- Author: Mark Bolda
Good news to start the New Year for Santa Cruz County growers:
This directly from Mary Lou Nicoletti, Agricultural Commissioner for Santa Cruz County:
"Effective December 21, 2012, the United States Department of Agriculture declared the European Grapevine Moth to be eradicated from Santa Cruz County. Our county is no longer under quarantine."
Not too much to add to this, but getting to this point was a real team effort on the part of regulators, researchers and growers. And I am quite glad that we have one less pest to deal with here for now.
- Author: Mark Bolda
There is a caneberry meeting sponsored by UC Cooperative Extension planned for January 11 of the new year. Featured will be talks about cost and returns of growing primocane raspberries under tunnels by UCCE Farm Management Advisor Laura Tourte, general talks on yield enhancement work and pest management by yours truly, further insight on spotted wing drosophila by UC Davis' Kelly Hamby, irrigation managment by UCCE water guru Michael Cahn, primocane blackberry management by UCCE Farm Advisor Mark Gaskell, and a regulatory update courtesy of the Santa Cruz Agricultural Commissioner's office.
Agenda is posted at:
http://cesantacruz.ucanr.edu/files/158012.pdf
- Author: Mark Bolda
Really nice blog post by colleague Surendra Dara with a discussion of the US EPA requirement that adjuvants and surfactants be used in pesticide residue studies to permit their use by the label and the subsequent withdrawal by that agency of this requirement:
http://ucanr.edu/blogs/strawberries-vegetables/
This regulatory change matters to growers because a few pesticides have had restrictions on their labels that they be NOT be applied with adjuvants or surfactants. Since we know that these materials only serve to enhance the performance of a pesticide, be it to distribute the material more evenly over the surface of the plant, adjust tank mix pH, prevent foaming and so on, this restriction has been truly baffling.
A changed stance on the part of the agency regarding this aspect of pesticide labeling is encouraging, and as a matter of fact has already resulted in Chemtura submitting a request to amend its Rimon label to remove the current restriction with adjuvants and surfactants.
Go to the link and read the article.
- Author: Mark Bolda
There is a laws and regulations meeting sponsored by Brigitte Higgins from the Santa Cruz County Agricultural Commissioner's office planned for this Friday, December 14. Two hours of continuing education will be offered.
Agenda is posted below:
/span>- Author: Mark Bolda
Mark Bolda, Laura Tourte, Rich De Moura and Karen Klonsky of University of California Cooperative Extension have authored "Sample Costs to Produce Fresh Market Raspberries" for primocane bearing varieties and this study is as of today is posted at:
http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu/files/2012/RaspberryCC2012.pdf
The cultivation and production of fresh market raspberries on the Central Coast of California is a thriving industry of some 2500 acres. This study, which took several months of research and a number of thorough interviews with local raspberry growers (once again many thanks to each one of you!), is a thorough examination of this crop and its cultural methods (including the use of macro- tunnels), its costs and returns. For growers currently growing or considering taking on the production of fresh market raspberries in coastal California, "Sample Costs to Produce Fresh Market Raspberries" is a must have addition to one's library.