Environmental Information for the
California Almond Industry

Almond Industry Headline Environmental News May 8, 2007

   Air Quality

  • Burn Ban for Almond Orchard Removal in San Joaquin Valley Takes Effect this June - - Almond growers in the San Joaquin Valley as of June 1, 2007 will no longer be able to burn removed orchards as part of a ban on open agricultural burning being phased in by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Growers will still have until June 2010 to obtain permits to burn prunings from surface harvested crops such as almonds. <more> May 7, 2007 Almond Board Press Release
     

  • Workshops scheduled to detail ag engine replacement rules - - A new rule designed to lower emission levels from natural gas and diesel engines in the San Joaquin Valley will kick into gear in the next few months as the first of several air quality deadlines arrive starting Jan. 1, 2008. Nearly all stationary and portable internal combustion engines that are over 50 horsepower in size – in the San Joaquin Valley will have to be replaced or retrofitted to meet the rule requirements. Seven workshops have been scheduled to provide rule detail and candidly layout options for an engine owner/operator. The rule falls under the jurisdiction of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District and is part of a statewide effort to lower specific emissions – oxides of nitrogen, volatile organic compounds and carbon monoxide – that have been linked to the formation of lower ozone. Owner/operators are encouraged to attend the informational meetings to learn how it will affect their operation and what measures are needed to ensure compliance. <more> May 7, 2007 Western Farm Press

Water Quality

  • Watershed Coalition newsletter now available - - The latest edition of the Watershed Coalition News is now available from the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES.) Developed by CURES with funding from the Almond Board of California, the project’s goal is to link growers to the watershed coalitions. The Winter/Spring 2007 edition features stories about the boost in watershed coalition memberships; the new scrutiny facing those applying for membership after the Dec. 31, 2006 deadline; a UC Davis study that says high E. Coli levels in many Central valley waterways may be coming from human sources; ongoing surveys to document grower use of Best Management Practices; and new methods to determine orchard sprayer coverage. The newsletter can be download as a PDF file at the CURES website www.curesworks.org/newsletter.asp  April 2007 CURES Press Release

Crop Protection

  • VOC Research Symposium May 22 – 23 in Sacramento – - The state Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) is sponsoring a symposium May 22-23 at the Red Lion Hotel in Sacramento.  Speakers will present the results of current research on the topics of emission inventory issues, fumigant application methods and use, pesticide product reformulation, pest management methods, innovative technologies, and economic issues that affect the reduction of VOCs from pesticide use. Agenda details and registration information is available from the DPR website at http://www.cce.csus.edu/conferences/dpr/07/index.htm May 2, 2007 DPR Press Release
     
  • EPA Seeks Public Comment on Risk-Reduction Options for Soil Fumigants - - As part of EPA's ongoing evaluation of soil fumigant pesticides, the agency is seeking public comment for 60 days on risk- reduction options for the soil fumigants: methyl bromide, metam sodium, dazomet, and chloropicrin. Another soil fumigant, 1,3-dichloropropene, is included for comparison purposes, but its reassessment is complete and no regulatory changes are anticipated. EPA also will host public meetings on these soil fumigants in Washington State on May 22 and in Florida on June 6, and will participate in a public meeting in California on May 30. The public meetings will allow the agency to obtain first-hand comments on possible risk mitigation options from all stakeholders.  Fact sheet on soil fumigant risk mitigation options and how to comment: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/reregistration/soil_fumigants/risk_mitigation.htm  May 2, 2007 EPA Press Release  
     
  • DPR plans new restrictions on 2 fumigants, offers more public input on risk decisions - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will impose new restrictions on two fumigants to prevent drift incidents and injuries in farm fields and neighborhoods. By fall, DPR will put additional controls on metam-sodium and metam-potassium. Both pre-plant fumigants break down into a volatile gas that may cause eye and respiratory irritation. Several major drift incidents related to these chemicals have occurred in recent years. Warmerdam said the fumigant rules also would serve as pilot project for more public involvement in DPR risk management decisions. In the past, DPR issued local use recommendations to agricultural commissioners without formal public input. There is no statutory requirement to do so. <more> April 26, 2007 DPR Press Release
     

