor, Sutter, Yuba, and Colusa Counties 

Powdery mildew has been observed 

in hemp, but disease pressure was mild 

and did not require treatment 

(photo courtesy DeAnna Vega, UCCE.) 

Hemp (Cannabis sativa) is an 

emerging crop in California, with 

cultivars of industrial hemp legalized 

for production in the 2018 Farm 

Bill. By definition, industrial hemp 

may not contain more than 0.3% of the 

psychoactive compound THC in the 

parts of the plants sampled and regulated 

by the state. Hemp has various end 

uses ranging from fiber to flower buds 

to grain seed, however most growers 

in California are growing hemp for the 

cannabinoid CBD. Hemp cultivars can 

be dioecious or monoecious, but hemp 

cultivars grown for CBD have primarily 

been dioecious types (male and female 

flowers on separate plants,) with female 

plants grown for CBD production. 

Pests in Hemp 

Since hemp is a new commodity, pest 

challenges are still being observed and 

monitored. Certain agricultural pests 

have been observed on industrial hemp 

in California, but it is not yet known 

which cause significant crop damage or 

yield loss. 

We know that tobacco budworm and 

corn earworm can cause severe flower 

damage. Webworms appear to cause 

damage to young stands when plants 

are small, but it is not clear whether 

hemp plants can grow out of it. Some 

other known agricultural insect pests 

have been observed on hemp, including 

leaf miners, spotted cucumber beetle, 

adult whitefly, lygus and mites. However, 

crop loss has not been confirmed 

for any of these species. While some 

of these pests can cause visible but 

minor damage to hemp plants (e.g. leaf 

miners), it is not clear if the damage is 

ever severe enough to affect crop yields. 

Many beneficial insects like dragonflies, 

native bees and honeybees have also 

been seen in these hemp fields. 

Some diseases have also been observed 

on industrial hemp. Some, like beet 

curly top virus and Botrytis blight, 

appear to be problematic. Others like 

powdery mildew have been observed, 

but disease pressure was very mild 

and did not require treatment. Gopher 

damage to root systems has also been 

observed in drip-irrigated fields. More 

research is needed to identify important 

pests of hemp, determine which 

pests require management and develop 

IPM practices. In addition, it is unknown 

what pest pressure may build up 

in the landscape in the future as more 

and more acres of hemp are planted in 

the state. 

Beet curly top virus (left) and Botrytis blight (right) can be very problematic in industrial 

hemp (photos courtesy Bob Hutmacher, UC ANR and Annemiek Schilde, UC ANR.) 



NEED HEMP SEEDS? 

No Problem. 

Feminized and Organic Seed Offerings 

KLRFarms.com 

541-550-7441 info@KLRFarms.com 


Examples of common Agricultural pests that have been observed in hemp. 

(photos courtesy Ian Grettenberger, UC Davis.) 


Spotted Cucumber Beetle 

Webworm 

Corn earworm can cause severe 

flower damage 

(photos by S. Light.) 

Tobacco Budworm 

Leafminer 

Beneficial insects like dragonflies 

have also been seen in these 

hemp fields (photo by S. Light.) 

Managing Pests in Hemp 

Hemp is a highly regulated commodity, 

and regulations are changing to 

meet industry and environmental 

safety needs. Talk to your Agricultural 

Commissioner if you are interested in 

growing hemp. Pesticides that can be 

used in hemp are currently limited. 

What determines if a pesticide can be 

used on hemp? The product must meet 

three requirements in order to be legal 

for application on hemp: 

• Exempt residue tolerance requirements. 

• Exempt from registration. 

• Use of the product would not be 

legally considered a use in conflict 

with the registered label. 

What does this mean? Basically, a 

product that is labeled broadly enough 

to not be excluded from application to 

hemp can be applied. Generally, these 

tend to be “softer” chemicals; however, 

these products still come with risks, so 

care should be taken to follow the label 

and make safe and effective sprays. 

Bee Safety 

Although most industrial hemp plants 

are female, the seed feminization 

process is never 100% true, and males 

will be present in the field. Male hemp 

plants shed a lot of pollen, making 

them attractive to native bees and 

honeybees. Bee Safe practices should be 

followed when managing pests in hemp. 

See a previous article in the August/ 

September issue of Organic Farmer on 

Protecting Bees in Hemp Production 

for more information. 

