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San Diego County Farm Bureau News
October 2008: Vol. 21. No. 10

MONTHLY COLUMNS

President's Message

Use your vote Nov. 4 to tell our legislature how you feel
by Chuck Badger

As we approach a very important election next month, we must realize that there are more issues at hand than just the presidential race. Local state elections become important because of our state government's lack of a budget. It is now painfully obvious that our state legislators' inability to come up with a budget has severely damaged two of our main farming issues: pest eradication and water supply.

By not enacting a budget, the state legislature has delayed the continuing spray program to eradicate the Diaprepes root weevil. Our county Farm Bureau worked diligently to find money in Sacramento to continue this assault on the root weevil. We have enough money in the state budget to continue spraying the root weevil in the existing quarantine areas. Unfortunately, these funds are not available until our legislature and governor agree on a budget. In the meantime, more root weevil adults hatch and can now mate to continue a deadly life-cycle. Our citrus and nursery industries are in danger of "burning" while our government officials in Sacramento "fiddle!"

And what may end up to be even worse for our entire farm community is the legislature's failure to act on Governor Schwarzenegger and Senator Feinstein's water bond. This bond calls for continued conservation, further water recycling and, most importantly, more surface storage-badly needed reservoirs. But, as Democrat Assembly member Nicole Parra learned, party loyalty is more important than actually solving state problems. A Central Valley representative who knows that water is the life blood of farming, she refused to vote on a state budget that didn't address our water problem. The new Democrat Assembly speaker Karen Bass promptly kicked Parra out of her Capitol building office and moved her to cramped quarters across the street. The message: Not even an important issue like water gets in the way of toeing the party line!

Our state's water supply problem threatens to choke our entire economy. The current water infrastructure now services twice as many people as it originally did. Dryer winters result in less runoff available to the overworked system. And increased environmental regulations further restrict the amount of water available to us. These factors make it imperative that we have more reservoirs to hold wet-year water that would otherwise flow out to the Pacific Ocean. Any infrastructure improvements will take years to finish, so we need to begin them now! We must continue to lobby our state representatives to immediately fix the water supply system. If they fail to do so, our mantra in November should be, "Let's throw the bums out!"

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From the Executive Director

Resilience, fortitude of a farmer could teach general populace a thing or two
by Eric Larson

I'm not a farmer. Once was and sure would like to do it again some day. For now, my garden will have to suffice. Farmers who are out being more productive than sitting at a desk writing a column must find it hard to avoid becoming a cynic theses days. A good freeze wasn't enough, nor was fire. How about a few new bugs? Throw in a water shortage and top it off with the knowledge that California voters just might tell all the egg producers to take a hike next month. Just like that ample reasons for becoming a cynic start to line up.

Whenever a new calamity arrives on the doorstep of farmers in the county, the press questions start to pour in. What does the bug eat? Do avocados freeze? Can't they just water a little less? You mean insurance doesn't cover their fire losses? Once the questions are allayed, there is often a final question asking if farmers can survive what seems like serial fatal events. I think that question answers itself when I look around and still see trees on the hillsides, crops in the valleys, and nurseries tucked in the neighborhoods. That's not to imply their being there didn't require conviction.

What I've learned about farmers is that they take the challenge at hand and deal with it. They aren't writing letters to the editor crying poor me or waiting for a government bailout. Frozen nursery plants get pushed out of the way to make room for new ones. Mandated water cuts don't just get met, they are exceeded. Quarantines mean meet the protocols and keep products moving. Fires result in new irrigation systems and new plantings.

