- Author: Hannah Meyer
I usually enjoy life and growing things as a farmer, however I was excited in the recent weeks to see the remains of something most definitely dead; owl pellets under an artificial nesting site. After a couple barn owl boxes were installed last year, I have eagerly awaited their occupation. Did you know that a family of barn owls will eat about 1,000 rodents in a single nesting season?
The recent owl pellet observation sparked my interest in researching the benefits of barn owls in agriculture. I found lots of information but focused on a particularly good peer-reviewed article called Agriculture land use, barn owl diet, and vertebrate pest control implications. (Kross, 2016). I will share with you the highlights, but you might want to read the research report yourself.
Research of owl presence at 25 California nesting boxes located mainly on row crops and perennial crops and forage, identified 1044 prey species. Pocket gophers, mice, and voles are generally the most important parts of the barn owl diet. Gopher numbers were highest in owl pellets found near perennial cropping systems but still a significant part of pellets found in annual cropping systems. Although mice are often considered less important as pests than gophers, they can carry pathogens that are a food-safety risk. 99.5% of prey items studied were agriculture pests, therefore owls are likely to provide valuable pest control services for farmers in our area if owl populations are fostered. Barn owls can persist if nesting sites and prey are available. Farmers seem to help provide the rodents, but let's not forget the nesting sites!
Alternative methods for rodent control such as trapping and poisoning can be expensive, labor intensive, and impact non-target species. Installation of nesting boxes to attract barn owls is not a proven method for sustained rodent control in agriculture systems by itself, rather it is best included as a component in an integrated pest management plan. Availability of nests sites appears to be the limiting factor of barn owl population growth in habitats that interface with humans (i.e. Farms and Ranches). Barn owls in the studied area occupied over half of the artificial nesting sites available to them, so installing nest boxes on farms may increase the natural barn owl rodent control.
Take away:
Farmers and ranchers who wish to utilize the low-cost natural predation of rodent pests by barn owls in their agriculture systems or simply attract owls should:
- Provide abundant nest sites, including nest boxes. Funding and plans may be found through contacting your local resource conservation district.
- Increase crop type diversity in proximity to nest sites to include both perennial and annual systems to increase owl hunting efficiency.
- Install nest boxes now for this spring nesting season for best chance of owl occupation in the next 6 months.
Resources:
Read the research article discussed above:
Kross S., Bourbour R., & Mertinico B. 2016. Agriculture land use, barn owl diet, and vertebrate pest control implications. Agriculture Ecosystems and Environment. 223, 167-174. http://sarakross.weebly.com/uploads/8/6/7/7/8677631/kross_bourbour___martinico_2016.pdf
NRCS Barn Owl Information Sheet and Owl box plans https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/nrcs144p2_063925.pdf
UC Master Gardener Gopher Blog post, ideas for gopher management with great photos https://ucanr.edu/blogs/blogcore/postdetail.cfm?postnum=29485
UCANR Songbird, Bat, and Owl Houses https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=21636 This handy guide explores the benefits of the biodiversity and aesthetics of songbirds, bats, and owls. While written with vineyard managers in mind, anyone interested in learning about nest boxes will find this guide useful. Purchase this booklet at the link above for $15.
- 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 like 2016-2017 where frequent rains make it difficult to get into fields for side-dressing applications of N.
When deciding where to plant with garbanzos, there are several things that growers should consider. High-boron soils or wells such as those in certain parts of Yolo county can stunt root growth. Otherwise, heavy rainfall can be problematic for garbanzos particularly on clay soils. Prolonged moisture can make them susceptible to root diseases such as fusarium wilt that often lead to a later collapse under heat stress. As such, bedding for drainage is a must. Exposure to damp conditions for a long period of time can also lead to ascochyta outbreaks.
As with many crops that humans have selected over the years to put arguably silly amounts of work and energy into an oversized food item, garbanzos do not compete well with weeds. This includes the more enthusiastic volunteers. Avoid planting garbanzos after sunflower or safflower, hoeing costs will quickly eat up any potential post-harvest profits. Garbanzos are easier to manage after corn and wheat because volunteers that are not controlled with a pre-plant herbicide can be controlled with herbicides specific to grasses such as Sethoxydim (Poast) or Clethodim (Select Max). Tomatoes are rarely a problem for garbanzos to follow.
With 9,000 acres, garbanzos were the most widely-planted bean crop in our state in 2014. Particularly brutal drought conditions in the winter of 2014-2015 may have played a role in reducing yields to a 2nd place position with 7,200 acres harvested. Garbanzos are currently the best-paying of the pulses coming in at about 42 cents a pound in California relative to black-eyes and kidneys at around 40 cents a pound. Add to that the fact that they need to be grown in the winter, yield roughly 1.5 tons/ acre, and are adept at mining the soil for deep water, and it becomes clear what some of the reasons for the expanded acreage might be.
