OF Oct Nov 2021

October/November 2021 

Creating Habitat for Pollinators: What to 

Know and What to Consider 

Benefits to Using Barn Owls for Rodent Control 

Transitioning to Organic Olives 

Organic Produce Sales Continue Strong Showing 

NOVEMBER 

3 rd 

See Page 39 

Volume 4: Issue: 5 

(Photo by McEvoy Ranch)

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2 Organic Farmer October/November 2021

4 

8 

12 

16 

20 

IN THIS ISSUE 

Creating Habitat for 

Pollinators: What to Know 

and What to Consider 

Benefits to Using Barn 

Owls for Rodent Control 

Transitioning to 

Organic Olives 

Organic Produce Sales 

Continue Strong Showing 

Veterans Grow New 

Careers in Agriculture 

4 

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 

Amy Barstow 

Manager, USDA 

NRCS Corvallis Plant 

Materials Center 

Danita Cahill 

Contributing Writer 

Taylor Chalstrom 

Assistant Editor 

Stacie Clary 

Western Sustainable 

Agriculture Research & 

Education 

Margo Hale 

Armed to Farm 

Program Director, 

NCAT 

Sabrina Halvorson 


Neal Kinsey 

Kinsey Ag Services 

Mitch Lies 


Robyn Metzger 

Armed to Farm Program 

Coordinator, NCAT 

24 

28 

34 

36 

Hemp Research Takes a 

Closer Look at Plant 

Responses to Nitrogen 

Determining the Best 

Organic Fertility for 

Trees: Part 2 

Growing Blueberries in 

Western Regions 

Drought Affects Urban 

Farmers in California 

8 

UC COOPERATIVE EXTENSION 

ADVISORY BOARD 

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-Shean 

UCCE Area Orchard Systems 

Advisor, Sacramento, 

Solano and Yolo Counties 

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 

34 

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. 

October/November 2021 www.organicfarmermag.com 3

CREATING HABITAT FOR 

POLLINATORS: WHAT TO KNOW 

AND WHAT TO CONSIDER 

By AMY BARTOW | Manager, USDA NRCS Corvallis Plant Materials Center 

Permanent pollinator habitat installed between vineyard rows. Mix includes Willamette Valley native prairie species (all photos by A. Bartow.) 

It’s one of the last warm fall days 

and bumblebees are actively foraging 

on the remaining flowers in our pollinator 

habitat, and scraggly California 

poppies and asters are some of the last 

holdouts. Creating pollinator habitat 

is quite easy. If you build it, they will 

come. Pollinators face many issues, but 

one of the biggest is habitat loss. It is 

estimated that more than 1,300 types of 

plants are grown around the world for 

food, beverages, medicines, condiments, 

spices and even fabric. Of these, about 

75% are pollinated by animals. 

More than one of every three bites of 

food we eat or beverages we drink are 

directly because of pollinators. Aside 

from pollinator services, they are also 

a major part of the food web and are an 

important source of food for birds, especially 

for when they are rearing their 

young. Installing pollinator habitat also 

benefits soil health by having a diverse 

set of plants that support soil microbes. 

Additionally, having a perennial habitat 

means less tillage, living roots throughout 

the year, and the pollinator habitat 

covers the soil. 

Planting a wildflower seed mix is a 

great way to create habitat for native 

pollinators, beneficial insects and honeybees. 

However, choosing which seed 

mix to buy can be a daunting task as 

there are many different mixes available 

on the market. The USDA NRCS 

Corvallis Plant Materials Center spent 

four years studying pollinator mixes to 

determine the most important factors 

to consider: 

1. Establishing season-long bloom is 

important for sustaining pollen and 

nectar resources throughout the 

growing season. 

2. At least three different species 

flowering at any given time. 

3. For perennial habitat, mixes that 

have about 25% annuals and 75% 

perennials seem to create a balanced 

bloom over the lifespan of the 

habitat. 

4. Grasses are good to include in small 

amounts and only use bunchgrasses 

(not rhizomatous grasses.) 

Season-long Bloom 

Season-long bloom can be achieved by 

focusing on early blooming and late 

blooming species, and most mixes will 

have plenty of “mid-season” blooming 

plants. Overwintering pollinators such 

as bumblebees heavily rely on early 

blooming plants as primary resources 

to re-grow their colony. Providing late 

blooming plants is also very important 

for pollinators because there are less 

plants blooming in late summer and 

fall. 

In unirrigated systems, finding late 

blooming plants can be challenging, 

but asters tend to grow well without 

irrigating and bloom until winter shuts 

them down. Some annuals, such as 

California poppies, bloom well into fall. 

When looking over the species list for a 

particular mix, be sure to understand 

Continued on Page 6 


® 

IMAGINATION 

INNOVATION 

SCIENCE IN ACTION

Continued from Page 4 

when each species blooms and make 

sure to select mixes with early and late 

blooming species. 

A brochure that has a bloom calendar 

on page 4 which covers some of the 

more common species used in pollinator 

mixes in western Oregon and 

Washington can be found on the NRCS 

website at nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_ 

PLANTMATERIALS/publications/ 

orpmcbr13465.pdf. 

A similar brochure that has a bloom 

calendar on page 4 which includes 

species more common in Montana and 

Wyoming can be found at nrcs.usda. 

gov/Internet/FSE_PLANTMATERI- 

ALS/publications/mtpmcbr13642.pdf. 

Multiple Species 

Having multiple species blooming at 

any given time provides a varied diet 

for generalist pollinators and can also 

host a variety of specialist pollinators 

who might be attracted to a certain color 

of flower or can only access a certain 

shaped flower. In other words, floral 

diversity is also as important as floral 

abundance. 

This patch of wildflowers has been blooming since March when first warm days of spring 

brought the bumblebee queens out of hibernation. 

Annuals vs Perennials 

Annuals are the easiest way to provide 

floral abundance. Annuals also fit very 

well into many farming systems and 

can be used as “season extenders” as 

they are often some of the first species 

to bloom and can be grown later in 

the season to fill the late-season gap. 

Most wildflower mixes are a blend of 

annual and perennial species because 

most people are looking for a habitat 

that they do not have to re-install every 

growing season. 

Most farms have some areas that can 

Annual pollinator mix used as a field border. Mix contains crimson clover, lacy phacelia, 

meadowfoam, dwarf clarkia and California poppies. 

NOV. 

3rd, 2021 

be set aside and dedicated to pollinator 

habitat. Mixes that include perennial 

and annual species are the best way to 

create permanent habitat. The annuals 

provide first-year bloom and cover 

while the perennials are becoming 

established, but the annuals usually 

disappear over time. Short-lived perennials 

bloom heavily in the second year 

and usually re-seed themselves. Long- 

SEE PAGE 6 39 FOR MORE Organic INFORMATION Farmer October/November 2021

lived perennials will continue to bloom 

every year and expand over time. 

Pollinators evolved with native plants, 

so they seem like the best choice for the 

bulk of the pollinator plants we should 

use. The biochemistry of native plant 

pollen and nectar is the best match 

for the biochemical needs of native 

pollinators. However, many pollinators 

are generalists and will use non-native 

plants. Native plants are adapted to 

your area, and if you are in an area with 

summer drought, native plants should 

bloom and thrive with low inputs and 

no irrigation. 

