Between the Furrows INSIDE this issue SANTA CRUZ COUNTY U FARM A Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau Monthly Publication FIND US ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW US ON TWITTER V ISIT OUR WEBSITE AT WWW. SCCFB . COM National Agriculture Day Contest Winners Announced Al Smith Friend of Agriculture Bargetto Wins Scholarship - See Page 6 W inners of the National Agriculture Day Poster Contest and Poetry Contest were announced at the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon. The Poster Contest was won by Claire Corneau-Saiki, (above-left with her mother Bernadette). Claire is currently a 5th grade student at Baymonte Christian School in Scotts Valley. The winner of the Poetry Contest was Kirbie Daily, (above-right with Michael Olsen). Kirbie is an 8th grade student at Salesian Elementary & Jr. High School in Corralitos. They each received a $200 savings bond. The winning poster and poem will appear on next year’s National Ag Day placemat. Over 15,000 placemats are distributed each year to more than 20 local restaurants in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley. M ichael Olsen, (pictured on the left) an award winning broadcast personality and speaker was named the 2012 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture. The award was presented at the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon held March 21st at the Codiga Center & Museum located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds. This award is presented annually to an individual, business or organization not involved in production agriculture APRIL 2012 VOLUME 36, ISSUE 4 3 Ask Laura Caneberries Invasive Pests 4 Water Nanny Water Wars 5 Recipe Spiced Cabbage Bread 11 Calendar Between e Furrows is a monthly publication of the SCCFB. Members receive a subscription as part of their membership investment. Mary Walter, Editor Jess Brown, Managing Editor 141 Monte Vista Avenue Watsonville, California 95076. (831) 724-1356 or (831) 688-0748 Fax: (831) 724-5821 Email: [email protected]Web: http://www.sccfb.com Olsen - Continued on page 6
Transcript
Between the Furrows INSIDE this issue
SANTA CRUZ COUNTYU
FARM
SANTA CRUZ COUNTYU
FARM
A Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau Monthly Publication
Find Us On FacebOOk
FOllOw Us On TwiTTer
Visit our website at www.sccfb.com
National Agriculture Day
Contest Winners Announced
Al Smith Friend of Agriculture
Bargetto Wins Scholarship - See Page 6
Winners of the National Agriculture Day Poster Contest and Poetry Contest were announced at the
National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon. The Poster Contest was won by Claire Corneau-Saiki, (above-left with her mother Bernadette). Claire is currently a 5th grade student at Baymonte Christian School in Scotts Valley. The winner of the Poetry Contest was Kirbie Daily, (above-right with
Michael Olsen). Kirbie is an 8th grade student at Salesian Elementary & Jr. High School in Corralitos. They each received a $200 savings bond.
The winning poster and poem will appear on next year’s National Ag Day placemat. Over 15,000 placemats are distributed each year to more than 20 local restaurants in Santa Cruz County and the Pajaro Valley.
Michael Olsen, (pictured on the left) an award winning broadcast personality
and speaker was named the 2012 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture. The award was presented at the National Agriculture Day Spring Luncheon held March 21st at the Codiga Center & Museum located at the Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds.
This award is presented annually to an individual, business or organization not involved in production agriculture
April 2012Volume 36, issue 4
3 Ask Laura Caneberries Invasive Pests
4 Water Nanny Water Wars
5 Recipe Spiced Cabbage Bread
11 Calendar
Between The Furrows is a monthly publication of the SCCFB.
Members receive a subscription as part of their membership investment.
Mary Walter, EditorJess Brown, Managing Editor
141 Monte Vista Avenue Watsonville, California 95076.
(831) 724-1356 or (831) 688-0748Fax: (831) 724-5821
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We N e e d To B e c o m e m o r e p r o a c t i ve
“The most fun part of farming is growing the
crop, but lately an onslaught of new regulations have been taking most
of our time and energy.”
Times they are definitely a’ changin’. In March, a decision was handed down by the Regional Water Quality Control Board that was not the cooperative approach put forth by the Farmers for Water Quality coalition. The new law’s
adversarial approach to water quality has growers in our area reeling.
Letters and testimony by farmers, and the efforts of locally elected officials, to persuade the board that the coalition’s plan was the most likely to create collaborative, innovative water quality solutions, had little effect on the outcome.
Sometimes all the effort in the world can’t change the minds of agenda- driven political appointees. As the board’s controversial decision continues to be analyzed, many think it will surely be appealed and litigated.
