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San Diego County Farm Bureau News
January 2009: Vol. 22. No. 1

MONTHLY COLUMNS

President's Message

Annual Meeting was productive on some key issues
 by Chuck Badger

Every December the California State Farm Bureau holds its annual convention for all county Farm Bureaus to come together and determine the policy direction for the next year. It’s also a good opportunity to meet with farmers from around the state to see what’s going on in their neck of the woods. This year was no exception as our delegation joined the others in Burlingame to discuss the business of the state Farm Bureau.

The delegates were able to take action on several important business items including a long-sought-after by-laws change—uniform sustaining dues. Each county had set its own annual dues rates for non-farming members ranging from a low of $65 to well over $100. This county-by-county variation in pricing has made it difficult for our insurance partners to conduct Internet sales. After much debate, the delegates voted to set one rate for all sustaining members in the state. This change will allow our insurance partners to tap into the vast Internet market and thus increase the number of our sustaining members.
Your San Diego delegation was also able to change outdated state Farm Bureau policy on disaster aid (of which we’ve been able to receive little—despite our fires). Old policy was illogically supporting the notion that to receive lower-than-market loan rates, farmers stricken by disaster had to first be turned down by all market rate lenders. In addition, lenders had to use our land values (even though they are not liquid) in determining our eligibility for lower than market loan rates. This misleading asset evaluation made it very difficult for our members to qualify for these disaster loans because our members showed too many assets to qualify. We convinced the delegates to get rid of these hurdles, as has American Farm Bureau, so the next time there is a disaster, hopefully those of us who are hurt will qualify for disaster loans. It was also beneficial to speak with other Farm

Bureau counties who have already formed their stormwater runoff monitoring groups. It was encouraging to see that they are functioning and meeting the requirements of their Regional Water Quality Control Board. All the counties are also concerned with our state legislators’ inability to solve our water infrastructure problems. And we all agreed that Farm Bureau needs to come up with a plan to effectively communicate how our responsible farming benefits the state. This marketing is important so that our urban population cannot be so easily fooled by future propositions, like Proposition 2, which would negatively affect the way we do business.

All in all, it was a productive, albeit sober, meeting encouraging all of us to band together as farmers to meet our many challenges—good advice for the New Year. Top of Page

From the Executive Director

Relentless cuts to state budget will mean more bugs in our future
by Eric Larson

In my circle of friends and family, most everyone is at least a generation removed from a direct connection to farming. Whether it’s feigned or true interest, they have always asked, “What’s new with the farmers?” I guess my subject matter has been too consistent over the years because now the question is often, “What new bug have we got in the county?” Unfortunately, I am always able to reply about a new critter. With eight active agricultural quarantines (Diaprepes root weevil 6, Asian citrus psyllid and Mediterranean fruit fly 1 each) in the county as I write, it appears we have as much county acreage inside as outside quarantine boundaries.

So far—knock on wood—the pressure from these recent new pests has not created an impossible regulatory or cultural burden on growers. But the extraordinarily difficult budget mess the state finds itself in could result in a significant change. The state has already cited its budget trouble and walked away from what is a clear responsibility to eradicate the Diaprepes root weevil population. So what comes next? It may be entertaining to pick up the paper each day and see the state deficit numbers streak towards the stratosphere, but each of those deficit dollars that can’t be covered by new revenues will result in a reduction of a state function. For farmers, there are few state functions as important as preventing pest infestations and eradicating those that do get established.

As the state cuts functions such as parks and road maintenance, we can always hope that a budget rebound can reinstate those services in the future. But if a pest is allowed to become established, there is no going back. Once generally distributed, a new pest will be the permanent bane of farmers and residents alike. As the state moves forward with its effort to curb greenhouse gasses, it could be argued that a new environmental threat is being unleashed at the same time in the specter of tons of pesticides that will be needed to protect crops and landscapes that fall victim to unabated pests.
The answer is that the state must identify a reliable revenue stream that is dedicated to the exclusion and eradication of pests. The threat of California farmers and residents facing devastating pest infestations cannot be left to the gyrations and politics of a budget process that clearly is dysfunctional.

From the Ag Commissioner

Bob Atkins, Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures

Staffing changes at AWM

I am pleased to announce some recent changes in the Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures management staff.

