California

Why One California Farmer is Betting Big on Algae for Fertility

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 18:33:48 GMT

Rows of citrus trees stretch across the landscape under the California sun, their canopies forming neat green corridors between irrigation lines and tractor paths. Some trees are newly trimmed, others older and thicker from years of growth. It’s the kind of orchard scene that has long defined agriculture in this part of the state, where permanent crops dominate the landscape and generations of farmers have worked to coax productivity from difficult soils and an increasingly unpredictable water supply.

For fifth-generation farmer Justin Wylie , these groves are more than just another orchard to manage. They represent an opportunity to rethink how soil works on his farm and whether biology — specifically algae — can play a larger role in the future of California agriculture.

Wylie and his family farm roughly 4,000 acres across California’s Central Valley. Some of that land has been in the family for generations, while other acres are leased. Like many farms in the region, the operation produces permanent crops such as pistachios and citrus, commodities that require long-term planning and careful soil management.

“This is a long-term lease with an investment company partner,” Wylie says. “And we just entered into that lease last year. It’s a 15-year lease with a five-year extension.”

One of the ranches he’s currently working to improve came through a recent leasing agreement that gives the family time to invest in the land and experiment with new approaches. That time horizon matters. With permanent crops like oranges, orchard decisions can affect productivity for decades. The trees must be pruned, fertilized and irrigated carefully year after year, and the soil beneath them has to remain functional through increasingly hot and dry growing seasons.

When Wylie’s team first took over the ranch, some improvements were necessary before any new ideas could be tested.

“We were really lucky on this ranch,” Wylie says. “The previous guys, they did let some of the trees get overgrown, so we did have to come in and push a hedge and top and resize those trees.”

While the orchard needed structural work above ground, Wylie says the bigger opportunity lies beneath the surface. The ranch is now part of a broader effort on the farm to transition a portion of the acres toward organic and regenerative systems.

“For the majority of the ranch, as far as fertility, the soils, the condition of the ranch,” he says, “I think the big thing with this ranch is transitioning from a conventional model to an organic regenerative, which is part of our commitment in the lease. It’s part of the model of the lease here — that we transition the ranch from conventional to certified organic and regenerative.”

The transition is happening gradually. Wylie says roughly 25% of the farm’s acres are currently part of that shift, allowing the family to experiment with new soil-building practices without risking the entire operation.

But the push to explore regenerative systems didn’t begin with markets or policy. It started with a deeply personal experience.

A Personal Connection to Soil Health

Wylie says his interest in soil biology and regenerative farming took shape nearly a decade ago, around 2015 or 2016. At the time, his family was dealing with a serious health challenge involving his young son.

The experience pushed him to start researching nutrition, gut health and the human microbiome — topics that would eventually reshape how he thought about farming.

“[My son] was sick as a kid, and so we were doing everything we could to heal him,” Wylie says. “His gut ended up in the hospital a few times with an autism diagnosis.”

Doctors and therapists offered guidance, but the recommendations didn’t sit well with Wylie.

“And then at the time, the doctors and the therapist told us basically, ‘Practice acceptance,’” he says.

Instead, Wylie started searching for more information about gut health and what researchers were learning about the microbiome. Over time, he began seeing parallels between the human digestive system and the biological activity that happens in healthy soils.

“They started figuring out that autistic kids had very weak gut microbiomes,” Wylie says. “And so when you make that connection as a farmer and you start saying, ‘What are all the things I can do at home to not stress that?’”

That question eventually carried over into his work in the field. The farm’s first experiment with regenerative practices was modest.

“We started on 40 acres of pistachios, playing around with it,” he says. “What can we do here growing in a different system?”

At the same time, the regenerative agriculture movement was gaining momentum online, making it easier for farmers to explore new ideas.

“At the time, there were quite a few regenerative agronomists out there releasing podcasts and YouTube videos,” Wylie says. “So the information was there. It was never on my radar before. But once you join that community and industry, it’s pretty interesting.”

Building on What Came Before

Even as Wylie explores new biological tools, he says the farm’s current practices still build heavily on the work done by previous generations.

His father’s generation invested heavily in agronomy research and orchard management strategies, developing systems that helped the farm stay productive in California’s demanding growing environment. From pruning methods to fertilizer programs, many of those lessons still guide how the farm operates today.

Rather than abandoning those systems, Wylie says his goal is to refine them.

“It’s really a tweak,” he says. “In my mind it’s a slight change in the method, not a complete start over.”

The farm continues to rely on the knowledge accumulated through decades of conventional farming, while gradually introducing new practices aimed at improving soil biology.

“We’re just trying to make tweaks to the system that we’re already operating in on the other ranches to see if we can do this a different way,” Wylie says.

One of the biggest challenges in that transition is managing fertility.

California orchards have historically relied on precise fertilizer programs to keep trees productive. But moving toward organic or regenerative inputs can create a different nutrient dynamic, especially during the early years of transition.

Wylie says growers sometimes underestimate how sensitive orchards can be during that shift.

Managing the Transition Carefully

According to Wylie, one of the most common mistakes farmers make when transitioning to regenerative systems is reducing fertilizer too quickly.

He says orchards that have spent decades under conventional management are accustomed to intensive nutrient programs, and abruptly changing that system can cause yields to fall sharply.

On some ranches where regenerative practices have been in place for several years, Wylie says the difference in soil structure is already noticeable.

“There’s other ranches we’ve been farming regenerative for five years,” he says. “You can stick your hand in the soil and get your fingers down right there on the berms next to the trees — it’s chocolate cake.”

But he warns farmers shouldn’t assume that kind of soil health will appear immediately after switching systems.

“Until that day, do not pull back,” Wylie says.

He says the biggest mistake happens when growers assume they can immediately match their old fertility programs using organic inputs.

“That’s the mistake that growers make,” he says. “They think I’m going organic regenerative, I can match dollar for dollar, I can do the same thing I was doing conventionally.”

Instead, Wylie says the transition often produces what he calls a “J-curve.”

“You’re going to see that J-curve,” he says. “I mean, it’s going to tank.”

To avoid that, his farm relies heavily on testing.

“We pull a lot of sap samples, multiple tissues and soils per year,” Wylie says. “Kind of watching our fertility and making sure these trees are fed.”

He says growers must remember trees grown in conventional systems are used to consistent nutrient availability.

“The soil has been farmed a certain way,” he says. “These trees are used to being fed intensively in that conventional system.”

And organic fertilizers don’t always behave the same way.

“The organic fertilizers just don’t work as well,” Wylie says. “So you have to be careful.”

Introducing Algae Into the System

As Wylie searched for ways to accelerate soil improvement, one newer tool caught his attention: microalgae.

The technology comes from soil health company MyLand, which produces living algae on farms and distributes it through irrigation systems.

“We’re probably in our fourth or fifth season,” Wylie says.

The idea behind the system is relatively simple. Rather than applying microbes directly to the soil, the system produces algae that help stimulate microbial activity already present in the soil ecosystem.

Jeff Tuel says the technology centers around specialized tanks designed to grow algae on the farm itself.

“We call these APVs, algae producing vessels,” Tuel says. “And essentially, the sole purpose is to grow algae here.”

Water from the farm is stored inside the vessels, where conditions are controlled to encourage rapid algae growth.

“So for all intents and purposes, this is kind of like the algae producing container,” Tuel says.

From there, the algae are delivered through irrigation systems already used on the farm.

“And we try to keep that holding tank to a level where if the irrigator is irrigating a 12-hour set, 24, 36,” Tuel says. “Our main objective is for them to never run dry of algae.”

Production is adjusted to match the grower’s irrigation schedule.

“We harvest according to the grower’s irrigation schedule,” he says.

Another important step happens before the system is even installed. MyLand scientists collect algae samples from the farm itself, identifying native strains that are already adapted to the environment.

“The reason native is important is because it’s used to the pH, it’s used to the droughts, the floods, everything Mother Nature’s thrown at it,” Tuel says.

Because those organisms already exist in the local ecosystem, they are more likely to survive once applied to the soil.

“Its odds of surviving and actually making an impact in that ecosystem are far greater,” he says.

Microalgae also sits at the base of the soil’s microbial food web.

“Microalgae is actually the base of the microbial food chain,” Tuel says. “All the bugs and beneficials in the soil are feeding off of it.”

Rather than introducing microbes, the strategy is to stimulate the microbes already present.

“I like to say instead of a bug-and-a-jug approach, we are ringing the dinner bell for the microbes,” Tuel says. “It’s kind of an all-you-can-eat buffet for microbes to get them moving and active.”

Tackling Difficult Soils

For Wylie, improving soil biology could help solve one of the Central Valley’s most persistent challenges: poor soil structure.

Many orchard soils in the region contain very low levels of organic matter, which limits their ability to hold water and maintain structure through the growing season.

“We have about 0.5% soil organic matter,” Wylie says. “Our water holding capacity is very low.”

That lack of organic matter can cause irrigation problems later in the summer.

“A lot of times these soils as we’re irrigating during the season will lock up,” he says.

Early in the season, irrigation water infiltrates the soil fairly easily.

“You start with very good water infiltration in April, May, June,” Wylie says.

But conditions change as the summer progresses.

“By the time you get to July, August, when you really need it, it’s very difficult to push water down in the soil,” he says.

For farmers trying to manage water carefully in California’s dry climate, that creates a major challenge.

“These soils are not very functional for us as farmers,” Wylie says.

Tuel says stimulating microbial activity can gradually improve those conditions.

“When you get those microbes to start moving and firing, you’re going to start to build soil aggregate,” he says.

Better aggregation can help water move through the soil while also improving nutrient availability.

“If it’s a high-salt ground, we can start to leach out some of those salts,” Tuel says.

Algae may also influence soil chemistry.

“Algae is also going to help regulate the pH in the soil so we can start to free up some locked-up nutrients,” he says.

Thinking Long-Term

While installing an on-farm algae system requires investment, Wylie says he sees it as part of a long-term strategy for improving soil performance.

“In a biological system like MyLand, it’s about the same cost as a soil amendment program out here, depending on how much acreage you’re using,” Wylie says.

