Agroinsurance

USA - Crop production mixed bag for New Mexico in 2014

It comes as little surprise that New Mexico's crop production numbers for 2014 are tied closely to ongoing problems associated with the drought. USDA's January annual crop report indicates irrigated crops fared well last year while dryland crops slipped behind previous year's numbers.While a continued shortage of rainfall forced wheat production down, sorghum, hay and cotton production continued to show strength both as a preferred crop by farmers, especially in the southeastern region of the state, and as a crop that remained high in demand.New Mexico State University Extension reports southeastern New Mexico's large herds of dairy cattle continue to provide a steady demand for hay and grain each year, making hay, especially high-quality alfalfa, along with sorghum and other grains, profitable. While last year's wheat production was largely a dryland crop, grain and hay were generally grown in irrigated fields.The USDA annual report notes the drop in the state's wheat production was significantly down from 2013, about a 33 percent decline overall. Peanut production was also down significantly, about 29 percent off 2013 numbers. On the opposite end of the spectrum, cotton, sorghum and hay crop production rose slightly in 2014 over the previous year's crop.In Roosevelt County, peanut production represented the greatest loss in crop production with planted acres falling considerably since 2013. Roosevelt County Extension agent Patrick Kircher says the county was once a leader in production of high-quality Valencia peanuts, but since the Sunland Peanuts processing plant closed in 2012, peanut production has dropped dramatically as more and more growers are turning to other crops as an alternative.Valencia peanuts are difficult to grow and without a local market, producers have been forced to turn to alternative crops.Sunland had been a driving force for peanut growers in Eastern New Mexico as well as for growers across the border in the Texas Panhandle. The plant was the largest producer of organic peanut butter in the nation when it closed in the fall of 2012 after U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) inspectors uncovered numerous violations, following a nationwide salmonella outbreak that sickened as many as 42 people in 20 states.When the facility was shuttered, high-grade Valencia peanut growers were left holding the bag because of unpaid deliveries in its final days, as were the plant's major creditors. After months of negotiations and heated discussions in a U.S. Bankruptcy court, the plant was finally closed and has not reopened. As a result, once-popular peanut production in the area may never recover.Source - http://southwestfarmpress.com

USA - Freezing temperatures leave citrus growers worried

With a freeze warning issued in Marion and Flagler counties, citrus growers are concerned they could lose their harvest or even the entire crop of trees.“They are coming off really easy,” said Huey Reed, a citrus grower. “That’s one of the reasons we are getting them off now.”With a freeze warning in effect for the next couple of nights, Reed knows a thing or two about frozen orange trees.“We are so far north for citrus, south Marion County is more susceptible to freeze than pretty much anywhere else in Florida,” Reed said.His family has been growing citrus in Marion County since the 1800s. They now have 80 acres, but he estimates they’ve planted and replanted 500 acres in his lifetime after a pair of freezes wiped out the entire groves.“When you got to replant, you are looking at seven to eight years until production so it’s a big loss,” Reed said.He’ll be running his irrigation system in low-lying areas at first.With it expected to be even colder overnight Thursday to Friday, he plans to wet down the entire grove.It’s a little different than an early season freeze, with ice insulating the fruit. Now the goal is just to protect the trees with the water raising the temperatures out here as much as three degrees.Luckily except for grapefruit, most of the citrus has already been shipped or is in the family store. But with the trees still at risk, the next couple nights will be restless ones.“Usually we come out several times in the middle of the night and check on it, see if there’s any ice,” Reed said.Source - http://www.mynews13.com

