KSTE Farm Hour

Sacramento County farmers had a banner year in 2018, we have the numbers. San Joaquin Valley farmers in need of more surface water received a double dose of bad news recently; less water will be flowing southward from the Delta, and the plan to increase the capacity of Shasta Dam was put on hold. Many rural residents are familiar with how to safely operate a generator, but just in case you purchased your first one to deal with planned power outages, we have some tips for you. And, we pay a visit to Apple Hill, near Placerville, autumn’s hotbed of agritourism. All that, extended weather forecasts, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The U.S.-Japan trade deal is now official. But, there are winners and losers, including many important California agricultural commodities. Another widely used pesticide on California’s farms will be unavailable beginning in 2020. We have the details. Deadlines are approaching for water agencies throughout California to be in compliance with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. We take a deep dive into SGMA, and what it means for California’s farmers. All that, crop reports, the valley weather forecast, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The leading agricultural commodity in California is dairy. But the Golden State’s dairy operations have been beset by a large degree of uncertainty in trade relations with our neighbors as well as contraction of operations, to put it mildly. Recently, at the Wisconsin Dairy Expo, USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue didn’t exactly please the crowd when he talked about the future of small dairy farms. We have that report. Can solar panels give a farmer economic certainty in these very uncertain times? We crunch the numbers. The chickens are coming home to roost, pardon the farm metaphor, for the USDA and its relocation of its scientific and research departments from Washington DC to the midwest. And there’s a lot of money and information that’s not getting to farmers and researchers as a result. All that, crop reports, the week ahead in weather, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Growers of walnuts, pistachios and prunes, along with many other California farmers, got some good news this past week: the trade pact between the United States and Japan has been ratified. Although not much different than the language in the old Trans Pacific Partnership, at least now California farmers can get back to the business of selling their products to the state’s fourth largest export market for agricultural commodities. It’s good news and bad news for California grape growers. There’s plenty of grapes to harvest this year. The bad news? There’s now too many grapes and not enough customers. We have updates on the rice and pistachio harvests. And we explore the benefits of cover cropping. All that, crop reports, the weather in the week ahead, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

California farmers won a few political battles recently. On the federal level, WOTUS, the Waters of the United States rules, has officially been scaled back. Here in California, the governor has promised to veto Senate Bill 1, which would have negated any loosening of federal environmental regulations dealing with land and water. Also, the United States Mexico Canada trade agreement got some significant endorsements this past week. We’ll tell you about this coming together of important republicans and democrats. Farmers are looking to cash in on the next big cash crop: hemp. But what are the rules for growing and processing hemp? that’s a Good question. And we take a look into our Magic 8-ball and conjure up what California farms will be like in the year 2069. Here’s a hint…it all depends on the water supply. All that, crop reports, the weather, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Our favorite college horticulture professor, Debbie Flower, helps solve some of our late summer garden issues. Choosing California Native Plants. Growing cover crops. Placer County Master Gardener Calendar and Garden Guide. Garden Grappler.

Poke your head inside any rural coffee shop these days, and you might overhear a group of California farmers talking about one of three hot topics: water, or the potential for losing it to either drought or government fiat; labor, or more particularly, the difficulty of finding farmhands in these days of immigration crackdowns; and, the uncertainty of crop sales due to ongoing tariff battles and trade wars. As usual, we will tackle all three on this program today, including a spotlight on a Sacramento Valley agricultural commodity that might get snickered at here, but is wildly popular overseas: California-grown prunes. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The latest rise in tariff tensions with China has more and more farmers getting nervous about their lost sales. The combination of tariff problems and bad weather has seen farm income drop 45 percent; farm bankruptcies have increased 13 percent across the country. And the USDA’s own export forecast numbers are not encouraging. We have that report. It’s a good time to be in the goat and sheep business in California. The demand for brush eating livestock is greater than the supply to help control wildfires here. And we talk with a prominent Northern California farming family about the importance of conservation and soil improvement practices. All that crop reports, extended weather, and a lot more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

As the tariff battle between the U.S. and China heats up, there may be another casualty locally, sales of California wine to China. We have the details. There is some good trade news, a possible agreement between the United States and Japan, a country that is California’s fourth leading export market for agricultural goods, including almonds, rice and walnuts. Saving water on the farm…we look at the latest technology. Tulare county is one of this state’s and the nation’s leading agricultural producers. Yet over 25% of the population, most of whom are farm laborers, are on food stamps, and the number is growing. We talk with Tulare county’s leading food bank operation about the plight of farm workers there and the hurdles they face getting enough food to eat. All that, crop reports, extended weather and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

It’s a pest to dozens of farm commodities here in California, and it’s expanding its range. Now, the Brown Marmorated Stink Bug, BMSB for short, is causing damage to almond orchards in the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Can the BMSB be stopped? We have a report. Tulare County is the country’s leading producer of food crops. Yet, a sizable portion of the county’s population, including farmworkers, are going hungry, and now food will be harder for them to get. On top of that, new immigration rules may limit even further that area’s access to farm workers. The ag export market may look bleak, but the Sacramento Valley’s processing tomato growers have a glimmer of hope… ketchup exports are zooming up. We talk with a couple of young farmers about pursuing agriculture…in the Sacramento suburb of Orangevale. All that, crop reports, extended weather, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.