Carrot Country Spring 2018

CarrotCountry.com

•

Spring 2018

Under Cover

UK Carrot Pros Share Expertise Crop Protection Essentials Federal Crop Insurance

Magazines For Maximum Yield

PO Box 333 Roberts, Idaho 83444 Telephone: (208) 520-6461

www.carrotcountry.com Carrot Country Contacts Editor Denise Keller

editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

Publisher / Advertising Dave Alexander dave@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com Director of Operations Brian Feist brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com

EDITORIAL INFORMATION Carrot Country is interested in newsworthy material related to carrot production and marketing.

Contributions from all segments of the industry are welcome. Submit news releases, new product submissions, stories and photos via email to: editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com, or call (509) 697-9436.

ADVERTISING SALES For information on rates, mechanics, deadlines, list rental, direct mail, inserts or other information, call (208) 520-6461 or email: dave@carrotcountry.com

SUBSCRIPTIONS U.S................... 1 year $16 Canada ............ 1 year $24 Foreign ............ 1 year $40 Payments may be made by check, Visa, MasterCard or American Express.

Subscribe online at: www.carrotcountry.com or call (503) 724-3581.

Email address changes/corrections to brian@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com or mail to: Carrot Country PO Box 333 Roberts, ID 83444

Carrot Country magazine (ISSN 1071-6653), is published quarterly and mailed under permit #410, paid at San Dimas, CA 91773.

It is produced by Columbia Media Group PO Box 333, Roberts, ID, 83444.

Copyright 2017. All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, for any purpose without the express written permission of Columbia Media Group.

For information on reprints call (208) 520-6461.

2

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

Vol. 26, No. 1

Spring 2018

In This Issue:

4 8

Under Cover

Cover Crop Effects on Nitrogen, Weeds and Yields in Michigan Processing Carrots

UK Carrot Pros Share Expertise 10 Crop Protection Essentials Buyers’ Guide

14 Federal Crop Insurance Helps Diverse and Specialty Farms Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insures All Farm Revenue Under Single Policy Departments:

9 Calendar 11 In the News 12 New Products

The UK Onion and Carrot Conference, held Nov. 14, 2017, in Nottingham, featured a series of technical and marketing presentations.

See story on page 8.

WORLD CLASS VEGETABLE HARVESTERS FOR YOUR BUSINESS

ASA-LIFT CARROT HARVESTERS BUILD FOR AMERICA ASA-LIFT is a leading international company developing, producing and distributing vegetable harvesters.

For more than 80 years, ASA-LIFT machines have been sold all over the world, and more than 20 years of experience, on the US market.

www.asa-lift.com

ASA-LIFT US OFFICE ASA-LIFT . Metalvej 2 . DK-4180, Soro . Denmark . Phone: 01145 5786 0700 . asa@asa-lift.com . www.asa-lift.com

Miller Farms, Hancock - WI P. (715) 249 5160 pmillerfarms@gmail.com

Under Cover

Cover Crop Effects on Nitrogen, Weeds and Yields in Michigan Processing Carrots

By Daniel C. Brainard and Zachary D. Hayden, Michigan State University

C

over crops are gaining popularity as potentially valuable tools for managing soils and pests in processing carrot production in Michigan. However, limited information is available on which cover crops are best suited to our climate conditions and how they affect carrots.

We tested whether cover crops – sown in late summer the season before carrot production – would suppress weeds, improve nitrogen (N) availability, and increase crop quality and yield.

Before providing details, here is a brief summary of what we found. First the bad news: Despite what you might read in some seed catalogs, cover crops are not a magic bullet. They can play a role in improving and maintaining soils, reducing

55

Carrot Marketable Yield

None Oats Oats + OSR OSR Dwarf Essex Rape

50 45 40

soil improvement benefits – justify their integration in carrot cropping systems.

Experiment Details

On-farm trials were conducted at four sites in Oceana and Newaygo counties in western Michigan during the 2014-15 (sites 1 and 2) and 2015-16 (sites 3 and 4) field seasons to evaluate the effects of a wide range of cover crops grown the summer before carrot production. Here, we report our results only for cover crops that were common at all sites including: 1) oats, 2) oilseed radish (OSR) “Defender”, 3) Dwarf Essex Rape (DER), and 4) an oats+OSR mix. OSR and DER are both members of the mustard family, but differ in their growth and winter hardiness. In

** *

*

35

Yield (T/A) (T/A) Yield

pests and lowering fertilizer costs, but results are variable across farms and years, and their short-term benefits tend to be small.