Lisa Leondis was appointed the Deputy Director overseeing the Pest Detection, Standards Enforcement, Pesticide Regulation and Civil Actions Programs. Lisa grew up on an avocado and persimmon ranch north of Escondido, earned a degree in Agricultural Business Management from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, and is a graduate of the California Agricultural Leadership Program. Lisa began working for the San Diego County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures in 1987. Over the years, she has managed the Pest Detection, Integrated Pest Control, and Plant Protection and Quarantine Programs, and spent five years with the Hazardous Materials Division of County Environmental Health. In her previous position as Deputy of the Pesticide Regulation Program, Lisa was responsible for greatly improving our responsiveness to industry by meeting the challenge of a 60-day timeframe for issuing civil administrative penalties.

Ha Dang was recently appointed as Deputy Agricultural Commissioner for the Pesticide Regulation, Agricultural Water Quality, and Hazardous Materials Programs. She is a graduate of the University of Hawaii with a degree in Horticultural Science, and will soon complete her Master’s degree in Public Administration. Ha has been with AWM for three years, managing the Pest Detection Program and working in the Weights & Measures Program. Before coming to San Diego, Ha served as the Plant Protection and Quarantine Deputy in Stanislaus County. Before that, she spent more than four years in the Riverside County Pesticide Use Enforcement Program. Ha’s experience also includes working as a Plant Quarantine Inspector with the California Department of Food and Agriculture, and managing production at an agricultural business for over five years.

Karen Melvin was recently appointed Deputy Agricultural Commissioner in charge of the Pest Detection Program. She was born and raised in San Diego County and received her degree in Plant Science from UC Riverside. Karen began her career as an agricultural inspector for Orange County. She worked for a short time with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and then joined the San Diego County Department of AWM in 1984. Over the years, she has worked in all programs in this department. Prior to her current position, she was supervisor of the High Risk Pest Exclusion Program and was instrumental in creating the new Detector Dog Program within the Plant Health and Pest Prevention division. In that role, she dealt with keeping damaging and costly pests from becoming established in our county, which works hand-in-hand with her current assignment of managing the program that places and monitors insect traps throughout the urbanized areas of San Diego County.
All three individuals firmly believe in our department’s mission to promote and protect agriculture both in the County of San Diego and the State of California. Please join me in congratulating them on their new positions. We are all proud to be a part of the effort to maintain the sustainability of agriculture in San Diego County. Please feel free to contact my staff; we are all available to assist you.

San Diego: (858) 694-8988
North County: (760) 752-4700
E-mail: sdcawm@sdcounty.ca.gov
Web: www.sdcawm.org

Farm Bureau has been working for you .

  • Represented membership at Calif. Farm Bureau Annual Meeting
  • Supported passage of Farmers’ Market Ordinance by Board of Supervisors
  • Met with state Air Resources Board member Ron Roberts on new diesel emissions standards
  • Participated in US Bureau of Reclamation brine management workshop
  • Testified in support of county’s Farming Program Plan
  • Attended meeting where East County MSCP draft maps were released
  • Assisted San Diego Ag in the Classroom with strategic planning effort
  • Traveled to Washington, D.C. on immigration reform

Ag News Bites

Lakeside Farmers’ Market opens January 14

January 14 is the anticipated start date for the Lakeside Farmers’ Market, which will continue every Wednesday from 2-6 p.m. at Lindo Lake County Park near downtown Lakeside. Growers interested in selling at this market are encouraged to contact Casey Anderson at the Farm Bureau office at (760) 745-3023. The Lakeside Farmers’ Market will be the third SDCFB-sponsored market following the opening of City Heights and Valley Center markets in June and September last year, respectively, and a fourth market is in the discussion stage.

When the county park was initially identified as the perfect market location, Farm Bureau learned that current zoning laws wouldn’t allow it; however, when Farm Bureau and the Lakeside Chamber of Commerce brought the issue to the attention of the Board of Supervisors, they were eager to accommodate a zoning change. At its Dec. 10 meeting the Board of Supervisors passed an amendment to its zoning ordinance specifically allowing farmers’ markets to be held on any publicly owned land. This revised ordinance will allow Farm Bureau to start even more farmers’ markets throughout the county, including in unincorporated areas.

