Pacific Nut Producer Magazine

Tag: Soil Health

  • Can Growers Store Carbon by Changing their Water?

    What if Central Valley Farmers could sequester carbon in their soil by only changing how they treat their irrigation water? That is the question driving a new $500,000 study at Fresno State. If 400,000 acres — 10% of the irrigated acres in California — adopted this practice, over 30 million tons of CO2 could be stored in soil through the water every year, as estimated by the research study’s hypothesis. Currently, less than 1% of the acreage in California is using it.

    “Soil health is what brought me to California, and this study is exactly the kind of work I came here to do. A simple change to water treatment could have a meaningful impact on soil health and carbon sequestration, and this research will help us understand that potential,” said Dr. Sangeeta Bansal, assistant professor of plant science at Fresno State and the principal investigator.

    The study is the largest and longest farm-scale investigation of CO2 in water treatment ever conducted, spanning three years on six working pistachio farms in California’s Central Valley. The California Energy Commission provided primary funding, with support from F3 Innovate.

    ECO2MIX, a Fresno-based agriculture company, is providing the water treatment for the study. Their equipment dissolves CO2 into irrigation water to produce carbonic acid, primarily to adjust water pH.

    “I started ECO2MIX because I saw the damage sulfuric acid was causing to farms and people, and I knew there had to be a better solution, and carbonic acid was exactly that. This study will finally help us understand the additional benefits after water treatment. If this can sequester carbon across the Central Valley through the water, that is a big deal for California sustainability,” said Waldo Moraga, CEO and President of ECO2MIX.

    High-pH irrigation water is common throughout the Central Valley and affects the health of soil and plants. Correcting water pH addresses many problems simultaneously. Carbonic acid also offers a safety advantage over current practices. Other acids are corrosive to equipment and require specialized handling and safety. On the other hand, carbonic acid, the same compound that gives sparkling water its bubbles, is safe to handle.

    “We are always evaluating what tools are available to us as farmers and what they can do for our operation. If the water we are already using can do more for the soil and increase profitability, we want to know about it,” said Joe Coelho, a farmer participating in the research and the Director of Sustainability and Member Outreach for American Pistachio Growers.

    About ECO2MIX

    ECO2MIX provides water pH control as a service by dissolving CO2 in water. The company designs, installs, and operates on-site reactors that treat irrigation water, which supports nutrient availability and efficient irrigation with additional soil health and sustainability benefits. ECO2MIX serves production agriculture and golf customers across high-pH water regions of the United States. For more information, visit www.eco2mix.com. For interviews or farm visits, contact Waldo Moraga at cherbert@eco2mix.com or call 559-321-7917.

  • Building on a Strong Foundation

    –Sponsored Content–

    Strong roots are a pivotal part of successful farming, regardless of the crop or growing region.

    Rootex® and Rootex® Flowable provide unique benefits in this area. Not only does this technology help drive lateral root development and mass, Rootex is also designed to overcome one of the biggest nutrient challenges that exists in agriculture- phosphorus tie-up in the soil.

    Redox Owner, Founder and CEO Darin Moon said Rootex has an organic molecule package that alleviates tie up, making phosphorus markedly more efficient. He added its amino acid package is what boosts lateral root branching.

    The results benefit yield and quality in the immediate and long term.

    “For 50 years, we’ve all bought into the concept of building your soil,” Moon said. “The reality is that approach is more expensive than it has ever been. That math doesn’t add up. Considering the current economic conditions, it makes sense to take some of the phosphorus out of the soil that growers have been putting in and metabolize it. Rootex is a catalyst in this area.”

    Rootex contains Redox Active Molecules (RAM), which maintain electrical balance in plants, keeping nutrients in plant available form for improved uptake.

    Additionally, this product is designed with a low salt load, supporting overall soil health. It also strengthens the soil-root connection, ensuring more effective nutrient delivery to the plant.

    Rootex has one of the longest track records with Redox, with more than two decades of success in commercial farms throughout the United States.

    Like the entire Redox product line, growers can do more with less through Rootex. Application rates range from ¼ to 1 ½ gallons per acre for Rootex Flowable to one to six pounds per acre for the dry technology.

