OF August September 2020 e

August/September 2020 

Farming for the Common Good 

Return of Hemp Research 

Soilborne Disease in 

Organic Strawberries 

Managing Resistance 

in Biopesticides 

September 17-18, 2020 

See more info on pages 24-25 

PUBLICATION 

Volume 3 : Issue 4 

(Photo courtesy J. Mitchell, UCCE.)

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2 Organic Farmer August/September 2020

16 

26 

IN THIS ISSUE 

8 

Integrated Soilborne Disease 

8 

4 The Return of Hemp Research 

20 

Management in Organic 

Strawberries 

Managing Arthropod 

Resistance to Biopesticides 

Creative Strategies for 

Staying Afloat During 

COVID-19 Pandemic 

Urban Farmers Find Unique 

Ways to Remain Profitable 

PUBLISHER: Jason Scott 

Email: jason@jcsmarketinginc.com 

EDITOR: Marni Katz 

ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Cecilia Parsons 

Email: article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

PRODUCTION: design@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Phone: 559.352.4456 

Fax: 559.472.3113 

Web: www.organicfarmingmag.com 

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS 

& INDUSTRY SUPPORT 

Danita Cahill 

Contributing Writer 

Stacie Clary 

Western Sustainable 

Agriculture Research 

and Education (SARE) 

Kathy Coatney 

Contributing Writer 

Surendra K. Dara 

UCCE Entomology and 

Biologicals Advisor 

Neal Kinsey 

Kinsey Agricultural 

Services 

Sarah Light 

UCCE Agronomy Farm 

Advisor 

Jeff Mitchell 

UCCE Cropping 

Systems Specialist 

Joji Muramoto 

Assistant UCCE 

Organic Production 

Specialist 

Anil Shrestha 

Viticulture and Enology 

Department Chair, 

CSU Fresno 

Jeannette Warnert 

Communications 

Specialist, UC ANR 

Communications 

Specialist 

30 

32 

36 

40 

Protecting Bees in Hemp 

Production 

Pollinating Orchards and 

Berries with Mason Bees 

Improving Farming Systems for 

the Common Good 

The Role of Magnesium in 

Improving Crops and Yields 

20 UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION 

ADVISORY BOARD 

36 

Surendra Dara 

UCCE Entomology and 

Biologicals Advisor, San Luis 

Obispo and Santa Barbara 

Counties 

Kevin Day 

County Director/UCCE 

Pomology Farm Advisor, 

Tulare/Kings Counties 

Elizabeth Fichtner 

UCCE Farm Advisor, 

Tulare County 

Katherine Jarvis-Sheen 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Kern County 

Steven Koike 

Tri-Cal Diagnostics 

Jhalendra Rijal 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Stanislaus County 

Kris Tollerup 

UCCE Integrated Pest 

Management Advisor, 

Parlier 

Mohammad Yaghmour 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Kern County 

The articles, research, industry updates, 

company profiles, and advertisements in this 

publication are the professional opinions of 

writers and advertisers. Organic Farmer does 

not assume any responsibility for the opinions 

given in the publication. 

August/September 2020 www.organicfarmermag.com 3

THE RETURN OF 

HEMP 

RESEARCH 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

Although CBD oil is the prize 

most hemp growers currently 

have their eye on, there are an 

estimated 25,000 uses for hemp – from 

building materials and biodegradable 

plastics, to rope, sail cloth, cosmetics, 

clothing and paper. Hemp has been 

around for centuries. President George 

Washington grew utility hemp on his 

farm; the rough draft of the Declaration 

of Independence is rumored to be written 

on paper made from hemp. 

In the U.S., hemp was a growing 

concern during the 19th and into the 

mid-20th century. In 1970, hemp was 

outlawed, and shortly afterward most 

of the hemp research work done by US 

universities was destroyed. With the 

passing of the 2018 farm bill, hemp was 

once again legalized at the federal level, 

so western universities such as UC 

Davis and Oregon State University have 

again formed hemp research programs. 

Soon there will be a vast network of 

land lab research results available to 

assist farmers in hemp cultivation. 

OSU Research 

OSU had a hemp research center from 

the 1880s until the 1930s, back when 

the university was Oregon Agricultural 

College. After shuttering the program 

for decades, a new hemp research 

department, The Global Hemp Innovation 

Center, has reorganized. The program 

has 10 research sites around the 

state, and partners with four research 

centers in Asia and Europe with similar 

climates. 

OSU has also launched seed certification 

services for hemp. The certified 

seed is planted by farmers registered 

with the state. OSU is the only university 

in the nation to certify hemp seed. 

Currently in Colorado, North Dakota 

and Tennessee, only state departments 

of agriculture certify hemp seed for use 

in each of those individual states. 

Oregon’s location on the 45th parallel 

makes for ideal hemp-growing conditions. 

Hemp production is rapidly 

expanding in the state. In 2018, there 

were approximately 7,000 acres planted 

in hemp. In 2019 that number grew to 

approximately 50,000 acres, edging 

out Montana and Colorado. Estimates 

put Oregon in first place in US hemp 

production. Oregon CBD growers are 

aiming for 500,000 acres of seed sales 

by 2021—a $1 billion yield. 

But California is closing the gap. With 

labor and growing costs continuing to 

rise in the state, many California farmers 

are turning to hemp as a go-to crop. 

And the race to be the leading state in 

hemp production is on. 

UC Davis Research 

The California Hemp Corporation, 

located in Oakdale and formed by Jeff 

McPhee and Kent Kushar, has partnered 

with UC Davis to study hemp 

growth in the California Central 

Valley. The team wants to help turn the 

Central Valley into the hemp capital 

of the country. McPhee predicts hemp 

production will “change California.” 

Director of the Plant Breeding Center, 

Professor Charlie Brummer is leading 

the research project at UC Davis, which 

was launched in 2019. Dan Putnam is 

the head of field testing. The project, 

which is breaking new and significant 

ground in the UC system, aims to 

gather data to help farmers successfully 

grow hemp in the California Central 

Valley. The intention is to create a significant 

hemp breeding program, “for 

what may be the most important crop 

in a generation,” Brummer said on the 

research website. 

Continued on Page 6 


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Continued from Page 4 

Associate Professor Li Tian, Co-Director 

of the UC Davis Cannabis and 

Hemp Research Center, was appointed 

to the position in January 2020. She 

is looking forward to diving into the 

brand-new research, and being part 

of the role the university can play in 

assisting the industry. Tian’s research 

focuses on how natural chemicals with 

benefits for human health, phytonutrients, 

are created and controlled within 

plants. 

About hemp, Tian said, “This is such a 

new industry in California and nationally, 

so it’s really exciting to apply our 

expertise to studying this crop.” 

Tian has been reaching out to the other 

UC campuses with shared research 

interests. The university system is 

looking at how air temperature and 

other growing conditions affect crop 

yield. Researchers are also looking into 

the regulation of hemp production, 

the agronomy, and the environmental 

impact. 

“We still need a lot of research,” Tian 

said. 

COVID-19 has somewhat affected the 

program. Tian said when Governor 

Newsom’s stay-at-home order came, the 

university team couldn’t entirely stop 

their research and risk losing all that 

work. But the researchers did reduce 

their activity, along with the scale and 

intensity, strictly following the state, local 

and university guidelines, she said. 

Plants to Products 

Another new research program 

through the Department of Plant 

Sciences at UC Davis is Cannabis and 

Hemp –Plants to Products. The program 

is led by Professor Gail Taylor. 

Researchers are looking into the potential 

of hemp and cannabis. 

“We are focused on molecular and traditional 

approaches to genotyping, phenotyping, 

pre-breeding and breeding 

for bespoke chemical signatures that 

may be of value to the pharmaceutical 

and other industries,” the team states 

on their website. “We have expertise to 

address the environmental impact of 

cannabis and hemp cultivation, particularly 

water, pest, pathogen and greenhouse 

gas impacts, and can offer advice 

on minimizing these environmental 

footprints.” 

The team is open to inquiries from outside 

agencies who wish to partner with 

them. One such partner is Biopharmaceutical 

Research Company. 

“It’s really in its infancy,” Biopharmaceutical 

Research Company CEO 

George Hodgin said of the cannabis 

industry. “Crops like apples and strawberries 

and bananas have such a long 

history of research.” 

Hodgin said the main thrust of their 

research business is providing federally 

legal cannabis to federally approved 

researchers, both for university and 

medical research. Cannabis regulatory 

requirements are often challenging 

hoops to jump through, so Hodgin’s 

business model 

assists with that. 

must be destroyed. Biopharmaceutical 

Research Company provides DEA and 

USDA compliant hemp processing services 

to California hemp growers. 

Even if California doesn’t bump 

Oregon out of the number one spot 

in hemp-acreage production, hemp 

grown in hot and dry weather regions 

like SoCal does tend to produce higher 

levels of CBD. 

CBD levels were down in the Pacific 

Northwest and other areas around the 

country in 2019 crops, according to 

James Knox, owner of KLR Farms. KLR 

is a multi-state business, headquartered 

in Albany, Ore. Knox’s operation grows 

hybridized and feminized hemp seed 

and ships worldwide. There was a 24-35 

percent depreciation in CBD content 

last year in most regions, Knox said. 

However, CBD levels in SoCal grown 

hemp crops were up. 

Hemp Co-ops 

Growers’ programs for hemp farmers 

are also cropping up. In 2019, a team of 

experienced researchers, growers and 

business professionals formed the Imperial 

Valley Hemp and CBD Program 

(IV Hemp) to facilitate the success of 

hemp growers in SoCal and surrounding 

areas. 

IV Hemp is a co-op designed to help 

farmers successfully grow, harvest 

and sell hemp “from seed to sale.” The 

grower’s program offers special seed 

prices to farmers who grow through 

the program. Among other benefits is a 

partnership with a CBD oil extraction 

facility in the Imperial Valley and help 

with biomass transport, if needed. 

Researchers are excited about applying their expertise to a new and 

growing crop sector. 

California hemp 

growers are 

required to have 

a DEA-licensed 

laboratory test 

their product 

two weeks 

before harvest 

to make sure 

CBD levels are 

low enough. If 

the levels are too 

high, the crop 

Even though cannabis research is 

once again new, hemp production isn’t 

waiting – it continues to expand. An 

analytics firm called the Brightfield 

Group is tracking the cannabis industry. 

According to their data, the CBD 

market is expected to grow from $618 

million in 2018 to $22 billion by 2022. 

Comments about this article? We want 

to hear from you. Feel free to email us at 

article@jcsmarketinginc.com 


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INTEGRATED SOILBORNE DISEASE MANAGEMENT IN 

ORGANIC STRAWBERRIES 

By JOJI MURAMOTO | Assistant UCCE Organic Production Specialist 

Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, UC Santa Cruz 

Charcoal rot caused by Macrophomina phaseolina is one of two soilborne diseases that emerged in strawberries in the late 2000s (all photos by J. 

Muramoto, UC Santa Cruz.) 

Soilborne diseases can cause devastating 

damage to strawberries. 

Most soilborne pathogens are 

lethal to this crop; fungal pathogens in 

the soil infect plants via roots and can 

impact the ability of the plant to uptake 

nutrients and water, causing a wilt 

symptom in leaves and stems in the early- 

to mid-harvest period. Fruit yield of 

infected plants is severely reduced, and 

the plants often die off eventually. Other 

soilborne pathogens, known as “root 

nibblers,” do not kill plants, but stunt 

them and likewise reduce fruit yield. 