Another topic of concern lately is the United Farm Workers Union (UFW) liberal use of a newly- passed state law to exert pressure on one of the Pajaro Valley’s
larger farm operations. In 2011 Governor Brown vetoed the “card check” bill (SB 104). In doing so he also proposed many changes to the Ag Labor Relations Act. These recommendations were ratified in Senate Bill 126. The bill allows the Ag Labor Relations Board (ALRB) to certify a union as the bargaining representative for farm workers if a lower threshold of certain criteria is met. This newest tactic to unionize, certainly won’t be the last.
Finally, the decision of methyl iodide manufactures to no longer sell the fumigant in California has many growers in our region scrambling. Obviously methyl iodide is not a perfect alternative, but at least it is - or was - another tool available.
The most fun part of farming is growing the crop, but lately an onslaught of new regulations have been taking most of our time and energy.
As farmers, we all need to become more proactive rather than reactive.
On a brighter note- The much needed rains are finally upon us.
Q. Could you give a review of the invasive pests currently in caneberries? It seems like there are so many and it’s hard to keep up with what is going on with recommended management and regulations for each one.
A. It is striking the number of invasive insect pests that we currently have to deal with in caneberries in Santa Cruz County, and admittedly it can be difficult to keep up with their regulation and how to control all of them. The list below describes the four, and also refers to each one by its commonly used acronym, given in parenthesis after its full name.
Light brown apple moth (LBAM): The quarantine for LBAM is still in place so growers are advised to continue to be vigilant for this leafroller. Inspections on the part of the USDA are planned to take place monthly. The pheromone based twist ties for mating disruption are still available for free through the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner’s office in Watsonville. It’s high time to put these out into production fields, since a flight of adult moths is pretty well under way right now and the ties will reduce their ability to mate and contaminate fields with more larvae through the growing season.
European grapevine moth (EGVM): As of March 8 of this year, blackberries and raspberries for shipment within California and the US are no longer considered to be host crops by regulatory authorities for EGVM and will not be inspected. However, as of this writing, fruit bound for Canada from within the quarantine radius will be inspected, but this restriction should be removed by the time harvest gets going in late April or early May.
Spotted wing drosophila (SWD): Spotted wing drosophila is not regulated, but as many growers know it is a very damaging pest. Research efforts of this office and several private industry concerns, not to mention several strong scientific teams in other states, continue apace. Please refer to the UC Cooperative Extension blog “Strawberries and Caneberries” for updates on research and management progress for this pest.
Brown marmorated stink bug (BMSB): While there have been no finds of BMSB in Santa Cruz County, there have been individual finds of this pest in San Luis Obispo and Monterey counties. BMSB is a serious pest where it is established in the eastern US, and it is worth learning about before it gets here too. While it is expected to take several years to build up to damaging levels after establishment, growers should inform themselves about BMSB before then. UC Cooperative Extension will of course be involved in a vigorous campaign of identifying and development of control strategies for this pest, so please stay tuned.
Growers and others are encouraged to keep up to date on these invasive pests as well as others issues in caneberries and strawberries at:
http://ucanr.org/blogs/strawberries_caneberries/
The above has been a brief description of invasive insect pests in caneberries of the Central Coast of California. For other questions and concerns regarding caneberries and strawberries, please contact Mark Bolda, UC Cooperative Extension, 1432 Freedom Blvd, Watsonville, CA. 831-763-8040.
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offiCers Chris enright President, State Delegate, Orchids
Cynthia mathiesen first Vice-President, Alternate State Delegate, Berries
DAViD VAn lennePSecond vice-President, State Delegate, timber
john e. eiskampPast President, Alternate State Delegate, Berries DiReCTORS matthew Bissell timber CFBF District #10 Director STeVe BOnTADelli Brussels Sproutstom Broz Organic VegetablesDAViD CAVAnAugh nurserygORDOn ClAASSen livestock Manager, Cal Poly FRAnk eSTRADA Cattle niTA gizDiCh Apples john pisturino Cattle DiCk PeixOTO Organic Vegetables SilViA PReVeDelli Apples jj sCuriCh Berries Carmelo siCairos Berries janet weBB timberarnett young Vegetables ex-OFFiCiOmary lou niColetti Ag Commissioner elizaBeth giannini CFBF Field RepresentativeBill ringe Agri-Culturelaura tourte uCCe Farm Advisor
staffjess Brown Executive Director
matthew gianelli Assistant to the Executive Director CAROl legRAnDe Special Events, Membership Record Keeper, Newsletter Advertising Rep. PRiSCillA RODRiguez Office Assistant mary walter Newsletter Editor
2011/2012BOARD OF DiReCTORS
Mark Bolda, UCCE Santa Cruz County Farm Advisor
Ask Laura
Caneberries invasive pests
Water War Episode 2 - Revenge of the Sea Otter
The Dark Empire convened the Senate to hear from Baron Thomas and his minion. The representatives of the Republic pleaded for mercy, more time, or
shorter meetings to protect their citizens. A compromise was struck, but unbeknownst to the Senate, Lord Sea Otter had changed the language to promote his emerald goals. At the 11th hour Jedi Johnston inserted new words and, while the Republic was saved, it must send reparations to the Empire.
The Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) Board hearing on the Ag Waiver, now called the Ag Order, started promptly at 9:30 on March 14th, was adjourned at 9:00 p.m., resuming on Thursday (beware the Ides of March) at 2:15 p.m. concluding at 6:00 p.m., a full 16 hours later. Between 5 p.m. and adoption of the Order amendments and instructions to staff flew like pigeons from a cage, even the motion to adopt had to be revised multiple times to include all relevant changes and statutory requirements.
N o t t o s a y R W Q C B s t a f f a r e i n b e d w i t h t h e environmentalists, but some of the key language proposed by Board member, and Watsonville local, Michael Johnston contained, unbeknownst to him, language which the Sea Otter/Coastkeepers had been flogging in Sacramento for support the week prior. It is unseemly for a regulatory staff that adamantly refused written comments from the farming community since August 2011 to then plagiarize language from an extreme environmentalist group as part of key provisions dealing with possible grower coalitions. As changes were all last minute, and industry participation had been cut off hours earlier, there was no way to bring this to the attention of the Board prior to the final vote. Now we know how sausage is made.
It is impossible to adequately summarize the Ag Order here, as space and patience are limited. The Order, as adopted, will be available on the RWQCB website by the time Between the Furrows goes to press at: http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/ . The Order still has three Tiers, 1 the lowest applies to smaller farms and those with less potential to impact water quality, while 3 is the most rigorous. Unfortunately RWQCB never established in a scientific manner how those in Tier 3 were more likely to impact water quality other than to say a 500 acre farm has 100 times more impact than a 5 acre farm (their 4th grade
teachers would be so proud.) Tier 2 and 3 must do progressively more monitoring, data gathering and mandatory reporting to RWQCB, unfortunately unrelated to causing development of practices which will cause change.
Key among the changes adopted were:
Commencement timelines were moved back by 6 months to one year.
Some mandated targets, importantly the 1.0 nitrate plant uptake/field application mandatory Target was changed to a non-mandatory Milestone. (This is a big improvement.)
It may be easier to form a coalition, but the Coalition proposal by Farmers for Water Quality was not adopted.
Coalition groundwater monitoring is now explicitly allowed.
Alternative monitoring and reporting programs are possible that would allow aggregate monitoring and reporting. This is a very important area of the final Order. Any regional or sub-watershed group or coalition formed for this purpose must meet guidelines, be vetted by a new Technical Advisory Committee and approved by either the Executive Officer or the RWQCB Board.
If we all step back and take a breath, the new Ag Order seems to allow growers to work to improve water quality without some ridiculous rules, if they fit into Tier 1, or take advantage of sub-watershed or valley wide coalitions. True, provisions like vegetative buffers and fertilizer milestones exceed the authority of the Water Code, and should be challenged. The aggregate reporting and local coalition approach may fit within the scope of what we are already starting to do in the Pajaro Valley. No, I am not a fan of the Order, I am a fan of profitable farming and sometimes it is cheaper to move on than to strive for correctness. To quote Voltaire: Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien1.
Stay tuned for Episode 3 – The Grand Council, coming to a State Water Board near you this summer.
1 The best is the enemy of the good
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“Agriculture, the Original Green”
The Water Nanny
spiced Cabbage Bread
This recipe has been shared with us by Michael Olsen, the 2012 Al Smith Friend of Agriculture. It is, Michael says, “one of my all-time favorite peasant food recipes, which is especially good for cold days.” Michael added to his email this note
stating, “My forebears sautéed the chopped cabbage in bacon grease, but we wimps use olive oil. Include lots of onions and spice to taste with pepper, and maybe even some jalapenos. For extra staying power, add some browned ground sirloin!” Thank you Michael!
