Acer, authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill to increase market opportunities for the domestic maple syrup industry, awarded $5.4 million to eleven projects.
FSMIP awarded $1 million to five projects to explore new market opportunities for U.S. food and agricultural products and to encourage research and innovation aimed at improving marketing system efficiency and performance. FSMIP was authorized by the Agricultural Marketing Act of 1946.
The Micro-Grants Program awarded $4.6 million to agricultural agencies or departments in Alaska, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and Hawaii through a non-competitive application process, which was authorized by the 2018 Farm Bill and is specifically designed to realize USDA’s commitment to support communities across the U.S. that have significant levels of food insecurity and import significant quantities of food.
To learn more about AMS’s investments in enhancing and strengthening agricultural systems, visit www.ams.usda.gov/grants.
The world around you is teeming with life you can’t see. Plants, soil, water, insects – even your hair and skin – are home to microfungi, and they both sustain and devastate life on our planet.
Parasitic microfungi, which live off host plants and animals, maintain balance in natural ecosystems. But in developed areas, they can quickly destroy crops and financially devastate communities.
A team led by Purdue University mycologist Catherine Aime will venture to the tropics – where the vast majority of emerging crop diseases originate – and sites across the globe to discover and identify thousands of kinds of parasitic microfungi.
“To effectively combat any disease, you need to identify it and understand how it works,” said Aime, a professor in the Department of Botany and Plant Pathology. “Parasitic microfungi are the major cause of crop disease in the world. Through this work we hope to stay one step ahead, so that when the next disease strikes, we won’t be starting from scratch.”
The team will focus on two parasitic microfungi groups: Pucciniales, which causes rust disease in plants, and Laboulbeniales, which parasitizes insects. The project is supported by $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation, and also seeks to help resolve the “Tree of Life” for these groups.
“Microfungi are among the least understood living organisms on the planet, and they can be rule breakers,” Aime said. “Rusts don’t follow the typical patterns of evolution. Where we expect to see the genomes of parasites become compacted over time, theirs have expanded and we don’t know why. This study could lead to a fundamental change in the way we understand genome architecture. The implications could extend even to organisms beyond fungi.”
Aime is a pioneer in the identification of parasitic microfungi that cannot be put into culture. Her team will arrange community bat nights, in order to capture bat flies, and roach hunts to round up samples of the Laboulbeniales microfungi.
She also will use DNA-sequencing techniques to perform identification that previously was impossible.
The 2019 National Farmers Market Manager Survey was undertaken with a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) and Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). NASS conducted the survey in the spring of 2020 using 2019 as a reference year. The survey estimated that 8,140 farmers markets were in operation in the lower 48 states. The survey shares general information about market organizational characteristics, agricultural business support activities and market development activities.
NASS mailed the survey to approximately 10,000 farmers market managers. The response rate of the survey was 58.8 percent. Outreach included all active farmers market listings in the USDA Farmers Market Directory as well as additional markets gathered through research and stakeholder promotion.
Survey results will help the farmers market sector and policy makers better understand direct marketing opportunities, activities and challenges from a farmers market manager’s perspective. Data gathered from the survey will be used to evaluate potential expansion opportunities, target access to local foods, assess community access to local and organic foods, and help identify opportunities where USDA can support community involvement.
As required by law, the security of participants’ data is protected and survey results shared publicly are presented in aggregate form.
Botanical oil-based pesticides are effective tools for any integrated pest management program. Many specialty crop growers are still learning how to unlock the advantages of such biological pest control.
In a blog, Kemin Crop Technologies shared the benefits of including botanical-based pesticides in an integrated pest management program and tips on application timing/rates, as well as the combination of botanicals and conventional insecticides.
Benefits of Botanicals in an Integrated Pest Management Program
Specialty crop growers who are committed to reducing insecticide resistance create an IPM program. Botanicals are a great sustainable crop protection solutions, as they often have multiple modes of action, which are less likely to contribute to pesticide resistance.
“Growers using conventional chemistries should absolutely consider adding botanicals into their IPM program. Rotation does not mean simply switching products; growers need to switch chemical classifications in order to receive a true rotation with limited pest resistance,” said Michael Hull, Technical Services Manager at Kemin Crop Technologies.
But multiple modes of action aren’t the only advantage to botanical oil-based pesticides. Botanicals also have lower Re-entry Intervals (REI) and Pre-harvest Intervals (PHI). This allows the grower to apply the botanical pesticide closer to harvest time and still have a safe product for workers and consumers. Some conventional products have an REI of a few days or more. This prevents growers from re-entering the field right away. Low REI levels in botanical products provide more flexibility to the grower.
“We often recommend adding botanical oil-based pesticides into an integrated pest management program for growers who are looking for a product to clean up pests before harvest time,” said Hull.