Soilborne disease management in organic 

strawberry production is a challenge. 

Unlike conventional strawberry 

production, no fumigants are available, 

tools are limited and soilborne pathogens 

are spreading, especially in California. 

However, recent studies provide 

some potential approaches and hints 

for developing agroecological management 

strategies. 

Described in this article are three lethal 

soilborne pathogens commonly found 

in strawberry production in California. 

Then four approaches to managing 

these pathogens in organic strawberry 

systems are discussed. 

Know Your Enemies 

Table 1 shows three common lethal 

soilborne diseases and the responsible 

pathogens in California strawberries. 

Verticillium wilt caused by Verticillium 

dahliae is a classic soilborne disease 

in strawberries. The disease was first 

reported in 1932 in California strawberries 

and was the most widespread 

soilborne disease in the state until 

recently. Methyl bromide + chloropicrin 

chemical fumigation was developed 

to control this disease in the 1950s. 

In the late 2000s, however, two other 

soilborne diseases emerged: Fusarium 

wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum 

f. sp. fragariae (F.o.f.) and charcoal rot 

caused by Macrophomina phaseolina. 

These pathogens were first reported in 

the southern production region and are 

now spread across the entire state, becoming 

a larger threat to the California 

strawberry industry. 

These three pathogens have different 

characteristics (Table 1). First, the plant 

hosts differ between the three fungi; V. 

dahliae is known to infect more than 

400 plant species, including 100 weed 

species, whereas F.o.f. and M. phaseolina 

(Koike et al., 2016) only infect strawberries. 

Second, the soil survival period 

varies; V. dahliae can survive in the soil 

without a host plant for an extended period 

(8-10 years) compared to F.o.f. and 

M. phaseolina (< 3 years.) Third, F.o.f. 

and M. phaseolina can survive in soil as 

saprophytes, meaning that these pathogens 

can feed not only on living plants 

but also can colonize dead organic 

matter such as crop residues and some 

organic amendments (e.g., rice bran, 

almond shell.) In contrast, V. dahliae 

does not have the ability to persist in 

soil as a saprophyte. 

Understanding the characteristics of 

pathogens, the enemies, is crucial for 

developing a soilborne disease management 

strategy in organic strawberry 

production, as discussed below. 

Diagnosing the Pathogen 

If there are any symptomatic plants 

in your organic strawberry field, the 

first step in disease management is to 

determine the primary cause of symptomatic 

plants. Since each pathogen has 

different characteristics as mentioned 

above, it is vital to identify the specific 

pathogen(s) causing the wilt symptom. 

Unfortunately, wilt symptoms caused 

by these three soilborne pathogens are 

almost identical, and confirmation by 

visual observation is impossible even 

with the eyes of well-trained plant 

pathologists (see Figure 1). Fortunately, 

recent developments in molecular approaches 

are making rapid and accurate 

determination of plant pathogens 

a reality. 


Disease Pathogen Host plant Survival in soil 

without a host 

Verticillium wilt 

(1932)* 

Fusarium wilt 

(2009) 

Charcoal rot 

(2008) 

Verticillium 

dahliae 

Fusarium 

oxysporum f. sp. 

fragariae 

Macrophomina 

phaseolina 

Saprophytic 

>400 species incl. 

>100 weed species 

8-10 years No 

Strawberry only


test is available and no threshold has 

been set. Active research is in progress 

in creating rapid and effective soil tests 

for these and other soilborne pathogens. 

Organic Management Practices 

Once the pathogen is identified, the 

next step is to develop an appropriate 

management strategy. Described here 

are four organically acceptable practices 

that can be implemented to mitigate 

soilborne diseases: crop rotation, 

anaerobic soil disinfestation, the use of 

varieties resistant to these diseases and 

sanitation practices. 

Figure 1. Strawberry plants with a. Verticillium wilt, b. Fusarium wilt, and c. charcoal 

rot. These symptoms are very similar to each other and are difficult to diagnose 

visually. 

Crop rotation: Crop rotation is a traditional 

method used worldwide to avoid 

soilborne diseases in strawberries and 

other crops. By planting different crops 

sequentially in a field, the temporal 

crop diversity, rather than spatial crop 

diversity, of the field is increased. Since 

each crop encourages the growth of 

specific soilborne pathogens and microorganisms 

in the rhizosphere, this 

practice enhances diversity in the soil 

microbial community and reduces the 

populations of plant-specific soilborne 

pathogens. In the organic systems in 

the U.S., crop rotation is mandatory 

under the National Organic Program. 

In the E.U., Northeast U.S. and 

Canada, a minimum of a three-year 

break between two strawberry plantings 

on the same field is recommended. 

In California organic strawberries, 

back in the 1990s, crop rotation with at 

least a three-year break between each 

strawberry planting was the only approach 

used to avoid soilborne diseases. 

This strategy works best for soilborne 

pathogens that only infect strawberries 

(e.g., F.o.f. and M. phaseolina.) Anecdotal 

evidence indicates that at least a 

two-year break is necessary to avoid or 

reduce Fusarium wilt in strawberries 

on the central coast of California. 

However, the long break period itself 

is not enough to suppress soilborne 

pathogens hosted by multiple plants. 

V. dahliae is the prime example of this 

challenge. For managing this pathogen, 

avoiding non-strawberry host plants 

during the break period is essential. Table 

2, see page 12 provides examples of 

host and non-host crops of V. dahliae, 

which highlights some major vegetable 

crops in California that are hosts of 

this pathogen. Further, about 100 weed 

species, including shepherd’s purse, 

dandelion, groundsel, nightshade and 

pigweed, also host this pathogen and 

make weed management an integral 

part of the soilborne disease strategy. 

The good news is that studies found 

some crops actually suppress these 

pathogens. The effect of broccoli residue 

incorporation on suppressing V. 

dahliae in the soil is well-documented 

(Subbarao et al., 2007). After harvesting 

heads, leaves and stems are flail mowed 

and incorporated into the soil; breakdown 

of the broccoli residue results in a 

lowering of V. dahliae soil populations. 

This is a long-term strategy, and two or 

more broccoli crops may be necessary 

to start reducing the V. dahliae population 

in a highly infested field. 

Soilborne disease present unique challenges in organic strawberry production, where no 

fumigants are available, tools are limited, and soilborne pathogens are spreading, especially in 

California. 

Preliminary studies by two independent 

labs showed that a specific variety 

of wheat appears to suppress M. 

phaseolina in the soil. A greenhouse 

study demonstrated that when strawberries 

were planted after growing 

different wheat varieties in soil infested 

with M. phaseolina, the variety Summit 

515 was the most effective in suppressing 

this pathogen (Ivors, 2015). The 

practice is being used by some commercial 

growers and observationally 



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Host crops: 

caneberry (raspberry, blackberry), blueberry, artichoke, cucumber, watermelon, pumpkin, mint, eggplant, 

lettuce, pepper, potato, spinach, tomato 

Non-host crops: 

broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, celery, parsley, radicchio, onion, garlic, bean, pea, carrot, sweet potato, 

asparagus 

Table 2. Host crops and non-host crops of Verticillium dahliae 


seems to have an effect. 

Recent studies from Asian countries 

demonstrated that Allium crops such 

as leeks and onions were effective in 

suppressing Fusarium oxysporum in 

spinach (Igarashi et al., 2017) and bananas 

(Huang et al., 2012). The biological 

mechanism of this suppression was 

also elucidated (Nishioka et al., 2019). 

A preliminary field trial in California 

is in progress to examine the effect of 

this approach in suppressing F.o.f. in 

strawberries. 

Anaerobic soil disinfestation: Another 

tool for organic strawberry growers is 

a practice called anaerobic soil disinfestation 

(ASD.) ASD as a biological alternative 

to fumigation was developed 

independently in both the Netherlands 

and Japan around the year 2000. ASD 

creates the acid fermentation process 

in anaerobic soil in which toxic organic 

acids, volatiles and Fe 2+ ions are 

produced, and microbial community 

shifts subsequently take place. This 

biologically mediated process suppresses 

a range of pathogens and nematodes 

in the soil. Over the last 15 years, ASD 

was examined extensively in California 

strawberry systems and proved to 

be effective in suppressing a range of 

soilborne pathogens. Today, over 1500 

acres of organic berry fields in California 

are treated by ASD. 


Figure 2. Process of anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD): a) broadcast rice bran at a rate of 6 to 

9 tons/acre to feed indigenous soil microbes. b) Incorporate rice bran into the soil. c) List beds. 

d) Lay drip tapes and cover beds with plastic mulch as soon as the incorporation is completed. 

e) Saturate and then maintain field capacity soil moisture for three weeks. f) Monitor soil redox 

potential (Eh mV) and apply additional water when the soil is getting aerobic. 

Understanding 

the characteristics 

of pathogens, 

the enemies, 

is crucial 

for developing 

a soilborne 

disease management 

strategy 

in organic 

strawberry 

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The standard ASD process involves multiple steps (Figure 

2, see page 12). During the ASD treatment, a total 

of approximately 1.5 acre-inches of water is applied via 

drip irrigation. After the treatment, planting holes are 

cut, and transplants are planted after one week. Both the 

level of anaerobic conditions (the stronger, the better) and 

soil temperatures (the warmer, the better) are keys for a 

successful ASD. 

The three lethal soilborne pathogens each respond differently 

to ASD. In coastal California, ASD can suppress V. 

dahliae well under typical fall temperatures (Shennan et 

al., 2018). For F.o.f., however, ASD must be done in summer 

using clear plastic mulch. Using this approach, a study 

found a threshold of >460 hours above 86 °F at eight-inch 

soil depth is needed to suppress this pathogen on the central 

coast of California (Muramoto et al., 2020). 

ASD should never be applied in the fall in coastal California 

to fields with a known history of Fusarium wilt. This 

saprophytic pathogen can grow on rice bran and result in 

increased populations under a lower soil temperature. This 

often results in higher levels of Fusarium wilt (see Figure 3). 

Results on the effect of ASD on M. phaseolina are mixed so 

far, and more research is needed. 

Charcoal rot can resemble other related soil-borne diseases, which can 

be difficult to distinguish and diagnose. 

critically important to avoid spreading soilborne pathogens. 

Sanitation and prevention are the key tools in soilborne 

disease management in organic strawberry production. 

Resistant varieties: The use of resistant varieties can be the 

easiest and most reliable approach for a specific soilborne 

disease. Information on the level of soilborne disease 

resistance of the UC varieties is available at the California 

Strawberry Commission’s website calstrawberry.com/en-us/ 

Pest-Management/Breeding. Note that there is no single 

variety that is resistant to all three soilborne pathogens. 

Also, currently there is a lack of a M. phaseolina resistant 

variety and a public variety with both excellent flavor and 

Fusarium wilt or charcoal rot resistance. 

Sanitation practices: Basic sanitation practices such as 

washing soil off from tractors, equipment and tools are also 

Figure 3. Anaerobic soil disinfestation (ASD) field trial at a Fusarium wilt infested site 

in Watsonville, Calif. Left to right, untreated check, summer clear-mulched ASD, and fall 

ASD. Summer ASD suppressed Fusarium wilt but fall ASD made the disease worse. 

Integrated Disease Management 

Soilborne disease management in organic strawberries 

requires an integrated approach. Based on the level and 

type of pathogens identified, or from the disease history of 

the site, a grower needs to develop an appropriate soilborne 

disease management strategy for the site by integrating 

available practices such as crop rotation, ASD and use of a 

resistant variety as well as basic sanitation of machines and 

tools to prevent the spread of soilborne pathogens from one 

field to another. 