' 

Certain agricultural pests 

have been observed on 

industrial hemp in California, 

but it is not yet known 

which cause significant 

crop damage or yield 

' 

loss. 





The professionals’ top choice 

coast to coast for all root 

and foliar applications. 


Creating the 

Optimum Compost 

Proper Feedstocks and Treatment Are Essential for a Beneficial Blend 

BY TAYLOR CHALSTROM, Editorial Assistant Intern 

Compost offers a wide range of 

benefits to soils depending on the 

blend, providing soils with biomass, 

carbon and nitrogen sources. 

In order for compost to work in a soil, it 

needs to have the proper blend of feedstocks 

and be tested/treated to ensure 

proper nutrient levels and microbial activity 

are present. This article provides 

insight into the large-scale compost 

operation at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, 

and how this compost provides benefits 

to a nearby vineyard. 

Finding the Right Mix 

Kevin Piper, Director of Agricultural 

Operations at Cal Poly, San Luis 

Obispo, said in recent video interview 

that the school’s own operation takes 

four key components into account 

when building the feedstocks that go 

into their compost: carbon to nitrogen 

(C:N) ratio, percent moisture, bulk 

density (measured in cubic yards) and 

texture. 

“Good composting practices are important,” 

Piper said. “We want to know 

our feedstocks well, and that means 

knowing the specific components of 

each. 

“Texture is a good thing to incorporate, 

and normally you’re going to get that 

with your carbon source,” he continued. 

“This could be anything from fine sawdust 

all the way up to rough woodchips. 

You want to find a happy medium; if 

you have too much fine texture, you’ll 

end up with a light mix that has a hard 

time holding temperatures, and if you 

have too much rough texture, you’ll 

end up with a density issue.” 

The Organic Compost page on Cal 

Poly’s website (cafes.calpoly.edu/cal-poly-compost) 

says that the school’s 

operation removes solid manure from 

its dairy, beef, equine and poultry units 

and incorporates it with green waste 

from campus landscaping to create its 

unique blend. The specific feedstock 

breakdown for the operation, according 

to Piper, is green waste (55% moisture, 

610 lbs/cu yd., C:N ratio of 150,) waste 

feed/silage (75% moisture, 1,300 lbs/ 

cu yd., C:N ratio of 12,) horse manure 

(45% moisture, 450 lbs/cu yd., C:N ratio 

of 40) and separated solids from the 

on-campus dairy operation (85% moisture, 

1,400 lbs/cu yd., C:N ratio of 18.) 

“Once we’ve blended our recipe, we 

want our ideal component ranges to be 

a bulk density of 800 to 1,000 lbs/cu yd., 

40 to 60% moisture and a C:N ratio of 

30,” Piper said. 

Best Practices for Compost 

Creating a compost blend can be a 

complicated and drawn-out process 

and there are several safety/sanitation 

measures to keep in mind. If a compost 

producer’s operation is as large as Cal 

Poly’s, which Piper said produces 7 to 

8 million pounds of manure annually 

that is then turned into about 3,000 to 

3,500 cubic yards of finished compost, 

vigorous sanitation steps and testing 

are necessary to retain organic certification. 

“Compost producers have to consider 

California’s regulatory environment,” 

Piper said. “In this state, we deal with 

CalRecycle and the Regional Water 


Quality Control Board, both of which 

have regulatory requirements for 

composting facilities. One of the main 

things to keep in mind when setting up 

an operation or composting in general 

is not to do it next to a wellhead or 

within a couple hundred feet of a live 

stream. This can pose issues of runoff. 

“Another good [sanitation] practice 

is preventing cross contamination by 

cleaning machinery between handling 

raw feedstock and ongoing/finished 

compost,” Piper continued. 

Maintaining certain levels of microbial 

activity and nutrients within compost 

can also make or break an operation. 

Testing of temperatures and the product 

itself needs to be conducted before 

anything is sold. If a compost blend is 

not ready for use, according to Piper, it 

can be dangerous to incorporate into 

plants because of the potential for nutrient 

stealing. 

“We have a pathogen reduction phase 

(PRP) in our windrow process,” Piper 

said. “We use short and long temperature 

gauges to get an idea of what is 

happening on the interior and exterior 

level of the compost pile. Once we’ve 

reached a temperature of 131 degrees 

F during the PRP, we have to maintain 

that temperature for 15 days and turn 

that windrow a minimum of five times. 