The difference is the system focuses on building biological activity rather than simply adding nutrients.

“But it’s a long-term solution,” he says. “It’s not going to work overnight.”

Instead, the goal is to strengthen the soil’s microbiome so it can better buffer environmental stresses.

“It’s actually creating a buffer by just supercharging the microbiome that’s in the soil,” Wylie says.

That biological activity may help address several common soil issues in California orchards.

“Everything feeds on it,” he says. “It’s overcoming high salt, high chlorides.”

Even trace mineral challenges may improve over time.

“In some cases in California, we have very high boron in some areas,” Wylie says.

He believes increased biological activity may help mitigate those problems faster than traditional soil-building methods alone.

“Microalgae being put into the system can actually overcome those salts that might take 10 or 15 years of compost and cover crops,” he says. “You can accomplish in a few years by using MyLand.”

The Pressure on California Farmers

The search for new tools is happening at a time when farming in California is becoming increasingly expensive.

Data from USDA shows the state continues to rank as the most expensive place in the country to grow crops, driven by high labor, energy and input costs.

Those economic pressures are compounded by growing regulatory expectations.

Wylie believes California farmers are already facing some of the strictest scrutiny in global agriculture.

“I think the state’s already looking at it very closely,” he says. “I think they’re going to put more pressure on farmers in California.”

Compared with other agricultural regions, he says California producers are operating under unique constraints.

“Other than the European Union, there is no one in the world that’s under as much pressure as a California farmer to change the way we do things,” Wylie says.

Because of that, he believes farmers must take the lead in finding workable solutions.

“We need to figure this out,” he says. “And I want to figure it out before the government gets involved and tries to tell me how to do it.”

Government incentive programs exist, but Wylie believes the real challenge is making soil health practices economically viable.

“They can offer me some incentives,” he says. “We have healthy soils out here. They give you a little compost and cover crop seed.”

Ultimately, though, growers need systems that work on their own.

“We need to figure this out and we need to make it economical and profitable before the state comes in,” Wylie says.

Because once regulations remove certain tools, farmers may have little room to adapt.

“Now you’re forced to figure it out with your back against the wall,” he says. “We don’t want that.”

For Wylie, the answer may lie beneath the soil surface where billions of microbes, fueled by algae, could quietly reshape how California farms grow their crops. And by doing so now, Wylie hopes he’s able to find ways to continue to grow productive crops in California, despite increased regulations.

California Grocer Partners With Farm for Fall Fun

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 17:18:08 GMT

Each year more than 14,000 visitors come to the Fantozzi Farms Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in Patterson, Calif. This year, the 10-acre maze not only offers fun for the whole family, it also tells a unique farm-to-table story starring The Save Mart Cos., the Central Valley grocer with deep roots in the Golden State.

“Our partnership with Save Mart this year has been such a positive experience,” says Denise Fantozzi, who co-owns Fantozzi Farms with her husband, Paul. “Save Mart has been a really important part of our community for years, and so everybody knows about Save Mart and partnering together — showing that pathway from the farm to the grocery store to the table — is something that we can all relate to.”

In the early 2000s, Fantozzi, a former schoolteacher, was looking to incorporate education into fun field trip experiences on the farm and together with her farmer husband opened the first Fantozzi Corn Maze and Pumpkin Patch in 2003.

While Fantozzi says they started off small, the agri-entertainment farm has added to the experience over the years with scarecrow contests, hayrides, corn hole tournaments, pumpkin painting and more. It also welcomes scores of school-age children through field trips that bring the farm-to-table message to life.

Fantozzi says the corn maze receives repeat visitors from near and far.

“I just love seeing families come back year after year,” she says. “Building that connection with the community, that’s the most rewarding part.”

Over the years, Fantozzi says she’s become personal friends with many of the families who visit the farm, has watched their kids grow up and, in some cases, become employees at the corn maze in their teen years. And then there are those who visited as children who come back with kids of their own.

Designing Memories on the Farm

An aerial view of the Fantozzi Farms and Save Mart corn maze reveals its breathtaking intricacies. How does a 10-acre corn maze spanning more than 5 miles of twisting paths and 12 hidden checkpoints come to be?

“We start off with our design. We think of what we want the design to be, and that’s really sketched out on paper or on the computer,” Fantozzi explains. “From the very beginning, we’ve had a company called Maze Play that comes out, and they have the equipment to cut the maze design, put in all the paths, and they use a small tractor with a rototiller behind it, and a GPS system. They cut those paths very exact, and the final maze looks just like the design we planned.”

This year’s corn maze, which features Save Mart branding integrated in the design, was the brainchild of Jenna Rose Lee, Save Mart Cos. marketing and social media manager.

“This is ag storytelling at its finest, and it’s a connector,” Lee says. “We wanted to showcase the relationship between the farmer and the retailer, and the maze design does just that. It showcases the farm to the family table and the supply chain.

“In the design, you’ll see our logo, but then in addition to that, you see the tractor,” she continues. “There’s a big grocery cart in the middle, and then you also see a home. So, it’s really making that connection between how the food gets from the field to our shelves, to the grocery cart, and to your family’s dinner table.”

The corn maze also features one of Save Mart’s tag lines: “Valley Proud.”

“What we wanted to showcase in this huge display is that we are proud to be here. We’re not going anywhere. We’re ‘Valley Proud,’” Lee says. “We’re proud of our local farmers, and we love our community.

“We were founded in Modesto, Calif, and it’s part of who we are and where we are at the heart of the Central Valley, and it’s important for us to connect with our local farmers who stock our shelves,” she adds. “Partnering with Fantozzi was a true testament to being local and supporting our local farmers.”

California's Water Crisis: Farmers Warn Water Rules Could Cripple Central Valley Agriculture

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:52:47 GMT

On Hansen Ranch in the Central Valley, fifth-generation farmer Erik Hansen grows a little bit of everything — pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, alfalfa, corn for silage and cotton.

“We farm 15, 16 different crops,” Hansen says. “Cotton is our biggest acreage crop, and that’s in the form of Pima cotton.”

That diversification has long been the Hansen family’s survival strategy. But in spring 2023, no amount of crop rotation could shield them from disaster.

“Where we’re standing right now was underwater,” Hansen recalls. “A mile from here, over by that PG&E substation, was the edge of the lake.”

The flood wiped out 600 acres of pomegranates and 400 acres of pistachios. One thousand acres of permanent crops gone in one season.

“It was a massive hit,” Hansen says. “We had about 5,000 to 6,000 acres under water. Some of that water lasted for over a year.”

From Too Much Water to Not Enough

The irony is hard to ignore: In 2023, floodwaters destroyed thousands of acres. Now, Hansen says it’s the lack of access to water that could cripple farms across the Central Valley.

“The last projections I heard were anywhere from 1 million to 1.2 million acres totaled in the valley,” he says, referring to farmland that could be idled by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) .

Passed in 2014, SGMA requires local agencies to reduce groundwater overdraft and achieve sustainable use by 2040. On paper, Hansen says, that makes sense.

“To some extent it is good because you have to have a way to manage the overdraft,” he explains. “The problem is there are surface water facilities we developed back in the 50s and 60s that we’re just not using. A lot of that water is going out to the Pacific Ocean.”

For Hansen, the politics sting. He believes decades of state decisions — prioritizing fish and wildlife, reallocating water, and neglecting infrastructure — set up today’s crisis.

“I’m frustrated because the families that have been farming here for years, some decades, sometimes even more, are being footed with a bill for problems that somebody else created,” Hansen says. “If the state doesn’t look in the mirror, I think we’re going to find ourselves in the same position again.”

Young Farmers Face the Same Struggles

Forty miles south, 30-year-old Elizabeth Keenan is navigating the same regulatory headwinds. Her grandfather Charlie started Keenan Farms in 1972, acquiring one of California’s first pistachio orchards. Today, Elizabeth farms alongside her parents and brother.

“Rolling with the regulatory punches can be complicated,” she admits. “Despite pistachios being such a high-value product, despite having optimal land and weather conditions, we really have everything set up beautifully — except for legislation.”

Water, she says, is the most difficult hurdle.

“We’re up to a 50% allocation,” Keenan explains. “The base allocation is 2.2 acre-feet, so we get 1.1 acre-feet to use. Otherwise, we have to have open fallow fields. To pump more water, we have to buy it on the open market, and that’s expensive too.”

A Political Battle Over Flows

Signs line highways across the Central Valley warning that 80% of California’s river water flows out to the Pacific instead of farms. Assemblyman David Tangipa, a freshman lawmaker representing the 8^th District, says those numbers are real.

“It’s 100% happening,” Tangipa says. “Almost 83% of all water in the state is automatically pushed out for environmental purposes.”

California averages about 200 million acre-feet of water each year, Tangipa notes, but despite record rainfall, farms often get less than half of their allocations.

“We’ve prioritized so much environmental legislation that more than 80% of our water is pushed out immediately to the ocean, unnaturally,” he says. “Meanwhile, farmers get less water and more land goes out of production.”

Proponents of Current Water Flows

There are proponents of the current way the water flows, mainly for environmental reasons and to prevent saltwater contamination of freshwater sources.

California releases water into the ocean to prevent saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies, protect endangered aquatic species and ecosystems, and maintain the delicate balance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary, a critical source of drinking and irrigation water.

A portion of released water is also used for stormwater management to prevent flooding, as it can be difficult and impractical to capture and store all of it.

And those in favor of environmental water releases say it’s essential to support broader ecosystem benefits like water filtration and carbon sequestration, which are important for overall environmental health.

The Ripple Effect

The Central Valley of California is a powerhouse in food production for the U.S. That area alone produces approximately half of all the fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S., as well as a large portion of the nation’s nuts and other foods. When you break down the numbers, the Central Valley accounts for about 60% of the nation’s fruits and nuts, and about 30% of the nation’s vegetables.

For Thomas Putzel, who works with farmers across the Central Valley, the impact of regulations isn’t just measured in acre-feet. It’s measured in livelihoods and the food supply.