While it is tempting to accuse farmers of being a half-bubble off in choosing what they do, once they are in, they push all their chips in. And the most amazing part of it is they do it with an attitude that is eternally bright, regardless of the ice, flames, bugs, or stumped trees they face. That is a long way from the general populace that starts to whine because their nearest Starbucks closed. There is not a soul who would fault farmers for moving over to the cynic's side of the street. Amazingly, they choose not to.Top of Page

From the Ag Commissioner

Exotic/invasive pests in San Diego County

Bob Atkins, Agricultural Commissioner/Sealer of Weights and Measures

A new exotic pest is introduced into California every 60 days. More invertebrate pests and plant diseases are introduced into California than any other state, with the exception of Florida. Each year, these insects or pathogens cause an estimated $3 billion in agricultural damage in California alone. As the San Diego County Agricultural Commissioner, I have to remain vigilant against the onslaught of exotic pests, as the majority of these invasive pests are introduced into Southern California. Our county's mild climate and reputation as a prime travel destination provide a perfect prescription for the introduction of exotic pests. Add to the mix its major ports, proximity to Mexico, and a broad diversity of plant life, and the likelihood of the introduction, distribution, and establishment of destructive pests increases exponentially.

In California, County Agricultural Commissioners provide the first line of defense against incoming pests. Within our department, three programs work together to protect our agriculture: 1. The Plant Health and Pest Prevention Program oversees a progressive nursery, cut flower, and foliage inspection program; 2. The entomology and plant pathology labs rapidly identify and analyze insects, diseases and pathogens; and 3. The Pest Detection Program actively traps for exotic fruit flies and other pests.

As many of you are aware, in June the destructive pest Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) was found at 19 sites in the Tijuana area of Baja California within two miles of the border. This triggered an intensive search for ACP throughout San Diego County through coordinated efforts of my department and the California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA).

Detection efforts included visual inspections of the new growth on citrus trees for leaf damage and immature stages of the psyllid, placement of sticky yellow panel traps and inspection of samples submitted to the County entomologist and pathologist. Although ACP was detected on 10 properties in the Sweetwater area and two sites in Dulzura, none of the citrus trees were infected with citrus greening, the devastating disease ACP can transmit. On Sept. 5, a quarantine was established covering the area south of Highway 78 to the Mexico border. Under the quarantine, commercially packed citrus fruit can be shipped out of the quarantine area. Citrus nursery trees will need to be treated and may only be shipped into and sold within the quarantine area. AWM is working with CDFA and USDA on citrus quarantine protocols.

Other pests recently discovered in San Diego County include the Diaprepes root weevil, red imported fire ant, Formosan termite, olive psyllid, myoporum thrips, bamboo mealybug, Asian longhorned beetle, glassy-winged sharpshooter, citrus leafminer, small hive beetle, gold-spotted oak borer and the brown widow spider. Plant diseases are also of concern and recent finds include chrysanthemum white rust, gladiolus rust, myrtle rust and basil downy mildew.

We are also keeping an eye on several insects and diseases anticipated to arrive in San Diego in the near future. These include erythrina gall wasp, Sirex wood wasp, and tomato yellow leaf curl virus.

With this many invasive insects and diseases on the horizon, monitoring for these pests poses a challenge. For many of these insect pests, appropriate and effective lures for detection trapping do not exist, resulting in monitoring programs that may be inadequate. Many insect pests such as fruit fly larvae live inside plants and may not be detected in visual surveys. Additionally, many plant pathogens are not visible to the naked eye and disease symptoms may not be expressed until a plant or fruit nears maturity. I really look to the agricultural community to be a second (or first) set of eyes for the unusual. While this department's inspectors spend hours looking in incoming packages, checking traps and looking at homeowner submissions, an additional line of defense can come from the many farmers, growers and landscapers in this county. If you find something odd, please report it to either the CDFA Pest Hot line at (800) 491-1899 or (619) 698-1046 or call my office at (858) 694-8988. If you would like additional information on any of these pests, we would be happy to help you as well.

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Farm Bureau has been working for you . . .

  • Submitted letter to members of the San Diego City Council urging their rejection of Prop 2
  • Attended Metropolitan Water District meeting on ag water program
  • Responded to numerous press requests for interviews about the Asian citrus psyllid
  • Met with the Natural Resource Conservation Service on grant opportunities for farmers
  • Participated in County workshop to revise farmworker housing permit procedures
  • Traveled to Sacramento to meet with CFBF officers and directors
  • Conducted tour of local farms for Board of Supervisors' policy advisor
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Ag in the Classroom update

SDAITC school garden grant applications available Oct. 1

San Diego Ag in The Classroom is happy to announce an opportunity for all San Diego area schools, charter schools and youth organizations to apply for grants to support gardens or ag projects that enhance agricultural education and awareness. Grants of up to $1,000 will be awarded to individuals or schools that are directly involved with teaching children in grades K-12 about agriculture and/or nutrition. Grants will be considered for new garden startups, existing garden projects, as well as in-class agriculture/garden projects. The funds can be used as startup garden money as well as for tools, garden sheds, irrigation equipment, seeds, plants, resource materials and books.

