UC Food and Agriculture Blogs

Investments in farm-to-school program stabilize farms, expand climate-friendly farming practices

Small and midsize farms, women and BIPOC farmers especially benefit

A new report reveals that California farmers participating in the state's Farm to School Incubator Grant Program are increasing sales of fresh, local and organic produce, meat and dairy products to schools, according to researchers evaluating program impacts. The report found that 57% of the program's farmers made sales to schools between April and September 2023, representing an average of 33% of their total farm revenues. All food producers funded by the Farm to School Grant Program state that they use or plan to use climate-smart agricultural practices in their operations during the grant period.

California has made the largest investment of any state in the country in farm-to-school programs, allocating approximately $100 million from 2020 through 2022. The report, authored by an independent group of researchers from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources, UC Berkeley, Food Insight Group, Berkeley Food Institute, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, shows those investments are beginning to pay off beyond increasing kids' exposure to food education and California-grown fruits and vegetables. 

While existing research shows that kids who engage with farm-to-school programs eat more fruits and vegetables, are more willing to try healthy foods, and even perform better in class, the California farm-to-school evaluation project examines a gap that most farm-to-school research hasn't addressed: how local purchases from schools affect the agricultural sector and the environment.

The report found that the investments are flowing primarily to the farmers the state seeks to support through this program: Of the 50 producer grantees evaluated in this report, 42% are owned by people who identify as Black, Indigenous and People of Color, and 62% are owned by women. Nearly all (94%) are small to midsize operations.

Three producer grantees revealed that the Farm to School Incubator Grant Program funding likely prevented them from going out of business. “This grant … has and will enable us to do things on the farm that would probably take us a decade to do but we'll be able to do that in one or two seasons. So [it] really moves us forward a lot,” noted one farmer.

Beth Katz, a lead researcher and executive director of Food Insight Group, said, “Farmers are expanding their relationships with local school districts, increasing their sales to schools, investing in infrastructure and staff, and forming new relationships with food hubs that can help them with the often complex purchasing requirements unique to school food. While we're still at a very early stage of understanding the impacts of these investments, we're beginning to see patterns emerge.”

A Humboldt County farmer noted that food hubs, which are also supported by the grant program, are critical to their success in accessing the school food market: “[The food hub] is really a huge game changer to be able to make that one drop in town, even though it's an hour away, rather than going to [several school sites] and just making all these little drops. That's been one of the ways that it's very . . .appealing to us as a farm to participate.”

The report also examines the potential for environmental impacts through direct investments in farmers who use climate-friendly farming practices.

“I'm inspired by the potential for the farm-to-school program to support farmers using environmentally beneficial practices like reducing pesticides, planting cover crops and growing organic — and to help farmers expand or adopt these practices. It's essential these farmers have a market for what they grow to see durable environmental benefits,” said Tim Bowles, who is leading the environmental impacts assessment for the evaluation team and is an assistant professor in the Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management at UC Berkeley and lead faculty director of the Berkeley Food Institute.

“We're also seeing farms actually expand their acreage in order to sell to schools, suggesting this is a desirable market. We're investigating the environmental impacts from these investments, especially for climate,” Bowles said.

As with many new programs aimed at building out long-delayed infrastructure, school food systems improvement demands a deep-rooted approach.

“The challenges around changing a complex school food system are substantial,” Gail Feenstra, a pioneer in farm-to-school research and co-lead on the project from UC ANR stated. “Decades of research shows the value to children from fresh, locally sourced food. However, what is becoming more clear from this research is that long-term investments in the full farm to school system are crucial. Without regional-level infrastructure, staffing, aggregation and distribution in place to support getting that locally grown food from farms to the schools and kids, we'll have challenges moving the needle.

"Fortunately, the state's strategic and innovative investments in the entire farm to school supply chain – meaning funding for school districts, farmers and also their regional partners, combined with support from CDFA's regional staff – are beginning to address those long-standing challenges.”