Well-designed crop rotation is the foundation of soilborne 

disease management in organic strawberry production. Diversified 

organic growers who grow strawberries as a core 

crop among many other crops may want to 

design their crop rotation around strawberries, 

one of the most soilborne disease-prone 

and lucrative crops. Specialized organic 

strawberry growers might not be able to control 

the crop rotation by themselves, but it 

is worth communicating with the vegetable 

grower with whom they rotate the field. 

ASD is a useful tool when there is no choice 

but to plant strawberries after a Verticillium 

host crop such as lettuce. A resistant variety 

can be chosen as needed when it is acceptable 

for your market. 

Tools for soilborne disease management in 



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organic strawberries are still limited. 

Interactions between a crop plant and 

its microbiome, including pathogens 

and beneficial microbes, need to be 

better understood, and differences in 

microbiomes between varying crops 

need to be discovered. Armed with 

such science-based information, improved 

suppressive crop rotations may 

be able to be developed as well as ways 

to use microbial amendments more 

effectively. This soilborne disease management 

approach is knowledge-intensive 

and location-specific, which is in 

contrast with fumigation practices that 

are characterized by chemical-intensive 

and location-general approaches. 

Acknowledgements: The author would 

like to thank valuable comments from 

Steve Koike, Kelly Ivors, Mark Bolda 

and Erin Foley to the previous version 

of the manuscript. 

References: 

California Strawberry Commission. 2020. 

University of California Strawberry Varieties’ 

Resistance. www.calstrawberry.com/en-us/ 

Pest-Management/Breeding (accessed on 

5/02/2020). 

Huang, Y.H., Wang, R.C., Li, C.H., Zuo, C.W., 

Wei, Y.R., Zhang, L., Yi, G.J., 2012. Control of 

Fusarium wilt in banana with Chinese leek. 

Euro. J. Plant Pathology 134, 87-95. 

Ivors, K. 2015. Suppression of Macrophomina 

with wheat? Presentation at UCCE Ventura 

County. Available at: ceventura.ucanr.edu/ 

files/239434.pdf (accessed on 5/02/2020). 

Igarashi, C., Asano, Y., Nishioka, T., Suga, 

H., Hyakumachi, M., Shimizu, M., 2017. 

Suppression of spinach Fusarium wilt by 

intercropping with Allium plants. Japanese J. 

of Phytopathology 83, 87-94. 

Koike, S. T., Arias, R. S., Hogan, C. S., Martin, 

F. N., and Gordon, T. R. 2016. Status of Macrophomina 

phaseolina on strawberry in California 

and preliminary characterization of 

the pathogen. Int. J. of Fruit Sci. 16: 148-159. 

Muramoto, J., Shennan, C., Mazzola, M., 

Wood, T., Miethke, E., Resultay, E., Zavatta, 

M., Koike, S.T., 2020. Use of a summer cover 

crop as a partial carbon source for anaerobic 

soil disinfestation in coastal California. Acta 

Hort. 1270, 37-44. 

Nishioka, T., Marian, M., Kobayashi, I., 

Kobayashi, Y., Yamamoto, K., Tamaki, H., 

Suga, H., Shimizu, M., 2019. Microbial basis 

of Fusarium wilt suppression by Allium cultivation. 

Scientific Reports 9, 1715. 

Shennan, C., Muramoto, J., Koike, S., Baird, 

G., Fennimore, S., Samtani, J., Bolda, M., 

Dara, S., Daugovish, O., Lazarovits, G., Butler, 

D., Rosskopf, E., Kokalis-Burelle, N., Klonsky, 

K., Mazzola, M., 2018. Anaerobic soil disinfestation 

is an alternative to soil fumigation 

for control of some soilborne pathogens in 

strawberry production. Plant Pathology 67, 

51-66. 

Subbarao, K.V., Kabir, Z., Martin, F.N., Koike, 

S.T., 2007. Management of soilborne diseases 

in strawberry using vegetable rotations. Plant 

Dis. 91, 964-972. 




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ARTHROPOD 

RESISTANCE TO 

BIOPESTICIDES 

LIMITED ORGANIC PESTICIDE OPTIONS 

MAKES RESISTANCE MANAGEMENT EVEN 

MORE IMPORTANT 

Figure 1. Different resistance mechanisms associated with insecticide use (figure by S. Dara.) 

By SURENDRA K. DARA | Entomology and Biologicals Advisor UCCE, San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara Counties 

Managing arthropod pests with 

pesticides is a common practice 

in crop production. Managing 

arthropod resistance to pesticides is 

an important part of integrated pest 

management (IPM.) Under natural 

circumstances, plants, insects, mites, 

natural enemies and beneficial or harmful 

microorganisms continuously coevolve 

and adapt to the changes in their 

environment. When there is a higher 

selection pressure, such as the indiscriminate 

use of pesticides, mutations 

in arthropods enable them to resist the 

pesticide and increase their chances of 

survival. Since there are fewer pesticides 

for organic crop production, there 

is a higher chance of their repeated use 

and increased risk of resistance development. 

Arthropods, such as insects and mites, 

develop resistance to chemical pesticides 

through genetic, metabolic, or 

behavioral changes resulting in reduced 

penetration of toxin, increased sequestration 

or excretion, reduced binding 

to the target site, altered target site 

that prevents binding of the toxin, or 

reduced exposure to the toxin through 

modified behavior. Through one or 

more of these mechanisms, arthropods 

can also develop resistance to biopesticides. 

When the active ingredient of 

a biopesticide is a toxic molecule and 

acts more like a chemical compound, 

arthropods are more likely to develop 

resistance even though it is of biological 

origin. When the mode of action is due 

to infection by a microorganism, rather 

than a toxin, arthropods are less likely 

to develop resistance. 

Botanical Pesticide Resistance 

Botanical insecticide pyrethrum, extracted 

from the flowers of Chrysanthemum 

cinerariaefolium and C. cineum, 

contains insecticidal esters known as 

the pyrethrins. Pyrethrins are nerve 

poisons that disrupt the sodium 

channels in neurotransmission and are 

commonly used for controlling pests in 

agricultural, structural and public and 

animal health sectors. Arthropod resistance 

to pyrethrins and their synthetic 

analogs, pyrethroids, is very common 

and has been reported for several decades. 

Insect mutations that reduce the 

penetration of the toxin through the 

cuticle, reduce its binding to the target 

site, or alter the properties of the sodium 

channels, and other mechanisms 

impart pyrethrin resistance. 

Another botanical insecticidal compound, 

azadirachtin, is a tetranortriterpenoid 

limonoid from neem (Azadirachta 

indica) seeds, which acts as an 

insecticide, antifeedant, repellent and 

insect growth regulator. While neem 

oil, which has a lower concentration 

of azadirachtin, has been used in the 

United States as a fungicide, acaricide 

and insecticide for a long time, several 

azadirachtin formulations in powder 

and liquid forms have become popular 

in recent years. While there was a 

report of artificially induced resistance 

to azadirachtin in the green peach 

aphid, several studies demonstrated the 

efficacy of azadirachtin against various 

pests and recommended it as an option 

in IPM and for managing resistance to 

other pesticides. Azadirachtin is also 

thought to reduce the production of detoxification 

enzymes and known to improve 

the efficacy of other biopesticides. 

While arthropod resistance to botanical 

pesticides other than pyrethrins is 

not commonly reported, it is known 

that plant allelochemicals (e.g. alkaloids, 

phenolics, terpenoids, etc.) can 

contribute to cross-resistance to certain 

chemical pesticides. It is important to 

monitor potential risk of resistance 

development and cross-resistance when 

botanical pesticides are used. 

Bacterial Biopesticide Resistance 

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a 

gram-positive soil bacterium, which 

contains crystalline toxic protein that 

is activated upon ingestion by an insect 

host, binds to the receptor sites in the 

midgut, and eventually causes insect 

death. Bt pesticides are used against 

a variety of lepidopteran (Bt subsp. 

aizawai and Bt subsp. kurstaki), dipteran 

(Bt subsp. israelensis and Bt subsp. 

sphaericus) and coleopteran (Bt subsp. 

tenebrionis) pests and are very popular 

in organic farming. Since the mode of 

action involves toxins rather than the 

bacterial infection alone, resistance to 

Bt pesticides or transgenic crops that 

contain Bt toxins is also very common. 

Some examples of resistant insects to 

Bt include the beet armyworm, the 

cabbage looper, the corn earworm, the 



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Colorado potato beetle and the diamondback 

moth. Mutations in insects 

that regulate the immune system or 

interfere with the activation of Bt toxins 

and their binding to the target site 

led to insect resistance. 

Spinosad is a mixture of macrocyclic 

lactones, spinosyns A and spinosyns 

D, derived from Saccharopolyspora 

spinosa, an actinomycete gram-positive 

bacterium, and is used against 

dipteran, hymenopteran, lepidopteran, 

thysanopteran, and other pests. 

Although naturally derived, some 

spinosad products are not registered 

as biopesticides. Insect resistance to 

spinosad later led to the development 

of spinetoram, which is a mixture of 

chemically modified spinosyns J and 

L. Both spinosad and spinetoram are 

contact and stomach poisons and act 

on insect nervous system by continuous 

activation of nicotinic acetylcholine 

receptors. The American serpentine 

“IPM RECOMMENDS 

THE USE OF HOST 

PLANT RESISTANCE, 

BIOLOGICAL CONTROL, 

CULTURAL CONTROL 

AND OTHER 

MANAGEMENT 

OPTIONS BEFORE 

USING PESTICIDE 

APPLICATIONS." 

leafminer, the beet armyworm, the 

diamondback moth, the tomato borer, 

the onion thrips, and the western flower 

thrips are some insects with spinosad 

resistance. Production of detoxifying 

enzymes (metabolic resistance) and 

changes in the target site are the most 

common mechanisms of spinosad 

resistance in insects. Cross-resistance 

between spinosad and some chemical 

insecticides has also occurred in some 

insects. 

Viral Biopesticide Resistance 

Baculovirus infections in Lepidoptera 

have been known for centuries, especially 

in silkworms. Currently, there 

are several commercial formulations 

of nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPV) and 

granuloviruses (GV). When virus 

particles are ingested by the insect 

host, usually a lepidopteran insect, they 

invade the nuclei of midgut, fatbody, or 

other tissue cells and kill the host. Baculoviruses 

are generally very specific 

to their host insect species and can be 

very effective in bringing down the pest 

populations. However, variations in the 

susceptibility of certain insect populations 

and development of resistance 

to viruses has occurred in several host 

species. Mutations in one or more 

genes with complex mechanisms are 

involved in insect resistance to viruses. 

Fungal Biopesticide Resistance 

There are several fungi that infect 

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insects and mites. The fungal infection 

starts when fungal spores come in 

contact with an arthropod host. First, 

they germinate and gain entry into the 

body by breaching through the cuticle. 

