ALMOND PEST MANAGEMENT ALLIANCE

WORK PLAN PROPOSAL YEAR 5:

 

TO REDUCE RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH PESTICIDE USE

 

Submitted by: Almond Board of California

1150 Ninth St., #1500

Modesto, CA 95354

209-549-8262 (phone)

209-549-8267 (fax)

 

Principle Investigator: Chris Heintz

Director of Production Research and Environment

Almond Board of California

1150 Ninth St., #1500

Modesto, CA 95354

209-549-8262 (phone)

209-549-8267 (fax)

 

Expected Start and End Date: March 1, 2002 – Feb. 28, 2003

 

   

Table of Contents:

 

Pg. 3. Almond PMA Work Plan Abstract 

Pg. 4 Introduction

Pg. 5 Priority Areas

Pg. 6 Project Objectives

Pg. 8 Project Tasks

Pg. 15 Parallel Projects

Pg. 16 PMA Management Team

Pg. 17 Alliance Participants 

Pg. 19 Ready for Demonstration

Pg. 20. Measures of Success 

Pg. 21 Timetable, Project Tasks

Pg. 26 Timetable, Calendar Year

Pg. 27 Budget

 Attachments

·        Resume of Principle Investigator

·        Letters of Commitment from Team Members

·        Updated Pest Management Evaluation

·        Progress Reports

Abstract  

California almond growers utilize more than 600,000 acres to produce a crop that is approximately one billion pounds.  In the 2000 growing season, California almond growers produced a crop worth $773,624,000.  To maintain this production level, many of California's 6,000 almond growers rely on an assortment of pesticides to minimize the economic losses caused by pests.  The major pests of concern continue to be navel orangeworm (NOW), peach twig borer (PTB), San Jose scale (SJS), ants, and webspinning mites (two spotted and Pacific spider).  The crop protection tools available to the almond industry may be affected by the implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA).  The almond industry formed the almond Pest Management Alliance (PMA) in June 1998, to address possible methods of reducing pesticide use.  Since the initial funding, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has awarded a grant annually to the alliance to continue the statewide project.  Almond farm advisors from the U.C. Cooperative Extension oversee these field trials and results are shared with growers through individual and field meetings, publications, and field days.

The direction will continue to be a focus on studying current grower practices (conventional practices) versus reduced risk practices.  To accomplish this, the project has established and continues to utilize three regional sites in Butte, Stanislaus, and Kern counties.  By adopting progressive and intensive monitoring protocols, the alliance has been able to track pest populations, damage levels, and economic data over successive years making it easier for growers to determine which facets of the alliance program are appropriate for their practices.  Over the past four growing seasons, the alliance has been able to gather information regarding each of the pests, keep growers informed through weekly updates and educational meetings, and keep economic records.  The goal is to use this consistency over time and under year-to-year variations in weather conditions and pest pressures to demonstrate the long-term economic success of reduced-risk practices. 

The work plan will continue to promote a reduced-risk system of almond production through use of alternative products and practices. The first objective is to continue to encourage the adoption of reduced risk pesticide practices in almonds through outreach and education.  Collaboration with Pest Control Advisors and growers will help to promote confidence in these low input strategies.  The second objective is to expand the efforts already begun by the PMA participants by continuing the project and collecting sufficient data for growers to use to confidently make management decisions.  Demonstration of successful reduced risk practices is the third objective, which we will meet by continuing the three regional demonstration plots.  The fourth objective is tracking of pesticide use in almonds throughout the state in the last ten years using DPR’s Pesticide Use Reporting data.  

Introduction

In 2000, California almond orchards covered more than 600,000 acres, stretching 400 miles through the San Joaquin and Sacramento Valleys.  For the third consecutive year, almonds were the leading exported crop grown in California for 2000. A report written by Susan Bassein and Lynn Epstein, “Reduction in use of organophosphates in almond orchards during the rainy season in California”, funded by the Almond Board of California, shows that use of organophosphates has dropped significantly statewide and the use of reduced-risk products have significantly increased. However, there is still more research, demonstration, and education to be done.  The almond industry is a known contributor to the contamination of surface waters in the San Joaquin and Sacramento River Watersheds.  Over the past ten years, research has consistently linked dormant season applications in almond orchards with pulses of diazinon in concentrations toxic to aquatic species (Ross et al, 1996).

The industry began a proactive investigation into non-chemical approaches to pest management for several reasons:

• Almond growers are aware of increasing environmental concerns by the public in regards to agricultural production methods.

• Almond growers are interested in learning more about effective non-chemical alternatives which may provide both time- and cost-savings to growers and provide an extra level of safety for their workers.

• Pests are beginning to develop resistance to existing chemical pesticides.

• FQPA may restrict use of certain key pesticides.

The proposed project, if successfully funded, would be the fifth and final year of this very successful project. This project provides information to growers about reduced risk farming practices; specifically, it uses comparative demonstration sites, research trial sites, field days, field monitoring, and publications to educate growers and other members of the industry about the effectiveness of reduced risk practices.