New Zealand - Fruit fly huge risk to industry

With the kiwifruit harvest just weeks away, orchardists are anxiously hoping the Queensland fruit fly found in Auckland on Monday is not part of a breeding population.Neil Trebilco, president of the New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Inc, says if there is a breeding population, the ramifications for kiwifruit and the whole horticultural industry will be huge.“If a fruit fly was found in the Bay of Plenty at the end of March,” says Neil, “it could stop kiwifruit exports and put huge costs onto an industry which has struggled to overcome the impacts of the vine disease Psa.“At this stage it's just one insect and we hope that's all it is.”The insect caught in a trap in Grey Lynn could have arrived on a piece of fruit in luggage, and Neil is urging travellers, in particular New Zealanders returning home, to make sure they don't bring fruit into the country.If someone with a single piece of fruit containing fruit fly larvae arrives in the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay or any other major horticultural area and the insect becomes established as a result, it will cost the country and its industries millions of dollars and the loss of jobs.Neil says the current response operation to the Grey Lynn find is a test of the kiwifruit's industry's relationship with the government through the Government Industry Agreement on Biosecurity Readiness and Response.“The GIA is about readiness and response, but we would hope we can also have some input into boarder control,” he adds.“We are happy with the Ministry for Primary Industry's response measures to fruit fly, but as trapping of flies is becoming more common, we are worried that a population could become established here.”Responding to a fruit fly find is a bit like an ambulance at the bottom of the cliff, Neil says.“We need ambulances, but it's also wise to make sure the fence at the top is strong,” he explainsYesterday Barry O'Neil, CEO of Kiwifruit Vine Health, called for a return to 100 per cent baggage x-ray for passengers arriving from Australia and greater examination of fresh produce in an effort to detect fruit fly at the border.These views are shared by Horticulture New Zealand, which also wants 100 per cent x-ray of passenger bags reinstated at international airports, at least until the summer ends.For the fourth time in three years, New Zealand's $5 billion horticulture industry and all 5500 commercial fruit and vegetable growers are waiting to see how bad this detection will be.“So far it is only one fly,” says HortNZ president Julian Raine. “We fully support the Ministry for Primary Industries' response to this threat.“We also ask the public to back the Ministry's efforts, especially in the exclusion zone areas, as this pest will also have big impacts on home gardeners.”The risk to the $6 billion New Zealand horticulture industry (including fruit, vegetables and wine) from the Queensland Fruit Fly is two-fold:• The destruction caused by the pest and the on-going cost of attempting to control it.• The cost of international markets closing to our products.Source - http://www.sunlive.co.nz

USA- Drought Could Reduce Fresh Produce For Needy In Santa Clara County

San Jose-based Second Harvest Food Bank, the country’s largest distributor of fresh produce for the needy, is concerned that another drought year for California could reduce its supply of surplus food, a spokeswoman said today.The lack of precipitation in California this January has Second Harvest, which provides fresh fruit and vegetables to 250,000 people in Santa Clara and San Mateo counties every month, worried that the state is in for a fourth straight year of drought, the group’s chief executive officer Kathy Jackson said.Crop yields in places such as California’s Central Valley could be down, meaning that less of the state’s yield would be available for donation to food banks by grocery stores, Jackson said.In 2014, Second Harvest received almost 30 million pounds of fruits and vegetables from growers and the California Association of Food Banks for low-income people, the largest amount of any food bank in the nation, she said.Second Harvest doled out the produce to 330 non-profits for 770 sites such as pantries, soup kitchens, shelters, schools and community centers run by groups including the Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and YMCA, she said.Most of the donated produce is in “grade B” condition, cosmetically marred, too large or thin for markets to accept for sale and so made available for free by growers to food banks, which pay only the costs of packaging and transporting it, she said.“We’re the wholesales and aggregators of the food,” she said.But Second Harvest officials believe that as the drought continues there will be smaller crops, causing the markets to relax their standards and accept the grade B produce for sale to shoppers, meaning less for the food banks.Also, less rainfall may encourage farmers to grow fewer of the row crops Second Harvest uses the most, including cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, watermelon, onions and tomatoes, to save more water for trees and vines, she said.Less produce from the Central Valley and environs would also mean that Second Harvest would have to import more farm products from Yuma, Arizona, increasing the bank’s packaging and transportation costs.“At the end of the day it really comes down to money, because it will cost us extra to buy fresh fruit and vegetables or we have will have to bring them from further afield,” she said.The California Department of Water Resources reported that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada, an important source of the state’s water, was only 25 percent of its average in January, usually a wet month.The agency’s website reported that “nearing month’s end, January 2015 was shaping up to be the driest start of the year in California’s weather records” and the lack of rain “has increased the likelihood that California’s drought will extend into its fourth consecutive year and last throughout 2015.”According to a Feb. 11 drought report on the website of National Climatic Data Center, part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, California as a whole recorded the fourth driest January on record last month and the fifth consecutive January that was drier than normal.San Francisco recorded no rain at all for January for the first time since the city started keeping records 167 years ago -- the normal for the month is 4.5 inches -- and Sacramento saw nearly nothing, only 0.01 inch of rain, the worst for January since records began in 1877, according to the data center.Source - http://patch.com