Best Practices 

Installing a pollinator seed mix is 

similar to seeding a lawn. All existing 

vegetation needs to be killed and the 

soil needs to be loosened so the seeds 

can have good soil contact. Wildflower 

seeds are very small and should not be 

covered by more than 0.25 inches of 

soil. In temperate climates, fall seeding 

is best as native plants will grow in 

the fall and winter. In areas with cold 

winters, spring seeding may be more 

successful depending on the species 

you are using. Usually, the vendor will 

provide information about when it’s 

best to seed their mix. 

Weeds tend to be the most challenging 

aspect. If establishing pollinator plants 

from seed, you need bare ground. This 

involves killing some if not all of the 

existing plant community and can 

be done by smothering, solarizing, 

tilling or chemicals. And in most soils, 

there is a massive bank of weed seeds 

waiting to germinate as soon as the 

soil is bare. So if the weed seed bank 

can be reduced, your seeds will have 

less competition. Many “weeds” are 

beneficial to pollinators but are intolerable 

in farming systems. Therefore, it is 

up to each farmer to decide if the weed 

pressure is acceptable. 

Creating pollinator habitat is simple 

and easy to do in all types of farming 

systems. For more information, refer to 

our Pollinator Plants for Oregon Tech 

Note at nrcs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_ 

PLANTMATERIALS/publications/ 

orpmstn7451.pdf. 

There are Plant Material Centers in 

every region of the country; visit our 

National website for more information 

about the center that serves your area 

at nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/ 

plantmaterials/pmc/. For NRCS financial 

assistance or technical assistance in 

creating pollinator habitats, find your 

local USDA Service Center at offices. 

sc.egov.usda.gov/locator/app. 

Comments about this article? We want 

to hear from you. Feel free to email us at 

article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

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Like any biocontrol option, barn owls won’t drive pest populations to 

zero and may need to be augmented with rodenticides occasionally (all 

photos courtesy Ryan Bourbour.) 

BENEFITS TO USING 

BARN OWLS FOR 

RODENT CONTROL 

Barn owls are big, 

beautiful biocontrol. 

By STACIE CLARY | Western Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education 

" 

Barn owls are rodent-killing 

machines,” said Sara Kross, a 

lecturer at Columbia University, 

“They are natural predators of gophers 

and voles, which can be really horrible 

pests for agriculture.” 

For farmers, ranchers and/or land 

managers facing serious rodent problems, 

encouraging native barn owls to 

nest on their land can provide effective, 

ongoing biocontrol. The Western 

Sustainable Agriculture Research and 

Education (SARE) program has funded 

multiple research projects, such as one 

by Kross, looking at how to incorporate 

barn owls into a broader integrated 

pest management system. From this 

research, the program has developed 

a four-page “How To Guide” with tips 

for welcoming in barn owls to provide 

rodent control. 

The Research 

Barn owls are effective biocontrol 

against rodents, but like any biocontrol 

option, they won’t drive pest populations 

to zero and may need to be augmented 

with rodenticides occasionally. 

Kross’ study looked at the frequency 

and level owls on farms are being exposed 

to rodenticides through analysis 

of their pellets, droppings and blood. 

The team looked for the effects of that 

rodenticide exposure on the owls. 

One farm where the team has been 

conducting its research is Matchbook 

Wine Company’s vineyards in the 

Dunnigan Hills north of Sacramento. 

“My family’s been growing wine 

grapes here since the 1970s, and 

controlling rodents is a big part of our 

integrated pest management program,” 

said Matchbook’s Greg Giguiere. “We 

have 40 owl boxes on the farm. The 

rodent control is what we’re after, 

and it’s part of having an integrated 

system of biodiversity and biological 

controls to complement the chemical 

options we have for controlling these 

types of things.” 

Another aspect of the project is tracking 

where the owls hunt. For that, 

adults were fitted with little GPS backpacks 

that recorded their movements 

for up to two weeks at a time before the 

backpacks were transferred to a different 

bird to record more data. 

“Barn owls are an excellent study species 

because they come back to sleep in 

these boxes during the day, so we can 

“BARN OWLS ARE AN 

EXCELLENT STUDY 

SPECIES BECAUSE 

THEY COME BACK 

TO SLEEP IN THESE 

BOXES DURING THE 

DAY, SO WE CAN 

SAFELY RECAPTURE 

THEM.” 

– RYAN BOURBOUR, UC DAVIS 

safely recapture them,” says Ryan Bourbour, 

a Ph.D. student at UC Davis who 

is tracking the owls. 

The study data is helping growers place 

barn owl boxes in the locations that 

will do them the most good and place 

rodenticide bait stations in the periods 

and places that cause the owls the least 

harm. 

And that is very attractive to Giguiere. 



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Providing barn owls with artificial nest 

boxes on your farm and ranch helps them 

because natural nest sites are often a 

limiting factor for barn owl populations. 


“A big part of farming is being connected 

to the land,” he said. “So, a lot of 

what we do goes to that. I’ve been very 

interested in reducing chemical inputs 

into our system and moving away 

from a monoculture and having more 

biodiversity. So, it’s a very exciting 

program and we’re definitely on board 

and moving forward, and want to do 

even more habitats for hawks and other 

predators.” 

Are Barn Owls Right for 

Your Operation? 

Barn owls can help keep rodent populations 

under control and deter rodent 

damage to fields, irrigation 

lines and equipment. As night-hunters, 

they’re effective at controlling mice, 

gophers and voles. Their 

boxes can also serve as hunting platforms 

for day-hunters like hawks, kestrels 

and eagles, which can help control 

and deter ground squirrel populations. 

In addition, there’s often great satisfaction 

knowing you’re hosting and helping 

these gorgeous natural predators. 

For farmers, ranchers and/or land managers facing serious rodent problems, encouraging 

native barn owls to nest on their land can provide effective, ongoing biocontrol. 

If you have a serious rodent problem in 

your fields, barn owls can help. Providing 

barn owls with artificial nest boxes 

on your farm and ranch helps them 

because natural nest sites are often a 

limiting factor for barn owl populations. 

During the mating and nesting season, 

barn owls are looking for a safe place 

to raise their young and a lot of rodents 

to feed them. If you already have the 

rodents, you just need to add owl boxes 

to house the barn owls. 

For even better rodent control, also 

install raptor perches when you install 

barn owl boxes. Mount a wooden cross 

brace to a 10- to 15-foot-high pole. 

Hawks and kestrels will use them while 

hunting during the day, and barn owls 

use them at night. 

Developed from this research, Western 

SARE’s free How-To Guide (western. 

sare.org/resources/welcome-in-barnowls-to-provide-rodent-control/) 

takes 

you through decision-making, provides 

tips on how to provide nest boxes and 

describes how to site and maintain the 

boxes as well as how to determine if 

they are working. 

Western SARE has developed multiple 

research-based How-To Guides 

for farmers and ranchers that can be 

downloaded for free at western.sare. 

org/learning-and-resources/how-toquick-guides/. 





Transitioning to Organic Olives 

"Olives are a noble crop.” 

By SABRINA HALVORSON | Contributing Writer 

Dr. Javier Fernandez Salvador is 

the executive director of the UC 

Davis Robert Mondavi Institute 

Olive Center. For more than 20 years 

before his current position, he worked 

extensively in organic production of 

various specialty crops and served on an 

organic review committee, worked in 

organic certification and conducted organic 

research. When asked to compare 

organic olives to other organic crops, he 

had a wealth of experience to rely on. 