In the first year of the project, PMA team members established the organizational structure of the project and introduced it to the almond growing community.  The second year of the PMA continued to demonstrate and showcase viable alternatives and expanded the outreach component to target as many of the state's almond growers as possible. In 2001, the third year, the PMA continued to show that reduced risk practices are economically successful in commercial almond orchards.  After a fourth and fifth year’s data, statistical analysis can be applied to determine if there are statistical differences between conventional treatments and reduced-risk treatments.  By expanding into a fifth year, information can be gathered pertaining to long-term shifts in pest and disease pressures due to reduced-risk practices. By maintaining a reduced-risk program, these progressive techniques will continue to attract attention and keep these practices in the forefront of farming.  Economical data collected over successive years also gives insight into the financial aspect of converting from traditional pesticide treatments to reduced risk treatments.  Key elements of the work plan will continue to be cooperative project planning and direction, pest monitoring, public outreach and education, and project evaluation.  The almond PMA represents a cross-section of the California almond industry, with active members from all of its major aspects.  Alliance members include the Almond Board of California (ABC), the Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) program of the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF), the Almond Hullers and Processors Association (AHPA) and UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Program.  Each member organization has a representative on the Alliance Team. The roles and responsibilities of each member are described in the work plan. 

Selection Criteria

Priority Areas: This proposal's objectives will continue to coincide with DPR's desire to focus on pest management solutions that reduce organophosphate and carbamate pesticides risk to human health and the environment.  These objectives directly address the priority areas set by DPR for development and adoption of reduced risk pest management practices, particularly as they relate to regulatory changes expected to occur as a result of implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act (FQPA.)

The almond PMA project also addresses surface water contamination by helping to reduce dormant spray pesticides in the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Watersheds.  Cover crop demonstrations are monitored specifically to reduce herbicide run-off into the waterways.  These management and demonstration practices demonstrated at the field sites and educational events are specifically designed to enable growers to reduce or eliminate use of organophosphate dormant sprays such as diazinon, and herbicides such as simazine.  The effectiveness of these techniques has been demonstrated by UC IPM and BIOS (California Agriculture, 1993 & BIOS Year End Report, 1997).

Importance: Almonds have traditionally been one of the largest agricultural users of pesticides in California.  The use of these pesticides provides important benefits to growers, but this use also poses significant costs on society.

Undesirable side effects of pesticide use include adverse health effects on workers, and potential impacts on consumers' health and safety.  Pesticides also take a toll on the environment as well as degrading ground water, surface water and non-target wildlife organisms (Pease et al, 1996).  Pesticide resistance and secondary pest outbreaks are becoming increasingly common.

The almond industry, led by the Almond Board of California and UC IPM, has sought to help almond growers implement a system of Integrated Pest Management which seeks to minimize pest damage with as little cost to the grower and disruption of the environment as possible (UC IPM for Almonds, 1995).  The enactment of the FQPA calls for a major change in pesticide regulation and may eliminate the use of some of the most commonly used chemicals.  This legislation has sparked increased interest in reduced risk systems, allowing grower to consider alternatives to targeted pesticides. This legislation has also increased the awareness of pesticides issues for both almond growers and the almond industry.

In response to this increasing need for reduced pesticide risk, and in response to the momentum generated by the Almond Pest Management Alliance, the Almond Board of California has initiated a new Environmental Committee to help address the issues facing almond growers.  These steps, along with the efforts of the PMA, are helping to create an awareness of pesticide use and related issues to the almond growers in California.

The almond PMA project promotes a "whole systems" approach to orchard management by encouraging growers to implement farming practices that include cover crop establishment for improved water infiltration, nitrogen contribution, beneficial insect habitat, and soil building, as well as careful monitoring of orchard pests, and the use of insectary shrubs to provide habitat for beneficial insects and wildlife.  This integrated approach to farming results in a system that functions as a whole, one that is more resilient to the severe outbreak of pests and is therefore less reliant on synthetic agricultural chemicals. The project brings together many diverse disciplines through the whole systems approach.  These include plant pathology, soil and fertility management, natural resources and aquatic habitat management, erosion control, entomology and pest control, agricultural economics and production agriculture.  Experts from these fields are on the advisory team to help with the research and to assist with project promotion and outreach.

The immediate benefit of the almond PMA has been the unifying role it has played in the industry in bringing a common focus to issues related to pesticide use.  It has allowed the almond industry to be proactive in its approach and it has opened a valuable dialogue with regulators concerned about pesticide use.

The long-term benefit of the almond PMA will not be known unless successive years of data are collected. The hope is that this research will provide a scientific base of knowledge and useful information on alternative uses to traditional pesticide practices that will be adopted by almond growers statewide.

Project Objectives

1.      Continue to encourage the adoption of reduced risk pesticide practices in almonds statewide.

Through outreach, education, monitoring, and evaluation, the almond PMA will continue to promote reduced risk pesticide practices.  We will continue to expand grower outreach efforts through collaboration with UC IPM staff, UC scientists and farm advisors, whose expertise gives growers confidence in experimenting with reduced risk practices and products.  We will collaborate with local Pest Control Advisors to expand the knowledge base of the Almond PMA into an arena of implementation.  We will involve more PCA’s in planning appropriate reduced-risk farming strategies thereby gaining more growers’ confidence in these methods.

2. Expand and strengthen the efforts put forth by the Almond Pest Management Alliance.

 The first year of this project sparked significant interest among growers.  The first three years of the project have featured field days held in the Spring and Fall in each of the three counties where the demonstration plots are located.  Attendance at the field days has ranged from 80 to 140 people, with approximately 75% of those attending classifying themselves as growers and the remainder as PCA's. As the project moves forward into its fourth year, grower interest continues. 

As an ongoing research project, growers and other interested parties will be able to follow the progress and long-term effects of the new methods demonstrated.  The time and efforts spent on establishing and coordinating the Alliance will be lost unless the project is allowed to continue to educate almond growers in reduced-risk practices.  It is vital that project funding be extended in order to meet project objectives. Growers need to watch the alternative practices over a period of time before they will become confident in a new system and adopt a new and improved pest management scenario. The advisory team, UC IPM regional advisors, and local farm advisors will direct the data collection and orchard monitoring. The members of the Alliance agree that it is important to keep the momentum going by continuing the project for another year of project demonstrations and activities.

