Serving All Aspects of Commercial Horticulture

Cattle to ChristmasTrees Page 10

Classifieds . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Organic. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Christmas. . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Melissa Piper Nelson

Today’s Marketing . . . . . 5

Greenhouse • Nursery • Garden Center • Fruit & Vegetable • Farm Markets • Landscapers • Christmas

September 2011Volumee 5

Numberr 10

$2.50

WesternEditionn

Section Oneof One

GROWERGROWERGrant Family Farms

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by Kelly Gates

As a kid, Loren Bauman earned 25cents per hour for watering the plantsat his family's business, Jared'sNursery, Gift & Garden of Littleton,CO. Today, he is one of the co-ownersof the company.

According to the second generationnurseryman, it all began with a smallcrop of tomatoes grown on the family'sproperty.

“My father, Jared, started sellingtomatoes out of the garage of our oldhouse,” Loren told Country FolksGrower. “The first year, he did this fora couple of weeks and the next year,he stayed open for about a month anda half. From there, things expandedannually.”

During the early years, the thruwayin front of the Bauman's home was atwo-lane road. Currently, there is asix-lane highway that drives a tremen-dous amount of traffic to Jared'sNursery, Gift & Garden.

Other changes that took place sincethe business was founded in 1979include the addition of bedding plants,perennials, trees, shrubs and prod-ucts needed to plant and care forthem. Later other items were addedincluding pots, garden art, fountains,statuary, gift items and seasonal itemssuch as pumpkins and Christmastrees.

With an extensive inventory in placethe family turned its attention to spe-cial events.

“We decided that we needed to findways to not only draw customers eachyear, but to also bring them back mul-tiple times each year,” said Loren. “In2006, we started our annual pumpkinweigh-off. Local pumpkin growers nowhost the event, which attracted about40 people the first year and now,roughly 4,000.”

Along with sizing up gargantuangourds, guests can enter their caninecompanions in a dog costume contest.Or, they can pit their pies, cakes and

other desserts against others in a bak-ing competition.

Kids can have their faces painted,hop around in the bouncy castle,brave the Galleria of Ghouls (hauntedhouse), traverse the straw maze, andparticipate in the kids' division pump-kin weigh-off.

Additional activities have beenadded for 2011, including a chili cook-off, a bouncy house that parents canenjoy with their children and a RadioDisney mobile unit that will playmusic and sponsor a costume contestfor kids.

A simple change was made this pastwinter 2011 to make Jared's more vis-ible. The 1917 farm house that servesas the main store was repainted. Theold white structure was painted redand the black shutters and trim werepainted white. “While the change onlyrequired a fresh coat of paint, theresult was a significant increase incustomers, many of whom admitteddropping by for the first time becauseof the building's new look.” he said.

Classes and events have been addedto keep people coming back through-out the year. The major event for theyear is the pumpkin weigh-off with anEaster Egg Hunt now being held theday before Easter as well. The remain-ing months have events on the thirdThursday, drawing customers in forfun and refreshments. Greenhousescavenger hunts, ice cream socialsand ladies' nights are just a few.

“Classes are held every weekendexcept during prime season. These aretailored to the time of the year,” saidLoren. “We'll be offering an herb classsoon that covers harvesting methods,growing herbs indoors and tips forpreserving and using herbs.”

This will be followed by a class deal-ing with techniques for dealing withthose bumper crops of vegetables.Later in the fall, a class will be held forthose who own ponds. Topics includehow to shut down a pond for the sea-

son and how to tend to koi during win-ter months. Other activities at Jared'sNursery Gift & Garden range frompumpkin decorating for kids to semi-nars on how to grow giant vegetables-each participant at this class gets afree giant pumpkin seed to take home.

With such a wide array of productsand events, the company has longbeen the go-to place for residents inLittleton. When the opportunity toopen a second location surfaced in2007, the decision to do so was made.According to Loren, the second site,“Jared's Gardens,” has the same focuson quality products, fair prices andgreat customer service but has a

much different look and feel. The twostores are only 17 minutes apart, so itis easy for customers to shop at bothlocations taking advantage of thosedifferences.

The Baumans and their knowledge-able staff caters to the needs of a widevariety of customers taking time to lis-ten to their requests, answering theirquestions and working hard to makethem successful in their gardeningadventures.

This customized approach hashelped make Jared's a well recognizedand respected member of the commu-nity, which we expect it to be for manyyears to come.

Jared’s Nursery, Gift & Garden caters to its customers

This pumpkins was the third place finisher in the 2010 Pumpkin Weigh-Off. The

grower had some fun decorating it for the public to see during the yearly event.

Photos courtesy of Jared’s Nursery, Gift & Garden

The second and third generations of the Bauman family (L-R) Aaron, Zoe, Nicole,

Mckenzie, Suzanne, Fiona, Peter and Loren Bauman.

The flower trials were held for customers in conjunction with local growers Welby

Gardens. The Baumans try to offer monthly events to bring customers in and pro-

vide opportunities for them to see new plants and experience the garden center as

a destination.

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by Kelly Gates

Grant Family Farms of Wellington,CO has long been a producer of certifiedorganic produce for wholesale to gro-cers throughout the United States. Butin 2007, the company decided to open asmall Community SupportedAgriculture (CSA) business that wouldadd a direct sales division to its reper-toire.

According to Sari Schauer, director ofthe farm’s CSA, the staff had no ideajust how well received such a sharesprogram would be.

“Our first year, we had 126 mem-bers,” Schauer said. “We had a staff ofthree people that would skip throughthe fields picking vegetables each week,happy to have a small group of peopleas part of the CSA.”

The following year, no one was skip-ping, she joked. Instead of 126, thenumber of people who purchasedshares totaled 1,000. Many of the cus-tomers were in Fort Collins but overtime, the region expanded to coverNorthern Colorado.

Grant Family Farms managed to har-vest, box and deliver to each customerthat year. And again in 2009 when thecustomer total jumped to over 3,000.

“We brought in a lot more employeeseach year to help with packing and dis-tribution and I was offered a positionwith the farm to grow the CSA” saidSchauer. “The CSA represented signifi-cant change in our organization. Notonly the addition of more employees,which helped the local economic base,but we were also able to divert some ofour deliveries going out of state, reduc-ing our carbon footprint.”

The farm had delivered to New York,Florida, Texas and many other statesacross the country for decades. But asthe CSA grew each year, the number oflong distance shipments diminished inlieu of local or regional trucking. In fouryears, the percentage of trucks trans-porting wholesale fruits and vegetablesgrown at Grant Family Farms has gonefrom 100 percent to 70 percent.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Overthe last several decades, thou-sands of farmers marketshave been popping up in citiesand towns across the country,benefiting local farmers, con-sumers and economies, butthey could be doing a lot bet-ter, according to a reportreleased recently by the Unionof Concerned Scientists (UCS).What’s holding farmers mar-kets back? Federal policiesthat favor industrial agricul-ture at their expense.

“On the whole, farmers mar-kets have seen exceptionalgrowth, providing local com-munities with fresh food directfrom the farm,” said JeffreyO’Hara, the author of thereport and an economist withUCS’s Food and EnvironmentProgram. “But our federal foodpolicies are working againstthem. If the U.S. governmentdiverted just a small amountof the massive subsidies it lav-ishes on industrial agricultureto support these markets and

small local farmers, it wouldnot only improve Americandiets, it would generate tens ofthousands of new jobs.”

UCS released the report justa few days before the 12thannual U.S. Department ofAgriculture’s (USDA) NationalFarmers Market Week, whichbegan on Sunday, Aug. 7.According to the report,“Market Forces: Creating Jobsthrough Public Investment inLocal and Regional FoodSystems,” the number offarmers markets nationwidemore than doubled between2000 and 2010 jumping from2,863 to 6,132, and now morethan 100,000 farms sell fooddirectly to local consumers.

All that growth happenedwith relatively little help. Lastyear, for example, the USDAspent $13.725 billion in com-modity, crop insurance, andsupplemental disaster assis-tance payments mostly tosupport large industrialfarms, according to the

Congressional Budget Office.The amount the agency spentthat year to support local andregional food system farmers?Less than $100 million,according to USDA data.

In 2007, the most recentUSDA figure, direct agricul-tural product sales amountedto a $1.2 billion-a-year busi-ness, and most of that moneyrecirculates locally. “The factthat farmers are selling direct-ly to the people who live near-by means that sales revenuestays local,” O’Hara said.“That helps stabilize localeconomies.”

Keeping revenues local alsocan mean more job opportuni-ties. Last summer, AgricultureSecretary Tom Vilsack askedCongress to set a goal in the2012 Farm Bill of helping atleast 100,000 Americans tobecome farmers by, amongother things, providing entre-preneurial training and sup-port for farmers markets.O’Hara’s report takes up

Vilsack’s challenge and arguesthat supporting local andregional food system expan-sion is central to meeting thatgoal.

In the report, O’Hara identi-fied a number of initiatives thefederal government could taketo encourage new farmers andthe growth of farmers marketsin the upcoming Farm Bill.For example, the report calledon Congress to:

• Support the developmentof local food markets, includ-ing farmers markets andfarm-to-school programs,which can stabilize communi-ty-supported markets and cre-ate permanent jobs. Forexample, the report found thatthe Farmers MarketPromotion Program could cre-ate as many as 13,500 jobsnationally over a five-yearperiod, if reauthorized, by pro-viding modest funding for 100to 500 farmers markets peryear.

• Level the playing field for

farmers in rural regions byinvesting in infrastructure,such as meat-processing ordairy-bottling facilities, whichwould help meat, dairy andother farmers produce andmarket their products to con-sumers more efficiently. Theseinvestments could foster com-petition in food markets,increase product choice forconsumers, and generate jobsin the community.

• Allow low-income resi-dents to redeem food nutritionsubsidies at local food mar-kets to help them afford freshfruits and vegetables.Currently, not all markets areable to accept SupplementalNutrition Assistance Programbenefits.

“Farmers at local marketsare a new variety of innovativeentrepreneurs, and we needto nurture them,” saidO’Hara. “Supporting thesefarmers should be a Farm Billpriority.”

Farmers markets could generate tens of thousands of jobs

Fruits, vegetables and a busload of chickens

Broccoli being harvested at the Grant Family Farms.

Photos by Kelly Gates

Isaac Jahns, Education Coordinator, shows working members how to harvest broc-

coli on the tractor.

Fruits A4

Spring Farm Tour 2011 visitors checking out the farm animals.

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The Monthly Newspaper for Greenhouses, Nurseries, Fruit & Vegetable Growers

Country FolksCountry Folks

Grant Family Farms’ flower share manager Chelsea in the sunflowerfield.

Cover photo by Kelly Gates

(518) 673-3237 • Fax # (518) 673-2381

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Schauer expects this number to dropfurther in the future. Last year, the CSAhad 4,300 members. This year, the totalwill likely be 5,000.

