Posts Tagged: Rachael Long
Organic alfalfa hay cost study released
A new study that outlines costs and returns of establishing and producing organic alfalfa hay has been released by UC Cooperative Extension, the UC Agricultural Issues Center and the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
High-quality organic alfalfa hay is an important ingredient in milk-cow feed rations for organic dairies. Organic dairy farms are required to use organic feed and allow cows to graze for part of their forage. Organic alfalfa hay comprises a major source of forage for the industry.
In 2019, organic dairy farms in California produced about 900 million pounds of milk — just over 2% of California milk output production, according to co-author Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center and professor in the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics.
“Demand for organic alfalfa production has grown, including demand from dairy, horse, sheep, goat, and beef producers, but is still a small share of total alfalfa production,” said Daniel Putnam, UC Cooperative Extension forage specialist in the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis and co-author of the study. “However, understanding organic production methods and costs is very important for California's organic hay farmers.”
The new study estimates the costs and returns of establishing and producing organic alfalfa using flood irrigation in the Sacramento Valley, north and south San Joaquin Valley, and the Intermountain Region. The 100 acres of organic alfalfa is rented for $345 per acre annually and the alfalfa stand life is four years after the establishment year.
Input and reviews were provided by UCCE farm advisors and specialists and growers. The authors describe the assumptions used to identify current costs for organic alfalfa establishment and production, material inputs, cash and non-cash overhead and a ranging analysis table, which shows profits over a range of prices and yields.
“This cost study provides information on how to grow alfalfa hay organically,” said Rachael Long, study co-author and UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Yolo County. “The research that went into developing these practices represents a significant investment by UCCE farm advisors and specialists and California alfalfa farmer collaborators. We are pleased to team up with economics and cost study experts to provide this study, which indicates potential profits in growing this crop for the organic dairy market.”
The new study, “Sample Costs to Establish and Produce Organic Alfalfa Hay, California - 2020” can be downloaded for free from the UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics website: http://coststudies.ucdavis.edu. Sample cost of production studies for many other commodities are also available on the websites.
For an explanation of calculations used in the study, refer to the section titled Assumptions. For more information, contact Jeremy Murdock, UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, Agricultural Issues Center, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, at (530) 752-4651 or jmmurdock@ucdavis.edu. To discuss this study with a local extension advisor, contact the UC Cooperative Extension office in your county: https://ucanr.edu/About/Locations.
California elderberries have rich benefits for farms and diets
Native California elderberries can be found at the intersection of sustainable farming, super nutrition and economic viability. Naturally drought tolerant, flavorful and packed with nutrients, they are capturing the interest of farmers, health-conscious consumers and scientists.
Elderberries were the focus of a field day offered by UC Agriculture and Natural Resources Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) in September at Cloverleaf Farm, an organic berry and tree fruit operation in Dixon.
Elderberries occur naturally around the world. In California, Native Americans used the tree's stems for making flutes, berries for food and purple dye, and bark, leaves and flowers for their purported anti-inflammatory, diuretic and laxative properties.
“They had a relationship with the plant for food, medicine and music,” said SAREP academic coordinator Sonja Brodt. “We wish to honor the elderberry's history here and thousands of years of management by California native tribes.”
UC Cooperative Extension advisor Rachael Long said elderberries are her favorite native plant.
“They're pretty in the spring and summer. The flowers smell like cloves. It's a wonderful fragrance,” she said.
But perhaps the best attribute of elderberries for Long, a proponent of planting hedgerows on the edges of farmland, is the tree's ecological benefits. Elderberries can be among the rows of trees, shrubs, grasses and sedges in hedgerows that attract beneficial insects and pollinators to farms to help with biocontrol of pests and pollination of plants in adjacent crops.
“Flowering native plants like elderberries, toyon, Christmas berry, coffee berry, manzanita and coyote brush provide nectar and pollen for native bees, honey bees and other insects,” Long said. “I see a lot of green lace wings (predators of aphids, spider mites and other pests) in elderberry.”