Project outreach and extension will be expanded and continue to reach out to growers interested in learning biologically sound management practices.

3. Demonstrate effective reduced risk systems through use of regional demonstration orchards.

Demonstration sites will continue to be located in Kern County, Stanislaus County, and Butte County.  Satellite projects will continue to be important to investigate pest issues on a smaller, but no less important, scale.  Local field scouts in each region will provide weekly information on the almond PMA sites and provide growers with solid monitoring data that allows them to compare sites and conditions in their own orchards.  Use of this system gives growers up-to-date information needed to implement reduced risk systems in their own orchards.

The reduced risk pesticide use information will be disseminated through the Alliance partners and by holding regional field days and production of a program newsletter. The Alliance team members will coordinate the information through their own existing websites, program newsletter and existing UC Farm Advisory newsletters. An active pesticide reduction awareness program will be conducted through the local and regional media including the agricultural industry press.

We will track the number of growers attending field days and workshops, compile and respond to input from growers’ evaluations of field days and workshops, and conduct a statewide grower survey to assess the implementation of reduced risk practices and the level of interest in such practices.

Local field scouts who provide weekly information on the almond PMA sites provide growers with solid monitoring data that allows them to compare sites and conditions in their own orchards.  This information is available statewide through the Almond Board of California’s (ABC) website.  Use of this system gives growers confidence in implementing reduced risk systems in their own orchards.

Project evaluation will also include a compilation of the data collected.  A written final report will highlight the alternatives tested, costs and benefits of implementing and the reduced risk attributed to the alternatives.

4. Research historical pesticide use in almonds in the major growing regions of California.

By utilizing California Department of Pesticide Regulation pesticide use reports (PUR’s) and the University of California Integrated Pest Management internet site, historical pesticide use will be analyzed.  This will provide information regarding pesticide use in almond producing counties in California spanning 10 years.  Pounds and applications of organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, miticides, herbicides, and fungicides used over a ten-year period will be analyzed.  This will provide a baseline of information to track pesticide use in almonds produced in California.

Achievement of these objectives will be measured by utilizing DPR’s Pesticide Use Report (PUR) data and making comparisons of pesticide use before and after the PMA project. The PMA will also track the number of growers attending field days and workshops, compile and respond to input from growers’ evaluations of field days and workshops, and continue to conduct a statewide grower survey to assess the implementation of reduced risk practices and the level of interest in such practices.

Tasks Defining the Objectives

Task 1. Seek advice and project direction from the PMA team and PMA advisory team.

This task is the foundation on which the Almond Pest Management Alliance works.  Without proper teamwork, communication, and support the Almond Pest Management Alliance would not be able to provide solid information regarding conventional and reduced risk farming practices.  The project’s advisory team includes PMA members, and additional local project growers, agriculture professionals, UC farm advisors, and CAFF staff.  The team provides the expertise and support to ensure the project's ongoing success.  Expertise and support is essential in a project of such a large scope that frequent communication between the members of the Pest Management Alliance is necessary.

1.1 Coordinate advisory team meetings

The advisory team will meet a minimum of quarterly to provide guidance for the project.  In addition, team members will be in regular communication via email, the PMA's website, and telephone.

Some members of this team will serve as technical advisors to the project (Zalom, Bentley, Pickel, Connell, Duncan, Hendricks and Viveros).  The technical advisory team is responsible for overseeing the orchard monitoring programs in their geographic areas.  They provide technical assistance to growers involved in the project as needed, and they are asked to present information and project results at meetings and field days.

These team members have all indicated their interest and support in a fifth year of the Almond PMA.  They are keenly interested in the success of this project and seeing its results bring about reduced risk cropping systems in almonds.

1.2 Coordinate advisory team activities

The ABC assisted by CAFF will coordinate the activities of the Advisory Team, including technical presentations, participation in project field days and meetings and the updating and implementation of biologically integrated farm plans in the cooperators orchards.

Task 2. Coordinate and document the Almond PMA in Kern County.

This orchard consists of two 40-acre blocks of Butte, Mission, and Padre and two 40-acre blocks of Nonpareil, Sonora, and Fritz.  Each 40-acre block is divided into reduced-risk, a minimum spray treatment, and conventional blocks.  A third treatment block will be added.  This new block will consist of  ‘minimum sprays’ and will be an intermediate between the grower standard and the reduced risk treatments.  The size of this new block has yet to be determined.  This orchard has a cover crop component consisting of barley due to the saline-alkali and poor drainage condition of the soil.  Traps will continue to be monitored weekly from February until November.  Traps are hung together on the same tree, seven trees in from the end of the row in Nonpareil and Mission cultivars.  Three San Jose scale sticky traps were placed per block, six to seven feet high in the northeast quadrant of the tree.  Male San Jose scale pheromone lures are replaced every four weeks.  Double-sided sticky tape are placed one per tree in each of the four trees surrounding the trap trees.  The tape is collected and replaced every other week.  Two peach twig borer traps are placed per block, six to seven feet high in the northeast quadrant of the tree.  Adult moths are counted weekly.  Peach twig pheromone lures are replaced every eight weeks.  Two navel orangeworm egg traps per treatment baited with almond meal mixture are placed six to seven feet high in the tree.  Navel orangeworm bait is replaced every eight to ten weeks. 

The reduced risk block will be managed with the following techniques:

·        Winter sanitation and early harvest for NOW control, with monitoring of mummy nuts on trees in February.