“The environmentalists try to say farmers are wasting water,” he says. “But when we look at what farmers provide, we’re planting forests. One acre of almonds will capture 18 metric tons of carbon a year. That’s like taking 29 million cars off the road.”

Putzel says California voters already approved a water bond to build new storage a decade ago, but no new projects have been built.

“Not one shovel has gone in the ground in 10 years,” he says. “Actually, they took some of that money and tore dams down.”

Meanwhile, permanent crops wither when water isn’t available, leaving behind dead orchards that invite pests and rodents into neighboring fields.

“SGMA’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Putzel says. “But you’ve asked growers to run a marathon with their legs tied together. People don’t understand; food doesn’t come from a grocery store. It comes from a farmer. If California stopped shipping produce for one week, our stores would be empty.”

“Is Farming in California’s Best Interest?”

For Erik Hansen, the question is bigger than water allocations or acreage lost.

“Government is probably the biggest problem right now,” he says. “It just seems California hasn’t really decided whether farming is in their best interest. Politicians like to say they’re for small business and small farming, but virtually every piece of legislation makes it more difficult to survive.”

As the Central Valley wrestles with the challenges of floods, drought and regulations, one reality is clear: The fate of these farms is tied not just to weather and soil but to political decisions that could shape the future of food in America.

California’s HLB Quarantine Expands

Thu, 11 Sep 2025 13:32:41 GMT

The California Department of Food and Agriculture says it has expanded the state’s quarantine boundary for huanglongbing (HLB) in the San Clemente area of Orange and San Diego counties.

CDFA says the agency also expands the Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine in San Clemente area of San Diego County, which reflects this updated HLB quarantine.

Also known as citrus greening or HLB, the disease is caused by the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus bacteria, with the Asian citrus psyllid as its vector.

This follows the addition of 33 square miles in the Perris area of Riverside County in August , which included 8.84 acres of commercial citrus.

America's Farm Labor Crisis: Can Immigration Reform Save Agriculture?

Tue, 02 Sep 2025 19:24:01 GMT

Walking orchards in the Central Valley, is something Scott Peters’ family has done for four generations. With his great grandfather settling in the fertile valley in 1933, the family has been immersed with changes. From regulations and battles over water, to the fight for labor and immigration, Peters Fruit Farms is not only working to preserve the past, but also fighting for their future.

“Today, we primarily grow stone fruit. We’ve gone a little bit into the citrus just to diversify. We have the packing house, so we want to keep it running year round. Citrus is the winter commodity, and stone fruit is the summer commodity,” Peters says.

The Peters are unique. They don’t just grow and pick the fruit. They’re also packers and shippers — an operation that relies on hundreds of employees throughout the year.

“Labor prices are really difficult for us,” says the California peach grower. “As an example, our minimum wage is $16.50. When we compete against Georgia (known as the ‘Peach State’), their minimum wage $7.25. It’s just under half of what we have to pay people, which means we just don’t have a margin of error. If there’s something wrong with the crop — if we have a weather event — it stings us a lot harder.”

California’s Farm Labor is Skilled and Difficult to Replace

That’s the reality for farmers across California. Not only are regulations and water becoming expensive for growers across the state, but labor costs are also on the rise. And considering labor is the highest cost for fruit growers, it’s putting a severe strain on producers.

And while it’s expensive, labor is one of Peters’ most critical resources.

“They’re a very talented labor force. We can’t just go and get somebody off the street,” he says. “We can’t get an H-2A worker from another country who doesn’t know the industry. They can’t do the same job.”

From Arizona to California, to meat processing plants that span across the U.S. Peters says that’s one of the biggest misconceptions about migrant labor. People may think they aren’t talented or skilled, but Peters argues they’re both.

“The supervisors have these rings, and we’ll open them up to the size of fruit we want picked. They will pick a few samples off the tree, show them what sits on the ring and what goes through the ring. And the labor we have picking in the orchard, they will know — just by looking at the rings — which fruit to pick,” Peters explains. “They’ll just go from limb to limb, tree to tree, and they’ll pick the size that we’re requesting by the rings.”

Scott Peters shows U.S. Farm Report host Tyne Morgan rings they use to show individuals who are picking the fruit just what size of fruit they need to pick that day. With barely any difference in the size, it shows just how skilled the labor that works in Peters’ orchards are today.

(Matt Mormann, Farm Journal )

Peters says, to the untrained eye, the difference in the size of the rings is unnoticeable — making the labor this orchard employs irreplaceable.

“That’s how skilled they are,” he says. “So when people say they’re replaceable and you can get H-2A people or other people off the street, no, it doesn’t work that way. Those people will have no idea that small of a difference when we’re asking them to pick a certain size.”

The Broken U.S. Immigration System

The individuals Peters employs aren’t part of the H-2A system. Instead, his workers have been in California for generations, doing manual labor many Americans either don’t want to do, or physically can’t do, at a speed that’s needed today.

“The immigration system in the U.S. is absolutely broken today,” Peters tells U.S. Farm Report. “Why? Because they don’t have a simple, easy way to make immigrants legal. It’s complicated. It’s not very easily accessible for the people. If they find a way to do it, it takes them a long time. We have employees that have gone through the process and are legal. At the time, we did not know they were not. We had no idea. When they come to us, they show us a valid ID, and they show a valid social security card. As far as we’re concerned, we are hiring legal people. And then they come back to us down the road and they show other cards and say, ‘Well, now i need to change.’ Then we have to abide by the new name because of the standards.”

Results from Farm Journal’s Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor

(Lindsey Pound )

Agricultural economists from across the U.S. agree. In the latest Farm Journal Ag Economists’ Monthly Monitor , 87% of economists said the U.S. immigration system is broken for agriculture. But on the flip side, 87% of economists also said there will be no movement on immigration reform in 2025.

Manuel Cunha, president of the Nisei Farmers Leagu e, has been fighting for a fix to the current immigration system for decades. He says the current 40-year-old immigration system doesn’t work for agriculture. He argues it’s dramatically impacting California’s agricultural landscape.

“It’s horribly broken, and you can’t band-aid it together anymore,” Cunha tells U.S. Farm Report.

H-2A Program Doesn’t Work for California Agriculture

The H-2A guest worker program may work for some sectors of agriculture, but it’s not a comprehensive “fix” for agriculture — especially industries that rely on a large number of seasonal labor.

While the program is vital for addressing domestic labor shortages, for labor-intensive specialty crops like fruits and vegetables, the H-2A program is designed to provide a cortical legal source of labor where domestic workers are often unwilling or unavailable.

However, Cunha says what the H-2A guest worker program is designed to do, and how it actually works, are two different things.

“The cost is prohibitive. It’s a broken program. A guest worker program should be what it is. You go to the border, get a card and come into California or Arizona or wherever, work for 10 months and then leave,” Cunha says. “The system today requires people to through a process in the countries where you have recruiters that control the workers. They, in turn, kind of manipulate those workers where to go and how much you’re going to pay me, then the person comes here. On top of that, to provide required housing, transportation and meals is very costly. In this state, at $23 an hour, no farmer can afford that.”

Cunha says these are all reasons why the H-2A program must be reformed.

“We also must have a guest worker program for hotels, restaurants and construction to where those workers can come in here, they work for 10 months in a rotation, they go back and then they come back again,” Cunha says. “But it’s a guest worker program and not allowing the country to select and choose who you want. There has to be a great working relationship on a guest worker program that works for my industry and agriculture and the other industries as well.”

40-Year-Old Program

The last major immigration reform in the United States was the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 (IRCA), which granted legal status to millions of undocumented immigrants and increased penalties for employers hiring them.

The legislation, now 40 years old, is something Cunha argues is out of date.

Efforts to pass new immigration legislation have frequently failed due to partisan disagreements and an inability to find common ground between parties and administrations.

“They use it so they can get re-elected every time. And it’s so sad that our legislators have that type of mentality. Let’s not fix it, because if we say we’re going fix it, that’s how we’ll get elected. That’s how we’ll get re-elected,” Cunha says. “It’s been broken, and it’s been a facade.”

Dignity Act of 2025

Cunha says the only solution on the table that would work today is the Dignity Act of 2025. The bill was introduced on July 15 by Representatives Maria Elvira Salazar (R-FL) and Veronica Escobar (D-TX).

The bill not only focuses on securing the border, but it provides legal status to qualifying undocumented immigrants. It also imposes higher penalties for illegal border crossings and human and child sex trafficking. Not only would it address America’s farm labor crisis, but Cunha says it could help save agricultural industries that rely heavily on migrant labor across the U.S.

“This is the first real immigration bill that has addressed industries. The Farm Worker Modernization Act was just ag, and it really didn’t do all of ag. It only did the field and not the packing houses or the processing,” Cunha explains. “But being that we’re in the year 2025, many industries like agriculture have the same problem. Those workers have been there for years. And so somehow, we need to give them that opportunity to have a legal means to work here and to travel home.

Cunha says the U.S. has to do something new when it comes to immigration reform, and the Dignity Act of 2025 gives that life.

“The president continually gives off positive vibes: ‘I want the workers to stay here. They are important for the industries, agriculture, the restaurants, the hotels, the construction.’ So, those people need to be here. The bill absolutely deals with that. It makes them have dignity, respect and the fear of not being apprehended any part of the day, going to church or going to the hospital or whatever. They would have a legal card, and the bill’s doing that,” Cunha says.

For now, there’s a nervousness among workers in California — essential labor that supports California’s multi-billion-dollar farming community.

“The workers that are here are more than any H-2A worker that could ever come into the unit. We have 1.6 million. The Department of Labor couldn’t even handle that number if they wanted to bring in H-2A people. The system would blow up,” Cunha says.

California Farmers Are Hopeful

In June, President Donald Trump said he would issue an order soon to address the effects of his immigration crackdown on the country’s farm and hotel industries, which rely heavily on migrant labor.

Trump continues to send mixed signals on immigration policies — even with his hints of a fix for agriculture. According to preliminary Census Bureau data, analyzed by the Pew Research Center , the number of immigrant workers in the U.S. has declined by 1.2 million from January through the end of July. That figure includes people who are in the country illegally, as well as legal residents.