When there is a 20-degree differential 

between the interior and exterior gauges, 

we know it’s time to turn.” 

Piper said that interior temperatures 

cannot exceed 150 to 160 degrees F in 

order for microbial activity to remain 

undisturbed. If they do, internal moisture 

conditions can become altered. 

“When pulling back some of the 

compost after checking the gauges, 

we want to see a layer of white mycelium 

growing as it shows we have the 

right moisture conditions and a happy 

environment for beneficial organisms,” 

Piper said. 

Before sending off finished compost 

samples to a certified laboratory, operators 

have the ability to conduct one last 

test to ensure for a stable product. 

“We use a Solvita test,” Piper said. “It allows 

to test what we consider a finished 

product for ammonia and CO2 levels. 

If the test shows reassuring results, we 

can send it off to a certified lab that is 

tied with the U.S. Composting Council’s 

Seal of Testing Assurance (STA).” 

According to the U.S. Composting 

Council’s website, the STA program is a 

“compost testing, labeling and information 

disclosure program designed to 

give you the information you need to 

get the maximum benefit from the use 

of compost.” Any grower looking to 

purchase compost for use in their own 

farming operation should look for the 

STA on a finished product. 


Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974 

FEATURING: 

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

2904 E. Oakdale Ave. | Tulare, CA 93274 

newerafarmservice.com 


Interior temperatures for compost cannot exceed 150 to 160 degrees F in order for 

microbial activity to remain undisturbed (photos by K. Piper.) 


Grower Usage 

Jean-Pierre Wolff, principal owner of 

Wolff Vineyards in San Luis Obispo, 

Calif., explained in a phone interview 

his own usage of compost in his soils 

and the benefits it has provided him. 

“I’ve been applying compost postharvest 

for 20 years and apply 1.5 tons per acre,” 

Wolff said. “It takes several years for 

compost effects to take place in terms 

of mineralization. In my case, in the 

first 10 years, I was mixing compost 

with gypsum. Now, I’ve switched to 

100% compost to give priority to the 

carbon content. The benefit of the nitrogen 

content is a slow leaching, which 

has been a good approach for us in the 

vineyard to have a slow and steady feed 

of nutrients. It also increases microbial 

activity due to the higher quality of 

compost.” 

Wolff switched to using Cal Poly’s compost 

mix in recent years for multiple 

reasons including its close proximity to 

his vineyard. 

“Years ago, I used dairy farm compost 

from the Central Valley,” Wolff said. 

“Because of the transportation costs, I 

switched to green compost from Santa 

Barbara county. Now, I use Cal Poly’s. I 

switched to them because they’ve gone 

through a lot of upgrades on their compost 

equipment and they also offered 

training classes. Close proximity was a 

big part of the decision.” 

Even though the use of compost has 

been working out for Wolff’s vineyard 

over the years, he made it a point to 

note a couple of major tips when using 

and buying compost. 

“One area which I think can be problematic 

because of climate change is 

that it [compost] only works well with 

areas of normal rainfall,” Wolff said. “I 

proved this during the latest drought. 

Utilizing drip irrigation just does 

not have the same flushing affect for 

nutrients into the soil as rain does. The 

microbe activity of freshly applied compost 

diminishes if this is the case. 

“Not all composts are created equal,” 

he continued. “The whole business 

of it starts with the quality you get. 

It sounds fundamental, but it’s key. 

Always get compost from a reliable 

source.” 

Producing and using compost is a 

complex process for both sides, and 

patience is required. Producers have 

to ensure that their final product is 

up to par (i.e. good feedstock sources, 

properly heat-treated, adequate nutrient 

levels and absence of any harmful compounds) 

and growers need to ensure 

that they are buying from the right 

source and utilizing good compost 

practices themselves. 






GROWING 

Organic Vegetables 

with Dry-Farming Practices 

BY DANITA CAHILL, Contributing Writer 

As climate change warms our 

planet, the ability to farm with less 

water is becoming increasingly 

imperative. Reduction of available summer 

water because of reduced snowmelt 

and drought is affecting food security. 

Farmers and researchers are working 

together to gain knowledge and come 

up with strategies for growing food with 

little or no irrigation. 

