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CapitalPress.com
July 3, 2015
People & Places
Advisor helps SJ Valley growers meet challenges
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
MERCED, Calif. — As ear-
ly as the 1970s, Maxwell Norton
envisioned the challenges and
opportunities now confronting
San Joaquin Valley growers.
The 61-year-old director of
the University of California Co-
operative Extension office here
was one of the early pioneers
in finding a way to measure soil
moisture and salinity — now
a key need as growers grap-
ple with drought-related water
shortages.
In the 1980s, he organized
the first workshop on the po-
tential for agricultural exports,
which totaled $21.2 billion in
value statewide in 2013, accord-
ing to the UC’s Agricultural Is-
sues Center.
He helped start the Merced
County Farmland and Open
Space Trust, which has been
working for the past 10 years
to prevent urban sprawl onto
prime farmland.
Now Norton, who was set
to retire July 1 but will contin-
ue part-time as an emeritus ad-
visor, is putting his wide range
of expertise to use to help the
valley face its many challeng-
es.
“I’m going to come in and
still try and do a little bit of
work in the tree fruit area,”
Norton said. “There are so
few people who specialize in
tree fruit. They’ve been doing
a good job of hiring people to
work in nut crops.”
Raised on a farm near Sal-
ida, Calif., Norton said he
started thinking about the val-
ley’s complicated future while
earning a bachelor’s degree in
pomology at Fresno State Uni-
versity, where he also earned a
master’s in plant science.
“My professors at Fresno
State often talked about how
water issues will continue
and be more and more of a
problem for California agri-
culture,” Norton said. “Some-
thing else they talked about,
and this was back in the ’70s
… was how salinity issues were
going to become more and more
Western
Innovator
Maxwell Norton
Age: 61
Occupation: University
of California Cooperative
Extension farm advisor
Residence: Atwater, Calif.
Family: Wife Diane Norton,
adult children Linnea and
Thys Norton
Photo courtesy of UCANR
Maxwell Norton, director of the University of California Cooperative Extension in Merced County, was
a pioneer in research into water and soil conservation and farmland preservation. He was set to retire
July 1 after 36 years, though he’ll continue in an emeritus status.
of a problem throughout the San
Joaquin Valley.
“They certainly were right,”
he said. “As we overdraft the
groundwater, the quality of the
groundwater is starting to dete-
riorate. I really fear for farmers
in the worst areas. It’s going to
be tough going in the future.”
Norton started his career
with UCCE in 1979, spe-
cializing in helping growers
solve problems in kiwifruit,
Asian pears, prunes, peaches,
strawberries, figs and pome-
granates. At the time, UC
scientists were just beginning
to think about maximizing
water-use efficiency, having
been hit with a drought sever-
al years earlier.
Norton took a soil-mois-
ture monitoring device called a
neutron probe and tested it in
peach orchards on clay-loam
soils, attempting to correlate
its readings with data from
other devices such as tension-
meters and pressure chambers.
Today the UC has a formu-
la by which growers can cor-
relate their devices’ readings
with daily weather and climate
By RYAN TAYLOR
OWNER, N.D. — I’m
not sure how many
calves we’ve roped and
branded in our neighborhood
in the last month or so.
If I did know, I probably
wouldn’t say anyway. It’s not
polite to ask someone how
many cattle they have, and I
don’t suppose it would be polite
to tell anyone how many calves
there are in the neighborhood in
case they know how to do divi-
sion.
It was quite a bunch anyway.
A lot of people would say it’s
the best time of the year on our
part of the prairie. It’s usually
our best weather of the year. The
skies are blue, the grass is green.
It’s easily our most social time
of the year. People, pickups,
T
data to determine exactly how
much water their trees need.
Over the years, Norton has
worked on many projects to
help peach and other fruit grow-
ers, including testing mating dis-
ruption for oriental fruit moth.
He also helped develop such la-
bor-saving practices as mechan-
ical fruit and blossom thinning,
according to a news release.
He delved into helping
growers develop export markets
when he saw local processors
work through third-party export
companies to send their prod-
ucts overseas. After his initial
workshop on how producers
and processors can get into the
exporting business, the Merced
County Economic Development
Corp. started the first ag export
assistance program, he said.
