Native California bees and monarch butterflies may soon be listed as endangered species. While California farmers, and almond growers in particular, want to take care of and protect these important pollinators, listing them as endangered could prove problematic for farming as we know it. Watch this interview with Josette Lewis from the Almond Board of California as she explains.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Thunder Creek Equipment for their industry support.
As almond pollination costs have gone up in recent years, the Almond Board of California has engaged in studies to help growers reduce costs and developed strategic partnerships with other organizations to provide some new services that almond growers should take advantage of. Watch this brief interview with Josette Lewis from the Almond Board as she explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
Even though growers are just completing this year’s harvest, it’s never too early to start thinking about winter sanitation.
Winter is the time to remove and destroy mummy nuts that harbor navel orangeworm (NOW) larvae, which can hatch in the spring and wreak havoc in the orchard. By removing the nuts, growers are eliminating both a shelter and food source for these overwintering pests. This practice falls in line with the strategic and effective Integrated Pest Management (IPM) program for NOW, one that includes different tactics depending on the time of the year.
“Winter sanitation is the core of IPM programs,” said David Haviland, a UCCE farm advisor in Kern County who specialist in entomology and pest management.
Here are some quick tips growers should keep in mind when preparing to remove mummy nuts from their orchards, a.k.a. “mummy shake”:
Removing mummy nuts and reducing NOW levels using environmentally friendly techniques is key to helping the California almond industry achieve its Almond Orchard 2025 Goals, one of which is to increase adoption of environmentally friendly pest management tools by 25% by 2025.
Josette Lewis, the Almond Board’s director of Agricultural Affairs, said growers must realize that in the end the cost of efficient winter sanitation pays for itself.
“It is important to recognize that the return on investment comes from both a higher yield after shelling and a higher price premium at the handler,” Lewis said. “In other words, without good winter sanitation, yield loss occurs due to rejection of mummy nuts from the previous year and heavily NOW-damaged nuts from the current season.”
To help remind growers to break the link between mummy nuts and NOW, the Almond Board of California created a parody song that’s sure to be an “orchard smash.” It’s “The Mummy Shake” — and if you and your family dance and sing along, you’ll be in the running to receive tickets to a luncheon at The Almond Conference 2019 in Sacramento in addition to either tickets to Disneyland or a $500 Amazon gift card! Visit Almonds.com/NOW to learn more.
Courtesy of the Almond Board of California
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.