Growers have until the end of day Feb. 14th to sign up for the USDA market facilitation program created in response to the retaliatory tariffs. USDA is also supporting the California almond industry in other ways. Watch this brief interview with Julie Adams from the Almond Board of California for more information.
In her role, Lewis will leverage more than 20 years of government, academic, nonprofit and corporate experience in agriculture research and policy.
The Almond Board of California (ABC) welcomes Josette Lewis, PhD, to the organization as new director of Agricultural Affairs. In her position, Lewis will focus on the development, funding and strategy of ABC’s research program. Lewis most recently served as associate vice president of Sustainable Agriculture at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF).
Lewis holds a PhD in molecular biology from the University of California, Los Angeles, and her career in agricultural research and policy spans the government, academic, nonprofit and tech-based corporate sectors. Prior to EDF, she was associate director of the World Food Center at the University of California, Davis. Lewis began her career at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). She currently serves on advisory committees for the James Beard Foundation and the International Life Sciences Institute, and has served on an advisory committee for the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture.
“My colleagues and I are thrilled to welcome Josette Lewis to the ABC team. She not only complements our existing skill sets and experience — she adds many new and valuable dimensions,” said Richard Waycott, president and CEO, ABC. “Her acumen and expertise will serve the California almond industry very well as we navigate the challenges and opportunities that lie before us.”
Research is an important area of focus for the Almond Board as it fuels key initiatives like the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, which set industry-wide targets in the areas of water efficiency, zero waste, environmentally friendly pest management and air quality. In her new role, Lewis will oversee ABC’s multi-million dollar annual investment in research projects exploring next-generation farming practices including optimal use of everything almond orchards grow.
“My career has centered on the interface of research and action — interpreting research findings to create solutions that people can use,” Lewis said. “Building on the strong legacy of Bob Curtis, I look forward to advancing almond research that ultimately puts knowledge, tools and practices in the hands of growers, processors, policy makers and other important audiences. I am fascinated by almond production and excited to join the dynamic group at ABC.”
Robert Curtis retired in 2018 after spending more than 45 years directing agricultural affairs at ABC. Since 1973, almond farmers and processors have invested $80 million in research through the Almond Board to improve understanding of almonds’ impact on human health, ensure food quality and safety, and improve farming practices while minimizing environmental impacts.
Blue Diamond Growers, a nonprofit grower-owned cooperative and the world’s leading processor and marketer of almonds, begins expansion of its award-winning processing facility in Turlock, CA. Today a groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the 200,000 square foot manufacturing plant recognized as the 2014 Plant of the Year by Food Engineering Magazine. The new addition is part of Blue Diamond’s continued plans to expand value-added product lines and deliver the innovations of new almond products worldwide.
The 52,000 square foot building will be the latest construction of the three-phased project that will eventually yield a total of about 500,000 square feet of building space over the next nine years. This phase of the project is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2020 and will accommodate growth of the cooperative’s business. The expansion consists of new automated processing and packaging equipment that promote Blue Diamond’s commitment to manufacturing excellence.
“We are pleased to build our partnership with the Turlock community by investing to expand our facilities and workforce,” said Mark Jansen, Blue Diamond President and CEO. “We are creating the healthiest almond products and delivering the benefits of almonds to the world. This project allows Blue Diamond to meet the growing demand for our innovative almond products.”
Blue Diamond Chairman of the Board Dan Cummings of Chico added, “We are thankful to our growers who own this cooperative for entrusting their almonds to us so we can continue to make valuable investments. This project gives them a secure future in the almond business.”
Blue Diamond first announced its plans to build a manufacturing plant in the City of Turlock in April 2012 creating more than a hundred jobs.
“On behalf of the Turlock community, we are tremendously excited about the expansion of Blue Diamond Growers state of the art processing facilities here in Turlock,” said Turlock Mayor Amy Bublak. “We know Blue Diamond has other company locations where they could have placed this expansion, but we are proud they chose Turlock. We look forward to the additional jobs this expansion will bring.”
USDA Awards Agricultural Trade Promotion Program Funding
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced today that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has awarded $200 million to 57 organizations through the Agricultural Trade Promotion Program (ATP) to help U.S. farmers and ranchers identify and access new export markets. The ATP is one of three USDA programs created to mitigate the effects of unjustified trade retaliation against U.S. farmers and exporters. USDA’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) accepted ATP applications between September 4 and November 2 – totaling nearly $600 million – from U.S. trade associations, cooperatives, and other industry-affiliated organizations. The Almond Board of California will receive $3,185,690 and Blue Diamond will receive $3,715,000.
