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August 14, 2015 CapitalPress.com Subscribe to our weekly California email newsletter at CapitalPress.com/newsletters 7 California Fresh, processing tomato crops good for growers with water By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press REDDING, Calif. — Fresh-market tomato growers in Northern California say this summer’s conditions have been ripe for a good crop for those who have enough water. “Everything’s ripened early, but it’s been a good crop with good flavor,” said Aldon Burl- ison, owner of Burlison’s Fruit Stand in Dairyville, Calif. He added the occasional triple-digit heat has quickened the development of his toma- toes but hasn’t damaged the crop. “When it cools off, they slow down,” Burlison said. “It’s been kind of hit and miss. It gets hot and then it gets cool again.” For Orland, Calif., produce farmer Ed Hughes, the season has been a little rough because the water he draws from his wells is getting scarcer, he said. “We’ve actually cut back on the types of things I grow,” Hughes said during a farmers’ market in Redding on Aug. 8. But the season has been agreeable for Tom Reemts, owner of Tom’s Produce south of Redding. “It’s pretty good because I’ve been growing these under shade cloth,” Reemts said of his toma- toes. “When it gets really hot, they like being in the shade.” The harvests of both fresh-market and processing to- matoes have been under way in California for a little more than a month. California leads the na- tion in fresh tomato tonnage and provides more than one-third of the U.S. domestic supply, although tonnage and acreage were down last year, according to the National Agricultural Sta- tistics Service. About 5,087.5 tons of fresh-market tomatoes were harvested from about 32,300 acres statewide in 2014, down from 5,670 tons on 36,000 acres in 2012, according to NASS’ an- nual vegetable report. Meanwhile, good growing conditions so far this summer have enabled the state’s process- ing tomato farmers to keep up with last year’s record pace, the California Farm Bureau Federa- Lacey Jarrell/For the Capital Press Scott Scholer, field manager of Lassen Canyon Nursery in Mac- doel, Calif., points out runners that will be cut off mother plants and sold to strawberry growers across the United States. Nursery specializes in growing strawberry plants By LACEY JARRELL For the Capital Press Tim Hearden/Capital Press Pamela Spobo (right) and Jim Collins of Redding, Calif., pick out fresh tomatoes at a local farmers’ market Aug. 8. Tomato growers say it’s a good crop year for those who have water. tion reports. Tomato processors anticipate contracts for 14.3 million tons in 2015, a 2 percent increase from the final contracted production last year, NASS reported. The projected harvested acreage of processing tomatoes is 295,000 acres, about 2 percent more than last year’s final total of 289,000 productive acres, according to NASS. As with fresh-market tomatoes, much of processing tomato growers’ success will hinge on the per- formance of wells for those who won’t have much or any surface water. This year’s $80-per-ton con- tract price is second only to the 2014 price of $83 a ton, making tomatoes a worthwhile crop for farmers who have row-crop ground and some water, the Farm Bureau noted. Perhaps bolstering tomato crops have been breaks in the heat. In the northern Sacramen- SPI mostly unscathed as wildfires rip through forest land, budgets to Valley, temperatures reached triple digits for three different stretches in July but cooled off into the 80s in between them, ac- cording to the National Weather Service. MACDOEL, Calif. — Scott Scholer has been in the straw- berry business for 23 years. He has stayed in it so long, he says, because no two days are the same. “Agriculture is an adven- ture,” Scholer laughed. This year, Scholer, the gen- eral manager of field produc- tion at Lassen Canyon Nursery in Macdoel, Calif., oversees 838 acres of strawberries. He