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Agri-Bytes
May 2009
In This Edition:
- National leafy greens food safety standards introduced
- Potato growers help stimulate Wisconsin's economy
- UC Web site offers drought irrigation strategies
National leafy greens food safety standards introduced
Handlers of leafy greens nationwide could soon choose to follow a set of production and handling food safety standards similar to those already estalished in California.
The proposal, titled "Marketing Agreement Regulating Leafy Green Vegetables," is expected to be submitted to the U.S. Department of Agriculture before the end of June.
A Federal Register notice should be issued two to three months afterward, announcing a hearing on the proposal.
A public hearing could be held 30 days after the public notice period has ended.
After transcripts of comments are reviewed by those testifying at the hearings, the USDA will recommend a decision and publish it in the Federal Register. It will undergo another 30-day comment period.
The agriculture secretary then makes a decision. From beginning to end, the process could take up to 20 months.
The national proposal is backed by the St. Paul-based Leafy Greens Council and the Newport Beach, Calif.-based Western Growers Association. It also has input from growers, distributors, processors and other handlers.
The goal is to reduce the risk of food safety issues related to leafy greens, such as the E. coli outbreak that occurred in fresh spinach in 2006.
A draft proposal is available on the Western Growers Association Web site.
Doug Doohan, fruit and marketing specialist at Ohio State University Extension in Wooster, says he wants to ensure that growers in Ohio and other states are aware of the proposal.
"There has been some concern that any new rules would put smaller growers—which we have in abundance in Ohio—at a disadvantage," Doohan, who also is leader of the Ohio Roundtable on Safe production of Fresh Product, said in a news release. "That's not necessarily the case, but the more people know about what's being proposed, the better."
As a marketing agreement, the proposal must be industry driven. If approved, it would apply only to handlers who sign up to participate and the growers who supply them, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service, which would administer the agreement.
But large retailers could decide they will only buy leafy greens from participating handlers. If that comes to fruition, then the agreement would, in effect, apply to most—if not all—growers and handlers.
This is the case with the California Leafy Greens Handler Marketing Agreement, on which the national proposal is based.
The California standards can be viewed at http://www.caleafygreens.ca.gov.
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Potato growers help stimulate Wisconsin's economy
Blessed with near-ideal growing conditions last year, Wisconsin's potato growers helped generate more than $51.5 billion in economic activity.
The state ranked third in the nation in potato production in 2008 with 25.7 billion pounds, according to the Antigo-based Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association.
Growers harvested an average of 41,500 pounds from each of the state's 63,000 acres, according to a news release.
Growers and shippers earned more than $293 million. But the economic impact went much further, and the crop provided jobs for 420,000 people.
About one of every eight of the state's residents works in a farming-related job.
Growers say they expect on-farm employment to remain stable this season as it did last year.
Jeff Sommers of Wysocki Produce Farms, a 3,400-acre operation in Plainfield, says that employment levels are exactly the same as last year. He also expects it to increase by 30 percent during peak season, just as it has in the past.
Even smaller operations, such as Wallendahl Supply, a 265-acre farm in Grand Marsh, see employment at the same levels as last year.
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UC Web site offers drought irrigation strategies
The University of California has launched a Web site designed specifically to help growers cope with the state's 3-year-old drought.
UC Drought Management provides strategies for maximizing irrigation water efficiency. It was designed by university irrigation experts Terry Prichard and Larry Schwankl.
Drought can be caused by two factors—a lack of winter rains or a lack of availability, Prichard says.
"We thought drought from the lack of winter rains was going to be a real big issue. Then came the rains and we filled the profile pretty well," he says.
Growers, especially those on the San Joaquin Valley's west side, suffer from a lack of availability. Even many on the Sacramento Valley's west side who are served by the Tehama-Colusa Canal will receive only 15 percent of federal water deliveries this year.
Among the topics addressed on the site are irrigation strategies and irrigation scheduling. A section on temporary irrigation scheduling is in the works.
The crops featured are almonds, pistachios, stone fruit, walnuts and alfalfa. A section on winegrapes also is pending, Prichard says.
Growers can reduce water losses by eliminating runoff, such as when sprinklers on hills run too long, or when you irrigate too long and the moisture moves below the root zone.
Prichard also recommends growers examine their orchard floor water use and minimize the amount of vegetation.
In tests conducted in Ceres and Cortez, Calif., almond orchards, a green cover crop for the entire season used 30 percent more water than a clean surface, he says.
In addition, he encourages growers to maximize their irrigation distribution uniformity so all areas of the orchard or field receive the same amount of water.
Uneven distribution can be caused by improper pipe size, incorrect pressure or worn nozzles.
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