Fresh from the Field - Agri-Bytes - Sept. 25 - Fresh from the Field - Agri-Bytes

Agri-Bytes

In This Edition:

- Move over Michael Phelps—California almond growers set records monthly
- Do the four-step to keep honeybees healthy
- Ohio researchers look to Israel for irrigation answers

Move over Michael Phelps—California almond growers set records monthly

Shipments of California-grown almonds—spurred by strong domestic and global demand—set a record for the 2007-08 marketing year, which ended July 31.

The first month of shipments for the 2008-09 marketing year also set a record compared with August 2007.

That bodes well for the industry, which is expected to harvest a record crop of more than 1.5 billion meat pounds this season, according to a June 30 estimate from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Last year, California almond growers harvested more than 1.38 billion meat pounds, according to the service.

Growers in California are about 10 days behind last year harvesting the crop, mostly due to a later bloom and cooler weather during the early growing season this spring.

"But once we got going, it really took off fast, and all of the shellers were running wide open," says Dave Baker, director of member relations for Blue Diamond Growers in Modesto, Calif.

Growers are about two-thirds of the way through harvesting the Nonpareil variety, which accounts for about 38 percent of the total almond crop, he says. A few have begun harvesting pollinator varieties, such as Butte.

For several years, growers have stockpiled harvested nuts on the edges of orchards or farms. The piles are covered with plastic to protect them from moisture, such as heavy dew or rains.

This allows growers to harvest the nuts in a timely manner without creating bottlenecks at hullers or shellers, Baker says. The hullers and shellers can then process the nuts from the piles in an orderly fashion.

Individual kernel size is slightly smaller than average because of the heavy crop load and deficit irrigation or possible water shortages, Baker says. Nevertheless, he says the overall quality is excellent.

"2007 was an excellent crop, and so far this one is coming in even better," he says. "Rejects are averaging for us less than 1 percent, which is outstanding."

For the 2007-08 marketing year, total shipments grew by 18 percent to 1.26 billion meat pounds compared with 1.07 billion pounds in 2006-07, according to the Modesto-based Almond Board of California.

Exports accounted for 69 percent of the shipments, with 31 percent of the crop going domestically. The United States is the largest single market for California almonds, and domestic shipments rose by 7 percent to 395 million meat pounds during 2007-08 compared with the same 12-month period a year earlier.

Export shipments set new records every month during the marketing year, the almond board reports. Western Europe and Asian remained the top export destinations regionally, accounting for 54 percent and 23 percent, respectively.

The top five export markets are Spain, Germany, India, Japan and China.

During August 2008—the first month of the 2008-09 marketing year—the industry shipped a record 96.6 million meat pounds compared with 94.6 million pounds in August 2007, according to the August almond board position report.

And Baker remains optimistic that the shipment trends will continue.

"Right now, overall shipments are good, the market is strong in some areas and somewhat sluggish in other parts, but things are picking up," Baker says. "Last year we showed 18 percent growth. Each time we have a record crop, we see overall consumption grow by double digits. If we grow by just 10 percent this year, that's 1.4 billion pounds."

Subtracting a small portion of the 2008 crop that won't be usable, Baker says that leaves 1.45 billion meat pounds left to sell. Based on his predicted consumption trends, the industry should carry out slightly more than 500 million meat pounds, which is a "minimal carry in for an industry of this size," he says.

Heading into the 2008-09 marketing year, the industry carried in 231 million meat pounds.

For the latest industry position report, visit www.almondboard.com

Do the four-step to keep honeybees healthy

Marla Spivak, a University of Minnesota apiculture and social insect professor in St. Paul, has become a cheerleader for a four-step program designed to help keep honeybees healthy.

They are:

1. Knowledge—know the symptoms of bee diseases and pests and their life cycle.

2. Prevention—where can you, as the beekeeper, take control to thwart pests and disease transmission? This may include replacing combs, locating colonies in remote areas, feeding bees well when food is scarce.

3. Prevention—what can bees do on their own to limit pest and disease transmission? You can help them by selecting for resistant traits or buying from queen breeders who focus on that aspect.

4. Control—use chemicals only as a treatment of last resort, and then use them judiciously.

The St. Paul-based university program is part of a larger, nationwide effort designed to enhance wild and managed honeybee colonies. As part of the effort, scientists and bee experts at several universities are conducting research to determine the cause of colony collapse disorder, where bees leave colonies and never return. In some areas of the Northeast, the malady has accounted for colony losses of 30 percent or more during the past two winters.

Honeybees and their pollination services are crucial for the production of several crops, including almonds, melons and cucurbits. The American Beekeeping Federation reports that honeybee pollination contributes more than $14 billion to U.S. crop production.

As part of the nationwide program, the University of Minnesota Extension offers an online course titled "Healthy Bees: A Course for Keeping Bees Healthy (and on their own six feet)" for $25. It can be accessed at http://www.extension.umn.edu/honeybees/components/healthybeesonline.htm.

Ohio researchers look to Israel for irrigation answers

Irrigation may be a crucial investment for specialty crop producers, but it can break the bank if managed inefficiently.

To help growers make wise decisions, Ohio State University Extension horticulturists are evaluating new irrigation systems that provide the right amount of water where the plants need it.

Researchers at the university South Centers at Piketon have teamed with the Ohio-Israel Agricultural Initiative of The Negev Foundation to establish a drip irrigation research and education unit, which will evaluate new irrigation technology.

"Since Ohio has adopted many Israeli production techniques that are currently being used in Ohio commercial horticulture industries, I wanted to use this study tour opportunity to view research and production in Israel," says OSU Extension horticulturist Brad Bergefurd in a university news release. "I wanted to see what new techniques are being used there and to bring back ideas of what can be researched by Ohio State University for future adoption by Ohio growers."

Drip irrigation technology, which isn't available commercially in the United States, uses drip sticks, drip tape, multiple outlet drippers and streamline drip tubing that not only waters plant foliage, but also targets plant roots. The system, unlike traditional overhead irrigation, is suited for small parcels of land and high tunnel systems, nursery greenhouses, hydroponics and fruit production, such as plasticulture strawberries.

"The drip irrigation technology has the ability to reduce water consumption up to 50 percent compared to overhead irrigation systems," Bergefurd says. "Some of the technology uses a very small flow rate—0.16 to 0.24 gallons per hour."

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