2023 Faces: Leaders of the Tree Nut Industry

FACES

LEADERS OF THE TREE NUT INDUSTRY

is your #1 Resource

Jason Scott

CEO

of JCS Marketing, Inc.

It’s with great excitement that I introduce our new annual publication: FACES Leaders of the Tree Nut Industry. Please use this guide to learn more about thought leaders in the tree nut industry and call upon them when you are in need of services. I know we feel like we have fallen on hard times these days but I believe that better days are ahead and leading businesses double down and lean in to the struggle; as we have with this special publication to help the industry. I urge you to make your business a little easier and use these great companies who can help you move your business forward. Congratulations to all of the 2023 FACES Leaders of the Tree Nut Industry.

The right audience at the right time, every time. It’s in our JCS Marketing DNA!

DNA DATA NETWORK ADVERTISING

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What is DNA?

Data Network Advertising (DNA) is our latest addition of digital advertising that delivers your digital ads to precisely targeted customers.

How is it different from other digital advertising?

The digital ads are delivered to only precisely targeted customers based on their individual information, address and occupation. It is a sophisticated way to place advertising, using algorithmic software, called programmatic advertising.

How are precisely targeted customers selected?

DNA utilizes our trusted database of nearly 32,900 verif ied contacts, including almond, walnut, pistachio, grape, and citrus growers, pest control advisors, certif ied crop advisors, hullers, processors, handlers, agronomists, applicators, ag retailers and other industry professionals.

For too long, our industry has been planting, nurturing, growing, processing, and overall feeding the world without recognizing the people that make it all happen. In this magazine, readers

Hello, my name is Wendy Flowers, your local American National Insurance Agent, located in Bakersfield, CA. One of my many passions in life is being able to help the farm and ag community. I was born and raised in Kern County and I proudly serve on the executive board as the President for California Women for Agriculture - Kern County Chapter.

Your livelihood is worth protecting, and having an agribusiness farm insurance agent with 19 years of experience on your side is an important first step. With insurance products including farm & ranch, business, life, homeowners, auto and more, I can help find options that match your needs.

You deserve excellent service and customized insurance products that work for you. When you are ready, my team and I are here to assist you with a personal yet professional experience.

CONTACT ME TO HELP PROTECT WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU.

Cliff Beumel President, Agromillora California Nursery

The truth is, I adore the California Walnut Industry. I love every thing about it. As the leader of a diversified tree nursery, I work on most of the tree crops in our region. However, the product line I’m most passionate about, that I get up in the morning and go to bed at night thinking about, is walnuts. That’s probably because I’ve been working in some aspect of the walnut industry for more than 35 years now, across almost every aspect of it, doing just about every job you can imagine in it, and enjoying every minute of it.

That’s why I feel so lucky that I’ve had the opportunity to be involved with so much of the research over the last few decades that have lead to improvements in our walnut orchards. This has also allowed me to have an ongoing dialogue with the research community, which, in turn, let’s me bring all that information to our customers and to all walnut growers. As a current member of California Walnut Board’s Production Research Committee, my work in this area continues.

To say the California Walnut Industry is going through a tough moment would

be an understatement. There is real pain being experienced. But the only path forward I know for industries in a difficult time is to embrace innovation and improvement so that productivity can be increased while becoming as efficient as possible. And that’s what we must do. So, at Agromillora California Nursery, we will proudly continue to offer premium clonal walnut rootstocks, including exciting new genetics, and to share everything we know with our customers and their friends that can help them going forward!

It’s in that spirit of innovation, and in the hope of improving the bottom line for walnut growers, that Grizzly Clonal Walnut Rootstock™ (USPP# 31,862) was developed. This new rootstock was discovered way back in the late 90s when we noticed one lone tree in a new orchard planted “walnuts after walnuts”. This one tree, out of thousands, was growing twice or three times faster than all the other trees around it. It looked healthier, loaded up with nice crops of nuts. We watched it year after year outperform. So, we thought, what if we could copy it? But that was impossible.

Fast forward more than a decade, and researchers had figured out how to

clone walnut rootstocks. So we started cloning the rootstock of this one amazing tree, and then we started planting trials in all the most difficult locations we could find. And to our great satisfaction, these trial trees, grafted on to what would become Grizzly™, showed superior performance, even when compared to the other clonal rootstocks that growers had started planting. We were very pleased that we never once saw a crown gall—and we still haven’t. And, we saw trees looking stronger, and making more nuts when other rootstocks were suffering from all the difficulties you find, especially, in ground replanted with walnuts after walnuts.

