Stakes at All-Time High for Backyard & Commercial Trees in 2019 Detections of Huanglongbing (HLB), an incurable plant disease that kills citrus trees, increased by 160 percent in 2018 compared to the previous year, signaling the growing threat to the state’s iconic citrus trees, landscape and economy. HLB is spread by a small pest called the Asian citrus psyllid as …
Rodents of unusual size —California has got them! The new kid on the block is Nutria, a semiaquatic rodent, that has invaded California’s waterways, and is doing a lot of damage. USDA is asking farmers for help in locating these pests to be removed. Derek Milsaps from USDA-APHIS presented some information on this pest at the Tree & Vine Expo …
Once confined mostly to the Great Plains of North America, coyotes have spread across much of the continent, and can be a real threat and nuisance to farming communities. Check out this brief interview with USDA Wildlife Specialist Derek Milsaps, as he offers some recommendations on how to identify and deal with these pests.
There were some successes, but a lot of disappointments in California’s 2018 elections. So where do we go from here? What’s a farmer to do in an askew state like California? Check out this brief interview with Emily Rooney, President of the Ag Council of California as she shares her insights from the election and some considerations moving forward.
To date, the deadly citrus greening disease Huanglongbing or HLB has not been found in California’s commercial citrus orchards; however, it’s only a matter of time. HLB strikes continue to be detected in residential areas, and its vector has spread all over the state. Watch this brief interview with Victoria Hornbaker, head of the CDFA’s statewide citrus program, as she …
Harvest of the 2018-2019 citrus crop is underway, and growers are excited to reap the fruits of their labors. Watch this brief interview with third generation Central Valley citrus grower Arlen Miller as he shares his perspective on the coming crop and read more about him and his many diverse varieties of citrus in the coming issue of California Fresh …
Jerry Kliewer and his family have been growing kiwifruit in the Central Valley since the 1970s, but they are on to something really BIG now with a new variety they have introduced to America, known as the Mega Kiwi. Watch this brief video interview as Jerry talks about growing this new variety, and read more about it in the November …
Farmers are used to dealing with insect pest and small furry rodents, but how about wild pigs? Now, this is a more common issue in some areas more than others; nonetheless, pigs can wreak a lot of havoc in vineyards, orchards and field crops, so exploring your management options is key. Watch this brief interview with Julie Finzel from the …
With oncoming groundwater regulations and an increasingly tight water supply, California farmers are searching for alternative crops that require less water, not to mention lower labor costs, and Madera grower Steve Schafer has more recently invested in the fresh fig market for those reasons. Watch his brief interview here and read more about growing figs in California Fresh Fruit Magazine.
Sweet Present, Rich Past By Joanna Gilkeson – It would be easy to call Carolyn Read a preservationist and leave it at that. How many people would settle in a ranch house built 130 years ago and raise a family there? Or call her a conservationist. Read has made sure that native plants that were in danger of getting choked out …
Citrus thrips have been a major nuisance for California blueberry growers, but how do …