Applications are available effective Oct. 1, 2008 from the San Diego County Farm Bureau Web site (www.sdfarmbureau.org) or by calling the Farm Bureau office at (760) 745-3023. Completed applications must be received in the Farm Bureau office by 5 p.m. Friday, Nov. 14, 2008.

Featured Articles

Asian citrus psyllid found in San Diego County

However, greening disease carried by bug is not yet present
by Nancy Walery

It has become a sad fact of life that San Diego County is almost always under attack from some pest or plant disease. Growers have faced down Mediterranean fruit flies, Mexican fruit flies (several times), Oriental fruit flies, the red-gummed lerp psyllid, glassy-winged sharpshooter, Exotic Newscastle Disease, red imported fire ants, bamboo mealybug, citrus leafminer, sudden oak death, the Diaprepes root weevil, and more (and that's all been since 2000, when I started writing for the Farm Bureau newsletter). When it seems it can't get any worse, San Diego is now facing the mother of all pests-and one that could single-handedly take down the entire citrus industry.

The Asian citrus psyllid, discovered in Tijuana in July near the U.S. border, brought out an immediate and strong show of force by federal, state and local agricultural officials on this side of the border. By the end of August, one pest had been found in a trap near the Sweetwater Reservoir. As of press time, 250 psyllids have been found at six different San Diego locations in residential backyard trees. On Sept. 5, a quarantine was declared in the southern part of San Diego County restricting movement of citrus and closely related plants to protect the county's major citrus producing region in the northern part of the county.

So far, none of the pests found in traps have been found to carry Huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, the disease the pest can carry. However, every time the pest has been found, the bacterial disease has followed. Without the disease, the pest is relatively harmless; however, with the disease, it is the death-knell for citrus. In Florida, the psyllid was discovered in 1998; in 2005 HLB disease was detected, which has since caused the citrus industry to destroy more than 65,000 acres of diseased trees and a virtually permanent statewide citrus quarantine. The psyllid, which originated in Asia, was found in Brazil, central Mexico and the Caribbean islands before reaching Florida, and has since been found in Alabama, Texas and Louisiana, with HLB also found in Louisiana.

The Asian citrus psyllid spreads HLB much the way a mosquito carries malaria and the glassy-winged sharpshooter spreads Pierce's disease. As the psyllid feeds on a diseased tree, the HLB bacteria enters its system, and when it feeds on another tree, it transmits some of that bacteria into the next tree it feeds on. The bacteria gradually robs the tree of nutrients, producing immature, bitter and malformed fruit, eventually killing the tree. The psyllid's short but productive lifespan means that this disease can rapidly spread if not contained.

With no preventive measures available and no cure once a tree is infected with HLB, officials estimate that an HLB infestation in California could destroy the entire citrus industry in 10 years. That's why agricultural officials are focused on identifying a chemical to eradicate the pest, whether or not it has HLB in its system. Meanwhile, stepped up border efforts are in place to intercept the insect and disease; public education, trapping and detection efforts have been expanded; and the San Diego County Department of Agriculture has established a quarantine boundary from the Mexican border north to Highway 78. The quarantine restricts the movement of all plant material in the Rutaceae family, which includes all citrus as well as ornamental plants in the Murraia family. For the latest information about quarantine parameters, maps and pest eradication plans, visit the San Diego County Farm Bureau Web site at www.sdfarmbureau.org

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Luawanna Hallstrom named 2008 Farmer of the Year

by Nancy Walery

Luawanna Hallstrom didn't set out to become the agriculture industry's face of immigration reform more than two decades ago. Rather, it was a personal calling that sent her on this mission of regular treks to Sacramento and Washington, D.C., where she has tirelessly pressed for comprehensive immigration reform with countless members of Congress, state officials and legislators, and where she has joined and addressed more boards, committees and organizations, all to promote the mantle of change. Her commitment and passion to her mission is palpable whenever she speaks on the topic, ever articulate yet soft-spoken, which compels rapt attention from her audience. Using a collaborative approach to solving the many thorny issues inherent in this long-simmering and emotionally charged topic, she has earned recognition and respect from both her supporters and detractors for her tenacious, yet professional spirit in pursuit of meaningful reform. If there were a Who's Who in American Agriculture, she'd be in it.