“We have five trucks on the road fivedays each week, traveling to places likeColorado Springs, throughout themountain region and up into Casper,Wyoming,” she said. “We have a prettybig reach-some drop-offs are five hoursaway. But overall we have still signifi-cantly reduced our impact on the envi-ronment by selling a lot locally.”

To help manage this large base,Grant Family Farms hired CSA reps inColorado Springs, Denver and themountains. Several additional truckswere leased. Employees were alsotrained how and when to harvest forthe CSA, how to package the boxes andthe best practices for coordinatingdrop-offs.

There was a lot to learn since thefarm offers an abundance of shareopportunities. There are three sizes ofshares: single, couple and family.Offerings range from fruit and vegetableshares to meat, mushroom, bread andcheese shares.

“We have some cherries and plums,

like Mount Royal. We also have experi-mental plots of strawberries and rasp-berries, but the rest is mostly vegeta-bles,” said Schauer. “We grow over 150varieties of vegetables, including darkcooking greens like kale, spinach andchard, plus five types of lettuce, threekinds of cabbage, heirloom tomatoes,eggplant, sweet corn, summer and win-ter squash and many, many others.”

The farm partners with three localorganic cheese companies to create agoat cheese share, a specialty cheeseshare featuring a brand called “MouCo”and a raw milk cheese share with stan-dards like cheddar and jack.

A nearby mushroom farm supplies allsorts of mushroom varieties for a mush-room share. An area organic bakery thatbuys Grant Family Farm’s wheat makesloafs for a weekly artisan bread share.And there are many different one-timemeat orders to choose from as well.

With so many items for customers tochoose from, the farm may only add cof-fee to the mix in upcoming years. Theaim is to provide a large assortment oforganic foods for people without becom-ing a full-fledged grocery store, saidSchauer.

Fruits

by William McNutt

The continuing recession has leftno industry in the U.S. unaffected,creating new challenges, not theleast of which for the green indus-try is too much supply for currentdemand.

Marketing in today’s marketplace was the challenge addressedat the OFA convention by CharlieHall, Texas A&M University, MarvinMiller, Ball Horticultural Co., andStan Pohmer, industry consultant.Their forecast was for consolidationin both greenhouse and growernumbers, with an already 6 percentreduction in numbers since 2006,which will double in the next 2years. The problem will be partiallyself corrected as new growers comeonline. With less concentration onfilling greenhouse space, theamount of production will eventual-ly get in line with what will sell.This follows a general trend in agri-culture, with 2-3 farmers handlingthe same acreage as previouslyhandled by 10-12. New services willbe added, with more reliance onvendors for information, but saleswill continue downward - except inhigher income areas. Those hurtmost will be mid level income serv-ice providers, depending on discre-tionary spending.

Current surveys show 75 percentof our population have no confi-dence things are going to get betteranytime soon, 20 percent think theeconomic situation will becomeworse. If not already learning to livewith a mean new age, most will beforced to in the near future: an ageof frugality, reduced credit, plus achanged value system challengingwhat, why and when movements inmanagement are made. This year’sOFA program was geared to thisconcept, with fewer motivationaltype speeches, rather an emphasison solid techniques in businesstraining. Behavior changes arebeing forced, customers are morevalue conscious, with reduced dis-cretionary spending, limitation ofdriving, trade downs on purchases,plus greater deal seeking along withdemand for lower prices. Our oldercustomers lean to nostalgia, desir-ing return to a simple life, morerooted, with less conspicuous con-sumption. But for younger cus-tomers that we have not yetacquired on a steady basis, there isworry about the environment, plusemphasis on sustainability. Growerand sellers of floral products weretold they must incorporate suchconsumer thinking into their pro-motional and merchandisingefforts, work toward convincing thepublic the product offered is essen-tial, that they cannot get alongwithout it.

With more of our potential cus-tomers living paycheck to pay-check, selling to them becomesmore competitive. Even the boomergeneration now beginning to retireare trading down from supermarketto discount type stores. We cannotignore their buying power, thoseborn during 1946-60 still own 28

percent of housing, and receive 36percent of the national income. Thenext influx of boomers are now over55, $7 trillion in wealth is con-trolled by them. Currently there are11 million more Generation X thanpost 1946ers in the country. Thisyounger group is rather sharplysplit from their parents, moreappreciative of the environment,time for relaxation, and apprecia-tion of life in general-in short. Thisgroup emphasizes house ownershipless than renting, and move morefor job security. They will spendmoney on landscaping when prop-erty is theirs, but want someoneelse to do it. Green industry typeswill need to jump start this groupso our markets will be used. Whenthey do achieve stable economicstatus they can afford to pay for it.One angle is to stress the return onflowers along with landscaping, eg.$250 worth of flowers raises homevalue by $1000.

Panel recommendations includedtelling your story through socialmedia, now by far the best way tomake contact with a non-newspa-per reading younger public.Grower-retailer relationships needto be strengthened, along with clos-er ties to the consumer. Tell yourenvironmental story via Web site,include vegetables and fruit inflower planting of varieties adaptedfor this type of use. All retailers aredoing this, but lack the personaldetail a greenhouse or garden cen-ter can use. Growers were advisedto investigate contracting to othergrowers, even to the big box stores,often seen as the enemy. This canbe a fruitful outlet for smaller grow-ers who can concentrate of fewerand more specialized varieties, plusmeeting smaller demand for sea-sonal items. Other recommenda-tions were to shrink capacity to metsales demand, cut waste, makealliances with other growers to helphandle surplus, or even help trainsmaller growers who might beinterested in contracting. Be care-ful about the impression your prod-uct is making, send nothing to mar-ket early but assure it is fullymature. Burpee is already usinggarden coaches that can be con-tacted with problems found by cus-tomers. Setting up a similar systemon a local basis could become prof-itable, even to the point where cellphone pictures can be sent for diag-nosis.

That the Big Box stores arealready formidable competition wasemphasized in a recent Wall St.Journal article detailing researchefforts to develop new varieties,some of which might offer opportu-nity for subcontracting to growersin metro areas where these outletsare located.

Advice given by panel members tocheck into contracting may be thewave of the future as the floralindustry follows the “urge to merge”which in some respects makes itbetter for all participants — a ques-tion not yet settled but will be upfor a great deal more discussion.

Update on economy from primefeature of OFA meeting

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Job creation and agriculture

All across the U.S.and indeed the world,agriculture’s role in jobcreation is being ex-plored, debated, testedand statistically com-pared to other business-es for economic growthpotential. While the in-dustrial and manufac-turing age in this coun-try drew workers awayfrom their rural rootsand farms, today’s in-terest in local foods, or-ganic operations andthe wave of sustainableurban farming is open-ing up new avenues ofcommunity development

and employment.This summer’s series

of White House Busi-ness Council Round-table events, heldthroughout the U.S.,brought business lead-ers together with USDAofficials to talk aboutrural development andeconomic improvement.At a roundtable meet-ing in York, PA, DeputyAgriculture SecretaryKathleen Merrigan em-phasized that the USDAis seeking advice frombusiness leaders onways to improve theeconomic climate. “ThePresident and theUSDA are committed to

creating good-payingjobs that will help busi-nesses and communi-ties they serve,” saidMerrigan.

While some agricul-tural sectors are feelingthe pinch of droughtand market slumps, theorganic industry hasshown steady growthover the past decade,and a recent survey oforganic farmers notedthat nearly half of themplanned on increasingproduction and creatingmore jobs. Urban agri-culture in many Ameri-can cities now offersdisplaced workers jobsgrowing foods in com-

munities where peopledid not always have ac-cess to fresh vegetables.And, the 2007 Census ofAgriculture showed thatsome states, those clos-est to metro areas, thatexperienced previousdeclines in the numberof farms, actually sawincreases with small or-ganic and naturally-grown operations pop-ping up.

Offshoots of directfood production includ-ing bio-energy and bio-science projects are alsoseen as adding to jobcreation potential. ANorth Central States(Battelle Report) studynoted that where agri-culture and forestrythrive in abundance iswhere the bio-basedeconomy, “has alreadytaken root and wherethe potential for globalleadership and econom-

ic vitality for America isalready proven.”

As local communitiestake stock of agricul-ture and rural develop-ment, it will be interest-ing to see if these trendscontinue and where fu-ture jobs are created.Agriculture has tradi-tionally been low on thescale of businessgrowth indicator factorsas most family farms donot employ large num-bers of workers. Withthe growth of local foodsinterest and the in-creasing opportunity tosell directly to con-sumers, family farmsand small agriculturaloperations are placeswhere job opportunitiesare being created andsustained.

Your operation al-ready contributes toyour local, regional,statewide and even glob-

al economy. Moneyspent at local business-es has multiplier factorsthat reach outward ineven the smallest com-munities. Encourageyour local agriculturalgroups to monitor andshare these findingswith the business com-munity. This informa-tion provides a basis forcommunity funding op-portunities and recog-nizes the importance ofagriculture in buildingand sustaining localcommunities.

More information onthe Battelle Report isavailable from the NorthCentral Regional Associ-ation (NCRA), 1450 Lin-den Drive, Madison, WI.The above informationis provided for educa-tional purposes andshould not be substitut-ed for professional busi-ness or legal counseling.

Today’s Marketing ObjectivesBy: Melissa Piper Nelson

Farm News ServiceNews and views on agricultural marketing techniques.

SACRAMENTO, CA —The California Depart-ment of Food and Agri-culture is announcing18 vacancies on two ad-visory committees over-seen by the depart-ment’s Inspection andCompliance Branch.Vacancies are availableon the California Or-ganic Products AdvisoryCommittee and the Cer-tified Farmers’ MarketAdvisory Committee.

The California Organ-ic Products AdvisoryCommittee advises theCDFA secretary on cur-

rent issues related toorganic food productionand makes recommen-dations on all matterspertaining to the Cali-fornia Organic Pro-gram. Seven vacanciesare available on thecommittee. Vacanciesinclude: one consumerrepresentative, one al-ternate technical repre-sentative, one alternateretail representative,one alternate processorrepresentative, andthree alternate produc-er representatives.

The California Organ-

ic Program is responsi-ble for the enforcementof federal and statelaws governing organicproduction. Thesestatutes protect con-sumers, producers,handlers, processors,and retailers by estab-lishing standards underwhich agriculturalproducts may be la-beled and sold as or-ganic. The CaliforniaOrganic Program isfunded entirely by in-dustry fees and assess-ments.

For more information

on the California Or-ganic Program andcommittee vacancies,contact Brian Cote at916-445-2180.

The Certified Farm-ers’ Market AdvisoryCommittee advises theCDFA secretary on reg-ulations, enforcement,and administrationpolicies and proceduresrelated to the directmarketing of agricul-tural products at certi-fied farmers’ markets.Eleven vacancies areavailable. Vacancies in-clude: eight alternate

certified producers, onealternated certifiedfarmers’ market man-ager, and two alternatedirect marketing repre-sentatives.