USA - Some soybean yield losses caused by weather variations

Researchers have determined that precipitation and temperature variations over the past 20 years have suppressed the U.S. average soybean yield gain — how much it improves every year — by around 30 percent, contributing to an industry loss of $11 billion nationwide.In Ohio alone, that soybean yield suppression is estimated to have cost some $2.9 billion during the past 20 years, according to a new study co-authored by a field crops expert in the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences at The Ohio State University.Global annual temperatures have increased by 0.4 C (0.72 F) since 1980, with several regions exhibiting even greater increases, said Laura Lindsey, a soybean and small grains specialist with Ohio State University Extension and a co-author of the study. OSU Extension is the college’s outreach arm.And for every 1 C (1.8 F) rise in temperature during the growing season, soybean yields fell by about 2.4 percent, the study found.In Ohio, that translates into about a third of a bushel per acre per year yield loss, Lindsey said.“During the past 20 years, temperature and precipitation have been changing, and that change is associated with yield reductions and economic loss that is region-specific,” she said. “States including Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa and North Dakota have experienced negative impacts on yield due to weather variables.“Missouri suffered the most negative impact with an estimated loss of $5 billion during the past 20 years, while Ohio had the next highest loss, at $2.9 billion.”The study, which appears in the February 2015 journal Nature Plants, was co-authored by James E. Specht, researcher with the University of Nebraska; and Spyridon Mourtzinis, Francisco J. Arriaga and Shawn P. Conley, all researchers with the University of Wisconsin-Madison.The study is based on data gleaned from 12 states, including data from Ohio State researchers’ Ohio Soybean Performance Trials, which document temperatures, changes in cultural practices, soybean varieties and technology in soybean production from 1970 to the present, Lindsey said.The U.S. is one of the world’s largest soybean exporters, with some 80 percent of its soybeans being grown in the upper Midwest. Since most of that production is not irrigated, soybean production in the region is highly affected by weather conditions during the growing season, according to the study.While more state-specific research is needed to help mitigate some of the weather variability, according to the study, some crop management strategies could help limit the potential negative impacts of weather variations on crop yields.“Strategies include the development of new cultivars and hybrids, the use of altered maturity groups, changes in planting dates, the use of cover crops, and greater management of crop residues from the previous year,” Lindsey said. “If we don’t develop strategies to mitigate weather variability, it could have a long-term impact on soybean farmers, the soybean industry, trade policy, consumer food prices, food security and the economy.”The study’s other contributors and co-authors include William J. Wiebold, University of Missouri; Jeremy Ross, University of Arkansas; Emerson D. Nafziger, University of Illinois; Herman J. Kandel, North Dakota State University; Nathan Mueller, South Dakota State University; and Philip L. Devillez, with Purdue University.Source - http://www.agprofessional.com

Australia - Heightened risk of soil diseases and pests prompts testing advice and focus sessions