Long reported that a tomato farm didn't have to spray as much for aphids because of the beneficial insects attracted by the hedgerow. “They saved $300 per acre each year,” she said.
Hedgerows require long-term planning and care, including weed control. Establishing a hedgerow costs about $4,000 for a 1,000-foot-long planting with a single row of shrubs and trees bordered by native perennial grasses. At that rate, Long has calculated that a return on investment in pest control takes about 15 years. For pollination, the return on investment is about 7 years.
Installation of hedgerows can be eligible for cost sharing with USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Costs can also be offset by harvesting the elderflowers and elderberries in the hedgerow and making value-added products – such as syrups and jams – or selling the flowers or berries to a processor.
Farmer Katie Fyhrie shared how Cloverleaf Farm is managing elderberries in a hedgerow, harvesting flowers in the spring to make and bottle elderflower cordial, and harvesting berries in the fall to produce and bottle deep purple sweet-tart syrup. Sixteen ounce bottles of cordial and syrup sell for $12 each. The cordial and syrup are ideal for serving with seltzer and ice for a fruity and uniquely wild-tasting drink.
Fyhrie is also working with Brodt of SAREP to gather data for research on best production practices, farm and processing labor costs, and yield comparison between native plants and named varieties from the Midwest. The study includes data from three California farms.
The project is a collaboration among the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (a program of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at UC Davis), the UC Agricultural Issues Center, the UC Davis Department of Food Science and Technology and four farmers to assess the farm management practices, cost, nutritional content, and market potential of California elderberries.
While laboratory research comparing the nutritional characteristics of the California blue elderberry with the North American black and the European black is continuing at UC Davis, food science professor Alyson Mitchell and her graduate student Katie Uhl were able to share what is already known about the nutritional benefits of the fruit.
They said elderberries are high in vitamin C, dietary fiber, phenolic acids and anthocyanins. Elderberries contain antibacterial, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agents. While they have a strong history as a treatment for colds and flu, more studies are needed to understand their medicinal use, Mitchell said.
The field day in Dixon was among the first outcomes of the two-year project. A growers' production guide, cost of production study, an assessment of market demand and nutritional analyses are also planned. The information will be made available, along with other resources on elderberry cultivation and processing, on the ASI website.
California takes the lead on hybrid sunflower seed production
Enjoying a tasty sunflower seed snack? Cooking with sunflower oil? Thank a California sunflower seed grower for producing the hybrid seed that's used for planting sunflower crops throughout the United States and the world, for confectionery and oil seed production.
California farmers grow about 70,000 acres of sunflower, mostly in the Sacramento Valley, for hybrid seed stock.
“We have perfect conditions for growing sunflowers, with hot, dry summers and plenty of good irrigation water for producing high quality seed,” says Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Yolo, Solano and Sacramento counties. “We also have good pollination by honey bees and field isolation from wild sunflowers, needed for high yields and genetic purity of planting seed stock.”
Indeed, take a look at the lovely fields of sunflowers blooming in the summertime. Their striking show of bright yellow faces across the valley's vast agricultural landscapes elicit feelings of warmth and happiness.
“But don't stop there!” says Long. “Take a closer look at the fields and you'll see rows of plants with single large flowers alternating with rows of smaller plants with multiple flowers. Stalks with single flowers are female, smaller ones are male; cross pollination occurs by honey bees to produce the hybrid planting seed, harvested from the single female flowers.”
To assist farmers in producing hybrid sunflower seed crops, Long led a team of researchers to produce a new 2019 sunflower hybrid seed production manual for California. The manual provides information on production needs, such as irrigation and nutrient management, as well as a color guide to insect pests, diseases, and weeds of concern for hybrid sunflower seed production.
“In order to ship seed to worldwide markets, strict field certifications are in place to ensure that pests endemic to California are not spread elsewhere,” Long says. Weeds, insects and diseases growers should watch for are identified in the manual.
“Sunflower Hybrid Seed Production in California” is available for free download at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8638. In addition to Long, authors of the manual include UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors Sarah Light and Konrad Mathesius, retired USDA plant pathologist Thomas Gulya, UC Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Khaled Bali, and emeritus UC Cooperative Extension soils specialist Roland Meyer.