Sustainability

  • Regulators See Almond Industry Progress in Addressing Environmental Concerns - - Regulators from a number of state and federal agencies that establish and enforce environmental laws impacting almond production practices, spent a beautiful mid-bloom day learning the latest steps the almond industry is taking to address environmental issues in farming and processing practices. The Almond Board of California’s third annual Environmental Stewardship Tour at the facilities of Travaille and Phippen Inc. in Manteca on March 2, 2007 allowed some 50 regulators, media members, researchers and other invited guests to see first-hand the progress growers are making at the ground level to address air quality, water quality, endangered species, pesticide use and other environmental issues. Merle Jacobs, the Almond Board’s associate director for industry relations, stressed that the industry is working to implement an integrated sustainable approach that addresses a number of sometimes competing environmental challenges along with food safety concerns and the need for economic viability of those new practices. <more> April 2007 Almond Board Newsletter
     

  • Regulators witness environmental stewardship at Manteca almond orchard - - Dave Phippen of Travaille and Phippen Inc. in Manteca is proud to welcome regulators to his almond orchard. Phippen, an almond grower, San Joaquin Farm Bureau board member and chairman of the Almond Board of California, has good news to share about the integrated pest management and sustainable farming, harvesting and hulling/shelling practices underway at Travaille and Phippen. In March, Phippen hosted some 20 regulators from various local, state and federal agencies during the Almond Board of California’s Third Annual Environmental Stewardship Tour to showcase what he and other almond growers are doing to address air quality, water quality, endangered species, pesticide use and other environmental issues. <more> April 2007 San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Newspaper
     

  • Almond Board’s Environmental Tour Educates Regulators - - The Almond Board of California’s (ABC) spring environmental stewardship tour opened the eyes for  Sacramento’s water, air, and pesticide regulators to the challenges and positive solutions in the industry. Hosting the one-day event in early March was Dave Phippen, chairman of the ABC board of directors and co-owner of Travaille and Phippen, growers, packer and shippers of almonds in Manteca, Calif. The tour was part of Almond Board’s implementation of a five-year plan (2003-2008) “to be the healthiest specialty crop in the world” benefiting the consumer, the environment, and the industry.  Joining Phippen in the tour was his son-in-law Nick Gatzman, one of the operation’s farm managers. Both led attendees through their orchards and processing facility and outlined ways they are reducing their impact on the environment. <more> PNP Nut Grower & PCA magazine Feb 16, 2007
     

  • Almond growers’ environmental stewardship hailed by USDA - - Two California almond growers who are using environmentally friendly practices are among growers featured in an online exhibit launched by the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS.)  Robyn Singh, a Madera grower, is featured for converting from flood irrigation to a micro-jet irrigation system. He received cost-share assistance from the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP.) Livingston-area grower Lee Moren is highlighted for his practice of shredding his annual orchard prunings rather than burning them. He also is receiving cost-share assistance from EQIP. Their stories appear on the NRCS-CA webpage entitled “The Faces and Places of Conservation,” at www.ca.nrcs.usda.gov/news/stories/ May 2, 2007 NRCS Press Release
     

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General Industry News

  • Move over, milk -- almonds are headed for pasteurization - - Glenn Anderson is having a tough time swallowing the almond industry's new rules that require heat treatment or chemical fumigation of the nuts he grows on 12 organic acres in the Central Valley.  "Most of our customers have called me and said, 'We don't want pasteurized almonds, we want them raw, directly from the field,' “says Anderson, 72, an organic pioneer whose farm in Hilmar, near Turlock, has been in his family since 1912. "I think it's being shoved down all of our throats." "Pasteurization" is the California almond industry's response to two salmonella outbreaks, traced to almonds, that sickened a total of about 130 consumers -- and resulted in lawsuits -- in 2001 and 2004. <more> April 25, 2007 SF Chronicle
     

  • Bees Vanish, and Scientists Race for Reasons - - What is happening to the bees? More than a quarter of the country’s 2.4 million bee colonies have been lost — tens of billions of bees, according to an estimate from the Apiary Inspectors of America, a national group that tracks beekeeping. So far, no one can say what is causing the bees to become disoriented and fail to return to their hives. As with any great mystery, a number of theories have been posed, and many seem to researchers to be more science fiction than science. People have blamed genetically modified crops, cellular phone towers and high-voltage transmission lines for the disappearances. Or was it a secret plot by Russia or Osama bin Laden to bring down American agriculture? Or, as some blogs have asserted, the rapture of the bees, in which God recalled them to heaven? Researchers have heard it all. <more> April 25, 2007 NY Times

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