President Donald J. Trump authorized up to $12 billion in programs to provide assistance to U.S. agriculture through a trade mitigation package announced by Secretary Perdue on September 4, 2018. In addition to the $200 million allocated to the ATP, the package also included the Market Facilitation Program to provide payments to farmers harmed by retaliatory tariffs, and a food purchase and distribution program to assist producers of targeted commodities.
“At USDA, we are always looking to expand existing markets or open new ones, so we are proud to make good on the third leg of the President’s promise to America’s farmers,” said Secretary Perdue. “This infusion will help us develop other markets and move us away from being dependent on one large customer for our agricultural products. This is seed money, leveraged by hundreds of millions of dollars from the private sector, that will help to increase our agricultural exports.”
All sectors of U.S. agriculture, including fish and forest product producers, were eligible to apply for cost-share assistance under the ATP. FAS evaluated applications according to criteria that included the potential for export growth in the target market, direct injury from the imposed retaliatory tariffs, and the likelihood that the proposed project or activity will have a near-term impact on agricultural exports.
“We were pleased to see the large demand for participation in the program, and truly got some out-of-the-box ideas that we are hopeful will expand our global footprint,” Perdue said. “We examined all applications carefully, considered our ranking criteria, and awarded the funds in order to make the best use of taxpayer dollars in growing agricultural trade.”
The Almond Alliance of California plans to continue to advocate for the $63.3 M in retaliatory trade damages assigned to the almond industry by USDA. We will keep you updated on our advocacy efforts and how you can be supportive.
Dennis Glaser of Tangent was the recipient of the Nut Grower’s Society’s Grower of the Year Award for 2018 during its 104th Annual Meeting mid-January. The award is presented to a grower that has been a leader in the industry. Jason Perrott, NGS Vice President presented the award. He began with some history. Dennis’s roots are in farming. Before becoming a grass seed farmer his father, Frank, was the largest bee man in the state. He also raised silver foxes for fur. After the war both businesses were sold and the family venture in grass seed began. The family always had a big garden and his mom would get a hundred chicks each spring. The lucky ones survived the axe and lived another year as egg layers. Dennis learned valuable lessons about hard work and where our food comes from.
Growing up on the farm everything was done by hand. Unloading railcars of fertilizer, bagging and stacking sacks of grass seed, and loading the railcars back again with grass seed was all done without even a forklift until 1963. Needless to say there was plenty of motivation to find better ways of doing things.
Dennis went to OSU where he graduated in 1969 with a degree in Ag Engineering and Crop & Soil Science. He took over running the farm in 1972 after his father had a very serious accident. As the 70’s progressed, He started growing clovers and wheat to try to develop some rotation and break up the monoculture of grass seed. The grass seed industry was under pressure to move away from field burning and farm incomes were fluctuating up and mostly down. The farm would make good money two out of five years, broke even about two out of five years, and tried to not lose too much money on the fifth year. The quest was on to find a mix of crops to even out the income pattern.
Paul Willard, owner of Meeker Fertilizer, was a field man, mentor and good friend to Dennis. He offered encouragement in trying alternative crops on their heavy soils. In 1979 Dennis acquired a new farm and was able to grow pretty good wheat on it. With Paul’s influence and the help of mentor Wayne Chambers, he made the decision to try hazelnuts in the flat south valley ground. The ground was tiled, pH was addressed, a well was drilled, and ‘Barcelona’ trees were planted.
According to Dennis, “everyone thought I was crazier than a pet coon. And they were probably right.” This was the only orchard on wet ground in the area. Dennis was told that trees would never be successful on his ground so he was determined to make a go of it. But times were tough. Interest rates were around 20%. Prices were 65 cents when he planted but had dropped to 30-32 cents by the time of the first harvest. For the first ten years, Dennis wasn’t sure if this was such a good move. But perseverance paid off and the orchard has been a great success and an inspiration for many of the more recent hazelnut farms that have popped up around his orchard.
Dennis always thought he would plant more trees but EFB came along shortly after they established the original orchard. However, with OSU’s outstanding work with newer varieties, Dennis and family have expanded on the original 140 acres planting with an additional 260 acres of Jefferson’s.
