AG Harvest 2020

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Governor celebrates farmers, farmworkers

G

overnor Gavin Newsom recently declared October as Farmer and Farmworker Month with the following proclamation: “With the fall harvest underway, Californians are reminded of our deep debt of gratitude to the farmers and farmworkers working tirelessly through the pandemic and increasingly unhealthy air quality caused by wildfires and climate change to supply food to supermarket shelves, food banks and our tables. The hard work of these dedicated men and women who grow, produce, harvest and package our food ensures a stable and secure supply for our state and nation, sustaining us through these challenging times – and year-round.

“As the largest agricultural state, farming in California supports more than 1.2 million jobs and provides $263 billion in generated economic revenue. Agriculture is a critical economic driver for rural communities and regions throughout our state – from the great Central Valley to Siskiyou to Imperial County.

California produces more than 400 different agricultural commodities, with California Grown (CA GROWN) recognized as an unsurpassed standard for quality, food safety and commitment to environmental stewardship.

“Farming is a community that includes farmers, ranchers and the farmworkers who work and harvest the land. As

front-line workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, our farm working communities bear an increased risk of exposure to the virus, and we are committed to ensuring their safety. We have built a pipeline of personal protective equipment to help workers stay safe on the job and provided necessary COVID-19 testing and treatment at no cost for undocumented or uninsured Californians.

We have taken action to expand paid sick leave to food sector workers, create temporary housing options for agricultural workers to safely isolate and quarantine and provide detailed workplace safety and health guidance.

“In honor of the landmark

movement pioneered by César Chávez, Dolores Huerta, Larry Itliong and other activists who fought tirelessly for the rights of workers and their families, we continue our efforts in partnership with the Legislature, communitybased organizations and

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other stakeholders to further support our farmers and farmworkers.

“Throughout the month of October, we celebrate the dedication and perseverance of California’s farmers and farmworkers who work day in and day out to deliver the Golden

State’s bounty of fresh and nutritious products to our tables with care.

NOW THEREFORE I, GAVIN NEWSOM, Governor of the State of California, do hereby proclaim October 2020, as “California Farmers and Farmworkers Month.”

TUSD farm thriving despite pandemic W

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

hen Turlock Unified School District first drafted plans for its school farm seven years ago, the ultimate goal was to provide not only an agricultural learning hub for students, but to also grow healthy foods which would one day make their way from the school farm to the cafeteria table. Now, thanks to plenty of collaboration, teamwork and hours on the farm, that dream has become a reality — even during the coronavirus pandemic.

TUSD Coordinator of Environmental Studies and Applied Horticulture Hali Bream has used her knowledge to create a system that has allowed students to eat and utilize fresh ingredients at lunch and in the classroom, from the 15 varieties of fruits grown in the farm’s orchards to herbs and edible flowers that will soon flourish in the greenhouse.

This has been made possible through Bream’s teamwork with TUSD Director of Child Nutrition Jennifer LewVang and Pitman High School Culinary Arts instructor Mohini Singh, who have made it a point to include products grown on the District Farm in the classroom and on the cafeteria table — like the pluots that made it into take-home meal boxes for students, which Singh used to create a tart live on Zoom for her pupils at home.

The products grown on the farm are also used in school lunches, which students and families have been picking up from campuses as they learn at home.

Some elementary sites were able to enjoy the pluots as well, in addition to 14 other varieties of fruits grown on the District Farm. While these products aren’t the main course of meals yet, they do add a sense of fun to school meals, like the excitement on students’ faces when they realize the salsa for their burrito was made from tomatoes on the District Farm.

It is Lew-Vang’s hope that one day, Singh’s Culinary Arts students will be creating all of the school lunch menu items by using food grown on the farm.

While the fruit harvest is over for now, Bream said she is hard at work changing

out the greenhouse so that herbs and edible flowers can be grown for Singh’s students to use.

In addition, almonds and walnuts are grown on the farm, and it also serves as home for several pig projects — four of which are currently pregnant with litters due in just a couple of months. Bream is also collaborating with local businesses to provide internships for students as well as complete improvements on the farm. For example, Jay De Graff of The Greenery Nursery is lending his expertise to help change out the greenhouse.

In between checking in on all of the life either being grown or cared for on the farm, Bream hosts Zoom sessions for students where she teaches them about various subjects, like how a pluot is grown or how to transplant a beanstalk.