All producer membersmust be active in thedirect sale and market-ing of agricultural prod-ucts at certified farm-ers’ markets.

California has morethan 2,200 certifiedagricultural producersparticipating in approx-imately 700 certifiedfarmers’ markets withinthe state. The CertifiedFarmers’ Market Advi-sory Committee recom-mends the annualbudget and fees to pro-vide enforcement serv-ices for the depart-ment’s Certified Farm-ers’ Market Program.

For more informationon the Certified Farm-ers’ Market Program

and committee vacan-cies, contact SusanShelton at 916-445-2180.

Applications for com-mittee vacancies will beaccepted until the posi-tions are filled. Individ-uals interested in beingconsidered for an ap-pointment to a commit-tee should send a letterof consideration and aletter of recommenda-tion from individualswithin the representedindustry sector.

Applications shouldbe sent to Sarah Car-doni, CDFA Inspectionand ComplianceBranch, 1220 N Street,Sacramento, CA 95814or via e-mail at scar-doni@cdfa.ca.gov .Clearly indicate the va-cancy and the advisorycommittee for whichyou are applying.

CDFA announces vacancies onorganic and farmers’ market advisory committees

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Oregon farms amongU.S. leaders in com-

puter usageOregon’s reputation

as an early adopter ofhigh technology andnational leader in itsusage is enhanced bythe state’s farming andranching community.Results of a new surveyconfirm that computersare just as important tomost Oregon agricul-tural producers as thetractor or any othercommon type of equip-ment.

“Oregon farmers andranchers are savvywhen it comes to tech-nology and have em-braced the computer innearly every aspect oftheir operation,” saidKaty Coba, director ofthe Oregon Departmentof Agriculture. “We con-sistently rank highamong all states eachtime these computersurveys are done.”

The nationwide sur-vey is conducted everytwo years by the U.S.Department of Agricul-ture’s National Agricul-tural Statistics Service(NASS). Oregon is at ornear the top in nearlyall 2011 survey cate-gories. Oregon leads thenation in the percent-age of farm operationswith internet access at80 percent. Oregon istied for third with Idahoin the percentage offarm operations withaccess to a computer(83 percent) trailingonly Utah (85 percent)and Wyoming (84 per-cent). The numbers aresimilar in the percent-age of farmers owningor leasing a computer.Oregon ranks second at80 percent, trailing Ida-ho. In all cases, Oregonis well above the na-tional average.

Other states havemade huge strides inthe percentage of farm-ers and ranchers usingcomputers as part oftheir business activi-ties. Oregon’s numbersare up from the 2009survey but not as dra-matically as some otherstates.

“Oregon is a prettyprogressive state and Ithink we see people us-ing a tool that is advan-tageous for them on adaily basis,” said ODA

Information SystemsManager Steve Poland.“The internet and ac-cess to it gives them theability to do their busi-ness more efficientlyand effectively.”

At some point, allstates may reach a sat-uration point when itcomes to computer us-age. But for now, nearlyall are showing im-provement in farm com-puter usage. For Ore-gon, the 83 percentcomputer access markis an increase from 79percent recorded in2009. The easiest ex-planation is that thestate continues to makestrides in establishingcomputer accessibilityfor rural Oregon com-munities.

At 50 percent, Oregonis tied for fourth in thepercentage of farmsand ranches using com-puters for businesspurposes. New Jerseyleads the nation in thatcategory with 57 per-cent. Oregon is tied fortenth (17 percent) inoperators who havepurchased agriculturalinputs over the internetby computer. New Jer-sey also leads that cate-gory at 39 percent. Ore-gon is tied for thir-

teenth (15 percent) inoperators who haveconducted agriculturalmarketing activitiesover the internet bycomputer with Iowa thenational leader at 25percent. In all threecases, Oregon’s per-centages are up fromthe previous survey.

The NASS survey alsoindicates how farmersaccess the internet. Na-tionally, high-speedmethods such as DSL,cable, satellite, andwireless have becomemuch more available tothe farm sector. Onceagain, Oregon is gener-ally ahead of the curvewhen it comes to theprimary method of in-ternet access. The per-centage of operators us-ing wireless internetservice in Oregon isnow up to 26 percent-eighth highest amongall states. That percent-age has more than dou-bled in the past fouryears. On the flip side,there is now only 9 per-cent still using dial-upservice compared to 52percent in 2007 and 26percent in 2009. DSL(32 percent) is up sub-stantially from twoyears ago and 17 per-cent of Oregon farmers

and ranchers list satel-lite as their primarymethod of internet ac-cess. Wireless hasclearly become the pre-ferred choice as morefarmers take advantageof high speed options.

“Before, many Oregonfarmers and rancherswere in remote areas ofthe state where theycould not get any typeof connection to the in-ternet,” said Poland.“The best connectionthey had was dial-up.Now, wireless connec-tions can give them re-spectable speeds anddial-ups are becoming athing of the past.”

The NASS surveydoes not address it, butPoland speculates thatOregon agriculture, insome cases, has actual-ly outgrown the com-puter. The rise of thepersonal digital assis-tant (PDA) allows manyfarmers and ranchersto have portability whilemaintaining access tothe internet. In thepalm of their hand, op-erators can use PDAs to

combine cell phones,web browsers, andportable media playersas they go about theirdaily business.

“We are seeing peoplegetting away from usinga laptop to using aniPad or some type oftablet device,” saidPoland. “Some farmersand ranchers are usingsmart phones witheverything in them- in-ternet access, voicecommunication, a cam-era — all in one piece ofequipment. It’s all inthe applications. It’slike having a small,portable desktop com-puter that can performmost of the functionsneeded in today’s hightech world, and more.”

It’s possible that op-erators responding tothe survey are notdrawing a distinctionbetween computers andthe hand held devices.Nonetheless, Poland be-lieves Oregon agricul-ture’s percentages inmany categories may beeven higher than re-ported.

Another area nottouched by the surveyis the growing use ofsocial media. Polandhas no doubt that farm-ers and ranchers inOregon are increasinglytaking advantage of thetwo-way communica-tion capability of suchtools as Facebook andTwitter.

The Oregon Depart-ment of Agriculture,very aware of the sub-stantial amount of com-puter use in the state,continues to improveits high tech delivery ofservices. In addition toODA’s Web site, theagency is also hopingsomeday to provide on-line transactions forsuch things as licenserenewals and pay-ments.

In nearly all cate-gories found in the sur-vey, the west regiononce again outpacesthe rest of the countrywhen it comes to com-puter usage. Oregon isdoing its fair share tocontribute to the re-gion’s success.

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Service and mainte-nance tasks can oftenlead to serious injury.The farm shop and thefield are the primary lo-cations where repairoperations are complet-ed. Make sure yourfarm shop is part of afarm safety solution,not a problem.

• Organize your work-shop so that everythinghas a designated place.Make sure items aresecure so they will notfall on anyone.

• Clean walkways toreduce trips and falls.

• When working onagricultural equipment,make sure that theequipment is turnedoff, all rotating partshave stopped moving,and safety locks areput in place.

• Keep all guards and

shields in place onpower equipment.

• Use hand tools onlyfor their intendedpurpose.

• Equip your shopwith Ground Fault Cir-cuit Interrupters tohelp prevent electricalshock.

• Make sure yourshop is well lit. If theshop is heated, ensureit is properly ventedand that flammable liq-uids are kept out of theshop area.

• Wear personal pro-tective equipment (PPE)when performing repairjobs. Standard PPE fora farm shop should in-clude leather gloves,c h e m i c a l - r e s i s t a n tgloves, safety glasses,face shields, earplugsor muffs, steel-toedboots, respirators, hard

hats, protective apronsand welding shields.

Inspection• Are electrical cords

undamaged? •Is an ap-propriate fire extin-guisher

present and opera-ble? • Is a fully sup-plied first aid kit avail-able?

• Are guards andshields in place?

• Are walkways clearof debris?

• Are chemicalsstored in a locked cabi-net?

Information suppliedby the National SafetyCouncil’s AgriculturalDivision, the NationalEducation Center forAgricultural Safety(NECAS) –www.necasag.org or888-844-6322.

Farm shop safety

A presentation anddiscussion of the FoodSafety ModernizationAct, and a legislativereview highlight theupcoming quarterlymeeting of the StateBoard of Agriculture inSalem Sept. 7.

The 10-memberboard will receive apresentation by theOregon Department ofAgriculture’s FoodSafety Division on theFood Safety Modern-

ization Act, which em-phasizes prevention offood contamination.The board will also re-ceive an update onODA’s budget and keylegislative issues per-taining to agriculture.

A public commentperiod is scheduled for11:30 a.m. on Sept. 7.

The meeting will con-clude with reports byboard subcommitteeson land use, naturalresources, governmentrelations, and market-

ing/food safety. Thefull board meeting willbe preceded on Sept. 6and 7 by subcommitteemeetings.

The board meetingbegins at 10:15 a.m.,Wednesday, Sept. 7 inthe hearings room ofthe Oregon Depart-ment of Agriculture,635 Capitol Street NE,in Salem. The meetingis open to the public.

For more information,contact Bruce Pokarneyat 503-986-4559.

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CHESTERFIELD, MO— Sue and TomSchroeder, owners ofSchroeder’s Forever-greens in Neenah, WI,became Grand Champi-on of the NationalChristmas Tree Contestthis summer at the Na-tional Christmas Tree

Association’s (NCTA) An-nual Convention & TradeShow. The conventionwas held in Huron, Ohio.The Schroeders entereda Balsam fir from theirfarm as the prize-win-ning conifer.

As Grand ChampionChristmas Tree growers,

Sue and Tom will pres-ent the official WhiteHouse Christmas Tree toFirst Lady Michelle Oba-ma for the 2011 Christ-mas season to be dis-played in the Blue Room.

Trees in the contestare entered into fivespecies categories: TrueFir, Douglas-fir, Spruce,Pine and Other. A panelof judges, made up oflong-time growers andpast contest winners,voted to select the first,second and third-placewinners in each catego-ry. Then convention at-tendees and a panel ofconsumer judges voted

for their favorite amongthe species finalists.Those vote totals deter-mined the Grand Cham-pion and Reserve Cham-pion trees. The winnerswere announced at theAwards Banquet heldFriday, Aug. 12.

“Since an Americanfarmer gets to provide aChristmas Tree theygrew for the White Houseto display, it strengthensthe fact that farm-growntrees are such an impor-tant tradition in ourcountry,” says NCTAPresident RichardMoore, a Christmas Treegrower from Groton, NY.

“There is nothing betterfor our industry than toshowcase our farm cropin the most famoushouse in America.”

