Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Category: Laws & Regulations

  • California Farmland to Serve State in Recharging Groundwater Supply

    The Governor of California recently issued an Executive Order allowing local water districts to utilize floodwater for groundwater recharge purposes, a record amount of which will take place on California farmland.  This is desperately needed and welcomed by farmers and other water users all over the state that have suffered decades of drought conditions.  Watch this brief interview with Adam Borchard from the California Fresh Fruit Association for more insight on what the announcement entails.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems for their industry support.

  • Fresno Chamber of Commerce Announces Ag Leader Award Winners

    The Fresno Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with the Fresno County Farm Bureau, is proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Ag Awards, a long-standing tradition that honors and celebrates our region’s agricultural industry leaders. The honorees were recognized at the Ag Awards Celebration on November 3rd at PR Farms.

    The 2022 Ag Awards Honorees include:

    • Moss Adams Agribusiness of the Year Award – Triple Delight Blueberries

    • Agriculturalist of the Year Award – Russel Efird, Owner & President, Double E Farms Inc.; Vice President, Efird Ag Enterprises Inc.

    • AGvocate of the Year Award – Christine Torosian-Klistoff, Teacher Fairmont Elementary School, Sanger, CA

    • Agricultural Employee of the Year – Jose Erevia, Director of Safety, Workers Compensation & Regulatory Compliance, Prima Wawona

    • Lifetime of Service Award for Significant Contributions to Fresno County Agriculture–

      Margaret Mims, Fresno County Sheriff, and Dr. Dennis Nef, Dean and Professor Emeritus, Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences & Technology and Department of Agricultural Business, California State University, Fresno

      The Moss Adams Agribusiness of the Year Award is presented to Triple Delight Blueberries; a notable leader in the Valley’s ag industry who has established market outlets for valley berries with various wholesale buyers as well as corporate kitchens, specialty grocers and various restaurants. “Triple Delight Blueberries is the absolute perfect business to receive the Moss Adams Agribusiness of the Year Award,” stated Janell Attebery, Partner, Moss Adams. “Moss Adams is proud to partner with the Fresno Chamber of Commerce in awarding Triple Delight Blueberries this year’s award because of their dedication to build their business since 1997, while simultaneously building their industry. They are true examples of pillars of the Central Valley ag community.”

      The recipient of the 2022 Agriculturalist of the Year Award is Russel Efird from Double E Farms Inc. Efird is known amongst his peers to be a mentor and teacher, spending much of his personal time educating members of the community and elected officials about agriculture. Today, Russel and his son, Matthew, farm 1,500 acres of almonds, walnuts, raisins, and wine grapes in the Caruthers, Riverdale and Raisin City areas.

    Returning this year after a 2021 debut is the AGvocate of the Year Award. This year’s AGvocate of the Year is Christine Torosian-Klistoff, teacher to K-8 students at Fairmont Elementary School in Sanger, CA. Torosian-Klistoff has lead the team within Sanger Unified to develop plans on a 2-acre parcel adjacent to the school to build a state of the art, one of a kind Ag/STEM Educational center, which includes a comprehensive K-8 agriculturally based curriculum and adheres to state-mandated NGSS science standards.

    The Agricultural Employee of the Year will be given to Jose Erevia from Prima Wawona. Erevia’s experience working in the various departments and his noticeable work ethic has enabled him to find solutions and improve areas within the department of regulatory compliance & environmental health & safety.

    “Each of the awards presented represent an integral facet of Fresno’s agricultural community,” Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobsen said. “With the addition in 2021 of the AGvocate and Agricultural Employee of the Year Awards, the Ag Awards Celebration now recognizes an additional set of people who are key to the success of the local industry and the Central Valley itself. Because of these amazing leaders, Fresno County is the agricultural capital of the nation.”

    The Lifetime of Service Award for Significant Contributions to Fresno County Agriculture went to Sheriff Margaret Mims and Dr. Dennis Nef. Sheriff Mims began her career in 1983 as the first female police officer in Kerman and continued her career to attain the rank of Lieutenant, Captain, Assistant Sheriff, and elected Sheriff in 2006. Showing her dedication to the agriculture industry, she was awarded the Common Threads Award for the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation in 2018.

    For the last 39 years and counting, Dr. Nef has impacted countless students and graduates along with faculty, staff and administrators at Fresno State as well as agriculturalists throughout the Central Valley and beyond. As Dean, the University Agricultural Laboratory became a focus and priority. This 1,000 acre laboratory is home to research, teaching and learning for the nearly 2,000 students studying agriculture at Fresno State. From 2003 to 2019, he served as vice provost, interim provost and associate dean of undergraduate studies, and most recently appointed to lead the Jordan College.