The idea for dry-farming is simple: 

hold the water that falls during the 

rainy season in the soil so it’s available 

for plants that grow primarily during 

the dry summer. Dry-farming can be 

successful in areas that receive at least 

20 inches of annual rainfall, such as the 

Pacific Northwest. 

“There is a suite of practices to conserve 

water for our summer crop growth,” 

said Amy Garrett, Oregon State 

University (OSU) Extension Associate 

Professor of Practice, Small Farms 

Program. 

The three main strategies for dry faming 

are: 

1) Using a tillage system; 

2) Protecting the soil surface; and 

3) Choosing drought-resistant plant 

varieties. 

These strategies work on land that has 

deep soil with good water retention. 

If soil is lacking such qualities, be it 

rocky or sandy, it can be amended with 

the addition of organic matter such 

as compost, growing cover crops and/ 

or carefully managed livestock grazing, 

which recycles the cover crop into 

manure. The roots of dry-farmed vegetables 

seek moisture and grow deeper 

than irrigated crops. To look at the soil 

texture and moisture content at root 

level, take a 5- or 6-foot core sample. 

Time the Tillage 

Use careful timing. When you work 

the soil, do so in the early morning 

hours before the area is hit with direct 

sunlight and while there is still dew on 

the ground. 

As far as seasonal timing of tillage, 

Garrett said, “We are starting as early 

as possible. We will typically flail mow 

our cover crop much earlier than 

irrigated farmers because as rain starts 

to slow down, the soils start to dry. We 

mow the cover crops in March or April 

when they are about knee high. We 

usually get a dry window sometime 

in the spring – as early as April, depending 

on soil type and microclimate, 

sometimes as late as the second week of 

May. We typically plant in May when 

there is still moisture in the soil. It’s 

important to put that seed in contact 

with moist soil.” 

Cultivate the Soil Surface 

Keep soil surfaces loose. It conserves 

moisture down at the root zone. Uncultivated 

soil tends to dry out and crack. 

Cracks in the soil open up and start 

drying out the deeper soil. 

“Organic farmers are cultivating to 

manage their weeds,” Garrett said. 

“Some farmers in California cultivate 


five to six inches deep. It prevents this 

crusting and cracking from happening.” 

As with any farming practice, improving 

the soil is key. “Anything we can do 

to improve soil quality is very important 

for dry-farming,” Garrett said. 

Growers can also use organic mulches 

such as leaves, wood chips or straw. 

There are two drawbacks to these deep 

mulches: They cool the soil temperature. 

This could inhibit the germination 

of some direct-seeded crops such as 

melons and squash, in which case a 

transplant might work better. And the 

mulch may attract pests such as slugs, 

snails, mice and voles. 

“We are looking into the benefits of 

deep mulch. A lot of people are experimenting,” 

Garrett said. “We’re just 

starting to analyze the data for leaf 

mulch.” 

Growers and researchers look at a soil core sample (all photos by Amy Garrett, OSU.) 

Plant Varieties 

Some of the plants which have been 

grown successfully with dry-farming 

methods include drought-tolerant 

varieties of dry beans, melons, potatoes, 

squash – including winter squash and 

zucchini – flour corn and tomatoes. 

A good source for dry farm seed is Seed 

rEvolution Now. Sundial Seed Company 

is another source. Both companies 

are located in California. 

Garrett and others involved in Pacific 

NW growing trials have shown success 

with watermelon variety Christmas. 

“It’s one of our favorites,” Garrett said, 

adding that although some dry-farmed 

watermelons tend to get mealy or pithy, 

she’s never heard negative feedback 

about Christmas, at least not as far as 

taste. Oregon Coastal dry farm collaborators 

didn’t have enough hot, sunny 

summer days for Christmas to ripen in 

the Astoria, Ore. area. Other dry farm 

varieties that have proved themselves 

worthy in taste and performance are 

Dark Star zucchini and Stella Blue 

winter squash. 


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 



Early Girl tomato is grown with success 

by dry-farmers in Coastal Northern 

California. In the Oregon Willamette 

Valley, the summer humidity is too low, 

and Early Girl tends to get blossom end 

rot. Next summer, a dry-farm trial will 

happen in Oregon with 200 different 

varieties of tomatoes. 