Compared to some crops that are more 

delicate or have more pest and disease 

pressure, olives can face fewer problems 

with organic production, Salvador 

said. Still, there are some threats to 

olives that can be difficult to manage 

organically. Among them, the fungal 

disease olive knot. 

Olive Knot 

“Olive knot comes after pruning, which 

is normally in the winter here,” Salvador 

said. “If your neighbor has a lot of 

it, or if you’re sharing labor or pruning 

crews with your neighbor, you might 

bring in olive knot.” 

Olive knot can be difficult even for 

conventional growers to manage. If infections 

occur on the trunks of young 

trees, it can kill them. On older trees, it 

can lower productivity and cause the 

fruit to have an off flavor. Management 

is primarily preventative. One method 

is to prune during the dry months 

of summer to prevent fungal growth. 

Preventive bactericide applications are 

also advised. Salvador said there are 

some organic options, such as applying 

copper after pruning. 

The trees at McEvoy were imported from Italy and have been producing olives since the ranch 

was founded in 1990 (all photos courtesy McEvoy Ranch.) 

“But it’s much easier and better if your 

system and location is geared for organic 

production from the get-go,” he 

said. That would include maintaining 

a high level of orchard sanitization 

geared toward preventing the spread of 

such crop diseases. Salvador has seen 

practices such as shoe covers or full 

body suits used to prevent cross-contamination 

used in organic crops in 

other countries, but it hasn’t become 

common practice here. 

“It would be good to do,” he said. 

Yield Disparity 

Another consideration for organic 

producers, especially those converting 

from conventional to organic acreage, 

is the difference in yield. 

“When you talk about conversion, I 

think one of the important things to 

consider is what is your goal regarding 

yield,” he explained. “For example, 

there’s a couple of very large producers 

here in California who work with 

thousands and thousands of acres 

who are now exploring and starting to 

transition some acreage to organic. In 

their system, trying to reach the same 

yield that they reach in conventional 

could be challenging because of how 

intensive it could be for that type of super 

high-density plant. We really don’t 

have a lot of data on super high-den- 


Compared to some crops that are more delicate or have more pest and disease pressure, olives can face fewer problems with organic production. 

sity planting when it comes to organic 

production.” 

He said a lot depends on the grower’s 

goals. 

“If your goal is to continue to obtain a 

lower yield but to focus on quality, then 

you can probably convert or establish 

an orchard with organic practices that 

is not extremely risky or cumbersome 

to do,” he said. “You have to account 

for that when you’re talking about high 

quality and low input. That comes with 

the philosophy and the mentality that 

you understand from the beginning 

that your goal won’t be to produce an 

incredible tonnage per acre but to focus 

on obtaining a high-quality crop that 

can be managed organically.” 

Organics at McEvoy Ranch 

A focus on quality is the goal at McEvoy 

Ranch. 

“For us, the core of our organic farming 

is tending the soil and having healthy 

soil as the basis of our farming operation,” 

said Samantha Dorsey, president 


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of McEvoy Ranch, a family-owned 

farm in Petaluma, Calif. that produces 

organic olive oil as well as wine, jams 

and several other products. “That 

includes having soil that’s alive, active 

and full of microorganisms and nutrients. 

And I think for most organic 

farmers, that’s the heart and soul of 

their organic farming, ensuring that 

their soil has excellent conditions so 

they can produce an excellent crop.” 

Dorsey said the main differences 

she has found between organic and 

conventional crops are in weed control 

and fertilizer availability. 

One consideration for organic olive producers, especially those converting from conventional 

to organic acreage, is the difference in yield. 

“We end up investing more in our 

weed control and our fertilization program 

just because we have a different 

toolbox that we can use,” she said. 

Another factor for all farmers in California 

is the availability of water, or 

lack thereof. When it comes to drought, 

Dorsey expects there to be a long-term 

effect on the crop. 

“I think it’s going to be that we will 

likely see fewer tons per acre, or as 

some farms measure it, gallons per acre 

that they’re able to get out of the final 

product. I think we’re going to see a 

decrease in tons per acre as the trees 

stabilize and learn to live with less 

water,” Dorsey said. “But it’s going to 

depend on the water source. Our ranch 

here in Petaluma, we’re 100% dependent 

upon surface water runoff and 

surface irrigation ponds. We don’t pull 

any groundwater. Whereas there are 

many farmers who are working off well 

water whose water supply is going to 

last longer than someone like us. We’re 

really suffering this year because our 

ponds never filled.” 

She said they were missing about twothirds 

of the water that they usually get 

in winter. The low water supply also 

inhibits the uptake of nutrients by the 

trees. Trees need water to carry the nutrients 

from the soil into the roots. To 

help the trees get some of the nutrients 

With a focus on quality organic production is easy to manage, according to representatives of 

McEvoy Ranch. 

they need, the ranch used organic nitrogen 

pellets throughout the orchards. 

However, the area didn’t get the rain it 

needed to fully work those pellets into 

the soil. 

“The nutrients are there, they’re just not 

available to the trees,” she said. The 

ranch is focusing its water resources on 

the two orchards that have the highest 

crop set. 

The trees at McEvoy were imported 

from Italy and have been producing 

olives since the ranch was founded in 

1990. Despite the extra challenges and 

costs that come with organic farming, 

Dorsey said McEvoy Ranch will stay 

organic. 

“The McEvoy family has remained 100% 

committed to that throughout the life 

of the company. And that’s part of the 

joy of working for a family company,” 

she said. She has worked for the McEvoy’s 

for 20 years. 

“Part of why I’ve stayed and worked for 

them for so long is that commitment 

to sustainability and to the organic 

production.” 





ORGANIC PRODUCE 

SALES CONTINUE 

STRONG SHOWING 

By MITCH LIES | Contributing Writer 

Year-over-year organic produce 

sales continued with a strong 

showing in quarter two of 2021, 

overcoming the reopening of restaurants, 

which drove down conventional 

produce sales from the same period a 

year ago, to post a 4% increase, according 

to a report from the Organic 

Produce Network. 

“I think it is encouraging that even 

though consumer purchases of conventional 

produce were lower than 

quarter two of 2020, organic produce 

continued to generate growth,” said 

Steve Lutz, senior vice president of 

Insights and Innovation at Category 

Partners, which compiled the quarterly 

report for the Organic Produce Network. 

The report compared sales from quarter 

two of 2020, when the shuttering of 

restaurants due to COVID-19 drove 

up retail produce sales, to sales from 

quarter two of 2021, when restaurants 

were starting to reopen, contributing 

to more normal consumer purchase 

behavior. 

“Bottom line, we are going to start 

returning to a little more normalcy as 

we go forward,” said Matt Seeley, CEO 

of Organic Produce Network. “The 

numbers now reflect us coming out of 

last year’s pantry loading when people 

were doing more cooking at home.” 

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The quarter two report comes after 

a sensational year-over-year growth 

rate of 9% in organic produce sales in 

quarter one of 2021. But those numbers 

were heavily skewed by COVID-19, according 

to Lutz, who said the absence 

of competition from restaurant sales 

drove up the retail numbers. 

“I think the takeaway [from the quarterly 

reports] is that the growth of 

organic produce retail over 10 years has 

consistently been at a higher rate than 

conventional. And that was true during 

the pandemic and it remains true coming 

out of the pandemic for the last two 

reports,” Lutz said. 