Peters says, considering the Trump administration continues to focus on agriculture, he is hanging onto hope. The hope is that Washington will finally find a long-term fix that helps farmers and protects the precious labor they can’t do without.

“They’re very talented workers,” Peters says. “They have skills, and they’re very hard to replace. You have to train the new person, and it’s how fast they pick up on the training. We’ve looked at robots that do pick fruit. The technology is coming, but it’s not there yet. It’s got a ways to go.”

Americans’ View on Immigration

Americans seem to be growing more positive toward immigration over the past year. According to a Gallup poll released in June, a record-high 79% of U.S. adults say immigration is a good thing for the country.

According to Gallup, these shifts reverse a four-year trend of rising concern about immigration that began in 2021. And with illegal border crossings down sharply this year, the Gallup poll found fewer Americans back hard-line border enforcement measures, while more favor offering pathways to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already in the U.S.

Pivot Bio Closes California Offices, Consolidates To Midwest

Thu, 19 Jun 2025 16:15:52 GMT

In 2011, Pivot Bio was started in Berkley, Calif. This week, the company announced it’s closing the headquarters there and consolidating its business closer to its row crop customers in the Midwest.

“We’ve spent the past year evaluating how and where we work best together and what we need to achieve our future growth plans,” says Chris Abbott, CEO of Pivot Bio. “Throughout history, the most transformative technology companies have fueled innovation by placing R&D, manufacturing and leadership side by side. When those teams collaborate in real time, it creates a flywheel of insight, invention and execution. That’s exactly the environment we’re building — one that strengthens collaboration, accelerates impact and positions Pivot Bio to lead the future of ag innovation from the field to the world.”

The biofertilizer company is consolidating its research and development to St. Louis and opening headquarters in a yet to be announced location.

The company is eliminating 62 jobs, according to a WARN notice filed with California, with some of those employees offered roles at the new locations.

Pivot Bio says this move isn’t downsizing but rather consolidation, and the Berkley, Calif., office is the only site being closed.

The company say as it approaches its 15th anniversary, it’s simultaneously approaching the milestone of having product applied on 15 million acres.

Pivot Bio announced a new chief technology officer, Travis Frey, who will lead the relocated R&D center and its team.

California governor proposes fast-tracking water infrastructure projects

Mon, 19 May 2025 16:02:11 GMT

California Gov. Gavin Newsom unveiled a proposed addition to his state budget May 14 that would “fast-track” water infrastructure improvements. The presented changes would, among other things, change the way property acquisitions — including eminent domain — are dealt with relative to water infrastructure projects under the State Water Project . It would also change how protests to water rights permitting decisions are managed.

“For too long, attempts to modernize our critical water infrastructure have stalled in endless red tape, burdened with unnecessary delay,” Newsom said in a news release. “We’re done with barriers — our state needs to complete this project as soon as possible, so that we can better store and manage water to prepare for a hotter, drier future.”

The proposal includes several changes to existing law.

For example, it notes the state currently must appraise a property it seeks to acquire before negotiations start. The government must also provide a summary of how that appraisal was reached to the property owner. The proposal would exempt efforts by the State Water Resources Development Board to acquire property relative to the needs of water supply facilities from these requirements.

The proposal also notes that, under existing law, protests to water rights permitting decisions must meet certain requirements, including deadlines. While existing law “authorizes the board to cancel a protest, permit or petition” for failure to meet the specified requirements, the new proposal would require the cancellation.

“The proposals will allow the Department of Water Resources to move quickly through the permitting and land acquisition processes for the Delta Conveyance Project to allow the state’s most important water supply and climate adaptation project to move forward, saving years, and billions of dollars by avoiding further delay,” Ryan Endean, deputy director of communications for the California Department of Water Resources, told The Packer.

“The State Water Project delivers water to 750,000 acres of farmland,” he added. “Fast-tracking the Delta Conveyance Project will allow the system to more reliably deliver water to those agricultural regions — providing growers with a higher degree of water supply security — as we see more extreme swings between wet periods and drought.”

Endean said Newsom’s proposed budget will go to the California Legislature, which is required to pass the main budget by June 15. The same deadline is not required of trailer bills such as the new proposal.

“If approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor, the proposals would take effect later this summer,” said Endean, who added, “The target date for the start of [the Delta Conveyance Project’s] construction is 2029 and these proposals keep that target on track.”

California Winegrape Growers Hope Trump's Tariffs Can Save Their Industry

Mon, 21 Apr 2025 21:11:10 GMT

California is the first state to sue the Trump administration over tariffs. Gov. Gavin Newsom made the announcement last week on an almond farm in the Central Valley, saying 43% of the state’s almonds, pistachios and dairy products are export dependent.

Newsom says no state is poised to lose more due to the tariffs than California, but not all farmers agree. California winegrape growers and producers like Rodney Schatz hope tariffs can help save the waning wine industry in the state.

“It’s tough now in the fact that the world market really is affecting everything we do. [That’s] on top of the fact that we’re in California where regulations are even more dramatic than most places could even imagine,” Schatz told Farm Journal.

2025 Could Be the Most Challenging Year Yet

Schatz is a third-generation grape grower and wine producer, situated just outside of Lodi, Calif., which is home to nearly 40% of California’s premium wine grape production. He’s been in the business for 50 years and coming off of one of his most challenging years yet.

“This is going to be a very tough summer, because right now there’s no activity by wineries purchasing fruit for this upcoming harvest, which is about five months away,” he adds.

The fact Schatz thinks 2025 could be more severe than 2024 says a lot considering some growers left entire vineyards unharvested last year, as they had no home for their grapes.

“It was probably one of the worst harvests we’ve seen in the last 50 years,” says Stuart Spencer, executive director for the Lodi Wine Grape Commission. “There were an estimated 400 to 500,000 tons of grapes across all of California that went unharvested.”

Spencer estimates 15% of the total crop in California went without a contract in 2024, which means those growers left that crop to either wither on the vine or rot in the field.

“This was the lightest harvest we’ve seen in 20 years, going back to 2004, and a good part of that was because of the unharvested grapes where there was just no market for them,” Spencer says.

Schatz harvested every acre of his grapes last year — a decision he now regrets. And that means he’s already making tough calls for 2025.

“What we’ve done is since harvest last year, we’ve already removed over a hundred acres of vineyard. So, we just took them out,” says Schatz. “And the last piece that’s being kind of considered sits in front of my home ... . I didn’t even prune it, so it’s probably going to come out through the summer as well.”

What’s Causing the Wine Industry to Hit a Wall?

Schatz is trying olives and different crops to diversify, working to weather the current storm. The reason? Well, it’s complex. It goes back to too much supply, not enough demand, non-tariff trade barriers hitting the wine industry especially hard, and a flood of imports.

“A big issue now, being in a world market, there’s wine grapes produced throughout the world and wine coming from all over the world to the United States. That’s going to be our biggest challenge,” says Schatz.

“There’s still a great deal of uncertainty in the marketplace, and then the whole trade tariff discussion has added additional uncertainty to it,” says Spencer.

After 30 years of growth, Spencer says demand for wine has shrunk the last three years. But there’s also a global oversupply of wine from places like Europe, Australia and South America.

“Consequently, that’s left a lot of farmers — you know, the grower is kind of the last on the food chain and left without a home to sell their grapes, and that’s what we’re seeing right now,” he says.

35% of the Wine in the U.S. is Imported

Even prior to the recent tariffs, demand for U.S. wine was on the decline. With a slump in wine sales, that’s created a deficit in demand, says Chris Bitter, senior wine analyst for Terrain.

“Approximately 10% of U.S. grape or wine production by volume is exported,” says Spencer. “So, it’s a relatively small portion. And in terms of the U.S. market overall, we import about 35% of the wine that is sold in the U.S.”

Since more wine is imported than exported in the U.S., Schatz believes President Donald Trump’s push for tariffs could be a turning pointed for family-owned vineyards in the U.S.

“Here’s how hopeful I am: I’ve lost, in the last couple weeks, deals into China — of course Canada’s on hold — and into Sweden,” says Schatz. “So, these are places where we semi-regularly send wine to, and they’ve all run for the hills and said these deals are on hold and we’re not going to ship those wines. So, that even backs us up more.

“OK, fine, and I’m willing to stomach that,” he continues. “I’m hoping these tariffs change the dynamics right here in the United States. I would much rather do business right here than ship overseas.”

But not everyone is in that boat. Bitter isn’t confident that throttling back the amount of wine imported will translate to more domestic wine being sold and consumed in the U.S.

“It’s going to vary by location, by variety, by type of wine,” says Bitter. “So, it’s a complex issue. But at this point, I’m not seeing those tariffs as kind of the potential solution to the problem facing the grape market. While there could be some benefits in some areas, I don’t see that as something that is going to be turning the tide for grape growers in this state.”

As Bitter stated, the wine industry is complex, which is why the answer isn’t simple.

“Wine is highly regulated because it is an alcoholic beverage. And in the United States, we have something called the three-tier system where it is mandated that to import wine, you first have to import it through an importer. That importer then sells it to a distributor, and then that distributor sells it to the retailer,” says Bitter. “So, at all the various stages of that chain, the business doesn’t necessarily have to pass on that full tariff.”

Bitter says that means it’s unlikely to be a one-for-one increase with the tariffs, and distributors and retailers may find ways to eat those costs in the short-run.

“Now, if the tariffs last for a long period of time and are perceived to be permanent, we might see a switch in that. But I think that we will probably see some increase in differential between imported wines and domestic wines, but i don’t think it’s going to be as big as the kind of headline tariff numbers that we’re seeing,” Bitter says.

Canada is the top export market for the U.S. today, according to Spencer. In response to the Trump administration’s tense rhetoric regarding the country, Canadian liquor buyers, which are government controlled, have essential quit buying U.S. wine and spirits.

“And that one is problematic, because they’ve removed all California or U.S. wines and spirits from their store shelves. And so, that has had an impact,” he says.

But on the domestic side, Spencer says orders coming from areas of Europe, Australia and South America are on hold.