Since 2015, growers and researchers 

have been conducting variety trials. Included 

in the trials are a number of potatoes, 

several varieties of delicata winter 

squash, and maxima squash, which 

is a Hubbard type. Before COVID-19, 

the Dry-farming Collaborative (DFC) 

hosted farm tours along with taste tests 

with tomatoes and melons from both 

dry-farms and irrigated farms set out 

side by side. This year, the DFC hosted 

nine virtual farm tours. 

Dry-Farm History and Research 

Dry-farming is not a new way of 

farming, but rather a return to an old 

way that has been passed down from 

one farmer to the next. Only a small 

number of farmers experiment with 

dry-farming. Even fewer have extensive 

experience at it. 

The farmers and researchers behind the 

DFC, OSU Extension Dry-Farm Project 

and Community Alliance with Family 

Farmers (CAFF) have expanded that 

knowledge. Their studies, led by Garrett, 

started in 2013 on Western Oregon 

and Northern California farms. 

“We started out with case studies with 

farmers who had been doing this for 

a long time,” Garrett said. When she 

began her research into dry-farming, 

there wasn’t any information available 

through OSU, and no extension publications. 

“I’ve been kind of on a mission 

to raise awareness of the practices.” 

During the drought of 2015, there were 

about 100 people who attended the dryfarm 

summer demonstration. “Many 

people had their wells run dry that year. 

There was a real concern with people 

about water,” Garrett said. 

Getting Started 

Dry-farming has definite benefits. Winter 

squash from dry-farming will store 

longer than its irrigated counterparts. 

Dry-farmed produce also has more 

flavor. Besides producing more flavorful 

produce, which could command 

a higher price, dry-farming works in 

harmony with nature by growing food 

in a more sustainable way than conventional, 

irrigated farming. In addition 

to using less water, dry-farming also 

uses less fertilizer and labor. There are 

fewer problems with annual weeds 

and, although tough perennials such 

as bindweed and Canadian thistle may 

persist. Dry-farming practices also 

protect carbon reserves in the soil. 

The major downside to dry-farming is 

decreased yields. In some cases, yield 

reduction can be 25% to 50% lower 

when compared to irrigated crops. 

“The best way to begin dry-farming is 

to start small, Garrett suggests. “Maybe 

just two or three rows.” 

Soil is cultivated around a dry-farm crop. 


During the DFC winter meeting, “We 

all come together and talk about what 

worked and what didn’t,” Garrett said. 

The meeting will be virtual this year. 

“Opportunities are coming up. We’d 

like to find farmers who would like 

to join us, gather some ideas of things 

they’d like to try.” 

The DFC also has a Facebook group. 

“We’re specific northwest centric,” Garrett 

said, “but we have people from all 

over who are interested in dry-farming.” 

Check out the OSU Small Farms, 

Dry-farming website at: 

smallfarms.oregonstate.edu/smallfarms/dry-farming. 

Organic vegetables growing with dry-farm practices. 




The power to grow 

organically. 

Q-Bio ® 

complexed nutrients 

for organic crops 

qualitechco.com • 800.328.5870 


Putting the Winter 

Back 

in Winter Squash 

Popular Commodity Looks to Make a Comeback on the Vegetable Market 

BY STEVE ELLIOTT, Western SARE 

For growers, it doesn’t matter 

how much you harvest. What matters 

is what you sell! 

A good example of that came out of 

Oregon recently, but applies broadly. 

Growers were having trouble producing 

and storing a crop for sale in the winter 

into the early spring. 

“We heard from farmers that they 

weren’t making money on winter 

squash as so much of it rotted in storage 

in early fall,” explained Dr. Alex 

Stone, the extension vegetable crop specialist 

at Oregon State University. “We 

investigated and found that in western 

Oregon we have some particularly 

aggressive fungi that rot squash.” 

But storage rot wasn’t the only problem. 

Consumer behavior played a big role as 

well. 

“Winter squash is nutritious and delicious, 

but most people don’t eat very 

much of it,” Stone said. “One reason is 

that we can’t think of new ways to cook 

it, and you can only eat so much squash 

soup. Another reason is that many of 

us grew up eating unripe acorn squash 

and they just don’t taste very good. We 

wanted to see if we could change that. 

We wanted people to eat more squash 

because it is delicious and good for 

them and the environment.” 

To accomplish that, Stone, with Lane 

Selman of the Culinary Breeding 

Network and others in her team of 

researchers, chefs and grower collaborators 

had several challenges: 

• Identify squash varieties that 

yielded well in western Oregon and 

stored well under barn conditions 

(western Oregon has mild, wet 

winters.) 