Pre-seeding paddock sampling to detect the presence of soilborne diseases and pests takes on renewed importance this year.The recommendation to test suspect paddocks comes on the back of evidence of increased levels of fusarium crown rot, take-all, rhizoctonia bare patch and root lesion nematodes (RLN) across many parts of WA.A blanket management strategy can’t be used for all soilborne diseases and pests, so it is vital to know what’s in the paddock by using soil and stubble testing services.This can help with rotation planning for 2015, as consecutive cereal crops are at the highest risk of yield losses and crop and variety choice following cereals is a major management strategy to break disease and pest cycles.The 2015 Agribusiness Crop Updates, hosted by the Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC) and the Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) at Crown Perth on February 24 and 25, will have a major focus on the latest GRDC-funded research into control and management of soilborne pests and diseases.Testing for soilborne diseases and pests in 2015The South Australian Research and Development Institute (SARDI) PreDicta-B® DNA-based soil test is available from February to June through accredited agronomists.It can detect the presence of common fungal crown or root disease pathogens (including take-all, rhizoctonia bare patch and crown rot) and nematode pests (including some RLNs) in suspect paddocks.High risk paddocks that are ideal for testing include those where: bare patches, uneven growth or whiteheads were noticed in last year’s cereal crops; yields were unexpectedly poor last year; cereals followed cereals or grassy pastures; or where land has been newly purchased/leased.The major recent change to the PreDicta-B® testing service involves the addition of stubble pieces to the soil sample. Sampling guidelines include: Collect three cores (1cm diameter X 10cm deep) from each of 15 different locations in the target paddock or sampling zone Take cores from along the rows of previous cereal crops if visible and retain any stubble collected by the core Add one piece of cereal stubble (if present) to the sample bag at each of the 15 sampling locations. Each piece should include the segment from the crown to the first node (discard material from above the first node) Maximum sample weight should not exceed 500g.The e-version of the PreDicta-B® root disease manual has been reformatted for easier use on mobile devices and can be downloaded by accredited agronomists.Through its Soil Biology II initiative, GRDC-funded research is also continuing into broadening the range of tests available through PreDicta-B®.Testing soil and stubble samples to correctly identify soilborne diseases and pests can also be carried out by the Department of Agriculture and Food, Western Australia’s (DAFWA) diagnostics service, AGWEST Plant Laboratories (APL).It is important to send whole plants – including intact root systems and soil – for healthy and suspect samples.Healthy soils to feature in Crop Updates programLatest breakthroughs in research to control and manage soilborne fungal diseases will be presented at the Agribusiness Crop Updates.DAFWA plant pathologist Daniel Hüberli and Trevor Klein, of Syngenta, will focus on Rhizoctonia solani AG8 and management of crown rot.DAFWA researchers Martin Harries and Greg Shea and CSIRO’s Roger Lawes will outline key findings from the WA Focus Paddock project, which – among other things – has been tracking soilborne disease and pest incidence in 184 paddocks across the State for the past five years.The Focus Paddocks have shown that, generally, levels of disease detected using PreDicta-B® on WA soils have been low (the majority of the focus paddocks have had DNA levels below detection or at levels associated with a low risk of yield loss).But, the incidence and severity in paddocks with pathogen DNA detected has increased during the study period - for most pathogens in medium and high risk areas.Martin Harries says the highest DNA levels were recorded before sowing in 2014, after the dry 2013-14 summer, and the southern region had higher soil DNA levels for most pathogens.He says crop species and rotation sequences affected disease levels.When canola or pasture was in a paddock, the level of the RLN Pratylenchus neglectus DNA in soil increased during the growing season. This indicates canola and pastures are a host for this nematode.In lupin and field pea paddocks, levels of P. neglectus DNA decreased.As WA growers are switching from pulses or lupins to canola for a break crop, the researchers warn there is a potential risk of increasing RLN issues.The Focus Paddock results for rhizoctonia bare patch found canola was the only species to suppress this pathogen during the growing season.Martin says this indicates that sowing canola in paddocks with a high risk of yield loss to rhizoctonia would be a good strategy.The Focus Paddocks are part of the GRDC-DAFWA Putting the Focus on Profitable Crop and Pasture Sequences in WA project and involve a collaborative effort with the grower groups: Liebe, Facey, WA No Tillage Farmers Association and Mingenew Irwin Group.This project will continue in 2015 and more localised information from the Focus Paddocks will be presented at Regional Crop Updates across WA.2015 Soil disease resistance ratingsLatest crop variety disease resistance ratings, including for new 2015 releases, can be found on the National Variety Trials (NVT) website and the ‘Crop Diseases: forecast and management’ section of the DAFWA website (see ‘Useful Resources’ below for links).Source - http://www.newsmaker.com.au

The EU allocates 14,300 million Euro in aid to growers

On 13 February, the European Commission (EC) approved another 18 rural development programmes (RDP) aimed at boosting the competitiveness of the agricultural sector in the European Union (EU), to protect the landscapes and climate, and to strengthen the social and economic fabric of rural environments by 2020.These 18 programmes will have a budget of 14,300 million Euro and will be complemented by national or regional, as well as public or private supplementary financing. After the 9 programmes adopted in December, the total number of RDP's approved, so far, amounts to 27 (out of 118 programmes). These 27 RDP, totalling 35,000 million Euro, represent approximately 36% of the budget.Phil Hogan, Commissioner for Agriculture and Rural Development, welcomed the adoption of these decisions, and stated that "one of the great strengths of our concept of rural development is to have basic priorities, while each Member State or region also has the ability to design programmes that suit their particular situation and challenges, whether it is in the Azores, the Åland islands, Flanders or Slovakia. The approved programmes provide funding for a series of dynamic projects, including projects for the modernisation of agriculture in the Baltic republics, to attract more young people to the agricultural sector in Slovenia, and specific schemes to improve the quality of water in the Netherlands or protect 2.5 million hectares of farmland in England through environmentally-friendly land management systems. Boosting knowledge within our agricultural sector is an important aspect of the RDP's. I am pleased to confirm that the 18 programmes adopted today will ensure one million places in training courses."In the case of Spain, the Commissioner stated that "despite the fact that no budget has been allocated for now, the way is being paved for the adoption of the 18 Spanish rural development programmes, with 9,450 million Euro in European funds allocated for the period between 2014 and 2020."Nearly 100,000 millionSupport for rural development, considered one of the foundations of the CAP, ensures Member States are provided with financial support from the EU under multiannual programmes that is managed at national or regional level. In total, 118 programmes are planned for the 28 Member States with an allocation of 99,600 million Euro for the period between 2014 and 2020, granted through the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD). These measures are meant to attract national, regional and private supplementary financing.Source - http://www.freshplaza.com