“A special thanks to the sunflower seed industry and associate editor Dan Putnam, UC ANR agronomist at UC Davis, for their extensive contributions to this manual to make it a valuable resource for sunflower seed growers,” Long adds. “All of us are also grateful to UC ANR Communication Services for putting together a high quality publication!”
Ratas de tejado causan daƱos en huertas
Para prevenir problemas, los científicos de UC ANR recomiendan monitorear la actividad de los roedores y usar estaciones de cebo antes de la temporada de crecimiento.
Las ratas de tejado corren de manera desenfrenada por las huertas de California este año, según reportan científicos de la División de Agricultura y Recursos Naturales de UC.
El invierno seco del 2017 dejó muchas semillas de maleza que las ratas comen. “La pasada temporada, las ratas también se comieron las granadas, aguacates y otras frutas y nueces haciéndolas invendibles”, señaló Long.
Los orificios en el suelo alrededor de la base de los árboles de pistachos en el condado de Yolo, desconcertaron a un agricultor.
“Buscamos ardillas terrestres, pero nunca vimos una”, dijo Long. “Colocamos cámaras, pero lo único que captamos fueron pájaros y conejos. Metimos cebos para roedores en los orificios pero las excavaciones no pararon”.
Long, conocida como la detective de las plagas, logró descifrar el caso tras consultar a Niamh Quinn, asesora sobre las interacciones entre humanos y la vida silvestre de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, con bases en Irvine. “Ella nos informó que el daño que estábamos viendo era causado por ratas de tejado”.
Ratas excavadoras suena como una contradicción. Si bien, en general las ratas de tejado no cavan madrigueras en el ambiente urbano, sus primas las rurales son conocidas por hacerlo.
“No es verdad que no excavan”, indicó Quinn. “Cuando trabajaba como investigador asociado para Roger Baldwin, especialista en vida silvestre de Extensión Cooperativa de UC, eso era lo que mayormente estudiábamos, las ratas de tejado excavadoras de las huertas.
Medidas de control
Baldwin indicó que “parece ser un buen año para las ratas en diferentes áreas y cultivos a través del estado. He recibido más preguntas y comentarios sobre las ratas este año que en los últimos 10 años combinados. En lo que concierne a la aplicación de cebos, si se ponen dentro de los sistemas de túneles usualmente no funcionan muy bien, así que no me sorprende que ese enfoque no funcionó. Es muy probable que los agricultores tengan mejor suerte si colocan las estaciones de cebo en los árboles”.
Debido a que las ratas trepan, Baldwin sugiere sujetar las estaciones de cebo a las ramas de los árboles.
“Además, elevar las estaciones de cebo eliminará el acceso de muchas especies mamíferas que están protegidas, como las ratas canguro”, dijo Long. “El cebo de grano difacinoma puede comprarse en algunas de las oficinas del comisionado de agricultura. Esto es lo que Roger Baldwin indicó que habían probado y funcionó”.
Con respecto a las estaciones de cebo, deben estar diseñadas de tal forma que no haya derrames que puedan comer otros animales que no son el objetivo, manifestó Baldwin.
Cuando ocurre un brote de ratas de tejado, los rodenticidas son con frecuencia necesarios para prevenir daños a los cultivos. Sin embargo, el momento de aplicación es crítico ya que el uso del difacinoma es altamente restringido y su uso está prohibido durante la temporada de crecimiento, la cual empieza cuando la temperatura empieza a subir.
“Revise la etiqueta del producto sobre las instrucciones de aplicación”, recuerda Long a los agricultores. “Es la ley”.
Cómo identificar esta plaga
Una forma en la que los agricultores pueden identificar si tienen ratas de tejado es el tamaño de sus madrigueras. Las plagas nocturnas son activas sobre la superficie en árboles y bajo tierra.
“Las ratas de tejado pueden alimentarse lejos de sus nidos, por lo que casi no verá señales de su actividad, como heces, fuera de su madriguera que ayuden a identificarlas”, señaló Long.