Now the better news: In our trials evaluating cover crops before carrots, we have conducted 29 comparisons of carrot yields after cover crops compared to bare soil and have encountered only one case (‘Pasja’ Forage Turnip in one year) where negative effects on yield were detected. In contrast, carrot yields were improved in five cases and unaffected in all the rest. Although yield benefits were not widespread, we have observed several cover crops benefits related to nitrogen retention and weed suppression, which – in addition to likely long-term

30 25 20 15 10 5 0

Site 1

Site 2

Site and Year

Site 3

Figure 1. Carrot yields following various cover crops at four grower fields in western Michigan.

Site and Year The asterisks indicate that yields were significantly greater than the no cover crop control plot.

4

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

Site 4

Soil Inorganic InorganicN, N,Site Site3,3,2016 2016 40 35

Soil SoilInorganic InorganicN* N*(ppm) (ppm)

30

Dwarf Essex Rape Oats Oilseed Radish None Oats + OSR

25 20 15 10 5 0

Figure 2. Soil inorganic nitrogen was higher where mustard family cover crops were grown prior to carrot production at site 3 in 2016.

particular, OSR produces a large taproot and winter kills, while DER has a smaller root system and survives the winter in Michigan. All sites also had a cover cropfree control treatment for comparison.

All sites had relatively sandy soils, but differed somewhat in their cropping history, tillage and fertility management practices prior to cover crop planting, which likely influenced results. Sites 2 and 4 had winter wheat (harvested in late July), with cover crops no-till drilled into wheat stubble. In contrast, site 3 had sorghum sudangrass, and site 1 had an early pea crop, both of which were tilled under prior to cover crop planting. Cover crop planting dates were Aug. 3, 4, 15 and 21 (for sites 1, 2, 3 and 4, respectively). Site 3 also received 30 pounds N/acre of fertilizer broadcast as urea shortly after cover crop

emergence, while the other sites relied on residual fertility from the preceding crop.

Cover Crop Biomass

Cover crop biomass ranged from 0.5 to 4 tons per acre, with greatest productivity occurring at site 3, likely due to the earlier planting date, tillage, N-fertilization and unusually warm fall temperatures in 2015 which delayed winter kill. Among these factors, we believe that choosing an appropriate cover crop for your available planting window and ensuring sufficient N fertility are particularly important.

For growers in the North-Central region, the Midwest Cover Crops Council cover crop selector tool (www.mccc.msu.edu/ covercroptool/vegtool.php) provides guidance on appropriate planting windows based on your location. For example, in

most of Michigan, mustard family cover crops need to be planted by Aug. 15 to provide reliable biomass of more than 1 ton per acre.

Carrot Quality, Yield

Among the cover crop treatments that were common at all four sites, carrot yields were greater following cover crops compared to the no cover crop control in four out of 15 cases and unaffected in the remaining 11 cases (Fig. 1). Yield benefits were greatest at site 3, which was also the site that produced the greatest cover crop biomass. At site 3, carrot marketable yields were increased by 14-30 percent, and the percentage of forked carrots reduced by 50 percent or more in treatments containing cover crops in the mustard family (OSR, DER and oats+OSR) (Fig. 2).

CarrotCountry.com

5

Nitrogen Savings

Table 1. Cover crop effects on winter annual and summer annual weeds, Site 3.

A crew harvests carrots at a test plot in western Michigan.

None Black Oats Oats Oats + "Defender" OSR "Defender" OSR Graza Radish Dwarf Essex Rape

---%--55 ab 28 cd 33 cd 3e 0e 5e 15 de

Common lambsquarters

Cover Crop

Powell amaranth

Winter annual ground cover

Summer annuals emergence

------#/m2----53 ab 123 ab 12 bcd 38 c 3 cd 38 c 2 cd 17 c 3 cd 12 c 17 bcd 27 c 23 bc 14 c

Table 1. Cover crop effects on winter annual and summer annual weeds, Site 3.

