Grower-Shipper Association of Central California (GSA) — Implementing effective disease and pest management strategies is a continual challenge for farmers. While these challenges are not new in agriculture, they impact more than just farmers. Lower yields due to disease and pest pressure affects farm employees and harvesting crews too and can also inhibit our ability to provide a steady supply of affordable …

Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program — A significant number of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) detections in Kern County – more than 115 since this time last year – is a stark reminder to remain vigilant against the pest and the deadly disease it can spread, Huanglongbing (HLB). Last week, an adult ACP was confirmed from a commercial citrus trap in the …

Pima cotton is the predominant variety of cotton grown in California. It’s ideal for making premium fabrics for clothing and bed sheets. But Fusarium wilt disease, caused by a soil-borne fungus, can devastate a cotton crop. It’s responsible for crop losses in several production regions in the U.S. and worldwide. Researchers with the University of California, Davis, the USDA Agricultural …

The UC Cooperative Extension, Washington State University and Monterey Bay Marine Sanctuary have been working together this past year field testing five different formulations of biodegradable bed mulch in strawberry.  See five types of soil-biodegradable mulches (BDMs) applied to strawberries in Salinas Valley. Learn what a BDM is, what it is made from, and comparative economics with traditional PE plastic mulch. See …

For many, the science of food preservation is not terribly exciting, but each year researchers save thousands of lives and countless belly aches. Although the United States has one of the world’s safest food supplies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says foodborne illness affects about 48 million Americans each year, resulting in 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths. Food …

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has declared a quarantine in north San Diego County following the detection of the citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, in two citrus trees on one residential property in the city of Oceanside. This is the first time the plant disease, which does not harm people but is deadly to citrus, …

The state is warning organic farmers against the use of pesticides labeled as W.O.W Whack Out Weeds! and EcoMight-Pro distributed by EcoMIGHT, as lab tests show that these products labeled as organic, natural and glyphosate-free do in fact contain potentially hazardous chemicals. Today, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a notice to EcoMIGHT, LLC, a Florida-based company, that …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of $14 million in research to protect agricultural animals from disease. The grants are part of NIFA’s Agriculture and Food Research Initiative’s Diseases of Agricultural Animals program area priority. “Animal health is critically important to farmers and ranchers,” said NIFA director Dr. Carrie Castille. …

California Avocado Commission — The National Weather Service has issued excessive heat and elevated wildfire risk warnings in California this week beginning Tuesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 11. The conditions will pose a high risk for heat-related illnesses with possible record temperatures for the Antelope Valley area of Southern CA and brief critical fire weather conditions for the interior …

The Citrus Research Board (CRB) has been awarded $3,438,059 in funding from the Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB MAC) to support its California Focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRaFT). The overarching goal of the CRaFT project is to demonstrate additional mitigations to improve psyllid control within commercial citrus groves across the various citrus growing regions in California. This information …