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No-till annual wheat better for soil health in California’s climate

One more reason to adopt sustainable cultivation California wheat farmers could both maintain their yields and improve soil health by growing annual wheat without tilling the soil year after year. This could be one more encouragement to farmers to adopt a sustainable practice commonly called conservation tillage, no-till or minimum-till cultivation, impacting how we grow a grain that supplies about 20 percent of the calories and protein for people around the world. A new study, by a team led by Mark Lundy, University of California Cooperative Extension specialist in UC Davis' Department of Plant Sciences, offers new insight for decades-long discussions around soil conservation, sustainable agriculture and climate-warming emissions related to growing our food. The study has been published in the journal Soil and Tillage Research. For the first time, researchers have shown that annual wheat that is not tilled each year is better for stashing carbon in the soil than perennial...

First-ever Queensland fruit fly quarantine restricts moving homegrown produce

QFF quarantine in LA, Ventura counties among seven fruit fly quarantines statewide Residents in multiple Southern California and Northern California counties should not move homegrown fruits and vegetables from their properties to help contain several species of fruit fly that can destroy crops and impact the livelihoods of local farmers. With sharing and gifting of food integral to the holiday season, the California Department of Food and Agriculture is reminding people to heed the seven active fruit fly quarantines aimed at controlling the Mediterranean fruit fly, Oriental fruit fly, Tau fly and Queensland fruit fly. The links below describe quarantine zone boundaries: Mediterranean fruit fly: Los Angeles County, Leimert Park Area Oriental fruit fly: San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, Redlands and Yucaipa Areas  Oriental fruit fly: Sacramento County, Rancho Cordova Area  Oriental fruit fly: Contra Costa County, Brentwood Area  Oriental fruit fly: Santa...

Winter season: A time for food safety systems re-evaluation and education for food hubs

The holiday meal season is often a busy time for food hubs – entities that handle the aggregation, distribution and/or marketing of source-identified regional food – as restaurants, retailers and consumers fill their tables and shelves with an abundance of fresh, local products. However, the subsequent winter months can provide a valuable time for reflection and re-evaluation of a food hub's systems and processes. In this spirit, it may be helpful to remind people working at food hubs that University of California Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (UC SAREP)  offers a suite of food-safety resources – in English and in Spanish – on its website.  Educational resources include:  A step-by-step guide for food hubs on how to pursue a third-party food safety audit with guidance on how to navigate buyers' questions. Two sample food-safety plans intended as a starting point to be adapted to a food hub's specific operations...

International water scholars convene in South Africa

Water scholars from 18 countries gathered in South Africa for the 11th biennial Rosenberg Forum on International Water Policy. Hosted at the University of Cape Town's (UCT) Water and Production Economics (WPE) research unit, this year's forum included the most diverse group to date, in terms of discipline, geography and early-career professionals. The week-long event, Oct. 23-27, addressed water quantity and quality management, economic production and welfare implications in the Global South. Glenda Humiston, advisory committee member and University of California vice president of agriculture and natural resources, and Soroosh Sorooshian, forum chair, advisory committee member and distinguished professor of the departments of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth System Science at UC Irvine played key roles in planning and facilitating this year's forum. Innovative approaches to water management – lessons from the Western Cape This year's Rosenberg Forum kicked...

New UC studies estimate production and harvest costs for coastal apples

Two new studies that can help Central Coast growers and other readers estimate costs and potential returns for both organically and conventionally produced apples for processing were recently released by University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics. “These studies provide growers with a baseline to estimate their own costs, which can help when applying for production loans, projecting labor costs, securing market arrangements, or understanding costs associated with water and nutrient management and regulatory programs,” said Brittney Goodrich, UC Cooperative Extension specialist and co-author of the studies. The new studies, “2023 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Organic Apples for Processing” and “2023 Sample Costs to Produce and Harvest Apples for Processing,” can be downloaded for free from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and...

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