The Greensheet
Volume 28 | Issue 7 | April 13, 2012

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The Greensheet is CAC's bi-monthly industry newsletter, designed to provide California Avocado Industry members with timely and valuable news and information, regarding meetings, industry issues, cultural management/best practices, production research, CAC's marketing program, commission operations and more.

In This Issue You'll Find:

Cultural Tip:  Learn Key Tree Indicators From a Variety of Sources
Central Coast Ag Order Update
CAC Receives Renewal of Section 18 Approval from DPR for Use of Tre-Hold A-112 (NAA) on Avocados
California Avocados Featured at ZPizza, Which Wich
CAC Season Opener Event on Facebook
Fallbrook Avocado Festival on Sunday, April 15, 2012
Grove Tour Kicks off Pacific Region College and University Foodservice Event
Market Trends
Weather Outlook

 

Calendar

For a listing of industry events and dates for the coming year, please visit:
http://www.californiaavocadogrowers.com/upcoming-meetings-events/

Fallbrook Avocado Festival – Join the Commission for some fun in Fallbrook, Sunday April 15, 2012 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. 
More information about the festival is here:  http://www.fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org/events-v2/avocado-festival.html.

CAC Board Meeting- Thursday, May 17, 2012 - Time TBD at Four Points by Sheraton, 1050 Schooner Drive, Ventura, CA 93001.

Cultural Tip: Learn Key Tree Indicators From a Variety of Sources

Flowering and spring growth should be well underway for most avocado trees by now. What happens over the next few weeks will decide what kind of fruit set the trees will have:  none, light, medium or heavy. To get a consistently heavy fruit set from year to year a lot of thought and the right cultural management practices are needed. Growers or grove managers need to be flexible with their management and be ready to change activities according to what the trees are doing. Identifying the amount of flowering and new shoot growth is a key skill as it allows recognition of issues that may need correction early enough to make a difference. Less flowering and greater shoot growth than expected suggests a light crop while more flowering and less shoot growth can suggest a heavy crop. For example, the amount of nutrition and water applied will need to differ according to the state of the trees.

Figuring out what key indicators to look for and developing a feel for overall tree health (and likely fruit set) comes largely with experience across many growing seasons. However, it is also possible to learn the key indicators and the symptoms of unhealthy trees from a number of sources. Farm advisors, researchers and published information are very helpful as is a largely untapped source:  fellow California avocado growers.  Farmers are often thought to be very conservative by nature and reluctant to try new ideas. This is not true; most growers experiment with their cultural management practices having both successes and failures. Knowing an idea won't work is as valuable as knowing what will work, but unless growers get together and talk to each other this information can be lost. A lot of caution should be applied when looking to use a grower’s own trial and error results as the process used is often not scientific. Nevertheless, there are many grove activities that do not easily lend themselves to scientific analysis and grower experiences can be the only significant information available. Regular meetings of small numbers of growers on their respective groves can stimulate a lot of thinking about how different cultural management practices could be applied. Such meetings can help to create a sense of community and a sharing of problems as well as possible solutions that can lead to improved cultural management practices.

Central Coast Ag Order Update

On March 15 The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (Water Board) has provided additional information on the recent updated Irrigated Lands Order intended to address nitrate contamination in ground water.  The updated Order and Monitoring and Reporting Program are available at the links below. The Order places farms in one of three tiers, based on risk to water quality. Most avocado groves in the Central Coast Water Board area will fall in Tier 1 and Tier 2, and the new requirements are similar or less stringent than the previous Order. Farms in Tier 3 have more stringent requirements. Water Board staff will contact owners and operators to confirm the appropriate tier for their farm(s). Each grower enrolled in the Order will receive a packet of information (including a copy of the Order, a list of requirements for each tier, a 5-year compliance calendar, a list of Water Board contacts, and a list of resources and assistance available to growers). In addition, Water Board staff will also announce dates for upcoming workshops to inform growers of the new requirements.  

By May 15, 2012, all growers within the Central Coast region that irrigate land to produce commercial crops must enroll in the Order by submitting an eNOI.  To enroll in the Order and Update eNOI (electronic-Notice of Intent) information click here: www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/noi_submittal.shtml

In summary, growers must do the following to comply with the requirements:

  1. Enroll in the Order by filing an electronic-Notice of Intent (eNOI) by May 15, 2012
  2. Develop and Implement a Farm Plan
  3. Implement management practices to protect water quality
  4. Conduct Surface Water Receiving Monitoring and Reporting (Cooperatively or Individually)
  5. Conduct Groundwater Monitoring and Reporting (Cooperatively or Individually)
  6. Install Backflow Prevention devices
  7. Submit Annual Compliance Form (Tier 2 and Tier 3 ONLY)
  8. Conduct Individual Discharge Monitoring and Reporting (Tier 3 ONLY)
  9. Develop and Implement Certified Irrigation and Nutrient Management Plan (Tier 3 ONLY)
  10. Develop and Implement Water Quality Buffer Plan (Tier 3 ONLY)

