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News & Announcements
• California agriculture official to address pesticide-awareness gathering
• Fire Department publishes safety guide
• Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force is on Facebook
• Grants available to fund waste cleanup
• Funding applications being accepted
• Water audit applications available
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Friday Review
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California agriculture official to address pesticide-awareness gathering
Sandra Schubert, undersecretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, will deliver the keynote address March 7 at the third Spray Safe event in Ventura.
The event, which will be at the Ventura County Fairgrounds from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is free, but advance registration is required. To reserve a spot, download the registration form here. The registration deadline is Feb. 24.
Spray Safe is intended to prevent pesticide-exposure incidents and improve communication among growers, chemical applicators and farm employees. Originally developed by a coalition of farmers, pest control advisers, applicators and labor contractors concerned about drift incidents in Kern County, the program is being embraced by growers throughout California as a way of better protecting the health and safety of farmers, field crews and neighboring residents.
The Ventura County program has been developed by a coalition of local farmers, pesticide applicators, labor contractors and other members of the agricultural community. The first event was in 2009 and drew more than 400 people. The second Spray Safe gathering, held in 2010, was attended by more than 500 people.
The March 7 program will feature educational presentations, equipment displays, exhibits and a barbecue lunch. In addition to Schubert, featured speakers will include Ventura Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales; John Krist, chief executive officer of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, toxicologist Bob Krieger and entomologist Tom Perring, both of UC Riverside; Tom Roberts of Integrated Consulting Entomology; and Link Leavens, managing partner of Leavens Ranches. Spanish translation will be provided.
Schubert was appointed CDFA undersecretary by Gov. Jerry Brown in May 2011. She has provided political, legal, and strategic consulting services for clients as a self-employed consultant since 2009. She was an adjunct professor at Georgetown University Law Center from 2009 to 2010. Schubert served as the director of government affairs for the Environmental Working Group from 2007 to 2009, counsel for Senator Harry Reid from 2005 to 2007 and legislative assistant for Senator Barbara Boxer from 2002 to 2005. She was legislative counsel for Earthjustice from 2001 to 2002 and environmental analyst at the Environmental Programs Division for the City of Santa Monica from 1999 to 2001. Ms. Schubert was also project director for Children’s Health Environmental Coalition from 1996 to 1998 and a program director for Beyond Pesticides from 1993 to 1996.
Fire Department publishes safety guide
The Ventura County Fire Department has released a new publication designed to help agricultural operations prepare against wildfires. The new brochure is an extension of the department’s award-winning “Ready, Set, Go!” program.
“The new brochure is intended specifically for farmers, ranchers and growers in Ventura County,” said Fire Chief Bob Roper. “Agriculture is a key component in the county’s economy and wildfire is a major threat to these operations. Most of our agricultural properties are located immediately adjacent to natural vegetation or within a mile of it, the area we call the Ember Zone. This brochure will give farmers, ranchers, livestock operators and growers in those areas the information they need to help protect their homes and businesses against wildfires.”
The brochure includes information on how to create defensible space, maintain fire roads and fire breaks, mark buildings and water supplies, upgrade bridges and clear agricultural property of material that provides an environment susceptible to ember intrusion.
“When we have a major wildfire in the county, there just aren’t enough fire engines to have one everywhere,” said Roper. “We’re asking the agricultural community to do their part to help protect their assets. Usually, this won’t take a lot of extra work or expense. It could be as simple as re-evaluating grazing patterns to create defensible space near ranch buildings, or clearing orchards of tree litter and leaves that can carry a fire into a grove.”
The new publication, "Ready, Set, Go! for Farmers, Ranchers and Growers," is endorsed by the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, the Ventura County Cattlemen’s Association and the Central Ventura County FireSafe Council. It is available at all Ventura County fire stations and the Farm Bureau office. Or, click here to download a copy.
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Ventura County placed under quarantine
The California Department of Food and Agriculture on Dec. 29 confirmed that a second Asian citrus psyllid had been trapped in Ventura County, this one in a commercial orchard near Santa Paula. The Agricultural Commissioner's Office announced that effective Thursday, Dec. 30, the entire county of Ventura has been placed under quarantine.
The quarantine also extends into southern Santa Barbara County, within a 20-mile radius of the previous ACP detection in La Conchita. That zone reaches to Goleta.