To recognize her efforts-past, present, and future-toward the ultimate goal of achieving immigration reform, and to celebrate SDCFB's very own champion of the cause, Luawanna Hallstrom has been selected as San Diego County Farm Bureau's 2008 Farmer of the Year. She will be honored by her family, friends and the agriculture community Thursday, October 30 at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido.

"The work Luawanna does on immigration reform has been extraordinary," said Janet Silva Kister, Farm Bureau's 2006 Farmer of the Year. "Although not yet successful in reaching her goal, Luawanna is passionate when presenting the untenable reality of the current immigration situation to our elected officials and offering reasonable solutions. The eternal optimist, Luawanna convinces us all to continue to press for a successful outcome."

Hallstrom is Chief Operating Officer of her family's 3rd generation farm, Harry Singh & Sons, and Business Manager for the family's produce marketing company, Oceanside Produce. She represents the tomato commodity on the San Diego County Farm Bureau board of directors, and has maintained a strong focus at the state and national levels tackling the issues of immigration reform, low income/farmworker housing, and national security through food safety.

"Immigration reform is No. 1 for me, which is a direct link to national security," said Hallstrom, who is California Farm Bureau's Labor Committee chair, a member of the American Farm Bureau's Labor Committee, the national co-chair for the Agricultural Council for Immigration Reform, the Western Vice President for the National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE), a board member for Western Growers, and recently reappointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to her second term on the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. "My work with CDFA has given me the opportunity to create more awareness and understanding at the state level to aid in the pursuit of legislation to support much-needed low-income family housing and temporary farm worker housing so often overlooked. Over the last 20 years, I have strived to build coalitions by working with so many organizations building bridges so that agriculture has a strong and unified voice. I have studied agriculture across the country and understand the many faces of this industry, which is especially important when working on federal issues."

Agriculture vs. holistic medicine

With such extensive involvement in agriculture, immigration reform, and building coalitions, it might be surprising to learn that agriculture was not Hallstrom's original career goal. During and shortly after college, Hallstrom was focused on a career in holistic medicine.

With a Bachelor's degree in nutrition and food science from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and an acceptance letter to attend Palmer Chiropractic School in San Jose, Hallstrom took some time during the mid-1980s to work for several doctors in the San Luis Obispo area, developing their new medical practice and gaining experience in how to set up a new business operation-skills that would come in handy when she was ready to set up her own holistic practice after completing chiropractic school.

However, in 1986, shortly before she was to head for San Jose, her uncle, Harry Singh Jr., who had taken over running the business started by her grandfather, Harry Singh Sr., in the 1940s, offered her the opportunity to join the family business to aid and help develop the company through growth. The family had established its own produce marketing company, Oceanside Produce, the previous year, in which she later developed a heavy recruitment and search effort to establish a strong marketing director to develop a national plan. On the farming side of the business, Hallstrom resolved myriad administrative issues and tackled the recurring labor shortages the company faced, as well as the future challenges using the national H-2A guest worker program.

"I love challenges, but I had to sit down and think about his offer," Hallstrom recalled, knowing how it would derail her future plans in holistic medicine. "But to be a part of growing with the business from the ground up in its new endeavors and the opportunity to fix the labor issues on the farming side were irresistible." She spent the next decade learning the produce growing and marketing businesses by developing a solid foundation, which paid off when the agriculture industry entered a difficult era that put many farmers out of business.