·        Use of dormant spray alternatives, oil by itself, followed by a Bt spray at bloom based on monitoring and history of PTB damage.

·        Use of contact herbicide and eliminate pre-emergence herbicides.

·        Mite management based on presence or absence monitoring, using reduced risk miticides, or reduced rates of conventional miticides, if needed.

·        Oil or Bt for other pests as needed, with possible use of conventional materials if thresholds indicate need.

·        Nitrogen and other fertilizer programs based on tissue and water analysis.

·        Monitor for other insects and diseases (leaffooted bug, fruit tree leafroller, western tent caterpillar, alternaria, and scab)

·        Use of weather forecast to determine fungicide sprays

·        Monitor stem water potential for irrigation and mite management

The minimum spray treatment will be managed with the following techniques:

·        Winter sanitation and prompt harvest with mummy monitoring in the winter

·        No dormant or in-season sprays

·        No cover crop

·        Intensive monitoring of insect pests and diseases

·        Use contact herbicides for weed control on berms

·        Nitrogen and other fertilizers program based on tissue and water analysis

·        Monitor stem water potential for irrigation scheduling

·        Use of Distance for ant control

2.1 Monitor Kern County demonstration site.

The Area IPM advisor will coordinate activities with the local farm advisor(s), the advisory team, and project manager.  There will be one grower meeting and a field demonstration per year.  Research projects will be established with non-target pests due to rising populations that result from use of reduced risk programs.

The farm advisors will hire a field scout to perform weekly orchard monitoring.  The scouts will focus their attention on the primary pest pressures in each region, and will monitor all of the key almond pests: PTB, San Jose scale, NOW, mites, ants, weeds and diseases.

The data collected from this site will be supplemented by data collected from ABC-sponsored UC research, current UC Farm Advisor research and current data collected from enrolled BIOS orchards, for the sake of comparison.

2.2 Refine monitoring protocols and treatment thresholds.

Monitoring protocols will be reviewed by the advisory team to confirm that the correct data set is being obtained. The advisory team will then designate set practices that are applicable and economically viable for the reduced risk orchard blocks. A fifth year of monitoring data will be particularly useful in demonstrating to almond growers the effectiveness of the reduced risk practices over successive years.

2.3 Develop regional trials to address specific pest problems

Due to poor soil drainage, this is the only orchard investigating two types of cover crop.  This is a specific regional issue that has a major impact on almond growers in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

Task 3. Coordinate and document the Almond PMA in Stanislaus County.

The Stanislaus County PMA site is a research trial as well as a demonstration site.  The trial is being conducted in a uniform 120-acre orchard of Nonpareil and Carmel cultivars west of Modesto.  Three insect pest management treatments are fully replicated three times within the 120-acre orchard.  Each treatment is approximately 13.5 acres.  The treatments include a grower standard, an intermediate program that utilizes partial reduced risk treatments (Soft Program 1), and the reduced risk treatment that utilizes the full compliment of soft chemicals (Soft Program 2).  An unsprayed treatment may also be added, however, the size has not yet been decided upon.  Traps will be monitored weekly from February through November.

The Soft Program 1 will be managed with the following techniques:

·        Monitor for mummy nuts on trees during dormant season

·        Use of dormant spray with Success®

·        May PTB spray with Success®

·        Agri-Mek and Gavicide 440 oil for mite control

·        Abamectin bait for ant control if necessary through monitoring

·        Mite management based on presence or absence monitoring, using reduced risk miticides

The Soft Program 2 will be managed with the following techniques:

·        Monitor for mummy nuts on trees during dormant season

·        A dormant application of oil only

·        Two spring applications of Bt

·        Two May sprays of Bt timed at 300-350 and 450-500 degree days after biofix of PTB

·        Potassium nitrate and oil for mite control

·        Abamectin bait for ant control if necessary

3.1 Monitor Stanislaus Co. demonstration site.

The Area IPM advisor will coordinate activities with the local farm advisor(s), the advisory team and project manager.

The farm advisors will hire a field scout to perform weekly orchard monitoring. The scouts will focus their attention on the primary pest pressures in each region, but will monitor all of the key almond pests: PTB, San Jose scale, NOW, mites, ants, weeds and diseases.

The data collected from this site will be supplemented by data collected from ABC-sponsored UC research, current UC Farm Advisor research and current data collected from enrolled BIOS orchards, for the sake of comparison.

3.2 Refine monitoring protocols and treatment thresholds.

Monitoring protocols will be reviewed by the advisory team to confirm that the correct data set is being obtained. The advisory team will then designate a set of practices that are applicable and economically viable for the reduced risk orchard blocks. A fifth year of monitoring data will be particularly useful in demonstrating to almond growers the effectiveness of the reduced risk practices over successive years.

3.3 Develop regional trials to address specific pest problems

In the San Joaquin Valley, ants are a major problem in almond orchards.  This satellite project will evaluate various traditional pesticides and reduced risk practices upon ants.  This satellite project is a joint project involving Walt Bentley, Roger Duncan, and Lonnie Hendricks.  

Task 4. Coordinate and document the Almond PMA in Butte County.

The orchard is approximately 49 acres.  The growers standard block is 27-acres, the reduced risk block is 12 acres, a 5-acre treatment will receive an organophosphate dormant spray, and a 5-acre treatment will receive an organophosphate dormant and organophosphate hull split spray.  In the 2000-2001 season, an unsprayed control treatment of about ½ acre was added. The orchard is 50% Nonpareil, 16% Aldrich, 16% Butte, and 16% Sonora cultivars.  Traps for peach twig borer, male San Jose scale, navel orangeworm eggs, and ants will be in a Nonpareil row located in the middle of the treatment on the north side. 

The reduced risk block will be managed with the following techniques:

·        Winter sanitation and monitoring of mummy nuts on trees during dormant period

·        Use of dormant spray alternatives, oil as needed per dormant spur sampling, followed by Bt sprays at bloom based on monitoring and/or history of previous damage from PTB

·        Elimination of pre-emergence herbicides and reduced width of herbicide strip

·        Mite management based on presence or absence monitoring, using reduced risk miticides or reduced rates of conventional miticides, if needed.

·        Oil or Bt for other pests as needed, with possible use of conventional materials if thresholds indicate need

·        Nitrogen and potassium fertilizer program based on tissue and water analysis (Nitrogen budget used for determining rates of application)

·        Presence of cover crop or managed resident vegetation for biomass and beneficial habitat.

·        Use of an FQPA friendly fungicide

4.1 Monitor Butte County demonstration site.

The Area IPM advisor will coordinate activities with the local farm advisor(s), the advisory team, and project manager.

The farm advisors will hire a field scout to perform weekly orchard monitoring.  The scouts will focus their attention on the primary pest pressures in each region, but will monitor all of the key almond pests: PTB, San Jose scale, NOW, mites, ants, weeds and diseases.

The data collected from this site will be supplemented by data collected from ABC-sponsored UC research, current UC Farm Advisor research and current data collected from enrolled BIOS orchards, for the sake of comparison.

4.2 Refine monitoring protocols and treatment thresholds.

Monitoring protocols will be reviewed by the advisory team to confirm that the correct data set is being obtained. The advisory team will then designate a set practices that are applicable and economically viable for the reduced risk orchard blocks. A fifth year of monitoring data will be particularly useful in demonstrating to almond growers the effectiveness of the reduced risk practices over successive years.

4.3 Develop regional trials to address specific pest problems

A satellite project is designed in the Sacramento Valley to control pests which have arisen due to a decrease in dormant sprays such as the European fruit lecanium, and brown apricot scale.  The objective of the satellite project is to research reduced risk techniques on a smaller but no less important issue per microclimate.  This satellite project will investigate oil sprays and their timing in controlling European fruit lecanium.  This project allows further investigation in pests that arise by limiting dormant organophosphate sprays.

Task 5. Historical analysis of pesticide use in almonds

Utilize historical pesticide use data gathered from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation and from the University of California Integrated Pest Management website and construct a baseline of pesticide use in California produced almonds from 1990-2000.

This will provide information regarding pesticide use in almond producing counties in California spanning 10 years.  Pounds and applications of organophosphates, carbamates, pyrethroids, miticides, herbicides, and fungicides will be analyzed over a ten-year period.  This will provide a baseline of information that will track pesticide use in almonds produced in California.

Task 6.  Outreach of the Almond Pest Management Studies

6.1 Hold Regional Field Days

With greater confidence based on multi-year data from deonstration projects in site-specific regions, the team plans to expand grower educational meetings and increase the amount of educational meetings.  These meetings will be smaller and cover topics pertaining to a specific and limited region.  The focus on these meetings will be away from the very large meetings to the smaller meetings with hands-on demonstrations to ensure that growers understand the importance of monitoring their orchards.  These field days will be held under the Alliance Project auspices with support provided by the local Farm Advisors and CAFF. These field days will include all interested growers and members of the agricultural community.  

6.2 Program Newsletter

Produce and distribute a quarterly program newsletter.  Prepared by the Almond Board and CAFF, this newsletter will be sent out to almond growers and pest control advisors statewide. It will include information from the field about the Alliance project and its demonstration sites.  It will summarize field days and workshops and any new information on alternative practices and products.

6.3 Coordinate information dissemination

UC IPM and the Almond Board of California both have well-established and well-used informational websites.  Through these websites and the published UC IPM Pest Management Guidelines, reduced risk information will be widely distributed.  These websites will also be used to advertise field days and workshops and to post timely monitoring information and data collection from the PMA demonstration orchards.

6.4 Media and Ag Industry

Alliance Team members will make presentations at all appropriate industry related field days, meetings and workshops and encourage local farm advisors in the project areas to include project information in their Farm Advisor Newsletters. An active pesticide reduction awareness program will be conducted through the local and regional media including agricultural industry press.

Task 7. Project Evaluation

7.1 Progress Reports and Invoicing

Since the project tasks will be ongoing for the duration of the funding period, it is expected that the team will invoice and submit progress reports at three-month intervals. These reports will include a summary of project tasks, any problems or opportunities that have emerged, and work that is ongoing and the status on the implementation of the reduced risk practices.

7.2 Final Report

A final report will be prepared by the team which will document the project and its results. This report will be submitted within 60 days of the completion of the project. Each regional report will be standardized and all three will be combined to complete the final report.  Each region will submit their final report for their individual orchards. 

7.3 Practical/Ongoing Implementation

The alternative practices that are developed and demonstrated as part of this project will be publicized and made available to almond growers throughout California. Using various media and practical demonstrations, growers will have a chance to see and hear how they can utilize techniques that reduce the risk of pesticide use.

This pairing of partners by the Alliance will create the basis for ongoing cooperative effort between the various organizations helping almond growers produce their crop in a sound ecological way.  It lays the groundwork for a long-term relationship that addresses the issues of reduced pesticide risks and the ability to continue to produce an economically viable almond crop.

7.4 Estimation of Level of Adoption (see 7.5)

7.5 Risk Reduction - Evaluation of the project

An exciting addition to the project evaluation was the implementation of a comprehensive grower survey which was administered to a random sample of the over 6,000 almond growers in the state.  This telephone survey included questions on management practices used, use of alternatives or biological, how growers get information on pest management, and how they make pest management decisions. This information was supplemented with DPR’s pesticide use reporting data and documented the reduction in pesticide use as a result of the information and grower outreach portion of the project. This survey is a collaborative effort with UC IPM, State Water Resources Control Board, Almond Board of California, CAFF and DPR. Information obtained from this survey hopefully will be used to better understand how growers get information and what the barriers are to implementing reduced risk systems.

Evaluation of the telephone survey done in 1999 has been compiled. A written final report will highlight the outreach efforts, alternatives developed and tested, cost and benefits, and the reduced risk attributed to the implementation of these alternatives

Other Projects :

Prop. 13 grant for prevention of dormant orchard pesticides

A fifth year of the PMA project is a logical fit within the framework of a new project being sponsored by the Almond Board.  Organizing demonstration plots in almond orchards is a key component of a $350,000 grant recently awarded the Almond Board of California.  The project, funded through California Proposition 13 (Costa-Machado Water Act of 2000), begins in winter 2001-2002 and focuses on pest control and orchard management practices to prevent runoff of dormant orchard pesticides.

The demonstrations farms will play an important role as Central Valley farmers face impending actions related to pesticide Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) for the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers.  Runoff of diazinon from dormant orchard sprays has prompted the state to list the two rivers on a Clean Water Act, 303d list.  This triggers the need to set a TMDL for diazinon that is protective of water resources.  A second TMDL will be set for chlorpyrifos (Lorsban) in the San Joaquin River and Delta.

Organizing these demonstration orchards will give almond growers the chance to determine which practices work best for controlling pests while protecting water resources in the Central Valley. The Almond Board feels the industry needs to preserve dormant organophosphate (OP) applications where possible and this work will be an enormous help in doing that.

Diazinon runoff from almonds and other orchard crops has been a concern of the industry since the 1980s.  OP runoff after winter rainstorms has been traced back to dormant applications in almonds, prunes and peaches. Attention is focused primarily on OPs such as diazinon, although pyrethroids are now also being examined for impacts to surface waters and aquatic organisms. 

Practices to be studied on the demonstration farms include pest identification and monitoring and evaluating practices such as grass filter strips and orchard cover crops for effectiveness in reducing OP movement from orchards.

Much of the accomplishments from the Almond PMA project will form the foundation for this new project. Both projects combined will reach many growers with different approaches but with the same message of striving for reduced-risk scenarios.

Summary of Five Years of Almond PMA

The Almond Board of California is proposing to compile a comprehensive summary of the entire almond Pest Management Alliance from the first year through the fifth year. This proposed project would detail the findings of the three regional demonstration projects, explore the basic pest management issues involved, and provide a summary of results comparing “conventional” versus “softer” approaches. It is anticipated the project would be a year in length and the final product would be a working document that would be useful to growers and PCA’s. PMA partners including DPR would have access to the final report, with the hope that it would be utilized in outreach efforts to both industry and outside audiences as an example of the benefits of collaborative approaches to pest management issues.

 

Almond Pest Management Alliance (PMA) Management Team Members:

Almond Board of California

Chris Heintz, Director of Production Research and Environment
1150 Ninth St., #1500
Modesto, CA 95354209-549-8262 ext. 116
Email: cheintz@compuserve.com

Mark Looker, Project Administrator
717 El Vecino Ave.
Modesto, CA 95350
209-575-2094
Email: mllooker@ainet.com
Almond PMA web site: http://www.lookercomm.com/

Almond Hullers and Processors Association

Gene Beach
2360 Lecco Way
Merced, CA 95340
209-723-7661
Email: genebeach@aol.com

Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Mark Cady
P.O. Box 363
Davis, CA 95617
530-756-8518 ex. 30
Email: mark@caff.org

University of California

Frank Zalom
Statewide IPM Project
Davis, CA 95616-8621
530-752-8350
Email: fgzalom@ucdavis.edu

 

Walt Bentley
UC Regional IPM Entomologist
UC Kearney Ag Center
9240 S. Riverbend Ave.
Parlier, CA 93648
209-646-6527
Email: walt@uckac.edu

Carolyn Pickel
UC Area IPM Advisor - Sacramento Valley
UC Cooperative Extension
142 - A Garden Highway
Yuba City, CA 95941
(530) 822-7515
Email: cxpickel@ucdavis.edu

The team members have indicated their support for the project with letters of commitment  (attached.) All of the team members are interested in the success of this project and committed to seeing its results bring about reduced risks relating to the use of pesticides in almonds. This pairing of partners by the Alliance creates the basis for ongoing cooperative effort between the various organizations helping almond growers produce their crop in a sound ecological way.  It lays the groundwork for a long-term relationship that addresses the issues of reduced pesticide risks and the ability to continue to produce an economically viable almond crop.

Alliance Participants:

Almond Board of California

Chris Heintz, project director, Director of Production Research and Environment

Mark Looker, project administrator, Agricultural communications consultant

University of California

Dr. Frank Zalom, Entomologist and director Regional IPM entomologist

Walt Bentley, and  Carolyn Pickel, Area IPM Statewide IPM Project

Community Alliance with Family Farmers

Mark Cady, BIOS Program Coordinator

Almond Hullers and Processors Association

Gene Beach, Manager

PMA Advisory Team 

Chris Heintz of the ABC is responsible for the overall management of the project.

