Background of the Project

Recent regulations, incentive funding, and the state's goal of reducing organic matter into the waste stream has led to increased organic matter application to California Farmland. With increasing limitations on burning orchard by-products, some alfalfa growers have been applying almond shell mulch to their fields.

Almond shells are distinct from almond hulls, which are high in carbohydrates and fed widely to livestock.  Unlike hulls (which are more similar to dried peaches), shells are woody and break down more slowly.  Almond shells are high in carbon and low in nitrogen (N). 

UC Cooperative Extension and UC Davis will host a Healthy Soils Program field meeting on compost. The meeting will take place on Thursday, July 28th from 10:00am to 11:30am. The meeting will take place off of S. Landi Road, on Roberts Island in the Delta. Presentation topics include how to acquire compost, different types of compost, how compost can improve soil health and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, and how to apply for cost-share funding. The meeting location is where we are trialing different rates of green waste compost application for potential soil health and alfalfa yield benefits. Preliminary results will be described. Attendance is free, and...

I have received a couple calls this year from growers and a PCA about root scarring in alfalfa fields. These observations were a bit of a “head scratcher” for all of us. At one of the fields, I noticed what looked to be a wireworm on the root, so that was throwing me off (Figure 1). Cutworms can also feed on plant roots. The larger instars have been found below the crowns under plant debris, but we didn't find any at this site. I reached out to Farm Advisor Rachael Long to get her thoughts. I had once heard Rachael talk about clover root curculio, and I wondered if it was causing the problem. While we have not confirmed that clover root curculio is present and causing damage in...

Growers frequently celebrate the presence of wildlife in their alfalfa and grain fields, providing valuable habitat as well as economic returns.  

But sometimes it's just too much of a good thing.

Snow geese and Ross's geese foraging in alfalfa hay in the Sacramento Valley, 2021. Photo: Steven Beckley, Woodland, CA

The sight of thousands of geese foraging in agricultural fields is spectacular and a natural wonder, until they start devastating your crop. This winter, snow and Ross's geese have been eating farmers out of house and home in the Sacramento valley, devastating wheat, cover crops, and alfalfa fields.

Millions of Guests Arriving for Dinner. Geese foraging...