CDFA will prohibit the movement of host nursery stock out of the quarantine area, and will require that all citrus fruit be cleaned of leaves and stems prior to moving out of the quarantine area.
Frequently Asked Questions About ACP and HLB
Q. What is the Asian citrus psyllid?
A. The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an aphid-like insect that feeds on the leaves and stems of citrus trees and related plants. Although the psyllid (SIL-lid) can damage plants, the real danger lies in its ability to transmit a deadly bacterial tree disease called Huanglongbing (HLB).
Q. Has the insect been found in Ventura County?
A. Yes. In late December 2010, the California Department of Food and Agriculture announced that two ACP specimens had been found in traps in commercial citrus orchards near La Conchita and Santa Paula. In 2011, additional specimens were trapped in Moorpark, Camarillo and Thousand Oaks.
Q. What happens next?
A. Effective Dec. 30, the state has declared a quarantine zone encompassing all of Ventura County and most of southern Santa Barbara County. Agricultural officials have placed additional traps in the areas to determine the extent of the possible psyllid infestation. The property owners are cooperating with state and local officials to treat the orchards with pesticides to kill any psyllids.
Q. What does the quarantine restrict?
A. All harvested citrus must be cleaned, and any stems and leaves removed, before it can be moved from the quarantine zone. Nursery host plants may not be moved out of the quarantine area, and the movement of cut greens and green waste will be regulated by federal, state and county officials.
Q. Will the state spray pesticides on my neighborhood?
A. Detection of a single ACP triggers a requirement for eradication treatment of all host plants within 400 meters. The treatment consists of application of two pesticides: cyfluthrin, which kills psyllids directly on contact, and imidacloprid, a systemic pesticide that is applied to the soil and absorbed into the tissues of the plant. If your home falls within the treatment zone, you will be notified by CDFA and the County Agricultural Commissioner.
Q. How does the psyllid spread?
A. ACP can spread throughout the state on infested citrus plants and close relatives of citrus – such as orange jasmine or Indian curry leaves – that arrive in airplanes, ships, trucks, cars or mail. Distribution of orange jasmine plants by retail nurseries was the main method of movement of ACP throughout Florida. Floral bouquets containing psyllid-infested orange jasmine have been intercepted coming into California from Mexico. Additionally, the psyllid could fly northward from Southern California and gradually spread throughout the state.
Q. How did it reach Ventura County?
A. We don’t know for sure. ACP arrived in Southern California in 2008 and has been found in San Diego, Imperial, Orange and Los Angeles counties. It has been as close as Van Nuys since early in 2010. ACP has also been intercepted coming into California in packages of fruit and plants, including citrus, ornamentals, herbs and bouquets of cut flowers, shipped from other states and countries.
Q. What is Huanglongbing?
A. Huanglongbing (wong-long-BING) is a bacterial disease that kills all varieties of citrus trees. It is the most serious citrus plant disease in the world and once a tree is infected, there is no treatment or cure. Diseased trees produce bitter, inedible, misshapen fruit and eventually die. HLB has already destroyed citrus production in various parts of the world, including Florida, where the industry is now in rapid decline.
Q. How is HLB spread?
A. HLB can be spread by grafting infected plant tissue onto another plant, but it is more likely to be moved around by infected psyllids. Once a psyllid picks up the disease by feeding on an infected tree, it carries it for the rest of its life, spreading it from tree to tree as it feeds.
Q. What types of trees can be infected?
A. All types of citrus trees — including oranges, lemons, tangerines, limes, grapefruit, kumquats and plants closely related to citrus — can be infected with HLB.
Q. Is the HLB disease in California?
A. Not as far as we know. It has been found in several locations on the western coast of Mexico, including northern Sinaloa, about 725 miles south of the California border. Testing has not found any insects or trees in California to be infected with the deadly disease. HLB likely will arrive in an infected citrus tree brought into the state, or by ACP picking it up from an infected plant in a region such as Florida and being transported into California by ship, truck, car or mail.
Q. What will happen if ACP and HLB invade Ventura County?
A. If ACP and HLB reach Ventura County, and cannot be contained or eradicated, it is likely that the county would cease to be a significant producer of citrus crops within a decade.