Fast forward again, and we are entering a period where most walnut orchards planted in the next decade will be replant orchards, as walnut growers are forced to replant older, less productive blocks. With nut prices where they are at, these new replant blocks must be as successful as absolutely possible. And that’s what Grizzly Rootstock™ was selected and developed for. We believe it will prove to be one of the many innovative tools that help lead the walnut industry out of this tough time.

Charley Nye | Director of Research

In less than a generation, every aspect of growing almonds has been modernized and is now precisely measured and managed – except pollination. With pollination bills now rapidly approaching the cost of all other inputs, the question is, why has such an essential and expensive part of the business been left behind?

BeeHero is the new face of pollination.

In 2022 BeeHero became the leading pollination provider in California as more and more growers recognize that pollination should be a measurable, controllable expenditure and not an unquantified, fingers-crossed gamble.

Now, for the first time, growers from Modesto to Tulare know precisely what they are getting for this expense. BeeHero accurately evaluates the pollination contribution of each colony in real-time, and this unprecedented visibility means we know the precise strength of each individual frame. This enables us to determine the pollination requirement of an orchard by calculating frames-per-acre and thus optimize each orchard’s specific pollination needs with the precise amount of bees required.

BeeHero provides growers with the healthiest, most productive bees that maximize pollination efficiency. Our Precision Pollination eliminates guesswork and inaccuracy and replaces them with clear and quantifiable evidence of hive strength. Growers can now see the progress of their bloom happening in real-time. No more guessing. No more wasted money.

Meet the new face of pollination.

Call 1-855-4-BEEHERO to schedule an appointment today.

See Different. See more.

Access to strong service network ensures we are there for you whenever you need it

In partnership with West-Link, we offer unmatched access to service support. In combination with our engineering expertise, industry know-how, practical skills, local parts stock and training & testing facilities, we ensure optimum uptime and smooth operation of your plant. Come see for yourself and meet the team by visiting one of our sites in California or across the pond in London. Contact West-Link today at west-link.com

As leaders in the Industry, Bühler and West-Link continue to reinvest for the next generation. Not only in technology advancements, but also after sale customer support. Our combined strategic network of extensive local technicians, and local parts immediately on hand, keeps our customers sorters running with maximum productivity.

− Brian Sears President, West-Link Corp

SORTEX F – same best-in-class hygienic sorting platform with new technology upgrades - now even better

We continue to develop new sorting technologies and services for our nut sorting portfolio. While maintaining the hygienic design with the most accessible frame the market has ever seen, the SORTEX F now has new software and color camera options so processors can select the right solutions to match their sorting needs.

Check out what’s new on the SORTEX F! Also available as upgrades to existing machines

OptiCam

New digital processing algorithms and high-performance optics enhance the differences between damaged product and good kernels enabling better reject concentrations and yields

Benefits to you

Hygienic open design with zero tolerance for contamination

Inspection technology options to suit specific sorting requirements

ColorCam

The new ColorCam+ cameras enable greater separation of good and bad product, higher yields and better reject concentration, saving money and reducing waste.

ProSortX4.0

ProSortX 4.0™ builds on the success of the original ProSortX with a clean new look, Industry 4.0 readiness and a host of new features.

Continual improvement –extend the life of existing equipment

Ease of use (ProSortX 4.0)

Industry 4.0

Achieve highest quality and safety and ultimate yield

THE TABLE OLIVE RE V OLUTION

The table olive industry is in the midst of a modernization campaign that promises to transform the way olives are grown in California. Dennis Burreson, VP of Field Operations and Industry Affairs for Musco Family Olive Co., is leading the charge to high-density, mechanically harvested acreage: “Growers will see a doubling of yield per acre, significantly reduced harvesting costs, and returns materially above competing orchard crops. Olives are drought tolerant and rarely need to be replaced, with hundred-year-old trees still growing and producing today.”

Burreson has certainly seen his share of olive crops, joining Musco in 1979 as the Company’s General Manager. He has long served on Industry Boards and is Chairman of their International Trade Committee in the fight against unfair trade practices. Burreson and his family own and operate 1000 acres of both traditional and modern table olives, as well as nut and other crops.