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Visual ID guide from UC aids in managing new almond pest

Nut orchard hygiene key to control carpophilus beetle, say UCCE, UC Integrated Pest Management experts

Since the first reports of a new almond pest – the carpophilus beetle (Carpophilus truncatus) – came in during fall 2023, it has become clear that the beetle is widely dispersed across the San Joaquin Valley.

“My lab has identified infestations from every county in the San Joaquin Valley; we have found infestations in both almonds and pistachios, and we will likely find infestations in walnuts this fall,” said Houston Wilson, a University of California Cooperative Extension entomology specialist at UC Riverside. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has confirmed the beetle's presence in Stanislaus, Merced, Madera and Kings counties.

Historically a major threat to almond production in Australia, the beetle – as larvae and adults – feeds directly on the nut kernel. In California, some almond growers have lost 10 to 15% of their yield – a “significant economic loss,” according to Jhalendra Rijal, University of California integrated pest management (IPM) advisor for the region. Given the prominence of almonds as a commodity, even a 1% overall reduction statewide represents an approximately $70 million loss.

“This year there has been a lot more reports from PCAs [pest control advisers]; they're sending me the pictures of the damage and beetles,” said Rijal, noting that the increase is likely due to greater awareness of the pest.

To help almond growers identify the carpophilus beetle and develop management plans, Rijal, Wilson and their IPM colleagues have put together a visual ID guide for the beetle and the damage it causes, as well as telltale signs of navel orangeworm (Amyelois transitella) and ant damage. In particular, the experts would like PCAs and growers to differentiate between the carpophilus beetle and navel orangeworm, another key pest in almonds.

“Even though their way of causing damage looks more or less similar, we're dealing with two different types of insects,” Rijal explained. “One is a Lepidoptera moth [navel orangeworm], and the other one is a beetle – many of the management practices and biological controls would be different for these two different things.”

To control carpophilus beetle, ‘sanitize, sanitize, sanitize'

One crucial cultural practice for managing both pests, however, is destroying the remnant “mummy” nuts – the nuts that remain in the orchard postharvest. They serve as overwintering habitat for the carpophilus beetle, as well as its sustenance for the next generation of beetles in spring.

“The best way to manage this pest is to do the orchard hygiene – continuing the winter sanitation, destroying the nuts that are on the ground and on the tree and on the berms,” Rijal said.

Based on observations in Australia and locally, carpophilus beetles tend to rely more on mummies on the ground, whereas navel orangeworm generally favors mummies in the tree canopy. Correctly identifying the pest – with help from the new ID guide – enables growers to better target and prioritize their management efforts, Rijal said.

“What we are strongly emphasizing is that growers need to sanitize, sanitize, sanitize to control both pests,” Wilson added.

Correct identification of the pest would also prevent unnecessary application of insecticides, as those used for controlling Lepidoptera such as navel orangeworm would be largely ineffective on the beetle.

Indeed, another insight shared by Australian experts is that the carpophilus beetle cannot be controlled just by insecticide.

“Insecticides are not very efficient, given the cryptic nature of these beetles; exposing these beetles to the insecticide is very hard,” said Rijal, noting that the beetle spends most of its life cycle protected inside the nut.

Reporting carpophilus beetle infestation helps researchers

This harvest season, Rijal advises almond growers to harvest as efficiently as possible, to minimize the number of mummies that need to be cleaned up. And because signs of damage (like damaged hulls and frass) are most obvious during harvest time, Rijal said growers should review the new guide, using the photos and other resources to help identify potential pests.

If the grower or PCA suspects a carpophilus beetle infestation, they should contact the UCCE farm advisor in their area.

Scientists are looking to expand their knowledge about this relatively new pest to California. In the coming weeks, for example, researchers are planning to survey for the carpophilus beetle in the Sacramento Valley.

“Technically it has not been found there, but we suspect that we'll find it this fall when we go looking for it,” Wilson said.

Researchers are also collecting samples from infested orchards to better understand the biology of the species, as well as how it progresses through and responds to seasonal and climactic changes. In addition, they are analyzing data from a trial study of an insecticide that might be used as a supplemental control measure.

“This is our first full season dealing with this insect, and there are still many things we need to understand,” Rijal said. “We are continuing our research efforts on all fronts.”

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