  • Changing Labor Laws & Regulations Ag Employers Need to Know

    As California farmers prepare for the New Year, there are some labor-related changes to laws and regulations that ag employers need to be aware of.  Watch this brief interview with Adam Borchard from the California Fresh Fruit Association as he explains, based on his recent presentation at the Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • What Growers & Handlers Should Know about Preventing Tree Nut Theft

    There are a lot of risks involved in farming, such as weather, insect/disease pressure and a tightening labor force; and a crop finally getting harvested is generally accompanied by a sigh of relief.  However, the risks aren’t completely over yet, especially with the threat of postharvest crop theft in California. Watch this brief interview with Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux who addresses this issue and read more about in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Chinese Consumers View Pistachios as Healthy “Happy Nuts”

    Can an increasing Chinese appetite for U.S. grown pistachios help overcome trade barriers?  Possibly, but watch this brief interview with American Pistachio Growers’ in-country trade representative Roger Zhang as he shares pistachio consumer trends in China. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Pistachios Evolve from a Garnish to a Popular Snack in India

    The Indian market is a relatively new one for U.S. pistachios, yet has tremendous potential as American Pistachio Growers continues to invest in it.  Watch this brief interview with American Pistachio Growers’ in-country trade representative Summit Saran as he explains. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Winter Honey Bees Show Resistance to a Common Insecticide

    Winter honey bees, compared to newly emerged summer bees, have a better ability to withstand the harmful effects of a widely-used insecticide in pest management, according to a recent study published in Apidologie.

    Honey bees feed on imidacloprid during a cage experiment. (Photo by Mohamed Alburaki, ARS)

    United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricultural Research Service (ARS) researchers from the Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, Maryland, found winter honey bees’ consumption of a nearly lethal, imidacloprid-laced syrup did not affect their survival during the study.

    Imidacloprid is an insecticide made to mimic nicotine and is toxic to insects. This powerful insecticide is widely used in agriculture for pest management control. Honey bees are likely to encounter imidacloprid while foraging in the field or through contaminated hive products.

    “Although imidacloprid toxicity to honey bees is an important concern for beekeepers, our results provide good news,” said Miguel Corona and Mohamed Alburaki, researchers at the ARS Bee Research Laboratory. “Our research shows that winter honey bees have unrecognized physiological mechanisms to counteract the effects of insecticides.”

    The study assessed differences in diet behaviors for summer and winter honey bees in a controlled laboratory setting. Researchers provided sublethal doses of the imidacloprid-laced syrup to bees as necessary. Winter bees showed a preference to consuming imidacloprid-laced syrup over untreated sugar syrup while summer honey bees made the safe choice and avoided consuming the laced syrup each time.

    According to Corona, it is important to study the differences of summer and winter honey bees’ diets.  Honey bee colonies survive extreme seasonal differences in temperature and forage by producing two seasonal phenotypes of workers: summer and winter bees. These seasonal phenotypes differ significantly in their psychological characteristics as well as their susceptibility to disease and ability to handle poisonous substances.

    “Winter bees and summer bees undergo physiological changes to cope with drastic seasonal changes in temperature and the availability of nutritional resources,” said Corona and Alburaki. “Our results suggest that long-lived winter bees are especially well-adapted to tolerate higher levels of chemical stressors.”

    Corona said that although the study’s results show that winter bees could tolerate more intoxication by imidacloprid, they are still susceptible to higher concentrations of this insecticide in field settings. — By the USDA-ARS

  • Progress on Prop 1 Funded California Water Projects

    California is in the midst of a serious drought, which is taking a major toll on our local agricultural industries. The Water Quality, Supply & Infrastructure Improvement Act (Prop 1) passed back in 2014, yet no construction of any of the funded projects has commenced.  Watch this brief interview with Emily Rooney from the Ag Council of California as she shares a progress report on these projects and how they will help address California’s water crisis.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Pistachio Grower Bullish about Market Amidst Record Production

    Despite water, trade, labor, inflation and pest challenges impacting the western pistachio industry, Madera grower Justin Wylie is bullish about the future of the industry. Watch this brief video with Wylie sharing his thoughts as growers venture through another potentially record-breaking year of production. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Tree Nut Grower Invests in Groundwater Recharge

    While much is expected of the state in resolving California’s water crisis, farmers are trying to do their part as well in conserving water for the future. Watch this brief interview with Tipton pistachio grower Dominic Pitigliano as he talks about his family’s groundwater recharge project. Read more in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.