A summary of requirements by Tier may be found here: www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/docs/2012agorder_faq.pdf

More information may be found here: www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralcoast/water_issues/programs/ag_waivers/index.shtml

CAC Receives Renewal of Section 18 Approval from DPR for Use of Tre-Hold A-112 (NAA) on Avocados

County Ag Commissioners were notified on April 10, 2012 that the newly re-certified Section 18 Emergency Exemption No. 12-03 for Tre-Hold A-112 (NAA) on avocados was issued on April 10, 2012 and is effective from April 20, 2012 until April 15, 2013.  The current Section 18 No. 11-02 is still in effect and will expire next week.  The exemption is intended for use on trees which have been cut-stumped, or on limbs which have been pruned.  NAA should only be applied by persons trained to handle pesticides.  All applications of NAA must be reported to your County Ag Commissioner, and prior to use under this exemption a permit must be obtained from your County Ag Commissioner.  Approved NAA use directions can be found here:  http://www.californiaavocadogrowers.com/assets/Uploads/Growers-Site/Greensheet/NAA-Use-Directions-2012.pdf

 

California Avocados Featured at ZPizza, Which Wich

Beginning on April 2nd and going through July 1st, zpizza—a national pizza chain known for their insistence on fresh, natural and wholesome ingredients—launched a California avocado promotion. In stores, the promotion features Fresh California avocado menu signatures: California Salad, Mexican Pizza and Pollo Latino Sandwich.

To support the promotion and expand pizza with salad sales, zpizza launched a California Salad sampling program as well. A tasting portion of the salad (mixed greens, sliced tomato, red onion, cucumber, black olives and slices of Fresh California avocados) is packed with every take-out or delivery pizza order that does not already include salad.

Additionally, from April 23 through June 17th, Which Wich, a quick-service sandwich chain, will run a promotion that encourages customers to “Pump Up Your Wich” by adding Fresh California avocado to any sandwich on the menu. Customization rules at Which Wich, where every customer selects from 10 wich categories. Next, guests are treated to a choice of among 60+ toppings, including cheeses, condiments, produce and extras. With this seasonal promotion, the chain moves Fresh California avocados to the top of consumers’ minds.

To inspire customer creativity, the Which Wich point of sale materials suggest four Fresh California avocado-enhanced sandwich and salad combinations, including the Buffalo Chicken Wich, which includes avocado + blue cheese + lettuce + tomato. In-store signage further urges customers to satisfy their inner Fresh California avocado cravings by adding it to any wich. 

The Fresh California avocado promotion will run in all 170 Which Wich locations across the United States. Top your favorite wich with Fresh California avocado at one of the sixteen units in California.

CAC Season Opener Event on Facebook

To celebrate the return of the California avocado season, CAC is throwing a week-long party on the California Avocado Commission Facebook Page to get Facebook fans (over 82,000 of them) excited for the 2012 California avocado season.

We’ll be kicking off the celebration with grower Jerome Stehly from Valley Center on Monday, April 16 from 12:00-1:00pm. On Wednesday, Registered Dietitian Emily Schiller will chat about nutrition with our Facebook fans from 12:00-1:00pm. We’ll end the week with a chat hosted by Trey Foshee, executive chef and partner at George’s at the Cove in La Jolla from 10:00-11:00am. At the end of each chat, we’ll give away three California avocado tote bags filled with 5 California avocados, scoopers, cookbooks, recipe brochures, magnets and stickers to random participants who RSVP’d in advance and participated in the chats.

Stop on by during any of the chats to check on how the conversations are going!

http://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaAvocados

Fallbrook Avocado Festival on Sunday, April 15, 2012

This year the Fallbrook Chamber of Commerce celebrates the Fallbrook Avocado Festival on Sunday, April 15, 2012 from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. in downtown Fallbrook! Over the past 25 years this event has become one of the area’s largest and most successful street festivals with more than 70,000 visitors.

The California Avocado Commission is a sponsor and our booth will be located on Main Street in between Fig & Alvarado.
Stop by the CAC booth and pick up recipes, nutrition info, grower fact sheets and more! For more information, please visit: http://www.fallbrookchamberofcommerce.org/events-v2/avocado-festival.html

Grove Tour Kicks off Pacific Region College and University Foodservice Event

On March 24th, CAC hosted a grove tour for 20 onsite foodservice directors, traveling to San Diego to attend the National Association of College and University Foodservice (NACUFS) Pacific Region conference.