“On the domestic side of things though, and specifically coming out of Europe, we have already heard of a lot of orders getting put on hold, going both directions,” says Spencer.

“We have also heard indirectly that, you know, some of the orders have been picking up domestically for some of our wineries as well, too,” he adds.

Is There Enough Domestic Supply of Wine?

Spencer says from retailers to restaurants, some reports say there’s not enough domestic supply to make up for the imports that could be lost. That’s a claim he says simply isn’t true.

“Well, there’s thousands of tons unharvested last year that the tanks are full with wine, so there is definitely a spot for this domestic wine, yes,” he says. “It’s not all completely interchangeable, but at the same time, there is still a lot of opportunity domestically here to support California wines and domestic wines.”

For Bitter, it depends on the category and the types of grapes or wine. Sparkling wine is one example, he says. The U.S. imports 60% of all sparkling wine sold in the U.S.

“We don’t have the capacity to make up for that level of switch to domestic wines, so we don’t the capacity produce enough sparkling wine. To fully offset that if foreign sparkling wine sales fell to zero, we simply don’t have the capacity to do that, at least in the short term,” says Bitter. “But at the high end, folks who are drinking like high-end burgundies or Champagne or Bordeaux bridles may not see domestic wines as a direct substitute for what they’re drinking. So, they might drink less as opposed to just switching to domestic brands.”

Growers are Hopeful Tariffs Can Give California Farmers a Fighting Chance

Considering roughly one-third of the wine consumed in the U.S. is imported wine, grape growers and wine producers like Schatz are hoping the move to slow imports could give California farmers a fighting chance.

“If you go to your local grocery chain and there’s a floor stack of, say, this time of year you’d have a pink rose from Provence, and it’s beautifully stacked and labeled, and it sitting there and it’s $6.99 a bottle — that is what I’m hoping is clocked. That’s where my wine can come in,” he says. “And so a lot of these imports plop down on the floor, and I’ll never get a chance to compete with them. So, I’m hoping this tariff puts a kibosh on some of that and allow some of our wines to come in.”

Your Next Read:
Grape Growers Desperately Need You to Drink More Wine as They Grapple With a Glut of Uncontracted Grapes

Navigating the changing situation of tariffs

The Scoop Podcast: Transformations That Make Us Be Better

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 16:33:02 GMT

The 2024 Retailer of the Year is Buttonwillow Warehouse Company, which serves farmers from Modesto to Oxnard, California. Chief Operating Officer Clay Houchin, who is second generation leadership for the family-owned independent ag retailer, shares the business has evolved greatly in the past 60 years to meet the needs of farmers on the lastest episode of The Scoop Podcast.

One of the most pressing issues facing California growers is water usage. Houchin says he could see how in the next five years, 40% of acres could be idled due to availability and cost of water.

And while that may seem daunting, he has belief in how agriculture can face the challenges.

“We in California have the safest–and I hate to use this word–most sustainable food production in the world,” Houchin says. “These growers are incredibly resilient. They’re exceptionally smart business people.”
Transformation is nothing new to California agriculture nor the business at Buttonwillow.

After starting the company, founder Don Houchin then helped farmers navigate the transition from row crops to fresh produce crops and permanent crops. Today it’s footprint includes strawberries, blueberries, table grapes, wine grapes, pistachios, almonds, dairy customers with forage crops, and fresh market citrus.

This meant changes in everything from horsepower in the field to the crop care applied.

“You shift from growing fiber and crops that are going to be fed to animals, to more towards what is going directly into human consumption. And so the sense of urgency goes up. Your care and custody of that crop is intensified, and also the risks and the value of those crops are substantially higher,” Clay says. “So our people had to be better. They had to be able to be moved quicker, because those crops tend to move quicker. One day the crop could be fine, and within 48 hours, you’re needing to do an application to get in there.”

Another force that has elevated the level of detail applied to the agronomics is California state regulations.

“There’s no state or no place in the world where every application is documented and submitted to the government and is also submitted to the processor,” he says. “For every EPA registered crop protection product that is put on that crop there’s a written legal recommendation, it’s given to the grower, the application is done, and then it is filed with the state, and that goes with the food, and it is logged on that acre for years to come.”

He says the record keeping means you can go back decades now and see every pesticide applied to an acre.

“Along with pesticides, came water, because water is a very precious resource here,” he says. “Irrigation monitors log every inch of water that’s going on. And with that now fertilizer, because nitrogen is kind of the hot topic in California, so we have to make sure that we’re applying nitrogen judiciously, efficiently, and we also have to report that to the state.”

Houchin shares more on his outlook as well as tools the company has used to better serve farmers and meet regulations on The Scoop Podcast.

You can read more about Buttonwillow Warehouse Company here.

Industry News: Hybrid Fungicide Receives California Registration, Kalo Announces New Leadership

Tue, 14 Jan 2025 17:45:12 GMT

Regev Hybrid Fungicide Receives California Registration
The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved the use of Regev hybrid fungicide in the state.

Summit Agro says Regev is the first hybrid fungicide, as it brings together the disease fighting power of botanical and conventional chemistries. Specifically, the product combines Tea Tree Extract (FRAC BM01) with difenoconazole (FRAC 3) - providing California growers disease control from nine mechanisms of activity.

“Regev provides the trifecta of disease protection, which is preventative, curative and anti-sporulant control” said Eric Tedford, Summit Agro R&D manager.

In California, Regev will be particularly beneficial to grape and almond growers. Other labeled crops include brassica leafy vegetables, fruiting vegetables and berries.

The full list of Regev fungicide’s approved crops and diseases treated can be found here .

Kalo Announces New Director of Sales
Kalo has named Jonathan Barrett as their new director of sales, which took effect on January 6.

Barrett comes from agricultural roots, having worked as a crop advisor, crop protection and seed salesman, marketing lead and most recently the global head of soybean strategy and portfolio at Syngenta.

“Jon’s experience and proven record in the agricultural sector make him an excellent fit for our team. We look forward to the contributions he will bring to our organization,” said Chuck Champion, president at KALO.

California Issues State of Emergency Warning in Response to More Bird Flu Found on Dairies

Thu, 09 Jan 2025 17:03:14 GMT

California Governor Gavin Newsom recently proclaimed a State of Emergency to accelerate California’s response to avian influenza A (H5N1), or more commonly known as ‘bird flu.’

According to Newsom, this action comes as cases were detected in dairy cows on farms in Southern California, signaling the need to expand monitoring further and build on the coordinated statewide approach to contain and mitigate the spread of the virus.

“This proclamation is a targeted action to ensure government agencies have the resources and flexibility they need to respond quickly to this outbreak. Building on California’s testing and monitoring system — the largest in the nation — we are committed to further protecting public health, supporting our agriculture industry, and ensuring that Californians have access to accurate, up-to-date information,” Gov. Newsom said in a statement. “While the risk to the public remains low, we will continue to take all necessary steps to prevent the spread of this virus.”

State health officials have reported that cases of H5N1 have been found on 641 dairy farms. The first confirmed case in the state occurred earlier in August, but roughly half of the farms were identified within the last month.

So far, no person-to-person transmission of H5N1 has been reported in California, and nearly all infected individuals have had direct exposure to infected cattle.

According to Newsom, the state has implemented the nation’s most extensive testing and monitoring system to address the outbreak. This recent declaration aims to bolster the state agencies’ response by providing additional staff and resources for testing, heightened quarantine measures, and distributing personal protective equipment to high-risk dairy employees.

Since its initial detection in Texas and Kansas in March 2024, the virus has spread to dairy cattle in 16 states.

Your Next Read: USDA Announces New Federal Order, Begins National Milk Testing Strategy to Address H5N1 in Dairy Herds

ARA Named Buttonwillow Warehouse Company Retailer of the Year

Wed, 04 Dec 2024 17:45:35 GMT

Today the Agricultural Retailers Association (ARA) honored Buttonwillow Warehouse Company (BWC) with its Retailer of the Year award in front of more than 600 attendees during the 2024 ARA Conference & Expo.

“I’m honored to accept this award on behalf of the entire team at Buttonwillow Warehouse Company,” says BWC Chief Operating Officer Clay Houchin. “Our company’s decades-long legacy of putting people first has enabled us to consistently meet the evolving needs of growers while fostering a world-class workforce contributing to the prosperity of the communities we serve.

BWC believes the keys to success lie in three core values: integrity, community, and innovation. By prioritizing people, communities, and agricultural innovation, Buttonwillow Warehouse Company has earned this distinguished honor.

“Our industry relies on innovative partners who consistently deliver results, and for over 50 years, BWC has exemplified this commitment to excellence,” says ARA President & CEO Daren Coppock. “Their leadership and tailored services have not only set them apart but have also greatly contributed to the success of local communities. We’re proud to recognize them as a leader in our industry.”

The Retailer of the Year award, sponsored by Bayer and The Scoop , annually honors an ARA member retailer company or individual that displays effective employee relations, environmental stewardship, customer reliability, industry leadership, and more.

BWC is a premier agricultural retailer providing comprehensive services, with a focus on custom blending, crop protection, fertilizer, and sustainable agriculture practices. They are committed to meeting the diverse needs of their customers and pride themselves on their strong community ties with a dedicated team of over 100 employees who contribute to their ongoing success and industry leadership.

Watch a video showcasing the hard work of the BWC team.

Discover Unique Takeaways For Your Career Path At NAICC’s 2025 Gathering

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 20:03:01 GMT

By Debra Stroschein, NAICC president

Our 2024 season is winding down, and NAICC is looking ahead to our January 20-24 annual meeting in Monterey, California, at the Monterey Conference Center.

We encourage all members to attend as the event will have educational tracks for crop consultants, contract researchers and QA professionals. Each will cover current trends, regulations and new tech.

Session Highlights
Our emerging and evolving technology session will be held on Thursday. Industry partners and members will showcase new crop protection products under development, new uses of current chemistries and new equipment and software. The consultant sessions will begin with a joint session with researchers on the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and herbicide and insecticide strategies. Other sessions include the consultant’s role in ESA implementation, integrated pest management and soil fertility.