The Schroeders hadentered trees from theirfarm in the national con-test before. To enter thenational contest, grow-ers must first win theirstate/regional competi-tions. 2011 was thefourth year the Schroed-er’s had done that andentered a tree in the na-tional contest. Finallywinning the contest andearning Grand Champi-on status validated theirhard work and persist-ence, said Sue Schroed-er. “Entering but notwinning the nationalcontest is both reward-ing and frustrating,knowing that you wereso close, but finally win-ning is 100 percent ex-citing,” said Schroeder. “Iknow we’ll love the expe-rience and we wouldn’ttrade it for anything.”

A Scotch pine tree, en-tered by Dan and KenWahmoff, owners ofWahmoff Farms in Gob-les, MI, was selected asthe Reserve Champion inthe National Tree Con-test. Traditionally, theReserve Champion farm-ers have been able toprovide a fresh Christ-mas tree from their farmfor the residence of theVice President.

White House staff willtravel to the Schroeder’sWisconsin farm this fallto select the tree to bedisplayed in the BlueRoom, serving as thecenterpiece of the holidaydecorations. The BlueRoom tree will need bemuch bigger than the 6to 8 foot contest trees, 181/2 feet tall to be exact.The selected tree will beharvested and presentedto the First Lady shortly

after Thanksgiving. All ofthe contest trees, includ-ing the winners, follow-ing the convention werechipped into mulch andrecycled. Complete Listof Highest National TreeContest Finishers byCategory are:

True FirFirst Place (Grand

Champion) — Sue andTom Schroeder,Schroeder’s Forever-greens, in Neenah, WI.

Second Place — Donand David Tucker ofTucker Tree Farms inLaurel Springs, NC.

Third Place — DaveVander Velden of Whis-pering Pines Tree Farmin Oconto, WI.

Douglas-firFirst Place — Paul and

Sharon Shealer of Ever-green Acres Tree Farm inAuburn, PA.

SpruceFirst Place — Glenn

Battles of Sugar PinesFarm LLC in Chester-land, Ohio.

Second Place — DaleHudler of Hudler Caroli-na Tree Farms in WestJefferson, NC.

PineFirst Place — (Reserve

Champion) Dan and KenWahmhoff of WahmhoffFarms Nursery in Gob-les, MI.

Second Place — GeoffFeisley of Feisley TreeFarms in Belmont, Ohio.

Third Place — JohnHensler of Hensler Nurs-ery Inc. in Hamlet, IN.

Winners of the Nation-al Wreath contest, alsoheld during the NCTAconvention were:

Undecorated WreathCategory: Richard andMary McClellan of Mc-Clellan’s Tree Farm inPennsylvania.

Decorated Wreath Cat-egory: Evelyn Casella ofChristmas Creek Ranchin Washington.

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CCHH RRIISSTMATMAS SS SEECTICTIOONNSchroeder’s Forevergreens named 2011 Grand Champion

This Scotch pine tree, entered by Dan and Ken Wahmoff,owners of Wahmoff Farms in Gobles, MI, was selectedas the Reserve Champion in the National Tree Contest.

Sue and Tom Schroeder, owners of Schroeder’s Forever-greens in Neenah, WI, entered this winning balsam fir atthe National Christmas Tree Association Annual Con-vention & Trade Show. As Grand Champion ChristmasTree growers, Sue and Tom will present the official WhiteHouse Christmas Tree to First Lady Michelle Obama forthe 2011 Christmas season to be displayed in the BlueRoom.

Photos by Joan Kark-Wren

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by Kelly GatesFor many years, Stan

and Patty Clouse operat-ed Camden Ranch of Elk,WA as a cattle farm rais-ing Scotch Highland Cat-tle. They enjoyed tendingto livestock. But as timepassed, they chose tomake better use of theirland.

“In 1985, we decidedthat we would growChristmas trees. I

prepped the fields in1986 and we planted ourfirst two acres ofseedlings the followingyear,” Stan told CountryFolks Grower. “By 1992,we were officially open tochoose and cut cus-tomers.” The ownersplanted two more acresof trees each year.

The initial crop plantedon the property consistedof Grand Firs and Scotch

Pines. Now, there are 20acres of Grand Firs, Con-color Firs and BlueSpruce trees in produc-tion at the farm-aptlyretitled “Camden RanchChristmas Trees.”

Once a new crop isplanted, it takes severalyears for the trees toreach the appropriatesize for full-on shearing,Stan explained. The crewat Camden RanchChristmas Trees usuallybegins lopping off extraleaders and shapingwhen they reach four feetin height. “Christmastrees are a year roundactivity,” he said. “Asidefrom shearing, we arequite busy keeping thefields mowed betweenrows and spraying forweeds and insects.”

Another multi-seasoncomponent to their busi-ness is a party andevents division. CamdenRanch hosts weddings,meetings and other activ-ities during the spring,summer and fall whenthe farm isn’t open totree customers. Themain building on theproperty is used for suchevents. It is then convert-ed into a space for pro-cessing trees duringChristmas tree sales sea-son.

The ranch is a perfectsetting for a serene coun-try-style wedding, nes-tled amongst plantationChristmas trees and sce-nic native forest. It hasan indoor/outdoor op-tion for events and canaccommodate up to 200guests.

During Christmas treesales, the old farm houseis also transformed. Itbecomes a gift shop andwreath retail area. Pat-ty’s sisters, Kathleen andEileen, help manage thegift shop.

Patty and Kathleen at-tend trade shows togeth-

er in the spring to collectnew Christmas orna-ments, home decor andgift items for the shop.All three sisters helpmake wreaths and tendto the retail outlet duringthe busy season, whichruns from aroundThanksgiving throughChristmas.

When another employ-ee came on board, sheadded a custom touch tothe company’s wreathdepartment offerings.

“Our floral designer,Cathy Richart, worked ata florist shop before andhas been a wonderful ad-dition to our staff,” saidPatty. “She designs andmakes custom wreathsfor customers on the spotusing a variety of handselected ornaments car-ried in our shop.”

Many of the womenand men who work atCamden Ranch havebeen employees for atleast a decade. Accordingto Stan and Patty, thereis a warm atmosphere atCamden Ranch Christ-mas Trees that makesthe crew feel like mem-bers of the family.

It also attracts thesame customers year af-ter year.

“We have some cus-tomers who used to comewith their parents, nowbringing their own chil-dren,” said Stan. “Theykeep the tradition alive,loading their kids ontoour hay wagon and rid-ing out to the fields tofind and cut a tree.”

The weekend before

Thanksgiving, moms anddads can bring their chil-dren to the farm for itsannual open house. Theysip on cider, chomp oncookies, preselect theirChristmas tree and dosome shopping in the giftshop.

Sales season beginsthe day after Thanksgiv-ing. Families come for aday of adventure tochoose and cut their per-fect Christmas tree.Camden Ranch providessaws stored on a handfulof saw racks scatteredthroughout the fields.

Customers cut their

own trees, but a crew ofworkers is always onhand to do the heavy lift-ing. They haul the firsand spruce trees back tothe barn to be shaken,baled and loaded ontoguests’ cars at no addi-tional cost.

When the choosing andcutting is complete, theyoften take time to browsethe gift shop. Most leavewith more than just atree. They drive awaywith wreaths, decora-tions, gifts and the mem-ory of another fun-filledfamily outing at CamdenRanch Christmas Trees.

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Cattle to Christmas Trees

Several young customers enjoying Camden RanchChristmas Tree’s free hayride out to the fields.

Stan Clouse, co-owner of Camden Ranch, driving one ofthe farm’s tractors.

Camden Ranch’s farm in winter.Photos courtesy of Camden Farms

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In 2005, the NationalChristmas Tree Associa-

tion created the Christ-mas SPIRIT Foundation,

a 501(c)(3) charitable or-ganization.

Trees for Troops is aprogram of the Christ-mas SPIRIT Foundation.

Since the program’s in-ception in 2005, Christ-mas Tree growers fromacross the United Stateshave generously contin-

ued to provide fresh cutChristmas Trees to mili-tary families. This pro-gram has touches thelives of military familiesat more than 50 basesacross the United Statesand overseas.

Christmas Tree grow-ers can participate inmany ways:

• Many state/regionalassociations have a per-son who coordinates thedonation of trees. Theywork with one or more“Pick-up” locations -farms/lots that are will-ing to serve as collectionpoints for anywhere froma hundred to a couplethousand trees. Visitwww.christmastree.org/t4tcoordinators.pdf tosee if your state/regionhas a coordinator.

• Become a “TrailerDrop” location:

• Christmas Treefarms/lots submit acontract (to the Christ-mas SPIRIT Foundation)and a fee for the TrailerDrop program and com-mit to loading a mini-mum of 100 trees attheir farm or lot.

• FedEx provides atrailer, while supplieslast, at your farm or re-

tail location. Trailersare loaded, picked backup by FedEx and treesare transported to mili-tary families stationedat bases throughoutthe U.S.

You can also supportthe program by:

• Placing a donationbucket at your farm/lotfor consumers to do-nate.

• Purchasing and/orselling a Trees forTroops commemorativeornament or charmbracelet.

• Hosting a fundraiserto benefit the ChristmasSPIRIT Foundation.

• Making a donationto the Christmas SPIRITFoundation.

The Trees for TroopsWeb site has many pro-motional ideas and ma-terial, as well as cus-tomizable sample pressreleases and letters tohelp make the programa success.

For more informationon the Christmas SPIR-IT Foundation or Treesfor troops, visitwww.christmastree.org/t4t.cfm or www.christ-masspiritfoundation.org

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CCHH RRIISSTMATMAS SS SEECTICTIOONNTrees for Troops

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by Melvin KoellingChristmas tree produc-

tion has become a signifi-cant industry in much ofthe United States. Estab-lished growers have ex-panded their productionand new growers haveentered the business. Op-erations range from a fewacres managed for cut-your-own markets tolarge acreages producingtrees exclusively for thewholesale market. Re-gardless of the size of theoperation, managementpractices have becomemore sophisticated asgrowers attempt to in-crease both the quantityand the quality of pro-duction while holdingproduction costs at ac-ceptable levels.

As the Christmas treeindustry has intensifiedits tree managementpractices, the market-place has likewise be-come more demanding.Tree quality has becomea principal concern forboth growers and con-sumers. Increasingly,higher quality trees arerequired to maintainsales in a very competi-tive market.

Many factors con-tribute to tree quality.One of the most impor-tant during the produc-tion period is propershearing. This articlesuggests some ways toimprove the quality ofshearing and therebycontribute to the produc-tion of quality trees.Objectives of shearingShearing is done to reg-

ulate and direct thegrowth of individualtrees. The objectives areto develop a symmetricalshape, which is charac-teristic of quality trees,and to increase foliagedensity, which will resultin a fuller tree with uni-form foliage. Thoughsome variation in theshape of trees is permit-ted both by USDA grad-ing standards and byconsumer preferences,the ideal tree has a “two-

thirds taper"; that is, thebase of the tree is two-thirds as wide as theheight. For a tree 6 feettall, the width of the basewould not exceed 4 feet.Other degrees of taper arepermitted, though mar-ket demand for both nar-row and wide trees is low-er. Acceptable tapers willvary to some degree byspecies; wider tapers aremore acceptable for pinesthan for true firs, sprucesand Douglas fir.

