- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Field crop growers, PCAs, and other members of the ag community.
As a new UC advisor with a degree in soils, I am in the process of getting better acquainted with the soils in the area. Sacramento, Solano, and Yolo counties have an incredible diversity in soils. While most of the soils in the area are well-mapped, the maps are scaled to a larger area than might be fitting for growers. Most growers have a pretty good idea of the soils they are working on, but might be willing to let someone have a second look. This lends itself to a mutually beneficial arrangement. I get a better understanding of the soils in the area, you get a layer-by-layer analysis of your soils in terms of texture, rock...
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Parking and registration is free and so is the barbeque lunch...
University of California Small Grains - Alfalfa/Forages Field Day
Thursday, May 11, 2017, UC Davis Agronomy Field Headquarters
2400 Hutchison Dr., Davis, CA 95616, Davis, CA
8:15-4:30 Includes Lunch
PCA Credits: Pending
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
“Commodity prices are in the tank.”
“Wheat prices these days don't look so good.”
“Diesel's worth the price of gold, it's the cheapest grain he's ever sold.”
Two quotes from growers I've spoken with, one from a country singer, all relevant points.
Growers looking to diversify their rotations as a way to weather the ebb and flow of the market might consider several alternative crops. Garbanzo beans might fit the bill.
Because of the Central Valley's mild winter, garbanzos can be grown in winter as an alternative to wheat. As a legume, garbanzos can partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria to produce some of their nitrogen requirement. This is helpful in years...
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
Fluctuations in commodity prices mean that wheat can be a darling or a demon. When prices are high, wheat can command more acres pushing up the prices for canning tomatoes. When prices are low, growers are inclined to look at wheat's value in terms of metrics other than just yield, such as its role in the mitigation of disease pressure in tomatoes or the benefits associated with maintaining a cover crop in the winter. When wheat prices drop low enough, farmers begin looking for other options. Recently, the combination of wheat prices at a 15-year low and the rise of craft brewing culture in the American west has generated inquiries into the possibility of growing malting barley.
In the last decade alone,...
- Author: Konrad Mathesius
For those of you who were not able to make the meeting earlier this month, please feel free to check out the presentations below. Some of the audio for the slides was cut short due to a few technical difficulties, but most of the presentations are intact. You can move through the videos to just get a look at the slides as well.
Preventing Rodent Damage in Shrink Swell Clays, Konrad Mathesius, Agronomy Advisor, UC Cooperative Extension, Yolo, Sacramento, and Solano Counties.
Several ideas for preventing rodent damage associated with shrink-swell clays opening up when soils dry down after wheat. These are hypothetical ideas but that will be tested out in the coming...