Even with the growth over recent years, the market for garbanzos in California is, as expected, relatively segmented and not as widely developed as more mainstream crops such as wheat and alfalfa. There are several confirmed processors and contractors of garbanzos that growers should get familiar with if they are thinking about growing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin Valley.
Cal-Bean and Grain is a cooperative located in Pixley (Tulare County) that cleans and processes garbanzos after harvest. Chad van der Feer is the general manager.
Contact: Chad, 559.757.3581
Email: chad at calbean.com
Dompe Warehouse processes garbanzos for David Kirsten in Crow's Landing (Stanislaus County). David manages contracts through Kirsten Company LLC. David is seeking additional contracts as of this posting.
Contact: David Kirsten, 209.747.1100; Dompe Warehouse, 209.837.4725
Email: dave at kirsten.com
Rhodes-Stockton Bean Co. located in Tracy is a co-op/ processor that works closely with Cal Bean and Pea's Joel Parreira. For growers farther north, they have a separate warehouse in Meridian (Tarke Warehouse). They are seeking additional members/ contracts as of this posting.
Contact: Rhodes Stockton, 209.835.1284; Cal Bean and Pea, 559.685.9491
Email: ken at beanplant.com
Sutter Basin Co-op is based in Knight's Landing (Yolo County). They work with Steve Benson of Northwest Trading but are currently not seeking additional members/ contracts.
Contact: 530.735.6295
Additional warehouses and dealers can be found at: http://www.calbeans.org/bean-board/, although those not listed above may not process garbanzos (based on information available at the time of writing this).
While growing garbanzos is not the same as growing wheat, it is a sound choice for growers looking to diversify amid some painful commodity prices.
Growers considering planting garbanzos should keep an eye out for the upcoming UC ANR Garbanzo Production Handbook. Speak to the UCCE Agronomy Advisors in your local counties for more information in the meantime.
Growers with garbanzos in the ground should also feel free to reach out to advisors if they see disease or stress cropping up in their acreage. Heavy rains this year will likely reveal some insight into how resistant current varieties are being impacted by water logging.
- Author: Cris L. Johnson
This publication can help growers and land owners comply with conditional waivers for irrigated lands. The publication focuses on best water management methods that will maintain a higher level of water quality and reduce pollutant impacts. It includes a questionnaire that growers can use to evaluate their practices and a checklist for assessing and implementing a plan for managing soil, irrigation, fertilizer and pests for a variety sites.
Link to these publications on our website at:
"Row Crops Best Management Practices to Protect Water Quality"
“Prácticas de Cultivo de Hortalizas para Proteger la Calidad del Agua”
The ANR Catalog should have a hard copy available for sale in the near future.
- Author: Molly Nakahara
In the current, extreme drought we are experiencing in Placer and Nevada counties, making decisions about row crop production can be challenging. Many of us already employ water efficient irrigation techniques like drip and mulch. But drought planning on the farm needs to be a combination of dealing with current situations while also preparing for the high probability of future, and potentially more severe drought conditions. One production decision addresses both: growing a summer cover crop. By growing a drought tolerant, summer cover crop you can productively fallow land during the dry months to conserve water. A summer cover crop will provide a large addition of soil organic matter which will increase the water retention in your soil during future growing seasons. Cover crops also add nutrition to the soil and decrease weed pressure.
There are a number of great summer cover crops to try. Sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor) is a great choice for the foothills during the heat of summer. It requires an initial watering at planting but can be dry farmed once established. Take caution before grazing ruminants on sudangrass as it contains highly toxic prussic acid (hydrocyanic acid.) Sudangrass has lower concentrations of prussic acid than its relative Sorghum or Sorghum-Sudangrass hybrids but it is still present in the leaves and roots of the plant. Hogs and chickens are less susceptible to prussic acid poisoning.
Another great choice for a summer cover crop is buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum.) Buckwheat will also grow in very dry conditions once established. It creates wonderful forage for bees and beneficial insects, is very fast growing, and helps make phosphorous more available in your soils (http://www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/covercrop/res/1994-1996/other/mini-review). Buckwheat's broad leaves and fast growth make it an ideal “smother crop” that will effectively shade out problematic weeds.
Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) is a good legume choice for the dry summer. They will add a lot of nitrogen to your soils and will also help suppress summer weeds. Both buckwheat and cowpeas can be used as forage crops as well.
Grow a bed of summer cover crop or grow an entire field. Try a mix of species or just one type of plant. Whichever choice you make, summer cover crops will help you farm productively under the constraints of drought.
For more information on summer cover crops, check out these resources: