Changes for almonds

Published: Dec. 26, 2005

Fresno Bee

Environmentally friendly farming practices and maximizing production can go hand in hand, says a Kern County almond grower who has been honored by the state of California for his innovative integrated pest management techniques.

Thomas Vetsch, owner of Bakersfield-based Vetsch Farms, decided more than seven years ago to convert 160 acres of his conventionally farmed almond orchard to practices that reduce reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides and routine fungicides.

With financial support from the Almond Board of California's Pest Management Alliance project and the scientific expertise of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Vetsch has virtually eliminated the use of synthetic pesticides to manage key pests in the orchard, while increasing yields throughout the orchard.

The practices he has developed on his Kern County orchard have been so successful he has converted all four ranches at Vetsch Farms of California to sustainable, IPM-based farming.

His accomplishments caught the attention of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, which recently honored Vetsch with one of its nine annual IPM Innovator Awards.

Vetsch was lauded for using predatory mites, spraying reduced-risk pesticides and seasonal monitoring for pests and beneficial insects.

Innovation has been key for another almond grower who is working hard to meet air quality challenges in the San Joaquin Valley.

Fred Olmstead in Fresno County has been steadily adopting more sustainable farming practices pioneered in part through Almond Board of California-supported research.

The general manager of Air-WayFarms says in recent years the operation has been addressing such environmentally sensitive issues as air quality and water quality by gradually changing the way it farms.