    Redox Bio-Nutrients is a family owned and operated business based in Burley, Idaho.  Products involve carefully sourced nutrients combined with biostimulants that help with nutrient uptake, abiotic stress defense, root growth and soil health. Redox is the only company in the world with multiple certified biostimulants through rigorous independent analysis from The Fertilizer Institute.

    Find out more about what Rootex can do for your crops, here: https://www.redoxgrows.com/product/rootex/

  • Healthy Soil, Stronger Crops: How Live, Native Microalgae is Transforming California Farming

    —SPONSORED CONTENT—

    Across California, growers are seeing measurable gains in yield, water efficiency, and soil health, all thanks to live, native microalgae.

    California growers know that every drop of water, every inch of root zone, and every dollar spent matters. With drought, salinity, and floods happening nearly every year, the margin between surviving and thriving often lies beneath the surface, in the soil.

    Healthy soil is alive with organisms that each play a role in supporting crop growth. Some, like earthworms, are easy to see, while others work on the microscopic level. Among these tiny contributors are microalgae, which naturally occur in most soils and help drive key biological processes like root development, soil structure, and water and nutrient availability. When microalgae are thriving, the whole soil system becomes stronger and more productive.

    That’s where MyLand’s Soil as a Service™ comes in. MyLand, a soil health company based in Phoenix, is returning live, native microalgae to the soil through growers’ existing irrigation systems, helping farms rebuild biological activity and unlock the full potential of their land.

    The results, verified by independent third-party data, speak for themselves. In 2024, California farms using MyLand saw:

    • 168% increase in harvested pistachios during an off-bearing year
    • 23% more marketable citrus fruit per acre
    • 4% less soil sodium
    • 32% higher organic carbon
    • 50% drop in tree water stress

    For California nut growers like Justin Wylie and Joe Coelho, MyLand’s Service is helping rewrite what’s possible for long-term soil health and profitability.

    Building resilience in pistachio orchards: Justin Wylie’s story

    At Wylie Farms, a fifth-generation pistachio operation in California’s Central Valley, Justin Wylie has spent years watching extreme weather push his soil to its limits. Heavy rains once meant phytophthora, runoff, and erosion, while drought cycles left the ground compacted and trees under stress.

    That trajectory began to change when he adopted regenerative practices, including the integration of live, native microalgae through the MyLand Service. His orchards began to thrive even during intense rain, with stronger ground cover and native grasses helping stabilize sloped terrain and minimize erosion.

    The addition of microalgae quickly became central to his soil health strategy. Supporting the soil with live biology helped jumpstart broader microbial activity, which in turn supported nutrient cycling and improved water dynamics.

    With soil function improving year-over-year, Justin was able to scale back chemical inputs without sacrificing yield or crop quality, thereby sidestepping the typical ‘J curve’ many growers experience when transitioning to regenerative systems.

    Healthier soil has also meant less tree stress and more efficient water use. This change has helped Justin create a foundation of resilience that now carries his orchards through both wet and dry years. His message to fellow growers is practical and encouraging: “Take the smallest amount of acreage that you can stand to lose the crop on, which is, of course, a worst-case scenario. My goal has been to not experience any sort of drop-off in production and quality. And I think we’ve been successful.”

    Now, Justin’s trees are more resilient, his soil is more balanced, and his operation is better positioned for the next generation.

    From skeptic to advocate: Joe Coelho’s journey at Terra Linda Farms

    A few hours south, in Riverdale, California, Joe Coelho was facing familiar challenges at Terra Linda Farms. Saline soils, uneven infiltration, and the constant pressure of water scarcity were daily stressors. After nearly four decades of farming pistachios and almonds, Joe had seen countless improvement options come and go.

    “I’ve seen a lot of solutions over the years,” he said. “But some of the changes I’ve seen with MyLand are very shocking and in a good way. It’s the first time in my career I’ve seen something move this fast.”

    Skeptical at first, Joe decided to try MyLand’s Service on 600 acres. Within two years, the data told a clear story. He cut nitrogen use by 30%, replaced $450 per acre of inputs, and maintained the same yields.