said each year strawberry acre- age on the 5,000-acre Klamath Basin farm varies based on the number of orders made by large-scale commercial fruit growers, mainly in California. “They plant them to make berries. Our high elevation nursery is the last step to the fruit grower,” Scholer said. Strawberry plants are not grown for fruit at Lassen — they are grown for runners that are separated from mother plants, developed by specialty breeders, such as at the Univer- sity of California or the Uni- versity of Florida. Growing the mother plants into suitable, sal- able offspring is a process that takes several years and spans several locations. “By the time these plants get here to Macdoel, they are fourth generation,” Scholer said. Once in the ground at Las- sen, the plants multiply “like crazy.” He said rows spaced 3 feet apart are planted in March or April, and by harvest time in September, the plants are so dense they look like a “green carpet.” “We plant 12,000 plants per acre. We’ll harvest 300,000,” Scholer said. “Last year we did over 200 million plants out of Macdoel.” According to Scholer, Las- sen is based in Northern Cali- fornia’s Butte Valley because the weather cools considerably in early fall. He explained that hardy nursery plants perform best in the fruiting field if they have a lot of chill prior to har- vest. “We hope for somewhere about 250 hours of cold, which is below 45 degrees from Sept. 1 to harvest time,” he said. This year’s mild winter has helped his crop get a head start, but each season brings its own surprises, Scholer said. “Mother Nature can turn around and tease you. One of our big concerns is hail. If we were to get a big hail storm, at any time during the season, it can be very detrimental be- cause it cuts off the runners.” LOW RATE FINANCING 0% APR interest rate for 3 years 0.9% APR interest rate for 5 years! TRACTORS COMBINES Case IH STX450, 7627 hrs, 450hp, 4WD, PS trans, front & rear weights, 800/70R-38 duals.......................................... ..................................$117,900 $99,500 Tekoa, #100728 Case IH STX325, 9642 hrs, 325hp, 4WD, PS trans, 3pt, 1000 PTO, 520/85R-46 duals $78,500 $65,000 McMinnville #97509 Case IH STX325, 5813 hrs 325hp, 4WD, PS trans, 3pt, 4 remotes, 14.9R-46 duals ..................$112,900 $96,000 Tekoa, #107500 NH 9680, 7512 hrs, 4WD, 12spd Synchro trans, 4 remotes, 710/70R-38 duals..$56,250 $40,000 McMinnville #102884 JD 9510R, 344 hrs, 4WD, PS Trans, 5 Remotes, 800/70-38 SOLD SOLD Duals.........................................$318,400 Tangent, #2974 JD 9560RT, 88 hrs, 36” Tracks, 5 Remotes, 1000 PTO, HID Lights..........................$425,000 Fall River Mills, #902075 JD 8285R, 672 hrs, ILS Axle, PS Trans, 4 Remotes, 800/70-38 Duals................................$231,300 McMinnville, #72817 JD 4120, 2201 hrs, MFWD, ROPS, Reverser Trans.................. ........................... $18,000 $12,000 Hillsboro, #810273 JD 5115M, 109 hrs, Cab, MFWD, H310 Loader w/Spear....... .......................................$75,600 Bonners Ferry, #541057 NH TN95FA, 6584 hrs, Cab, MFWD, narrow, Super Steer, 2 rear remotes................$18,500 $13,500 Salem, #89699 Kubota M125, 1541 hrs, Cab, MFWD, 16 spd trans., SOLD SOLD 3 Remotes..........................$44,500 Central Point #53707 Kubota M9960, 150 hrs, Open Station, ROPS, MFWD, LA1353 Loader........................$45,900 Roseburg #54397 JD 8260R, 673 hrs, MFWD, PS Trans, 4 Remotes, 620/70-46 Duals................................$189,000 McMinnville, #70811 JD 9300, 7119 hrs., 4WD, PS Trans., 3pt, 1000 PTO, 620/42 Duals, 5 Remotes..........................$109,900, Salem, #30202 JD 5075E, 113 hrs, Open Station, MFWD, R1 Ties, 540 PTO, Joystick.....................................$32,500 Hillsboro #10185 JD 7280R, 211 hrs, Cab, IVT Trans, TLS Front Axle, Set up for loader..................................$230,500 Madras #13029 JD 8770, 14,624 hrs, 4WD, 3 remotes, bare back, 24 spd. Power Quad Trans, duals.................................................... .......................................