Consumer Preference 

At the heart of the steady increase, 

sources said, is ongoing consumer 

preference for organic produce, a preference 

amplified during the pandemic 

and in its aftermath, when health concerns 

continue to drive consumer food 


executive director of Oregon Tilth, 

which provides organic certifications to 

farms, handlers and distributors across 

the U.S. “More people are cooking at 

home, starting with fresh ingredients 

and kind of rediscovering the joy of 

cooking with fresh flavors.” 

In the quarterly reports, the Organic 

Produce Network and Category Partners 

analyze retail sales at the supermarket 

level. The reports don’t capture 

farmers’ market sales, community 

supported agriculture sales, or other 

farm-direct sales. 

purchase decisions. 

Sources say COVID brought renewed interest in health and healthy eating. 

“During this time, peoples’ health is 

at top of mind,” Seeley said. “It is very 

front-and-center, and organic fresh 

produce has some tremendous attributes 

as it relates to providing consumers 

and mothers who are trying to feed 

their kids and their families healthy, 

nutritious food options. Organic fits 

that bill very nicely.” 

“I think eating habits changed as a 

result of what we experienced last year, 

and some of those habits are persisting 

into this year,” said Chris Schreiner, 

The quarter two report showed U.S. 

sales for all organic produce sectors 

totaled just under $2.3 billion, up 4.1% 

in dollars and 0.2% in volume from the 

same quarter a year ago. Meanwhile, 

conventional produce saw dollar sales 

decrease by 3.3% in quarter two and 

saw volume fall by 8.6% compared to 


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the same period a year ago. 

One interesting nugget in the quarter 

two report is that for the first time, 

berries overtook packaged salads as 

the number-one organic category in 

dollar sales. Year-over-year berry sales 

increased by 19% in the second quarter, 

with volume up 16% during the same 

time frame. Total organic berry sales 

topped $435 million for the quarter. 

The top ten organic produce categories 

showed mixed results, according to 

the report, with berries, apples, lettuce, 

bananas and citrus making sales gains, 

while packaged salads, herbs, carrots, 

tomatoes and potatoes showed modest 

declines. 

Promising Outlook 

Looking forward, Lutz sees no reason 

for organic sales to stop their growth 

and believes they will continue to 

increase at a higher rate than conventional 

sales. 

“I think they will for a couple of reasons,” 

he said. “One is the cost differential 

continues to come down. Producers 

continue to get better and more competitive, 

and so, what we are continuing 

to see is the price gap, the premium 

that organic carries over conventional, 

is narrowing. And as that price premium 

narrows, more and more consumers 

will make that jump. 

“And the second piece is continuity of 

supply,” Lutz continued. “Retail stores 

can’t live with sporadic supplies. They 

have to have the same product at the 

same price and the same quality and 

run it, maybe not for 52 weeks because 

of seasonality, but they have to run it 

consistently. They just can’t deal with 

variations in supply and variations in 

pricing. 

“So, what we are seeing is that as organic 

becomes more prevalent and it is 

more widely available, the consistency-of-supply 

issue gets solved, the price 

premium comes down, and both of 

those make the produce more attractive 

to the retailer for an ongoing item to 

Organic produce sales showed significant year-over-year gains in both the first and 

second quarter of 2021. Here, workers at Gathering Together Farms in Philomath, Ore. 

harvest melons (photo courtesy Oregon Tilth.) 

“ 

“I think it is encouraging that even though consumer 

purchases of conventional produce were 

lower than quarter two of 2020, organic produce 

continued to generate growth.” 

– Steve Lutz, Category Partners 

slot in their store that they can permanently 

give space to on a retail shelf,” 

Lutz said. 

Schreiner said Oregon Tilth has seen 

a significant uptick in organic certifications 

as of late, a reflection of the increased 

popularity of organic produce. 

So far into the 2021 certification season, 

the organic certifier is averaging about 

35 new applicants per month, he said. 

During last year’s certification season, 

Oregon Tilth was averaging about 25 

applicants per month. 

“This is a long-term trend in the area 

of growth in the food market,” Schreiner 

said. “I think there is a growing 

awareness of healthy food as preventative 

health care. And I think, secondly, 

there is this kind of larger sense of 

community and environmental health 

that is helping drive sales. 

“So, I think it is a combination of both 

of those factors that is motivating 

peoples’ choices,” he continued. “And I 

think as more food operations get into 

organics, that will drive public investment 

and public resources into figuring 

out how to make this food system work 

as well as possible.” 

” 

“If you look at consumer research, what 

you see consistently is that organic is 

perceived to be superior to conventional 

by the majority of consumers in 

almost every way except one, and that 

is cost.” Lutz said. “And that higher cost 

remains a barrier. 

“For the majority of consumers, if they 

could switch to organic and the cost 

barrier is not insurmountable, they will 

make the switch,” he continued. “That 

is what the long-term trend has shown 

is that consumers are looking for ways 

to make that switch, and it is really just 

a question of is the price premium too 

high, or is the product in some way different 

from the conventional alternative 

that they are used to buying. 

“So, the quality has got to be consistent. 

The package size has to be consistent. 

The varieties have to be consistent,” 

Lutz said. “But if you equal all of those 

out, consumers are making the switch.” 





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Veterans Grow 

New Careers in 

Agriculture 

By ROBYN METZGER | Armed to Farm Program Coordinator, NCAT 

and MARGO HALE | Armed to Farm Program Director, NCAT 

Sara Creech, an Air Force veteran, 

has been farming in Indiana 

since 2012, and says she knew 

from the beginning that she wanted 

her farm to be certified organic. She’s 

one of more than 350,000 veteran 

or active-duty service members 

involved in farming in the U.S. (2017 

USDA Ag Census). She’s also one of 

the hundreds of farmer veterans who 

have completed the Armed to Farm 

training program developed by the 

National Center for Appropriate Technology 

(NCAT). 

NCAT’s Armed to Farm 

Armed to Farm is a sustainable agriculture 

training program for military 

veterans. NCAT, a national nonprofit 

organization based in Butte, Mont., 

arranged the first Armed to Farm 

training through a Beginning Farmer 

and Rancher Development Project 

with the University of Arkansas. The 

program has expanded over the past 

eight years with support from a cooperative 

agreement with USDA-Rural 

Development. 

Since launching the program in 2013, 

our guiding goals have been: 

Farmer-veteran Sara Creech, right, learns about goat health care at NCAT’s 2013 Armed to 

Farm training in Fayetteville, Ark. (photo by R. Metzger.) 

▶ To train veterans and their partners 

to operate sustainable crop 

and livestock enterprises. 

▶ To create a network of veterans 

and their families who are starting 

careers in sustainable agriculture. 

▶ To provide technical assistance 

to participants as they start and 

improve their farming operations. 

Over the past eight years, Armed to 

Farm has supported more than 800 

veterans from 45 states with hands-on 

and classroom learning opportunities. 

Farmer veterans learn how to make a 

business plan and market their products, 

set business goals and develop 

lasting mentorships with seasoned 


Sara Creech, left, leads an Armed to Farm training group on a tour of her Indiana farm in 

2019 (photo by R. Metzger.) 

farmers. Participants meet representatives 

from USDA agencies, including 

the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources 

Conservation Service and the 

Small Business Administration’s Small 

Business Development Centers. They 

learn how to access farm programs for 

help with business development and 

improving farm infrastructure. 

Tours and Training 

The training also features farm tours 

and hands-on activities at a variety of 

successful farms, some of which are 

veteran-owned. Participants learn from 

seasoned farmers and gain direct experience 

on livestock, vegetable, fruit and 

agritourism operations. 