New Zealand - Losses for fruit growers if irrigation shut down

A South Canterbury fruit grower says a financial loss is inevitable for his business once irrigation from the Opuha Dam is shut down.Redwood Cherries and Berries, on the Pleasant Point Highway, will be one of the consent-holders of the Opuha Dam hit hard if irrigation is shut down on February 25."There will be no water, so our strawberries will die," owner Steve Malone said yesterday.Malone and wife Jo started the orchard in 2005.Once the water stopped it would be a "matter of days" before crops died, he said.He predicted a loss of $20,000."We are picking strawberries every day, but once the water stops it will be all over rover."His autumn crop of raspberries will also be affected, he said.Malone explained the couple had a "sophisticated irrigation system" which involved planting strawberries in coconut fibre (within a bag).The controlled method of growing produced a "better and longer crop", he said."We had hoped all of 30,000 plants would be planted this way in June. However, if there's no water we will have to look at planting in pots instead."He said one option then could be to transport individual pots to another location where there is water.Geraldine's Pukeko Gardens owner Ian Hughes said: "the damage has been done".Hughes said he had lost a large number of his brassica crops [cauliflowers and cabbages] due to the heat and lack of water.His water supply had "virtually all dried up", he said.However, some other items he grew were doing well. "It's swings and roundabouts but even if we get two inches of rain tomorrow the damage has been done."Pleasant Point farmer Alan Warren said while he had his own water supply, the "higher than normal ground temperatures" were contributing to lower yields."While we are not restricted with water, strawberries are not flowering as much as they do due to the higher temperatures, and if you're not picking the fruit, you are not selling it," he said.Warren said the situation was worse for conventional orchard farmers."It's getting pretty serious."He had seen the price of strawberries escalate over the past two weeks.As the hot weather causes headaches for some growers there is an upside, Waipopo Orchards owners and brothers Danny and Peter Bennett said."The dry year has seen better fruit because there is less disease," Peter said.The orchard has its own water supply.The brothers felt for other farmers."It's not a very nice situation at all ... we certainly would like to see rain as there's nothing like rain," Danny said.Source - http://www.stuff.co.nz

USA - Scouting, managing wheat stripe rust infection at tillering stages

Over the past several weeks, hot spots of stripe rust have been observed in Louisiana, Arkansas, and as of yesterday one isolated field in Mississippi. Early observations of stripe rust, generally when wheat is in the tillering stages, can occur following a fall infection. Stripe rust on wheat at tillering stages will generally not form the “striping” pattern and will be more of a mass of pustules producing sporulation on leaves. While scouting the wheat variety trial plot yesterday (2/11/2015) in Stoneville, MS I was able to easily identify stripe rust in several plots with heavy sporulation. When observing wheat fields for the presence of stripe rust do not just focus on areas of fields with yellow plants. Keep in mind that many of the wheat fields throughout MS have a yellow hue to them due to the wet winter we’ve had to this point and overall poor nutrient uptake. As wheat fields dry out and the sun allows the plant to grow more “normally” the yellow hue in fields will likely dissipate. When scouting for stripe rust do not think that all yellow fields contain stripe rust or another disease, such as Barley yellow dwarf virus. For scouting purposes, the stripe rust that has been observed in AR and MS has been observed from the standing position. So at least you won’t need to be on hands and knees to observe the disease. But, with that in mind, there are times where infected leaves will be obscured by some of the aboveground foliage. Close inspection of wheat fields should be done. Scout for the presence of clumps of plants that may be infected with the fungus. Following the warm temperatures we have experienced over the past several weeks, stripe rust has had an extremely conducive environment to reproduce and infect additional wheat plants.Management optionsWheat plants, regardless of their overall response to the stripe rust fungus (resistant or susceptible), do not develop resistance to the stripe rust fungus until they reach “adult” stages. Therefore, all wheat varieties at the tillering growth stages are susceptible to the fungus. However, it is not known at what specific growth stage the adult plant resistance is expressed. Based on research conducted at other universities, stripe rust infection at the tillering stages can negatively affect yield performance. Fungicide application, even during tillering stages can reduce the overall potential yield loss as a result of winter stripe rust infection (if the disease is present in a field). Triazole products will provide a benefit in fields where infection centers (hot spots) are identified. However, keep in mind that many of the products that can be applied to wheat have strict label restrictions with regards to the number of applications and total fl oz/A that can be applied in a single season (e.g., propiconazole (8 fl oz/A total/season), tebuconazole (4 fl oz/a total/season)). Product selection and application should be based on the presence of stripe rust in a wheat field, overall yield potential of the field, and product availability. Keep in mind that numerous generic products that contain triazole active ingredients are likely available and can help save a tremendous amount of application cost. Also be mindful, a fungicide application does not “make” the wheat crop. Do not skip some of the more important management practices when growing your wheat crop and expect the fungicide to “rescue” the crop at the end of the day.Source - http://www.agprofessional.com

