California Ag Headlines for October 8

Taylor Hillman Cattle, Citrus, Corn, Cotton, Dairy & Livestock, Field & Row Crops, Forage Crops, General, Grain, Specialty Crops, Tree, nut & vine crops

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Today’s California Ag Headlines include information on the next meeting of the 21st Century Pest Management Symposia, free workshops for dairy producers, and tips on picking the right pumpkin.
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The next meeting of the 21st Century Invasive Pest Management Symposia is coming up. The topic is is Invasive Insects, Disease, and Nematodes and Other Invertebrates. Goals of the symposium are to explore 21st century invasive pest management challenges and possible improvements to CDFA policies and procedures, and to foster communication and understanding among the diverse people involved in California’s food and agricultural systems. The California Department of Food and Agriculture organizes the event, which is held at the UC Davis conference center. The next meeting is scheduled for Thursday October 17. For more information, click here.

There is another round of free educational workshops this week, to further help dairy producers in complying with recently implemented North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (RB-1) water quality rules. Dairy farms within the RB-1 region currently operate under one of three water quality permits, which were adopted in January 2012. ALL dairy producers, regardless of which RB-1 permit they are covered by, are encouraged to attend these classes. The producer-friendly workshops will largely focus on the submission of the first Annual Report, which is due on November 30, 2013. Dairy producers need to bring the following: their water quality binder; General Order ; a copy of their submitted Water Quality Plan; groundwater monitoring results; surface water monitoring results (if they’re not in a group program); and manure manifests. Workshops are offered on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, click here.

It’s that time of year when many youngsters turn into expert harvesters as they head out in search of the perfect pumpkin. Bayer has some tips to help with that task. If you’re looking for a pumpkin to carve, look for pumpkins with flat walls — no deep ribs, and Avoid tall, oblong pumpkins, which typically have stringy flesh that makes placing precise cuts difficult. If you’re looking for a pumpkin for cooking, look for varieties like Small Sugar, New England Pie Pumpkin, Ghost Rider and the white-skinned Lumina. For more tips, click here.