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August 4, 2017 CapitalPress.com 5 Record heat, continued winter fallout flummox Calif. growers By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press CORNING, Calif. — Growers in California are still taking stock of winter and early-spring damage to their crops while the latest heat wave is accelerating their har- vests. Robert Mills, who grows peaches, apricots and other fruit in the northern Sacra- mento Valley, was sending peach-picking crews out in the early morning this week to avoid temperatures expected to soar as high as 116 degrees. With wet storms leaving his orchards under water for weeks, Mills lost as much as 90 percent of his apricot crop and saw many of his young peach trees ruined, he said. Other growers faced similar troubles, he said. “The big story is just the weather,” said Mills, co-owner of R and K Orchards in Corn- ing. He said he lost as much as one-third of his early-variety peaches to pit split. As for the heat, Mills’ fresh-market peaches can rip- en on the outside quickly and Tim Hearden/Capital Press Workers unload freshly picked peaches in a warehouse at R and K Orchards in Corning, Calif. on July 31. California growers are grappling with complications from the wet winter and early spring as well as several heat waves this summer. drop or essentially cook on the tree. But he hasn’t seen signif- icant damage, at least yet, he said. “You just keep the tree well watered,” he said. Mills is one of many grow- ers still assessing damage to their crops from this winter’s floods and heavy storms, which in some areas left orchards and fields flooded until May. At the same time, they’ve had to protect their crops from sunburn and step up harvest schedules as this week’s after- noon highs set records in many areas. For instance, Redding was expected to top out at 116 on Aug. 1 and 114 Aug. 2, while Corning anticipated a high of 110 on Aug. 2, according to the National Weather Service. One of the wettest winters in California history has been followed by one of the hottest summers. In Red Bluff, Aug. 1 was the 12th straight day with triple-digit temperatures, and the community recorded 23 days of highs of 100 degrees or hotter in July. For some growers of sum- mer vegetables, the heat has disrupted bee activity, they said. “Everything is a couple of weeks slower,” said Rassmy Mua of Mua’s Family Garden in Chico, whose fresh produce includes tomatoes, squash and onions. “There’s flowering, but it’s not getting pollinated so there’s not as much fruit.” Churn Creek Meadow Or- ganic Farm near Redding is having the same issue with its squash, owner Mary Oc- casion said. The farm started late with planting because of spring rains, she said. But most of her plantings are doing well. “They love the heat,” she said. Extreme heat can cause numerous headaches for growers. It can damage the leaves of young walnut trees, producing darker kernels that don’t bring as much of a premium. It can cause blue prune, in which plums for prunes drop prematurely. It can also cause Valencia oranges to re-green, prompt- ing growers to use correc- tive sprays that prevent the fruit from being shipped to some trading destinations. This year’s harvest is wind- ing down because of high temperatures and fruit avail- ability, according to the Na- tional Agricultural Statistics Service. The heat has caused the processing tomato harvest in the Central Valley to be er- ratic, interrupting the smooth flow of tomatoes to the can- neries, according to NASS. The crop is already dimin- ished because of a global glut of the fruit. For nut growers, sunburn is always a concern, said Franz Niederholzer, a Univer- sity of California Cooperative Extension adviser in Colusa. “There is some sunburn out there, although I’ve not heard how much there is,” he said. The heat has accelerated some almond harvests, with shakers already working in the Arbuckle area, Nieder- holzer said. Almonds are also being harvested in the warmer regions of Kern County, while harvest preparations are being made in other areas, NASS reports. “I know all the growers are keeping an eye on the temperatures and adjusting as needed,” Niederholzer said. Prune trees, some of which suffered root damage from flooding and are showing signs of potassium deficiency, now are also having trouble making sugar because of the heat, he said. And the heat is also sap- ping nutritional quality from rangeland grasses and affect- ing milk production, accord- ing to NASS. A respite may not happen soon. The federal Climate Prediction Center foresees above-normal temperatures lingering into the fall through- out the West. Ports hail longshore contract extension By DAN WHEAT Capital Press The International Long- shore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Asso- ciation have agreed to a three- year extension of their current contract, which was due to ex- pire in 2019. PMA President James McKenna announced the ex- tension July 28, saying PMA proposed a contract extension earlier in the year with the in- tent to create longterm certain- ty for West Coast ports and all stakeholders. The PMA negoti- ates labor agreements on behalf of port operators. “Early voting returns show strong ILWU support for our proposal, which would ensure labor stability through 2022. This historic agreement will be great news for the maritime in- dustry, as well as our customers, workers, port communities and the U.S. economy,” McKenna Courtesy of Port of Seattle A container ship is loaded at the Port of Seattle. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime Associa- tion have agreed to extend their contract, heading off the potential for another work slowdown or strike at 29 West Coast container ports. said in a released statement. The extension is subject to final confirmation by the ILWU and is expected next week, he said. It covers workers at all 29 West Coast container ports. “Agricultural exporters are greatly relieved that we have now removed one of the pri- mary motivations for the West Coast meltdown of a few years ago,” Peter Friedmann, execu- tive director of the Agriculture Transportation Coalition in Washington, D.C., told Capital Press. Inability of the ILWU and PMA to reach a new contract three years ago led to a months- long union work slowdown that cost farmers, manufactur- ers and retailers across the U.S. hundreds of millions of dollars in losses because they could not get exported or imported goods to market. Last November, U.S. Reps. Dave Reichert and Dan New- house, both R-Wash., and Kurt Schrader, D-Ore., renewed their plea for the PMA and ILWU to work together to avoid another slowdown. They said the 2014-2015 disruption cost the U.S. econ- omy an estimated $7 billion. Growers dumped spoiled pro- duce, manufacturers were de- layed in getting parts and re- tailers had empty shelves, the representatives wrote in a letter to PMA and ILWU. “The impact was not limited to the West Coast but ultimately was felt by communities across the country and the larger econ- omy,” they wrote. A Newhouse bill requiring greater collection and reporting of port statistics annually to keep supply chains stable was passed and signed into law. SAGE Fact #144 To boost development in the region, Congress authorized a massive Umatilla River irrigation project in December 1905. The Boardman area finally received irrigation water with the completion of the West Extension Main Canal in 1916. 31-2/#6 Compliance dates for some new food safety rules could be extended By SEAN ELLIS Capital Press SUN VALLEY, Idaho — The initial compliance dates for some of the standards in- cluded in the Food and Drug Administration’s new food safety rules could be extend- ed. The National Association of State Departments of Ag- riculture is working closely with the FDA to ensure the rules for enforcing the Food Safety Modernization Act don’t unduly burden farmers, Bob Ehart, senior policy and science adviser for the group, said. He spoke at the annual meeting of the Western Asso- ciation of State Departments of Agriculture. NASDA will also work with the agency to implement the rules since most state ag- riculture departments will en- force them. “We have a lot of work to do yet,” Ehart said. “It’s partly a fairness issue to the farmer and, frankly, to soci- ety. When we’re doing this, we need to make sure we do it well.” Jeff Farrar, FDA’s director of intergovernmental affairs and partnerships, told WAS- DA members the agency has not yet released all of the guidance on the rules neces- sary for training. The most concerning part of FDA’s new food safety standards for many farmers is the agency’s produce rule, which includes minimal mi- crobial standards for water that comes in contact with produce that is likely to be consumed raw. “We’re working hard to finalize the guidance that is needed for the produce rule,” Farrar said. “Once the guid- ance is finalized, then the training can take place.” 31-2/#4N