• Identify squash varieties that taste 

good. 

• Show people how to prepare squash 

in new and interesting ways. 

Stone got a grant from the Western 

Sustainable Agriculture Research and 

Education program, which is funded by 

USDA, and began planting squash. 

“We grew lots of winter squash varieties,” 

she said. “We harvested them in 

September and stored them – or threw 

them out – through April. And we went 

through that same process again the 

next year, and then again the next year. 

We stored them in both controlled environment 

(temperature and humidity) 

and barn (maintained above freezing) 

conditions, and most stored longer in 

the barn.” 

One collaborator Stone had brought 

into the project was Chef Timothy 

Wastell, who tasted each variety as they 

ripened in storage. 

“Winter squash are meaty and can be 

eaten as main courses instead of meat, 

or blended with meat in main courses,” 

Wastell explained. “They can also be 

eaten raw in salads or cooked as side 

dishes or even desserts. Squash diversity 

– in texture, flavor, size and culinary 

use – lets us come up with a diversity of 

strategies for incorporating squash into 

meals.” 

After three seasons of growing, storing, 

testing and tasting, the project team 

launched a consumer-focused website 

at eatwintersquash.com. 


“The squash featured on this website are 

the ones that were productive in the 

field, long storing under barn conditions, 

and delicious every year,” Stone 

said. “Taste is critical because if they 

don’t taste good, people won’t buy them. 

The ones we feature on the website taste 

good and are profitable for farmers to 

grow because they store so well that 

growers can sell them throughout the 

winter when there isn’t very much local 

produce available.” 

The website breaks down squash varieties 

into four types: simple squash, saucy 

squash, sweet squash and salad squash. 

In each type, it identifies flavorful, 

long-storing varieties. 

“Winter Sweet and Gill’s Golden Pippin 

show up in a few different categories 

because they’re very versatile,” Stone 

said. “But the star of this project is the 

delicious and extremely long-storing 

and reliable Tetsukabuto. Growers are 

planting more of it because they can 

sell it reliably with no storage losses 

from October through May (or longer), 

and it is always delicious.” 

In all, five chefs contributed a total of 

20 recipes to the website, ranging from 

squash fries to Winter Squash with 

Louisiana Rémoulade to Sunshine Panna 

Cotta to Roasted Winter Squash and 

Leek Bread Pudding. 

“Another important benefit of winter 

squash is that they can be grown in an 

environmentally responsible manner,” 

Stone said. “Winter squash can 

be grown successfully on organic or 

conventional farms with relatively few 

inputs of nutrients, water and energy, 

and stored successfully in a low-input 

storage environment.” 

To get recipes or learn more about 

the squash varieties, visit eatwintersquash.com. 

To find information on 

the group’s subsequent project, visit 

eatwintervegetables.com. 

To find information on the group’s subsequent 

project, visit eatwintervegetables. 

com. 




Candysick Dessert delicata is very long 

storing and delicious. Most delicatas are 

not long-storing (all photos by Shawn 

Linehan Photography.) 


Organics Continue to Make Gains in 

CALIFORNIA 

Farm Gate Sales and Acreage Continue to Increase 

According to Recent Analysis 

BY TAYLOR CHALSTROM, Editorial Assistant Intern 

Farm gate sales of California 

organic agriculture more than 

doubled in a three year period from 

2013 to 2016 as the California organic 

farming industry saw increases in both 

acreage and the number of organic 

growers, according to the UC Agricultural 

Issue Center’s recently released 

“Statistical Review of California Organic 

Agriculture." The report, which covers 

the period from 2013 to 2016 shows 

the total number of organic growers in 

California grew by 1,020 and the total 

number of organic acres farmed grew 

by 927,924, while farm gate sales nearly 

doubled during the four year period 

from $1.54 billion in 2013 to $3.12 

billion in 2016. 

By the Numbers 

The total number of organic growers 

in California grew by 1,020 from 2013 

to 2016, and the review noted that 

some growers produce commodities 

in more than one group. Fruit and nut 

crop growers led that growth each year, 

gaining 545 new growers from 2013 

to 2016, while pasture and rangeland 

growers were the least abundant, gaining 

four new growers. 

The Central Coast region, which includes 

Del Norte, Humboldt, Mendocino, 

Lake, Sonoma and Napa counties, 

had the most organic growers in each 

year of the review. 