Q. What is at stake?
A. The economic stakes are high for everyone in Ventura County. Lemons, tangerines, oranges and grapefruit currently account for more than 24,000 acres (a quarter of the total irrigated agricultural land in the county) and generate at least $510 million a year in economic activity. Citrus also supports more than 7,000 local jobs, including on-farm employment, jobs in packinghouses and related businesses, and jobs in other sectors supported indirectly by agricultural activity. The county’s citrus industry also generates $19 million annually in indirect business tax revenue. Additional dollars and jobs are supported by that portion of the local nursery industry devoted to producing young citrus trees, which also would suffer severe impacts in the event that HLB and ACP are detected in Ventura County. Even those nurseries that specialize in other plants would face increased costs for inspection and certification required to ship potential host materials out of infected zones.
Q. I have citrus trees in my yard. Are they vulnerable?
A. Yes. They, too, will die if infected, meaning that iconic element of the suburban Southern California landscape — the backyard orange, lemon, lime or mandarin tree — will also disappear from Ventura County if ACP and HLB spread here. So far, nearly all the ACPs found in California have been on backyard citrus trees in residential areas
Q. What can I do?
A. If you have citrus trees, inspect them frequently for the psyllid, and report suspected finds promptly to the Agricultural Commissioner’s Office at (805) 477-1620, or the CDFA hotline at (800) 491-1899. You should also refrain from moving plants and fruit from one area of the state to another, and you can make sure to buy citrus trees and other landscaping plants only from legitimate retail or wholesale outlets that follow state and federal guidelines for inspection and certification. Information about how to identify ACP and HLB is provided by the downloadable flyers, bookmarks and other materials found at www.farmbureauvc.com/pest.html.
Q. What should I be looking for when I inspect my trees?
A. There are three life stages of the psyllid: eggs, nymphs and adults. Eggs are elliptical and difficult to see without a magnifying glass. Nymphs are orange and stay flat against the plant surface. They produce long, waxy filaments that direct honeydew away from their bodies. Adult psyllids are winged and capable of flying considerable distances. Adult psyllids are 0.1 to 0.2 inch in length, with a brown body. Their body usually rests at a slant or 45-degree angle to the host leaf or stem. Adult psyllids may look like aphids, but they are fast-moving jumpers.
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Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force is on Facebook. Sign up for Facebook to connect with Ventura County ACP-HLB Task Force.
Please Note: This is separate from the Farm Bureau of Ventura County Facebook page.
Grants available to fund waste cleanup
The Farm and Ranch Solid Waste Cleanup and Abatement Grant Program provides funding from the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB) for the cleanup of illegal solid waste sites on farm or ranch property. Grants are limited to $50,000 per cleanup or abatement project, with a limit of $200,000 per year for each eligible applicant.
Interested landowners should contact Marty Melvin at (805) 386-4489, Ext. 108, or marty.melvin@vcrcd.org.
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Funding applications being accepted
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP) and Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP).
Through the EQIP program, cost sharing and technical assistance are available for developing and implementing conservation plans addressing soil erosion, water quality, runoff management, rangeland improvement, wildlife habitat and implementation of pest, nutrient and water management.
Through the AWEP program, funding is available for irrigation evaluations, irrigation management, and installation of some structural practices to address water conservation.
The WHIP program offers funding to create, enhance or restore wildlife habitat.
Applications are accepted on a year-round basis. For more information, contact the NRCS service center at 3380 Somis Road, Somis, (805) 386-4489.
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Water audit applications available
The Ventura County Resource Conservation District is now offering water-efficiency evaluations for agricultural irrigation systems. The program is sponsored in part by the Ventura County Agricultural Irrigated Lands Group.
The RCD’s mobile irrigation lab provides an initial test to measure distribution uniformity (DU), or how evenly the irrigation system is applying irrigation water. If the initial test indicates the distribution uniformity is less than required for good irrigation practices, additional tests and analysis can be performed to determine the cause, and recommendations made to improve irrigation system performance.
The Mobile Lab will evaluate sprinkler, micro-sprinkler and drip irrigation systems for both agriculture and large landscape projects. Potential benefits include:
· Increased application efficiency
· Increased yields
· Increased profits
· More efficient energy use
· Decreased nutrient and chemical leaching
· Decreased tailwater runoff
· Healthier crops, resulting in fewer pest problems
Evaluations are free for VCAILG members. For more information about the program, or to schedule an evaluation, contact Vic Akundzadeh, irrigation technician, at (805) 216-3641 or vic.akund@gmail.com.
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