California Avocado Commission — According to a new report released by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and the Climate Science Alliance, Southern California agricultural regions will face more climate extremes — notably higher daily maximum temperatures and more frequent and intense heat events — in the coming decades. As Dr. Ben Faber notes in a recent blog post, although avocado groves have …

The initial 2020-21 Navel orange forecast is 84.0 million cartons, down 5 percent from the previous year. Of the total Navel orange forecast, 81.0 million cartons are estimated to be in the Central Valley. Cara Cara variety Navel orange production in the Central Valley is forecast at 7.0 million cartons. These forecasts are based on the results of the 2020-21 …

California Citrus Mutual commends the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC) for the actions they recently announced to address the injury caused by increased imports of seasonal and perishable products. Low-priced imports have previously caused a substantial market disruption for the California citrus industry during its marketing season. …

The 2020 California table olive forecast is 30,000 tons, down considerably from last year’s crop of 89,400 tons, according to a survey conducted by the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service, Pacific Regional Office. Bearing acreage is estimated at 15,500, which results in a yield of 1.94 tons per acre. The Manzanillo production forecast is 25,500 tons, Sevillano production forecast is …

The California Prune harvest wrapped up on schedule this year and growers have worked through the challenges of wildfires and market disruptions caused by the pandemic to harvest premium quality fruit consisting of an optimum range of sizes,setting up excellent opportunities to market the sweet, larger prunes for which California is famous. With early industry projections of a short crop, …

With support from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture’s Multistate Research Fund, researchers at 17 land-grant universities are working together to develop automated systems that work well for labor-intensive specialty crops like fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, and nursery plants. A multi-state collaborative approach lifts the burden of research and development from a single specialty crop sector and spurs major …

On September 17th from 3:30pm – 5:00pm the California Avocado Commission will host a virtual field day concerning Avocado Branch Canker disease that will consist of two 30-minute presentations by Dr. Themis Michailides, University of California Kearney Agricultural Center and Dr. Liz Dann, University of Queensland, followed by a question-and-answer session. Registration for the virtual event is now open. Dr. …

Scientific research provides us with the foundation of knowledge we rely on in order to understand honey bee health threats and address them. Project Apis m. and the National Honey Board are requesting research proposals to support and enhance honey bee health. Proposals will be accepted between September 1, 2020 and September 30, 2020. Please visit www.ProjectApism.org/rfps to view the …

Cal/OSHA is reminding employers that California’s protection from wildfire smoke standard is still in effect, and they must take steps to protect their workers from harmful exposure to unhealthy air due to wildfire smoke. “Employers are obligated to protect their outdoor workers and must evaluate the health hazards posed by wildfire smoke,” said Cal/OSHA Chief Doug Parker. “If employers cannot …

With a passion for preserving California’s farmland, California Farmland Trust (CFT) is proud to share the results of those elected to serve our Board of Directors as well as new board member appointments. “We’re honored to have such well-known and well-respected individuals serve on the CFT board” shared Charlotte Mitchell, CFT Executive Director. “Our board members each bring professional skills …