Canada - Early buds pose risk to B.C.’s blueberry crops

Warm winter weather has blueberries budding and bees buzzing weeks earlier than usual, but a return to normal winter weather could damage this year’s berry crop or hamper pollination.“You can see the buds starting to break on some of the early varieties and that’s something we usually like to see around mid-March,” said Jason Smith, a blueberry farmer and chairman of the BC Blueberry Council.One bud contains 10 to 14 flowers — each a potential blueberry — but they are vulnerable to frost damage.“It’s scary to be this warm this early,” he said. “We could easily get a cold snap that at this point could do a lot of damage. The buds are opening to the point where if we got to minus two, three, four, five degrees with a wind it would just suck the moisture out of those buds and make them non-productive.”Because different varieties of blueberries flower at different times, the chances of losing an entire crop to frost are low. But early flowering may also lead to poor pollination, which is essential for a robust crop.“If the plants start to flower early, the weather has be warm enough so the bees will come out of their hives or that could hugely effect (the crop),” said Smith.While some natural pollinators, such as bumble bees, are active at low spring temperatures, commercial pollinators require calm conditions and temperatures of about 16C to be effective over a large area, said Smith.So for the sake of their crops, farmers are hoping that if it gets warm, it stays warm enough so the bees can do their work.European honeybees — widely used in commercial fruit pollination — will not leave the hive to forage and pollinate in cool temperatures, Catherine Culley, president of the B.C. Honey Producers Association.And honeybees that do leave the hive to forage when daily temperatures peak may be unable to return if the temperature drops before they return.“They just stop flying and they can’t move,” said Culley. “You can lose a lot of bees that way.”If this year’s window for blueberry pollination comes weeks earlier than normal, farmers may find themselves scrambling to find hives to complete the work. A shortage of hives in 2013 hurt blueberry crops — cutting production by an estimated four to nine million kilograms — after beekeepers were unable to get enough hives ready for early season pollination.Source - http://www.vancouversun.com