While older olive orchards in the conventional format continue to be the mainstay of the industry, they are not best suited for mechanical applications and truly efficient farming operations. Enter Musco’s “Million Tree” free nursery stock investment campaign. Musco is giving free nursery stock to growers to begin the transformation to modern olive orchards. The result is expected to be a thriving future for California-grown ripe olives.

“We have seen significantly increased returns with the modern table olive format,” says Burreson. With the continued drought and ever-increasing agricultural costs, he believes olives are truly poised to be the crop of the future.

Dennis Burreson VP of Field Operations & Industry Affairs Musco Family Olive Co.

DEER & BOAR DETERRENT

bwv

The Technology:

Through the use of minute electromagnetic fields (penergetic technology) stimulates biological systems. By working with nature, and without harming the environment such electromagnetic fields are able to stimulate agricultural processes (such as supporting biological activity, including plant growth); act as a (kind of) ‘virtual fence’ deterring unwanted wildlife (mainly deer and boar) from entering the treated property.

-For more information on the technology please visit www.penergeticsolutions.com or contact your penergetic rep.

Features of Penergetic b WV (Wildlife deterrent)

Features of penergetic b WV (Wildlife deterrent)

SUITABLE FOR

wild boar control

From wildlife browsing PROTECTION

For Organic Farms

NON TOXIC / ODORLESS

for humans & animals

WITHOUT FENCING/ELECTRICITY

no capital cost

EFFECTIVE after precipitation

HELPS LIMIT SPREAD

of (potential) disease

“This is the only product I have tried that has provided 6 months of complete control from heavy deer pressure. Even trees that were previously damaged had a chance to rebound and have turned into productive trees.”*

Raymond Antonowich - General Manager - Rancho Esquon - Chico, CA

Last year we planted 3,000 new almond trees. In the first few weeks after planting, we lost 300 trees to deer. We used the penergetic deterrent and the deer damage literally stopped overnight. We have now used this product into the second year and have only had to apply once in the growing season. It’s like we put up a fence. We still have yet to see any signs of deer on the treated acreage, but see them on the untreated parts of our farm.”*

Matt Vernoga - Vernoga Orchards - Durham, CA

We are currently using penergetic b WV on three different vineyards on the coast. We definitely have seen success. It’s something our vineyard managers want to continue to use. It appears to be working better than any other tool we’ve had.”*

Joseph O’Gorman - PCA/Field Sales Rep - Wilbur Ellis - California

This product was sprayed directly over a high value cilantro crop, and since the application there has been no evidence of deer damage.”*

Michelle Armstrong-Zielinsky - Wilbur Ellis - Woodburn, OR

“We have resident deer always coming through the orchards and eating on the young replant trees. The first time we used this product, they just disappeared.”*

Shawn Conde - Conde Farms - Oakdale, CA

*Individual results may vary based on wildlife pressure and climate

For three decades, Polymer Ag has been the thought leader in foliar polymer solutions for agriculture. Over the years, Polymer Ag has worked closely with farm advisors and managers at California State University, Fresno, the University of California, Davis and The Hebrew University of Jerusalem in the testing of Anti-Stress. In addition, many independent growers and PCAs conducted their own field tests to determine the value of Anti-Stress formulations in their production protocols. Field tests conducted in all of these venues on a wide variety of crops and plants proved that Anti-Stress 550 was successful in reducing damage to plants and crops during periods of frost and freeze, heat stress, drying winds, drought and transplanting.

Polymer Ag, LLC is the world leader in polymers for use on growing plants during periods of climate-related stress. Anti-Stress products are sold throughout the world and are instrumental in helping farmers, nurseries, landscapers, horticulturists and gardeners across the globe increase production and plant health, while reducing water use.

Call us at (800) 678-7377 or visit our website to learn how to integrate our winning solutions into your farming practices: www.polymerag.com

STUDIES SHOW COMBINING CHEMISTRY WITH BIOLOGICALS IMPROVE DISEASE MANAGEMENT

Now is the time to start preparing for early season diseases such as anthracnose and brown rot blossom blight. These diseases will quickly reduce peak yield potential if they are not carefully monitored and effectively treated.

Rotating modes of action is one of the most powerful approaches in an effective integrated pest management (IPM) program. “In addition, research indicates that combining biologicals with chemistry – in tank mixes or rotations – can improve management of problematic pests,” says Dr. Melissa Jean O’Neal, Ph.D., Senior Product Development Manager, Pro Farm Group, Inc.