In theory, late summer cover crops can take up residual nitrogen from the previous crop and re-release N as they decompose the following summer. However, in practice, the quantity and timing of N available to the subsequent carrot crop varies with cover crop species and environmental conditions.

We evaluated N availability monthly during the carrot season in three out of the four sites. In general, N effects were small and of little practical importance at sites 2 and 4. However, at site 3, cover crops in the mustard family resulted in greater N availability in the spring and early summer compared to oats and the no cover crop control (Fig. 2). This is perhaps not surprising given the greater N fertilization that occurred at site 3 and the overall growth of those cover crops, but the magnitude of the effect is surprisingly large and may have contributed to higher yields in those treatments.

We also observed a trend toward delayed release of nitrogen from the DER cover crop compared to OSR (Fig. 2).

This delayed release is likely the result of delayed decomposition of DER which survived the winter, compared to the

Figure 3. Winter weeds were completely suppressed where oilseed radish was planted the previous year (plot in foreground). In the absence of cover crops, winter annual weeds including chickweed were present (plot in background), requiring additional tillage to prepare an adequate seedbed for carrots.

6

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

winter-killed OSR. However, the potential benefits of delayed N release from DER must be weighed against the additional management costs of killing DER prior to carrot establishment.

Weed Suppression

In our studies, we found that these late-season cover crops reduced both summer annual and winter annual weeds in carrots the following spring, especially at site 3 (Table 1). For example, oats and OSR cover crops reduced Powell amaranth emergence by over 90 percent compared to the no cover crop control. In Michigan, Powell amaranth is problematic because it has developed resistance to Lorox. Therefore, this effect is potentially valuable for resistance management. The suppression of Powell amaranth emergence by these cover crops may have been due in part to allelopathic (natural herbicidal) compounds released during cover crop decomposition. However, it more likely reflects suppression of weed seed

production by the cover crops the previous fall.

Powell amaranth and many other summer annual weeds are ‘short-day’ plants which, even when very small, can produce a lot of seeds very quickly as days shorten in the fall. Therefore, having a vigorous competitive cover crop in late summer can minimize this seed production.

Of course, growers have other options (e.g. herbicides or tillage) for preventing seed production of summer annuals, but cover crops can do so while protecting and improving soils.

The effect of a vigorous late summer cover crop on winter annuals is even more dramatic (Fig. 3). For example, at site 3, in the field adjacent to our experiment, the grower needed to disk his field twice to control chickweed prior to strip-tillage and carrot planting. With a vigorous cover crop, chickweed was completely absent, such that the expense and soil disturbance associated with this tillage could have been avoided.

Ongoing Collaborative Research

Although our results show promise for successful integration of cover crops in carrot production systems in the NorthCentral region, additional research is needed to identify useful cover crop species and mixtures and to optimize their use.

We are collaborating with Dr. Haddish Melakeberhan, Michigan State University, and Dr. Zane Grabau, University of Florida, to understand how these cover crops influence nematode communities.

We are also working with Dr. Mary Hausbeck and Dr. Zsofia Szendrei, Michigan State University, to evaluate how these cover crops may influence soil-borne fungi and insects that may adversely affect both carrots and other vegetable crops grown in rotation. Based on the results of this study, we are also exploring in greater detail how fertility management of these cover crops affects their overall growth and impacts on subsequent crops.

CarrotCountry.com

7

UK Carrot Pros Share S

peakers at the UK Onion and Carrot Conference, held Nov. 14, 2017, in Nottingham, reminded attendees that the future will be determined by survival of the fittest for growers. The only way to survive in the mainstream carrots and onions business is to increase yields and produce more efficiently through innovation.

Daniel Johns, deputy director of the Future Farming program at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), opened the conference with reference to the future domestic agricultural policy post-Brexit.

Mike Petersen, the New Zealand special agricultural trade envoy, followed with a presentation on the impact of losing farm support in the 1980s. He summarized that change is stressful, and planning and support are required. Trade will drive innovation and prosperity. Strong farmer leadership is vital, but finally, there is no appetite in New Zealand to go back to a farm support system. Reforms in agriculture have delivered efficiency

and innovation. Strong growth in the horticulture sector continues; thus, there should be plenty of opportunity in the UK. Jonathan Gill from Harper Adams University then presented on managing the world’s first hands-free hectare. The technology used will be adapted for use in horticultural crops.