USA - California crop weather

Heat built over the southern portion of the State as high pressure anchored over the area. Weak Santa Ana wind events drove highs into the lower 90s across the Los Angeles basin on multiple days last week. Elsewhere, the State felt the effects of the high, but these were much less pronounced. Temperatures varied considerably in a real sense, but almost none in the temporal sense, as locations saw essentially the same weather every day. Highs in the valley reached the 60s and 70s each day, while the coasts north of San Francisco and the mountains saw 50s. The desert had similar temperatures to the Los Angeles basin, with highs in the 80s. Lows showed a similar distribution: 40s in the valley and for the northern coast, 50s for the southern coast and desert. The difference was in the mountains, where minimums routinely dropped into the 20s and 30s, and the coldest locations dropped into the single digits. Monday was the only day this week where rain fell on portions of the State, and even this was scattered and light in nature. The rain fell on the northern portions of the State that are much less affected by the drought. With hot temperatures in the southern part of the State and the "wet" season entering its twilight stages, conditions look to only get worse. Warm temperatures continued to erode the meager snowpack in the mountains.FIELD CROPS: Wheat, oats, and other winter forage crops continued to grow well; the past weekend’s storms were beneficial. Still, some growers were irrigating to make up for the lack of rain. Alfalfa fields were being cultivated and planted. Field preparations continued for spring planting. Hay alfalfa was starting early and was showing early growth due to warm weather. The wheat crop was rated as 85 percent good to excellent. Pasture and rangeland condition was 55 percent poor to fair.FRUIT CROPS: Pruning and shredding continued in tree fruit and nut orchards. Unseasonably warm temperatures caused a few early variety stone fruit orchards to bloom. Fungicide applications were applied to protect the blooms. Grapevines were pruned and tied. Pre-emergent herbicide applications continued in fruit tree orchards and vineyards. Kiwifruit, Navel oranges, Cara Caras, Moro Bloods, Minneolas Tangelos, and lemons were packed and exported. Navel orange trees were topped in advance of the bloom. Seedless Mandarins and Murcotts were covered with netting to prohibit cross pollination. Olive trees were pruned.NUT CROPS: Early varieties of almonds were reported in full bloom. Pistachio and walnut pruning continued in nut orchards across the central portion of the State. Almonds, pistachios, walnuts, and pecans were exported.VEGETABLE CROPS: In Sutter County, weed control and field preparation for processing tomatoes continued.In Monterey County, planting continued for the first crop of lettuce and brassicas. There was no harvesting, but plenty of field work was performed. In Fresno County, spring planting of vegetables started. The dry conditions were conducive to early ground preparation. In Tulare County, fields continued to be prepared for spring and summer planting.Early varieties of summer vegetables (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and eggplant) were germinated in greenhouses. The spinach and broccoli fields were progressing well.LIVESTOCK: Rangeland feed conditions improved with the recent rains. More rain is needed to help germination and long term development of foothill grasses and forbs. Optimal weather conditions have increased dairy production. Local and interstate hives have been placed in almond and fruit orchards for pollination.Source - http://www.turlockjournal.com

USA - Cold temps could wipe out Michigan peaches

Agriculture contributes more than $91 billion to the state's economy -- so when we experience extreme conditions, farmers worry.Michigan apples are hardy and they usually survive even extreme cold temperatures, but Michigan peaches are at high risk. If air temps dip below -15 degrees for even an hour, the entire crop could be lost.Todd Quick owns Peach Ridge Farms and stood by his peach trees Friday."The buds look really good right now," explains Quick. "We will see tomorrow what the temperature brings."The forecasters are predicting extreme cold, and that has farmers like Quick scared.According to the USDA, in 2013 Michigan produced 41.2 million pounds of peaches, but when the weather turns bad, so does the crop. In 2012, cold cut the crop to only four million peaches."Every three years you plan on losing your crop," according to Quick.Peach trees in low-lying areas are the first to be impacted, as temperatures are lowest there. Planting a tree on higher ground is preferred, but when the cold weather comes there is nothing a farmer can do."Pray, but I don't live for the negative," said Quick. "I live for the positive; I see all the good that comes out of what I do."Source - www.wzzm13.com

USA - Farmers may qualify for drought help

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has previously designated natural disaster areas in 256 counties across Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Kansas, Nevada, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah due to drought conditions in 2015. Tulare County is one of the counties.Farmers and ranchers in designated areas may qualify for low interest emergency loans through USDA’s Farm Service Agency. Farmers in eligible counties have eight months from the date of the declaration to apply for loans to help cover part of their actual losses. Each loan application is considered on its own merits and based on the extent of losses, security available and repayment ability.In addition to drought, USDA’s Farm Service Agency also provides assistance for natural disaster loses resulting from flood, fire, freeze, tornadoes, pest infestation, and other calamities.These programs include:- Livestock Indemnity Program, which compensates eligible livestock producers that have suffered livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather. Eligible livestock includes beef cattle, dairy cattle, bison, poultry, sheep, swine, horses, and other livestock as determined by the Secretary.- Livestock Forage Disaster Program compensates eligible livestock producers that have suffered grazing losses due to drought or fire on publicly managed land.- Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honey Bees, & Farm-Raised Fish provides emergency assistance to eligible producers of livestock, honeybees and farm-raised fish that have losses due to disease, adverse weather, or other conditions, such as blizzards and wildfires, as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture.- Tree Assistance Program provides financial assistance to qualifying orchardists and nursery tree growers to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters.- Emergency Conservation Program helps farmers and ranchers to repair damage to farmlands caused by natural disasters and to help put in place methods for water conservation during severe drought.- Emergency Forest Rehabilitation Program helps the owners of non-industrial private forests restore forest health damaged by natural disasters.The 2014 Farm Bill also significantly improved the Noninsured Disaster Assistance Program by giving producers the option to select higher levels of risk protection for crops and commodities that do not have crop insurance available.Producers can determine whether Noninsured Disaster Assistance is available by visiting their local FSA office or using a Web-based tool.Source - http://www.recorderonline.com