Tree response to shearing

As indicated, the pur-pose of shearing is to di-rect the growth ofbranches and foliage sothe shape and theamount of foliage devel-oped will be acceptable.The shearing techniqueneeded to reach these ob-jectives varies by speciesgroup. Pines respond dif-ferently than spruces, firsor Douglas fir.

When pine branchesproduced in the currentgrowing season are cut,new buds develop at thebases of needle fasciclesnear the cut ends. Nor-mally five to seven budsdevelop on an uncutbranch, but 10 to 18buds will form in re-sponse to cutting. Cut-ting the branches directsthe shape of the tree, andthe additional buds willdevelop into twigs thatwill increase foliage den-sity. New bud formationis best on twigs producedduring the current grow-ing season; however, cutsmade into older (second-year) tissue will also re-

sult in buds. Shearinginto this older tissue isusually not necessary ifannual shearing has oc-curred. To obtain maxi-mum bud development,shearing must occur dur-ing the active growingseason. Shearing at othertimes will result inbranch dieback and mis-shapen trees.

Douglas fir, the true firsand spruces respond dif-ferently to shearing.These species are charac-terized by lateral budsalong the twigs in addi-tion to a terminal budcluster. When a branch iscut during shearing, newbuds do not form at thebases of the needles, aswith pines. Rather, thelateral bud nearest thecut surface assumesdominance and the newterminal or lateral branchtissue develops from thispoint. Shearing of thesespecies should be delayeduntil late summer whenbranches have stiffenedand bud formation iscomplete.

Shearing tools andequipment

Several types of toolsand/or equipment areused to shear Christmastrees. These include handclippers, hedge clippersand shearing knives. Aleg guard should also beconsidered part of shear-ing equipment. Besideshand equipment, somemechanically poweredtrimmers are also avail-able. Power trimmer useis restricted by tree size,terrain and condition ofthe plantation (weeds,

tree spacing, furrows,etc.). Choice of shearingequipment depends onthe species of tree, theage of the tree and indi-vidual preference. Manygrowers use one type oftool (e.g., hedge clippers)when trees are small butanother (knives) for oldertrees.

Shearing equipmentmust be kept clean. Ac-cumulated pitch on clip-pers and knives increasesthe difficulty of shearingand can become a safetyhazard. Detergent solu-

tions, mineral spirits andpetroleum distillates areeffective cleaning agents.Steel wool is commonlyused with these solutionsto remove accumulatedpitch. Teflon- based orother non-toxic lubri-cants should be used onmechanical trimmers af-ter cleaning. Other lubri-cants can dry or burn theremaining foliage on thesheared tree.

Time of shearingThe proper time for

shearing depends on thespecies and the growing

location within the re-gion. Pines — includingScotch, white, red andAustrian — should besheared during the activegrowing season when ter-minal growth is nearlycomplete. In the southernportion of the region, thisusually occurs betweenJune 1 and 10; in themore northerly states,shearing begins betweenJune 20 and 30. Shear-ing can continue throughmid-July to early August,

CCHH RRIISSTMATMAS SS SEECTICTIOONNShearing Recommendations for Christmas Tree Producers

Shearing 18

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Aug. 10-13, Huron, Ohio

Juanita Peckham helps Mindy Core, Cedar Ledge Tree Farm in Mansfield Center, CT with the Trees forTroops Teddy Bear silent auction. Bears are numbered 1-1000, the #1 bear was sold on e-bay for$101.50! For more information on the bears contact Juanita at Memory Lane Christmas Tree Farm,Rantoul, KS.

Vicki Smith, Joseph Noblett Tree Stands, explains thebenefits of their stands to Pat Olive of Olive Trees inStacy, MN.

Freeman Geiser goes over the benefits of the Steiner MC400 Tree Farm Mower with Steve and Avery Wilcox ofWilcox Farms in La George, Ohio.

Jim Rockis, Reliable Source, talks with Derick Proctorabout the availability of seedlings and transplants.

The spray equipment exhibited by Ackerman drewinterest from attendees.

Doug Kell, Kelco Industries, goes over an order withSteve Mannhard, Fish River Christmas Tree Farm,Summerdale, AL.

Photos by Joan Kark-Wren

Henry Helms, Helms Christmas Tree Farm, Vale, NC, tries outthe Easy Lift Harness as Tod Scovitch, Easy Lift Products Intl.,as James Pitts from Plum Tree Farm in Plumtree, NC look on.

Ken and Tom Wahmhoff of Wahmhoff Farms Nurserywere busy throughout the show.

Donna Revak and Jan Donelson from the MinnesotaChristmas Tree Association were busy promotingthe Go Green/Get Real marketing campaigndesigned to help people better understand theimportance of real trees. More information about theprogram can be found on their Web site:www.mncta.com.

Tommy Wagoner, Wagoner’s Fraser Knoll Supplies andEquipment talks with Ken and Mary Joyner of Cruisein Trees, Cutler, IN.

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A new ISO standard onprotective clothing willhelp farmers and agricul-tural workers to reducejob-related risks when us-ing liquid pesticides.

Pesticides are com-monly used in farmingagainst pests, diseasesand weeds. Depending onthe toxicity and the usescenario they pose healthrisk if users do not wearadequate protectiveclothing. The new ISOstandard defines specificprotection levels. It al-lows pesticide manufac-turers to indicate on theproduct label the re-quired level of protectionneeded. It allows gar-ment manufacturers toproduce, certify and sellprotective clothing withdefined protection levels.It allows farmers andagricultural workers tobuy and use protectiveclothing according to thepesticide manufacturersuse requirements.

The new ISO27065:2011, Protectiveclothing – Performance re-

quirements for protectiveclothing worn by operatorsapplying liquid pesticides,addresses the protectionof farmers and workersmainly during the appli-cation phase of pesti-cides, i.e. the work phasewhere most operator con-tamination occurs.

The standard deals withperformance require-ments of protective cloth-ing materials, seams, andgarments and definesthree levels of protectiveclothing with specified re-sistance to penetration bypesticide products:

• Level 1: The potentialrisk of contamination isrelatively low. The per-formance requirementsfor level 1 garments havebeen developed in view oflow spray drift landing onthe operator, e.g. fromtractor boom sprayers

• Level 2: the potentialrisk of contamination ishigher but not so high asto require the use of liq-uid-tight materials

• Level 3: the potentialrisk of contamination re-

quires use of garmentsmade with liquid-tightmaterials. This level issuitable for high-exposurescenarios where it hasbeen determined that gar-ments that prevent liquidsfrom penetrating/perme-ating provide adequateprotection.

The standard will helptest laboratories, fabricand garment manufac-turers, manufacturers ofpesticide products,trainers, regulators tomake decisions regard-ing protective clothingfor protection againstpesticide products.

Helmut Eichinger, Chairof ISO/TC94/SC 13, com-ments, “ISO 27065:2011will help pesticide users tobe better protected andimprove quality and per-formances of protectiveclothing, as well put saferprotective clothing on themarket. It will also con-tribute to reducing therisk to occupationalhealth for operators andworkers who use liquidpesticides.”

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New ISO standard improves protective clothing for agricultural

farmers and workers using pesticides

Agritourism operators and others in-volved in California agritourism are in-vited to a statewide summit to buildbetter support for agritourism operatorsin the state. This event is scheduled forFriday, Nov. 4, from 8:30 a.m. to 4:15p.m. at the Robert J. Cabral Agricultur-al Center, University of California Coop-erative Extension San Joaquin County,2101 Earhart Ave., Stockton, CA.

The workshop fee is $20 and includescontinental breakfast, lunch and hand-outs. To register, log on tohttp://ucanr.org/agtoursummit.2011.Registration is currently open.

Experts will help participants explorethe relationships and benefits involvedin both statewide, local and regionalagritourism programs. Speakers in-clude Martha Glass, Executive Directorof North Carolina’s highly successful

Agritourism Networking Association,and representatives from the Apple HillGrowers Association.

The workshop will include regionalbreakout sessions for networking, dis-cussion and planning. Participants willalso take away a toolkit of concreteideas, resources and starter projects toorganize agritourism organizations intheir own regions, including social me-dia tools to put to work and/or sharewith others.

For more information, contact PennyLeff, UC Small Farm Program, at pal-eff@ucdavis.edu or 530-752-7779.

This event is sponsored by UC Coop-erative Extension and the UC SmallFarm Program. This project was par-tially funded by the Western Sustain-able Agriculture Research and Educa-tion Program.

Organizing agritourism support inCalifornia: Tools and Strategies

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by Jan SuszkiwU.S. Department of

Agriculture (USDA) sci-entists in Peoria, IL, areinvestigating the pest-fighting potential of an-thocyanins, healthfulchemical compounds inthe form of plant pig-ments that give blueber-ries, plums, grapes andflowers such as petuniastheir blue and purplecolor.

In experiments con-ducted at the NationalCenter for AgriculturalUtilization Research, op-

erated in Peoria, IL, byUSDA’s Agricultural Re-search Service (ARS),corn earworm caterpil-lars forced to feed onblue areas of petuniapetals gained less weightthan larvae that fed onwhite areas. ARS isUSDA’s principal intra-mural scientific researchagency.

Additional experimentsshowed that antho-cyanins isolated from thepetunia petals alsoslowed the caterpillars’growth rate. Cabbage

looper caterpillars werealso evaluated. Thosethat ate the blue petal ar-eas of a petunia cultivarused in the tests died athigher rates than larvaethat ate the white areas.

Although it’s unclearwhat petal compound orcompounds were in-volved in the loopers’deaths, their toxicity wasapparently increased bythe anthocyanins’ pres-ence, according to Eric T.Johnson, a molecular bi-ologist with the center’sCrop Bioprotection Re-search Unit.

He and his colleaguesalso are interested inmaize proteins that areproduced during thecrop’s seedling stage.The seedlings are quiteresistant to insects, andthe researchers suspectthis may be partly due toa combination of resist-ance biochemicals andproteins.

If the proteins’ resist-ance role can be con-firmed, then it may bepossible to express thegenes responsible forthose proteins at a laterstage in the plant’s lifecycle. However, thiswould be contingentupon expressing them atsufficient levels, addsJohnson.

Ultimately, studies ofplant-produced sub-stances like antho-cyanins could give rise tonew crop varieties thatboast dual-use phyto-chemicals — fightingpests on the one handand benefiting humanhealth on the other.

Read more about theresearch in the August2011 issue of Agricultur-al Research magazine.