Later, the conference delegates split into two groups for separate carrot and onion technical sessions. The carrot session included a presentation from Steven Skipper at Tong Engineering on advances and automation in carrot handling. Kathryn Hale, a Ph.D. student at Warwick Crop Centre, discussed the understanding of ecology and epidemiology of Pythium sp. causing cavity spot on carrot. Nathalie Verhoef from NSure BV spoke about using gene activity measurements for quality assessments. Joe Martin with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board gave an introduction to SCEPTREplus. Last, Dr. Tim Lacey, campaign manager for horticulture at Bayer

CropScience, discussed a new nematicide and other innovations for the future of carrot growing.

The afternoon session commenced with agronomy opportunities for both carrot and onion crops with Andrew Francis, farm manager at Elveden Farms Ltd., sharing insight into some aspects of the farm’s production systems. Farm managers are actively involved in many research projects and encourage staff to “have a go” at new methods.

Kevin Hancock, the senior buying manager of Ocado, explained the company’s unique format for online retailing. Over the next five years, online sales will be the fastest growing channel in the UK grocery market, he said. Ocado is the second largest online grocer and continues to gain market share. The company continues to innovate to improve its customer proposition.

Tim O’Malley from Nationwide Produce gave insight into the foodservice and wholesale markets, both important

A full house listens to Andrew Francis, farm manager at Elveden Farms Ltd., speak about the farm’s production systems during the UK Onion and Carrot Conference. Photo courtesy British Onions and British Carrot Growers Association

8

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

Expertise customers for carrots and onions.

Consumers were expected to spend 54.7 billion pounds in 2017 on eating out, an increase from 2015 when the figure was 52.2 billion pounds. O’Malley said this is due to an increase in the population size, a record number of women working, dualearner households rising and increased tourism.

The conference’s introduction of using Slido, a mobile app, allowed conference delegates to ask questions after each session, which definitely increased the number of questions from the audience and allowed for a live poll to be taken during one presentation.

The conference concluded with dinner and industry award presentations.

Elsoms displays samples of its carrot and onion varieties at the UK Onion and Carrot Conference trade exhibition. Photo courtesy Elsoms

Calendar

•

Aug. 21-24 39th International Carrot Conference

Monona Terrace Convention Center Madison, Wisc. vcru.wisc.edu/carrotconference

•

June 25-27 United Fresh 2018

McCormick Place Convention Center Chicago, Ill. www.unitedfresh.org

Editor’s note: To have your event listed, please email Denise Keller, at editor@ColumbiaMediaGroup.com.

Please send your information 90 days in advance.

Oct. 18-20 PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo Orlando, Fla. www.freshsummit.com

• CarrotCountry.com

9

Crop Protection Essentials Buyers’ Guide

BioSafe Systems PerCarb Bactericide/Fungicide

www.biosafesystems.com/percarb

BioSafe Systems’ PerCarb is an OMRI-listed bactericide/fungicide designed to control plant pathogens that cause major foliar diseases, such as powdery mildew, in carrots. Readily soluble in water for easy mixing, this sulfur alternative leaves no mess or odor and can be sprayed year-round for total control. PerCarb offers superior coverage, a nonresidual chemistry and no phytotoxicity at labeled rates. PerCarb’s zerohour re-entry interval allows users to save time and return to the field immediately after

Certis USA MeloCon WG Nematicide www.certisusa.com

MeloCon is a broad-spectrum nematicide from Certis USA that effectively controls plant-infecting nematodes, including root-knot, burrowing, cyst, root lesion, false root-knot and sting nematodes.

The active ingredient of MeloCon is the spore of a naturally occurring fungus, Paecilomyces lilacinus, which is a highly effective parasite of all stages of development of common plantinfecting nematodes. Eggs and infectious juveniles are particularly susceptible. Once MeloCon is applied to the soil, spores of the MeloCon fungus adhere to the bodies of nematodes as they move through the soil. The spores germinate and penetrate the nematodes, killing them by feeding on the nematodes’ body contents.

No fumigant management plans are required with MeloCon. It can be applied through any irrigation system. MeloCon is NOP approved and OMRI listed.