"Running a business in general is more difficult these days, especially an agriculture business," said Hallstrom, who added that, despite the mounting challenges, Harry Singh & Sons remains the largest single vine-ripe tomato producer in the United States today. "Had we not had the vision to build a strong business foundation over many years, we couldn't have survived in today's business climate. Through the coalitions we've built, and now through CDFA's California Ag Vision project-an historic effort to determine how California agriculture will look in 2030-we will be able to help not only our family business and our industry at large, but also the future of our industry. I'm part of a family that wants to continue farming, and the state, as a whole, isn't exactly warm and fuzzy toward farmers and ranchers. So we still have a lot of work to do."

AgJOBS, collaboration, and the strengthening of an industry

Over the last few years, Hallstrom has devoted enormous time and effort to working with a variety of our elected state and federal representatives to pass the bipartisan Agricultural Job Opportunities, Benefits, and Security Act (AgJOBS), immigration legislation that allows for a controlled and comprehensive guest worker program. The legislation, which was originally attached to a Senate bill in 2005, is taking longer than expected to become law. So earlier this year, Hallstrom was instrumental in working with Sen. Dianne Feinstein and others to craft and pass the Emergency Agricultural Relief Act, a temporary measure to protect agriculture's existing immigrant workforce from the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) stepped-up border enforcement practices until the comprehensive AgJOBS legislation can be passed.

"My collaborative communication techniques have been the key to creating awareness and coalitions," Hallstrom said. "These coalitions were influential in setting straight with this administration and DHS the understanding that agriculture is directly tied to national security. Previously, this administration had no directives related to agriculture; now, it's understood and one of the administration's top three priorities. That didn't just happen; it was because of the message and awareness we created through building national coalitions on the home front and beyond."

"It takes a team to accomplish these kinds of challenges, and Luawanna is a very important part of that," said CFBF President Doug Mosebar. "It strikes me how she has a very calm demeanor about her that really helps disarm people in difficult situations, especially on the emotional topic of labor and immigration. Whenever discussions deteriorate to the point that they are no longer rational, Luawanna's calming influence gets the conversation to the other side. She's a great representative of our organization and agriculture in general."

Hallstrom says she is finally seeing results from her two decades of effort in the form of a stronger and more unified agriculture industry that she has supported since she was a child growing up on the family farm. The recipient of the 2005 Woman of Distinction Award through Soroptomist International, and recipient of the 2007 Living Legacy Award from the Women's International Center, Hallstrom has been broadening her reach by articulating her message to broad audiences nationally and internationally covering correspondents in more than 20 countries. Locally, she is sitting on various boards, including serving as a Commissioner on the UC President's Advisory Committee on Agriculture and Natural Resources, where she is able to articulate the importance of agriculture as an industry for the state and the nation. Serving as an ambassador of sorts, Hallstrom has spoken over the last two years for the Institute of the Americas' annual Latin American Conference held at UC San Diego, where she is building more coalitions on immigration reform and a respect for California agricultural practices. Through speaking engagements and contributions on various documentaries, such as the 2006 CFBF film, Broken Harvest; the BBC, Barcelona Spain, and working with Chapman University's film school in developing a perspective on agriculture's role in a broad documentary on immigration, she continues to tell agriculture's story.

"These are great opportunities for education and understanding, which are part of relationship building and maintaining open lines of communication so vitally necessary when working on immigration issues," Hallstrom said. "Many people don't realize how far you need to reach to create change."

Don't miss the opportunity to celebrate with Luawanna on Oct. 30. The event, which is sponsored by American AgCredit, Allied Insurance, Nationwide Health Plans, State Compensation Insurance Fund, and San Diego Gas & Electric, will begin with cocktails at 6 p.m. followed by dinner at 6:45 p.m. Tickets are $55 per person and must be purchased through the Farm Bureau by the close of business Thursday, Oct. 23, 2008.