Fungus later multiplies, invades the 

host tissues, kills the host and emerges 

from the cadaver to produce more 

spores. Entomophthoralean fungi 

such as Entomophthora spp., Pandora 

spp., and Neozygites spp. can be very 

effective in pest management through 

natural epizootics, but cannot be 

cultured in vitro for commercial-scale 

production. Hypocrealean fungi such 

as Beauveria bassiana, Isarea fumosorosea, 

Metarhizium brunneum and 

Verticillium lecanii, on the other hand, 

can be mass-produced in vitro and are 

commercially available. These fungi are 

comparable to broad-spectrum insecticides 

and are pathogenic to a variety 

of soil, foliar and fruit pests of several 

major orders. Since botanical, bacterial 

and viral biopesticides have insecticidal 

metabolites, proteins, or viral particles 

that have specific target sites and modes 

of action, insects have a higher chance 

of developing resistance through one or 

more mechanisms. Although fungi also 

have insecticidal proteins such as beauvericin 

in B. bassiana and C. fumosorosea 

and dextruxin in Metarhizium spp. 

their mode of action is more through 

fungal infection and multiplication, 

and arthropods are less prone to developing 

resistance to entomopathogenic 

fungi. However, insects can develop 

resistance to entomopathogenic fungi 

through increased melanism, phenoloxidase 

activity, protease inhibitor production 

and antimicrobial and antifungal 

peptide production. It also appears 

that the production of detoxification 

enzymes in insects against fungal 

infections can also impart resistance to 

chemical pesticides. 

These examples show that insects can 

develop resistance to biopesticides in a 

manner somewhat similar to chemical 

pesticides, but due to the typically more 

complex and multiple modes of action, 

at a significantly lesser rate depending 

on the kind of botanical compound or 

microorganism involved. Resistance to 

entomopathogenic fungi is less common 

than with other entomopathogens. 

The risk of biopesticide resistance is 

much higher in organic farming because 

of the widespread use and limited 

biopesticide choices. Avoiding the 

repeated use of biopesticides reduces 

the risk of resistance development and 

can reverse the resistance mechanism 

in some cases. IPM recommends the 

use of host plant resistance, biological 

control, cultural control and other 

management options before using 

pesticide applications. When pesticides 

(both biological and synthetic) are to 

be considered, using them only when 

needed, applying at recommended rates 

and alternating/rotating with other 

modes of action can reduce the selection 

pressure on arthropod populations 

and resulting mutations. 





CREATIVE STRATEGIES 

DURING COVID-19 

PANDEMIC 

ORGANIC GROWERS STAY NIMBLE TO 

FIND WAYS TO STAY AFLOAT. 

By STACIE CLARY, Western Sustainable Agriculture Research 

and Education (SARE) 

Mike and Mindy Nolan said the shift in markets for Mountain 

Roots Produce has been an exhausting but rewarding transition 

(photo courtesy Mountain Roots Produce.) 

Farmers and ranchers in the West 

have confronted considerable 

challenges with the COVID-19 

pandemic. They have been dealing with 

rapidly changing markets, supply chain 

slowdowns and shortages. Strongly 

shifting consumer behaviors and dramatic 

drops in demand from restaurants 

and schools required them, as well 

as farmer organizations, to respond 

quickly and creatively. This has required 

a lot of hard work and long hours. 

Along with this hard work, producers 

still face uncertainty about the future. 

Western SARE conducted a survey of 

its stakeholders in April to get a better 

idea of the impacts of COVID-19 

on the food system. The survey also 

demonstrated strategies undertaken 

rapidly to adapt to new situations. A 

report based on the survey results was 

developed and can be found at westernsare.org/Learning-and-Resources/ 

Fact-Sheets/Responses-to-COVID- 

19-in-Western-Ag. Given the valuable 

information shared, Western SARE 

followed up with producers and farm 

organizations who shared their stories 

in more depth. 

Changing Markets 

Larry Bailey, owner of Clean Food 

Farm, was well-known at local farmers 

markets for providing organic blueberries 

and pastured eggs for consumption 

within a 100 mile radius of Pierce 

County, Wash. But when COVID-19 

hit, he had to quickly pivot from farmers 

market and wholesale restaurant 

sales to on-line direct-to-consumer 

sales. As a small farmer, finding on-line 

platforms to use was challenging. So, 

he created his own system and now is 

sold out of pastured eggs until September. 

The typical on-line ordering platforms 

have been designed for farmers and 

ranchers with approximately $1 million-plus 

per year in revenue and don’t 

provide discounts for small producers. 

Larry has 135 customers, enough for 

him, but not enough to effectively use 

and pay for these platforms. 

“I bootstrapped my system using a 

WordPress website to get me through 

this year. I have to add and track 

my product manually and use it for 

shipping. It does work and I’ve sold 

subscriptions two months in advance,” 

Bailey said. 

Bailey’s eggs are rated high due to having 

three times the typical vitamin E 

and four times the Omega-3s of regular 

eggs. As important as that is, Bailey 

markets on flavor, not food chemistry. 

With the change in how customers 

find Clean Food Farm and purchase its 

products, Bailey is finding new ways to 

connect with people about his values 

and the quality of his food. 

“I did my research and identified who 

my ideal customer is. She’s female, 

around 44 years old with children and 

a full-time career,” Bailey said. “This 

was important to learn as previously 

my customers knew me from the 

farmers market and I had no way to 

contact them. I’ve started a blog with 

a one-minute read and created a short 

video that addresses my ideal customers’ 

concerns. I’m being me and I’m 

connecting.” 

Like Clean Food Farm, Mountain 

Roots Produce in Southwest Colorado 

quickly changed its markets. Farmer 

Mike Nolan has been working hard to 

shift from wholesale markets to CSA 

boxes, change cropping plans and build 

new caterpillar tunnels. It’s all working 

for him, but it’s tough. 

“I’m as tired now as I should be in August,” 

said Nolan in late May. 

Farming in Southwest Colorado was 

already challenging with an ongoing 

drought, and the market channeling 

changes came close to “the straw that 

broke the camel’s back.” 

Before COVID-19 hit, Nolan had 

seven acres in production along with 

cover crops. He is now fallowing some 

acres, reducing production acres to 

3.5. Because he hadn’t yet planted due 

to snow, he was able to quickly change 

the farm’s cropping plans. The majority 

of the crop goes to CSA boxes, with 

wholesale picking up some as restaurants 

are slowly opening. The number 

of CSA subscriptions increased from 70 

to 150, with a waiting list. 

“The CSA program will let us make it 

through the summer,” Nolan said. “We 




have 2.5 acres of storage crops that will 


also let us get through until restaurants 

fully open and we get back to normal.” 

With the increase in CSA subscriptions, 

the farm’s high tunnel was “about to 

burst at the seams.” Nolan and his crew 

built two more caterpillar tunnels for 

cucumbers, peppers, and tomatoes. 

Supporting Farmers and Ranchers 

Making Connections. As a leading 

farmer organization in California, the 

Community Alliance with Family 

Farmers (CAFF) quickly changed how 

they assisted producers as they found 

their normal supply chains disrupted. 

According to CAFF’s Director of 

Membership and Communications, 

Evan Wiig, their Farm to Market team 

already had connections with both 

buyers and sellers. In March, they 

worked to get an idea of what the new 

needs were and to then use existing 

relationships to make connections. 

These efforts included making one-off 

connections, doing some matchmaking 

themselves, or sending distributors a 

list of farmers when asked. 

“This is the work we do on a regular 

basis, but now on steroids,” says Wiig. 

That was the first wave. A second wave 

hit in May with the increase in food 

box programs, specifically federal, state 

Larry Bailey, owner of Clean Food Farm, 

had to quickly pivot from farmers 

markets to wholesale restaurant sales 

to direct to consumer sales when COVID 

drove consumers indoors (photo courtesy 

L. Bailey.) 

and local emergency food boxes. These 

programs are purchasing product from 

small farmers and farmers from socially 

disadvantaged communities. 

CAFF has been working for years to get 

local foods included in disaster relief 

efforts. 

“There’s typically a disconnect, such 

as when local farms were hurting and 

trying to off-load product during the 

Santa Rosa fires but emergency relief 

programs were buying from large distributors,” 

Wiig said. 

Some COVID-19 emergency programs 

have panned out better than others, 

but overall, CAFF saw a huge demand. 

Suddenly the Farm to Market team was 

scrambling to meet the demand. 

“The team is working hard helping the 

farmers who need it the most,” Wiig 

said. 

Technical Assistance. The farm training 

and incubator organization for limited 

resource and aspiring organic farmers, 

Agriculture and Land-Based Training 

Association (ALBA), spent March trying 

to make sense of rapidly changing 

conditions, both for their programs 

and for their farmers, according to 

Education Program Director Nathan 

Harkleroad. As an essential service, 

staff was still coming on-site to help 

farmers with production, food safety, 

infrastructure and marketing. The staff 

shifted to meeting farmers outside, 

requiring masks and setting appointments 

rather than accepting drop-ins. 

Most challenging was changing ALBA’s 

training model. They had to very quickly 

move to online trainings using Zoom 

and Google Classrooms. 

“Farmers really grabbed the opportunity 

to learn online,” Harkleroad said. 

“We asked them to use the app and 

provided a little training on Zoom, and 

it has gone very well.” Almost 100% 

participated in the first Zoom training. 

“I’m so impressed their ability to learn 

the technology with such short notice,” 

said Nancy Porto, Community Relations 

and Environmental Education 

Officer. 

ALBA, a farm training and incubator organization 

for limited resource and aspiring 

organic farmers, was forced to move all its 

training online after COVID hit (photo by 

Nancy Porto, ALBA.) 

Financial Assistance. California Farm- 

Link provides loans to farmers and 

ranchers, focusing on small-scale, sustainable 

entrepreneurs. The organization 

has made 353 loans to farmers and 

ranchers in 30 of 58 California counties 

since 2011. 

FarmLink leveraged their investment 

and expertise in lending and business 

support to quickly assist farmers in 

need when COVID-19 impacted markets. 

Since March, they have provided 

102 forgivable Paycheck Protection Program 

(PPP) loans totaling more than 

$2.3 million. They also have provided 

special emergency loans at 0% interest 

for two years with no payments for six 

months. 

“Starting in April, we quickly geared up 

to decipher government relief programs 

and create new loan products to meet 

the farming community’s challenges. 

As we move forward, we are determining 

how much capital is needed and 

how to manage such a quick outflow 

of capital so we can maximize our 

impact,” said Executive Director Reggie 

Knox. 

Porto at ALBA has also been helping 

farmers take advantage of financial 

assistance with on-line applications. 

Since the farmers are busy and need 

to make money by staying in the field, 

they don’t have time to sit on hold with 

an 800 number. There are also language 

barriers and paperwork hurdles, which 

Nancy helps mitigate. 

The Future 

Bailey is going to continue his blog and 

online system, adding more products, 

until he grows large enough for a com- 


mercial platform. He plans to return to 

selling to local restaurants and an upcoming 

local online store. He believes 

catering and value-added products, 

such as with a future blueberry crop, 

will allow him to be more profitable. 

Due to the amount of work, he will 

likely drop farmers markets. 

“I get my time back with the online 

sales as I move the same amount of our 

pastured eggs in half the time,” said 

Bailey. 

Nolan is watching the demand for CSA 

subscriptions and attempting to plan 

for the future. It’s challenging as it’s 

uncertain where the region will be with 

COVID-19 and shifting consumer patterns 

in the fall. He is staying in conversation 

with the local Farm Bureau 

and Farmers Union about planning for 

and meeting local demand. 

However, for Nolan, the CSA model is 

not working. He finds it stressful and 

challenging work. It works for the farm 

now, and he wants to meet his commitments 

to local customers so the farm 

is continuing with the program. In 

the future the farm may get rid of the 

tunnels and cut back on the number 

of crops grown. The future may be in 

growing storage crops and going back 

to selling wholesale to restaurants. He’s 

beginning to have conversations with 

chefs, working out the cash flow, and 

will start making changes in October 

and November. 