Armed to Farm now offers three training 

series: 

▶ Flagship, weeklong hands-on and 

classroom training for new farmer 

veterans. 

FREE online information 

on soil health, produce safety, water management and more 

ara.org/publicaons 

Help line: 800-346-9140 

How can ATTRA help you? 

Trusted technical assistance for over 30 years 

▶ Armed to Urban Farm’s weeklong 

training focuses on veterans who 

are new farmers in urban areas. 




▶ Armed to Farm 2.0 is advanced 

sustainable agriculture training 

designed for farmer veterans who 

have completed a previous weeklong 

session. This training provides 

in-depth curriculum on business 

planning, financial management, 

marketing and scaling-up production. 

We tailor hands-on activities 

at area farms to participants’ needs 

and focus on more advanced 

production, marketing and entrepreneurship 

techniques. 

Farmer veterans who complete one of 

the training series stay connected to 

their peers and often develop close ties 

to other farmers. The Armed to Farm 

program also provides opportunities 

for in-person and virtual veteran 

networking events as well as limited 

scholarships for veterans to attend 

agricultural conferences and trainings 

presented by other organizations. 

Armed to Farm educational opportunities 

continue after the weeklong trainings 

with webinars, podcasts and other 

online resources provided through 

NCAT’s ATTRA Sustainable Agriculture 

Program. The ATTRA program 

has built a trusted knowledge base over 

the last 30 years on everything from 

livestock, horticulture and agronomy 

to marketing and farm energy. 

The ATTRA website hosts more than 

500 farmer-friendly publications on 

agricultural production and marketing, 

plus webinars, tutorials, videos, 

podcast episodes and more. The 

website includes an extensive section 

on organic farming. This multimedia 

knowledge base is available free online, 

and our staff members are always available 

to provide one-on-one technical 

assistance. To contact our agriculture 

specialists, farmers can: 

1. Call ATTRA at 800-346-9140 

(English) or 800-411-3222 (Spanish) 

2. Email or text questions to askanag@ 

ncat.org 

3. Submit questions through our 

website chat box at 

ATTRA.NCAT.ORG 

Why Veterans Choose Agriculture 

Over the years, we’ve learned that 

veterans are drawn to farming for 

many reasons. They find satisfaction 

in problem-solving and overcoming 

the challenges of farming, being their 

own boss and providing support and 

employment for other veterans. Many 

veterans also are drawn to farming 

because working outside with plants or 

animals, and feeding healthy food to 

their families and communities, helps 

them deal with post-traumatic stress 

disorder (PTSD) and other effects of 

being deployed. 

‘VETERANS MAKE 

GREAT FARMERS 

BECAUSE THEY ARE 

NOT AFRAID OF HARD 

WORK OR SETBACKS. 

THEY’RE NOT DE- 

TERRED WHEN THINGS 

GO WRONG, AND IN 

FARMING, THINGS 

ALWAYS GO WRONG!’ 

As Creech said recently, “Farming can 

be a way to use nature as therapy.” 

Studies and anecdotal evidence show 

farming has proven therapeutic value. 

Another Armed to Farm alumna, an 

Air Force veteran, farmer and doctor 

at Walter Reed Hospital, prescribes 

gardening and farming to her patients 

and has seen positive results. 

Veterans make great farmers because 

they are not afraid of hard work or 

setbacks. They’re not deterred when 

things go wrong, and in farming, 

things always go wrong! But when 

veterans encounter an obstacle, they 

quickly reassess, formulate a new plan 

and follow through. The mission mindset 

they honed during military service 

is a great asset for farming. They also 

have an entrepreneurial spirit. Many 

veterans pursue not just one or two 

farming enterprises, but also produce 

value-added products and have creative 

farm business ideas. 

NCAT Northeast Regional Director Andy Pressman, left, leads a group exercise on 

whole-farm planning during the 2019 Armed to Urban Farm in Cleveland, Ohio 

(photo by M. Hale.) 

One Veteran’s Story 

Although Creech had no farming experience 

when she moved to her place 


ack in 2012, you would never guess it 

seeing her farm today. NCAT’s Armed 

to Farm Program Director Margo 

Hale and I had the privilege of visiting 

Sara’s operation two years ago, Blue 

Yonder Organic Farm. With help from 

Creech, along with the Farmer Veteran 

Coalition, Indiana and AgrAbility, we 

hosted an Armed to Farm training in 

Crawfordsville, Ind. in 2019. We spent 

a sunny May afternoon with a group 

of around 20 veterans touring Creech’s 

farm and learning from her experiences. 

Blue Yonder Organic Farm is a picturesque 

43-acre diversified farm about 

an hour west of Indianapolis. Creech 

produces certified organic chicken, beef 

and lamb as well as certified organic 

vegetables. In addition, she sells eggs, 

honey, mushrooms and maple syrup. 

She sells her products through farmer’s 

markets and some contract growing. 

In a recent podcast interview with 

Margo, Creech shared that the staff 

from her local Natural Resources 

Conservation Service (NRCS) service 

center have been key allies in her farm’s 

transformation. Although they had 

never worked with an organic producer 

before, they were excited to help her 

build the farm. Through the NRCS 

EQIP program, Creech has constructed 

two high tunnels that help protect 

her crops and extend the growing 

season. She also has participated in 

NRCS fencing and large-acre pollinator 

planting programs. Creech credits the 

USDA Organic Certification Cost Share 

Program with helping make certifying 

her farm more affordable. 

It is inspiring to have watched Creech 

progress from a beginning farmer in 

2013 when she attended our very first 

Armed to Farm training in Fayetteville, 

Ark. to a successful farmer and 

seasoned mentor teaching a new cohort 

of farmer veterans. And Creech is just 

one of many Armed to Farm alumni 

finding and sharing their passion and 

purpose in farming. As agriculture educators, 

we really couldn’t ask for more. 

Additional Information 

Learn more about Armed to Farm at 

ARMEDTOFARM.ORG; there, you can 

join our listserv, sign up for email alerts 

or follow our Facebook page to keep in 

touch and learn about Armed to Farm 

news, events and resources. 

ATTRA Podcasts featuring Armed to 

Farm alumni: Forty Years Later, Mr. 

Burch is Back on the Farm; Veterans 

Discuss USDA Programs; Veteran Tells 

Dusty Hound Story; Veteran Helps Veterans 

Learn to Farm; From “Shovel and 

Rototiller” to Conservation Champ; 

and Camaraderie at Armed to Farm. 

ATTRA.NCAT.ORG 




Helping Farmers Grow NATURALLY Since 1974 

FEATURING: 

Office: 559-686-3833 Fax: 559-686-1453 

2904 E. Oakdale Ave. | Tulare, CA 93274 

newerafarmservice.com 


HEMP RESEARCH TAKES A 

CLOSER LOOK AT PLANT 

RESPONSES TO NITROGEN 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

With industrial hemp becoming 

a crop option in California, 

there is still much to learn 

about growing it. For instance, how 

much nitrogen do hemp plants need for 

optimal growth and optimal production 

of essential oils such as CBD? And how 

much nitrogen is too much, possibly 

causing harm to the environment? 

Researchers at UC Davis and at the UC 

ANR West Side Research and Extension 

Center (WSREC) are taking a closer 

look at this nitrogen balancing act. 