Applications to join Irrigated Lands Group pick up pace

Applications to join the San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group increased in December as members took advantage of the opportunity to get the best discounted rate to join by Dec. 31. As of press time, there are 420 farms enrolled representing 20,000 acres. The average farm size is 46 acres, with the median at about 10 acres. In the coming year, the SDRILG will be contacting participants to collect additional information needed about their properties that will be enrolled in the group.

East County MSCP draft map released

The draft map showing the Multiple Species Conservation Plan habitat areas slated for protection in the East County have been released. While not yet adopted and subject to change, the maps are important for property owners who plan on applying for development permits in the future. While the written text that will accompany the maps detailing the impact of the various designations are not expected for several months, the County has indicated that no current farming operation will be impacted as long as best management practices are observed. Farmers would only be affected when applying for discretionary permits for subdivisions or changes in land use. The draft map can be seen at .www.sdcounty.ca.gov/dplu/mscp/ec.html

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Ask the Farm & Home Advisor

by Valerie J. Mellano, Ph.D.
Acting County Director, UC Cooperative Extension, San Diego County

Q: I have heard that there are some administrative changes going on at the Farm and Home Advisor Department. How will this affect us as growers?

A: As most of you are probably aware, our department is a joint effort between the University of California and the County of San Diego. The University of California provides personnel for the research and educational programs we conduct, and the County of San Diego provides us with program support staff, office space and vehicle support. This arrangement is known in almost every county in the nation as Cooperative Extension.

At the December Farm Bureau Board Meeting, Bob Atkins announced that his office was now providing support for the Farm and Home Advisor Department. Understandably, this caused some concern and confusion, because growers know that the two departments have distinctly different roles: Ours is education and problem solving, and theirs is regulation and enforcement. Our two departments have always worked closely together. While we continue this close working relationship, it is extremely important to maintain these two departments as separate entities supporting agriculture in San Diego County.

Atkins’ announcement might lead you to believe that this separate department structure has changed, and some have asked me if we are now under the Agricultural Commissioner. I want to say emphatically, no. Most of you know that the majority of our staff of 60 is paid by the University of California. This includes the 12 advisors and almost all of our research project personnel. In addition, almost all of our research and education dollars are handled through the University of California. The Agricultural Commissioner’s office is now providing us county administrative support to deal with the myriad county policies and procedures that were taking too much of our staff’s valuable time. We now have the arrangement that our county paid staff of seven is administered by the Agricultural Commissioner for things like payroll, personnel, benefits, etc. The Agricultural Commissioner’s office will also handle such things as our county purchasing, facilities and vehicle fleet management. But our staff work, budget decisions and relations as a County Department remain completely under our direction and control. Farm and Home Advisor, as a County Department, and I as Acting County Director, report directly to Chandra Wallar, Assistant County Administrative Officer who is responsible for both departments.

While there are some logistical challenges in this new administrative arrangement, we are working through them. I am confident that our department remains completely devoted to our educational role in helping San Diego agriculture maintain its leadership position as a crucial part of this county’s economy. Rest assured that the two department’s goals and duties are separate, as are their staffs and overall supervision. If you see conflicts or have concerns, please let me know.

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Pest Watch

Asian citrus psyllid

USDA Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer recently announced the commitment of $5.8 million in funding to stop the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid in California. The pest, which was reported in the December Farm Bureau newsletter’s Pest Watch column to have expanded into Imperial County at 12 confirmed find sites, was recently found in Westmoreland, a small town at the north end of the Imperial Valley. This latest expansion of the pest has resulted in most of Imperial County being under quarantine, excluding only the Bard/Winterhaven area, according to CDFA’s Janet Taylor. In San Diego County, two new pest finds were in Crest and Palm City. The overall quarantine area has expanded to 5,131 square miles, but Highway 78, the northern boundary of the quarantine, is still holding.
The federal funds will be used for intensive surveillance for the psyllid and the citrus greening disease known as huanglongbing. It will also support quarantine regulations as well as outreach and education about the pest to California’s nursery owners, the citrus industry and the public.

Mediterranean fruit fly

The California Department of Food and Agriculture has expanded its original quarantine zone in the El Cajon valley area east of downtown to 119 square miles after finding two additional infestations northeast of Crest and another cluster south of El Cajon in early December. According to CDFA’s Janet Taylor, as of
Dec. 12, 15 find sites have been identified, two of which are larval sites which indicate established breeding populations. An eradication effort is well underway, consisting of weekly aerial releases of more than 2.8 million sterile male flies in the expanded area, fruit stripping within a 100-meter radius around sites where larvae are detected, and ground treatments using the organic-approved bait pesticide Naturalyte (active ingredient Spinosad) within a 200-meter radius of sites where the flies have been trapped. According to CDFA, it has succeeded in eradicating every Medfly infestation in California since the department began such efforts in 1975 and has relied on sterile Medfly releases almost exclusively since 1996.