Wiig believes CAFF is positioned well 

to be nimble: Large and organized 

enough to provide the resources and 

support needed, but small and grassroots 

enough to shift quickly to meet 

priorities. 

“Whatever happens next we’ll be able to 

pivot to what is needed in the moment.” 

Like all farm organizations, CAFF has 

other programs that they need to focus 

on. The organization needs to work 

on both what is going on today and 

also focus on other issues like climate 

change. Getting people’s attention back 

to these issues is the challenge. 

ALBA would like to return to in-person 

courses, but will adjust to shifting Shelter 

in Place regulations. The courses are 

accredited by Hartnell College so ALBA 

will follow their guidelines in the fall. 

Harkleroad says that they have seen an 

increase in interest for farmer training 

due to job losses. 

“The benefit of online courses is that 

Mountain Roots Produce in Southwest 

Colorado has had success selling directly 

to consumers through CSA boxes (photo 

courtesy Mountain Roots Produce.) 

they have been recorded so we can 

use them to meet future needs,” said 

Harkleroad. “Zoom also includes translation 

so we can offer bilingual online 

recordings.” 




“We’ll be all right and survive all of this, 

but it’s been a bit much to handle with 

extra labor and new protocols while 

out in the field and making deliveries,” 

Nolan said. 

As for everyone else, it’s hard for CAFF 

to predict the future impacts on their 

farmers and their programs. Some 

crops haven’t come in yet, like apples. If 

the supply chain is still disrupted with 

restaurants, employee cafeterias and 

schools closed, those growers could be 

hurt. 

“It’s not about a lack of demand for food 

but how people buy it, and are the markets 

nimble enough,” Wiig said. 


Popular Progressive Crop Consultant 

Conference Goes Virtual 

Progressive Crop Consultant Magazine’s 

popular two-day Crop Consultant 

Conference this year will be a 

live virtual event, featuring more than six 

hours of DPR and CCA continuing education 

credits, a virtual trade show, live 

presentations and interactive educational 

seminars. The Virtual Crop Consultant 

Conference will be held over two afternoons 

on September 17 and 18. 

The Crop Consultant Conference has 

become a premier event held in the San 

Joaquin Valley each September for Pest 

Control Advisors and Certified Crop 

Advisors. This year, JCS Marketing, the 

publisher of PCC Magazine is working 

with co-host Western Region Certified 

Crop Adviser and its sponsors to continue 

the traditional event while acknowledging 

restrictions on large public 

gatherings. 

“I think the whole industry is learning 

to be nimble given changes to how we 

do business during this Coronavirus era 

and Progressive Crop Consultant is no 

different,” said JCS Marketing Publisher 

and CEO Jason Scott. 

“Obviously agriculture is a relationship-driven 

business and there is no 

substitute for live events,” Scott continued. 

“But given our current circumstances, 

our team is working with our co-host, 

Western Region Certified Crop Adviser, 

to make this a dynamic, interactive experience 

where PCAs and crop consultants 

can hear the latest about products, 

strategies and technologies, earn CEUs, 

and connect with experts, suppliers and 

each other.” 

Topics for the interactive seminars 

include: Managing pests in grapes, citrus 

and tree nut crops; a special seminar on 

hemp production; new tools and technology 

for applying pesticides; application 

safety; and fumigation options. In 

addition, hard to get CCA hours will be 

hosted by Western Region CCA on topics 

related to reading and understanding 

nutrient analysis lab reports; biologicals 

and biostimulants; and features and 

benefits of potassium sources. 

In addition, Western CCA will present 

the CCA of the Year Award and announce 

its scholarship winners. 

Registration fees for the two-day event 

have been reduced to $65 and include 

a T-shirt mailed to the participant’s 

address along with other prizes and 

surprises. Pre-registration is required 

and can be done at progressivecrop.com/ 

conference. 



Urban Farmers Find Unique 

Ways to Remain Profitable 

FARMING OPERATIONS IN URBAN CENTERS PROVIDE UNIQUE OPPORTUNITIES FOR COMMUNITY, 

FARM-CENTERED GATHERING 

By KATHY COATNEY | Contributing Writer 

(Photo by K. Coatney.) 

Urban farming is more than just 

producing food. It also includes 

agritourism—producing projects 

and activities on the farm. Urban farming 

is becoming more popular because 

it focuses on sustainability, affordability, 

health and convenience. 

Stacey Givens, owner, farmer and chef 

of Side Yard Farm and Kitchen (thesideyardpdx.com) 

has a one-acre farm 

in northeast Portland, Ore. She feels 

strongly that urban farms are important 

because of their accessibility. 

“We’re near bus lines, we’re really easy 

to get to, and we host a lot of schools,” 

Givens said, from grade school, to 

college, to culinary schools. 

Givens’ ground is farmed from the end 

of February to November. She and her 

crew work long hours and take a break 

in the winter to regroup and rebuild 

the soils. 

“We interplant and do intensive farming 

practices,” Givens said, and what 

she gets out of her small plot of land is 

the equivalent of two to three acres. 

“When we’re planting lettuce, we’re 

plopping in Cipollini onions or Japanese 

leeks in between,” Givens said, 

adding it’s all planted very close 

together. 

“We host a lot of events out here,” Givens 

said, and they are a main revenue 

stream. Some of the events from the 

farm include: 

• Lost Table Grief Group 

• Yoga on the Farm 

• Comedy Night 

• Farm Brunch 

• Bike In Movie Night 

Bike In Movie Night is popular with 

about 120 attendees, and outside vendors 

are invited to participate, Givens 

said. 

One of Givens’ favorite events is the 

Lost Table Grief Group started after her 

father died nine years ago. The group 

meets monthly, and it has grown from 

five to 300 to 400 people, but each session 

is limited to 25 people. Attendees 

bring a dish to share that is usually a 

favorite that their loved one enjoyed. 

“We just eat, and we cry, and we laugh, 

and share our grief, which is really 

beautiful,” Givens said. 

Community Sponsored 

Agriculture (CSA) 

With the COVID-19 outbreak and 

shutdown, Givens saw many of her 

restaurant customers disappear, so in 

response, she immediately ramped up 

her CSAs and started an online farm 

store that’s been doing extremely well. 

“We just pivoted really fast, and we have 

Anaïs Dervaes of Urban Homestead turned 

the family’s Pasadena, Calif. front yard into 

a garden of edible plants in the late-80s 

(photo courtesy Urban Homestead.) 


an online store which we sell all our produce,” Givens 

said. 

There is a full produce menu online from lettuce mix, 

to radishes, to turnips that are continually updated. 

Farmer chef boxes are created depending on what's 

available that week. 

There are also value-added items made on the farm 

including salad dressings, jams and canned vegetables. 

Some of Givens’ favorite vendors in Portland are 

highlighted with a variety of items to choose from. 

Givens recently purchased her farm with a loan from 

USDA. She reached out to USDA 18 months ago about 

buying the one-acre property that has no house onsite 

that she’d been farming for more than a decade. They 

turned down her application because the property 

is zoned residential, but Givens kept applying and 

getting turned down. 

Side Yard Farm and Kitchen complements its urban farms with community 

events revolving around yoga, comedy, movie night and even grief support 

(photo courtesy Shawn Linehan, Side Yard.) 

“I thought I’d never be able to buy it,” Givens said. 

Givens persisted and finally reached out to her congressman, 

an advocate for urban farming and local 

food. The congressman made some calls, and after a 

few months, she reapplied and was granted a loan. 

“I’m the first urban farm in the nation to ever get a 

loan that is residentially zoned to buy an urban farm, 

which is pretty cool,” Givens said. 

“Our goal is to preserve the land because Portland’s 

changing so much,” Givens said, adding many urban 

farms have closed because the landlords have decided 

to develop the property into condos. 

“I wanted this for future generations to come. It will 

never be developed, and that’s the deal I made with 

my landlord as well. It will always be a farm,” Givens 

said. 

Side Yard Farm and Kitchen uses intensive farming and interplanting to get 

the most from its 1-acre plot (photo courtesy Shawn Linehan, Side Yard.) 

The Urban Homestead 

Anaïs Dervaes is the co-owner of Urban Homestead 

(urbanhomestead.org), a family farm in Pasadena, 

Calif. 

Dervaes said her family turned their front yard into 

edible plants in the late-80s. 

“If an acre is a dollar, we’re farming on ten cents,” 

Dervaes said. 

“When we moved here in ’85, our neighbors had 

chickens running around, they had corn growing in 

their front yard so we took out the lawn and started 

growing food,” Dervaes said. 


Before the COVID-19 shutdown Urban Homestead regularly hosted school 

tours and other visiting groups (photo courtesy Urban Homestead.) 


Joe Johnston created the Agritopia community in 2000, which includes the farm, a residential park, school, assisted living, community 

garden, Joe’s Farm Grill and a group of businesses (photo by K. Coatney.) 


“We did worry what the city of Pasadena 

would think because, oh no, 

we’re growing food, and we didn’t 

have a lawn. Actually, it’s been a really 

wonderful relationship with the city,” 

Dervaes said, adding the city now pays 

residents to remove lawn and put in 

food or native plants. 

When the restaurant and catering 

clientele completely dried up due to 

COVID-19, the farm box program/ 

CSAs tripled in size, Dervaes said. 

“Now, we’re doing more farm boxes, so 

we’re trying to see how we can bring 

back in the restaurant and catering 

clientele, just slowly,” Dervaes said. 

With the shutdown, Dervaes missed 

their busiest, most lucrative season 

which is spring—Mother’s Day, graduations, 

weddings—events where edible 

flowers and all the nice little accoutrements 

that go along with catering 

platters, she said. 

“That was a wash this year,” Dervaes 

said. 

Urban Homestead also cancelled all 

their workshops and tours on the farm 

that included their popular Elements 

of the Homestead tour that features 

farm production, growing soil, animals, 

energy outpost and water conservation. 

The tours were monthly and open to 

the public. Scouts and students came 

through on an almost weekly basis. 

“Everybody wants to see how we do it, 

and we would also go out and teach at 

the local library and interact with the 

community, too, through offsite workshops,” 

Dervaes said. 

Urban Farming Challenges 

There are challenges to growing in an 

urban setting. “ 

We’re dealing with close proximity of 

things. It’s not really open space. We 

have our neighbors’ trees, our house 

shade—actually things that grow too 

well,” Dervaes said, and as the shadow 

circle expands, it limits what can be 

grown in a small space. 

“It’s ever changing. Things grow well, 

things don’t grow well,” Dervaes said. 

It’s a challenge to stay on top of things 

farming in a small space. 

Agritopia is a homestead that morphed 

into a thriving village centered around 

an urban farm in Gilbert, Ariz. The 

original farm was converted from desert 

in 1927, according to Joe Johnston, 

self-titled “visionary” of the community. 

Johnston’s father bought the farm in 

1960 and raised cotton, wheat and other 

row crops. The Agritopia community 

started in 2000, which includes the 

farm, a residential park, school, assisted 

living, community garden, Joe’s Farm 

Grill and a group of businesses. 

Out of the 160 acres, 12 acres are 

farmed organically in row crops, community 

gardens and orchards—citrus, 

date palms, olives and peaches. The 

climate in Gilbert allows crops to be 

grown year-round. “Arizona has got a 

fantastic climate,” Johnston said. 

The farm grows about 80 different 

crops, from spring mix that goes to the 

restaurant and the orange juice that is 

fresh squeezed from the orchard, CSA 

customers, farm store and about five 

different restaurants. 