“We talk a lot about how the food gets from the farm to their school lunch, and then they’re excited to go pick up their school lunches because they know it’s a full circle,” Bream said.

Along with Lew-Vang and Bream, Singh hopes to see both the farm and the Culinary Arts program continue to play a large role in shaping students’ diets. So far, their efforts have earned recognition from some of the state’s top officials.

Earlier this month, Singh was invited

by California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross and First Partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom to serve as co-chair and advisor of the newly-formed California Farm to School Advisory Group. The invitation came just one year after Ross and Newsom visited TUSD to see its farm-totable efforts firsthand.

As co-chair and advisor, Singh will help create a unified vision for the future of farm to school in California with a $10 million allocation from the state to do so. In an email from the state, Singh was told she and the Culinary Arts program were immediately brought up when CDFA began brainstorming advisors.

“I can’t wait,” Singh said. “I’m excited to see where the state wants to go with farm to school, and we are just thrilled because there is money out there and more opportunities for our district.”

OCTOBER 2020

ANGELINA MARTIN /The Journal

While four piglet litters are expected on the TUSD District Farm this winter, some of the piglets from last year have stuck around.

ANGELINA MARTIN /The Journal

TUSD Coordinator of Environmental Studies and Applied Horticulture Hali Bream picks a pluot on the District Farm.

ANGELINA MARTIN/ The Journal

A variety of flowers and herbs will soon flourish in the District Farm’s greenhouse.

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Collaboration between the TUSD Farm and students continues even in distance learning! The fall fruit harvest was utilized in Pitman High School's Culinary Arts program and also made its way to school lunches. Farm Coordinator Hali Bream conducted virtual lessons on the "farm to lunch" process for all 4th grade students at Cunningham Elementary. We look forward to continued collaboration and expanded opportunities for all students to participate in the Farm to Classroom experience.

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Despite economic hardships, almond industry continues to thrive

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

A

recent report published by the Almond Board of California shows that despite a currently challenging trade environment, global shipments of almonds continue to increase as the industry navigates through tough times.

California almond growers are consistently producing crops at record or nearrecord levels year after year, meaning the industry must constantly work to expand existing export markets and continue to grow demand in those regions — while

also keeping an eye on new opportunities at the global level. In the past year, the coronavirus pandemic, coupled with China’s continued tariffs, have continued to pose a problem for growers looking to move their nuts from California ports to export markets.

During the 2019-2020 crop year, California produced 2.55 billion pounds of almonds. Nearly 1.6 billion pounds were exported, while domestic shipments accounted for 774 million pounds. This represents nearly parallel growth between the two compared to 2018-2019, when domestic shipments grew 4.5 per-

cent and exports grew five percent. The ABC credits this continued growth to the industry’s investment in nutrition research, as well as development of the global market.

The ABC expanded its nutrition research into the area of beauty in the past year, and is also building demand through consumer marketing programs in 11 countries, from India and Japan to the U.S. and Mexico.

“One of the things that I first noticed when I joined the Almond Board four years ago was the passion and pride staff have in helping grow this industry,”

OCTOBER 2020

Vice President of Global Market Development Emily Fleischmann states in the report, “and that fire continues. It’s what has helped our teams launch innovative new campaigns like ‘Do You Almond’ in the UK this past year and what helps almonds remain the number one nut in new product introductions for 10 years running.”

Forthcoming partnerships include a campaign with Olympian Kerri Walsh Jennings, a brandnew campaign in France and the ABC’s first digital program in India.

India received 256 million pounds of almonds

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from the U.S. in 2019-2020, followed by Spain (193 million), Germany (134 million) and China (99 million). Global trade tensions with China have changed the landscape of priority markets, according to the report.

“Five years ago, China was our second-largest export destination. It stayed as the third-largest market for several years, surpassed only by the strong growth of the Indian market,” said Julie Adams, vice president of Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs for the ABC. Adams went on to explain that retaliatory tar-

iffs implemented by China two years ago derailed progress that had been made, with the country previously poised to expand amid an increasing middle class and economic growth.

“Starting in April 2018, we saw the impact of the trade war, which took almonds from a 10 percent tariff to the current 55 percent tariff,” Adams said.

“Over the last two years, shipments to China/Hong Kong dropped 25percent in crop year 2018-19 and another 23 percent in crop year 2019-20, with Australia benefiting.”

Although China has dropped to fourth in the

line of top U.S. export destinations, the country is still key to building demand for expanded crop production.