Mike Sanders and his son-in-law, Chris Ambuul, conducted the tour, demonstrating their knowledge about and passion for growing California avocados, and educating their guests on the complexities of cultivating quality fruit.

Heading into the grove to pick avocados proved a tour highlight for the attendees, who each returned to San Diego with a genuine Fresh Hand Grown in California Avocado.

Amy Simonds from University of Nevada with Mike Sanders, demonstrating how to operate the clippers and use the picking bags

A tasting luncheon followed the tour and featured a menu of Chilled California Avocado Lemongrass Soup, Local Orange and California Avocado Salad, Spiced California Avocado and Gorgonzola Grilled Sirloin Sliders and California Avocado Chocolate Pot de Crème.

At the NACUFS conference, 150 attendees from the entire Pacific Region enjoyed Fresh California avocados during their three-day meeting. Fresh avocados were showcased at the Cobb Salad Station at the opening luncheon. Attendees sampled California Avocado Confetti Cole Slaw and California Avocado Veggie Tacos during the showcase. With the student population’s growing interest in wellness and trends toward vegetarian and vegan fare, interest in CAC menu applications was high. College and university foodservice directors are turning to healthful, versatile ingredients like Fresh California avocados for pleasing and popular menu solutions.

An integral part of the CAC foodservice program, R&D and marketing support fosters ongoing relationships with targeted, high volume foodservice operations and contributes to steady growth in foodservice usage of Fresh California avocados.

California Market Trends

To view all market trend graphs, including “Avocado Volume Summary,” “Weekly Price Range” and “U.S. Avocado Supply,” please visit: http://www.californiaavocadogrowers.com/market-information/.

Weather: 30-Day Outlook For California’s Coastal & Valley Areas

Synopsis...This past week we saw a return of freezes to southern California inland valleys, the northwest California valleys, the central coastal valleys, and even the San Joaquin Delta region.

In the Near Term – through April 25 ... Another series of rains will occur from the 10th to the 13th, followed by frost conditions on 14th mostly in northwestern California. Dry and warmer conditions will occur on the15th and 16th with offshore flow as upper high pressure builds into the Pacific Northwest.

In the Near-Term - Southern California Avocado Region through April 25… On the 11th through the 14th, there is a good chance for rain, some of it heavy, in Ventura, Santa Barbara, and San Luis Obispo areas. Showers are likely over San Diego, Orange, and western Riverside counties. Dry, warm or hot offshore flow is indicated for the 15th to 17th. From the 19th to 21st, a cutoff low may cause a local Santa Ana condition in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties. From the 22nd to the 25th, a deep trough appears ready to develop that will bring another late-season rain to southern California.

April 26 to May 9… The sea surface temperature anomaly pattern (SSTAs) will continue to be cold near the coast of California, especially northern California, through the first 10 days of May. Thereafter, we will begin a slow transition from the cold regime to a predominantly warm one. Therefore, for this period, troughs that develop and move into California from the west will have less rain associated with them but will still have potential to produce a frosty morning or two. With the usual seasonal trend, freeze events will become less frequent. Rainfall in northern California should still remain above normal while southern California returns to subnormal rainfall.

April 26 to May 9...Southern California Avocado Region... We start this period with above normal rainfall and perhaps even a freeze or two in Ramona around May 1 or 2. Then it looks to be warm and dry from the 2nd to the 9th.

Seasonal Outlook/La Niña Update... (May 15 to July 31) … Support continues in the sea surface temperature field for a westerly storm track across the mid North Pacific from the Aleutians to Oregon-Washington, and above normal rainfall in the Pacific Northwest. However, for NORCAL, the scenario will support warmer conditions, with some warm and dry periods developing, as is normal for May.

We will begin a regime change in the short-term climate from a strong La Niña pattern to an El Niño as we start the summer. However, the entire east Pacific will transition to become near or modestly warmer than normal. After a warm spell in mid May, we look for a return of yet more rains around May 18 to 27.

We continue to see indication of above normal sea surface temperatures off southern Mexico developing in May and continuing through August. August especially appears to be an active month for tropical cyclones in the eastern north Pacific off the coast of Mexico. This tends to set up a pattern of persistent or recurrent monsoonal southeast flow with thunderstorms into California mountain areas. This scenario may contribute to an above normal risk of forest fires this summer.

Southern California Avocado Region... (May 15 - July 31) We will make the transition to a warmer than normal pattern in response to the expected changes in the sea surface temperature anomaly pattern west of California. We could see an early and robust start to the hurricane season to the southeast of Baja with even some early season robust monsoonal bursts northwestward up along the Gulf of California and into southern and central

...Alan Fox, Fox Weather LLC...

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