Farm to Table 

While some restaurants completely 

center their menu around the produce 

of the day, Joe’s Farm Grill maintains 


a consistent menu, which means they 

use only a percentage of produce from 

the farm, and it varies over time. 

“Certain things we’re able to run almost 

eight months of supply from here (the 

farm), and other things, they’re just 

short windows,” Johnston said. 

“For example, onions are harvested in 

May, and then maybe there’s a two or 

three month window where we can use 

those,” Johnston said, adding he tries 

to use as much as he can that’s in-season 

within the confines of the menus 

that he creates. 

Joe’s Farm Grill opened in 2006, and 

the restaurant was doing well, then it 

was featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and 

“We just eat, and we cry, and 

we laugh, and share our grief, 

which is really beautiful.” 

—Stacey Givens 

Side Yard Farm and Kitchen 

Dives (DDD). DDD first aired about 12 

years ago, and at that time the restaurant 

was on a nice growth curve. Being 

on DDD really catapulted it into solid 

profitability, Johnston said. 

On the 10-year anniversary of that airing, 

the show did a DDD Nation where 

it came back and revisited the restaurant 

to see how they were doing. 

DDD is the gift that keeps on giving, 

Johnston said. Johnston estimates 

about 10 percent of its customers are 

vacationers. Many will mention they 

saw the restaurant on DDD. There’s 

also a lot of people who do specialty 

travel and visit the DDD locations in 

the Phoenix area, Johnston said. 

Johnston said Agritopia does its CSA a 

little differently. “It’s almost like going 

to the grocery store. The sign says you 

take two of these, take three of these, 

so they assemble their own box,” Johnston 

said. 

Half shares are available for couples, 

and there are add-ons like eggs and 

bread. A friend provides the eggs they 

sell, and a local vendor provides the 

bread. 

Agritopia also has “you-pick” citrus 

and peach orchards. All the lower fruit 

in the orchards is you-picked, and the 

upper sections of the trees are harvested 

by workers for the restaurant and 

CSAs. 

The farm manager is planting a tomato 

you-pick section. Tomatoes are a good 

opportunity because they grow low to 

the ground, Johnston said. 

The farm harvests during the week, 

Johnston said, “But on weekends, we’ll 

do you-pick.” 

“For us, as farmers, it’s great because 

we don’t have to then have harvesting 

labor because they’re doing it,” Johnston 

said. 




Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974 

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PROTECTING BEES IN 

HEMP PRODUCTION 

By HELAINE BERRIS | Graduate Student, UC Davis, 

and SARAH LIGHT | Agronomy Farm Advisor UCCE, Sutter, Yuba and Colusa Counties 

How to Protect Bees when using 

BotaniGard Maxx in Hemp: 

Most cultivated hemp are non-pollen producing females (photos courtesy S. Light.) 

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation 

(CDPR) approved the use of BotaniGard Maxx (pyrethrin 

+ Beauveria bassiana, a naturally occurring fungus that 

parasitizes insects) to control insect pests in hemp. Pyrethrins 

are broad-spectrum insecticides that are toxic to honey bees 

and other pollinators. Best Management Practices (BMPs) 

should be followed to reduce the risk of bee exposure to BotaniGard 

Maxx when producing hemp. 

While most cultivated hemp are non-pollen producing female 

plants, seed feminization is never 100% true and males will be 

present in the field. Males shed a lot of pollen, making them 

attractive to native bees and honeybees. 

Bees are needed for pollination in natural and agricultural 

landscapes. Let’s help protect them! 

Comments about this article? We want to hear from you. Feel free 

to email us at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

• Rogue male plants before flowers open to avoid 

attracting bees. Male hemp plants are distinct and 

can be identified by walking the field. Females (above) 

have stigmas (that look hairy and are sticky) at nodes 

between leaves while males (below) have stamens 

that look like round balls and are filled with pollen. 

Plants can be left to dry in the field if pulled before 

stamens are open but should be removed from the 

field if pollen is present. 

• Use IPM (Integrated Pest Management) practices 

to manage pests. Scout fields for insect pests and 

damage and spray only when needed. 

• Don’t spray when males are producing pollen and 

bees are active. 

• If it is necessary to spray when males are present and 

producing pollen, or if you don’t know if males are 

present, reduce risk by only spraying when bees are 

not active (dawn, dusk, night.) This will reduce bee 

exposure but will not eliminate it. Pyrethrins can 

stay on the pollen and be transported back to the hive 

where they are harmful to bee larvae. 

• Contact local beekeepers within a mile of the hemp 

field, 48 hours before application. 

• Turn off spray booms at row edges to avoid drift or 

direct sprays to hives. If possible, apply BotaniGard 

by ground to minimize potential drift. 

• Report suspected pesticide-related honey bee incidents 

to the county agricultural commissioner’s office 

as soon as possible. 

• Always read and follow the pesticide label. 

Removing male plants can help reduce the chance of attracting bees into hemp 

where pyrehtoirds are being used. 


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Pollinating Orchards and 

Berries with Mason Bees 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

A male mason bee is attracted to the scent of last year’s cocoons – the smell of success (all photos by D. Cahill.) 

Buying or trapping blue orchard 

mason bees may be a good plan 

for your spring-blooming orchards’ 

pollination needs. Mason bees 

are affordable, low maintenance and 

improve crop yields. The little bees work 

well in conjunction with honey bees in 

almonds, cherries, pears, early raspberry 

varieties and blueberries. Researchers 

are starting to also look at mason bees’ 

pollination effectiveness in strawberries, 

too. 

Unlike the European honey bee, mason 

bees are native to the US. They emerge 

in early spring, with males emerging 

first. They set about pollinating while 

keeping an eye out for females. Females 

emerge several days later. Males live 

two to four weeks, while females live six 

to eight weeks. 

Retired entomologist Rich Little, a 

former county deputy agricultural 

commissioner in California, suggests 

farmers place 20 to 30 mason bee boxes 

per three acres. That many, he says, is 

manageable for one person. 

“You have to scatter these boxes 

throughout the grove,” Little said. He 

keeps 15 to 20 mason bee boxes at his 

home in Sweet Home, Ore., and gives 

educational programs on native bees 

through the Oregon State University 

Extension Service. 

As far as what the little iridescent bluegreen 

mason bees require: “There needs 

to be food and there needs to be mud,” 

Little said. 

Steps for Mason Bee Success 

Watts Solitary Bees, located out of 

Washington state, sells bees to farmers 

with commercial customers in Idaho, 

Washington, Oregon and California. 

Almond growers are one of the company’s 

biggest clients and Watts estimates 

almond growers can replace one hive of 

honey bees per acre with 1,000 mason 

bees. 

“We did 1,000 acres of almonds last 

year with mason bees,” said owner Jim 

Watts. “The almond growers are paying 

huge amounts for pollinators. Honey 

bee prices are going up every year.” 

Watts offers the following eight steps for 

success with mason bees: 

1. Trap or purchase wild mason bees. 

2. Set out nesting material throughout 

the orchard, including football-sized 

balls of wet clay. 

3. Incubate the bee cocoons until time 

for release. 

4. Provide forage for food and mud for 

nest building. 

5. Check on bees during the active 

season. 

6. Remove bees from the orchard after 

pollination. 

7. Sanitize cocoons and bee boxes. 

8. Store the cocoons over the dormant 

season. 

Protecting Bees from Spray 

Mason bees are more susceptible to 

sprays than honey bees, according to 

Watts. 

“Tank mixing sprays together is really 

detrimental,” he said, adding that it’s 

important for farmers to learn how to 

protect their orchard without killing 

the bees. “It’s really more about what 

you spray, when you spray and how you 

spray it.” 

Watts said they put the nests inside 



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totes. Before farmers spray, they can 

simply put the lids on the totes if they 

choose. 

Pests of Mason Bees 

Pollen mites hide out in flowers and 

hitch a ride on mason bees back to the 

nest. That’s why cleaning the cocoons 

before storage is important. 

Houdini flies are also a serious pest to 

mason bees. They came in from Europe. 

Watts cautions growers to buy their mason 

bees from reputable and preferably 

certified bee farmers. Otherwise, he 

said, growers could accidentally buy 

tubes full of Houdini flies and spread 

them to native bee populations. 

Watts Solitary Bees has its bees and 

equipment inspected as part of the 

certification process. 

“We’re getting better and better at it,” 

Cocoons with emerging mason bees. 

Watts said of his family’s operation. 

Even so, he knows there is still room to 

learn more. “Ten years from now it may 

be way different.” 

Watts also predicts the current price 

for mason bees–which started out at $1 

a bee and has since dropped to 30 to 

40 cents–will eventually fall to about a 

nickel a bee. 

There was a definite learning curve 


A male mason bee has just emerged from his cocoon inside a hatching box. 



involved in farming mason bees, Watts 

said. His family has another division 

of the business called Rent Mason 

Bees, which rents bee kits to backyard 

gardeners. In June, the gardeners ship 

the filled bee boxes back, where the 

cocoons are cleaned and stored for the 

following year. 

It took eight years, what felt like forever, 

to get production to 1 million bees, 

Watts said. “Then it started snowballing.” 

Watts’ advice to growers who want to 

try mason bees for the first time? “Get 

help. It’s not hard, but what we do has a 

lot of science behind it. You need to get 

help early,” he said. Watts provides onsite 

consultation, a service that is built 

into the price. “It’s actually not too 

early now to get started,” he added. 

It’s helpful to the bees to have other 

blooming plants in the orchard. In 

almond orchards, for example, Watts 

suggests growers plant a mustard mix 

every row or every other row. “It will 

bloom along with almonds, and about 

a month later.” The bees prefer the tree 

blossoms, so they’ll head there first. 

The mustard will give them enough 

to sustain them after almond bloom. 

Planting native shrubs and flowers 

around fields and orchards also helps. 

Food pollinated with mason bees can 

Retired entomologist Rich Little demonstrates how a wooden bee box opens for cocoon 

removal. 

be marketed as “pollinator friendly” or 

“pollinated with native bees.” 

“The future of mason bees, I think, is 

really bright,” Watts said. 

Mason Bees vs. Honey Bees 

According to Watt, it takes fewer 

mason bees to pollinate a crop. It takes 

only 400 mason bees to do the pollination 

work of 40,000 honey bees. Honey 

bees are a more advanced bee. It takes 

about five contacts with a honey bee to 

fully pollinate a bloom. Mason bees are 

more primitive. 

“Mason bees are messy like a kindergartner,” 

Little said. A mason bee isn’t 

elegant at landing—she sort of belly 

flops into the flower. “She gets pollen 

all over her body. One contact with a 

flower and it’s pollinated.” 

Little said honey bees are fair weather 

workers and don’t like to fly during wet 

or cold weather. Mason bees work in 

cooler temperatures and even during 

light rains. They often also work longer 

hours from early morning until late 

in the day. While honey bees will fly 

several miles to reach food, mason bees 

only work close to home. They travel 

Rich Little inspects a hatching box. 

A female mason bee peers out from her nesting tube. 


in a 300- to 400-foot radius from their 

nest, about the distance of a football 

field. 

Unlike honey bees, Mason bees rarely 

sting. They have an ovipositor for 

laying eggs, and although the females 

can sting with it, they rarely do. If you 

smash a mason bee, or get one trapped 

in your shoe or clothing, it will likely 

sting. Otherwise, they are harmless, 

safe even around children and pets. 

They may bump into someone standing 

in front of their bee box, but most 

of the time will simply fly around you. 