Farmers of the Year

1963   Bevan M. Walker
1964   Warren Hooper
1965   Walter Beck
1966   Hart Dunham
1967   William Tulloch
1968   Paul Ecke Sr.
1969   Fred Hinrichs
1970   Joe Owashi
1971   Lou Whitwer
1973   Oliver Atkins
1974   Ben Hillebrecht
1975   James C. Roberts
1976   D.D. Thomasson
1979   Ben Schut
1982   Harry Turner
1983   Wilfred D. Perdum
1984   Frank Koch
1985   Steve White
1986   Charley Wolk
1987   Bob Vice
1988   H. Michael Mellano
1989   Chuck Badger
1990   Evelyn Weidner
1991   Paul Ecke Jr.
1992   F. “Woody” Barnes
1993   Betty Anne Tulloch
1994   Dave Pruitt
1995   Pete de Jong
1996   Vic Pankey
1997   Edwin & Robert Frazee
1998   Judy Fowler
1999   Eric Anderson
2000   Fran Hillebrecht
2001   Edward Grangetto Sr.
2002   Al Stehly
2003   Jim Bathgate
2004   Leo McGuire Sr.
2005   David Stepp
2006   Janet Kister
2007   Charles “Gil” Henry
2008   Luawanna HallstromTop of Page

New and improved Avocado Crop Insurance Program now available

From Golden State Crop & Insurance Services, (888) 252-9797

The all new Avocado Crop Insurance Program based on your individual past production (APH plan) is now available. This means that your 2009 bloom/2010 crop coverage should be much more reflective of your actual past production, be more affordable, easier to understand, and offer a quicker claims settlement process. The new program also includes the Lamb Hass variety.

Based on the average of your past production history, the new program will allow you to select a coverage level percentage of your historical production average as a guaranteed production for the upcoming year. If your actual production falls short of that guarantee due to a covered cause, the shortage will be paid to you at the rate of 80¢ per pound (for buy-up levels). Each year this crop-specific price will be adjusted. Levels of coverage are available from the catastrophic level of 50 percent up to 75 percent of your past production average. This program also helps to meet your crop insurance requirements for the Farm Services Agency's SURE Program.

Coverage Example: Assume you are a 10-acre Hass grower in Valley Center with a 9,000/lb/acre historical average production. You've selected the 55 percent level of coverage. Your guarantee would be 4,950/lb/acre, and anything short of that would be paid at the rate of 80¢ per pound. Your premium for this level of coverage would be $101.30 per acre.

While the new program no longer protects growers against bad prices, most avocado growers have access to the Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) program which protects against economic losses.

Farm Bureau board of directors endorses “No on Prop 2”

If passed, initiative will jeopardize California’s high food safety standards and drive egg and poultry industries out of state

by Nancy Walery

There's a stealth initiative on the Nov. 4 ballot that spells bad news for the poultry and egg industry and California. Even worse: If passed, it could become the impetus for more far-reaching ballot-box farming initiatives in the future.

Titled the "Standards for Confining Farm Animals Initiative," Proposition 2 has been launched by animal-rights advocates. Uninformed about the industry of animal agriculture, food safety, and public health issues and misguided in current state animal welfare practices, these self-appointed leaders of change seek to overturn time-honored animal husbandry practices supported by UC Cooperative Extension, California Animal Health and Food Safety Laboratory, the Association of California Veterinarians, California Department of Health Services, CDFA, USDA and the U.S. Food & Drug Administration.

If approved by voters, Proposition 2 will dictate how farmers can house sows, veal calves, and egg-laying hens. The law will be difficult and cost prohibitive to implement and jeopardize the health and safety, as well as productivity, of these farm animals. With little, if any, swine and veal production in San Diego County, the net effect of Prop 2, according to a study of the initiative by UC Davis, will be the loss of family farms in our community that have been producing eggs for generations. In the five-year adjustment period over which the initiative would phase in, California's $337 million egg industry would face "almost complete elimination," the study says.

Passage of Prop 2 is also likely to empower those animal rights advocates to set their future sights on other agriculture targets in an effort to further "reform" other agricultural practices on California farms, so no farm is safe.

"This is just the tip of the iceberg toward limiting, even eliminating, agriculture in California, said Ryan Armstrong, vice president of Armstrong Egg Farms in Valley Center. Armstrong added that, when they were unsuccessful in persuading our state legislators to carry a bill, Prop 2 proponents (who have the financial backing of the Humane Society of the United States, an animal rights group not associated with the San Diego Humane Society) took advantage of California's initiative process to accomplish their goal. "It will open doors to new limitations on animal agriculture that will affect everyone in this industry."