Speakers will explore timely artificial intelligence in agriculture, biologicals, employee management, the product development process and becoming a better auditor.

California Farm Tour
In addition to a full education lineup, we will also have a researcher capability poster session, which is scheduled for Tuesday evening.

Another highlight to anticipate on Tuesday is the California farm tour. We will start at Tanimura and Antle and tour its facility, looking at drip tape installation and planting and application technology.

Then, we will head to the Ocean Mist plant and follow that stop with lunch and a tour of Odonata Winery. This outing will highlight California agriculture: artichokes, wine grapes and everything in between.

Salinas is widely known as the “salad bowl of the world” in agriculture. Its large-scale production of lettuce and other leafy greens make it a major production center for fresh produce in the country. Here’s a fun fact to share with others on the tour: the Salinas Valley produces about 70% of all the lettuce grown in California and a little more than 50% of the lettuce grown in the U.S.

I can’t wait to see everyone in my home state of California in January! NAICC, to me, is family, so I look forward to seeing everyone again and getting educated.

Meet The New NAICC President: Debra Stroschein

Fri, 05 Jan 2024 21:22:22 GMT

I am honored to lead NAICC into 2024. I have been a contract researcher in California for 30 years, and I have my crop consultant license for California in all categories. I am also a third-generation farmer in southern California. My family has farmed in Blythe since 1943, and I currently farm 1,400 acres—mainly alfalfa. With this experience, I see what agriculture faces today from many perspectives. It is daunting.

As I watched my dad farm over the years and saw all the stresses of farming—examples include managing the risks and constantly trying to deal with things that were out of his control—I learned farming wasn’t easy, but it was something he loved to do. He had a passion for it. American farmers still do the job they love to do with the full passion that my dad had until the day he died.

I inherited that passion and drive. I remember the good and the bad. The alfalfa market in California was at an all-time high in 2022, but so were the inputs. Our farming skills were put to the test. We had to fight the input costs as well as the drought. The other crops in California were at an all-time low in return. Supply chain issues caused materials to not be available, which was another major concern for the farmer. This held true across the U.S.

The same issues remained throughout 2023. Fertilizer prices seemed to level off, and demand lowered a bit, but the drought was still a concern. Consultants were the saving grace. Having an independent crop consultant on your team is valuable. As a grower, I value the assistance the consultant gives me with looking at changes in the laws, researching the correct tools and making sure I have the right product at the right rate and at the right time.

Who knows what 2024 will bring us, but I am glad I have a consultant on my team to help me navigate my way through the rough roads. I know California is supposed to have an El Niño year, so let’s see what Mother Nature throws at us. There is not anything we cannot do. My father always said, “The farmer is not just a farmer today; he or she is a scientist, a computer expert, an engineer, a mechanic, a mathematician and sometimes a psychiatrist.”

We just need the correct tools to handle the challenges and opportunities, and I feel one of them is having an agricultural adviser assist you.

We invite you to attend the 2024 NAICC Annual Meeting and Ag Pro Expo . There, you can network with the crème de la crème of crop consultants, contract researchers and quality assurance professionals from all across the U.S. and the world.

Supreme Court May Soon Announce Prop 12 Decision; Here's Why All Producers Should Care

Fri, 12 May 2023 15:20:52 GMT

Supreme Court may announce a decision relatively soon on the controversial Proposition 12 case that deals with California trying to dictate how hogs are raised.

The California law being challenged bans the sale of pork within the state unless pregnant pigs are allowed at least 24 square feet of space and the ability to stand up and turn around in their pens. The measure was approved with more 68% of the vote as part of a 2018 ballot initiative known as Proposition 12.

Related article: Proposition 12 Will Push Pig Farmers Out of Business, NPPC and Farmers Say

The National Pork Producers Council and the American Farm Bureau Federation , which sued in 2019, say the measure violates the so-called dormant commerce clause, a doctrine that says the U.S. Constitution limits the power of states to regulate commerce outside their borders without congressional authorization.

Why Should Crop Producers Care?

If the Court rules in favor of California, the legislation will open a door to a much larger arena of regulatory authority. This case should have all other ag producers on alert, according to John Dillard of OFW Law .

Related article: How Prop 12 Could Impact Crop and Livestock Producers

“If California were to win this case in the Supreme Court, there’s nothing stopping the state from saying, for example, you can only sell corn in California if it’s harvested with an electric combine,” he says.

Dillard says the Supreme Court’s ruling could give the green or red light for each state to set its own standards on any and all products that come across state lines.

Interstate commerce has been brought into question many times in the past. The Supreme Court will either set new parameters or reinforce old ones when they address Prop 12 this year.

From Fresh Berries to Lettuce, What We Now Know About the Agricultural Losses Caused by Flooding in California

Fri, 17 Mar 2023 21:18:25 GMT

California farmers are facing another round of flooding , with fields still bearing fresh scars from January’s flood event . An area known for the production of fresh berries, as well as leafy greens, is bracing for the worst, and officials expect the March flooding to spread over more acres than January.

The Monterey County Ag Commissioner’s office conducted an assessment of the January floods, which projected the flood waters covered 20,000 acres in Monterey County, which is home to the Salinas Valley. The losses were pegged at $330 million , and that was at a time when the majority of the spring crops hadn’t been planted yet.

“Now we have March flooding, so those farms adjacent to the Salinas River, and in other low lying areas, which are at most risk for flooding again, I think the difference this time is kind of two-fold,” says Chris Valadez, the president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California . “One, you had crops planted in the ground for the upcoming spring harvest. So, there is direct crop damage this time more so than there was and would have been in the January event, and two, not only did you know virtually all of the 20,000 or so acres, flood again, but this weather system and the resulting flood and volume of water that was coming down the Salinas River and spilled over laterally into farm fields was more aggressive.”

Related Story: California Strawberry Commission shares update on devastation from river flooding

This week, the atmospheric rivers are having a larger cut due to a levee breach. The water is impacting fields planted in fresh berries, like strawberries and raspberries. Some of the low-lying area are also home to leafy green production like lettuce. While the damage will be severe for those in the flood water’s path, Valadez says the entire area includes close to 360,000 acres of productive farmland, most of which is expected to still be harvested this year.

“There are an array of different row crops, vegetables, and others that that are planted in that will be harvested and shipped come this spring. That is just kind of the good news, if there’s any to share from this event,” he says. “The bad news is there’s more acreage there’s going to be more direct crop loss, there’s going to be more negative impact onto the agricultural economy, families and farm workers that will continue kind of suffering through this region.”

Residents in the rural community of Porterville, California, say it took 15 minutes for floodwaters from a broken levee to devastate their homes. Some are now wading through the murky waters to feed their animals, as they say they had no warning that the flood was about to hit pic.twitter.com/UEjVyHUgTo
— Reuters (@Reuters) March 17, 2023

Valadez says this March flood event will have a negative impact on the farming communities, as well as the farm families and employees who rely on the production each year. That’s a concern Supervisor Luis Alejo of the California State Association of Counties in District 1, also told CNN.

“The pain is going to be prolonged for many weeks and months. This should have been the beginning of the harvest season,” says Alejo.

Related Story: California farm groups praise governor’s actions to recharge aquifers

There are concerns about what any crop loss will do to overall supplies this year, and the damage is still unknown.

“There will be more crop losses as areas that have not experienced flooding now are now experiencing it for the first time,” says Norm Groot with Monterey County Farm Bureau.

Valadez says if previous flood and drought events have taught the area one thing, it’s farmers in that part of California are extremely resilient, but Valadez says the weeks and months ahead will be hard for those producers, and they’re going to need help.

“In some cases, they’re going to need people to get out of the way, we’re going to need to cut some red tape at the local level, perhaps at the state level as well, regulatory speaking, to get berms and levees back up so that the river can handle appropriate water levels getting from point A to B, so that they’re not as at risk to flow laterally and on to ag fields,” he says. “And so reducing red tape, allowing farmers to kind of put the pieces back together and really allow them to rebound because they are naturally resilient and history has shown they’ll come back stronger than ever.”

Valadez says the area is confident they will be able to work together and overcome the challenges Mother Nature is throwing their way, as the ultimate goal is to get farms back to a healthy state so those fields can start producing valuable crops again.

Does All This Rain and Snow Mean La Niña Is Loosening Its Grip On the U.S.?

Thu, 26 Jan 2023 20:41:57 GMT

California was hammered with moisture to start the year , a significant change from the dire drought situation that’s plagued the state for three consecutive years. An atmospheric river, which causes consecutive storms with intense moisture, caused flooding, mudslides and dropped feet of much-needed moisture in the mountains.

The change from no moisture to too much precipitation in some areas is a sudden switch. It’s also planting a new question: Is the weather pattern finally changing, and will California start to dig out from the severe drought?

“That is one of the strangest things about this wet spell is that it’s coming during the third year of La Niña, which is still going,” says Brad Rippey, USDA meteorologist . “We still have the cool water in the equatorial Pacific. And all signs continue to point toward La Niña is still active in the Pacific Ocean,” he says.

Rare, But Not Unprecedented

The atmospheric river produced historic rains, and proved to be a rare occurrence for an area facing three consecutive years of drought.

“This is not completely unprecedented, but it is very rare,” says Rippey. “I will say that the last time this happened was back in 2016 to 2017, when we had a weak La Niña year that year, but we did have excessive precipitation.”

Still Seeing Drought

Even with the deluge of rain, lingering drought is still impacting the state. The U.S. Drought Monitor shows 92% of California is still covered in drought. The picture is improving, though. Three months ago, nearly 41% of the state was seeing D3, or extreme drought. Today, that’s dropped to 32%.

The significant improvement is planting hope the state is possibly turning a corner and can start to recover some of the scars left from so many years of drought and dry weather. The moisture is helping replenish some of what was lost.

“I think we saw a 40- to 50-foot recovery in like two weeks in some of these basins,” says Hinz. “That is what was needed in a lot of those areas. And I would say outside of El Niño or La Niña, that that soil moisture going into spring is a very understated, impactful driver.”