He chaired the county’s eco-
nomic development task force
twice and served twice as pres-
ident of the county’s chamber of
commerce.
“Now lots of agricultur-
al products” are sent abroad,
he said. “It’s commonplace
now for agricultural pro-
cessors to do their own
marketing and exporting.”
Norton has also organized
forums and workshops on farm-
land presentation after noticing
that the boundaries of Merced
and other valley cities was push-
ing into prime farming areas.
In his work, Norton has be-
come known for the kind and
gentle way he exudes knowl-
edge and wisdom, said Bill
Martin, executive director of the
Central Valley Farmland Trust.
The trust was formed when the
Merced County Farmland and
Open Space Trust merged with
two other valley land trusts.
“He has an understanding
of the landscape that is greatly
appreciated,” Martin said in the
UC release announcing Nor-
ton’s retirement.
“I grew up in the Modesto
area and I saw how rapidly cit-
ies in the northern San Joaquin
Valley were growing and the de-
clining farmland, and that both-
ered me,” Norton told the Cap-
ital Press. “They were allowing
urban growth … when many
times cities had the opportunity
to direct growth onto marginal
farmland.”
When he isn’t working, Nor-
ton plans on playing the saxo-
phone in jazz bands, teaching
Master Gardener courses and
volunteering for a local histor-
ical society. He still sees many
challenges ahead for valley
farmers.
“I think it’s going to be very
difficult to grow salt-sensitive
crops in the San Joaquin Valley
in many locations unless they
can get surface water from res-
ervoirs,” he said. “Wherever
they’re having to irrigate with
groundwater, it’ll be increasing-
ly difficult to grow tree fruit and
maybe even grapes. We’ll just
have to see. … There are very
few tree fruit species that are
moderately tolerant to salt.”
But he also marvels at grow-
ers’ resilience and the wide
variety of crops still grown in
the valley and in California as
a whole — something he wit-
nessed again while accompany-
ing visiting farmers who were
providing technical assistance,
he said.
“Having the opportunity to
drive all over the state and wit-
ness up close the immense di-
versity of agriculture, I’m still
surprised at how different even
the Sacramento Valley is from
the San Joaquin Valley,” he said.
“Even after 36 years, I’m still
running across stuff I’ve never
seen. I don’t know if it is possi-
ble to see it all.”
Cowboy
Logic
Ryan Taylor
horse trailers, kids, horses and
food all descend on a place like
a cowboy sting operation.
The keys to enjoying the
calf working season are kind of
natural and obvious. You have
to like cattle, horses, neighbors,
kids, food and conversation.
Cattle are cattle, sometimes they
do exactly what you want, oth-
er times, maybe not. You have
to roll with it without losing
your cool. Horses are easily the
best tool around for gently and
expertly roping the two hind
legs of the calves to bring them
to the calf working crew, but
again, you have to respect them
for their mind and the constant
cues and teaching a rider gives
a horse in a new setting. They’re
not machines, but they can get
a little better, and more valu-
able, with each ride and each
calf pulled from the pen. Apart
from those animal components,
it’s up to us humans to allow
ourselves to enjoy the company
of neighbors and kids, and the
satisfaction of good food and
conversation.
I remember a story our friend
and minister shared at my fa-
ther’s funeral. Wally was help-
ing Dad work a handful of older
cattle through the chute on a hot
day, and Wally offered to round
up his kids and my sister and
me from the yard to come help,
and Dad said, “No, just let them
play. They’ve got their whole
life to work, let them play.” And
we continued to run around the
yard, climb trees and swing on
the swing set.
Later, Wally and Dad sat
down on the ground with their
backs against the barn wall to
rest and maybe have something
cool to drink. They were sitting
there watching us kids run and
play, and Wally said Dad’s gaze
landed on us and he softly said,
“Aren’t they beautiful?”
It was one of those tender
admissions of a father, and what
I believe every father thinks to
himself when he looks at his
children. But, not to let the emo-
tion of the moment get out of
hand, he followed up a little lat-
er with, “how’d a couple of ugly
so-and-so’s like us get so lucky
as to have kids like that?”
I think of that story often
when I look at my own children.
Of course, I know that I can
thank my wife and the genetic
process for the beauty of our
kids. And I thank the life I’ve
been given to have had my fa-
ther’s love, that story, and to be
able to share that same fatherly
love with our own kids who run
and play, and work calves.