The research team, headed by UCCE 

specialists Bob Hutmacher and Dan 

Putnam, has launched a hemp nitrogen 

fertilizer project this year. UC colleagues 

involved in the studies include 

Sarah Light, Geoffrey Koch, Daniel 

Geisseler, Nicholas Clark, Maya Hotz 

and Jorge Angeles. Although these 

UC researchers have been doing hemp 

irrigation trials for multiple years, this 

is the first trial specifically for assessing 

plant responses to nitrogen levels. The 

nitrogen management trial will continue 

for three years. 

Fertilizer, Yield and CBD 

“Part of what we’re attempting to do 

is come up with basic information on 

impacts of applied nitrogen fertilizer 

levels on cola (bud cluster) yields and 

production of CBD and essential oils in 

our region,” said Hutmacher, director 

of UC’s West Side Research and Extension 

Center. “Part of the work is to look 

at crop efficiency in nitrogen use.” 

Josh Schneider, CEO of Cultivaris 

Hemp, said, “The most important 

aspect of the study is looking at the link 

between nitrogen levels and cannabinoid 

(CBD).” 

Cultivaris Hemp donated transplants 

used in evaluating responses 

of full-season types of cultivars. They 

are one of four companies donating 

goods or services to the hemp nitrogen 

project. 

Schneider said when hemp was legalized 

in the 2018 farm bill it caught 

states such as California flat-footed. 

While California, along with most 

other states, was scrambling to catch 

up, the “green rush” was on. 

“Farmers were already ordering seeds 

and plants. But most didn’t have the 

know-how or the research behind the 

crop. The number of people who understood 

it well were limited. There wasn’t 

a lot of hard agronomic information for 

growers,” Schneider said. “That’s why 

there’s not much of this research that 

has been done, and why we have to do 

more of it.” 

Full-season trial, west side REC. Full-season 

cultivars received between 0 and 

220 pounds N per acre (all photos by B. 

Hutmacher.) 

Christopher E. Hohm, Ph.D., agrees 

that the nitrogen project is important. 

Hohn is the Director of Research and 

Development at Kayagene, LLC. Kayagene 

donated hemp seed of one of their 

varieties to the project. 

“Research, like that which is being done 

at UC Davis, will help farmers make 

essential decisions about best practices 

for growing hemp and help advance the 

hemp industry as a whole. The more 

knowledge that a farmer has at their 

disposal, the more likely they are to be 

successful,” Hohn said. 


Auto flower N trial with fertilizer 

injectors, west side REC. 

“Universities like UC Davis are an essential 

component to bringing reliable 

data and science-based information 

to farmers,” he continued. “As a part 

of the industry, Kayagene believes it is 

also the responsibility of private companies 

to support this type of research 

to do our part in contributing to the 

community.” 

Double Test Plots 

The trials are being run as four different 

tests in two separate field trial locations; 

one at UC Davis and one at the 

WSREC located in Fresno County on 

the westside of the San Joaquin Valley. 

At both locations, researchers planted 

two nitrogen trials of approximately 

0.75 acres each, one planted to shorter 

growing season, smaller “auto flower” 

varieties, and the other planted to longer 

growing season, larger “full-season” 

varieties. 

“We decided to set up the auto-flower 

versus full-season field trials as fully 

separate trials based on differences 

in photoperiod responses, and large 

differences in size of plants and time to 

maturity,” Hutmacher said. 

Auto flowering varieties, Cannabis 

ruderalis, don’t require a specific photoperiod 

of light to dark ratio hours. They 

automatically begin to flower without 

regard to light cycle changes. Fullterm 

(full-season) varieties, Cannabis 

indica and Cannabis sativa, switch to 

flowering stage after the light cycle they 

receive drops below a certain duration 

of daylight. In the central California 

region, that would typically occur 

mid-summer. 

“In each of the nitrogen experiments, 

there are five different treatment levels,” 

Hutmacher said. “The peak amount we 

are applying in the auto flower cultivar 

treatments is about half the nitrogen 

applied in the full-season plants.” 

At the starting point of the study, researchers 

applied base applications of 

phosphorus and potassium. The range 

of treatment fertilizer N applications 




goes from about 0 to 120 pounds of nitrogen 

fertilizer per acre with the auto 

flower cultivars, versus 0 to 220 pounds 

of nitrogen per acre for full-season 

cultivars. 

“Typically, in such a study, we are looking 

for where there is optimal response 

in terms of high yields combined with 

acceptable concentrations of essential 

oils,” Hutmacher said. “You don’t want 

to over-apply. We’re looking for the 

plants’ best yield and best quality. For 

example, perhaps the best response for 

auto flower cultivars might peak out 

at 90 pounds N per acre rather than at 

120 pounds per acre.” 

Spoon Feed Nitrogen 

Hutmacher said the study is similar to 

what people have tried to do with most 

crops under the nitrogen management 

plan restrictions of California. “We’re 

looking for acceptable yield with acceptable 

quality.” 

As for irrigating the trial plots, “We 

made a choice in managing all these 

trials to use drip irrigation. The reason 

is we pretty much figured with these 

higher-value crops, there is a higher 

level of probability that you would use 

a tighter control of water and fertilizer,” 

Hutmacher said. 

“One of the options for improved 

nitrogen can be to actually spoon-feed 

plants in small doses over the course of 

the season, so you’re not putting on any 

massive applications at any time,” Hutmacher 

said. “Using subsurface drip 

puts out small amounts at a time [when 

fertigating]. If you’re careful, you can 

exert a high level of control over where 

applied water and fertilizer is distributed, 

making sure more stays within 

reach of the root system.” 

Subsurface drip irrigation is a low-pressure 

but efficient irrigation system. 

Using buried drip tape or drip tubes, 

it can save water and improve yields 

while still meeting crop water needs, 

according to Colorado State Extension. 

What about Organic Practices? 

Although this study is not focused on 

organic nitrogen sources, such as fish 

emulsion, organic growers can still 

gain insight from the trials. 

Are there UC Davis organic hemp nutrition 

trials in the future? 

“Yeah, I think so, if the market starts 

pointing towards more organic product, 

that is something that might be 

researched later,” Hutmacher said, 

adding that from a pest management 

standpoint, availability of synthetic 

pesticide materials for industrial hemp 

is currently near non-existent levels for 

California producers. 

“Future decisions on which markets 

intend to use the harvestable products 

will have a strong influence on choice 

of organic production versus production 

involving synthetic chemicals,” 


Hutmacher pointed out that with 

hemp, growers have a lot of different 

options as far as types and uses. To use 

nitrogen fertilizer efficiently, the type 

of hemp a grower produces comes into 

play. 

“If you’re producing a crop solely for 

biomass, such as for fiber or even grain/ 

seed production, the optimal amount 

of fertilizer N needed would likely 

differ considerably from what might be 

optimal for essential oil production,” 

Hutmacher said. “For this particular 

study, we’re not looking at grain and 

fiber plant types.” 

Auto flower N trial, west side REC field. Auto 

flower cultivars received between 0 and 120 

pounds N per acre. 

How long will it be until growers can 

access information gathered from the 

trials? 

“We’ll have some data out next year, but 

more complete information will start 

coming after the 2022 growing season,” 


The three-year nitrogen management 

trial is supported by the California 

Department of Food and Agriculture 

Fertilizer Research Education Program 

(CDFA-FREP). Besides Cultivaris 

Hemp of Encinitas, Calif. and Kayagene, 

LLC of Hollister, Calif., Phylos 

Biosciences of Portland, Ore. also donated 

seeds, starts or cuttings (clones). 