Promising Snowpack

The latest snowpack assessment shows levels in the Sierra Nevada reached 250 percent of normal. Far northern California is seeing snowpack 200 percent of normal.

“Certainly, from a water allocation standpoint, we should be in much better shape in 2023 than any of the three preceding years. So that should be a boon to some of those Central Valley farmers in terms of water allocations as we move later into 2023,” says Rippey.

Active Weather Pattern to Finish January

Snow brought some drought relief to the north-central Great Plains just last week, which is good news for winter wheat and soil moisture overall, but it’s also a warning that more severe weather outbreaks could be on tap yet this month.

“The active storm track has shifted, but we remain in a hyperactive weather pattern as we head through the rest of January, just a different part of the country than what we saw for the first half,” Rippey says.

Is El Niño Knocking at the Door?

Rippey points out it’s not unprecedented to have a wet year like this during La Niña, but he says historically, it is rare. So, what about longer term?

“There’s no sign that El Niño is lurking or ready to come in. It looks like we’ll hit into a neutral condition by the spring sometime,” he says. “So, this is just one of those things, and I say this all the time when we talk about La Niña. La Niña comes in different flavors. A little repositioning of the jetstream makes all the difference in the world.”

Will There Be A Lettuce Shortage This Year As Parts of Drought-Plagued California Are Now Flooding?

Mon, 23 Jan 2023 20:51:05 GMT

After three consecutive years of drought, relentless rains have hammered California for the past three straight weeks. From flooding to mudslides, the unforgiving weather is wreaking havoc on agriculture and infrastructure in the state. The culprit? An atmospheric river. Even with the intense moisture, the rains hit ahead of the area’s main growing season, which is good news for crops like lettuce and strawberries.

“One of the areas that’s been hardest hit has been the Salinas Valley, which is a northward draining river that starts in southern California, drains northward through some very fertile land in central California, and then exits the northwestern coast of California,” says Brad Rippey, a meteorologist with USDA.

Livestock producers worked to get their livestock to higher ground, while produce fields in some areas flooded as levees caved to rushing waters. California is finally getting a break from the back-to-back storms, Rippey says an atmospheric river is nothing new, but it is rare during a La Niña year.

It’s been like this every day since New Year’s Day. #California #flooding #eldoradocounty #CaliforniaStorms

It’s been hard and the livestock is having a bad time as well but I’m thankful, our house almost burned down 2 years ago. This should help the drought. 🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/7sJmPOcll7
— 🌷 LIZZIE🌷REFORMED (@farmingandJesus) January 14, 2023

“It’s something that’s been going on since the beginning of time,” Rippey explains. “It’s a very concentrated area of moisture originating in the tropical Pacific, and then pointed like a fire hose at the west coast of the United States.”

Rippey says it causes a series of individual storms, and as California saw, the atmospheric river repeatedly hammers an area with intense moisture.

While the rain might eventually be good news for water allocations for growers, today, producers are wading through the damage.

“It continues to be an evolving situation where not only industry but the emergency response officials and system within the region are still assessing the ongoing nature of those impacts,” says Chris Valadez, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California .

As Rippey mentioned, one of the hardest hit areas is the Salinas Valley. The flooding concerns remain along the Salinas River in Monterey County, as well as portions of Mariposa and Merced counties in the Central Valley, all of which are big growing areas. Monterey County grows 61% of the nation’s leaf lettuce and 57% of the celery. The area is also home to 56% of the country’s head lettuce supply.

“This is a primary region for the production of leafy vegetables and fresh berries, namely strawberries for the U.S. consumer over the spring, summer and fall period of time,” Valadez says.

It’s not clear how long the flooding will last, but the good news is the area is in between growing seasons right now.

“We’re in between seasons right now, a lot of that area is used for late winter and spring production for crops, like strawberries and lettuce crops,” Rippey explains. “Right now, a lot of the lettuce, for example, is coming out of the desert Southwest like Yuma, Arizona, so we’re still a couple of months away from affecting California’s production for some of those specialty crops.”

Related Story: Salinas Valley infrastructure needs a makeover: Q&A with Jim White at Growers Ice

Valadez says the last large flooding event the area had was in the mid-1990s. At that time, the rains and flooding came in March, which hammered fields already planted. As a result, the rains then did flood out many crops that year.

While flooding is never good, and infrastructure will take time to repair, Valadez says this year’s rains hit before the main growing season.

“Those crops largely aren’t impacted because they’re not quite yet into production. However, there are situations here were some of those crops, namely on the leafy vegetable side, were planted,” Valadez says. “I would also perceive, admittedly, there may be some acres that could have suffered so much damage they are not planted. If and where that’s true, I would anticipate that being a very small percentage of the overall available productive acreage or irrigated productive acreage here in this region.”

Timing is key, but the floodwater is still sprouting doubts on when the crops will get planted.

“I believe there’s confidence that as waters recede most of the acres that were impacted should get planted this year, they will be delayed,” Valadez says.

The other concern, for Rippey, is water contamination.

“Water tests will have to be done and soil testing, just to make sure it’s safe to grow these crops,” he says.

Even with the recent rains, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 92% of California is still covered in drought. The picture is improving, though. Three months ago, nearly 41% of the state was seeing D3, or extreme drought. Today, that’s dropped to 32%. The significant improvement is planting hope the state is possibly turning a corner and can start to recover some of the scars left from so many years of drought and dry weather.

Feds Order Trains to Deliver Grain to California Chickens

Wed, 04 Jan 2023 22:20:10 GMT

Federal regulators have ordered Union Pacific railroad to honor specific service commitments to Foster Poultry Farms in Livingston, California.

The order from the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) was in response to Foster Farms Dec. 29 petition for emergency service as a result of continued deterioration in rail service from Union Pacific. Foster Farms sought the board’s assistance to ensure the supply of grain necessary to feed the company’s millions of chickens and thousands of cattle.

The order was the second emergency order issued in the past year related to delivery problems at Foster Farms as the railroad struggled with a shortage of crews.

The STB’s ordered Union Pacific to deliver specific train sets of animal feed to Foster Farms on the time schedule specified by Union Pacific in order to avert a potential significant loss of livestock, and requires the railroad to provide a status update and to inform the Board and Foster Farms in writing of any need to deviate from its proposed schedules.

Union Pacific said last month’s extreme cold and blizzard conditions slowed deliveries in 20 of the 23 western states in which it operates. Railroad spokesmen said the problems at Foster Farms should improve once five trains hauling corn that are already en route arrive.

Foster Farms has an estimated 40 to 50 million chickens at its facilities in California’s San Joaquin Valley, and has been buying truckloads of corn while it awaits the grain trains to arrive.

California Approves Plan to 'Move State Away From Oil' by 2035

Wed, 05 Oct 2022 18:44:12 GMT

Noting an urgent need to address climate change while cutting back on air pollution, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) voted Thursday to require all new cars and light trucks sold by 2035 to be zero-emission vehicles.

Lauren Sanchez, Gov. Gavin Newsom’s climate advisor, called it “a huge day not only for California but the entire world.” The mission, she said: “Move the state away from oil.”

Liane Randolph, chairwoman of the CARB, said the rule is one of the state’s most important efforts yet to clean the air and will lead to a 50% reduction in pollution from cars and light trucks by 2040.

The EV Scoop

Congress gave California permission to set its own rules under the Federal Air Quality Act of 1966 when the state was combatting the toxic yellow-brown smog that hung over Los Angeles.

The Trump administration in 2019 revoked California’s authority to regulate its own air quality, but the Biden administration restored that authority earlier this year.

Already, 15 states , including Colorado and Minnesota, as well as states on the Northeast and West Coast, followed California’s previous zero-emission vehicle regulations.

New York, Oregon, Washington state and Rhode Island officials they plan to adopt California’s rule through their own rule-making process, while New Jersey and Maryland officials said they were reviewing California’s decision. Public comment in Washington state on a similar plan will start Sept. 7.

More than 16% of new cars sold in California in 2022 were zero-emissions vehicles, the state said , up from 12.41% in 2021 and 7.78% in 2020.

What’s Next for America and Electric Vehicles

The rules won’t be immediate and will go into effect in 2026. The mandate forces automakers to phase out gasoline and diesel cars, sport utility vehicles, minivans and pickup trucks in favor of cleaner versions powered by batteries or fuel cells. If automakers do not comply, they could be charged $20,000 per noncomplying car, CARB said.

What if consumers don’t go along? One option: People could still buy internal combustion cars from another state without the mandate. And it will still be legal to buy and sell used fossil-fuel cars and light trucks.

Under the new rules, 35% of new cars must be zero emission by 2026, 51% by 2028, 68% by 2030, and 100% by 2035. The quotas also would allow 20% of zero-emission cars sold to be plug-in hybrids.

The mandate doesn’t cover all of highway transportation: Heavy trucks that burn diesel fuel will have 10 extra years before they are banned. A proposed zero-emission mandate for heavy trucks wouldn’t hit 100% until 2045.

Also, up to 20% of a carmaker’s sales can be plug-in hybrids, which have both electric motors and gas engines, and still count as zero-emission, as long as the minimum battery range is 50 miles or more.

As part of the California mandate, the state will require specific levels of warranty protection for EV batteries and related components.

Notable Hurdles for EV’s

One of them is that an electric car still costs far more than an equivalent gasoline car. According to Kelley Blue Book, the average EV sold for $66,000 in July, compared with $48,000 for the average international-combustion vehicle.

CARB officials pointed to studies that show savings in fuel and maintenance can make an EV a better financial deal over time, and that prices would continue to drop.

Charging is another hurdle. While homeowners can install their own EV charger in a garage, most people who live in apartment buildings and condos don’t have that option. California plans to require multifamily housing landlords to provide some way to charge electric cars.

John Bozzella, president and CEO of the Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents major automakers, said California’s mandate would be “extremely challenging” for automakers to meet.

“Whether or not these requirements are realistic or achievable is directly linked to external factors like inflation, charging and fuel infrastructure, supply chains, labor, critical mineral availability and pricing, and the ongoing semiconductor shortage,” Bozzella said in a statement. “These are complex, intertwined and global issues.”