Voting No on Prop 2 is critical; and spreading the word about this "UN-SAFE Food Initiative" to your friends and neighbors would help prevent the demise of California agriculture as we know it. The choice for consumers is simple: Fresh and local under the strict mandates of California's egg industry and state law versus imported under far less stringent food safety standards. How would you like your eggs?

For more information, visit the "No on Prop 2" Web site at www.safecaliforniafood.org.Top of Page

USDA’s EQIP funding application deadline is Nov. 2

Farmers and ranchers who are interested in installing conservation projects and natural resource enhancements with assistance from the 2009 Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) should contact the Escondido Field Office of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) immediately in order to complete and submit an application by the Nov. 2, 2008 deadline.

Agricultural operators can receive financial and technical assistance to implement a variety of ag improvements for soil, water and related natural resources as well as conservation projects including irrigation system improvements, tailwater return, erosion control and rangeland improvements.

EQIP is a voluntary cost-share and technical assistance program of the federal Farm Bill, which is offered by NRCS to help promote agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible goals. NRCS offers more than 100 conservation practices that reduce soil erosion and agricultural water runoff, improve forestland health, reduce the use of chemical pesticides, and enhance wildlife habitat. Eligible structural and vegetative practices can be cost-shared up to 50 percent and management conservation practices up to 100 percent. Beginning farmers and ranchers may qualify for up to 75 percent cost-share and limited resource producers may qualify for up to 90 percent cost-share.

An on-site visit by an NRCS representative is required before applicants can complete the EQIP application packet, so call today to start the process by contacting the NRCS office in Escondido at (760) 745-2061 ext 3.

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New fee schedule adopted for participants of monitoring group

Group has been officially named “San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group”

by Nancy Walery

After SDCFB members read the July newsletter cover story on Farm Bureau forming a runoff monitoring group, a number of small growers weighed in on the cost of the entrance fee, saying it would be cost prohibitive for them to participate. As a result, an amended fee schedule was adopted by the board at its Sept. 4 meeting. The new entrance fee schedule to join the group is as follows:

  • $100 per acre capped at $500 if paid by Dec. 31, 2008
  • $150 per acre capped at $750 if paid between Jan. 1 and June 30, 2009
  • $200 per acre capped at $1,000 if paid after June 30, 2009

In addition, the monitoring group has been officially named the "San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group" (SDILG), because non-irrigated lands and livestock producers are not subject to this set of Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) requirements.

San Diego County has now joined several other regions in the state in creating a monitoring group to meet testing mandates under the Regional Water Quality Control Boards. This mandate requires growers to select one of two options to fulfill monitoring requirements: 1) Report directly to the RWQCB, or 2) Join a local monitoring group, such as the one SDCFB is forming. Like a number of other monitoring groups established in the state, the SDILG will function as a 501(c)(3) controlled by Farm Bureau.

Growers opting to work one-on-one with the RWQCB will be required to file detailed documentation and pay hefty sums to participate in the program. The RWQCB has estimated these costs. The initial Monitoring and Reporting Program filing will cost about $7,200. By the end of the fourth year of the program, a Quality Assurance Project Plan must be submitted at the estimated cost of $7,200. Monitoring results from the fourth year must then be followed by a Monitoring Program Report, which will cost an estimated $3,600. These costs add up to $18,000. However, by joining a monitoring group, these costs would be spread among the participants in the monitoring group. Additional funding to sustain monitoring group operations and testing of runoff water is typically through assessments and acreage fees based on the intensity of the type of agriculture. Farm Bureau membership is required to participate in the SDILG as it is considered a significant member benefit.

Monitoring groups are tasked with establishing and staffing the program and ongoing operations, registering participants, and hiring a third party firm to conduct the testing. The testing from the engineering consultant involves select sampling sites downstream from farms in watersheds; taking water samples and testing for compliance; and reporting back to the monitoring group which, in turn, reports the data to the RWQCB. If pollution is discovered, efforts will have to be made to rectify the situation.

