Author: Dave Alexander

The Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association is offering up to $5,000 in scholarships for the 2018/19 school year.

 The PNVA will give preference in the following order

1) Members of the PNVA (and family) in agriculture

2) Non-members in agriculture

3) Members in other fields

4) Non-members other areas of interest

 Eligible applicants must be high school graduates planning to attend an institution of higher education (university, college, or technical program), current undergraduates, or graduate students.

The scholarship committee and board of directors of the Pacific Northwest Vegetable Association will select the scholarship winners.  Announcement of the scholarship winners will be made in June, 2018.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: April 28, 2018

Get an application here:

https://pnva.org/scholarship/

Help for Employers, Worker, Handlers and more.

The 2015 revised Agricultural Worker Protection Standard (WPS) is complex, so this guide breaks it up into bite-sized chunks and sorts information by user types to tailor the learning experience for workers, handlers, employers, and more.

This WPS Compliance Assistance Library is web-based guide to help people on farms, orchards, and other agricultural establishments comply with the WPS.

Answers to your questions:

• WPS – Does It Apply To You?
• WPS – State Contacts

Just for You:

• What are my responsibilities as an agricultural employer?
• What are my responsibilities as a commercial pesticide handler employer?
• What are my responsibilities as a trainer of workers?
• What are my responsibilities as a trainer of handlers?
• What are my responsibilities as a labor contractor?
• What are my responsibilities as a crop adviser?
• What are my responsibilities as a worker?
• What are my responsibilities as a handler?

The material and content has been reviewed by federal regulators, farmworker advocacy organizations, university experts, and state agriculture officials. However, users are cautioned not to rely on any one resource for compliance information. Please refer to the official “How-to-Comply” Manual and the regulation, then contact your state regulatory agency with questions regarding compliance with the WPS.

If you have any questions about navigating the WPS-Compliance Assistance Library, please direct them to PERC at PERCsupport@ucdavis.edu.

SOURCE: WSU Extension, Irrigated Agriculture

Jet Harvest Solutions has hired Matthew Ohl as the company’s Pacific Northwest sales representative. Ohl will be based in West Richland, Washington, and will primarily handle sales in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

Ohl started his agriculture career with the J.R. Simplot Company in 2014 and worked with crops including onions, potatoes, corn, peas, alfalfa and wheat. He has a degree in ag technology and management from Washington State University.

“We’re pleased to have a fulltime person dedicated to the Pacific Northwest,” said Bill Grant, owner and director of business development. “Matt has a lot of energy and passion to help each warehouse and grower produce the best piece of produce possible.”

Jet Harvest Solutions is a Florida-based provider of agricultural chemistries and biological products.

Stokes Seeds has hired Tom Jacobs as sales representative for Michigan, northern Ohio and northern Indiana. He will supply vegetable seed recommendations to commercial producers throughout the region.

Jacobs has been working in Great Lakes and Midwest agriculture for over 20 years including experience in seed sales, irrigation, crop production and equipment.

Jacobs replaces Keith Peterson, who is retiring after 41 years in the vegetable seed industry including 21 years at Stokes Seeds.

Lindsay Corporation has introduced a new GPS guidance option for Zimmatic 9500L systems. The new product is designed to let growers navigate Zimmatic lateral systems with sub-inch accuracy and make real-time adjustments to the run path and end points. The GPS guidance option is ideal for installations where furrow or wire guidance is unsuitable or difficult to maintain.

According to Lindsay, benefits include easy path management, real-time RTK correction and fast start-up times. A single GPS base station can be shared by multiple 9500L systems within operational distance limits. The GPS guidance option can be retrofitted onto existing Zimmatic 9500L systems.

Visit www.zimmatic.com.

Sakata Seed America has appointed Justin Davis as senior manager of vegetable sales and marketing. Davis will handle the company’s vegetables sales, product development and marketing activities within the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Central America.

Davis brings more than 20 years of industry experience to his new role. He has held various positions at Sakata since beginning his career as an intern for the company at the age of 19. Davis will be based out of Sakata’s office headquarters in Morgan Hill, California.

