November 25, 2016
CapitalPress.com
11
California
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Growers should consider their options,
Study: Barriers between producers,
challenges when installing soil sensors buyers hinder local food movement
By TIM HEARDEN
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
ORLAND, Calif. — Ad-
vances in water-saving sen-
sor technology are happening
quickly, but growers should
take certain steps before de-
ciding which equipment to
purchase, experts say.
Sensors that can show a
grower the level of soil mois-
ture, plant water use and weath-
er impact in different areas of
the farm can make an operation
more efficient, they say.
But growers first must “ad-
dress fundamentals,” making
sure their basic hardware such
as drip lines are working cor-
rectly, and consider any chal-
lenges they might face, said
Bob Coates, a University of
California-Davis engineer.
“A big point to make is that
there’s no perfect technology
solution,” said Coates, an as-
sociate development engineer
in the university’s Biological
and Agricultural Engineering
Division. “Each growing situ-
ation is unique.
“With any technology, the
overall goal is to use water,
nutrients and labor more effi-
ciently,” he said.
Available technology to
determine the water needs of
crops has evolved from simple
pressure bombs, which are sort
of like blood pressure meters
for leaves, to newer sensors
that can provide information
on an index of plant stresses in
Capital Press
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Jack Coots, left, of Farm Data Systems Inc., discusses soil moisture
sensors while Bob Coates of the University of California-Davis listens
during a Nov. 16 presentation at the North State Precision Ag Expo
and Farm Business Forum in Orland, Calif. Soil moisture and weath-
er sensing technology for farms is becoming more advanced.
real time, Coates said.
Soil and plant sensing tech-
nology can make it easier for
the grower to divide the farm
into segments for scheduling
irrigation, fertilization and
other tasks. That’s a key bene-
fit for farms that have varying
types of soil, Coates said.
Growers should first de-
termine the kind of data they
need, advises Jack Coots, re-
gional director of Farm Data
Systems Inc. Equipment can
range from single-point sensors
to soil moisture probes that in-
clude more than one sensor on
a rod, to a system of sensors
that use radio signals to pro-
vide real-time information on
soil moisture, plant water use,
weather and other factors.
“All of this stuff is really
great, but none of it will work
if it isn’t installed properly,”
said Coots, adding that grow-
ers should consult an expert.
“Installation is the most im-
portant point.”
In new orchards, producers
should have the ability to change
the depth and location of probes
as tree roots grow, he said.
Coates’ and Coots’ advice
came during a presentation on
soil moisture sensors and ag
technology Nov. 16 at the in-
augural North State Precision
Ag Expo and Farm Business
Forum. The workshop sought
to teach growers how to prepare
for technology adoption and
how to use the data to make in-
formed management decisions.
The information from sen-
sors and telemetry won’t take
the place of human intuition,
the two experts noted. For one
thing, the technology has lim-
itations, including obstructions
such as hills or trees that can
interfere with radio signals.
CHICO, Calif. — The local
food movement may be grow-
ing in popularity, but barriers
exist between buyers and pro-
ducers that make locally grown
food harder to find, a pair of
experts says.
Producers have difficulty
finding local buyers to purchase
a large portion of their crops,
while buyers such as schools,
restaurants, catering companies
and stores complain they can’t
get sufficient volume locally to
meet their needs.
Those were the findings of
a survey by California State
University-Chico professor
Jake Brimlow and Golden
State Farm Credit marketing
and outreach director Noelle
Ferdon, who are married.
They have set up a food
hub at Chico State, where they
operate a cold storage unit and
act as the middle agent be-
tween local buyers and grow-
ers.
“We’ve seen a lot of studies
done ... (showing) consumers’
willingness to pay more for
source-identified food,” Brim-
low said during a recent work-
shop. “I think that represents
an opportunity for growers.”