La ardillas terrestres se mantienen activas durante el día, así que hay más posibilidades de verlas, cavan orificios de cerca de cuatro pulgadas de diámetro y comen sobre la superficie cerca de sus madrigueras. Los orificios de los topillos y ratones miden entre una y dos pulgadas de diámetro. Los de las ratas de tejado típicamente miden de tres a cuatro en diámetro y podría encontrar cáscaras de nueves frente a ellos, por ejemplo de pistachos y almendras. Los conejos se alimentan de cultivos de semilleros, pero no excavan madrigueras.
De acuerdo con Baldwin, las ratas de tejado se reproducen de manera prolífica durante todo el año. Las hembras por lo general tienen de tres a cinco camadas por año, con cinco a ocho críos por camada, lo que les permite incrementar su población rápidamente. Estos animales omnívoros se alimentan de una variedad de materia vegetal y animal, por lo cual pueden adaptarse a cualquier ambiente, incluyendo a tierras urbanas o agrícolas.
“Las ratas son escurridizas y difíciles de ver”, manifestó Long. “Si ves daño, incluyendo orificios en el suelo y no hay otro tipo de animal silvestre, sospecha de las ratas”.
Para más información sobre el control de ratas de tejado, descarga la publicación en inglés de UC ANR número 8513 escrita por Quinn y Baldwin Roof Rats and Deer Mice in Nut and Fruit Orchards en http://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8513.
Para más información sobre las ardillas terrestres, descarga gratuitamente la publicación en inglés UC IPM Best Management Guidelines http://www.groundsquirrelbmp.com o UC IPM Pest Notehttp://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7438.html.
Garbanzo bean production guide published for small but thriving industry
Try topping your salads with some tasty garbanzo beans this summer. Not only are they a healthful source of protein, vitamins and minerals, but the ‘green' legumes are produced in California with a small environmental footprint!
California farmers grow about 10,000 acres of garbanzo beans, mostly for the canning market.
“We have the right growing conditions, including cool, wet winters and hot, dry summers, to produce high-quality, large, creamy-white garbanzo beans for high-end markets, like salad bars,” says Rachael Long, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor for Sacramento, Solano and Yolo counties. “Other areas, such as Washington State, grow a smaller garbanzo bean destined for processing, like hummus, a creamy vegetable spread.”
Garbanzos, also called chickpeas, are originally from the Middle East, where they have been farmed since ancient times. In California, their heritage dates back to the Spanish Mission era. California garbanzo beans are grown in the winter time, minimizing water use. The nitrogen-fixing legumes supply their own nitrogen and require few pesticides for production as the plants secrete acids that ward off insect pests.
To assist farmers in production practices, Long led a team of researchers to produce a new 2019 Garbanzo (chickpea) production manual for the dry bean industry in California.
“This is a great resource for farmers and the industry,” says Nathan Sano, manager for the California Dry Bean Advisory Board, about the publication, which covers garbanzo production from seed selection to harvesting and markets.
The manual identifies garbanzo varieties that have pest and disease resistance. Nutrient management information helps growers comply with regulations for protecting groundwater from nitrate. The irrigation section provides tables on water needs for crops grown in different areas of California, helping to conserve water.
“Our UC ANR Grain-Legume workgroup started this production manual back in 1992,” Long said. “I'm thankful for a strong team and grower and industry input and support. I also appreciate the incredible mentoring and reviews of this manual by Roland Meyer, UC Cooperative Extension emeritus soil specialist, and a fantastic editor, UC Cooperative Extension agronomy specialist Dan Putnam, to make this publication a reality. This was a big group effort, and I appreciate everyone's contributions to make this a valuable resource for the California dry bean industry.”
The California garbanzo bean production manual is available for free online at https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/Details.aspx?itemNo=8634.
In addition to Long and Meyer, co-authors include UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors Michelle Leinfelder-Miles, Konrad Mathesius, Sarah Light, Mariano Galla, Shannon Mueller, Allan Fulton and Nick Clark, and UC Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Khaled Bali.