Growing the Valley

Dr. Ken Shackel (UC Davis) sits down to discuss what we know about coping with drought in almond production.

For more information consult the UC Almond Drought Tip.

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only. The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

In the 200th episode of Growing the Valley Podcast – Sarah Castro (UC Davis) discusses exciting new varieties in the prune breeding program.

Mark your calendars for the August 4th UC Davis Prune Breeding Program Summer Field Meeting!

If you can come to the meeting, or if you want to learn more about trialing a new variety, please email: scastro AT ucdavis.edu

Learn more about these varieties on SacValleyOrchards.com.

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Phoebe, Luke, and Roger Duncan (UCCE Stanislaus) discuss results out of their respective regional almond variety trial sites.

Additional resources:

Two walnut meetings on Thursday, June 16. UCCE Walnut rootstock field meeting in Lake County & in Princeton (Colusa County), from CAFF: Biologically Integrated Orchards Systems (BIOS): Predatory Mite Release, Predator Attractants, and Cover Crops in Walnuts.

Thursday June 23 at 8:30 AM: Almond Variety Trial & Irrigation Management Demonstration at the Butte County trial site (CSU Chico Farm).

The research report of the 2020 results is the main source material for the conversation.

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Spotted Lanternfly is in the United States and could pose a threat to some of the specialty crops we grow here in California. Surendra Dara explains what it is, where it has been found, and what crops are most vulnerable in today’s episode.

Image courtesy of Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture Website.

You can find out more about upcoming events at: https://www.sjvtandv.com/upcoming-events and https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Dr. Mae Culumber (Fresno County) and Dr. Brent Holtz (San Joaquin County) discuss how Whole Orchard Recycling—the practice of incorporating recycled wood chips from old orchards into soil prior to planting a new orchard—can improve tree growth, nutrient use efficiency, and soil physical properties. They also discuss some incentive programs that can offset the cost of Whole Orchard Recycling for growers: Alternatives to Agricultural Open Burning Incentive Program (San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District)  and Healthy Soils Program (CDFA)

Upcoming Events:

June 1, Wed, 8:30-11:30: Tulare Co. Walnut Field Day

June 1, Wed, 9:00-12:00: Oil Olive Irrigation Field Day

June 7, Tues, 8:30-11:30: Sutter/Yuba Walnut Field Day

June 8, Wed, 8:00-12:00: North Valley Nut Conference, Glenn Co.

June 9, Thurs, 8:00-12:00: Glenn Co. Walnut Field Day

June 16, Thurs: 8:30-11:30: Lake Co. Walnut Field Day

June 16, Thurs, 9:00-12:00: Biologically Integrated Orchards Systems (BIOS): Predatory Mite Release, Predator Attractants, and Cover Crops in Walnuts 

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Phoebe and Luke step up to the plate once again to see who wins this month’s one minute challenge! They also discuss farm call trends and other issues.

San Joaquin Valley event list: https://www.sjvtandv.com/upcoming-events

Sacramento Valley event list: https://www.sacvalleyorchards.com/events/list/

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

In today’s episode, Phoebe talks with Spencer Cooper of the Almond Board of California on how to go from running water through your orchard to precise irrigation timing and management. While Spencer works for the ABC, the basics of irrigation management are the same for every crop, so make sure to listen to this episode to find out why the shovel, soil auger, and water meter are core technologies that every grower should be using to manage their orchard.

Music by Muriel Gordon. We would like to thank the Almond Board of California and the California Pistachio Research Board for providing funding for this podcast.

Mallika Nocco (Specialist at UC Davis) discusses ETa with Phoebe, as well as some research she is doing to try to develop a method for managing irrigation in an orchard with remote sensing.

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Climate change is a threat to high chill crops like walnuts, and we know very little about how these plants will react (they’re too big to do controlled climate studies on!). Katherine Jarvis-Shean was funded to examine how walnuts respond to low chill winters, and whether rest breaking agents may help in a low chill year. In this episode, she describes the clever way she reduces winter chill accumulation in walnut trees, and early results.

Mention of a trade name is not an endorsement or recommendation, discussion of some of the products in the episode is for research uses only. Always check the label before applying.

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv

Dr. Roger Baldwin (UCCE Specialist: Human-Wildlife Conflict Resolution) discusses management of vertebrate pests: ground squirrels, voles, moles, roof rats, and deer mice.

Resource links for managing vertebrate pests in agricultural systems:

Ground squirrels: http://www.groundsquirrelbmp.com/

 Voles: http://vpcrac.org/files/4314/7612/1259/Meadow_vole_chapter.pdf

 Deer Mice: http://vpcrac.org/files/3114/7612/0294/Deer_mice.pdf

Roof rats and deer mice: https://anrcatalog.ucanr.edu/pdf/8513.pdf; http://ipm.ucanr.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn74106.html

Thank you to the Almond, Pistachio, Prune, and Walnut Boards of California for their kind donations. Thank you to Muriel Gordon for the music.

The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the speaker’s own and do not represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of the University of California. The material and information presented here is for general information purposes only.  The "University of California" name and all forms and abbreviations are the property of its owner and its use does not imply endorsement of or opposition to any specific organization, product, or service.

Follow us on Twitter! @SacOrchards and @SJVtandv