Marrone Bio Innovations Amplitude Bio-fungicide www.marronebio.com

Amplitude bio-fungicide, a “bio-conqueror” of white mold, is an advanced bio-fungicide offering growers a sustainable mode of action to control downy mildew and a broad range of other fungal and bacterial diseases in a large number of commercial specialty crops including carrots.

It can control bacterial leaf blight, downy mildew, gray mold, late blight and white mold and can be used in foliar and in-furrow applications.

10

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

In the News Agri-Lines Opens New Store

Offering “anything irrigation,” Agri-Lines Irrigation Inc. is opening a new store in Nampa, Idaho, in March. The store will provide parts, sales and service for pivots, wheel lines, drip, pumping systems and pipe. In addition, Agri-Lines offers electrical service and custom fab work.

Headquartered in Parma, Idaho, the company is a dealer and specialist for both Lindsay Zimmatic pivots and Netafim drip systems.

Visit www.agri-lines.com.

Stokes Seeds Names New Sales Rep

Stokes Seeds has hired Tom Jacobs as sales representative for Michigan, northern Ohio and northern Indiana. He will supply vegetable seed recommendations to commercial producers throughout the region.

Jacobs has been working in Great Lakes and Midwest agriculture for over 20 years including experience in seed sales, irrigation, crop production and equipment.

Jacobs replaces Keith Peterson, who is retiring after 41 years in the vegetable seed industry including 21 years at Stokes Seeds.

Poland Hosts International Carrot Symposium

The second International ISHS Symposium on Carrot and Other Apiceae will be held Sept. 19-22 in Krakow, Poland. This is a continuation of the first Symposium, held in 2014 in Angers, France.

Conference organizers hope to bring the most recent scientific findings and technical advances to the community of carrot and Apiaceae researchers, breeders and growers.

The program will feature scientific and technical sessions, as well as field demonstrations. Topics will include genetics and genomics, crop protection, cultivation techniques and seed production.

Visit www.carrot-symposium2018.pl.

Drexel Chemical Company Announces New Hire, Retiree

Drexel Chemical Company has hired Josh Elmore as western regional sales representative. Drexel, located in Memphis, Tennessee, manufactures insecticides, herbicides, fungicides, growth regulators, nutrients, adjuvants and surfactants.

Elmore will be responsible for sales in Arizona, California, Nevada and Utah. He earned his agronomy degree from New Mexico State University in 2017 and will be based in the Fresno, California, area.

Meanwhile, the company is wishing Jim Corder well in his retirement from the company. He’s ending a more than 50-year career in the crop protection industry, including eight years handling Drexel’s western U.S. business.

Dow Hires Telone Specialist

Dow AgroSciences has hired Jorge Villasenor as the Telone specialist for the Columbia Basin area of Washington. He replaces Ryan Roslak, who retired after 33 years with Dow AgroSciences.

Villasenor will work with all applicators of Telone to ensure that stewardship programs and proper applications are maintained. He will also provide expertise on equipment issues related to fumigation with Telone and coordinate field trials with university and contract researchers.

Previously, Villasenor was employed as a Telone specialist in Idaho, where he worked with growers, retailers and custom applicators. He earned a degree in tree fruit management from Washington State University in 2016.

CarrotCountry.com

11

New Products Ag App Issues Weather Alerts

A new smartphone application promises to make growers’ lives easier. Available on the App Store and Google Play, SetPoint Weather is a customizable weather application designed specifically for the agriculture industry.

Users select locations, and then set custom weather alerts for each location. When the weather or forecast triggers an alert, users are notified by push notifications sent directly to their phones. Users can subscribe to five or 10 locations and set alarms based upon selected parameters including temperature, humidity, dew point, wind speed, barometric pressures, rain accumulation and chance of rain.

Visit www.setpointweather.com.

Drone Package Flies Into Market

Aero Hawk is flying into the precision ag market with its new combination of drone, camera and software designed for the ag industry.

The drone and four-lens camera combination weighs in at 2.9 pounds. The lightweight design provides a flight time of 25 minutes with the unit covering 160 acres on one battery charge. The eight-megapixel camera is equipped with four filters including two tri-band filters.