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Flower power puts a hurton caterpillars

ARS scientists are investigating the ability of antho-cyanins, healthful chemical compounds that give fruitand flowers blue and purple color, to control insectpests such as the corn earworm.

WASHINGTON, D.C. — NationalFarmers Union (NFU) submitted com-ments on July 28 in opposition to aproposed rule by the U.S. Departmentof Agriculture (USDA) that would allowthe largest produce handlers the pow-er to establish on-farm practices for allgrowers of leafy greens.

“Under a leafy green marketingagreement, handlers are effectivelygiven power over producers, requir-ing them to comply with standardsthat were developed without growersin mind,” said NFU President RogerJohnson. “These standards will con-flict with the realities of small- andmedium-sized diversified farms, cer-tain conservation measures and ex-isting wildlife and environmentalregulations, and will be enforcedthrough burdensome recordkeeping

requirements and commodity-specif-ic metrics.”

The 150 signatories on the Californiaand Arizona leafy green marketingagreements comprise nearly 90 per-cent of U.S. leafy green production.

“A rapidly growing trend in theUnited States is the movement to buyfresh, locally grown food,” said John-son. “By dictating how produce mustbe handled, marketing agreementsfor leafy greens would significantlyhinder the ability of producers to par-ticipate in the buy fresh, buy localmovement. In addition, at a timewhen our nation faces an ever-grow-ing obesity crisis, family farmersshould be encouraged to grow greaterquantities of healthy, fresh produce,not deterred by restrictive growingand handling practices.”

NFU submits comments opposingregulations on small leafy greengrowers

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by Karen Ross,California Agriculture

SecretaryOn Aug. 18, I had the

great opportunity tomeet with AmbassadorRon Kirk and Califor-nia agricultural leadersto discuss trade andgreater market accessfor agricultural prod-ucts worldwide.

California is thelargest agriculturalproducer and exporterin the nation — withmore than $12 billionin exports. Our farm-ers and ranchers, onaverage, export ap-proximately 23 percentof products grown andharvested in this state.

What makes Califor-nia’s farmers andranchers so successfulin the internationaltrade arena — is thededication to innova-tion, the importance offood safety, as well asproducing some of thehighest quality agricul-tural products in theworld.

California is blessedwith such a great cli-mate — that it allows

us to grow more than400 different agricul-tural products — fromrice, cotton and wheatto high value specialtycrops and wine. Justas we have a diversityof growers in this state,large — small, organic— conventional, — wealso have a diversity ofexporters. We havelarge agricultural coop-eratives, representinga number of small andmedium growers to ex-port management com-panies representing awide variety of privatelabel products.

California farmersand ranchers have anintrinsic ability to sellour products to theworld — be it the cacheof California or the di-versity and quality ofproducts from ourfields.

Trade is vital to Cali-fornia. It provides jobs,supports our ruralcommunities and as-sists in meeting theevery growing globalfood demand.

Access to foreignmarkets is essential to

California’s farmersand ranchers. By open-ing doors to foreignmarkets, lowering tar-iffs and eliminatingnon-tariff barriers totrade we are providingopportunities for fami-ly farmers, rural com-

munities and the mul-titude of businessesconnected to the agri-cultural sector.

It was a pleasure tomeet with AmbassadorKirk and his team —this meeting reinforcedthe importance of Cali-

fornia on the interna-tional stage.

Source: Planting

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California ag secretary,ag leaders talk trade with U.S. ambassador

Ambassador Ron Kirk, U.S.Trade Representative (USTR), addresses the gathering at the Sacramento headquar-ters of Blue Diamond Growers. Seated from left are CDFA Secretary Karen Ross, Blue Diamond President andCEO Mark Jansen, and USTR's Chief Agricultural Negotiator Dr. Isi Siddiqui.

California Departmentof Food and AgricultureSecretary Karen Rosshas announced the ap-pointment of Dr. AmrithGunasekara as ScienceAdvisor to the Secretary.

Dr. Gunasekara is re-turning to CDFA after aperiod as a researchscientist for the Califor-nia Department of Pub-lic Health. In his previ-ous assignment atCDFA, he was an envi-ronmental scientist inCDFA’s fertilizer pro-gram. Dr. Gunasekarahas also worked for theCalifornia Departmentof Pesticide Regulation.

He received his PhDfrom UC Davis. As Sci-ence Advisor, Dr. Gu-nasekara will be a stew-ard of CDFA’s wide-ranging, world-renowned scientific ex-pertise, and he will lookto deliver that expertiseto help facilitate ongoingreview of the regulatoryclimate for agriculture.

Dr. Gunasekara willserve as CDFA’s liaisonto the Cannella Environ-

mental Farming Act Sci-ence Panel. Ross an-nounced the followingappointments to thepanel: Jeff Dlott, PhD,CEO, SureHarvest (So-quel); Ann Thrupp, PhD,Manager of Sustainabili-ty and Organic Develop-ment, Fetzer & BonterraVineyards (Hopland);Don Cameron, Vice Pres-ident and General Man-ager, TerraNova RanchInc. (Fresno); BrianLeahy, ResourcesAgency, Department ofConservation; Mike Toll-strup, CalEPA, Air Re-sources Board. Ex Offi-cio members will beDaniel Mountjoy, USDANRCS and Louise Jack-son, PhD, University ofCalifornia CooperativeExtension.

The Cannella Envi-ronmental Farming Actrequires the Depart-ment of Food and Agri-culture to establish andoversee an environmen-tal farming program toprovide incentives tofarmers whose prac-tices promote the well-

being of ecosystems, airquality, and wildlifeand their habitat. Inaddition, the CDFA isrequired to assist in thecompilation of scientificevidence from publicand private sources andserve as a depository ofthis information andprovide it to federal,state, and local govern-

ments, as needed.“The work of Dr. Am-

rith Gunasekara andthe science panel willunderscore CDFA’scommitment to science,to a fair regulatory cli-mate, and to the ongo-ing documentation ofthe environmental con-tributions of farming,”said Ross.

Science advisor and environmentalfarming appointments announced

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SACRAMENTO, CA —The California Depart-ment of Food and Agri-culture is administer-ing a treatment pro-gram for the Orientalfruit fly in the West-minster area of OrangeCounty. This is thefourth treatment pro-gram for this pest un-derway in SouthernCalifornia.

Two Oriental fruitflies were detected re-

cently in the communi-ty. The treatment pro-gram will be carried outover approximately 18square miles surround-ing the sites where theinsects were trapped. Amap of the treatmentarea is available atwww.cdfa.ca.gov/ph-pps/PDEP/treatment/treatment_maps.html

Treatment of the Ori-ental fruit fly primarilyrelies upon a process

known as “male attrac-tant,” in which workerssquirt a small patch offly attractant mixedwith a very small doseof pesticide approxi-mately 8-10 feet off theground to light poles,street trees and similarsurfaces. Male flies areattracted to the mix-ture and die after con-suming it.

“Our system to detectinvasive species like

the Oriental fruit fly isworking well, and ac-cording to design,” saidCDFA Secretary KarenRoss. “The key is tomove quickly and takeaction before the pestscan cause widespreaddamage.”

The Oriental fruit flyis known to target over230 different fruit, veg-etable and plant com-modities. Damage oc-curs when the female

lays eggs inside thefruit. The eggs hatchinto maggots that tun-nel through the flesh ofthe fruit, making it un-fit for consumption.

While fruit flies andother pests threatenCalifornia’s crops, thevast majority of themare detected in urbanand suburban areas.The most commonpathway for thesepests to enter the state

is by “hitchhiking” infruits and vegetablesbrought back illegallyby travelers as they re-turn from infested re-gions around theworld. The Orientalfruit fly is widespreadthroughout much ofthe mainland of South-ern Asia and neighbor-ing islands includingSri Lanka and Taiwan.It is also found inHawaii.

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ALEXANDRIA, VA, —Applications are beingaccepted for the Ameri-can Floral Endowment’s(AFE) Vic & MargaretBall Intern Scholarshipand the Mosmiller In-tern Scholarship Pro-gram for eligible stu-dents looking to gainexperience in green-house production, floralretail and wholesale,and allied trade fields.

These two internscholarship programsaid students in gaininghands-on, real-worldexperience in floricul-ture. The Vic & Mar-garet Ball Intern Schol-arship Program, estab-lished in 1992 by a gen-erous gift from Vic andMargaret Ball, specifi-cally funds training atfloriculture productiongreenhouses through-

out the U.S. The Ball’screated this program toassure future studentswould have the abilityto take advantage ofpractical greenhouseexperience opportuni-ties without financialworry.

The Mosmiller InternScholarship Programwas established in 1975to honor former AFEChairman and retailflorists Colonel andMrs. Walter E.Mosmiller Jr. Fundingfrom the Mosmiller pro-gram helps support stu-dents who participate ininternships at a retailflorist, wholesaler, or al-lied trade company.

To be considered forthese scholarship op-portunities that are ad-ministered by AFE, stu-dents must:

• Be a U.S. citizencurrently enrolled in afloriculture/environ-mental horticultureprogram at a two- orfour-year college or uni-

versity in the U.S.;• Maintain a “C” or

better GPA;• Complete the intern-

ship prior to graduation.Both scholarship pro-

grams are awardedtwice each year. To beeligible for scholar-ships, the deadline forreceiving applicationsat the AFE office is

March 1 in the springand Oct. 1 in the fall.Applications can bedownloaded from theAFE web site www.en-dowment.org

Deadline for floriculture intern scholarships is Oct. 1

WASHINGTON, D.C.— Agriculture SecretaryTom Vilsack announcedthat a high demand forguaranteed farm own-ership and direct farmoperating funds hasprompted USDA totransfer appropriatedfunds between pro-grams as authorized bylaw, to meet the urgentcredit needs of produc-ers, including begin-ning and minority farm-ers and ranchers.

“Demand is strong fordirect operating loansand guaranteed farmownership loans, whiledemand for subsidizedguaranteed operatingloans has stabilized,”said Vilsack. “Withthese funds, we canhelp thousands of pro-ducers establish andmaintain their familyfarming operations andobtain long-term creditassistance through acommercial lender.”

The transfer willmake an additional$100 million in loanfunds available for thedirect operating loanprogram, providing

1,600 small, beginningand minority farmerswith resources to es-tablish and maintaintheir family farming op-erations. In addition,$400 million in loanfunds will be madeavailable for the guar-anteed farm ownershiploan program giving anadditional 1,000 familyfarmers access to com-mercial lending backedby USDA. Both pro-grams had run out offunds resulting in abacklog of approvedbut unfunded loan ap-plications.

This measure will al-low all of the back-

logged loans to befunded and providesufficient funds tomeet the needs of newloan applicants forthese programs whileat the same time leav-ing sufficient fundingfor the subsidizedguaranteed farm oper-ating loans program tomeet the expected de-mand for fiscal year2011. Producers need-ing additional directoperating or longerterm guaranteed farmownership loans fundsare encouraged tomake application attheir local Farm Ser-vice Agency office.