British Carrot Growers Association Variety Demonstration & Trade Exhibition

Story and photos by John Stolarczyk, World Carrot Museum Curator

Market forces rule. That truth was evident at the British Carrot Growers Association Variety Demonstration and Trade Exhibition with certain types of carrots coming and going from the annual variety trial and exhibitors touting an increasing number of natural products to improve carrot production.

The field day, held in October at the premises of Tompsett Growers in Suffolk in southeast England, brought together growers, international seed companies and others associated with the UK carrot industry. The annual event, which was jointly organized by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the British Carrots Growers Association (BCGA), attracted more than 200 visitors.

“The 2017 BCGA Carrot Trials was a tremendous success. In spite of the ‘out-of-the-way’ location, it was attended by every significant carrot growing business in the UK, as well as overseas growers,” said Rodger Hobson, chairman of the BCGA. “Some great new varieties were on display, and the supply trade turned out in force.”

Clause displays Priam, a deep-orange carrot with a smooth finish and high tolerance to root breakage and red leaf virus.

 

Field Trials

Most growers and seed producers paid a visit to learn about developments and see the end product pulled directly from the field trial sites. The field trial allows attendees to see every type and color of carrot grown in the UK, all in one place. The demonstration gives growers an indication of varieties’ potential yield, flavor and color for next year’s crop planting.

This year’s trial included 53 carrot varieties from seven seed companies: Agility, AgriSeeds, Clause, Elsoms, Hazera, Nunhems and Rijk Zwaan. Trial plots are independently planted in the spring. Varieties were displayed in a mixture of types and plant densities and included tried-and-tested orange varieties, new introductions and examples of carrots in other colors.

Elsoms, which offers a selection of carrots bred by Bejo Zaden and developed from its own breeding program, displayed a wide range of Nantes and colored carrots including Norwich, Nairobi, Yellowstone and White Satin. Also attracting attention was Blanes, a Berlicum/Flakee processing carrot that has been specially developed to be larger and of higher quality, taste and consistency. Nazareth is another orange variety that displays good foliage and high resistance to disease, making it excellent for organic farming. It has also recorded good results for winter harvest and high yield.

 

Several varieties of colored carrots were displayed in the field as the UK market continues to search for a colored carrot that appeals to the masses. Sales of rainbow packs steadily increase, but there is little consumer demand for individual colored varieties; it is still very much a niche market with low sales compared to orange carrots. One variety of particular interest was Malbec, a pure red imperator grown by Seminis. This smooth and slender carrot of about 26cm in length and good flavor is said to be excellent for slicing and for creating “baby” imperators. It is expected that these vivid red carrots will sell well over the Christmas period. Seminis was also showing Belveta, a carrot with high carotene content, a dark orange color and improved flavor. It is expected to perform well in the health-conscious marketplace.

An orange variety introduced by Clause was Priam F1, a Nantes variant with high tolerance to red leaf virus and suitability for many soil types. It produces deep orange roots with a smooth finish and is highly tolerant to root breakage.

AgriSeeds displayed a new Nantes variant called A 9546, a very early type offering the potential advantage of entering the market before the competition.

Nunhems entered a new carrot named Brillyance F1, which had impressive results in the fight against cavity spot and Sclerotina. The Nunhems brand also includes Elegance F1. Billed as a producer of high yields, this smooth and consistent cylindrical root appears to be a possible “Nairobi beater.” It also has the benefit of retaining its premium color after storage. The company continues to strive to look for varieties that offer a high level of sustainability.

Hazera was showing the well-received Octavo F1, an early main-crop carrot from Vilmorin. It has high yield and strength from low wastage through mechanical damage and better-than-average cold tolerance. It also has good resistance to frost and cavity spot. Results from the trial show Octavo outperforming other varieties including some industry standards. A new yellow carrot, Gold Nugget F1, was also shown. The long, uniform carrot is less prone to the traditional green crown, and it has a sweet, juicy flavor and crunchy texture.

