KSTE Farm Hour

If you run a farm or a ranch in California, what’s your biggest expense? The USDA knows, and they have the numbers in their latest California farm production expenditure release. Here’s a hint: although it costs the most, it’s hard to get. Yep, you figured it out…it’s farm labor. That shortage has encouraged some entrepreneurs to develop more automated farming equipment. We visit a recent exhibition of 21st century technology for the farm. The battle against weedy rice. What’s that? We’ll explain, as well as what the California rice industry is doing to thwart its spread. The average age of the California farmer is over 59 years old. Where are the young farmers going to come from? We talk about the opportunities, and hurdles, to attract the next generation of farmers. All that, crop reports, extended weather and more….on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The increasingly expensive tariff war with China is heating up to an all time high, and many farmers are fearing for their very livelihood. If you’re a rancher in PG&E Territory, how are you going to get water to your livestock in the event of a mandatory power shutdown during wind events? We talk with one Placer County rancher about that worry. Have you heard about the Produce Safety Rule? Many California growers who sell to farmers markets have big concerns about that. But there will be exemptions. We talk with the CDFA’s project supervisor about the implementation of that portion of the Food Safety Modernization Act. A record number of bee hives were decimated this past winter. However, the USDA has decided not to continue their honeybee survey research, citing budget cuts. All that, crop reports, the week ahead in weather, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

California’s farmers are taking a major hit this year in tariff battles with China, Mexico, Canada, and several other countries. However, the Trump Administration is about to release funds, about 14.5 billion dollars worth of direct payments, to aid farmers across the U.S. because of those lost sales, but the dollars will be rolled out very slowly. We have the details. Farmers in California and across the nation are eagerly looking to the USDA for guidance about the rules for growing hemp, a commodity with hopefully high profits.The USDA plans to finalize its hemp regulations sometime this fall, but, it too, will be rolled out slowly. How is California’s wine grape crop faring this summer? We have an update. All that, crop reports, the weekly weather outlook, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

The Trump Administration is proposing cuts to the Food Stamp Program. And that would also mean the elimination of free school lunches for hundreds of thousands of impoverished school children. And it would mean billions of dollars in losses for grocery stores and California’s farmers, the nation’s main supplier of fresh fruits and vegetables. How to thwart crime on California’s farms? The Colusa County sheriff’s department has a plan, and it involves a smartphone app to make crime reporting quicker and easier. We look at the state of farm bankruptcies in California, and why it isn’t as bad here as it is in other farms areas across the country. Meet your new farm friend, the mud dauber wasp. All that, extended weather and crop reports, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

You probably remember all the rain we had in May, a record setting amount. Great for our water supply, but bad news for San Joaquin County's cherry growers. We have the latest figures. Put a group of farmers in a room with an important politician these days, and there’s no doubt the topic of solving the immigration issue will come up. Farmers need workers, and they need them now. Currently appearing in Northern California: the Oriental fruit fly and the peach fruit fly. And waiting in the wings, a third pest may find its way here: the spotted lantern fly. We’ll tell you about all three, and what officials are doing to thwart their spread. White nose syndrome - it’s a fungus hitting the nation’s bat population. What’s being done about it, and how important are bats to California agriculture? We’ve got all that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Why is there so much dead wood on top of walnut and pistachio trees in Northern and Central California now? What caused that canopy dieback in two of the most valuable export crops in the Golden State? Researchers have an idea… And while we’re on the subject of nuts…why aren’t there more pecan orchards in California? After all, investors are saying that because of a recent federal pecan marketing order, pecan orchards are well poised to pay future attractive dividends. We talk with one wholesale grower of pecan trees here who’s wondering the same thing. Not only are honeybees disappearing, government-funded scientific research on honeybee colonies is being cut by the USDA. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour. Let’s get started!

President Trump’s Tweets about starting immigration raids in California are putting farmers in a bind. Fearful farm workers are already skipping going to work. We have that report. One of the most popular crops from the Delta region, pears, will start getting packed this month, and there are high hopes for another outstanding harvest. More money may be on the way to help control the 20 pound rodent, the Nutria. This pest is digging its way northward in the region, weakening fragile levee systems. And your four legged friend in the back of your pickup truck may turn out to be the next best weapon for conquering citrus greening disease. All that, and more, on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

It’s been a week of good news and bad news for California’s farmers. On the downside, the northern San Joaquin Valley cherry crop is officially a disaster. Three counties have filed for federal aid. If you have a wild pig problem on your property, don’t expect much help from the feds. The USDA recently launched a $75 million dollar feral swine eradication project, but none of that money is headed to California, despite the fact that our state has the fourth largest population of wild pigs in the country. The wet spring means more puncture vine this summer. We explore this troublesome weed in-depth. Oh, the good news? The State Water Project has upped its allocation of water to its customers. And, the weather is kinda nice here, isn’t it? All that, crop reports, and more….on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour.

Two steps forward, one step back. It’s the dance that many California farmers, especially nut growers, are doing regarding our country’s tariff travails. Mexico ratifying the USMCA and a thaw in US - China tariff negotiations is the good news. The step back: India is imposing larger tariffs on California’s almonds and walnuts. We have the details. We talk with area farmers about how this year’s rice and apricot crops are fairing…so far. And a safer alternative to controlling levee-destroying rodents on California’s farms: Raptors. All that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour. Let’s get started!

More Central Valley farmers are wondering, when is the state of California’s high speed rail project going to reimburse us for moving and realigning our farming operations to make room for those train tracks? The President recently Tweeted that Mexico will be buying more agricultural goods from America’s farmers, thanks to his recent tariff threat. One problem, though: no one has any details about that, apparently. California’s growers of house plants are scrambling. It seems that the Millennial generation is rapidly becoming fond of being plant parents. But the plants they want, fell out of favor decades ago. We have all that, crop reports, and more…on this week’s KSTE Farm Hour. Let’s get started!