from the Director's Desk

Breanne Vandenberg

Last month I detailed the issues that our cotton growers are facing due to lygus. At the time of the last article, a meeting had been held to inform our elected offices of the topic. Since then, we were able to pull together a field tour that included Assemblymember Esmeralda Soria and staff from both Congressman Duarte and Senator Caballero’s offices. In addition, several of our directors, members,

Ag Commissioner, and others were in attendance. We are appreciative of the time and effort to make the tour worthwhile.

Attendees were able to see lygus firsthand, learning of the economic impacts that it brings. We were also able to cover their lifecycle, the limitations of available products and what other crops are impacted by this pest. Days later, DPR released Sefina on an emergency order allowing for it to be used from August 4 to August 19 for both lygus and whitefly. We do want to recognize that this is a step in the right direction, however more is needed. Product availability may allow a grower a third shot, however it will most likely miss the timeframe of combating lygus but also too early for whitefly complications. We look to move the conversation forward for the remainder of this season, ensuring our growers have available products for next year.

We have also attended several meetings surrounding the 2024 Farm Bill, the water quality coalition and have been watchful of our local elected offices. We are bringing back our staff tours that invite county and city staff to visit our fields and understand the impacts we face. This has been a good conversation and learning experience for all and we are thrilled to see it come back again. Many thanks to Via Trailways for transportation for the day.

We hope your season is going well and look forward to seeing you soon!