SBCFB Weekly Newsletter
August 28, 2024
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From California State Farm Bureau | |
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Tulare County farmer Art Hutcheson walks through an almond orchard in Strathmore that was certified organic in June. He says owners of the farm wanted to convert some acreage to organic to earn higher prices, though price premiums for organic almonds have since softened considerably. Photo/Cecilia Parsons
Farmers Evaluate Demands, Benefits of Organic Certification
With assumptions about high fees and onerous paperwork and inspections, some farmers have eschewed becoming certified organic even though they may already be farming organically or want to transition to earn higher prices. But those who have gone through the process suggest such perceptions may be overblown, with some saying the benefits of certification are worth the extra cost and work.
“I had heard all the horror stories,” Tulare County farmer Art Hutcheson said. “I was one of these guys that (said) I’m never going to be organic.”
Read More HERE
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Farm Bureau Extension: 2024 CE Series | |
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California Farm Bureau presents the Farm Bureau Extension: 2024 Continuing Education Series held virtually. Join throughout the year for webinars featuring content that meets your pesticide continuing education (CE) requirements. Subject matter experts will share information immediately applicable to your business operations and advance your professional development. CE certificates will be sent for each webinar attended after the successful completion of a simple quiz on the material.
Classes are presented via Zoom and held during the mid-morning hours on the specified dates. Check below for class dates. Cost is free for members and $400 for non-members.
• Sept 12 - Application Inspection
• October 10 - Choosing the Right Pesticide
• Nov 14 - Preventing Common Violations
Click here for more information
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Climate concerns inspire innovation in wine vineyards | |
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Bernat Sort Costa of Grgich Hills Estate walks a vineyard to examine grapevine, soil and moisture conditions. Photos and article by Natalie Hanson
Growers in the wine region are embracing innovations to monitor vineyard conditions amid California’s hotter, drier climate. But Costa said he still employs a hands-on and “boots-on-the-ground” approach for evaluating grapevine health, as well as soil and moisture conditions in the vineyard of chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.
Costa, a winemaker and biologist who serves as Grgich’s regenerative organic research manager, pointed to the soil and described how it cracked beneath his feet due to high deposits of clay. He explained how that is a challenge for retaining water, while noting that the no-till and “super low-tech” farming operation uses mulch to boost soil moisture.
But things are changing in this vineyard and others in the Napa and Sonoma Valley wine regions, where growers are employing sustainable farming practices and technology to adapt to climate change.
Read More HERE
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Farm Bureau From the Fields - Tom Ikeda | |
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Tom Ikeda Photo/Aubrey Aquino
By Tom Ikeda, San Luis Obispo County vegetable grower
The season started wet, so it was slow going. The winter rains forced us to shift a lot of our plantings. Certain crops grow better in certain fields, and we target those. All that planning went out the window in February because we were planting where it was dry enough to get into the field. This threw off our entire planting schedule. It has made some of our planting rotations pretty tight.
The cool spring set things back by two weeks. Summer has been mild with ideal growing conditions along the coast. The inland heat didn’t quite reach us. We stayed cool and foggy.
From now through September, we are in the last push to plant for the Thanksgiving vegetable market. This is our busiest time of year. Our planting cycles are short, which adds pressure to irrigation and tractor work. The glitches from earlier in the year make this time more stressful than usual.
Despite the stress, there are things to be excited about. The reservoirs are still fairly full, and the groundwater levels are up, so at least we won’t have to worry about water shortages for the next year or two. Some of our production has been good, and we’ve had decent prices on some crops. But as a planner, I’m always looking at what could go wrong and how to avoid it.
Read more HERE
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Commentary: How a difficult year revealed our farmers' resilience | |
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Flooding inundates farm fields in Monterey County in March 2023. While storm impacts led to a 7% drop in annual farm production value, farmers cleared and replanted fields, building for the future.
Photo/California Department of Water Resources By Norm Groot
Early in 2023, the Salinas Valley and Pajaro Valley regions of Monterey County experienced extensive flooding during a series of atmospheric river storms.
Along the Salinas River, floodwaters flowed over levees, washing away valuable topsoil and leaving substantial amounts of debris and trash. The Pajaro River levee system experienced a catastrophic failure, inundating the Pajaro community and flooding vast acres of strawberry fields and other farmland.
More than 20,000 acres of farmland went underwater during these flood events. Fields needed remediation. Levees needed rebuilding; debris needed clearing. Pathogen testing for food safety compliance had to be completed before fields could be replanted. For many of these acres, growers lost their first crop of the season because of the extensive process needed to get fields back into production.
Read more HERE
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California Agriculture Leads the Nation in Funding for Specialty Crops
State receives $23.3 million in federal grant funds
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We are very pleased that the USDA continues to prioritize this critical program,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Block grant funds have provided tens of millions of dollars in support for California food production over the years, and the investments help our farmers and ranchers continue to produce high-quality, nutritious fruits, nuts and vegetables.” (Photo: CDFA)
SACRAMENTO — The USDA has announced funding for the 2024 Specialty Crop Block Grant Program. California has received $23.3 million out of approximately $72.9 million awarded nationwide.