Interestingly, Chantenay types and “golf ball” variants such as Paris Market seem to have fallen out of favor; only one example of the former type was grown in the trial this year and no golf balls at all. This reflects the market demand and low profitability of these types of carrot.

A demonstration in the field by Cranfield University embraced key soil management challenges associated with carrot production. The university aims to identify and discuss the consequences of sub-surface compaction as well as surface capping. The compacting demonstration included the use of penetrometers and single-ring infiltrometers, giving farmers scientific insight into what is happening below the surface, along with suggested solutions.

 

Trade Exhibition

The event’s trade exhibition provided ample networking and sales opportunities for the participating vendors and attendees. A common theme among several exhibitors was the demonstration of natural products to prevent carrot diseases and increase yields. This is seen as particularly important as the industry moves away from the application of chemicals perceived as harmful and as the prohibition or withdrawal of certain treatments continues.

Samples of seven varieties are ready for tasting. Attendees scored each variety on visual appeal and taste. Agility’s Belveta earned the top score.

 

In the field, Bayer had an extensive display of Serenade ASO, a biological fungicide to prevent cavity spot and foliar diseases such as Sclerotina. The beneficial bacteria in Serenade interact with the plant in the root zone. It is applied prior to drilling. Trials have shown increased yield and improved plant quality.

In the indoor display, Soil Fertility Services described the advantages of Mega-Fos-Carrot, a foliar and soil feed which is biologically active. The product is based on beneficial soil-borne bacillus bacteria which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots. Independent trial results have shown increased marketable yield and cavity spot reduction.

As farmers and breeders networked during the event, there was some discussion and debate about the impact of Brexit, the UK’s decision to leave the European Union. As the UK carrot industry is pretty much self-sufficient and provides about 97 percent of the supply of carrots for the UK market year round, it was considered there would be little impact on sales, as very little is either imported from or exported to Europe. However, one concern was the future of migrant workers as the negotiations were yet to make it clear what the future holds, and some of the UK seasonal carrot labor force comes from this source. The migrant labor issue is significant, and this could drive further mechanization and consolidation.

The carrot crop is Britain’s major root vegetable, producing over 700,000 tonnes of sold carrots each year from 9,000 hectares. This equates to approximately 160 carrots for every member of the population per year. The sales value of British carrots is around $380 million.

Overall, the UK carrot industry remains buoyant and profitable, despite economic uncertainty, and seems to be able to withstand whatever the markets and the ever-changeable weather throws at it.

 

A carrot tipping the scales at 22 pounds, 7 ounces has landed Chris Qualley a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for growing the world’s heaviest carrot. Qualley, of Otsego, Minnesota, credits his growing success to soil, seeds, fertilizer and luck. He also said this summer’s somewhat cool and cloudy weather provided perfect growing conditions for carrots.

Qualley just started gardening three years ago and began growing giant vegetables two years ago. He now grows giant carrots, tomatoes, pumpkins, watermelons and more. He wants to set world records in the pumpkin and tomato categories, as well, but said it’s a “very competitive sport.”

In the meantime, Qualley said being a Guinness World Records titleholder feels “pretty awesome.” He hopes to be able to share the seeds from the record-breaking carrot with other giant-vegetable growers with the goal of growing an even bigger carrot.

Giant carrots generally develop secondary roots that grow out of the main central root, which is what makes them so large.

The previous record of 20 pounds was set in 2014 by Peter Glazebrook from the UK.

 

John Deere has completed its global rollout of a new company website that places those who shop for and own John Deere equipment as the number one priority for information offered on its pages. The site design is mobile responsive and works on a variety of screen sizes, from smart phones and tablets to traditional desktop computers.

The improved JohnDeere.com contains:

• Concise product information and easy-to-use navigation.
• More useful tools for those who shop for and own Deere products and services.
• A product-centric focus on helping users accomplish key activities such as identifying the right machine for their use or locating a dealer.
• Easy spec-to-spec comparisons across John Deere and competitive models.

The global launch included 33 John Deere sites in 16 languages and approximately 2,300 product pages. About 2.5 million visitors view information each month at the company’s website located at www.JohnDeere.com.