Aero Hawk downloads the data from the camera and uploads it directly onto a user’s computer in less than two hours. Aero Hawk software stitches the pictures based on the best pixel, providing seamless data, according to the company. Data provided can be used to pinpoint areas in the field that have disease, damage, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and water issues, and to see relative nitrogen values. More than three dozen indexes can be measured per flight.

Pricing is under $5,000.

Visit www.aero-hawk.com.

Sprayer Earns Award for Innovation

John Deere’s ExactApply Nozzle Control System has received the AE50 Award for 2018 from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers. The award highlights innovative designs in product engineering in the food and agriculture industries.

Introduced in 2016, the ExactApply Nozzle Control system provides improved coverage and control of spray applications with its Pulse Width Modulation (30 hertz pulsing) and automatic A/B nozzle switching from the sprayer cab. The system also offers turn compensation, individual nozzle on/ off control, LED lights in each nozzle body for improved visibility, and smart diagnostics to improve, monitor and document sprayer applications at the nozzle.

According to John Deere, ExactApply enhances existing technology currently in the market and combines it into one product completely integrated into John Deere R-Series Sprayers and rate control systems.

Visit www.johndeere.com.

NEW/USED WALK-IN COOLER-FREEZER REFRIGERATION SYSTEMS HUGE InvEntory-All SIzES BUy  SEll  nAtIonwIdE 

AMERICAN WHOLESALE CO. TOLL FREE 877-220-8882 WWW.AWRCO.COM  AWCCO@AOL.COM

12

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

To advertise: 208.520.6461

Zimmatic Introduces Water Pumping, Filtration Products

Zimmatic by Lindsay has introduced a fully integrated line of water pumping and filtration products designed to help growers maximize the efficiency of their irrigation systems.

The pumping products include Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) panels, which automatically adjust pump speed to match the system demand, saving energy and water. Zimmatic recently added a new programmable logic controller (PLC) to the VFD pump panels. The controller’s 3.5-inch touchscreen guides users through a start-up menu, allowing for quick set-up and easy-to-understand monitoring, according to the company. The VFDs also can be integrated with FieldNET by Lindsay for continuous remote monitoring and control.

Zimmatic’s filtration products include sand separators, pump protection separators and pump intake screens. The products are designed to maximize water flow, reduce waste and prevent premature equipment wear.

Visit www.zimmatic.com.

Key Technology Debuts Digital Sorter

CVS Rolls out Electric Utility Truck

Central Valley Supply (CVS) has introduced a 100 percent electric utility truck. The Yosemite by airEoso Motor Corporation is billed as durable and rugged and built to offer strength, reliability and cost savings. It runs on standard car batteries, plugs into a 110-volt outlet, and requires no fuel and minimal maintenance. Operating costs are 75 percent less than that of a typical gas-powered utility truck, according to CVS. One-ton and half-ton models with purpose-based customizable beds, 1,500-pound towing capacity and optional four-wheel drive are available.

The roll-resistant suspension and disc brakes are said to provide nimble and sure-footed handling on the road and in the field. Yosemite’s high-torque electric motor provides a minimum 80-mile or eight-hour battery life.

Call (833) AIR-EOSO.

Key Technology has introduced the VERYXB210, a high-capacity digital sorter.

The machine can be used to sort sliced, diced and cubed carrots, as well as baby carrots.

With an inspection area over 80 inches wide, the belt-fed sorter maximizes throughput on high-capacity lines. The sorter offers a production capacity in excess of 50,000 pounds of product per hour, depending on the application.

It features advanced detection technology and an innovative system architecture that improve sorting accuracy. Recognizing objects’ color, size, shape and/or structural properties, VERYX sorters remove foreign material and product defects to improve product quality while virtually eliminating false rejects to increase yields, according to the company.

Visit www.key.net/products/veryx.

Brookside Agra Adds Humates to Product Line

Brookside Agra is now offering dry and liquid humates. Humates are a naturally occurring material rich in humic and fulvic acids, amino acids and sugars. Humates are said to store nutrients in the soil and then allow for better nutrient uptake by the plants. This helps boost soil microbial populations, increase water retention and reduce erosion.

Brookside Agra’s humates, which contain 12 percent concentration of beneficial humic and fulvic acids, are all-natural and OMRI certified for organic use. The product can hold 10 times its weight in water when mixed in the soil profile. As a result, crops require less irrigation, can better utilize natural moisture from rainfall and experience less stress during drought conditions, according to the company.