Many trade issues take a long time to resolve, Adams stated, but it is still essential to engage in positive interactions with difficult markets so that a solution can be found quickly The report states that global appeal among customers and consumers worldwide is clearly reflected in the almond industry’s regional shipments, and that being well diversified helps counteract trade disruptions that can unexpectedly come up in one market or another. For example, India and China have historically been the primary destination for in-shell markets, but now India has absorbed much of those shipments.

In India, almonds are the number one ag import at $732 million, accounting for 40 percent of all U.S. ag exports to India. In the United Arab Emirates, almonds are the number one ag import and account for around 23 percent of total U.S. ag exports.

“There are so many growth opportunities around the globe,” Adams said. “For years, the Middle East and Africa were a small share of exports, but now they represent almost 20 percent.”

While acknowledging the many challenges facing California almonds, Adams also believes “the opportunities are limitless.”

For those looking to learn more about the ABC’s global marketing and trade/regulatory work in other countries, The Almond Conference 2020 will be held virtually for the first time this year Dec. 8 through 10. Visit www. almondconference.com for more information.

Stanislaus County 2019 Top 10 Commodities

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Backyard farming helps nourish community

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

I

n the spring of 2019, two Turlock sisters set out to start a farm with one goal in mind: to nourish the city’s residents with goods grown right in their own hometown. Over the course of the last two years, the endeavor created and sustained by Nicole Trujillo and Kala Humphries has grown into a well-rounded system of community-based agriculture known as Nourish Farm.

The sister-owned farm, located on Trujillo’s Turlock property, operates based on a mutual commitment and understanding between the farmers and farm members known as Community Supported Agriculture. Nurture Farm’s CSA Program gives members the chance to pick up a weekly box of fresh-picked produce from the farm, providing upfront payment that in turn funds the farm’s purchase of seeds, supplies, tools and more.

While there are only a small number of local farms that offer weekly produce boxes through a CSA Program, the service is beginning to catch on in towns and cities around the country.

Since offering their first CSA Program last year, Nourish Farm has grown from providing boxes to 12 families in 2019 to 20 families during the 2020 season. The farm was also able to provide an additional drop off spot for boxes in Modesto, and created a “Virtual Farmstand” during the pandemic for those looking to purchase any extra produce and herbs the farm had on hand.

“Our program filled up pretty quickly, which we were grateful for, and once the pandemic hit we had a

lot of people join our waitlist,” Trujillo said.

Luckily for Nourish Farm, the operation wasn’t hit too hard by COVID-19 unlike other small businesses. The farm is family-run and everyone works outdoors, meaning Nourish Farm was able to operate despite the pandemic.

“We did make sure to let our customers and farm family know about our sanitation and cleanliness practices with picking produce and packing it. We also encouraged virtual farmstand pick up orders to not use cash, limited who touched the produce and always tried to maintain social distancing standards with customers,” Trujillo said. “Unfortunately, we weren’t able to do any open farms events like we have in the past, which was a bummer. We did see a lot more demand for our produce, as I know most small, local farms did.”

In 2019, Trujillo, Humphries and their families all lived on the farm, meaning the sisters were able to work together to tend to the wide variety of produce — and livestock — on the property. While Humphries no longer lived at the farm this past season, the pair were still able to work together frequently, but Trujillo had to find volunteers to help keep things running during the week, from their parents and friends to old high school acquaintances and, of course, Trujillo’s husband.

“It was started as a way for our family to come together and do something good for the community,” she said. “I love how gardening and farming can bring people together; it’s brought so many new and beautiful relationships into our lives.”

Photo contributed

Sisters Nicole Trujillo (left), Kala Humphries (right) and their families work together to make Nourish Farm a vibrant place that helps feed the community.

In August, Trujillo welcomed her second child and is taking a break this fall to prepare and rest for next year. While there would normally be a variety of fruits and vegetables growing in the garden during the fall, like Napa cabbage, root vegetables, collards and Asian greens, there’s still plenty to do around the farm. Tomatoes, peppers and flowers are still growing in the garden, and Nourish Farm will have pastured lamb meat for sale

by December after harvesting fall lambs.

“I’m in the process of deciding exactly how we’ll do things next year. I run the farm mostly by myself since my husband works his own business outside of the home, and now we have two children to care for,” Trujillo said. “So, I’m trying to make it realistically manageable for me, while not wanting to let down those who are counting on our produce again next season.”

