California Ag Today

Pacific Legal Foundation attorney Tony Francois is defending wheat farmer Jack LaPant.

Atticus is a company that keeps off-patent crop materials available for farmers.

Whetlor is trying to keep the Billies from being euthanized at birth in order to move them into the food industry.

It's back to the usual with CA Gov. Gavin Newsom appointing a Pro-UFW attorney to the UFW.

Josh Harder represents California's 10th Congressional district which includes the Stanislaus County areas Modesto, Turlock and Patterson. He recently introduced the SAVE Water Resources Act to address the Central Valley Water needs.

Christine McMorrow, the communication director for The Center of Land-based Learning speaks about a groundbreaking of a new location for the center.

Drew Wolter, UC Davis Grad Student is Working on Controlling Threespike Goosegrass in tree nut orchards. The weed is showing tolerance to Glyphosate.

It's critically important all Ag Employees during high-temperature days. All operations must provide adequate Water, Rest, and Shade

Alex Ott is the Executive Director of the American Pecan Council--- where the focus is increasing consumer consumption of pecans

West Sacramento FFA and River City High School Anna Kelley Feeds her Hens Garlic and their eggs have a garlic flavor!

Sophia Marin is a Lab Assistant III at UC Cooperative Extension Kern County as well as an Adjunct Professor at Bakersfield College. She is helping Wasco High School Students attend Bakersfield College to learn more about the science of agriculture.

This year's almond pollination season started out cold and rainy. However, temperatures warmed up and there were enough days between rainstorms that bees were able to fly and pollinate the almonds.

Minarets High School FFA Student Mackenzie Camacho wants to reduce the spreading of Botryosphaeria Spores when a farmer is burning infected wood.

Doris Mold Says More Women Farmers will be Counted on 2020 Census by Patrick Cavanaugh

Find out what weedy rice is and why it's a problem for California rice growers,

Jesse Rojas is the founder and CEO of the Redd Group and he is hosting the meeting at Hodel's Country Dining in Bakersfield 7 am to 11 am.

Idalia Navarro is an undergrad student at California State University Fresno. She has found that Field Bindweed can tolerate water with high salt content, however, the weed will not grow when water stressed.

The Sonora FFA students are insulating compost in order to warm it up so that earthworms have a better survival rate.

Bearded Sprangletop is a troublesome weed in rice that is getting more difficult to control. Katie Driver is trying to solve the problem.

Chaudhari and here Professors are finding the reason Hairy Fleabane is Glyphosate Resistance.

Dennis Donohue, the Director of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology speaks about the recent AgTechx event in cooperation with Bayer Crop Science at Bayer's West Sacramento Biologics Research Facility.

Timothy Jacobs, A Grad Student Soon to Graduate from Cal Poly SLO Researches Weed Control in Organic Strawberries

Cody Drake is a senior at California State University. His work is trying to pinpoint where the weeds are for better weed management in vineyards.

Some tree nut growers should consider using mating disruption, while other growers may not need to use the strategy.

Arable Mark is a sensor that reports weather data and measures plant health.

RainFall by Patrick Cavanaugh

James Schaeffer is a second-year grad student at California State University Fresno and a Staff Research Associate with UC Cooperative Extension. He is deep in research on a plant called Alkali weed, that could be a serious problem in California agriculture.

Samikshya Budhathoki discovers that the weed, Palmer Amaranth, desires saline soils, which are prevalent on the West Side of Fresno County. Palmer Amaranth is among the worst weeds in agriculture due to prolific seed production and glyphosate escapes.

Steven Haring is trying to develop winter/spring cover crops to out-compete winter annual weeds.

Michelle Borges with Hughson FFA Is Working Hard to Win a Star Reporter Award at CA FFA Convention in April 2019.

William Bourdeau VP Harris Farms in Coalinga, a Director of Westlands Water District and Chair of the Board with CA WaterAlliance. He speaks about the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

Jennifer Olmstead Marketing Director, Domestic PR at California Walnut Board/California Walnut Commission discusses the domestic market and explained how the Walnut Board is expanding its promotion of walnuts in the U.S.

Aerobotics is a Cape Town South Africa company expanding into California with technology that can detect early pest and diseases in orchards and vineyards.

The Amond Board continues to think into the future with a new Vision and Mission statement.

Almonds are healthy, versatile and great portable protein.

Almond Board is increasing consumer awareness of the California Almond Industry.

California has its own flyover areas and the farming industry is not happy. Arnold Torres says that the Hispanic population should help change that!

The California Water Resources Control Board has voted to pursue taking up to 40 percent of unimpaired flows from the Tuolumne, Stanislaus and Merced Rivers. This would put the cities and farming into abject peril.

Houston Wilson is a Assistant Cooperative Extension Specialist with the Department of Entomology at UC Riverside

Mark Kline is Senior Manager of Energy and Nut Purchasing at Hershey Co. He explains the value of Almonds for the company.