    MyLand’s soil analysis confirmed rapid improvements:

    • +359% organic phosphorus reserves
    • +428% total phosphorus
    • +98% iron availability

    “Part of my problem is just having enough time in the day to do everything,” he said. “Just having MyLand as a one-stop shop for a lot of different solutions is fantastic and saves a lot of headaches at the end of the day.” As a fully managed service provider, MyLand requires no extra effort from growers.

    As Director of Sustainability and Member Outreach for the American Pistachio Growers, Joe now shares his experience with peers facing the same challenges. “It’s not just about yields,” he said. “It’s about reducing complexity, farming more efficiently, and solving multiple problems with one solution.”

    A future rooted in healthy soil

    From Wylie’s pistachio orchards to Coelho’s mixed nut farms, a clear theme is emerging across California agriculture: live, native microalgae do the job. By restoring the living foundation of soil, MyLand’s Service is helping growers achieve measurable results faster than conventional methods alone.

    For California farmers navigating water limits, soil salinity, and rising costs, the path forward is simple: let biology do the work.

    Visit MyLand.ag to learn more.

  • Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative Opens Enrollment for Reimbursable Cover Crop Seed

    Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative is pleased to announce open enrollment for the USDA’s newly expanded Advancing Markets for Producers (AMP) program—building on last year’s successful Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities initiative. This year, the program is expanding direct funding to producers, and the new incentive will reimburse producers for the purchase of up to ten acres worth of seed for any perennial conservation cover.

    One choice for the incentive, Oakville bluegrass, is dormant from April through September and doesn’t compete with cash crops for water or nutrients making it ideal for California permanent crops. This low growing, drought tolerant cover crop will last over ten years when well managed, significantly reducing labor and input costs for growers.

    As part of the USDA’s AMP initiative, producers can now access:

    • Full seed cost coverage for up to 10 acres of Oakville bluegrass
    • An additional $100/acre incentive for up to 100 acres.
    • Support in the form of a grower’s guide, educational field days, and guidance on carbon removal credits.

    “We’re thrilled to put more money in producers’ hands under the Advancing Markets for Producers program, ” said Jeff Thiel, Director at Oakville Bluegrass Cooeprative. Perennial cover like Oakville bluegrass can reduce operating costs over time while also building soil health and conserving water. We’re especially excited to help producers tap into the growing carbon credit market while establishing a proven, cost-effective cover crop.”

    Interested growers can attend an online informational session on October 21 at 11 am by registering at https://bit.ly/ampobc25 or visit https://www.obc.ag/advancing-markets-for-producersfor more information.

    The Oakville Bluegrass Cooperative collaboratively creates solutions to the most pressing challenges facing growers. Members work together to uncover best practices in sustainable agriculture tailored to the needs of specialty crop growers. Learnings are shared so all members can benefit from adopting practices that will ensure the long-term sustainability of profits from their farms.

  • California Orchards Blossom with NRCS Help Managing Pests

    California’s Central Valley is a land of agricultural abundance, known for its incredible diversity of crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts. It produces approximately 25% of the nation’s food.

    But with plenty can come pests – in as many varieties and types as the crops grown in the region. Area farmers have worked with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to implement integrated pest management into their orchard operations with marked results.

    Sandra and Mike Smith of Smith Family Farm in Fresno, California, showed NRCS Chief Aubrey Bettencourt the benefits of the practices that they have incorporated with NRCS assistance as they toured their 36-acre almond orchard.

    Established in 1903, the farm is on the cusp of welcoming its fifth generation of farmers. By adapting their operations to increase conservation and sustainability practices, the Smiths hope to pass on a rich legacy to their young granddaughters.

    The Smiths highlighted the impact that integrated pest management practices – notably hormone disruptors – have had in their fight to combat navel orangeworms in their almond orchards.

    “We were at 17.1% loss of our almond crop two years ago because of the infestation of navel orangeworms,” Mike Smith told Chief Bettencourt. “Once we implemented the mating disrupters, we were able to bring our almond reject numbers down to 1.1%.”