OCTOBER 2020

Next year, Trujillo anticipates continuing Nourish Farm’s Virtual Farmstand.

Participants can sign up for weekly emails of available produce, herbs and flowers at NourishFarmTurlock. com, order from home and then pick up their selections at the farm. The farm will also host some open farmstand days for the community, and Trujillo plans on merging her skincare line, Sunkissed Botanics, with the farm as well.

CSA boxes will be available again in the future, she added, but between caring for her children and making sure the farm is running smoothly, Trujillo said they likely won’t be available again until 2022. Until then, she looks forward to providing produce to the community through other means while doing what she loves — right in her own backyard, out in the fresh air and with her family.

“It’s for us but it’s for oth-

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Photos contributed

A wide range of produce is grown at Nourish Farm, from radishes and turnips to carrots and garlic.

ers too. It’s a dream I’ve had for years become a reality.

It’s the taste and flavors and health that I get to bring in fresh to my kitchen and feed to my family, that I know we grew with our own hands,”

Trujillo said. “It’s watching my children grow up knowing where their food comes from and having a part in raising it; respecting the circle of life that is all around us.”

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Families benefit from USDA food box program

BY ANGELINA MARTIN

T

he United States Department of Agriculture is exercising authority under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act to purchase and distribute up to $3 billion of agricultural products to those in need, partnering with regional and local distributors, like Ag Link out of Ballico, whose workforce has been significantly impacted by the closure of many restaurants, hotels, and other food service entities, to purchase fresh produce, dairy, and meat to fill food boxes.

Items from the program are then provided to food banks, community and faith-based organizations and other

nonprofits.

“It feels great to help,” Ag Link owner Rob Nairn said. “The program isn’t just helping families in need, but it’s also helping distributors and farmers. The intent of this is to help everybody in the supply chain and get the economy stimulated again.”

In May, hundreds of boxes were distributed at Turlock school sites. Some of the produce in the boxes included stone fruit from Sierra Sun in Sanger, tomatoes from Lipman Family Farms in Stockton, onions and potatoes from Onions, Etc. in Stockton and sweet potatoes from Doreva Produce in Livingston.

TUSD Director of Child

Nutrition Jennifer LewVang said she jumped at the opportunity for the district to once again lead the way when it comes to feeding families. In 2015, TUSD was selected to be a part of the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program and received the very first pallet of oranges from a local farmer. Five years later, the district is still utilizing local products as the first to receive the USDA Farmers to Families food boxes on the West Coast.

“This is a great opportunity that is like a continuation of the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program that provides fresh, local produce to our children,

ANGELINA MARTIN/The Journal

Cathy Ford helps hand out food boxes distributed at Wakefield Elementary School in May.

but also adds the benefit to support local farmers during unprecedented times with a COVID-19 pandemic and

economic crisis. TUSD was very fortunate to keep our Child Nutrition program operating through COVID-

19 and we will continue to serve meals while promoting safe and healthy procedures,” Lew-Vang said.

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Walnut forecast up 19 percent for 2020 STAFF REPORTS

T

he 2020 California walnut production is forecast at a record 780,000 tons, up 19 percent from 2019's production of 653,000 tons. The forecast is based on 380,000 bearing acres, up 4 percent from 2019’s estimated bearing acreage of 365,000.

A warm and dry January and February meant growers started irrigating early.

The 2020 chilling hours were low. Leaf-out was prolonged, which resulted in uneven canopy and nut development. April rains increased blight risk. Nut sets looked good, with reports of tree limbs heavy with nuts. Harvest is expected to begin in early September, ahead of

last year.

Survey data indicated an average nut set per tree of 1,197, up 22 percent from 2019’s average of 983. Percent of sound kernels in-shell was 98.5 percent statewide.

In-shell weight per nut was 22.0 grams, while the average in-shell suture measurement was 32.2 millimeters. The inshell cross-width measurement was 33.2 and the average length in-shell was 38.6 millimeters. All of the sizing measurements were either the same or below the previous year’s levels.

The Walnut O.M. Survey began in 1958 to fulfill industry needs for an accurate walnut production forecast prior to harvest. The original sample was chosen proportionally to county and

variety of bearing acreage.

With each succeeding year, additions and deletions have been made in the sample to adjust for acreage removed, new bearing acreage, and operations that choose not to participate in the survey.