Contact Tony Arro at tony.arro@ brookside-agra.com.

CarrotCountry.com

13

Federal Crop Insurance Helps Diverse and Specialty Farms

Whole-Farm Revenue Protection Insures All Farm Revenue Under Single Policy

F

armers with highly diverse farms, who grow specialty commodities and sell to direct or specialty markets now have access to a crop insurance policy to meet their needs.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Risk Management Agency (RMA) offers the Whole-Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policy, which is a revenue-based policy that provides coverage for all commodities on the farm grouped together.

“The Whole-Farm Revenue Protection policy is unique in that it encourages and supports farm diversification,” said RMA acting administrator Heather Manzano. “As part of this policy, individual commodity losses are not considered; it is the overall farm revenue that determines losses.”

WFRP is available for farms with specialty or organic commodities (crops and livestock), or those marketing to local, regional, farm-identify preserved, specialty or direct markets.

The policy requires two or more commodities to meet the diversification requirements.

RMA has an estimated liability of almost $7 million for carrots covered under the WFRP policy in 2017.

“In 2017, there were nearly $2.6 billion in Whole-Farm Revenue Protection liabilities nationwide. That means producers are becoming more familiar with the policy and are using it,” Manzano said.

The WFRP policy, available in all 50 states, covers organically-

grown insurable crops, as well as revenue from all commodities produced on the farm, including animals, animal products and commodities purchased for resale. Producers can purchase coverage from 50 to 85 percent, and the policy can be tailored to fit different operations up to $8.5 million in liability.

Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net. It helps producers and owners manage revenue risks and strengthens the rural economy. The Risk Management Agency consistently looks for ways to make crop insurance more effective and accessible for producers. The availability of WFRP is a reflection of this effort.

“Here at the Risk Management Agency, everything we do is for producers and to ensure the sustainment and growth of the agriculture industry,” Manzano said. “As the industry expands and diversifies, we need to be creating crop insurance products alongside them.”

For more information about Whole-Farm Revenue Protection, visit www.rma.usda.gov/policies/wfrp.html. For more information about the Risk Management Agency, visit www.rma.usda.gov.

Producers interested in learning more about Whole-Farm Revenue Protection should visit their crop insurance agent. A list of crop insurance agents is available at all USDA Service Centers and online at the RMA Agent Locator. Growers can use the RMA Cost Estimator to get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs online.

39th International Carrot Conference August 22 - 24, 2018

Monona Terrace Convention Center, Madison, Wisconsin Presentations and Poster Sessions:

August 22 – 23

Seed samples due:

March 15, 2018

Presentation titles and abstracts due:

April 30, 2018

Field Trial:

Early registration ends:

August 24

June 15, 2018

vcru.wisc.edu/carrotconference 14

Carrot Country

•

Spring 2018

I. L. Goldman: ilgoldma@wisc.edu P. W. Simon: psimon@wisc.edu

New! Extreme Super Cleaning System 3 to 4 times better cleaning than any other system

Custom Built Harvesting Equipment Carrots — Pickles

We offer a computer (digital processor) individual row head height system 2, 3, 4, 6 & 8 Rows Conventional Roller Bar or High Speed Crowning.

Precision Computer Controlled Planting Population Systems

LEADER IN CARROT HARVESTING TECHNOLOGY BUILT IN THE U.S.A. HE BEST T D L I U WE B REST! E H T X I AND F

For More Information Phone:

(231) 821-2125 Between 7 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. EST Ask for Wayne Fax (231) 821-0275

www.vogel-engineering.com

MeloCon WG

Nematicide

KNOT nice.

MeloCon nematicide effectively controls plant-infecting nematodes, including root knot, burrowing, cyst, root lesion, false root knot and sting nematodes. Can be applied through any irrigation system. ➤ In-season applications ➤ No fumigant management plan required ➤ Application flexibility ➤ Broad spectrum nematicide

Image: Root nodules caused by root knot nematodes.

MeloCon is a registered trademark of Bayer CropScience.

Always read and follow label directions.

2018 Certis USA

©

1-800-250-5024 • www.CertisUSA.com