The Chico hub is one of
more than 300 regional food
hubs across the nation that
handle the aggregation, dis-
tribution and marketing of
source-identified food prod-
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Noelle Ferdon, left, of Golden State Farm Credit and Jake Brimloe
of California State University-Chico, have developed a food hub to
help local growers sell their products to local stores, restaurants
and other retailers. A survey showed that barriers exist for both
producers and retailers in the local food movement.
ucts, according to the National
Good Food Network.
The network’s website lists
18 food hubs in California, 11
in Oregon, 13 in Washington
and two in Idaho.
The food hubs’ emergence
comes as a study by University
of California-Davis researcher
Shermaine Hardesty found that
73 percent of Sacramento-area
farms surveyed market both di-
rectly and through wholesalers.
Hardesty’s team found that
farms that market directly to
consumers in Sacramento and
surrounding counties gener-
ated nearly 32 local jobs for
every $1 million worth of out-
put, while non-direct marketers
created only 10.5 local jobs for
each $1 million in output.
However, a “huge gap” re-
mains between the amount of
food grown in agricultural ar-
eas and how much of it is con-
sumed locally, Brimlow said.
“Our best guess as to how
much we currently eat that’s
local is about 2 or 3 percent” of
average diets, he said.
Among 200 farmers con-
tacted in Butte, Glenn and Teha-
ma counties in the Sacramento
Valley, 72 percent were selling
out of the area to wholesale
brokers and packers, although
“a significant percentage” was
also selling to local stores and
restaurants, Brimlow said.
By Mary Stewart, OSU Extension Service
T oni and Rod Veeman wanted to educate more
youth about dairy farming, so they organized a 4-
H Club on their 500-head Newberg, Ore., dairy
and invited community youth to participate though
a leasing program. The St. Paul Green Grazers
club has grown quickly from 12 to 19 youth
members who manage and show cows from the
Holstein herd.
“With the addition of the Dairy Leasing Program
the participation in the Dairy 4-H Program has
more than doubled,” says Melanie McCabe, 4-H
Extension faculty for Marion County. “Youth
who would not otherwise get to experience
working with dairy cattle have that opportunity.
It is also an opportunity for them to learn about
the dairy industry in Oregon.”
“We’ve been on this dairy for 33 years,” says 4-
H volunteer Rod Veeman. “I grew up showing
dairy cattle in California as a youngster. When
my kids got involved in showing, I became the 4-
H dairy superintendent at the Marion
County Fair, and that’s how it
started.”
The 19 youth meet regularly on the
Olivia Veeman of Newberg, Ore., grooms her 4-H
project cow. Olivia is a member of the St. Paul
Green Grazers 4-H Club.
Rod Veeman is both parent and 4-H volunteer leader for his children,
Taysha, Olivia and Peter. 4-H helps youth learn about animal
husbandry and successful business practices while it helps them build
friendships and life skills.
Veeman Dairy to care for and train their project cows. They learn about animal
care, nutrition and feeding, animal parts, preventative medicine, teamwork,
community service and how to safely
maneuver a half-ton animal, according to
co-volunteer leader Toni Veeman.
Peter Veeman, 11, recalls a challenging
day of cow training: “I was working in the
pen with my cow. I was trying to get her
up in the leash and it was really tricky!”
Peter likes 4-H because it is helping him
learn how to manage a dairy.
“4-H has given me learning tools and
speaking skills I will use throughout my
entire life,” says Taysha Veeman, 15. Her
Cougar Friesen of Amity, Ore., receives cattle-showing tips
sister Olivia, 13, recommends 4-H to
from 4-H volunteer Rod Veeman of Newberg during a
other youth because “it gives you a better
training meeting of the St. Paul Green Grazers 4-H Club.
perspective of how other animals live and
it gives you better money management and skills for life.”
“The kids gain so much,” says Toni. “They should grow up with appreciation
of the dairy industry and support us in the future. If they don’t have the
exposure they aren’t going to know about it.”
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