USDA makes funds available to meet urgent credit needs of producers

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THE FINDINGS: A government report says more than half of America’s farmsnow have access to the Internet, with farmers in the West with the highest access.

More U.S. farmers relying onInternet

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depending on location,but most growers plan onbeing finished by Aug. 1at the latest. Late shear-ing results in the develop-ment of fewer and weakerbuds. Likewise, shearingtoo early (late May to ear-ly June, depending on lo-cation) results in the pro-duction of too manybuds, which can developinto weak and oftenspindly branches.

Within the pines,longer-needled speciessuch as Austrian, redand white pines shouldbe sheared early in theshearing period. Buds onthese species are slowerto develop than those onScotch pine. Earliershearing of these speciesprovides more time forbud formation and devel-opment, thereby con-tributing to fuller branchdevelopment the follow-ing spring.

Because of differencesin bud location and plantresponse, shearing ofDouglas fir, the true firsand spruces begins at theend of the active growingseason (late July and ear-ly August) and continuesthrough the dormant sea-son. Some evidence sug-gests that bud vigor andtwig growth the followinggrowing season will bebetter if shearing is doneduring late summer andearly fall rather than thefollowing spring beforegrowth begins.Guidelines for shearing

pinesThe shaping/shearing

process for pine speciesshould begin in the sec-ond growing season afterplanting. Examine eachtree and remove doubleor multiple tops. The re-maining terminal shootshould be cut back to amaximum length of 12 to14 inches. Little, if any,shearing of side branchesshould occur. The basalbranches on each treeshould be removed toform a handle to accom-modate the tree stand.Usually 1 inch of handleshould be present foreach foot of tree height atmaturity. All branches upto this height (8 to 10inches) or to the firstcomplete whorl of lateralbranches should be re-moved.

In the third growingseason, shear both theterminal leader and thelateral branches of thetree. Begin by cutting theterminal leader to alength of 12 to 14 inches,or less if the lateral whorlimmediately below theterminal is not strongand vigorous. The cut onthe terminal branchshould be made at an ap-proximate 45 degree an-gle so needle fascicles onone side will be higherthan those on the other.This practice will favorthe development of a new

terminal bud in a posi-tion where terminal dom-inance can be expressed.This will contribute to thedevelopment of a straightstem. The lateral branch-es of the terminal whorlare then cut so they areapproximately two-thirdsas long as the terminalshoot. Following cutting,the line established bythe relationship betweenthe top of the terminalshoot and the ends of cutlateral branches of theterminal whorl is extend-ed downward to deter-mine where other lateralbranches should be cut.

Minimal shearing oflateral branches in thefirst few years is recom-mended. The aim is to re-move only excessivelylong branches. Manygrowers will shear treesin the third and fourthgrowing seasons to devel-op an 85 to 90 percent ta-per. This is done to devel-op width in the tree — inlater growing seasons,lateral growth of the low-er branches will be con-siderably less than onupper branches. If shear-ing of the sides is “tootight” early in the life ofthe tree, trees with a nar-row or candlestick taperare likely to result. This isespecially likely if thetrees are allowed to growto heights taller than 7feet.

In the fourth and latergrowing seasons, shear-ing continues in muchthe same manner as inyear three. The length ofthe terminal shoot shouldnot exceed 12 inches.Cutting of the laterals willfollow the taper relation-ship established by theterminal and top laterals.It is important to main-tain straight sides on thetree and avoid rounded orbullet-shaped trees.These result from failureto cut the laterals on theupper portion of the treeshort enough in relationto the length of the termi-nal. Trees so sheared ap-pear unnatural and arenot as well accepted inthe marketplace as aremore symmetricallyshaped trees.

In the year of harvest,shearing should be mini-mal. Trees are more nat-ural looking and mar-ketable if only light trim-ming is done. The basicshape of the tree will havebeen determined by pastshearing activities.Shearing cuts at this timeshould be light, removingonly those lateral branch-es that extend beyond thegeneral outline of thetree. If multiple terminalshoots are present, theyshould be thinned to onecentrally located branch.Usually the terminalbranch will be left a littlelonger than it had been inprevious years. It shouldnot exceed 15 inches in

length, however.Growers do not agree

whether trees should besheared early or late dur-ing the shearing period inthe harvest year. Somegrowers will complete theshearing of non-har-vestable trees beforeshearing those to be har-vested. They do this be-cause they believe thatbud set following shear-ing will be better if treesare sheared earlier ratherthan later. Obviously,bud set on trees to beharvested need not beparticularly full or com-plete. Other growers willshear trees to be harvest-ed early so that bud set,needle elongation andcoverage of the cut twigends can occur to thefullest, thereby makingthe tree look as naturalas possible. Unlessshearing is done late (af-ter Aug. 1), it is probablethat needle elongationand bud set will be ade-quate to provide a naturalappearance.Guidelines for shearing

firs and sprucesAs indicated earlier,

growth patterns andtwig-bud anatomy aredifferent for these speciesthan for pines. Thebranches of spruces andfirs, including Douglasfir, are characterized bythe presence of singleneedles and lateral budslocated along the twig. Aspreviously mentioned,when branches are cutduring shearing, newbuds do not form at thebases of needles. Rather,the lateral bud nearestthe cut twig end will as-sume dominance, andgrowth the followinggrowing season will beginfrom this point. For thisreason, the time of shear-ing is not as critical forthese trees as for pines.

Shearing for spruces,firs and Douglas fir usu-ally begins in late July orearly August and maycontinue through fall,winter and early spring.Shearing for newly estab-lished plantations shouldbegin during the thirdgrowing season afterplanting. Each treeshould be examined, anddouble terminal branchesand double stems re-moved. Basal pruning toform a clean handleshould also be completed.If a symmetrical growthpattern is developing nat-urally in the tree, little, ifany, shearing will be nec-essary at this time.

In the fourth and lateryears, shearing shouldconcentrate on maintain-ing a central leader (ter-minal branch) and sym-metrical tree shape. Un-less excessive terminalgrowth has occurred (15inches or more), the ter-minal shoot should notbe cut as long as full lat-eral branch development

is occurring. This is par-ticularly true if severallateral buds are locatedalong the terminal shoot.Generally it is desirableto maintain growing con-ditions (effective weedcontrol and adequate soilfertility) favorable for theformation of at least onelateral bud per inch ofterminal branch. Thesebuds will develop into lat-eral branches and so in-crease tree density. Iffewer buds are present(less than one per inch ofterminal shoot length),the terminal shoot shouldbe cut back to approxi-mately 12 inches inlength; with the cut madeapproximately 1/2 inchabove a lateral bud. Oth-er lateral branches thatextend beyond the lineestablished from the cutends of the terminalshoot through the ends ofthe lateral branches ofthe terminal whorlshould also be cut.

After the tree is about 5feet tall (usually in thefifth or sixth year afterplanting), shearing prac-tices should changeslightly. The length of theterminal shoot shouldnot be allowed to exceed12 inches and in somecases should be cutshorter. This depends onthe fullness and thenumber of lateral branch-es developing from theterminal whorl. It issometimes difficult to ob-tain full foliage develop-ment in the tips of spruceand fir trees. Reducingthe length of the terminalwill thicken the tree aslateral branch develop-ment continues through-out the tree, and lateralbuds and twigs of the ter-minal whorl increase inlength. Little, if any,shearing of lower branch-es will be necessary be-cause these tend to growless rapidly than branch-es near the top of thetree.

In the harvest year,only minimal shearing isrequired, especially forspruces. Removing com-peting leaders and lightlyshearing the top are usu-ally all that is necessary.Douglas fir require moreshearing because upperbranches tend to growrapidly and secondarygrowth flushes can resultin excessively long termi-nal shoots. Shearing thisgrowth back to maintaintree symmetry is usuallyall that is required be-cause lower branchesgrow less.

Some problem situa-tions

One of the challengesin shearing Christmastrees is maintaining astrong central terminalbranch. This is essentialto maintain good formand to produce a tree ofa saleable height in theshortest time possible.

Unfortunately, problemsituations that requirespecial attention fre-quently develop in theterminal whorl ofbranches.

Competing terminals- This situation ariseswhen two or more termi-nal branches or shootsare present. It usually de-velops after the treeshave been sheared atleast once and resultsfrom the failure of anyone newly formed or ex-isting bud to assume adominant position. Fail-ure to cut the terminalbranch at an angle dur-ing shearing increasesthe likelihood that multi-ple shoots will develop.To correct this situation,remove all but one of thecompeting terminals. Se-lect the strongest branchthat is most centrally lo-cated and remove theothers by cutting at thebase with a hand clipper,rather than a shearingknife. After the selectionof a dominant terminal,the shearing process pro-ceeds normally.

No visible terminal -The opposite situation tothat described above is tohave a terminal whorl ofbranches with no onebranch assuming a domi-nant position. This condi-tion may result fromshearing too early so thattoo many shoots developor from damage to thebud that would have de-veloped into a terminalbranch. Recommendedtreatment is to select astrong lateral branch andallow it to become the ter-minal shoot. This re-quires cutting back allother laterals and posi-tioning the selected later-al in a central dominantposition. Some lateralbranches may need to beremoved entirely. Devel-oping a dominant branchmay require tying it toother shorter shoots, us-ing a splint or using com-mercially available termi-nal branch training de-vices.

Damaged or brokenterminal - Occasionallyterminal branches aredamaged. Insects such asthe pine shoot borer,birds (grackles findChristmas trees attrac-tive nesting sites) andstrong winds commonlycause breakage or injury.

Two approaches aresuggested for correctingsuch problems. If onlythe upper portion of theterminal has been dam-aged, it should be cutimmediately below thepoint where the damagebegins.

For pines, if this isdone early in the sum-mer, new buds will format this point from whichgrowth will occur the fol-lowing year. Whether thelaterals in the terminalwhorl should be sheared

depends on how long theterminal branch is. An al-ternative is to select a vig-orous lateral branch andeither splint or tie it tothe base of the damagedterminal so that it devel-ops into the terminal po-sition.

For species such as firsand spruces, the bud leftfor the terminal branchmay not develop or theterminal bud on non-sheared trees will fail togrow. In this case, a later-al branch farther downthe terminal shoot can betrained to assume theterminal position. To dothis, select a vigorous lat-eral shoot and tie thebase of it to the mainstem so it is placed in acentral position. The endbud on this shoot will de-velop into the new termi-nal for the tree. Anotherapproach is to tie two op-posite laterals together atthe base so they are verti-cal. After tying, cut theweaker one immediatelyabove the point of tying.This technique worksbest in mid summerwhen newly developedbranches are still rela-tively flexible.