Dennis has always farmed with an eye towards a better way. Dennis and his son Ryan have been at the forefront of the hazelnut industry in drainage, pruning and mulching, irrigation, and nutrient management. During the NGS Summer Tour last year Dennis reported on how he began chipping his prunings long before it was an accepted practice. Inviting 1,000 growers to ones farm for a tour is a pretty big commitment to the industry.
And of course Dennis’s service to the industry has been outstanding. He is very generous with his time and resources, is always helping out the neighbors, and is willing to share his experiences good and bad. He has given generously in time and resources to ag research projects at Central Linn High School, the FFA program, and Ag in the Classroom as well as numerous field tours, trials, and yield studies.
Glaser and his family were featured in the January 2018 issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine for “Growing Hazelnuts Where No Hazelnuts Had Grown Before.”
“My family has worked with Dennis and his family since 1975,” shared Jason Perrott. “We were a startup drainage business that Dennis played a key role in getting started. Job #1 was on Dennis’s ground. We have continued to work with Dennis over the years and he has become a mentor to us for our own hazelnut farm. I have great respect for Dennis. He is progressive thinking, always looking to the future, adventurous in his farming practices and a first class human being. Please welcome Grower of the Year Dennis Glaser.”
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced that many Farm Service Agency (FSA) offices will reopen temporarily in the coming days to perform certain limited services for farmers and ranchers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has recalled about 2,500 FSA employees to open offices on Thursday, January 17 and Friday, January 18, in addition to Tuesday, January 22, during normal business hours. The offices will be closed for the federal Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday, January 21.
In almost half of FSA locations, FSA staff will be available to assist agricultural producers with existing farm loans and to ensure the agency provides 1099 tax documents to borrowers by the Internal Revenue Service’s deadline.
“Until Congress sends President Trump an appropriations bill in the form that he will sign, we are doing our best to minimize the impact of the partial federal funding lapse on America’s agricultural producers,” Perdue said. “We are bringing back part of our FSA team to help producers with existing farm loans. Meanwhile, we continue to examine our legal authorities to ensure we are providing services to our customers to the greatest extent possible during the shutdown.”
Staff members will be available at certain FSA offices to help producers with specific services, including:
Additionally, as an intermittent incidental duty, staff may release proceeds from the sale of loan security by signing checks jointly payable to FSA that are brought to the county office by producers.
Information on the locations of FSA offices to be open during this three-day window will be posted:
While staff are available in person during this three-day window, most available services can be handled over the phone. Producers can begin contacting staff on January 17 here.
Additionally, farmers who have loan deadlines during the lapse in funding do not need to make payments until the government shutdown ends.
Other FSA Programs & Services
Reopened FSA offices will only be able to provide the specifically identified services while open during this limited time. Services that will not be available include, but are not limited to:
While January 15, 2019 had been the original deadline for producers to apply for MFP, farmers have been unable to apply since December 28, 2018, when FSA offices closed because of the lapse in federal funding. Secretary Perdue has extended the MFP application deadline for a period of time equal to the number of business days FSA offices end up being closed, once the government shutdown ends. These announced days of limited staff availability during the shutdown will not constitute days open in calculating the extension. Producers who already applied for MFP and certified their 2018 production by December 28, 2018 should have already received their payments.
More information on MFP is available at www.farmers.gov/manage/mfp.
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. Read more about it in the coming issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive it, subscribe for FREE Here.
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 in Turlock recently. Watch his brief interview from the expo, and read more about it in the coming issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe FREE today at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/
The California walnut industry relies heavily on the export market, and so does the focus of much of the efforts of the California Walnut Board and Commission in promoting the industry and building demand. At Malcolm Media’s recent Tree & Vine Expo at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds, Claire Lee from the California Walnut Commission shared the current impact the international trade dispute is having on California walnut exports and how the Board and Commission are responding. Lee also discussed opportunities for government aid they are seeking under the circumstances. Watch this brief interview with Lee and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/.
With increasing production in the California walnut industry, and at the same time being faced with high tariffs in some of the key export markets, growers are much appreciative of the ongoing efforts of the California Walnut Board and Commission building demand for the crop, not only in the export market, but also right here in the States. Check out this brief interview with Jennifer Olmstead with the California Walnut Board and Commission as she explains some of their exciting new domestic marketing campaigns and initiatives. Read more about her presentation at Malcolm Media’s Tree & Vine Expo in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine. Don’t currently receive the magazine? Subscribe for free at: https://malcolmmedia.com/pacific-nut-producer-magazine-subscriptions/.