Things to Keep in Mind While Reading a Botanical Pesticide Label
When looking at a pesticide label, it can be easy to get overwhelmed by the abundance of information. One important section on the label is the recommended rate. The recommended rate shows the rate at which the product performed well in efficacy trials. Some products have a recommended rate based on crop hardiness or phytotoxicity concerns.
“The recommended rate of botanical oil-based pesticides can be limited in order to avoid phytotoxicity in crops,” said Hull.
Recommended rates often list a higher, moderate, and lower rate of use. The lowest rate is to be used when there is a known phytotoxicity issue in a specific crop or the botanical insecticide is being used as a preventative. The lower rate, most times, can be sprayed repeatedly on crops without risks of phytotoxicity and keeping pest populations at bay. The highest rate is often for rescue use, or rather when the pest population has grown to a point where a more aggressive spray is needed.
Knowing what rate to use on crops is up to the grower. If there are known phytotoxicity issues in the crop species, then a lower rate would be wise. If you are looking to prevent pests throughout the season, you would want to spray at a lower rate consistently.
Vive Crop Protection recently added Helena Agri-Enterprises to its distribution network as part of Vive’s growth strategy throughout the United States.
Dan Bihlmeyer, VP Global Sales at Vive Crop Protection says, “Adding the breadth and depth of Helena Agri-Enterprises will support Vive’s strategic focus on expanding our footprint and introducing our Allosperse-enabled precision chemistry products in key growth geographies.”
In addition to Helena, Vive products continue to be distributed through Tenkoz members and Simplot locations across the country.
Vive Crop Protection products feature chemical and biological active ingredients along with the patented Allosperse nano-polymer delivery stem. This allows different and more efficient application with liquid fertilizer, micronutrients, hard water and other chemistry.
Carbohydrates have traditionally been the largest source of energy intake for much of the world’s population. However, without a standard definition for carbohydrate quality, some foods that contain carbohydrates are often stigmatized based on isolated and reductionist assessment methods that fail to consider their contributions to nutrient intakes and balanced, healthy diets.
A new perspective piece, published in Advances in Nutrition, brings to light the pressing need to define carbohydrate quality to better assess the value of nutrient-dense carbohydrate-containing foods in healthy lifestyles.
Ultimately, the authors call for a more holistic approach to carbohydrate guidance to address the complex needs of both people and the planet.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) announced a $220 million investment in 11 new NSF-led Artificial Intelligence Research Institutes. USDA-NIFA and other agencies and organizations have partnered with NSF to pursue transformational advances in a range of economic sectors and science and engineering fields — from food system security to next-generation edge networks.
The new investment builds on the first round of seven Artificial Intelligence (AI) Research Institutes funded in 2020, totaling $140 million last year.
NSF’s investment will result in AI-based technologies that bring about a range of advances, including creating solutions to improve agriculture and food supply chains.
To achieve investment goals, NSF partnered with USDA-NIFA, U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Google, Amazon, Intel and Accenture.
Chlormequat chloride, chlorothalonil and tebuconazole are under a preliminary risk assessment in the registration review of pesticides by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
By Ali Montazar, Irrigation and Water Management Advisor, University of California Cooperative Extension, Imperial, Riverside and San Diego Counties
Figure 2. A monitoring station is set up in treatment I1N1 in a trial at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center.
A better understanding of how carrot crops use water and nitrogen may ultimately improve carrot production in the low desert areas of California.
Carrots are one of the 10 major commodities grown in Imperial County, California, with an average acreage of nearly 16,000 over the past decade, according to 2010-2019 Imperial County Agricultural Crop & Livestock Reports. The farm gate value of fresh market and processing carrots was about $66 million in 2019.
In the Imperial Valley, most carrots are typically sprinkler irrigated for stand establishment and subsequently furrow irrigated for the remainder of the growing season. However, there are fields that are irrigated by solid set sprinkler systems during the entire crop season (Fig. 1).
Nitrogen (N) and irrigation management in carrot production systems is critical for increasing the efficiency of crop production and decreasing costs and nitrate leaching losses. The N needs of carrots for optimum storage root yield depend on the climate, soil and residual soil N from the previous season. To accomplish greater nitrogen and water efficiency, more accurate crop water use information of carrots is required with respect to different soil types, carrot crops, weather and farming practices. Utilizing more accurate estimates of crop water consumption and N uptake may have a significant impact on water quality issues and on soil water and N availability, potentially increasing the economic sustainability of carrot production.
An ongoing study at the University of California particularly seeks to quantify and fully understand carrot production issues under current management practices, and to fill knowledge gaps for nitrogen and water management in carrots through conducting experimental trials in the low desert of California.
Figure 3. A fully automated ET tower is seen in the photo on the left. A multi-depths soil moisture sensor monitoring station equipped with Tule sensor is pictured on the right.