The project will also include THC and 

CBD analysis. Alkemist Labs of Garden 

Grove, Calif. is donating its crop sample 

analyzing services. 

“These are incredibly valuable donations 

to assist with this project, certainly in 

excess of $50,000 in donated materials 

and services from each of those companies,” 

Hutmacher said. “We wouldn’t 

be able to do the study without the help. 

The donations have been super important, 

and the industry people have just 

been so full of information.” 

“Part of the work is to look at crop efficiency 

in nitrogen use.” – Bob Hutmacher, UC Davis 





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Determining the Best Organic 

Fertility for Trees:Part 2 

By NEAL KINSEY | Kinsey Agricultural Services 

The more fertile the soil when the trees begin bearing, the greater the health and production of the trees (photo by Rich Kreps.) 

In Part I of Organic Fertility for 

Trees in the previous issue of Organic 

Farmer, we focused on considering 

the soil first. The article was primarily 

directed toward establishing the proper 

environment to encourage the greatest 

response from tree roots and all the 

biological life that is needed to correctly 

serve those roots and the trees that will 

be grown there. This article will consider 

what would be necessary to build 

the natural fertility of each different soil 

and how to determine what is required 

for the trees and the supporting biology 

to thrive accordingly. 

We have tested soils from over 75 countries 

and all 50 states here in the U.S. 

Numerous countries and many different 

states have provided thousands of 

samples from the worst to the best soils, 

with soils from tree crops being one of 

the greatest sources. Speaking comparatively, 

very few soils have all the nutrients 

in sufficient amounts to provide for 

ideal performance. And even those that 

do can soon be depleted if not properly 

cared for to determine and maintain 

those ideal levels. 

Too many assume that once a soil is 

corrected with the right nutrients it 

will remain in that condition. Once 

corrected, it will now be better than it 

would have been, but as the potential 

of the soil to produce goes higher, the 

removal of nutrients needed by the 

trees to do their best will be used up 

more quickly (some sandy soils have 

gone from best to worst in five years 

or less due to neglecting to maintain 

even the basic needed nutrients for the 

best fertility and consequently the best 

quality and yield.) 

With few exceptions, growers will admit 

that those soils which are found to 

be closest to the established optimum 

nutrient needs will grow their best 

trees. Most of those properties have 

never been personally visited, but the 

evaluation is made possible by using 

the soil testing methods developed and 

used by Dr. William Albrecht to determine 

when this is true. 

There are always exceptions! A grower 

who is still an ardent supporter of the 

program, whose principal crops were 

almonds and walnuts, sent samples 

for analysis and fertilizer recommendations. 

When what should have been 

the best field was pointed out, he said 

that in fact it was his very worst field. 

Despite all the data we had, it was not 

enough to provide the full picture. 

Cobalt and molybdenum, which are 

optional tests due to cost and so often 

not being considered as a limiting factor, 

were not requested for analysis on 

the samples by the grower. In this case, 

once the soil was analyzed for molybdenum, 

it was so deficient that it was 

the only reason this field was not a top 

performer. Once the molybdenum was 

supplied, it turned the field from the 

worst to one of the best. 

When what is seen to happen time and 

again, over and over, in all parts of the 

world for some reason does not seem 

to work, there should be a good reason 

why. It just requires additional effort to 

find that reason. 

Building Fertility 

What is needed for any basic fertility 

program for growing trees? As explained 

in the previous article, it is 

using soil chemistry to measure and 

supply the basic needs of each soil. 

Once accomplished, that provides a 

long-term workable solution for maintaining 

the proper soil structure, or the 

proper amount of pore space needed for 

balancing air and water needs of each 

soil. This in turn helps build and maintain 

the necessary environment for the 

needed biological activity for growing 

the best trees in that soil. 

Still, the place to begin must be 


producing enough of a crop to stay in 

business. That is best accomplished by 

providing adequate amounts of four 

major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, 

potassium and sulfur) for growing new 

young trees or producing the next crop. 

Then for long-term soil fertility and 

to maintain the proper soil structure, 

measure and correct the needed levels 

of calcium and magnesium. After those 

levels have been determined and any 

established needs have been met, plan 

to build the essential micronutrients 

to reach at least the minimum requirements 

before emphasizing those that 

specific tree crops respond to best. 

This is the real foundation on which to 

build soil fertility for growing any type 

of tree or plant. The only problem is 

that too often growers just assume they 

are meeting those requirements with 

a “hit-and-miss” program. Here is a 

good gauge to use as an organic grower 

to evaluate your fertility program. If 

your land has the proper fertility, then 

the organically produced crops should 

yield well above that of the average conventional 

grower. If it is not, then try 

to learn why because there is no good 

reason for any organic program that 

claims they are growing nutrient-dense 

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foods to lag from the average conventional 

program. When that happens, 

the trees are being robbed of specifically 

needed nutrients that should be and 

can be supplied naturally. 

Some growers use the excuse that conventional 

growers are forcing the soil 

and that is why the yields are so much 

higher. That is a possibility at times 

when pushing for extremely high yields. 

However, truly trying to force a soil is 

when more than is ordinarily required 

to produce the soil’s true yield potential 

is applied. That can happen with organic 

growers, too. It is the overuse of more 

than the trees show to be needing that 

causes harm. For example, when the 

soil is low in some needed nutrient and 

extra “organic” nitrogen from compost 

is applied instead of that nutrient to try 

and squeeze by and get a little more of 

it from the decomposition of soil humus, 

that is forcing the ground. When 

adding the needed nutrients to help the 

trees achieve their natural yield potential, 

that is not forcing the crop; rather, 

that is providing good crop nutrition 

as what is needed for growing the most 

nutritious crops. And what determines 

true crop potential? Correcting the soil 

to the very basic levels that are required 

to grow any plants properly suited for 

that area in terms of climatic conditions. 

Inadequate Fertility 

In working with organic growers, inadequate 

fertility is often their greatest 

limiting factor in terms of both quality 

and yield. For example, supplying 

enough nitrogen just to feed the trees 

what they need is often a big problem. 

For far too many growers, when 

they are not able to supply the needed 

amount of N from legumes, compost 

and foliar applications, the crop is just 

allowed to suffer. When a soil analysis 

shows to have an adequate amount 

of other needed nutrients, it is often 

possible to trace the lack of yield for 

organic fruit or nut trees right back to 

the insufficient use of nitrogen for the 

trees. 

A good guide to differentiate between a 

real need and using nitrogen even in an 

organic program to “force” production 

is to find out how much is required to 

produce the proven yield average for 

each orchard or grove. Adequate use 

of nitrogen is not the enemy in organic 

production; rather, it is the excessive 

use of nitrogen that causes the problems. 

And so long as it is possible to 

increase the yield without having to go 

above average N requirements serves 

as a good guide for the most conservative 

approach to nitrogen needs in tree 

crops. This does not assure maximum 

performance once the basic needs of 

the soil have been met. Then, applying 

what is needed for the average proven 

yield plus 10% extra over the next 

three to five years using slow-release 

N sources will show whether the top 

potential for that soil has been reached. 

Sufficient nitrogen is often the most 

limiting factor for better production on 

many types of organically grown crops, 

including all types of organic tree crops. 