USA - Farm Bill Brings New Crop Insurance Options in 2015

The latest farm bill passed last year means multiple changes, including additions to 2015 crop insurance.Ag experts say there are three big changes of note.Since the Farm Bill has passed, some notable changes are now in place and could impact how growers approach their insurance options for the upcoming year.One new insurance addition is the Supplemental Coverage Option.If producers opt for Price Loss Coverage, or the PLC farm program option, by the end of March, they are eligible to purchase Supplemental Coverage Option, or SCO insurance.SCO is based on county-wide average yields, compared to individual farm yields with typical crop insurance policies.Kent Thiesse, a Farm Management Analyst, says, "The individual coverage is calculated based on your individual farm units, the actual yields, and price. Whereas the SCO coverage is county-wide coverage based on average county yields and the average price."Maximum coverage with the SCO endorsement is 86% versus the individual coverage cap of 85%; for example, if a grower purchases 75% coverage with a PLC option, they are eligible to purchase an additional 11% SCO coverage.Another new option this year is Yield Exclusion.The APH Yield Exclusion option may be viable for farmers impacted by reduced yields.Yield Exclusion is available in eligible counties when a year's yield does not reach greater than 50% of the ten-year average. If that occurs, it is dropped from the APH yield guarantee calculation.No counties in our region qualify for this option for 2015.Thiesse says, "The yield exclusion in our area is probably a non-issue just because you have to be eligible for it to use it and it doesn't look like we're going to have counties in our area that are eligible."A final significant change is the requirement for being in compliance with USDA Highly Erodible Land Conservation and Wetland Conservation provisions in order to qualify for federal subsidies for crop insurance premiums.Thiesse, "For farmers that have been in the traditional farm programs, or taken advantage of disaster programs, or conservation programs, they're [likely] already in compliance with the Highly Erodible Conservation and Wetland provisions that the federal government has."Growers not in compliance would need to do so by June 1, 2015, or not be eligible to receive federal subsidies for insurance premiums.Growers are encouraged to work with their local insurance agent to determine this year's best policies before the March 15 deadline.Source - http://www.keyc.com

India - Farmers seek officials’ guidance

The Mela Puliyangudi farmers have appealed to Collector M. Karunakaran to ensure the early construction of Vaazhamalaiyaar dam in their area and also a team of officials to extend proper guidance to deal with the pest attack in lemon.In the petition submitted to the Collector, the farmers said a mysterious pest attack in the lemon trees, all yielding for the past several years, had seriously affected the trees which were on the verge of dying shortly.Hence, the officials concerned should be directed to help the affected farmers by extending proper suggestion to neutralise the pest attack.Moreover, the crop loss suffered by the farmers should be compensated adequately and the chemical and organic nutrients for lemon trees be given with cent per cent subsidy.The Vaazhamalaiyaar dam construction proposal, which had been gathering dust for the past several years, should be revived since more than 1,500 open wells in Mela Puliyangudi region would become dry and over 3,000 hectares of cultivable land would become barren if the much-awaited project was not executed.Besides the Vaazhamalaiyaar dam, steps should be taken for the construction of check-dams at various vantage points to augment groundwater table, the farmers said. “We’ve forwarded copies of this petition to the Chief Minister and the Minister for Agriculture also,” said R. Abdul Wahab, secretary of Mela Puliyangudi Farmers’ Association.Another group of farmers from Melapalayam submitted a petition to the Collector seeking his intervention to stop the conversion of cultivable lands in their area into housing plots.“As we’ve cultivated paddy, a particular group of people are disturbing our farming activities by purposely bringing the cattle for grazing in the cultivated lands. Since this strategy being employed by a particular group to discourage farmers from cultivating crop triggers tension, the Collector should intervene bring back normalcy,” said the farmers.Source - https://in.newshub.org