The Block Grant program provides funding to state departments of agriculture to fund projects that enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops — defined as fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, dried fruits, horticulture, and nursery crops (including floriculture)
“We are very pleased that the USDA continues to prioritize this critical program,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Block grant funds have provided tens of millions of dollars in support for California food production over the years, and the investments help our farmers and ranchers continue to produce high-quality, nutritious fruits, nuts and vegetables.”
Read More HERE
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Study Shows the Value of Livestock Grazing | |
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Public Lands Council highlights USDA research that upholds importance of grazing as a tool to protect rangelands from wildfire. According to USDA-ARS, the study demonstrated that grazing supports reduction of fine fuels that pose huge risks in sagebrush ecosystems that are prone to fire. (Photo: USDA NRCS Montana, Public domain)
WASHINGTON — A study from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) has once again confirmed the value of livestock grazing as a tool to protect western rangelands from devastating wildfire. The Public Lands Council (PLC), which represents ranchers who hold federal grazing permits, hailed this research as more proof of the important role livestock grazing plays in protecting our natural resources.
“In a year where wildfire has run rampant across the West, this study is a great reminder that livestock grazing must be an integral part of land management and wildfire mitigation. We continue to see the scientific community confirm what generations of ranchers have demonstrated: managed livestock grazing is the best, most nimble tool to support biodiversity, protect wildlife habitat, and stabilize ecosystems plagued by fire and invasive species,” said PLC President and Colorado grazing permittee Mark Roeber. “This study should be heeded by media outlets and environmental activists who have wrongly called for the end of livestock grazing because if you don’t have grazing in the West, you don’t have conservation.”
Read More HERE
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Food and Ag Influencers Come Together to
"BEEF Up Back-To-School"
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Courtesy of the California Beef Council
SACRAMENTO — With looser summer schedules giving way to the structure of back-to-school, it’s not just kids who need to get back into the routine of the academic year. Between bell schedules and sports practices, the whole family can be impacted.
“Getting back into the routine of early breakfasts, school lunches, and easy dinnertime meals can be a challenge for adults too,” said Christie Van Egmond, director of retail and foodservice marketing for the California Beef Council. “Coming up with meal ideas that are not just healthy and delicious, but also simple and convenient can be an exhausting routine, so the CBC asked some California ranchers and Instagram food influencers to put together breakfast, lunch, and dinner ideas to help get the new school year routine off to a protein-packed delicious start with beef.”
With a combined Instagram following of more than 2.8 million, four California ag influencers and six California-based food and culinary influencers will feature their beef recipes for the busy back-to-school season on Instagram from August 15th and going through September 11th. Follow @californiabeefcouncil on Instagram for all your beefy inspiration, including Brisket Breakfast Burritos (@gabriellathecattleist), Beefy Spring Rolls (@realfoodbydad), and mason jar Arugula Salad with Steak (@brigeeski).
Read More HERE
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USDA's Alexis M. Taylor: The Power of Trade in Advancing
U.S. Agriculture | |
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New platform dives into the impactful work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service Arizona FSA State Executive Director Ginger Torres (left) listens as Knorr Farm Owner Rob Knorr (center) explains how jalapeño peppers get their "heat." (Photo: USDA) As USDA’s Under Secretary for Trade and Foreign Agricultural Affairs, and someone who grew up on a farm in Northeastern Iowa, I am delighted to recap my recent visit to Arizona, connecting with local agricultural leaders and stakeholders. This trip was filled with meaningful moments, focusing on the pivotal roles of women in agriculture, efforts to support specialty crop producers and exporters through initiatives like the Assisting Specialty Crop Exports (ASCE), and other vital export promotion efforts that bolster our agricultural landscape. My upbringing in a state with a rich farming history has instilled in me a lifelong commitment to supporting our farmers and agribusinesses.
Read more HERE
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Vietnam Grants Market Access for California Peaches & Nectarines
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Vietnam has granted market access for California peaches and nectarine effective immediately. Eliminating the phytosanitary barriers keeping California peaches and nectarines out of the Vietnamese market required multiple rounds of technical negotiations over the course of several years...
“This market access is a big win for California’s nectarine and peach producers,” said USDA’s Jenny Lester Moffitt, Under Secretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs. “Our APHIS trade team members have worked diligently to make this opened market a reality for Vietnam’s citizens. We are thrilled they will now have access to the fine peach and nectarine fruit that California produces.”
Read more HERE
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Let’s talk about land
Because the future of your farmland matters most
The following information is provided by Nationwide®, the #1 farm and ranch insurer in the U.S.*
The farmland market is red-hot. Though such a bullish marketplace is a boon for landowners, it also changes the game for tenants who depend on rented land for a large share of their crop revenue. High prices make it even more important to make sure everyone involved has the right insurance coverage in place.