1 head of cabbage, chopped1 onion, slicedOlive oil for sautéing (may use butter or bacon drippings)
Salt and PepperOptional: Jalapeno Peppers (diced), ground sirloinBread dough (store bought or your own bread recipe)
Heat oven to 375°F. In a large skillet, heat olive oil. Add cabbage, onion, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over medium heat for 10-15 minutes until tender crisp and golden brown, stirring occasionally.
Roll bread dough into two flats as you would for pizza dough. Place one flat on an ungreased pizza pan. Spread the cabbage mixture over the dough. Place the second flat on top of the cabbage mixture, pinching the edges closed. Bake for 18-25 minutes or until crust is golden.
Eat and enjoy!
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Favorite Recipes“Agriculture, the Original Green”
but has done much for the industry. Michael stated that he was honored to be named the 2012 Friend of Agriculture. But, he said, “I would like to take it one step further. I would like to become agriculture’s warrior”. He told the crowd of more than 125 guests that today’s rules and regulations are making it increasingly difficult for farmers to stay in business.
Michael Olsen, who cultivated his first crop at the age of 6, has participated in the commercial production of numerous commodities in three different states and consulted on farming projects throughout the world. He also gives generously of his time as a community volunteer, serving on the board of directors of local organizations, such as Think Local First and Aptos Community Gardens.
The featured speaker at the luncheon was Willy Elliott-McCrea of the Second Harvest Food Bank. “Health Grows Here” was the theme of his presentation. He talked about how lucky we are to live here on the Central Coast with the abundance of fruits and vegetables grown here and available to us. He is looking forward to working more closely with the community in the coming year to educate the entire community at “Health Grows Here”.
Kevin Bargetto has been named the recipient of the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship. This scholarship
is awarded annually to a student who is majoring in agriculture. Kevin is a senior at Scotts Valley High School and will be entering Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo in the Fall. He has been active during his high school career participating in football, track, basketball and soccer and still maintaining a good grade point average. He has also volunteered his time doing community service. In college, his major course of study will be Enology and Viticulture. He is preparing for a career as a vintner and hopes to return to his family business.
Beginning this year, Agri-Culture announced a partnership with American AgCredit. This partnership stipulates that the recipient of the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship will also receive an additional $2,000 award from the American AgCredit Scholarship Program, bringing the total of the award to $4,000.
Agri-Culture President Bill Ringe stated, “Kevin is an outstanding individual and a well rounded student. He will be a great addition to our agriculture community when he returns from college.”
Please turn to Page 11 and see more Ag Day celebration news! See more pictures on Agri-Culture and Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau Facebook pages. Follow the Facebook link on www.agri-culture.us for Agri-Culture and www.sccfb.com for Farm Bureau.
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Photo Credit: Bill Ringe
National Agriculture Day
“Let us never forget that government is ourselves and not an alien power over us. The ultimate rulers of our democracy are not a President and senators and congressmen and government officials, but the voters of this country.” --Franklin D. Roosevelt
Food For Thought
Olsen - Continued from page 1
Kevin Bargetto (L) accepts the Jimmie Cox Memorial Scholarship and the American AgCredit Scholarship. John Cooper (C) of C & N Tractor and Mark Franco (R) of American AgCredit look on.