Mark Looker is responsible for the day-to-day management of the project.

Frank Zalom, UC IPM director, is an entomologist with the Department of Entomology

at the University of California-Davis and is Director of the UC Integrated Pest Management Project.  He has extensive experience with IPM and pesticide issues, in general, and familiarity with the issue of pesticides used by the almond industry that may be affected by the implementation of FQPA. His knowledge gained over the years working on alternatives to many of the pesticides at-risk under FQPA is an invaluable asset to the success of this project.

Walt Bentley and Carolyn Pickel, UC IPM Area Advisors, guide the discussion and application of alternative practices and provide scientific validation for the monitoring data collected from the demonstration sites.  They bring their knowledge of entomology, field trials, and the latest in reduced risk alternatives to the project.  They have high visibility positions within the University of California and bring the project to the attention of other staff, scientists and industry representatives. They serve as chief advisors to the project.

Joe Connell, Roger Duncan, Lonnie Hendricks and Mario Viveros, county farm advisors have a key role in maintaining close contact with the regional growers involved with the program.  They help establish monitoring protocols, supervise the field scout, review monitoring data, and provide reports to the Alliance.  They furnish the local on-farm technical expertise needed to ensure that each orchard is managed with the growers "bottom line" in mind.

Gene Beach of Almond Hullers and Processors Association AHPA provides the team with technical advice and expertise on the processing and handling of almonds in California.  As manager of the AHPA, and an almond grower, Gene brings to the team the prospective of the hullers and processors of almonds, many of whom are growers themselves. Hullers and processors will be directly affected by any changes in pesticide use and are concerned with the economic impacts from these changes. Throughout the year, AHPA has worked closely with the Almond Board on issues of common concern and participated in a variety of research projects.  AHPA's unique networking abilities are an important component in the outreach and educational component of this project.

Mark Cady of CAFF assists with team and grower contacts and provides support in all phases of the project.  Mark is program coordinator for the Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems (BIOS) program, a technical assistance program that has successfully demonstrated the viability of farming systems which rely on sharply reduced chemical inputs. He coordinates publicity for field days and events, and organizes and coordinates those events, as needed.  He assists with correspondence, quarterly reports and year-end reports.

Merlyn Garber, Thomas Vetsch and Ben Bertagna provide the project with orchards.  Each orchard has at least two treatment blocks.  One block represents more conventional practices and the other utilizes a reduced risk approach. The growers are on hand at field days and farm visits to discuss their management practices and provide a grower perspective.

Ready for Demonstration: The pest control practices being promoted by this project are being demonstrated through three in-field demonstration sites, located in the almond growing counties of Butte, Stanislaus and Kern.  Models for these pests have been well documented and by continuing to monitor, we are able to understand the lifecycles of pests.  The ultimate goal of combining the current knowledge, using the models, and extensive monitoring, is to demonstrate and extend knowledge of reduced risk techniques on a large scale to almonds growers statewide.  The PMA project has the expertise and the tools to spread this message and the project’s continuation is vital to ensure almond growers and industry remain up to date on reduced risk practices. 

Data compiled and reported by Susan Bassein and Lynn Epstein (Dept. of Plant Pathology, UCD) has shown that almond growers in nine almond producing counties have significantly reduced the amount of organophosphate use in the years spanning 1992-1997.  During this same time, the percentage of growers using Bt at bloom, showed a significant increase.  These findings are beneficial to the PMA project.  By keeping growers interested and up-to-date about reduced risk practices, then growers not yet adopting reduced risk practices will learn that commercial crops can be grown using reduced risk techniques. 

The PMA Team and the PMA Advisory Team work together to enhance coordination and communication among the cooperators, farm advisors, PCAs, USDA and other local agencies and UC researchers involved in almond production.  This group also facilitates the coordination of the many technical disciplines directly linked to the project, such as  plant pathology, soil and fertility management, and natural resources and aquatic habitats, which all work together to show the positive benefits associated with a reduced risk pesticide system.

Outreach and Extension: The Almond PMA already has in place an effective plan for outreach to growers, but the grower community is slow to adopt and so the PMA must repeatedly show via local demonstrations orchards and the printed and spoken word how growers can adopt reduced risk systems.  The team is committed to ensuring that almond growers have access to important information on these management practices.  Through the help of involved farm advisors, UC IPM, the BIOS Program and the Almond Board of California, almond growers throughout the state are aware of the project, the data being collected, the practices being utilized and are invited to visit a demonstration orchard.  At these demonstration orchards, growers can talk with team members, local farmers, and the host farmer to learn how to implement reduced risk practices.

The project requires a fifth year of funding from DPR to meet the objectives of pesticide risk reduction.  This fifth year will give the Almond PMA time to develop a plan for continuation which may include funding from other government or private grants, work with UC scientists, collaboration with other similar projects.  A fifth year of funding will also allow for the Almond PMA to be studied over enough years to truly understand pest pressures and treatments in the demonstration areas. Growers may be more willing to adopt a program which has been well documented over a long period of time and a fifth year of funding will continue to demonstrate that a reduced risk program is obtainable on a commercial level.

Measures of Success: Adoption: This project will directly result in the reduction of pesticides used in almond production and known to contaminate the Sacramento and San Joaquin River Watersheds.  This end will be met through the demonstration and adoption of biological farming practices including management of seeded cover crops, use of compost, release of beneficial insects, and monitoring of pest populations. Growers will adopt these practices based on the demonstrated effectiveness of the practices, the known environmental concerns associated with conventional practices, the growing ineffectiveness of synthetic pesticides due to pest resistance, the anticipation of tightened regulations, and the reduction in paperwork allowed by biological practices.