FFA Ag-tivities

Escondido High School FFA

This year our membership has 300 students, all of whom are active and excited to participate in our chapter. Our theme this year is ‘Decades of Success,’ because our chapter was established in 1929. We are celebrating 80 years of progress, success, and growth of agriculture in Escondido.

We have seven judging teams and four individual speaking competition divisions. Each one of our judging teams has immensely improved in membership. Our Farm Power, Floral, Livestock, Horticulture, Small Engines, Horse, and BIG judging teams have welcomed numerous eager members into their programs.

Escondido agriculture facilities will greatly improve thanks to the recent passage of Proposition T, which will provide the Escondido High School District with more funds and allow us to remake our Ag department. Since the bond’s passage, ag teachers and students are all collaborating and very excited about the new developments our ag department is expecting, which includes new barns, a livestock office, bathrooms at the school farm, two new science-based classrooms and a state-of-the-art agriculture mechanics shop.

Last year, we entered the San Diego County Fair with 52 animals, and they all received a blue ribbon. We also did well in the market classes at the fair. The offspring from one of our breeding project ewes received Market FFA Reserve Grand Champion Lamb, and we also won Reserve Overall Grand Champion Turkey. This year we already have five steers and many students interested in other livestock projects. We also have a new division of swine breeding initiated by Sara Schmitt, who takes care of two sows and is planning to deliver both litters in the upcoming months. Finally, our landscape exhibit did exceptionally well in its competition, which resulted in a blue ribbon for our chapter.

This year our chapter held a new type of activity: a pumpkin festival. At this community street fair-like event, our chapter sold pumpkins and spaces to vendors and crafters. In an effort to build school unity, our chapter also offered free vendor spaces to the various clubs on campus to sell their fundraiser goods and earn some money for their own club. After the pumpkin festival, we held our annual steak fry. This was the first time we had held this event at our farm, and it resulted in an overwhelming amount of positive response as well as one of our largest guest turnouts ever.

Our chapter has 15 students who qualify for their state FFA degrees and three who qualify for their National Degree. We also have one Sectional officer, Samantha Gibson who is the sectional treasurer. Our program is trying to bring about change in our school, and we would like our peers to realize the importance of agriculture and the participation they can have with our chapter.

Escondido FFA Wish List

  • Soil/cement mixer
  • Shovels, rakes, or hoes
  • Greenhouse display benches
  • Succulent starters
  • Topiary-farm theme
  • Nursery trees for fruit orchard
  • Strawberry starts
  • Vegetable seeds
  • Floriculture vases and ribbon
  • Centrifuge
  • Autoclave
  • Portable livestock scale
  • Sponsors for student livestock projects
  • Dunk tank for welding
  • Flatbed trailer
  • Cones for Farm Power practice
  • Empty 55-gallon metal drums
  • Sponsors for students attending FFA leadership conferences

If you can help the Escondido FFA by providing any of these items, please contact the Farm Bureau at (760) 745-3023 or Escondido High School FFA instructor Marc Reyburn at (760) 291-4069.

Featured Articles Top of Page

CFBF action saves county growers $1 million

by Nancy Walery

For many years, the California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) has represented the agricultural class in General Rate Cases whenever one of the electric utilities comes before the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) requesting rate increases, an event which typically occurs every three to four years. In April of this year, CFBF scored a significant win in controlling electric rate increases for San Diego County growers, which will result in about a $1 million savings in additional rate increases over the next three- to four-year period.

“CFBF retains expert economic consultants to analyze the positions of the utilities and the other parties, conducts discovery to further explore the other parties’ positions, and submits testimony on the proper allocation of utilities’ revenue requirement to agriculture and the best ways to design agricultural rates,” explained Ron Liebert, Associate Counsel for CFBF who handles the General Rate Case issues for the federation. “CFBF submitted testimony on marginal cost, revenue allocation and rate design issues, as well as critical peak peaking initiatives that may be implemented in 2009. After weeks of discussions, an all-party settlement was reached and submitted for Commission review, which limited agricultural class increases to 2.9 percent, compared to SDG&E’s proposal to increase it by 8.5 percent—which was greater than the proposed overall system average increase of 6.7 percent.”