Complicating the equation for lessees is the recent rise in absentee farmland ownership. According to a USDA report**, around 40% of the land farmed in the U.S. is rented. Of that share, around 31% is owned by an absentee or non-operator, a number that continues to rise, especially as active farmers retire and sell land.
The combination of these trends creates year-over-year operational and managerial challenges for leasing farmers and their landowners. One of those is ensuring both parties are adequately managing the risk of a land lease for which the two parties may be thousands of miles apart.
Sharing insurance responsibilities
In most cases when a farmer rents land from an absentee landowner, risk management responsibilities are split between the two parties. Each lease should spell out who is responsible for different operational and management responsibilities. And what is fair is not always equal.
For example, if adding improvements like tile drainage can boost the long-term productivity of a field, installation costs should be shared based on the equity it creates. If a lessee anticipates only renting the land for one year, he or she should not bear as much cost as the landowner, who will likely see greater value in the form of higher rents over time as a result of the improvement.
But if such improvements are part of a multiyear leasing strategy in which the lessee will remain in the picture, he or she will likely pay a larger share of the cost. In general, the duration of a lease often is a major contributor to how land improvement costs are spread between the landowner and renter.
Think about how land is used
There are several factors that influence how farmland is insured. First, it’s important to consider the basics of the property and its intended purpose. Some land is obviously for cropping. But grassland or pasture land may have multiple uses. All of a piece of land’s intended uses should be accounted for in both the written lease as well as the chosen insurance coverage.
Coverage options also vary widely based on lease land’s use. A basic homeowners policy rarely covers all of the operational risk of leased farmland. Sometimes endorsements cover those specific risks, but in other cases, altogether different policies specifically designed for farmland are the best solutions.
Especially with an absentee leases, it’s always a good idea to have regular meetings during which the lessee can update the landowner on all activities on the leased land and how they impact things like lease price and optimal insurance coverage options.
Talk with your insurance agent
No matter how you’re involved with farming – whether you’re currently farming or new to owning or renting farmland – it’s important to talk with your local Nationwide Farm Certified agent. Nationwide is the only farm insurance company that trains and certifies its agents. When you see that an agent is Nationwide On Your Side Farm Certified, you can be confident you've found a trusted, knowledgeable advisor.
Visit aginsightcenter.com/farmlandownership to download our free Farmland Ownership Protection Guide and to learn what we know about farmland.
*A.M. Best Market Share Report 2021.
** https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/74672/eib-161.pdf?v=2462.1
Nationwide, the Nationwide N and Eagle, and Nationwide is on your side are service marks of Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company. © 2022 Nationwide
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SAVE UP TO $2,750 ON CAT EXCAVATORS, SKID STEERS, WHEEL LOADERS AND MORE | |
Eligible California Farm Bureau members* can save up to $2,750 on the purchase or lease of eligible Cat® compact track loaders, compact and small wheel loaders, skid steer loaders, small dozers, backhoe loaders, mini hydraulic excavators and telehandlers. Also, receive an additional $250 credit on select work tool attachments purchased with new Cat machines (Promotion excludes Buckets, Forks, Thumbs, and Coupler attachments). These discounts can be combined with any current retail discount, promotion, rebates or offers available through Caterpillar or its dealers, with the exception of the Cat NCBA membership incentive.
For a complete list of eligible Cat equipment discounts, click HERE!
*Must be a valid member of a participating state Farm Bureau for at least 30 days to be eligible for discount. Members must present a discount certificate at time of purchase or lease quote to receive the discount. No limit on discount certificates available to members, but one certificate must be presented for each machine purchase or lease.
If you have questions or need help obtaining the certificate, please call (916) 561-5500 or visit your local FB office.
https://www.cat.com/farmbureau
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Coastal Vineyard Care Associates | |
Established by Bill Foley in 1996, Foley Family Wines & Spirits (FFWS) is a portfolio of highly acclaimed wines and spirits from some of the world’s greatest estates. The company owns more than 25 wineries and distilleries, each with its distinct style, legacy, and approach to hospitality.
FFWS has expanded its portfolio significantly since its founding, now including such storied brands as Chalk Hill Estate Winery, Sebastiani, Roth, Banshee, Ferrari-Carano, Chateau St. Jean, and Lancaster in Sonoma County; Merus, Silverado, and Foley Johnson in Napa Valley; Lincourt, Firestone, and Foley Estates in Southern California; Chalone Vineyard in Monterey County; Four Graces and Acrobat in Oregon; and Three Rivers in Washington. Foley Family Wine & Spirits import wines include Lucien Albrecht in France, Nieto Senetiner in Argentina, and 14 wine brands spanning three of New Zealand’s most acclaimed winegrowing regions. The growing global spirits portfolio includes Minden Mill Distilling, Charles Goodnight Texas Straight Bourbon Whiskey, New Zealand’s Lighthouse Gin, El Mexicano Tequila, The Loch Lomond Group in Scotland, Two Stacks Irish Whisky and Killowen.
To learn more of what we do click HERE.
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