BIOLOGICALS FOR MODERN-DAY TANK MIXES

Combining the power of biology with the performance of chemistry is called a BioUnite ™ approach by Pro Farm Group.

Regalia® Biofungicide is a biological that is particularly effective against anthracnose and brown rot blossom blight, and has a broad spectrum of activity against many other fungal and bacterial diseases. This product also supports tree health and imparts overall stress tolerance for almonds.

Regalia Biofungicide is highly compatible with other crop protection products. When combined with popular chemistries such as Pyraclostrobin + Fluxapyroxad, field studies such as those below indicate that Regalia Biofungicide reduced the incidence of brown rot blossom blight by 12 percent, when compared to using traditional chemistry alone.

Adding Jet-Ag® 5%, a peroxyacetic acid (PAA), in tank mixes or rotations is another IPM approach to improve disease management by utilizing a contact curative. This product kills pathogens on contact and has an extremely broad spectrum of activity. Jet-Ag also tends to be widely available and is quite economical to purchase.

Another biological to consider is Stargus® Biofungicide, containing a unique strain of Bacillus that is broad spectrum and provides multiple modes of action. “This Bacillus differs from other species and strains in that it generates living spores to form a protective barrier; therefore, pathogens have a more difficult time establishing within the plant,” says O’Neal.

Both Regalia and Stargus biofungicides increase crop performance through induced systemic resistance (ISR) and systemic acquired resistance (SAR), boosting a plant’s innate ability to defend itself.

• Regalia 1-2 qts./A

If disease is already present, tank mix with peroxyacetic acid as a contact fungicide for best results.

• Stargus 1-2 qts./A

• Jet-Ag 2-4 qts./100 gal. Do not apply Jet-Ag while bees are foraging.

GROWERS SEE BENEFITS OF BIOLOGICALS

• Regalia 1-2 qts./A OR Stargus 1-2 qts./A

Ben Wallace, PCA/QAL for P-R Farms, Inc., a 5,000 acre farm near Clovis, California, shares that biologicals are used on both their registered organic and conventional acres. While P-R Farms has been using the same “IPM recipe” on the fourth-generation farm for five years, Wallace says they continue to try new combinations to help them succeed into the future. “Biologicals are used in every foliar application from bloom spray and May sprays to hull split,” he says. “They play a huge role in our organic orchards, but evidence is showing that adding to our conventional sprays will maximize effectiveness.”

In summary, benefits of biologicals in an IPM program include utilizing novel modes of action that improve pest management, reducing the development of pesticide resistance, and offering cost-effective tools through new formulations.

For more information, visit www.MarroneBio.com/Almonds/ and download the bloom spray IPM guide.

ALMOND BLOOM SPAYS: BIOUNITE™ PROTOCOL FOR INCREASED EFFICACY

WESTERN AGRICULTURAL PROCESSORS ASSOCIATION

Western Agricultural Processors Association (WAPA) has been the leading processors association for over a decade. Every day our team and members fight for the regulatory rights of the tree nut industry. Our team is a team of action; we don’t wait for the fight to come to us, we take the fight directly to Sacramento and Washington on your behalf.

Our team is a team of action; directly to Sacramento and Washington on your behalf.

With over 400 members and counting, WAPA’s growing membership is represented by all the major tree nut commodities in California (Almond, Walnut, Pistachio, and Pecan). More and more organizations are joining the fight at WAPA by charging WAPA with key regulatory and legislative issues.

To learn more about this growing association of tree nut leaders, please visit our website and join the fight today:

HTTPS://AGPROCESSORS.ORG/ OR CALL 559-455-9272

Director of Engineering

“Our team at Suterra understands that our products protect growers’ livelihoods, and so we take quality incredibly seriously in our product design. We have a leading team of engineers and chemists with various backgrounds rooted in quality control. We came from sectors of the aerospace and defense, automotive, food and pharmaceutical industries where there is zero tolerance for defects,” said Clark. “ The experience of our team and Suterra’s state-of-the-ar t, fully integrated manufacturing capabilities allow us to fulfill our commitment to quality.”

“ The pheromone is what does the work to protect your crops by reducing damage. That means that ever y thing else about the product, from the chemistr y, to the can, to the batteries, must be thoughtfully designed to get the right dose of pheromone out in ever y puff, in any weather, all season long.”