General Rate Cases are broken down into two phases: 1) CPUC’s determination of how much revenue a utility needs to maintain operations; and 2) CPUC’s decision on how much of that revenue will come from the different customer classes (residential, commercial, industrial, agricultural, street lighting).

Phase 1: The CPUC determines how much revenue the utility really needs to cover their costs (such as operations, maintenance, labor, benefits, depreciation, etc.) plus a reasonable rate of return. In Phase 1, Liebert said, CFBF’s role is to keep any revenue increase as small as possible to minimize the size of the rate increase decided in Phase 2. Of course, customers tend to oppose the size of increases in this phase.

Phase 2: The CPUC decides how to divide up the utility’s new revenue “pie” among each of the customer classes and the specific rate each customer class must pay to fund their share of that pie. But first, the customer class representatives (like Liebert, representing agriculture, Utility Consumers’ Action Network/UCAN for consumers, etc.) make their own recommendations. Unfortunately, Liebert said, customer classes are often pitted against each other, because the only way for one customer class to reduce its share of the revenue “pie” and its impact on members of its class is to convince the CPUC to increase another customer class share of the pie. Due to the inherent conflict created, Phase 2 is typically contentious, Liebert said, but if the total increase is kept low in Phase 1, it reduces the pressure on rates for everyone in Phase 2.

Like a court case, if Phase 2 hadn’t been settled between the parties, the case would have been presented to the CPUC, where each customer class representative would put their expert witnesses on the stand for cross examination and let the CPUC—“the judge”—decide the case. This time, the parties reached and submitted a settlement, which was submitted to the Commission for review and accepted in April.

Farm Bureau member fined $13,000 by local fire department in brush clearing fire incident

Member sends letter to Farm Bureau asking to alert other growers of laws when clearing land
by Nancy Walery

One morning last April, avocado grower Hans Iliew, who has lived in Valley Center since 1989, was dutifully brush mowing 15 acres on his property, an exercise routinely recommended by fire officials to reduce brush volume and fire hazards.

When Iliew’s DR® brush mower hit a rock, he didn’t immediately notice a problem, until he was about 200 feet away, turned around, and saw smoke. He raced toward the rapidly expanding burn area and vigorously fought to extinguish the flames with his shirt. Unsuccessful, he ran to the house to call the fire department. Both the local California Department of Forestry (CDF) and the local fire department responded.

By the time the fire was extinguished, about four acres of grass and brush on Iliew’s property was burned; thankfully, no structures or neighboring properties were involved. Iliew’s equipment was checked, and neither fire agency found any defects in his equipment.

In October, Iliew received a bill for $13,000 from the fire department for their services. That was when Iliew learned about the Public Resource Code and Health & Safety laws that found him to be at fault in causing the fire because he did not have the proper fire prevention equipment at hand when the fire broke out.

The laws on the books
According to Capt. Tom McPherson, the CDF fire investigator involved in Iliew’s case, State Public Resource Code sections 4427, 4431 and 4435, which he said have existed since the 1950s, dictate specific requirements for all property owners who use motorized and gas-powered equipment on their property. Health and Safety Codes 13001 and 13009 state that those in violation of the PRC are guilty of a misdemeanor and responsible for costs and damages.

In brief, the Public Resource Codes referenced above state that no one can use any motorized or gas-powered equipment or power tools on or near any forest-, brush- or grass-covered land or within 25 feet of any flammable material without having a minimum 46-inch round-point shovel and a fully equipped backpack pump water-type fire extinguisher ready for use in the immediate area of operation. “Equipment” includes, but is not limited to motors, engines, boilers, stationary equipment, welding equipment, cutting torches, tarpots, grinding devices, chainsaws, augers, drills, tampers or other portable tools powered by a gasoline-fueled internal combustion engine from which a spark, fire, or flame could originate. (To see the original text of the laws, go to www.leginfo.ca.gov and search for the specific code sections.)