Strong lateral com-peting for terminal po-sition - In some species,notably Scotch pine, it isnot uncommon for a lat-eral shoot formed theprevious year to assumea strong dominant posi-tion and compete withthe current year’s termi-nal for the terminal posi-tion. Usually this shootshould be removed at itspoint of origin; however, itmay sometimes be desir-able to leave it and re-move the current sea-son’s terminal whorl ofbranches. This recom-mendation is appropriatewhen growth on the orig-inal terminal is weak or,more commonly, crooked.This situation and the re-sulting need to select anew terminal branch aremore common on somevarieties of Scotch pinethan others.

ConclusionShearing Christmas

trees is probably the sin-gle most importantprocess that affects treequality. Correct shearing,together with excellentcultural practices — in-cluding effective weedcontrol, maintenance ofadequate fertility andcontrol of damaging in-sect and/or disease prob-lems — will help assurethe production of highquality trees will be com-petitive in today’s mar-ketplace.

For more informationvisit http://forestry.msu.edu/extension/ExtDocs/shear.htm#Tree%20response%20to%20shearing

Source: MichiganState University Depart-ment of Forestry

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Plant production practices

Sustainable produc-tion practices involve avariety of approaches.Specific strategies musttake into account topog-raphy, soil characteris-tics, climate, pests, localavailability of inputs andthe individual grower’sgoals. Despite the site-specific and individualnature of sustainableagriculture, several gen-eral principles can beapplied to help growersselect appropriate man-agement practices:

• Selection of speciesand varieties that arewell suited to the siteand to conditions on thefarm;

• Diversification ofcrops and cultural prac-tices to enhance the bio-logical and economicstability of the farm;

• Management of thesoil to enhance and pro-tect soil quality;

• Efficient and humaneuse of inputs; and

• Consideration offarmers’ goals andlifestyle choices.

Selection of site,species and variety.Preventive strategies,adopted early, can re-duce inputs and help es-

tablish a sustainableproduction system.When possible, pest-re-sistant crops should beselected which are toler-ant of existing soil or siteconditions. When site se-lection is an option, fac-tors such as soil typeand depth, previous crophistory, and location(e.g. climate, topography)should be taken into ac-count before planting.

Diversity. Diversifiedfarms are usually moreeconomically and ecolog-ically resilient. Whilemonoculture farminghas advantages in termsof efficiency and ease ofmanagement, the loss ofthe crop in any one yearcould put a farm out ofbusiness and/or seri-ously disrupt the stabili-ty of a community de-pendent on that crop. Bygrowing a variety ofcrops, farmers spreadeconomic risk and areless susceptible to theradical price fluctuationsassociated with changesin supply and demand.

Properly managed, di-versity can also buffer afarm in a biologicalsense. For example, inannual cropping sys-tems, crop rotation canbe used to suppress

weeds, pathogens andinsect pests. Also, covercrops can have stabiliz-ing effects on the agroe-cosystem by holding soiland nutrients in place,conserving soil moisturewith mowed or standingdead mulches, and byincreasing the water in-filtration rate and soilwater holding capacity.Cover crops in orchardsand vineyards can bufferthe system against pestinfestations by increas-ing beneficial arthropodpopulations and cantherefore reduce theneed for chemical in-puts. Using a variety ofcover crops is also im-portant in order to pro-tect against the failure ofa particular species togrow and to attract andsustain a wide range ofbeneficial arthropods.

Optimum diversitymay be obtained by inte-grating both crops andlivestock in the samefarming operation. Thiswas the common prac-tice for centuries untilthe mid-1900s whentechnology, governmentpolicy and economicscompelled farms to be-come more specialized.Mixed crop and livestockoperations have several

advantages. First, grow-ing row crops only onmore level land and pas-ture or forages on steep-er slopes will reduce soilerosion. Second, pastureand forage crops in rota-tion enhance soil qualityand reduce erosion; live-stock manure, in turn,contributes to soil fertili-ty. Third, livestock canbuffer the negative im-pacts of low rainfall peri-ods by consuming cropresidue that in “plantonly” systems wouldhave been consideredcrop failures. Finally,feeding and marketingare flexible in animalproduction systems.This can help cushionfarmers against tradeand price fluctuationsand, in conjunction withcropping operations,make more efficient useof farm labor.

Soil management. Acommon philosophyamong sustainable agri-culture practitioners isthat a “healthy” soil is akey component of sus-tainability; that is, ahealthy soil will producehealthy crop plants thathave optimum vigor andare less susceptible topests. While many cropshave key pests that at-tack even the healthiestof plants, proper soil,water and nutrient

management can helpprevent some pest prob-lems brought on by cropstress or nutrient imbal-ance. Furthermore, cropmanagement systemsthat impair soil qualityoften result in greaterinputs of water, nutri-ents, pesticides, and/orenergy for tillage tomaintain yields.

In sustainable sys-tems, the soil is viewedas a fragile and livingmedium that must beprotected and nurturedto ensure its long-termproductivity and stabili-ty. Methods to protectand enhance the pro-ductivity of the soil in-clude using cover crops,compost and/or ma-nures, reducing tillage,avoiding traffic on wetsoils, and maintainingsoil cover with plantsand/or mulches. Condi-tions in most Californiasoils (warm, irrigated,and tilled) do not favorthe buildup of organicmatter. Regular addi-tions of organic matteror the use of cover cropscan increase soil aggre-gate stability, soil tilth,and diversity of soil mi-crobial life.

Efficient use of in-puts. Many inputs andpractices used by con-ventional farmers arealso used in sustainable

agriculture. Sustainablefarmers, however, maxi-mize reliance on natural,renewable, and on-farminputs. Equally impor-tant are the environmen-tal, social, and economicimpacts of a particularstrategy. Converting tosustainable practicesdoes not mean simple in-put substitution. Fre-quently, it substitutesenhanced managementand scientific knowledgefor conventional inputs,especially chemical in-puts that harm the envi-ronment on farms and inrural communities. Thegoal is to develop effi-cient, biological systemswhich do not need highlevels of material inputs.

Growers frequentlyask if synthetic chemi-cals are appropriate in asustainable farmingsystem. Sustainable ap-proaches are those thatare the least toxic andleast energy intensive,and yet maintain pro-ductivity and profitabil-ity. Preventive strate-gies and other alterna-tives should be em-ployed before usingchemical inputs fromany source. However,there may be situationswhere the use of syn-thetic chemicals wouldbe more “sustainable”than a strictly non-chemical approach oran approach using toxic“organic” chemicals. Forexample, one grapegrower switched fromtillage to a few applica-tions of a broad spec-trum contact herbicidein the vine row. This ap-proach may use less en-ergy and may compactthe soil less than nu-merous passes with acultivator or mower.

Consideration offarmer goals andlifestyle choices. Man-agement decisionsshould reflect not onlyenvironmental andbroad social considera-tions, but also individ-ual goals and lifestylechoices. For example,adoption of some tech-nologies or practicesthat promise profitabili-ty may also requiresuch intensive manage-ment that one’s lifestyleactually deteriorates.Management decisionsthat promote sustain-ability, nourish the en-vironment, the commu-nity and the individual.

S o u r c e :www.sarep.ucdavis.edu/concept.htm

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OLYMPIA, WA — Howmuch water will be need-ed to support communi-ties, farms and fish inthe Columbia Basin andwhere it will come from isthe focus of a near-finalreport from the Washing-ton Department of Ecolo-gy’s Office of ColumbiaRiver.

“The Columbia RiverBasin Long-Term WaterSupply and DemandForecast” is being devel-oped by Ecology with as-sistance from Washing-ton State University andWashington Departmentof Fish and Wildlife. Along-term supply and de-mand forecast is pro-duced every five years,and is due to the Legisla-ture on Nov. 15, 2011.

A series of public work-shops is scheduled forSept. 7, 8, and 9, in Rich-land, Wenatchee andSpokane to share partic-ulars of the report and togarner feedback aboutthe preliminary findings.An online version of aworkshop will be avail-able in late September forthose who cannot attenda workshop in person.

The workshops will beheld:

• Wednesday, Sept. 7,from 3 to 7 p.m., Tri-Cities West BuildingRoom 131, WSU Tri-Cities, 2710 CrimsonWay, Richland

• Thursday, Sept. 8,from 1 to 5 p.m., WSUTree Fruit Research andExtension Center, Over-ley Laboratory Building,1100 N. Western Ave.,Wenatchee

• Friday, Sept. 9, from9 a.m. to 1 p.m., WSUSpokane County Exten-sion Office conferencerooms B and C, 222 N.Havana, Spokane

“For the first time, we’llhave a comprehensiveevaluation of what our wa-ter needs will be in the Co-lumbia Basin,” said DerekSandison, who heads Ecol-ogy’s Office of the Colum-bia River. “This report pro-vides a blueprint for howwe invest in water supplyprojects. It will help tell uswhere and when more wa-ter is needed in EasternWashington.”

Data collected for the2011 report employs thelatest modeling tools andincorporates factors suchas climate change andregional and global eco-nomic conditions intoforecast calculations.The report also reflectsinput directly from waterusers in the basin.

“The report summa-rizes the likely changesin supply and demandover the next 20 years.Whether your interest ison changes to the Co-

lumbia River or its tribu-taries, inside Washing-ton or in other statesand British Columbia,Canada, this report hasinformation that willhelp you make betterwater planning deci-sions,” said Michael Bar-ber, lead scientist anddirector of WSU’s Stateof Washington Water Re-search Center.

The Columbia RiverBasin is particularly sen-sitive to small changes inoverall temperatures. Re-

duced snowfall and earli-er snowmelt are predict-ed to influence surfacewater flows. The reportincorporates climatechange impacts on fu-ture water supplies anddemands.

The report also evalu-ates stream conditionsfor critical riversthroughout EasternWashington through a“Columbia River In-stream Atlas” developedby the Washington StateDepartment of Fish and

Wildlife.“The Instream Atlas

evaluates fish stocks andflow and habitat condi-tions in eight fish criticalbasins. It will help theOffice of Columbia Riverand other funding agen-cies target water supplyimprovement projects inlocations where fish needit most,” said TeresaScott, Water ResourcePolicy Coordinator forDepartment of Fish andWildlife.

Agriculture is the

largest single user of wa-ter in Eastern Washing-ton. The combined influ-ences of climate change,economic trends andpopulation growth willresult in an increase inthe amount of waterneeded for agriculturalirrigation.

The report also pre-dicts that by 2030, diver-sions for cities and com-munities in EasternWashington will increaseby approximately 24 per-cent or an additional

109,000 acre-feet peryear, based on expectedpopulation growths.

Hydropower use inEastern Washington isexpected to remain fairlystable over the next 20years, with increases indemand being metthrough conservationprojects and power fromother sources.

More information onthe forecast is availableat www.ecy.wa.gov/pro-grams/wr/cwp/wsu_supply-demand.html

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Forecast on Columbia Basin long-term water needs focus of workshops