$40,000 $35,000 Tekoa #3214 JD 9200, 7379 hrs, 4WD, 4 Remotes, 20.8-42 Duals, Quad Range Trans...................................$79,900 Tekoa #30476 JD 8770, 7675 hrs, 4WD, Quad Range Trans, 20.8-42 Duals, 3 Remotes..............................$53,900 Walla Walla #4681 JD 9400, 7622 hrs., 4WD, PS Trans., 1000 PTO, 710-42 Duals, 4 Remotes..................$105,900, Tangent, #41372 NH TN95FA, 5553 hrs, Cab, MFWD, narrow, Super Steer, 2 remotes........................$19,000 $12,900 Salem, #39208 MF 180, 6436 hrs., 2WD, Multi-Power, 540 PTO, 2 Remotes, 15.5-38 Rear Tires............................................... .......................................$6,800 $6,500, Donald, #37630 JD 9560R, 222 hrs, 4WD, Dual 800/70R-38, PS Trans, Auto Track Ready......................$374,000 Moscow #7998 JD 6190R, 200 hrs, IVT Trans, TLS Axle, 4 Remotes, 710/70R-38 Singles......................$149,200 Donald #2325 SOLD JD 9300, 9631 hrs, 4WD, 24 spd Trans., 3 PT, No PTO, SOLD 4 Remotes.........................$61,500, McMinnville, #40643 JD T670, 1169 hrs, Small Grain, BPU, Rasp Bar Cylinder, straw chopper.........................$197,500 Salem #84492 JD T670, 1138 hrs, Small grain, BPU, Rasp Bar Cylinder, straw chopper.......................$197,500 Donald #84498 JD T670, 1127 hrs, Small grain, BPU, Rasp Bar Cylinder, straw chopper.........................$197,500 Salem #85401 JD 9860 2794 hrs, Hillco Leveler, Duals, 4WD....................... ...........................................$200,000 Moscow #710792 Case IH 7010, 1120 hrs, Level Land, 2016 BPU platform..... .........................$199,999 $140,000 Tangent #202887 JD 9650STS, 3343 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform, straw chopper...................$87,000, Tangent, #685747 Case IH 2588, 1809 hrs, small grain, hillside, 30’ cutting platform....$245,000 $210,000 Walla Walla #303583 JD 9650STS, 2241 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform, straw chopper.......................$92,500, Salem, #685945 JD 9650STS, 3456 hrs, Small Grain, 914P BPU Platform, straw chopper...................$80,000, Tangent, #686102 JD 9650STS, 3557 hrs, Small Grain, straw chopper.............. .......................................$99,950, Harrisburg, #686910 JD S680, 695 hrs, 35% Rahco Leveler, 635F Platform, Stoess Cart............................$455,200 Tekoa, #755668 JD S680, 1017 hrs, Rahco Leveler, 4WD, 635F Platform & Cart.....................................$504,700, Colfax, #746303 JD S690, 666 hrs, 35% Rahco Leveler, 635F Platform, Stoess Cart...........................$583,200 Colfax, #745738 JD 9750STS, 2500 hrs, Hillco Leveler, Small Grain, Button Tread Duals..........................$132,400 Colfax, #686502 JD 9750STS, 3230 hrs, Rahco Leveler, 4WD, 930R Platform and Cart...............................$130,000 Colfax, #691057 JD 9770STS, 1462 hrs, Rahco 35% Leveler, 30’ 630R Platform, Stoess Cart...........$325,000 Colfax, #730456 JD 9860STS, 2727 hrs, Rahco 35% Leveler, 30’ 630R Platform, Stoess Cart...........$255,000 Colfax, #710739 By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press ANDERSON, Calif. — As wildfires have ripped through thousands of acres of California forest lands and depleted state and federal firefighting bud- gets, timber giant Sierra Pacific Industry has gone mostly un- scathed. After losing major swaths of land to fires in 2012 and 2013, SPI has lost less than 1,000 acres of its own timberland to fires raging around the state, spokes- man Mark Pawlicki said. About 550 of those acres were in the Lowell Fire, which had burned more than 2,300 acres in Nevada and Placer counties and was 95 percent contained as of Aug. 6, accord- ing to the state Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. With the company’s lands mostly safe so far, Sierra Pa- cific crews have been helping Cal Fire battle nearby blazes by providing maps, opening gates, laying out the