    Navel orangeworms burrow into almond nuts to feed on the kernel, damaging the nut and impacting producers’ overall yield and harvest quality. Deploying pheromone-based mating disruption tools can reduce navel orangeworm populations by hindering male moths’ ability to locate females.

    The Smiths have also leaned on NRCS technical assistance to implement other conservation techniques to increase the health of their orchard. The family now prioritizes composting and increasing organic matter, guided by the knowledge gained through NRCS collaboration.

    Further north, Chinchiolo Farming Co., Inc., a family-run business located in Lodi, California, is managing orchards of a different kind while embracing similar production practices.

    Producer James Patrick Chinchiolo has worked to uphold a century-old farming legacy, started by great grandfather Italian immigrant James Joseph Chinchiolo. Chinchiolo has worked with NRCS to incorporate a number of conservation practices including cover crops, tractor replacements, orchard removal and soil incorporation.

    Like the Smiths, Chinchiolo has dealt with pest issues, incorporating a Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) approach in managing his orchards. The BIOS system aligns with NRCS principles, embracing the implementation of conservation practices like cover cropping, beneficial insect habitat, and compost application to keep pests at bay.

    “We aim to foster a more ecologically balanced environment within our orchards,” Chinchiolo said during his discussion with Chief Bettencourt. “We are focusing on minimizing our inputs and creating more habitat for beneficial insects to flourish to help control unwanted pests.”

    Conservation practices like cover cropping and compost application not only help pollinators flourish – a crucial part of growing beautiful cherries – they also protect the trees’ overall health, improving soil structure and water retention.

    After last summer’s heat impacted this year’s cherry crop, Chinchiolo is working to take additional measures to make his trees more heat resistant in preparation for next season.

    “Growing cherries is never predictable. But it’s always beautiful.” Chinchiolo said.

    Helping People Help the Land

    During her visit, Chief Bettencourt emphasized that the agency’s primary focus is to give producers the tools that they need to be the best producers that they can be – increasing their yield while stewarding the nation’s natural resources.

    “Producers are the solution, and we want to empower them by getting our highly skilled staff out in the field to provide technical support. We want to streamline our programs to work better and faster for producers,” she said.

    NRCS helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners make critical investments in their operations and local communities by helping them implement proven practices to ensure all of America’s farms, ranches and private lands are economically viable and thriving.

    If you are interested learning how these programs can help you achieve your operational and land management goals, find your local USDA Service Center and get started today.

    Follow the Chief through our blog series as she meets with producers across the country to learn how NRCS has helped their operations. — By Debra Denhart, Public Affairs Specialist, USDA

  • Almond Orchards Prevail in Battle with Phytophthora

    SPONSORED CONTENT

    How one California almond grower managed over-soaked orchards to prevent devastating soilborne pathogens.

    BY BETHANY MACON 

    Losing crops is a reality of farming, especially when you’re battling weather, new pests and emerging diseases. Seeing a few acres of your life’s work perish is tough, but the threat of losing your entire operation is a different type of sting. One California almond grower shares how soil health improvements made his orchards vulnerable to disease and how he was able to bring them back from the brink of total devastation.

    Trees Lost to Unusually Wet Weather Worsened by Soil Prep

    Whole orchard recycling is a process to reincorporate an outgoing orchard in preparation for planting a new one. Mature trees are felled and ground into woodchips, which are then spread and incorporated into the soil. The University of California found that this process can help improve water retention. The issue for John Fassler, a California pest advisor who went through whole orchard recycling, was that the moist soil and greater-than-normal rainfall turned his orchards into the perfect breeding ground for oomycete pathogens like Phytophthora.

    Fassler has consulted at Braden Farms where they used whole orchard recycling as a way to prepare for planting a new orchard. “This is a fairly new process, which means we’re learning as we go,” he says. “Some issues we’ve seen have been a rise in fungal diseases, such as Phytophthora and other replant diseases.”

    Mother Nature hasn’t helped the fungal disease risk, especially at the beginning of the 2023 growing season. California experienced greater than average annual precipitation in 2023, breaking numerous records and ending three years of persistent drought, according to the California Nevada River Forecast Center.