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luncheon sponsors
participating restaurants - 15,000 placemats Distributed• Applebee’s • Bradley Elementary School • California Grill • Carpo’s • Chaminade Santa Cruz • Cowboy’s Corner • Crow’s Nest • El Alteno Restaurant • Erik’s Deli Cafe • Gizdich Ranch
• Golden Rickshaw • Green Valley Grill • Hindquarter Bar & Grille • Imura Japanese Restaurant • Jeffrey’s Restaurant • McDonald’s Capitola, Santa Cruz & Scotts
Valley • Mas Mac, Inc. • Norma’s Family
Restaurant • Pajaro Valley Golf
Course • Peachwoods Steakhouse • Red Apple Cafe • Santa Cruz Diner • Wooden Nickle Bar & Grill • Roger’s Diner
• Santa Cruz County Agricultural
Commissioner’s Office
placemat sponsors •Agri-Culture • Best Western Seacliff Inn/Severino’s • Big Creek Lumber Co. • Bontadelli, Inc.• Borina Foundation • C & N
Tractors • California Strawberry Commission • Century 21 Classic Properties • Chaminade Resort & Spa • Community Printers • Country Crossroads Map, Inc. • Crop Production Services • Gizdich Ranch • Grunsky, Ebey, Farrar & Howell • H. A. Rider & Sons • Hutchinson & Bloodgood, LLP • InterWest Insurance Services • Lakeside Organic Gardens, LLC • Live Earth Farm • Marini and Gold Insurance Agency • McDonald’s of Capitola, Santa Cruz & Scotts Valley • Mas Mac, Inc. • Monterey Bay
Certified Farmers Market • Prevedelli Farms • Redwood Empire Sawmills • S. Martinelli & Co. • Sambrailo Packaging • Santa Cruz Berry Farming Co. • Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau •Watsonville Coast Produce • Zenith Insurance
• Driscoll’s • American AgCredit • Creekside Farms • Cowles Berry Farms • J.E. Farms, Inc. • Lakeside Organic Gardens, LLC • Sambrailo Packaging • Aon Risk Insurance Services
• Stephanie Camacho • East Lake Village Shopping Center • Gizdich Ranch • Dave and Kathy Moeller • Naturipe Berry Growers • Elio and Joy Rodoni • Royal Oaks Farms • Kirk Schmidt
• Scurich Insurance Services • Watsonville Coast Produce, Inc. FRIENDS AND DONORS: Watsonville Produce, Inc. • Kitayama Bros. • Enright Nursery • Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Market •
Nita Gizdich • Prevedelli Farm • Agricultural History Project’s Codiga Center and Museum • Santa Cruz County Fairgrounds
Thank You sponsors!
We all know that pest exclu-s ion—keep -
ing unwanted pests and diseases out—is our first line of defense against in-vasive species. Governor Brown’s budget for fis-cal year 2012-13 reduces funding for
border inspection stations by $4.4 million. This loss makes it even more crucial that we have a strong pest exclusion program in Santa Cruz County.
I thought I’d share some highlights from our pest exclusion program. As you know, we inspect plant shipments from outside the county when they arrive directly at lo-cal nurseries. We also perform inspections at point of entry terminals such as Federal Express and United Parcel Service. Califor-nia Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) allocates money to most counties for high risk pathway inspections, includ-ing inspections at terminals. Our local ter-minal inspections were once supported by $39,000 per year from the CDFA. That fund-ing has shrunk to less than $8,000 per year. Nonetheless, we feel this work is so impor-tant that we continue to do the inspections. And we get a lot of bang for the buck here in Santa Cruz County. During fiscal year 2010-11, we received only 1.4% of the statewide funding for parcel inspection at terminals. Yet, we found over 17% of the harmful (A, B, and Q rated) pests that were intercepted throughout the state in the course of those terminal inspections.
Last week one of our inspectors looked at a shipment of dried moss destined for a lo-cal hobby store. Processed material such as dried (and dyed) moss is typically of low risk
for the presence of pests. But our inspector found some soil in the boxes. Because the shipment from North Caro-lina did not have nematode certification, it was rejected and returned to origin. Ever curious, our inspector de-cided to collect some soil from the boxes to send to the state lab; while doing this, he found an egg casing, which turned out to be a “Q” rated sawfly. Great work!
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“Agriculture, the Original Green”
from the ag commissioner’s officeLa Mary Lou Nicoletti, Agricultural Commissioner
pesT eXClusioN
Together, we’ll help keep California working.statefundca.com
We know Mother Naturedoesn’t wait.
The weather starts to change and it brings a whole new list of chores.We understand you’ve got a schedule to stick to—that’s why we’re dedicated to getting those in California ag back to work as soon as
possible through our careful processing of claims. Plus, we offer eligible Farm Bureau members a 20 percent discount on premiums.
It’s all part of our commitment to California agriculture. Because Mother Nature doesn’t stop, and neither do we.
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ion
Insu
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e Fu
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not
a b
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WANT TO ADVERTISE?For More Information
Call the Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau (831) 724-1356 or visit
www.sccfb.com
“Agriculture, the Original Green”
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“Agriculture, the Original Green”
Agricultural News
CALENDAR
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National Agriculture Day2012 Contest Winners
WeDNesDAy ----April 11 young Farmers & ranchers meeting