best locations for firelines and giving water loca- tions, Pawlicki said in an email. “Also we are building a net- work of fuel breaks across our ownership and trying to tie them into similar breaks on other lands,” he said. Government agencies can use the help. As of Aug. 6, wildfires had burned more than 22,000 acres in and near the Shasta-Trinity National For- est, more than 17,000 acres of the Six Rivers National Forest, nearly 5,000 acres around the Modoc National Forest and smaller portions of the Los Pa- dres, Mendocino and Sequoia national forests, according to the U.S. Forest Service. In all, about 10,000 firefight- ers are battling 23 major blazes in California, nearly one-third of Tim Hearden/Capital Press A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection engine sits ready at the Shasta District Fair grounds in Anderson, Calif., which is being used as a base camp for firefighters battling blazes in Trinity County. Sierra Pacific Industry crews have been helping Cal Fire fight wildfires. whom are assigned to the more than 100-square-mile Rocky Fire in Lake, Colusa and Yolo counties, The Associated Press reported. For the first time, the U.S. Forest Service expects to spend more than half its budget — 52 percent — on fire suppression this year, further squeezing for- est restoration, watershed and landscape management pro- grams, according to an agency report issued Aug. 5. In fiscal 1995, the agency only spent 16 percent of its bud- get on firefighting, the report explained. But within 10 years, fire expenditures could take up as much as two-thirds of the budget, the agency contends. Meanwhile, Cal Fire esti- mates it has spent $63 million battling large wildfires since July 1 — a sizable chunk of the $434 million it spent in the entire last fiscal year, the AP reported. For Sierra Pacific, this year so far marks a bit of a reprieve after the company lost about 17,000 acres of timberland in the 30,000-acre Ponderosa Fire in Northern California in 2012 and saw another 12,000 acres of its property burn in the 2013 Rim Fire near Yosemite Nation- al Park. “We have been lucky so far” this summer, Pawlicki said. A few years ago, Sierra Pa- cific developed a 100-point checklist of safety precautions that must be taken at each log- ging site, going above and be- yond what state regulators re- quire, research and monitoring manager Cajun James said ear- lier this year. As part of the company’s protocol, weather-station read- ings feed a password-protected website that logging contrac- tors must check to know ahead of time whether conditions are too dry or windy to work, James said. Timber can’t be insured, so SPI salvages the trees left standing after a fire on its property. The bark protects the wood inside, so trees can still produce lumber even though they’ve been killed. Company crews also take steps to mini- mize soil erosion, Pawlicki has said. HAY EQUIPMENT John Deere 568 Round Baler, mega tooth, silage wrap, pushbar.............................. $22,500 Pomeroy #356329 MacDon 9200, 2900 hrs, cab, 14’ sickle bar auger GSS platform, R1bar tires................$22,000 Salem #68835 JD 568 Round Baler, 4x4, Manual Controls, 6’ Mega Pickup, Push Bar.................$27,000 Hillsboro #355442 Case IH LBX332, 3x3 Large Sq. Baler, auto controls, reg. pickup, flotation tires........$29,600 Hillsboro #636015 Allen 8803, 29’ Folding Hydraulic-driven Rake, Electro- Hyd controls.................................$14,000 Merrill #913 Kuhn GMD700, Kuhn HD multidisc 3pt mounted mower. .....................................$7,995 McMinnville #PM65270 Allen 8803, 29’ Folding Hydraulic-driven Rake, Electro- Hyd controls.................................$14,500 Merrill #908 Steffen TBH--8, Loader Mounted Tine Bale Handler........... .......................................................$2,950 Madras #184 All financing on approved credit. Financing special applies only to select pieces of equipment. See dealer for details and qualifying units. 33-4/#5