    “We’ve had significant rainfall in California the last two years, so this has really intensified the battle with Phytophthora in some spots,” says Ashley Bandoni, Syngenta sales representative and California almond grower.

    Fassler experienced devastation due to those heavy rains. One of his orchards was completely submerged, worsening the orchard’s Phytophthora issues.

    “We lost about 500 trees on this block due to Phytophthora and replant disease,” says Fassler. “Phytophthora is becoming more and more of an issue in these wetter years.”

    Phytophthora Overtakes Young Almond Trees

    Many California growers and crop consultants have been battling fungal disease challenges.

    Ethan Nicol, an independent pest control advisor and crop consultant for Balanced Agronomics, helped one of his customers manage extreme Phytophthora in a young almond orchard.

    Planted in the fall of 2021, Nicol began seeing early symptoms of Phytophthora infections the following spring. Young trees like the ones in the orchard Nicol manages tend to be more susceptible to disease because their root systems and crown areas are smaller compared to those of mature trees, according to the University of California Department of Agriculture.

    “In that first 2022 season, we observed maybe 30 percent of the orchard was infected,” says Nicol. “By mid-August, we had really grown to realize the significance of the issue.”

    Coming Back from Orchard Devastation

    For both Nicol and Fassler, almond yield potential was on the line and devastation was just over the horizon. They both had a tough decision to make.

    “As far as doing our research going into it, usually we have the Syngenta reps come in to help us decide if the product will be a good fit for us,” says Fassler. “We also ask about how the product differentiates itself from what we’ve already been doing.”

    After discussions with their local Syngenta experts, Fassler and Nicol decided to apply Orondis® fungicide to help save their orchards. Fassler says his flooded orchard plot turned around.

    “My experience with Orondis changed up our program,” says Fassler. “We’ve been able to work it into our program really well and we didn’t lose one tree this year.”

    Nicol’s experience with Orondis was also nothing short of extraordinary. Before application, Nicol was working with the grower to continuously remove and replant dead trees. They lost roughly 600 almond trees — six ranches — to Phytophthora. Once Orondis was applied in 2023, Nicol observed a noticeable decline in newly infected trees.

    [quotes quotes_style=”bpull” quotes_pos=”center”] My experience with Orondis changed up our program. We’ve been able to work it into our program really well and we didn’t lose one tree this year.  —John Fassler, California Pest Advisor [/quotes]

    “We were confident in the success that we were seeing by the replants taking and growing strongly, and the existing trees continuing to grow and not develop signs of Phytophthora,” says Nicol. “Going into 2024, just as a precaution and to help protect this investment, we made an additional Orondis application. There’s been almost no sign of infected trees this season.”

    Growers Also Need Care

    If Fassler and Nicol didn’t have the guidance and support of their Syngenta representatives, their almond orchards might have been lost.

    “I’ve worked with Syngenta for probably about the last 20 years, and through the years we’ve had many different experiences,” says Fassler. “Syngenta has always been there to help us through and guide us through what needed to be done.”

  • New Studies Show Soil Health Practices Increase Farm Profitability

    Today, American Farmland Trust(AFT), the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®,is releasing four case studies that show that healthier soil on farmland brings economic benefits to farmers and environmental benefits to society. These case studies were developed in partnership with USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS).

    AFT Water Initiative Director Dr. Michelle Perez, the lead researcher on the project, is unveiling the case studies at the Soil and Water Conservation Society annual conference today. The case studies were developed as part of a 2018 NRCS Conservation Innovation Grant (CIG) project, “Accelerating Soil Health Adoption by Quantifying Economic and Environmental Outcomes and Overcoming Barriers on Rented Lands,”and feature farms in California, Illinois, Ohio and New York.

    “Increasingly, we understand that better soil health – and specific practices aimed at building soil organic matter, fostering microbial life in the soil, reducing nutrient loss, and protecting soil from erosion – lead to higher net income for farming operations. These case studies contribute to the growing body of quantitative evidence that improving soil health increases farmer profitability,” said Dr. Perez.