Honey bees, on the other hand, have a 

communal hive and a queen to protect. 

They will sting if roused or disturbed. 

Mason bees don’t make honey. They 

collect pollen and nectar, which they 

leave in a ball with a single egg per cell. 

It’s just enough for the larvae to survive 

on before chewing their way out of 

their cocoon the following spring. They 

also have a short lifecycle. The males 

survive only a couple of weeks. Females 

live six to eight weeks. Their lifecycle 

matches well with early blooming crops. 

Mason bees aren’t around to pollinate 

summer-blooming crops. Honey bee 

workers generally live from six weeks 

to six months and work a longer season 

from springtime until cold weather sets 

in. 

For more information about Watts Solitary 

Bees, go to www.wattsbees.com. 




A male mason bee has just emerged from his cocoon inside a hatching box. 

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IMPROVING FARMING 

SYSTEMS FOR THE 

COMMON GOOD 

By JEFF MITCHELL | UCCE Cropping Systems Specialist, UC Davis, 

ANIL SHRESTHA | Viticulture and Enology Department Chair, CSU Fresno, 

TOM WILLEY | (retired) T & D Willey Farms, Madera, CA, 

And JEANNETTE WARNERT | Communications Specialist, UCANR 

No-till seeding directly into prior crop residue, 

J. Mitchell, UCCE.) 

Recently, two types of evidence 

have emerged to indicate that 

farmers must make substantial 

changes in their crop production systems 

in the future. The first is economic: 

If farmers want to preserve their markets, 

they must use farming practices in 

alignment with buyer preferences. This 

concept appears front-and-center in the 

YouTube video, “How to future-proof 

your farm (and not become obsolete!),” 

by Pennsylvania farmer Steve Groff. 

“Is your farm becoming obsolete?” Groff 

asks. “There are changes coming over 

the horizon in our industry that have 

ripple effects and are forcing farmers 

to make difficult decisions about how 

they manage their soil. The reality is 

that you will come face-to-face with the 

supply chain that you are a part of.” 

As Groff points out, if you don’t improve 

the way you’re doing things, your 

markets will disappear. 

This economic point was further driven 

home in the opening keynote address 

by Nestle vice president Patricia Stroup 

at last fall’s Sustainable Agriculture 

Summit in Indianapolis, Ind. Stroup 

spoke to over 650 of the world’s major 

food brand and market representatives. 

“If you want to sell your food to us, 

you’ll meet our specifications,” was her 

stern admonition. 

Nestle, by the way, is the world’s largest 

food company – buying and selling 

food in every country on the globe. 

All About Health 

Now, just what are these “specifications” 

for how crops are produced? Where 

do they come from and what are they 

based on? The answer is simple. It’s 

all about HEALTH – soil health, farm 

health and human health. Strengthening 

connections between these three 

dimensions of planetary health are now 

gaining momentum in the public, markets 

that farmers rely upon, but also 

increasingly by medical health experts. 

There is now a growing recognition that 

human health is intimately connected 

to the nutritional quality of the food we 

eat, which in turn is connected to the 

health of farms that produce the food, 

and ultimately to the health of the soil 

in which crops grow. These converging 

“There are changes coming 

over the horizon in our 

industry that have ripple 

effects and are forcing 

farmers to make difficult 

decisions about how they 

manage their soil. The 

reality is that you will 

come face-to-face with the 

supply chain that you are a 

part of.” 

– Mark Groff, Pennsylvania farmer 

values lead to the recognition among a 

growing sector of society that ‘food is 

medicine,’ and that nutrient-dense food 

comes from healthy farms with biologically 

active soils. 

There are now several visionary physicians 

and healthcare administrators on 

the frontlines of this emerging arena 

calling for farmers to build bridges 

between human health, farm health 

and soil health. ALL IN Alameda!, a 

collaborative initiative led by Alameda 

family physician Dr. Steven Chen, 

M.D., is a shining example of integrative 

medicine. Recognizing the value 

of high-quality food, county clinics 

in Alameda are partnering with local 

organic urban farmers and writing 

vegetable prescriptions for patients. 

They are making remarkable positive 

impacts on a number of health indicators, 

including diabetes and hypertension, 

conditions that frequently afflict 

the largely low-income populations in 

urban “food deserts”. 

Dr. Chen is fond of quoting writer and 

environmental activist Wendell Berry: 

“People are fed by the food industry, 

which pays no attention to health, and 

are treated by the health industry, 

which pays no attention to food.” Dr. 

Chen adds, “and both the food and 

health industries pay no attention to 

the agricultural industry.” 

The evidence that supports new food 


Five Points, Calif., April 2007 (all photos courtesy 

CID Project farmer group meeting in cover crop field 

of Scott and Brian Park of Park Farming, Meridian, Calif., 

February 2018. 

No-till cotton planted into cover 

crop surface mulch, Five Points, 

Calif., April 2014. 

and crop production paradigms is 

growing stronger. Markets are leaning 

toward supporting farmers who use 

practices that contribute to a healthier 

food system and ultimately, healthier 

people, and, in turn, lower-cost healthcare. 

Focusing on an “agricultural 

revolution” will compensate farmers 

for cultivating the land and delivering 

“public goods” in terms of climate 

change mitigation, ecosystem conservation 

and public health outcomes. 

Governments, including Great Britain, 

are moving to scale up incentives to 

farmers employing such practices. 

crops leads to increases in soil carbon, 

water infiltration, soil aggregation, 

water holding capacity and biological 

diversity. The ecological evidence from 

many other sources around the world 

support these soil care and conservation 

agriculture practices. 

The early-generation pioneers who 

have become successful using these 

techniques tend to be organic farmers 

who seek to emulate natural systems. A 


Ecological Evidence 

There is also strong ecological evidence 

in support of a farming revolution. 

Overall soil health is directly affected 

by reducing disturbance, keeping the 

surface covered and encouraging biodiversity 

both above and below ground. 

Research shows that farmers who use 

‘natural systems’ gain a host of important 

benefits, including the ability to use 

less fertilizer and water, capture and 

store more carbon, and require fewer 

inputs overall. The authors’ research 

in California’s San Joaquin Valley, for 

instance, has demonstrated that the 

combination of no-tillage (reduced 

disturbance) with cover crops reduces 

water applied over the course of the 

season by 13%, the equivalent of about 

4 to 5 inches. In addition, no-till cuts 

dust emissions from the field by over 

75%, and combining no-till with cover 

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This produces soil that’s resilient and efficient at providing nutrients. 

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Reduced disturbance strip-tillage ahead of 

planting into mowed cover crop, Meridian, 

Calif., April 2019. 

Rolled and mowed cover crop used as surface 

mulch in an organic pole tomato field, Hollister, 

Calif., June 2019. 


group of California farmers who have 

been leaders in soil care, worker health 

and farm health are now working 

together through an NRCS Conservation 

Innovation Grant (CIG) project to 

develop crop production system alternatives 

for vegetable crops. More information 

about this group is available at 

the Conservation Agriculture Systems 

Innovation (CASI) website and by joining 

the authors’ project’s Collaborative 

Tools network at casi.ucanr.edu. 

It’s now time to work together to scaleup 

improved farming systems across 

the board. We should no longer view 

food as just a substance to be bought 

and sold as cheaply as possible, but 

rather as medicine. Paul Muller, a 

Guinda organic farmer and member of 

the CIG project, puts it this way: “We 

are at a point where many people are 

asking how our farming systems can 

do more for the common good. Longterm 

soil stewardship and healthy soil 

is a common good; thinking through 

water stewardship in healthy soils 

enhances the common good; finding 

strategies to support and nurture those 

who grow our food and tend or steward 

our resources for the long-term is 

a common good; putting more carbon 

through cover crops and reduced 

tillage of the soil and keeping carbon as 

a food for a teeming microbial universe 

there is a common good; growing more 

nutrient-dense food is a common good. 

It is all related and companies can 

invest in this supply chain and support 

its growth and create a supply chain of 

value where all parts are rewarded for 

doing something good for consumers. 

The question is, ‘Who pays for the defense 

and enhancement of the common 

good?’" 

This is not going to be an easy question 

to answer. Fortunately, innovators are 

beginning to put the pieces together. 

One such effort involves the National 

Cotton Council, the U.S. Cotton Trust 

Protocol, Cotton Incorporated and 

cotton farmers, such as John Teixeira of 

Firebaugh, who has many years of experience 

with soil health management 

systems. The organizations are working 

with companies like Wranglers, Levi- 

Strauss and Walmart, and researchers 

with experience in both soil and human 

health domains. Read more about this 

effort on the CASI website. 

Federal and state government agencies 

are also involved in similar soil health 

initiatives. In 2012, the USDA’s Natural 

Resource Conservation Service 

launched “Unlock the secrets of the 

soil,” a major national education and 

awareness campaign about the core 

principles of conservation agriculture 

and soil health. This initiative will have 

a broad impact in many regions of the 

country. CDFA’s Healthy Soils Program, 

started in 2017, is now also having 

similar impacts and benefits. Indeed, 

CDFA has invested over $50 million 

and supported 307 projects incentivizing 

adoption of core soil health management 

practices. 

However, it is ultimately the pioneering 

visionary farmers who are leading the 

movement. As renowned author David 

Montgomery puts it in “Growing a Revolution 

– Bringing our soil back to life,” 

“the movement is growing bottom-up, 

fueled by individual farmers rather 

than governments, universities, or 

environmental advocacy groups.” The 

excitement and the future of our food 

system is now in the hands of farmers 

who see a better way forward and are 

working hard to get there. 

There are now clear roles that professional 

crop consultants can play. Imagine 

contributing creatively to the development 

of a completely new paradigm 

for farming systems that emphasize 

soil, farm and human health. Imagine 

becoming part of the effort to push far 

beyond IPM strategies that have been 

developed over the past 50 years. The 

economic and ecological evidence 

suggests that we have a commanding 

mandate to do so. 





The professionals’ top choice 

coast to coast for all root 

and foliar applications. 


THE ROLE OF 

MAGNESIUM IN 

IMPROVING CROPS 

AND YIELDS 

By NEAL KINSEY | Kinsey Agricultural Services 

Few soils in the world tend to 

have the correct amount of magnesium 

for providing the highest 

yields and the highest nutritional value. 

Crops need adequate magnesium to 

sufficiently utilize both nitrogen and 

phosphate. Along with potassium, it 

also helps against frost resistance. 

Areas with sandy soils tend to have the 

greatest problem with levels that are too 

low in needed magnesium. Yet, there 

are specific regions based on detailed 

testing for magnesium availability 

that do not have characteristics that 

would be considered sandy soils that 

also prove to have severe magnesium 

deficiencies for growing plants and 

crops. Far more soils used to produce 

food throughout the world have a high 

magnesium content, and yet the crops 

are lacking the magnesium they require 

for the best performance and highest 

nutritional values. 

Why is this problem being overlooked 

even by organic growers? How can it 

be verified? And what can individual 

growers do to determine and remedy 

magnesium deficiency in food and feed 

crops? 

If or when a soil needs magnesium, how 

much is enough and how much is too 

much? And how can you know? This 

second in a two-part series will further 

explore the role of magnesium in 

improving crops and yields. 