When clearing brush, grass and other vegetation, McPherson emphasized that a standard dry-chemical fire extinguisher that many of us keep in our home or vehicles will not be effective on vegetation. For vegetation fires, he said you want a lightweight 2.5- to 5-gallon pressurized water (“PW”) extinguisher that includes a hose, nozzle and valve. Also acceptable would be a standard hose with a bib and nozzle that is charged and ready for immediate use—if it is within 25 feet of the area where you are working. (A Google search for “handheld pressurized water extinguishers” will help you locate a local supplier for a “PW” extinguisher.)

Tractors are a special case
McPherson added that tractors are not considered “portable units” as the Public Resource Code is written, but that tractors are required to carry fire extinguisher devices. However, such on-board extinguisher devices are typically dry-chemical based and designed for engine fires, not grass fires, so operators using a tractor on their property still need to ensure they have the proper equipment at hand to fight a vegetation fire.
Tractor-drawn attachments, however, do pose fire risks that tractor operators need to be aware of and prepared to handle, according to McPherson. The metal blades pulled or pushed by a tractor have been known to drop down onto rocks and other objects, causing sparks, so operators need to watch for this potential fire hazard.

Check the weather before starting work, too
Another key consideration before operating any kind of equipment on your property is knowing if the current weather conditions are right for the job. In Southern California, where we are in year-round fire risk conditions, be sure to consider the time of day, humidity levels, winds, and air temperature. If your local fire department or meteorologist is reporting a Red-Flag warning, you should take the day off from operating equipment, McPherson advises. In addition, he recommends avoiding equipment operation between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. when (especially in the summer) heat is at its highest and humidity at its lowest, because the slightest spark will cause a fire if conditions are right.

“While the Public Resource Code requires that properties be cleared in Southern California year round, you must still factor in other conditions before starting the job,” McPherson said. “You can be doing the right thing at the wrong time of day and still be cited for negligence under the Public Resource Code.”

Eric Kroesche joins Farm Bureau board of directors

by Nancy Walery

Eric Kroesche, one of Farm Bureau’s newest board members, has business roots in a family land and cattle operation at the 400-acre S & K cattle ranch in the Sunshine Summit/Warner Springs area, but by trade you could call him an oil man. In 1965, he founded SKS Oil in Escondido, a petroleum distribution business whose region covers all of Southern California.

So it was fortuitous for Farm Bureau when Kroesche, a sustaining member since 1965 who became a voting member just two years ago, heeded Farm Bureau’s call for a representative to fill its Air Quality board seat. With a wealth of experience serving in a variety of capacities on state and national committees and boards related to the petroleum industry and air quality issues, he stepped up, hoping his background would be of value to the Farm Bureau membership.

“Petroleum is a big part of our industry, so whatever I can do to ease any pain in that regard, I’d like to help,” said Kroesche, who added that, while his son and son-in-law now run the day-to-day operations of SKS, he still maintains a variety of industry contacts he can tap whenever a need arises. And after attending his very first monthly board meeting last June, Kroesche was impressed with the energy, enthusiasm and leadership of this dynamic group and looks forward to working with the board and membership. “Of the more than 20 boards, trade associations, and committees I have served on over the last 40 years, I rate the San Diego County Farm Bureau in the top 5 percent,” Kroesche said. “With attendance from state, federal and local representatives, plus the County Sheriff and County Agriculture officials, it shows how much impact Farm Bureau has and the value it offers to its members.”

Because of his line of work, Kroesche has served periodically over the past 30 years on the advisory board for the Air Pollution Control District of San Diego so that his insight from the petroleum and agricultural industry points of view can be heard before proposed regulations go into affect that may have significant negative economic consequences. He has also served on several petroleum trade associations over the years as president of the California Independent Oil Marketers Association in the 1970s and its national arm in Washington, D.C. in the 1990s, as well as representing independent petroleum business operators for the American Petroleum Institute in negotiations with major oil company CEOs.

Closer to home, Kroesche is a past-president of the Escondido Chamber of Commerce (in the 1970s), was a founder and board member for North County Bank in 1974 before serving as its chairman for more than 20 years, and currently serves his community police department in Coronado as a senior patrol volunteer.

As part of his board seat and to keep current on issues affecting SKS, Kroesche regularly attends seminars and presentations that address air and water quality issues and will report on those events to the board when the issues affect agriculture. Most recently, at a seminar conducted by the San Diego County Department of Health Services, Kroesche listened to a presentation by representatives of the Regional Water Quality Control Board and was alarmed to learn several important points regarding biodiesel fuels he wants to pass along to growers: “It’s more corrosive than most diesel, it’s unstable, it has a short shelf life, and it should never be used for wind machines and standby generators,” he said.

