KSTE Farm Hour

California farmers are getting more nervous about pending losses in the tariff war between China and the United States. California farmers are hearing about some of their goods, rotting away at China’s port cities, due to what the Chinese are calling qualitative tariffs. We’ll explain. A local Republican Congressman introduced a bill to phase out farm subsidies. How did that vote go down? We’ll tell you. You know about California’s farm to fork trend, to encourage more local consumption of nearby farm products. Did you know about the farm to flower shop push? How about the farm to mug movement? Yep, we take a look at locally grown beer. All that, crop reports, and a lot more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

California’s farmers will be on the receiving end of a big economic hit if the U.S. government doesn’t provide relief from the proposed agricultural tariffs threatened by China, Canada, Mexico and Europe. We have the latest from Washington. California’s pear harvest will be down this year, but prices for the crop will rise. Wild pigs are back in the news, and there’s a move afoot at the state Capitol to increase the hunting of these major farm pests. Processing tomatoes are a major crop in our area, and the local farm advisor who has overseen the changes in this industry over the decades is retiring. We have a conversation with Gene Miyao, who talks about the changes and innovations of growing tomatoes in the Sacramento area over the last 40 years. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour. Let’s get started!

Trade issues and threatened tariffs with several foreign countries, especially China, pose a risk to the state’s agricultural exports. Farmers need workers. And the prospects for getting easier access to skilled foreign agricultural labor are dim, due to the immigration issues currently facing the U.S. Two pests are back on the CA farm scene: West Nile Virus for horses, and a parasitic plant, broomrape, that’s threatening crops in Yolo County and the Delta. Central Valley Project ag customers south of the Delta will get more water. How Ventura County employed hawks to kill rodents that were destroying levees. All that, plus crop reports, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The single biggest agricultural commodity in California is dairy, which produces more than six billion dollars in revenue a year. But dairy farmers in the Golden State are weathering a big storm. About 230 dairy operations in California have closed during the last five years. Not helping the survival of dairy in California is all the uncertainty of the tariff wars with Mexico and Canada. But one lifeline thrown to California’s dairy farmers recently is their new participation in the federal milk marketing order. We have the details. The U.S. Senate has passed its version of the Farm Bill, which contains some promising news for potential hemp growers. What’s wrong with the sunflowers growing in Yolo, Sutter and Solano Counties? We delve into the mysteries of abiotic disorders of the local sunflower crops with a University of California expert. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The outbreak of Virulent Newcastle Disease in poultry flocks in Southern California is growing. We have the details. 1.4 million Californians have no access to broadband internet at any speed. And that includes many farm areas of California. We find out why high speed internet access is vital to the success of farming in the Golden State in the 21st century. Farmers in Northeastern California are nervous. No water allocations have been issued for 2018 for growers in the Klamath River Basin. We’ll tell you why. All that, crop reports, and an update on the reconstruction of the Oroville Dam spillways…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour!

The on-again, off-again, Trump-mandated tariffs are on again. At least, at this moment. This time, the target are imports of steel and aluminum from our closest neighbors, Canada, Mexico as well as the European Union. Retaliations may be hitting the exports of California’s farmers and ranchers. We have that report. Is the food from Farmers Markets healthier for you? We take a look, and we have tips if you want to start a farmers market. Also, an in-depth look at the latest threat to California’s poultry - Virulent Newcastle Disease, which is spreading among exhibition chickens in Southern California. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

A combination of Congressional Democrats and conservative Republicans voted down the 2018 farm bill last week. We’ll tell you why, and offer the latest assessment for when it will come up to a vote again in Congress. Apparently, we’re friends with China again. We report on progress in US/China trade talks and the tariffs that did not materialize. California farmers are wide-eyed at the prospect of growing a drought-tolerant crop that fetches $90,000 an acre at harvest time. Yes, we are talking hemp, and the prospects for its legalization are increasing. We have an in-depth report on this crop with 25,000 uses. All that, the latest crop news, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

This week, there’s good news and not-so-good news for California farmers when it comes to proposed reservoir projects and the state’s almond growers. What is the future for cherries in California? A local farm advisor says the changing weather will have a serious impact. California’s flower growers love Mother’s Day more than Valentine’s Day, for a very good reason. We will tell you why. It’s a never ending battle: drip irrigation systems versus rodents. We’ll take a look at strategies for combating this voracious farm pest. All that, crop reports and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Can atmospheric river events be converted into groundwater storage? Researchers offer clues to this possibility. Who will pay for Oroville Dam spillway repairs? The Feds say, “not us!” Stockpiling vaccine to ward off an outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease. Is the addition of biochar to the soil practical on California’s farms? Crop reports.

Local farmers are still assessing and attempting to mitigate damage due to last year’s heavy rains. We visit one area walnut grower to find out what he’s doing to insure a healthy walnut crop. More and more California ag officials are concerned about the ramifications of the Trump administration’s proposed tariffs, and the blowback that California’s farmers, especially, will have to endure. Plus, a report on 2018’s almond problems, the outlook for the state’s vegetable crops, the continuing reality soap opera, "All My Delta Tunnels", and the story of one local, award winning, olive oil producer. All that and more on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.