Field Experiments
Field experiments were conducted at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center (DREC) located in Holtville, California, during the 2019-2020 crop season (Fig. 2). The trial consisted of two sprinkler irrigation regimes and three nitrogen strategies. In addition, measurements were conducted in five commercial fields in the Imperial Valley with various soil types and under sprinkler and furrow irrigation. Stand establishment was accomplished by sprinklers at the experimental sites.
The actual crop water consumption (actual crop ET; ET stands for evapotranspiration) was measured using the residual of the energy balance method with a combination of surface renewal and eddy covariance equipment (fully automated ET tower in Fig. 3). As an affordable tool to estimate actual crop ET, Tule Technology sensors were also set up at all experimental sites. The Tule ET data were verified using the ET estimates from the fully automated ET station. Soil moisture sensors were installed at multiple depths to monitor soil water potential on a continuous basis (Fig. 3). In both the DREC trial and the commercial sites, actual soil nitrate content and the total N in the plants (tops and roots) were measured several times per crop season.
Figure 4. Cumulative actual crop ET in the experimental fields (a) and daily actual crop ET at the fresh market Carrot-2East site (b)
Results
The common irrigation practice in carrot stand establishment is to irrigate the field every other day during the first two to three weeks after seeding. Carrots germinate slowly, and hence, the beds need to be kept moist to prevent crusting.A comparison of applied water and crop water consumption indicates that the carrot fields could be overirrigated by three times of crop water requirements during the stand establishment.
A wide range in the length of the crop season (seeding through harvest) was observed, ranging from a 128-day period in a processing carrot to a 177-day period in a fresh market carrot. Theseasonal crop water consumption varied between 12.5 inches and 16.6 inches at the experimental sites (Fig. 4a). The results clearly demonstrate that carrot fields may have variable irrigation water requirements depending upon early/late planting, processing vs. fresh market, irrigation practices, length of crop season and soil type. A peak daily crop water use of 0.21 inches on March 23, 151 days after planting, was observed in a fresh market carrot field (Fig. 4b).
Figure 5. Nitrogen uptake curves developed for a fresh market carrot field (a) and a processing carrot
Water stress should be avoided throughout the carrot growing cycle. The critical period for irrigation is between fruit set and harvest. Sprinkler irrigation may be considered as a more effective irrigation tool when compared with furrow irrigation. More frequent and light irrigation events are possible by sprinkler irrigation. Over-irrigation of carrot fields increases the incidence of hairy roots, and severe drying and wetting cycles result in significant splitting of roots. Sprinklers reduce salinity issues, which is important since carrots are very sensitive to salt accumulation.
The irrigation water that needs to be applied in an individual field depends on crop water requirements and the efficiency of the irrigation system. Assuming an average irrigation efficiency of 70 percent, the approximate gross irrigation water needs of carrot fields in the low desert would be 1.5 – 2.1 ac-feet/ac (pre-irrigation is not included). Pre-irrigation along with proper irrigation scheduling over the season may effectively maintain crop water needs and salinity in carrots.
Figure 6. Carrot tops and plant residues remain in a fresh market carrot field in the Imperial Valley of California after harvest.
The preliminary results of this study demonstrate a notable amount of N uptake both in the roots and tops at harvest time. For instance, a total N content of 286 lbs./acre in plants grown for a period of 164 days (149- and 137- lbs./acre in roots and tops, respectively) was observed in a fresh market carrot field (Fig. 5). The total N content was 297 lbs./acre in processing carrots (123 lbs./acre in roots and 174 lbs./acre in tops). Total N uptake in the roots and tops was similar, with rapid increase beginning 55 days and 45 days after seeding, respectively. The rate of increase in total N content in the roots did not decline near harvest in any of the experimental sites, while it declined in the tops for fresh market carrots beginning 125 days after seeding.
Nearly 50 percent of seasonal N accumulated in the tops and the roots occurred at 85-90 days after planting when the canopy is fully developed. An effective nitrogen fertilizer application could be splitting N application into 10-12 percent at planting, 30-35 percent as side dressing (in case of furrow irrigation) and the remainder through irrigation events. Assuming a 150–170-day period as a carrot crop season, it is recommended to apply the total nitrogen fertilizers by 15-20 days before harvest.
The results of this study illustrate that 45-55 percent of total N accumulated in the carrot plants is left in the fields as residual soil N right after harvest which could contribute as a source of nitrogen for the following season (Fig. 6). Further work is needed to quantify what fraction of N provided by the plant residues potentially contributes to the following season, particularly since there is a risk of leaching a portion of residual N due to heavy pre-irrigation in the late summer during land preparation.
Teleos Ag Solutions will be hosting two fumigation stewardship training events in August.
The first will be in Moses Lake on August 11 at the Best Western Lake Front Hotel. The second will be in Kennewick on August 12 at the 3 Rivers Convention Center.
There will also be an online option for those who can’t attend in person.
Click HERE for more information, including the agenda with start times and speaker information.
A light breakfast, raffle items, and a buffet lunch will be provided.
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