To ensure the California Avocado Commission can make informed marketing and budgeting decisions, it has partnered with LandIQ to conduct statewide spatial land use surveys via digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools. This data is compiled in a comprehensive land use database and an annual summary is prepared. The 2020 Statewide Avocado Acreage and Conditional Analysis is now available …

At the October 7, 2020 meeting, the California Avocado Commission Board of Directors took action to approve the assessment rate for the upcoming 2020-21 fiscal year, reducing the assessment rate to 1.75% of the gross dollar value of fruit sold. The new assessment rate is effective from November 1, 2020 through October 31, 2021. The CAC Board and management are …

Winter cover cropping is a promising agricultural management practice that boosts soil health. This article discusses a benefit-cost analysis of winter cover crop adoption and introduces a web-based interactive calculator for farmers to assess changes to baseline farm profits. Winter cover cropping is an agricultural management practice that can enhance soil health while protecting fields from soil erosion and compaction. Cover crops are typically …

A new study by University of California, Davis, researchers finds a low risk of contamination of foodborne pathogens on produce and meat at Northern California certified farmers markets, but still finds cause for some concern. The study, published in the Journal of Food Protection, examined the prevalence of Salmonella on meat and produce, as well as the prevalence of generic E. coli on produce. …

The American organic produce sector is big and complex. It accounts for more sales than any other organic sector, and its production regions stretch across the United States reaping a dizzying array of fruits and vegetables. The issues facing organic produce growers, processors and distributors are equally wide-ranging: food safety, labor issues, labeling/packaging issues, climate change. Driven by the desire for …

California Association of Winegrape Growers — Many California winegrape growers in areas affected by wildfire smoke may wonder how grape prices and tonnage will be reported for the 2020 Grape Crush Report. All California processors who crush grapes should have received a Grape Crush Report questionnaire, which was mailed in October by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA)-Division of Marketing …

Proposition 15, the largest property tax increase in California history, was defeated today by a margin of more than 550,000 votes, ending a challenge by Service Employees International Union, California Teachers Association, California State Parent Teacher Association and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg to dismantle major portions of Proposition 13, the greatest tax protection measure left in the highest taxed state in …

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire — and also lots of microorganisms, according to a new study from the University of Florida. For the first time, researchers have measured the number of microbes in smoke from fires in wilderness areas, also known as wildland fires. The researchers also found that a surprisingly high percentage of microbes survive the blazes and are lofted into …

Many veterans return home feeling lost, without purpose. They seek that “new mission” they grew so accustomed to during their time in the military. An agricultural non-profit is helping with just that.When Michael O’Gorman founded Farmer Veteran Coalition (FVC) in the back of his pick-up truck in 2008, he thought he could help our soldiers have meaningful careers and find healing on …

In April, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) established a first-of-its-kind housing program for farm workers in the Salinas Valley who were exposed to COVID-19, tested positive for the virus or were symptomatic.  To assist its members in protecting farm workers as the growing season transitions to the Yuma and Imperial areas, GSA has established a similar quarantined housing …