The 2020 Walnut Objective Measurement (O.M.) Survey was officially conducted from Aug. 1 through Aug. 20, 2020. There were a few samples completed before Aug. 1 for training and scheduling purposes.

There were 1,450 trees sampled from 725 orchards.

Once a block is randomly selected and permission is granted by the operation for enumerators to enter the block, two trees are randomly selected. An accessible branch is chosen which

is 5- 15 percent of the total cross-sectional area of the primary limbs and reachable with a twelve-foot ladder. Measurements are made on the trunk, each primary, and each split leading to

and including the accessible branch. The sample tree and accessible branch are marked by a single tag, so that the same trees are sampled the following year if that orchard is selected. On the accessible

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branch, every nut is counted and the first of every five nuts is picked for use in size and grade determinations. If available, at least ten nuts are harvested from the accessible branch for this purpose.

Additional assistance to farmers and ranchers impacted by coronavirus STAFF REPORTS

T

he USDA announced up to an additional $14 billion dollars for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. Signup for the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP 2) is underway and will continue through Dec. 11, 2020.

The USDA will use funds being made available from the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) Charter Act and CARES Act to support row crops, livestock, spe-

cialty crops, dairy, aquaculture and many additional commodities. USDA has incorporated improvements in CFAP 2 based from stakeholder engagement and public feedback to better meet the needs of impacted farmers and ranchers.

Producers can apply for CFAP 2 at USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA) county offices. This program provides financial assistance that gives producers the ability to absorb increased marketing costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Producers will be compensated for ongoing market disrup-

tions and assisted with the associated marketing costs.

CFAP 2 payments will be made for three categories of commodities – Price Trigger Commodities, Flat-rate Crops and Sales Commodities.

Price trigger commodities are major commodities that meet a minimum 5-percent price decline over a specified period of time. Eligible price trigger crops include barley, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sunflowers, upland cotton, and all classes of wheat. Payments will be based on 2020 planted acres of the crop,

excluding prevented planting and experimental acres.

For broilers and eggs, payments will be based on 75 percent of the producers’ 2019 production.

Dairy (cow’s milk) payments will be based on actual milk production from April 1 to Aug. 31, 2020. The milk production for Sept. 1, 2020, to Dec. 31, 2020, will be estimated by FSA. Eligible beef cattle, hogs and pigs, and lambs and sheep payments will be based on the maximum owned inventory of eligible livestock, excluding breeding stock, on a date selected by

the producer, between Apr. 16, 2020, and Aug. 31, 2020.

Crops that either do not meet the 5-percent price decline trigger or do not have data available to calculate a price change will have payments calculated based on eligible 2020 acres multiplied by $15 per acre. These crops include alfalfa, extra long staple (ELS) cotton, oats, peanuts, rice, hemp, millet, mustard, safflower, sesame, triticale, rapeseed, and several others.

Sales commodities include specialty crops; aquaculture; nursery crops and floriculture; other commodities not

included in the price trigger and flat-rate categories, including tobacco; goat milk; mink (including pelts); mohair; wool; and other livestock (excluding breeding stock) not included under the price trigger category that were grown for food, fiber, fur, or feathers. Payment calculations will use a sales-based approach, where producers are paid based on five payment gradations associated with their 2019 sales.

Additional commodities are eligible in CFAP 2 that weren’t eligible in the first iteration of the program. 

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If your agricultural operation has been impacted by the pandemic since April 2020, we encourage you to apply for CFAP 2.

A complete list of eligible commodities, payment rates and calculations can be found on farmers.gov/cfap.

Additional information and application forms can be found at farmers.gov/ cfap. Documentation to support the producer’s application and certification may be requested. All other eligibility forms, such as those related to adjusted gross income and payment information, can be downloaded from farmers. gov/cfap/apply. For existing FSA customers, including those who participated in CFAP 1, many documents are likely already on file.

Producers should check with FSA county office to see if any of the forms need to be updated.

CUSTOM ART Email us for questions toonin@toonskwad.com

Serving the Central Valley since 1913.

Commercial | Agriculture Personal | Health & Benefits

Turlock | Livingston | Modesto info@wisg.com | wisg.com (800) 790-4875 Lic. #0596517

OCTOBER 2020

15

AG HARVEST

Winton-Ireland, Strom & Green

Insurance Agency

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Offices in turlock & los banos • 209.634.9031 • lic#0649647

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