At the end of the calf work-
ing on our place, I appreciated
the comments of “Your calves
looked really good, Ryan,”
or, “Boy, the cows were sure
slicked off nice and in good
shape.” It was a nice sight to see
so many good horses tied along
the corral. The food and drinks
were good and plentiful, and
our friends and neighbors were
in good spirits. But nothing beat
seeing a yard full of kids, some-
times helping us in the branding
corral, sometimes just running
and playing and laughing like
kids ought to.
Dad was right. They are
beautiful.
Introduction to Pacific Northwest
Agroforestry Practices, 9 a.m.-3
p.m., Willow Lake Wastewater
Treatment Plant, Salem, Ore.,
503-391-9927. The workshop will
focus on integrating trees and
shrubs into an agricultural land-
use system to enhance productiv-
ity, profitability and environmental
stewardship. Presentations
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speak before the Washington
state legislature promoting the
health and nutrition benefits of
dairy products.
A dairy ambassador typi-
cally makes over 400 public
appearances during her year-
long tenure. On completion
of their reign, Buell, from
Marysville, and her alternate
ambassadors will receive
scholarships to continue
their educations.
The dairy industry was rep-
resented by 2014-2015 Wash-
ington State Dairy Ambassador
Janis DeJager of Everson and
Alternate State Dairy Ambas-
sadors Marissa Apperson of
Rochester and Marcella Bar-
telheimer of Snohomish. They
traveled the state educating
students, parents and others on
the positive impact and value
of Washington’s dairy industry.
The other 2015 finalists
were:
• Skagit County: Katie Jo
Conley of Mount Vernon.
• Inland Northwest: Ashley
Rochlitzer of Spokane.
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Courtesy Washington State Dairy Women
From left to right are Amanda Howe, the 2015-16 Alternate Ambas-
sador; Nicole Buell, the 2015-16 Washington State Dairy Ambassa-
dor; and Lydia Johnson, the 2015-16 Alternate Ambassador.
• Snohomish County: Olivia
Russell of Stanwood.
• Whatcom County: Ellie
Steensma of Lynden.
• Skagit County; Megan
Sybrandy of Mount Vernon.
Administered by the Wash-
ington State Dairy Women, the
dairy ambassador program
began in 1955.
www.blogriculture.com
Index
Dairy .....................................11
Drought .................................. 4
Markets ............................... 14
Opinion .................................. 6
Correction policy
Calendar
Wednesday, July 8
Corporate officer
John Perry
Chief operating officer
300 words. Deadline: Noon Monday.
New Washington dairy ambassador selected
Nicole Buell of Snohomish
County has been selected the
2015-2016 Washington State
Dairy Ambassador.
She was one of eight final-
ists at the 60th Annual Wash-
ington State Dairy Ambassador
contest “Diamonds and Tiaras”
held in the Grand Ballroom
of the Holiday Inn, in Everett,
Wash.
Amanda Howe of Lynden,
representing Whatcom Coun-
ty, and Lydia Johnson of Eth-
el, representing Lewis County,
were selected as alternate am-
bassadors, according to a press
release from the Dairy Farmers
of Washington.
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OSU Blueberry Field Day, 1-5
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Friday, July 10
Forestry Shortcourse, 10 a.m.-1
p.m., West Bonner Library, Priest
River, Idaho, 208-446-1680. This
6-session program will help forest
owners understand ecology, silvi-
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Saturday, July 18
Washington State Sheep
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11: 30 a.m.-6 p.m. Grant County
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Tuesday, Aug. 4
Spotted Wing Drosophila Workshop,
9 a.m.-1 p.m., Eugene Unitarian Uni-
versalist Church, Eugene, 208-850-
6504. Topics include understanding
SWD biology, behavior and seasonal
needs; SWD management tools and
practices; monitoring; identification;
and fruit sampling demonstrations.
Saturday and
Sunday, Aug. 15-16
Harvest Fest, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.,
Yamhill Valley Heritage Center
Museum, McMinnville, Ore.,
503-434-0490. Tractor parade,
threshing, binding and baling oats
using antique farming equipment
and horses. Pioneer kids area,
agricultural displays, music, food
and fun.
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