Almond Environmental Stewardship PR Campaign

Status Report for Aug. 1, 2005 - Oct. 25, 2005

• July 2005. Newsletter published on innovative harvest practices to reduce dust. AirWay Farms General Manager Fred Olmstead was featured in this article discussing his company’s commitment to investing in environmentally friendly farming practices.
• Aug. 2005. Worked in partnership with the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) to promote their Watershed Coalition newsletter which was published in August.
• Oct. 2005. Newsletter published on Almond Board-funded research by Dr. Ken Giles and other researchers on measuring dust from harvest activities. Newsletter also featured almond growers participating in a PG&E and So Cal Edison rebate program for converting from diesel to electric pump engines.
• DPR informed us that Pesticide Use Report data for almonds would be released near the end of October and asked Board staff to review the data. Consultants Looker, DeMont and Barney are working with Chris Heintz and Gabrielle Ludwig on preparing possible Board’s responses to the release of the data which shows an upward trend for 2004.
• Work continues on the project to develop a definition of “sustainable” for the almond industry through a series of focus groups to be held in December 2005 and January 2006. Dr. Keith Warner, Santa Clara University Environmental Studies Institute, has been retained as the focus group facilitator. Almond farm advisors, Board members and members of the Environmental Committee have been asked to submit names of growers and PCAs who may be interested in participating in the focus groups. A discussion guide is in the process of being developed.
• Thomas Vetsch of Bakersfield, an Almond PMA cooperator since its inception, was awarded the IPM Innovator Award by DPR Oct. 11. We are in the process of interviewing him for a press release and story to be placed in a future newsletter, as well as pitched to print media and trade publications.
• Plans continue to be made for the February 2006 regulator tour. Officials from the California Air Resources Control Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board will be invited, along with state and local elected officials, as well as media. The tour’s purpose is to educate regulators and local officials about the proactive efforts being made by almond growers on water and air quality issues.

Upcoming schedule:

• December 2005- - Presentation on Stewardship Project to Almond Conference.
• December 2005- - Press Release on Board’s Environmental Projects and accomplishments to date.
• December 2005 - - Sustainable Definition Focus Groups
• January 2006 - - Sustainable Definition Focus Groups
• January 2006 - - Environmental Newsletter – topic to be determined
• February 2006 - - Regulatory educational tour
• March 2006 - - Press release- - topic to be determined
• April 2006 - - Environmental newsletter - - topic to be determined
• May 2006 - - Press release - - topic to be determined
• July 2006 - - Environmental newsletter - -topic to be determined

July 31, 2006 end of almond crop year.