Magnesium in Soils 

In the first article about soil magnesium 

printed in June/July 2020 Organic 

Farmer, the example of magnesium deficiency 

in carrots was discussed. When 

the soil does not have enough magnesium, 

carrots serve as an excellent indicator 

crop to tell at exactly what point 

soils are magnesium deficient. Carrots 

consistently show the accuracy of a soil 

test for predicting precisely when there 

is or is not a magnesium deficiency in 

the soil where they are growing. Based 

upon responses right in the field, an 

accurate test will show when and exactly 

how much magnesium is needed to 

correctly solve such a problem. 

Another crop that shows how much 

the correct percentage of magnesium 

matters is cotton. When cotton ridges 

are hipped up in the autumn and 

allowed to sit until spring, even when 

a ripper-hipper is used to successfully 

break up any compaction layer in the 

aerobic zone, the more the magnesium 

level exceeds 12%, the harder it will be 

for the tap root of each cotton plant to 

correctly penetrate that soil after being 

planted the next spring. Again, 10-12% 

is ideal (which can vary up or down 

from these established acceptable figures 

on tests from other labs,) and cotton 

roots have no penetration problems 

in such soils unless they are worked 

when too wet or something has caused 

a compaction problem. But once the 

numbers go above 12% for magnesium 

(on sandy soils this figure will vary 

from 13% to as high as 20% depending 

on its exchange capacity,) 

cotton roots which 

should have one tap root 

that goes straight down 

into the soil will have two 

smaller ones that fork out 

and begin curving to the 

side instead. 

When cotton farmers 

have this much magnesium 

in the soil it is 

causing a yield reduction 

of at least three-fourths of 

a bale of cotton per acre. 

But growers only get that 

back once that excess is 

reduced to below 12% and 

kept above 10%. 

All types of legumes are very sensitive 

to the soil’s magnesium content. At 

whatever magnesium percentage level 

carrot tops start to die prematurely on 

a particular soil test (below 10% on the 

test Kinsey Agricultural Services (KAS) 

uses,) at that same point legume yields 

will be seriously impaired until corrected 

and kept above that critical level. 

When the testing method for magnesium 

accurately reads at 10 to 12%, then 

magnesium poses no problem for the 

best production of legumes. Other labs’ 

soil tests may report these numbers as 

being more or less. But use of this exact 

analytical testing method will correctly 

show either too little (less than 10%) or 

too much (more than 12%) magnesium 

on legumes and will begin to reduce 

yields. Legumes are some of the most 

sensitive crops to either too much or 

too little magnesium. Either situation 

will reduce both quality and yield 

potential. 

Understanding Soil Tests 

Just be careful not to assume that 

all soil tests will provide those same 

readings. In fact, most generally do not. 

Actually, when a true Albrecht soil test 

shows 10%, other soil tests generally do 

not agree. Most farmers and growers 

never learn this because they do not 

make direct comparisons. 

Perhaps using an example here will 

help growers to better understand this 

important point. On medium to heavy 


soils, all crops will respond best to soils 

with magnesium levels between 10 to 

12%, as long as other needed nutrients 

are present in sufficient amounts. Upon 

hearing that KAS specialized in dealing 

with soils that had serious magnesium 

problems, a farmer growing corn to sell 

as grain who had not been using KAS’s 

services called to ask about applying 

more magnesium to his soils. 

During the call it became apparent that 

he had some exceptionally good soils as 

based on his proven yield averages; he 

was producing more grain corn on his 

dryland operation than many farmers 

in the area were making under irrigation. 

Including the nitrogen supplied 

for the corn based on the previous 

year’s soybean yield, his nitrogen 

efficiency was just right (supplying one 

pound of actual nitrogen to produce 

each bushel of corn) to indicate that 

magnesium was not a limiting factor. 

Under the circumstances it seemed the 

best advice was to send some samples 

for analysis to see what the magnesium 

levels were at present before adding any 

more. 

Samples from his fields were tested, but 

copies of the lab reports from a reputable 

lab used by the other consultant 

were also sent for comparisons. The 

other lab recommended a minimum 

of 10% magnesium saturation just as 

KAS’s tests do. But the samples from 

that lab showed 8% magnesium which 

on KAS’s test would mean that without 

adding enough magnesium to get 

to 10%, it would require 1.5 pounds 

of actual nitrogen to grow a bushel of 

corn. This would actually be 1/3 more 

nitrogen than the farmer was currently 

using to reach the desired yields. 

He was already making those yields 

without adding the normally required 

extra amount of nitrogen for soils that 

actually shows 8% on the testing KAS 

uses. 

When the results from the samples 

he sent for analysis from each field 

came back, the magnesium saturation 

showed to be between 11 to 12%, which 

is barely below the high side of the ideal 

for field crops, not at all like soils from 

the 8% level shown on the other test 

would indicate. Applying more magnesium 

on this land would not have been 

money well spent to make a better crop. 

In fact, it would have contributed to at 

least two more problems that happen 

with corn when you push magnesium 

levels above 12%. 

Additional Problems 

These problems occur whether growing 

organically or conventionally, and 

this is true for any type of corn crop, 

whether corn for grain, silage corn, 

sweet corn, or popcorn. First consider 

that the higher the magnesium level 

rises above 12%, the more nitrogen it 

will require to grow the very same yield 

of corn. Once above 12%, growers will 

need to apply 1.25 pounds of nitrogen 

to grow one bushel (52 pounds) of corn. 

Once above 15%, that number changes 

to 1.35 pounds of nitrogen per bushel 

of corn produced, and above 20% or 

below 10%, it requires 1.5 pounds of 

nitrogen per bushel of corn. Of course, 

this will only happen if you have 

sufficient levels of the other needed elements 

for achieving 

that yield, but 

many times, especially 

on organic 

farms, nitrogen 

tends to be the 

most limiting factor 

for better yields. 

Adding too much 

magnesium to 

the soil can also 

result in shortage 

of some other 

nutrients—generally 

potassium, 

sodium, calcium, 

or some combination 

thereof as well 

as reducing trace 

element availability. 

And depending on 

the source, using 

dolomite lime 

for example, that 

problem will not 

become completely 

evident for a 

full three years 

from the time it is 

applied. So, it is 

DON’T FORGET THE SEASOL... 

WATER 

important to be sure that what you add 

is only what the soil actually needs. 

Mark this and do not forget it when 

you strive to grow nutrient dense foods: 

When there is too much magnesium in 

a soil, the crop growing there will not 

get enough. Yes, crops growing on soils 

that contain an excess of magnesium 

will not get enough and will be short 

of magnesium that is actually needed 

to supply the best nutrition, the most 

efficient use of fertilizer and the best 

growth. 

For proper results, growers should test 

the plants and add foliar magnesium 

until it reaches at least what is shown 

to be the high range for the crop. 

Sufficient or mid-range is not enough, 

especially when magnesium is above 

12% in a medium to heavy soil. Adding 

more magnesium to a soil that is 

already too high in magnesium does 

not solve such a problem, it only makes 

SEASOL 

www.earthsol.ag 


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Increases Nutrient Uptake Efficiency 

Increases Yield for a Bountiful Crop 

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the problem worse. In such cases, foliar 

applications are recommended, but it 

usually requires multiple applications 

to move magnesium into the specified 

high range on plant or tissue tests. 

Foliar Magnesium 

How much magnesium is enough in 

the soil? Whether a soil has too little 

magnesium, or the correct amount, or 

too much is not determined by how 

many pounds that soil contains. The 

only way to determine whether magnesium 

is helping or hurting the soil 

and/or the crops that grow there is by 

measuring what percentage of each 

soil’s nutrient holding capacity is occupied 

by available magnesium. If the 

base saturation is less than 10%, that 

soil is magnesium deficient and as the 

percentage drops lower, the signs that 

indicate magnesium deficiency will 

become more and more apparent. Adding 

enough to achieve 10% magnesium 

saturation to these soils will solve the 

problem. 

Yet on medium to heavy soils, the 

higher the magnesium saturation goes 

above 12% the harder it will be for the 

crop to take up a sufficient amount of 

magnesium. This is a type of hidden 

hunger which means you do not see observable 

signs of deficiency in the crop. 

Such a need can only be established 

by plant or tissue testing while the 

crop is growing. On such soils, adding 

more magnesium to the soil will only 

prolong the problem or make it worse. 

In such cases, test the plants and use 

a foliar application every three or four 

weeks until the plant tests show the 

magnesium level to be at least slightly 

above the high range. If the tests never 

get that high, then keep spraying every 

three to four weeks until the crop is 

made. Just keep in mind that as long as 

the crop needs nitrogen or phosphorus, 

it also needs magnesium. 

Establishing the correct magnesium 

content for the soil is accomplished by 

determining the amount of colloidal 

clay and humus each soil contains. 

Both have negative charges and attract 

and hold positively charged elements 

such as potassium, 

magnesium and 

calcium. Once the 

amount of negatively 

charged particles 

are determined for 

a specific soil, then 

12% of those need 

to have magnesium 

attached to them. 

The desired amount 

of magnesium can 

be established in pounds per acre by 

multiplying the soil’s total exchange 

capacity (TEC) times the atomic weight 

of magnesium in milliequivalents (240) 

times the desired percentage of magnesium. 

This allows for converting and 

expressing the amount of needed magnesium 

in pounds per acre. Farmers 

and growers need only to understand 

the concept, as the conversions are 

already done on the soil tests that use 

this method. 

Once the needed amount for a particular 

soil has been established when deficient 

enough for available magnesium 

to be needed quickly, materials like 

Sul-Po-Mag, K-Mag, or magnesium 

sulfate can be applied. For long-term 

buildup of magnesium, dolomite lime 

is usually most economical and works 

well as long as the soil can also tolerate 

the calcium it contains. 

What if your soil has too much magnesium? 

Can you get rid of the excess? Excess 

magnesium levels can be corrected. 

When necessary, excess magnesium 

can be removed from the soil, but there 

are specific requirements before that 

can happen. 

First, calcium levels must already be 

above or increased to reach 60% or 

higher in any soil before magnesium 

can be leached out. Once that is accomplished 

and a 60% or higher calcium 

saturation can be maintained, it then 

requires two pounds of sulfur over and 

above soil and crop needs to remove 

one pound of excess magnesium. So, 

once the amount of excessive magnesium 

has been established, double that 

to see how much sulfur will be needed 

to remove it. That will be the minimum 

Mark this and do not forget it 

when you strive to grow nutrient 

dense foods: when there is too 

" 

much magnesium in a soil, the crop 

growing there will not get enough. 

cost to remove magnesium from that 

soil. Enough lime to keep the calcium 

saturation above 60% may also be 

needed, and though all soils need that 

60%+ level to be most productive, some 

may still want to include that as a cost 

for driving out an excess of magnesium. 

On soils with too much magnesium, 

does the increased income justify the 

expense required to remove the extra 

magnesium from that soil? How much 

is adding an extra three-fourths of a 

bale of cotton per acre worth? How 

much is the savings from not having to 

add an extra one-third more of required 

nitrogen to grow the same yield 

of corn worth? How much is 10 more 

bushels of soybeans per acre worth? 

Is it worth the time and the effort? That 

answer depends on the amount of the 

excess and the cost of the materials it 

will take to remove it. Remember this 

point: As long as you have an excess of 

magnesium in your soils, the production 

capabilities are constantly being 

impaired, and top efficiency from even 

certified organic sources of soil nitrogen 

and phosphate materials will not 

be achieved, nor will the crops being 

grown there ever contain the ideal 

amount of needed magnesium for truly 

nutrient-dense foods. Such great costs 

to our feed and food supplies cannot 

go on being ignored when the technology 

is there to prove what is needed 

and provide for the greatest positive 

responses. 






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