Every grower must form or join a monitoring group to monitor water quality compliance and report to the RWQCB by Dec. 31, 2010. That date is the same deadline for growers who choose to go it alone and register directly with the RWQCB. By Jan. 1, 2011, monitoring groups and individuals must file a Notice of Intent with the RWQCB. Full details about the program, including additional funding sources beyond the entrance fee, are explained in a letter Farm Bureau mailed to growers recently.

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MWD proposes changes to ag water program

Four-year phase-out, early opt-out, conservation incentives part of package
by Nancy Walery

Growers have been hearing for at least the past year that the Interruptible Ag Water Program (IAWP) many have enjoyed since 1994 is teetering on the edge of extinction. The price discount given farmers through the program has been justified by the fact that the water in the program has been considered "surplus." Now that surpluses no longer exist in the state due to pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, storage reserves are being drawn down, and MWD is purchasing dry-year transfer supplies to maintain reliability, the program has come under scrutiny from the Metropolitan Water District's (MWD) board of directors. Despite growers meeting-and even exceeding-the 30 percent mandated cutbacks which began in January of this year, the IAWP can no longer be justified by MWD.

MWD staff has been working closely with the Southern California Ag Water Team to develop a replacement program for the IAWP that it hopes will strike a balance between growers' irrigation needs and MWD's responsibility to reliable water delivery:

Phaseout of IAWP by 2013. Over the next four years, there would be a gradual reduction of water use restrictions concurrent with a gradual price increase for IAWP participants. As of Jan. 1, 2013, all participants would be at the full municipal and industrial (M&I) price and service levels.

Opt-out opportunities. Growers would be eligible to exit the IAWP before the phase-out period ends. To opt out for 2009, the notice period would be Oct. 15, 2008 to Jan. 15, 2009; the opt-out notice period for 2010, 2011 and 2012 would be from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 of the respective year. It is important to note that a 10 percent or greater reduction in water may go into effect if the MWD board takes action to institute mandatory restrictions on all water users early next year.

Agricultural conservation incentive program. Ag customers paying MWD's full service rates could be eligible for incentives through a new MWD-funded conservation program directed at ag users, focused on promoting on-farm devices and activities for greater water use efficiency. IAWP growers would not be eligible to participate unless they opt out of the discount program. Details on this program will be available sometime after June 2009.

Ag water use reduction contracts. Not as fully developed as the above three points, MWD would consider developing contracts with certain landowners or lessees to provide structured payments based on potential water savings in exchange for growers not irrigating contract lands for an agreed-upon time period. Due to the permanency and value of crops grown in San Diego County, this option may have limited application to local growers.

The MWD board will decide at its Oct. 14 board meeting whether it will implement the above proposal so that it can provide IAWP members a three-month notification period on the opt-out provision for 2009. No opposition was raised at the proposal's first public hearing Sept. 8, so the plan is expected to be adopted Oct. 14.

"The MWD staff and board have made a Herculean effort since the first of the year to change this (IAWP) program," said Ken Roth, a Bonsall avocado grower, treasurer for the California Avocado Commission and chair of the Commission-sponsored Southern California Ag Water Team. "The impetus to come up with an alternative was not necessarily high on their priority list, but they have made great efforts to fix the current program and provide an alternative. I know that some growers may not agree with this, but the Ag Water Team couldn't disagree with MWD's position that, with no supplemental water available, it no longer made sense to sell it at a discount. The IAWP just no longer fits."

While SDCFB board member and avocado grower Charley Wolk would have liked to see MWD do more to justify the IAWP's value to growers before adopting a phase-out plan, he believes MWD's proposal has benefits, including no penalties to opt-out, more water availability than under the current 30 percent mandate, and the opportunity for growers to participate in conservation incentive programs.

"My view was that the IAWP was a value to urban customers, and I asked them to look at it that way rather than start out accepting a phase out," said Wolk, who is the immediate past chairman of the National Hass Avocado Board (HAB) and a former chairman of the California Avocado Commission. "But, having read the agreement, I believe that this proposal is as good as it's going to get, and there's nothing to be gained by arguing or renegotiating it."