Alliance members benefit by being able to offer their constituencies viable options for long-term production of almonds. The State of California benefits from this project by the water quality improvements that will result from lessened use of toxic pesticides.

Long-term success of PMA can be measured by statewide reductions in OP pesticides, and increases in the use of “softer” materials such as Bt. These records will be obtained through California’s Department of Pesticide Regulation.  In addition, attendance at field days and workshops indicates successful outreach to the community.

The costs of the proposed pest control practices have been demonstrated to be comparable to, or lower than, those associated with conventional pesticide systems. (Klonsky & Cohen, 1995)

Pest Management Evaluation: The updated pest management evaluation contains information pertaining to pests of the almond industry.  The updated version is attached.

Progress Reports: Progress reports from the three regional test sites as well as an overall project report attached.

 

Work Plan Timetable

Task 1:  Seek Advice and Project Direction from the PMA Team and PMA Advisory Team.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND SOURCES		TOTAL COST
Task 1 Seek advice and project direction from PMA team and PMA advisory team
1.1 Coordinate advisory team meetings	3/1	2/28	PMA team PMA advisory team
1.2 Coordinate advisory team activites	3/1	2/28	PMA team CAFF

Task 2:  Coordinate Kern County Demonstration Site.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND SOURCES		TOTAL COST
Task 2 Coordinate Kern County Demonstration Site
2.1 Monitor Orchard	3/1	2/28	Kern Co. PMA Team
2.2 Refine Monitoring Protocols and Treatments	3/1	2/28	PMA Team PMA Advisory Team
2.3 Kern Co. Regional Demonstration	3/1	2/28	Kern Co. PMA Team PMA Advisory Team

 

Task 3:  Coordinate Stanislaus County Demonstration Site.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND SOURCES		TOTAL COST
Task 3 Coordinate Stanislaus County Demonstration Site
3.1 Monitor Orchard	3/1	2/28	Stanislaus Co. PMA Team
3.2 Refine Monitoring Protocols and Treatments	3/1	2/28	PMA Team PMA Advisory Team
3.3 Stanislaus Co. Regional Demonstration	3/1	2/28	Stanislaus Co. PMA Team PMA Advisory Team

 

 

 

Task 4:  Coordinate Butte County Demonstration Site.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND SOURCES		TOTAL COST
Task 4 Coordinate Butte County Demonstration Site
4.1 Monitor Orchard	3/1	2/28	Butte Co. PMA Team
4.2 Refine Monitoring Protocols and Treatments	3/1	2/28	PMA Team PMA Advisory Team
4.3 Butte Co. Regional Demonstration	3/1	2/28	Butte Co. PMA Team PMA Advisory Team

Task 5:  Historical Analysis of Pesticide use in Almonds.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND OTHER		TOTAL COST
Task 5 Historical Analysis of Pesticide use in Almonds
5.1 Gather important information of pesticide use	3/1	2/28	UCCE PMA Team
5.2 Report findings of pesticide use	3/1	2/28	UCCE PMA Team

 

Task 6:  Outreach of Almond Pest Management Studies.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND SOURCES		TOTAL COST
Task 6 Outreach of Almond PMA
6.1 Regional Field Days	3/1	2/28	PMA Team PMA Advisory Team UCCE CAFF
6.2 Newsletter	3/1	2/28	Almond Board of CA PMA Team CAFF
6.3 Coordinate Info. Dissemination	3/1	2/28	Almond Board of CA UC IPM
6.4 Media & Ag Industry	3/1	2/28	Almond Board of CA PMA Team/Advisory

Task 7:  Project Evaluation.

SPECIFIC TASKS	START AND END DATES FOR TASKS		PERSONS INVOLVED	PMA FUNDS	MATCHING FUNDS AND OTHER		TOTAL COST
Task 7 Project Evaluation
7.1 Progress Report and Invoicing	3/1	2/28	PMA Team Project Administrator
7.2 Final Report	3/1	2/28	PMA Team PMA Advisory Team

 

  Timetable

January 2002: Advisory Team Meeting, UC Davis.

March 2002: DPR fiscal year begins.

March 2002: Begin Orchard Monitoring

March 2002: Project newsletter mailed to growers and PCA's.

March 1, 2002: Quarterly status report to DPR. Submission of invoices.

May 2002: Advisory Team Meeting, UC Davis.

May 2002: In-season Spray Field Day/Pest Monitoring in all three regions

June 2002:  Advisory Team Meeting

June 1, 2002: Quarterly status report to DPR. Submission of invoices.

June 2002: Project newsletter mailed to growers and PCA's.

July 31, 2002: End of fiscal year for Almond Board of California.

August, 2002: Project newsletter mailed to growers and PCA's.

August 2002: Advisory Team Meeting, UC Davis

Aug. 31, 2002: Last day for invoices to be submitted to Almond Board for costs incurred during course of the project.

Aug-Sept., 2002: Collect Harvest Crackout Samples

September 2002: Advisory Team Meeting, UC Davis

September 2002: Project newsletter mailed to growers and PCA's.

Sept. 1, 2002: Quarterly status report to DPR. Submission of invoices.

Oct.-Nov. 2002: Grower Meetings

November 2002: Project newsletter mailed to growers and PCA's

December 2002: Dormant Spray Field days in all three regions

Dec. 1, 2002: Quarterly status report to DPR. Submission of invoices.

December 2002:  Final Reports due

February 28, 2003:  Fiscal Year ends for DPR