Acreage 

The total number of organic acres 

farmed in California grew by nearly 

a million acres from 2013 to 2016. 

Pasture and rangeland produced the 

most organic acreage each year, but 

the review shows that there were large 

up-and-down fluctuations across those 

years. Overall, pasture and rangeland 

experienced the highest net gain with 

556,947 new organic acres from 2013 to 

2016. 

Up-and-down fluctuations can also be 

seen by region for organic acreage. The 

San Joaquin Valley region experienced 

this especially, but still saw an overall 

net gain of 436,198 new organic acres 

from 2013 to 2016. 

Farm Gate Sales 

According to the review, California 

organics produced over $10 billion 

in total revenue from 2013 to 2016. 

Vegetable crops produced the most 

revenue each year with $3.77 billion in 

total revenue from 2013 to 2016, while 

pasture and rangeland produced the 

least amount with $9.07 million in total 

revenue. 

The San Joaquin Valley region, which 

includes San Joaquin, Stanislaus, 

Merced, Madera, Fresno, Kings, Tulare 

and Kern counties, produced the most 

revenue in each year of the review 

with $3.22 billion in total revenue 

from 2013 to 2016. The Cascade-Sierra 

region, which includes Trinity, Siskiyou, 

Modoc, Shasta, Lassen, Plumas, 

Sierra, Nevada, Placer, El Dorado, 

Alpine, Amador and Calaveras counties, 

produced the least revenue in each year 

of the review with $140 million in total 

revenue from 2013 to 2016. 

What Does It All Mean? 

The statistical trends in the review show 

large increases in organic growers, 

acres and farm gate sales. Even though 

these trends are from 2013 to 2016, 

Muramoto says he’s still seeing similar 

trends today in the organic farming 

industry. 

In a recent press release from the Organic 

Trade Association , the organization 

stated that organic sales across 

all states, not just California, were up 

by 4.6% in 2019 from the previous year. 

Statistics like these and the ones found 

in the review made my Muramoto and 

his team show that consumers are seeking 

out the Organic label more than 

ever, and future statistical reviews will 

be able to provide even more insight 

into the sector’s growth. 

Significance of the Review 

The late Karen Klonsky, a UCCE 

specialist who passed away in 2018, 

spearheaded the initial publications for 


statistical reviews of California organic 

agriculture in 1998, six years after the 

data became available as a result of the 

California Organic Food Act. Klonsky 

saw the need for a display of this data 

for the industry and published reviews 

that contained statistics all the way 

through 2012. All previous organic 

agriculture statistics reviews can be 

accessed at aic.ucdavis.edu/research1/ 

organic.html. 

The review summarized by Muramoto 

and his colleagues aims to continue 

Klonsky’s work. “This is the most comprehensive 

statistical review of California 

organic agriculture at the state 

and county levels,” Muramoto said. 

“Because we use her [Klonsky’s] format, 

we are able to compare this data to her 

past reviews.” 

The statistics review provides several 

functions: it helps project future trends 

of organic crops by commodity groups; 

influence strategy and policy for organic 

sectors in each county; and improve 

researchers’ understanding of specific 

needs and dynamics of particular organic 

sectors. 

“Accurate data on past trends and the 

current status [of organic farming] is 

crucial to develop an effective strategy 

for the future,” Muramoto said. “For 

example, the number of organic farms 

[by county] is highest in San Diego and 

is still increasing. They don’t necessarily 

produce the highest revenue per 

grower because they are mostly small 

farms; yet they play important roles in 

local food systems now and probably 

will in the future.” 

As for publications made more recently 

and future ones, there will be more 

published by CDFA, according to 

Muramoto, but there are some continuity 

issues due to the way data is being 

collected. 

“More recent years are not included [in 

our report] because the data collected 

by CDFA changed the crop category in 

2017 and again in 2019, so they are not 

comparable to the data in this report,” 

Muramoto said. “They did this to reduce 

the burden of growers in reporting, 

but it made a data gap consequently. 

Now, CDFA is trying to match the 

categories with the Ag census.” 

The most recent CDFA reviews of 

organic statistics are the “California 

Agricultural Organic Report, 2018- 

2019” by CDFA and the “2019 Organic 

Survey” by USDA-NASS. 





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 Dec Jan 2020

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?