Don Wright with WaterWrights.net Comments on Recent SGMA Meeting at Fresno State

Mel Machado says the tree nut industry must pull every lever to reduce navel orangeworm (NOW). The last few years, NOW has been very costly to growers.

Phoebe Gordon, and Luke Milliron, Both UCCE Orchard Systems Farm Advisors, Collaborate on the Growing The Valley Podcast

Secretary of Ag Sonny Purdue and Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zenke on good forest management. They also comment on how radical environmentalist file lawsuits any time a tree needs to be cut in the forest.

There is an easy and accurate way to keep track of the spray rig operator. Is he going to fast, taking longer breaks, or skipping rows? Fieldin will let you know fast.

The Bee Where program aims to protect pollination bees from crop protection products. And there is an added benefit in it possibly preventing theft.

Ruthann Anderson explains a program where beekeepers must register the location of bees in the spring so that care can be taken with crop protection product applications.

Dr. Paula Rivadeneira is working to find a solution to birds flying around produce fields. Yes, the birds poop and that could be a food safety problem.

Mario Santoyo is Executive Director of the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority, with the goal of building the Temperance Flat Reservoir. He noted President Trump's Executive order on Oct. 19 is a great step in the right direction.

Gerawan Workers Voted No on UFW Union and ALRB certifed it.

Kathleen Nave with CA Table Grape Commission On How Table Grapes Can Prevent Chronic Diseases by Patrick Cavanaugh

On Sept. 12, 2018 The California Supreme Court rejected the ALRB's appeal to not count the votes of Gerawan workers who wanted to decertify the UFW Union. That vote was held November 2013. Dan Gerawan is co-owner of Gerawan Farming fears if the ballots are ever counted that many may be challenged.

The Trump Trade War is grinding on and commodity groups are hoping that cooler heads will prevail and end this stalemate

The 2018 Cotton Crop is progressing well, however, some late-season pest must be controlled to maintain cotton lint quality.

Labor Attorney Michael Saqui Says Ag Industry Must Be Engaged Re: Possible Travel Time Compensation for Field Workers

Paul Wenger is an almond and walnut farmer in Stanislaus County. He is also the former President of the California Farm Bureau Federation. He notes that the environmental community is in part responsible for the devastating wildfires in California.

Paul Wenger Farms Walnuts and Almonds in Stanislaus County. He is also the past president of the California Farm Bureau Federation.

Paul Wenger Says Roundup Verdict Was Wrong by Patrick Cavanaugh

Danny Royer is Vice President of Technology with Bowles Farming in Los Banos. Bowles Farming is part of a 160-year-old farming company going back to the famed Miller and Lux Company, which was also headquartered in Los Banos. Henry Miller played a major role in the development of much of the San Joaquin Valley during the late 19th and early 20th Century. Royer discusses the use of data on the farm to be more efficient.

Dennis Donahue, Consulting Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, On Ag Technology

Jesse Rojas with Pick Justice Said the ALRB Issued a Recent Ruling in Favor of Gerawan Farm Workers

Brian Curtis is the founder and CEO of Concentric Power---the next generation provider of smart microgrid systems that adapts proven technology to create on-site, dispatchable power using modular cogeneration systems. It fully optimizes energy efficiency and controls costs. concentricpower.com

Cindy Smith is the Agricultural Relations Director with the Yuma-based Gowan Co. She speaks about the company, which his grown globally.

On May 30, 2018, the Fifth District Court of Appeal in Fresno issued a unanimous decision that the ALRB must count the Gerawan farm workers votes, which were cast in 2013. A recent motion by Attorney Anthony Raimondo is again pushing for the vote count.

Tom Nassif, President, and CEO of Western Growers Association, Irvine CA, on ideas to help ag not suffer from collateral damage.

Sarah Bloch is a Senior Scientist with Berkeley-based Pivot Bio, a company sourcing soil micros that can fix nitrogen gas from the soil and convert it to ammonia that the plants can use. The aim is to help farmers reduce the need for nitrogen fertilizers

Food safety is critically important to all California farmers, however, Carriere Farmily Farmsmade a commitment to raise the bar even higher. In fact, they earned a Pinnacle Award from the Safe Food Alliance!

Gary Van Sickle is the executive director of California Specialty Crops Council, which hosts the annual MRL Conference in San Francisco.

Tamika Sims, Director, Food Technology Communications, with the International Food Information Council (IFIC) Foundation, based in Washington D.C. She explains how consumers are confused about food.

Greg Crutsinger left academics to launch Scholar Farms, a company that helps farmers and others understand Drone use as well as the limitations of UAVs. Scholarfarms.com @scholarfarms

David Doll, UCANR Farm Advisor, Merced County, showed that thinning cuts instead of heading cuts would help Chandler walnuts yield more in the first 4 years of growth

Pictured is Mario Santoyo, Executive Director of the San Joaquin Valley Water Infrastructure Authority, fighting for Temperance Flat funding from the state.