The next hot topic Kroesche sees coming down the pike affecting agriculture is likely to be an effort to curb diesel emissions on trucks, a concern of the California Air Resources Board that’s been building over time.
“Particulate matter is a problem with diesel, but as engines have evolved, emissions have gotten better, so there is some benefit to upgrading equipment, such as better fuel mileage and engine reliability,” Kroesche said. “I’ve also found that, over the years, if you can get delays on implementation of some of these mandates, technology starts to catch up and better ways are found to solve problems, and I would expect that will also be the case with this movement to reduce diesel emissions. I will follow this issue and see what path we need to take.”

Two-day vineyard seminar coming to Ramona

Classes provide foundation for budding vintners and techniques for the serious grower
by Nancy Walery

Whether your entry into the world of viticulture is still a romantic notion or a plan already in play, you will gain valuable insight and important techniques of the trade by attending a two-day vineyard seminar sponsored by Ramona Valley Vineyard Association February 7 and 8, 2009 at the Ramona Mainstage Nightclub.

Presented by seasoned vineyard consultant Eddy Szyjewicz of DeVine Consultants in Los Gatos, the program starts Saturday morning, Feb. 7, with the class on “Establishing a Home Vineyard.” In this introduction to winemaking, participants will get a one-day crash course in the fundamentals of establishing a vineyard, from vine-growing theories, variety selection, site selection and how grapevines grow to installation, trellis systems, drip irrigation, an introduction to pest and disease control, and grape harvesting.

The second class, entitled “Maintaining a Healthy Vineyard,” which begins Sunday morning, Feb. 8, provides more of the nuts and bolts designed for the serious vintner. The course will address fertilization, irrigation practices, frost protection, ground cover requirements, pruning the vines, and more detail about grape harvesting, pests, plant diseases, pesticide use, and other maintenance issues which are the key to a healthy vineyard that produces high-quality grapes resulting in great wine.

“The first day can be a bit overwhelming for the novice with all the details about vineyard installation, but this first phase in the life of a vineyard is a development project where you’re doing a lot of building,” said Szyjewicz (pronounced “Shevitz”). “The first day is geared for everyone and helps participants to understand what they need to do—or should have done, if they’ve already started—and to benefit from the mistakes I’ve made. The second day focuses more on vineyard maintenance issues that are the key to being successful.”

Szyjewicz and his wife, Nancy, came into the world of winemaking following their college years at UC Santa Cruz where they studied animal behavior—specifically elephant seals. (Read the entertaining story on their Web site at www.microwinery.com.) Already backyard growers of a variety of organic fruits and vegetables, they decided to try their hand at growing wine grapes. As they tried to learn more about the process, they encountered either no help, or too much of it. (“Ask any three people about the wine business,” Eddy explained, “and you’ll get four answers back, which are diametrically opposed, and they’ll each have justification as to why they’re right.”).
Out of their confusion and frustration at the lack of available or reliable information came what they called “DeVine intervention” and the concept for a new business, irrevocably shifting their passion from elephant seals to grapevines. In the ensuing years, which included research, teaching positions and Master’s degrees at the Department of Viticulture at U.C. Davis, they developed and honed their viticultural expertise. In 1982, they started their business, DeVine Consultants, which provides a series of wine grape growing classes around the state, vineyard consultations, complete vineyard installation and maintenance through their Custom Home Vineyards®, and “Vineyard in a Van,” a boutique shopping service to fully equip any size vineyard operation.

“Armed with some rudimentary equipment, some basic knowledge, and great wine grapes, home winemakers can produce wines comparable to some of the world’s finest,” said Szyjewicz, who has been teaching wine grape growing classes in San Diego County for about 15 years. “The key is to get those great grapes. And when you have the basic guidance and mystery removed, it’s not that difficult, but you have to assemble and integrate it. Establishing a vineyard is like eating a whale: Try to swallow it in one bite, and you will choke; you have to eat it one bite at a time.”