    The two-page case studies focus on corn-soybean production in Illinois and Ohio, almond production in California and a diversified rotation (sweet corn, alfalfa, corn for silage or grain) in New York. The four farmers featured implemented soil health practices like no-till or strip-till, nutrient management, cover crops, compost, and mulching.

    “When it comes to conservation, producers have to make decisions based on what makes the most sense for their operations,” said NRCS Chief Matthew Lohr. “These case studies provide information on the economic benefits of using soil health management systems, demonstrating the value of adopting these systems.”

    With soil health management, producers can increase their yield, decrease their risk and input costs, and improve their profits, all while conserving our nation’s resources for the public at large, on their farms, in their watersheds, and beyond. Soil health management systems are good for farmers and for the public.

    “Increased implementation of soil health is critical to AFT’s holistic approach to saving the land that sustains us. Ensuring a sustainable future for this planet and our society requires we value the land, the practices on the land and the people who steward that land. AFT’s case studies showcase farmers who took the risk and are now enjoying the benefits of implementing practices that will support food production for a growing population while improving our environment and sequestering carbon. Farmers across the country can now embrace these practices and, with the help of staffers from AFT and our partner NRCS, put them into practice with greater confidence and profitability,” says John Piotti, AFT president and CEO.

    Highlights from the case studies include:

    • All four of the farmers profiled saw improved yields ranging from 2% to 22% that they attributed, in part, to their soil health practices. The average return on investment was 176% for the four farms in the study and ranged from 35% to 343%. The study accounted for other factors at play in increased yield such as improved seed varieties and increased seeding rates.
    • All four farmers saw improved water quality outcomes, both by witnessing reduced soil and water runoff and as estimated by USDA’s Nutrient Tracking Tool (NTT). NTT estimated that nitrogen reductions ranged from 40% to 98%, phosphorus reductions ranged from 74% to 92%; and sediment reductions ranged from 76% to 96% from specific fields in each farm.
    • All four farmers saw improved climate outcomes, as estimated by USDA’s COMET-Farm Tool. The tool estimated that total greenhouse gas emission reductions from specific fields in each farm ranged from 16% to 560%, corresponding to taking three-fourths of a car to 17 cars off the road.

    All four farmers have been implementing different soil health practices over different time frames and a variety of cropping systems. With these case studies and the ones that will be released in the fall, AFT is building a diverse library of on-farm examples of soil health investments that have led to economic gain.

    We hope that farmers who have been considering adding soil health practices to their operation will be able to use these case studies to approach their existing landowners, from whom they rent their land, to discuss sharing the risks and rewards of the soil health investments. We think farmers may be able to use the case studies with a new landlord to add new fields. Should that materialize, we hope farmers will also share the case studies with their bankers to secure additional financing for the farm expansion.

    Farmers across the country can reach out to their local NRCS and Soil and Water Conservation District staff to help them implement soil health practices on their farm. In the watersheds featured in the four case studies, farmers can reach out to both the local NRCS and SWCD staff as well as the four AFT authors of the case studies.

    We hope our conservation partners at NRCS, SWCD and Extension, plus our partners in the private sector, crop consultants, cover crop seed dealers, and strip-till equipment providers, use these case studies with their customers to help answer questions about the costs and benefits of adopting soil health practices.

    AFT’s first four case studies can be foundon AFT’s “Accelerating Soil Health” webpage.

    American Farmland Trust is the only national organization that takes a holistic approach to agriculture, focusing on the land itself, the agricultural practices used on that land, and the farmers and ranchers who do the work. AFT launched the conservation agriculture movement and continues to raise public awareness through our No Farms, No Foodmessage. Since our founding in 1980, AFT has helped permanently protect over 6.5 million acres of agricultural lands, advanced environmentally-sound farming practices on millions of additional acres and supported thousands of farm families.

    USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) mission is “Helping People Help the Land.” NRCS helps America’s farmers, ranchers and forest landowners conserve the nation’s soil, water, air and other natural resources. All programs are voluntary and offer science-based solutions that benefit both the landowner and the environment.