State officials said the rule is critical to meeting to state’s goal to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2045, and that resulting emissions reductions would lead to fewer cardiopulmonary deaths and emergency visits for asthma and other illnesses.

Ag Industry Responds

While environmental groups were largely very complimentary, some said the CARB rule didn’t go far enough. The National Corn Growers Assn. (NCGA) released the following statement:

“As NCGA told regulators during the rulemaking process, constraining the vision of a zero-emission future prevents the state from tapping into the immediate and affordable environmental solutions that come from replacing more gasoline with low-carbon and low-cost ethanol, in both current and new vehicles, including new plug-in hybrids,” NCGA wrote. “Ethanol is on a path to net zero emissions, and NCGA will continue to work with and urge California to use all the tools in its toolbox as it addresses climate change and cuts harmful tailpipe emissions. As recent University of California, Riverside, vehicle testing for CARB found, higher ethanol blends, like E15, significantly reduced most criteria air pollutants compared to standard 10% ethanol blends.”

Trucker Blockade Shuts Major California Seaport for Second Day

Thu, 21 Jul 2022 19:33:28 GMT

Truckers protesting California’s new “gig worker” law blockaded the state’s third-busiest seaport for a second day on Thursday, stalling agricultural exports and threatening to worsen U.S. supply chain backups.

The largest marine terminal at the Port of Oakland was closed on Thursday, while the three other marine terminals on the property had some on-ship labor underway, port spokesman Robert Bernardo said.

Emmy Award-Winning TV Series Tells Ag’s Story in a Unique Way

Thu, 14 Jul 2022 20:42:00 GMT

Facebook has opened the door for businesses to scale their connections and pocketbooks far more than any time before.

One couple, Jeff and Jill Aiello, harnessed the platform’s capabilities when they stumbled upon the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook page on an afternoon at their home in California.

What started as social media table talk between Jeff and Jill quickly turned into an award-winning docuseries that now airs on Valley PBS.

Here’s how social media paved the way for the Aiello’s to win an Emmy Award.

How it Started

Jeff’s interest in agriculture manifested over his 15 years at the Walt Disney Company and ABC Television. Following his departure from the company, he channeled his true passion.

“When we came back to the Central Valley and settled down, I turned to agriculture,” he says. “I’ve always understood the basic idea that farmers are our heroes, and my time in various parts of California made me realize a lot of people in our urban settings seem to have forgotten that.”

Communicating ag to urban dwellers became the Aiello’s main focus. To get the ball rolling, Jeff produced and released a California water documentary, Tapped Out, for PBS in 2017.

The four-part mini-series eventually went on to gain praise from critics, politicians and educators. With a second season of production in full swing, Jeff says he now recognizes the dire need for translating every element of ag’s story, not just one topic or one region.

How it’s Going

Jeff’s production tides then began to morph into a new idea, brought to the table by Jill.

“It was around Christmas in 2018,” he said. “Jill and I were sitting in the hot tub when she looked up at me and said, ‘Jeff, we should do a docuseries based on the stories we’re seeing on the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook page.’”

As a television producer, Jeff says the page is “solid gold” when it comes to content. But while the ag content would be easy to access, Jeff wasn’t keen on the idea of “just another ag show.”

To attract all audiences, the Aiello’s opted:
1. Not to include a narrator
2. To allow people to talk as much or as little as they want

Filming styles like these offer viewers an opportunity to form their own opinions and feel like they have boots on the ground, according to Jeff.

After developing a game plan for how he wanted the show to be filmed, Jeff pitched the idea to the Facebook page founders, Erik Wilson and Steve Malanca.

Roadblocks from the Outsets

Once in agreeance, the three men took their American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag idea to PBS, where Jeff says they didn’t receive the warm welcome he had hoped for.

“PBS had just hired a new CEO. She didn’t know my production style, my documentaries and she was skeptical of my idea for the show,” he says.

According to Jeff, the CEO at the time gave him “it’s my way or the highway” treatment. It was only when he pitched the idea to ABC—where his roots were firmly planted 15 years prior—that PBS agreed to take on the show.

Emmy Award Secured

Fast forward to today, PBS is in its third season of airing American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag, which centers around California’s farm culture.

According to Jeff, the show has “blown up” due to the show’s production and communication styles.

“I try to write out and piece each episode together as if I’m trying to explain it to an eighth grader,” he says. “If you aim for eight-grade level of understanding, you’ll get 80% of America to figure out the message you’re sending.”

Production style is the second half of the content puzzle, according to Jeff. He says an episode his team aired last year, Cattlefornia, won an Emmy Award thanks to their commitment to production styles.

You can view the Emmy Award-winning episode here:

Recognized for outstanding achievement in a public affairs program – news or long form content, the Cattlefornia episode isn’t the only win for Jeff’s team. He says they’ve been nominated for other Emmy’s, and plan to continue the trend upward—in more ways than one.

Thoughts of the Future

Jeff had hoped to one day scale the show to encompass all U.S. states and all types of agriculture. According to the Aiello’s, the Emmy win is paving the way for the scaling the show outside of California’s borders.

“We’re chalk-full of sponsors. There are other companies that want to sponsor us, but we don’t have any more room,” Jeff says. “It’s a great problem to have and it is opening the door for new opportunities in other states.”

Season three of American Grown: My Job Depends on Ag aired two episodes filmed in Tennessee. Jeff says this is a segway into broadening the show’s horizons in season 4 and beyond.

“We’ve got several shows coming up that we’re going to be filming from New Hampshire to Iowa, and we’re making the rounds,” he says.

If you’re hoping your farm will get a chance on the show, the Aiello’s suggest you become a member of the My Job Depends on Ag Facebook group and share your story.

More on ag films:

In the ‘Silo': Hulu Film Sheds Light on the Dangers of Grain Bin Entrapment

One Year After Derecho Storm Struck Iowa, Short Film Documents Devastation First-Hand

Ag Retailer Offers COVID-19 Training For Farmer Customers

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:24:39 GMT

In addition to pesticide compliance and OSHA safety programs, California-based ag retailer GAR Bennett, LLC Hye- Compliance team now provides special COVID-19 specific training procedures on how to prevent the spread, take the required safety measures, and what to do if you have been infected or exposed.

“This is about guiding the grower in the right direction,” says Worker Safety Lead, Lilly Reyes with GAR Bennett, LLC. “We want to reassure the grower and the employees that we will get through this together.”
The infectious disease training closely follows CDC guidelines.

Reyes says the COVID-19 training builds on the value they bring to growers with compliance and safety training programs offered. These programs provide a valued service to growers so they can meet compliance and while being able to rely on the resources of trained professionals.

“We keep the grower complaint with OSHA and Pesticide Regulations, and once the lockdown happened, we knew we had to provide proper training for COVID-19,” she says. “We work in an essential industry, so to keep things moving, we knew we needed to share the CDC guidelines for COVID-19 in the farming operation on how to apply the guidelines to the work activity.”

Right now, the Hye-Compliance team is gearing up for numerous safety trainings in crops such as stone fruit, cherries and blueberries that will quickly come up for harvest. The biggest concerns for growers in California’s Central Valley going forward in this season are labor and availability of personal protection equipment (PPE.)

“We have growers who have expressed concern about not having enough labor because people may be worried about what they are hearing about this virus,” Reyes says.

She hopes these trainings can help demonstrate safe work environments. Reyes has been working to help farm workers take the steps necessary to lessen the risk of spread on the farm. One example she shares is having employees wash hands as soon as they get off a shared forklift.

One of the biggest areas to educate farmer and employees, has been social distancing; farm workers maintain adequate space among them in the field, shop and farm vehicles.

“We know there are also concerns about having enough N95 respirators. So, we are making sure growers and employees fully understand the pesticide label PPE requirements. When the label indicates a respirator than it is required, but if the label does not specify a respirator, they can save those N95 respirators for applications where they are required and use another face covering if needed,” she says.
While educating on changes for on-farm practices, the GAR Bennett, LLC team has also adjusted their own practices and procedures for these trainings. Trainings are being held in respect to CDC guidelines with social distancing in mind.

She also says they are taking hand sanitizer with them and disinfecting clipboards as well as pens.

Wilbur-Ellis Acquires Ag Services Inc., Expands California Footprint

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:16:33 GMT

Wilbur-Ellis has acquired assets of Ag Services Inc., a full-service ag retailer in the Coachella Valley. Ag Services had been in business for 15 years. The acquisition is described as doubling the retailer’s business in the area and as a turn-key business to step into, according to Doug Henry, area manager for Wilbur-Ellis Company.

The Ag Services facility has a total capacity of 150,000 gal., and has stored, sold and blended 12 crop nutrition products.

“From day one, we’ve been ready to take over this business, its facilities and the employees that we are delighted to have continue on with us,” Henry says. “This acquisition gets us into the crop nutrition and fertilizer business in the Coachella Valley. Whereas before if we were servicing growers with fertilizer, we were limited to doing so by the truckload. This new facility is turn-key and we’re excited to add its capacity.”

Wilbur-Ellis helps growers with almost two dozen crops in the Coachella Valley and already has a retail location in Coachella, Ca. offering crop scouting, crop protection products and custom application.

Henry says the new products and services will help the retailer better serve farmers.

“The business is changing, and we need to identify opportunities that continue to bring value to the customer,” he says.

DowDuPont Opens California Innovation Center

Wed, 11 Nov 2020 06:08:36 GMT

Today the Agriculture Division of DowDuPont announced its opening of the Bay Area Innovation Center in California. The site features a research and development facility that will focus on biotechnology discovery, enabling technology development and informatics.

The center will employ more than 100 scientists in its 60,000 square feet of laboratories, 25,000 square feet of office space and 13,000 square feet of greenhouses. Bay Area Innovation Center is among a large network of ag sites in California, which includes Granular (recently acquired by DuPont) in San Fransisco as well as other company sites in Fresno and Pittsburg.

This site will house researchers who study gene discovery, microbiome science, protein engineering, plant transformation and data science and informatics. Researchers at the site have recently discovered “novel insect control leads” for above- and below-ground protection, for example.