In January 2006, San Diego County’s Ramona Valley was officially designated as an American Viticultural Area, earning recognition as its own wine growing and producing region featuring a variety of grape growing options. This presents a unique opportunity for local vintners around the county: a high quality, low water use, potentially profitable crop that can be enjoyed personally or commercially.

“Many think Southern California wine is in Santa Barbara,” said Szyjewicz, “but now it’s in Ramona. San Diegans no longer have to go north for good wine. You can go “sideways”—to Ramona.”

The vineyard seminar, sponsored by Ramona Valley Vineyard Association, runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 7 and 8 at the Ramona Mainstage Nightclub, and lunch is provided with the admission price. Preregister before Jan. 30 to attend at the lowest prices as follows: To attend one class only, the cost is $150 per person or $200 per couple; to attend both days, the cost is $275 per person or $325 per couple. To make your seminar reservation, call the Ramona Valley Vineyard Association at (619) 865-8255. For more information about Szyjewicz and DeVine Consultants, visit www.microwinery.com. Additional seminar information is available at www.rvva.org. For further information, call (760) 445-2365.

AITC Garden Grant recipient uses school garden to help students with special needs

by Nancy Walery

When Springall Academy outgrew their La Jolla campus in 2005 and moved into a new and larger facility in the San Carlos neighborhood of East San Diego County, they sadly left behind a well-developed school garden that had become a valuable and favorite part of the curriculum over the last decade. As a special education K-12+ school designed for students with special needs, the school was proud to have developed a garden with six raised beds, two greenhouses, and 70 pupils ages 6 to 22 eager to get their hands dirty in the name of education.

Starting with the 25 potted plants transferred from the La Jolla campus, Springall has broken ground on a new school garden from scratch in their new digs, which currently features two 10’ x 10’ garden beds and a recently donated greenhouse that, with a little repair, will be good as new. With the help of a $1,000 Garden Grant from San Diego Ag in the Classroom, the school hopes to complete the construction and planting of four more raised beds by the end of this school year, complete with an irrigation system and shade structure so that they can expand their garden of peas, carrots, green beans, sunflowers, morning glories and other greenery and return to classroom and individual student garden projects.

The school, whose overall program ratio is one adult for every two students, focuses on helping students with learning disabilities, behavioral and emotional challenges and autism with the goal of preparing them for eventual transition to a less restrictive school environment, and ultimately success in adult life through the world of work. This is done through intensive development of social and real-life skills, building self-esteem, and strengthening work-related academic skills via highly structured and closely supervised one-on-one and small-group instruction.
As many other traditional schools have found, the school garden provides an ideal medium for students to experience, not only the multi-sensory experience of working in the garden, but also learn teamwork,
punctuality, taking turns, planning, responsibility, and work experience. Since the students at Springall do the work of building the garden beds, digging, planting, maintaining and monitoring the garden, those hard-earned skills are often tougher to learn.

“Our students have challenges that most people take for granted, from the physical—such as weaker muscle control and motor skills, the coordination of holding a rake and shovel, and turning water knobs—to the cognitive, like the patience required to watch the garden grow and visualizing how it will develop,” said Springall Academy Executive Director Heather Dierolf. “Our garden projects typically take longer because they are student led, but the skills and self-esteem they develop during the process is the whole purpose of the garden program.”

For those students who have a strong interest in spending more time in the school garden, the academy also runs a garden work experience program as well as a garden club, which are supported by parent volunteers, the San Diego Master Gardeners Association, and partnerships with local nurseries in the community. A couple of seniors at the school who developed their gardening skills at Springall’s school garden recently completed a year-long ROP landscaping class at a local public high school, where they received certificates of completion, have become junior gardener teachers and will soon complete Springall’s transition program.

“Our garden program has been a huge success,” Dierolf said. “These students had never fit in at regular schools, but here they have a sense of belonging and pride in their projects. We’ve even had some students who may be having a difficult day or a problem in class ask for permission to take a walk in the garden. They’ve found peace in this natural setting and have found it to be a calming place to go. Through this program, they’ve developed a deep appreciation for agriculture. Because of their experiences here, I believe that, one day, these kids will even have gardens of their own.”

To make a donation to support San Diego Ag in the Classroom’s garden grants, scholarships, and other programs, simply make your check payable to San Diego Ag in the Classroom (the foundation established to support ongoing agricultural education), and mail it to: San Diego County Farm Bureau, 1670 E. Valley Parkway, Escondido, CA 92027.