Growers will often admit that their 

trees could use more N, but it is the 

availability of enough material or 

cost of that extra need that stops the 

process. Far too many organic growers 

rely heavily on compost to supply 

most of the needed nitrogen. When 

that is the case, one of two things are 

quite commonly a problem that must 

be faced. The first is a lack of enough 

material to supply the needed N, then 

the crop and the trees suffer from the 

problems caused by nitrogen deficiency. 

The second is when there is plenty to 

use and the assumption is if you need 

the nitrogen, because it is compost, and 

you can “never” apply too much, just 

put on all you can. 

Too much certified organic compost 

is just as bad as too much of anything 

else. Every time a soil builds up too 

much of one nutrient, it will reduce the 

availability of something else. Phosphate 

and sulfur are two nutrients 

that can serve as examples of possible 

unintended consequences to consider 

on soils growing organic tree crops. 

Both nutrients are required in sufficient 

amounts for top performance. 

Adequate phosphorus results in larger 

leaves. Adequate sulfur results in larger 

root systems and growing more wood. 

But excessive use of phosphate is antagonistic 

to sulfur uptake (more often 

seen in the organic fertility programs 

used in the eastern U.S.) and excessive 

sulfur applications are antagonistic to 

phosphate availability (more often seen 

in the western U.S.) 

For example, on soils that barely have 

enough phosphate, the amount of 

sulfur in a ton of gypsum can interfere 

with P uptake. But when large amounts 

of compost that normally contain very 

little sulfur are applied until it results 

in pushing P to excessive levels, that 

can not only cause problems with zinc 

deficiency (which then interferes with 

adequate moisture uptake), but also 

results in less sulfur uptake, which 

restricts wood growth. Soils with 

excellent phosphate levels (500 pounds 

per acre of P 2 

O 5 

or 100 to 110 ppm of 

elemental P) will respond best to excellent 

sulfur levels. For example, when 

this level of P is present, then sulfate as 

expressed in ppm of sulfur should be 

50 ppm. This will result in 25% more 

trunk growth by caliper measurement 

and up to 1/3 more leaf on young trees. 

But adding needed sulfur without correcting 

low phosphate levels can result 

in reduced leaf size and other related 

problems caused by P deficiency. 

Another related problem that becomes 

a possibility here is breakage from 

weak wood due to any combination of 

potassium, manganese and/or copper 

deficiency, which increasing limb and 

leaf growth from adding sulfur can 

exacerbate. After basic soil fertility 

requirements have been properly determined 

and correctly supplied based on 

reliable guidelines of an accurate soil 

analysis, consider the special needs for 

growing trees that set them apart from 

other crops. 

Begin this portion of the program by 

increasing potassium saturation in 



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the topsoil to 7% to 7.5%, sulfur to 50 

to 100 ppm for optimum growth and 

wood strength, and phosphate to 100 to 

150 ppm for larger leaves. Be sure any 

problems with too little or too much 

calcium or magnesium receive sufficient 

attention since those are the two 

major keys to building and maintaining 

the correct physical structure of each 

soil. Next, consider and emphasize the 

micronutrients that make the most 

difference for each type of tree. For example, 

once the minimum levels for all 

measured nutrients have been achieved, 

boron would deserve extra attention on 

olives, sweet cherries, avocados, citrus 

and macadamias, but even more so on 

figs, mangoes and pistachios. Consider 

higher manganese for soils growing 

walnuts and macadamias, and zinc on 

pecans. Higher copper levels provide 

extra resilience so limbs can bend and 

not break when there is sufficient potassium 

and manganese. Copper is also 

necessary for skin to stretch and not 

crack on the more perishable forms of 

fruit crops. 

To be specific about all of these needs 

requires a reliable soil test that is based 

on measured values that are directly 

applicable to the orchards and groves 

where the trees are growing. Generalities 

about what trees need for a 

particular yield or trying to guess what 

the plant needs to grow each crop will 

not solve specific problems or top-level 

requirements that relate directly to the 

needs of each tree crop from soil to soil. 

For long-term solutions, first use a soil 

analysis that can accurately determine 

what is already there. Next find a consultant 

that can explain the levels and 

which are giving positive and negative 

results. Then, consider an effective 

building program by supplying what 

nutrients are most limiting. 

Growing Young Trees 

Where possible, for tree and vine crops, 

start building the fertility at least three 

years before planting. Some growers 

adopt the erroneous philosophy that 

so much has been spent to get the trees 

in the ground that no more should be 

spent on fertility until the trees begin 

producing a crop. The exact opposite 

is true. The more fertile the soil when 

the trees begin bearing, the greater the 

health and production of the trees. It 

requires up to three years to acquire 

the best results from certain materials 

the trees need. Liming materials 

and several micronutrients are in that 

category. 

Correcting the nutrient needs for each 

soil is not usually accomplished in a 

year or so. How many years have needed 

nutrients been removed by crops 

without being properly measured and 

replaced? Results from adding some 

missing elements in needed amounts 


all at once can cause a problem rather 

than help the trees. Even when it is 

possible, the cost to try and do everything 

at once can be prohibitive. It can 

take years to re-build soils for peak 

performance in terms of efficiency and 

yield. Yet those who persist at building 

and maintaining specific fertility 

requirements for each different soil 

will have a solid foundation on which 

to build healthier and more productive 

trees. 

Soil compaction can be a serious 

limitation in such cases. Soil fertility 

needs can be measured and supplied, 

but keep in mind that correcting soils 

via proper nutrient applications can 

only give the best results when there 

are no limitations from compaction. 

Compaction problems and what to do 

about them are extremely important 

for tree crops, and the same major 

issues and principles apply for growing 

all types of crops. The problems 

caused by soil compaction and how 

to deal with them requires an entire 

article or more to consider and explain. 

Keep in mind that even for solving 

soil compaction problems, supplying 

the correct nutrients needed for good 

structure in that soil is a preliminary 

and basic requirement. 

Start tree crops on the soils with the 

most optimum fertility possible to optimize 

the health of the trees and maximize 

production for whatever those 

trees are selected to provide. Optimum 

fertility is when each soil has what it 

needs to grow the crop and provide 

the environment to allow the proper 

amount of air and water (needed soil 

porosity) to best encourage the plant 

roots and all the biological activity that 

serves to provide the trees what they 

need for doing their best. When the 

fertility is correctly provided (the right 

organically added soil nutrients, which 

constitutes using true soil chemistry), 

only then will the ideal pore space 

for needed air and water be present 

(the soil’s natural physical structure), 

which then provides the biological life 

that is present for the environment 

they need to thrive, not just struggle to 

survive. 

Neal Kinsey is owner and President of 

Kinsey Agricultural Services, a consulting 

firm that specializes in restoring 

and maintaining balanced soil 

fertility for attaining excellent yields 

while growing highly nutritious food 

and feed crops on the land. Call (573) 

683-3880 or see www.kinseyag.com for 

more information. 


to hear from you. Feel free to email us 

at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Contact us to see how we can help! 

(559)584-7695 or visit us as www.superiorsoil.com 

Serving California since 1983 


Growing Blueberries 

in Western Regions 

By DANITA CAHILL | Contributing Writer 

Blueberries can add another market 

niche to your operation if 

proper steps are taken before and 

after planting. For starters, the growing 

site needs to be chosen with care. Other 

considerations are soil type, access to 

irrigation and quick and easy road access 

to cooling and packing facilities or fresh 

markets. 

Since blueberry bushes can live for 50 

years, it pays to put in the research and 

effort to situate them well and get the 

plants off to a vigorous and productive 

start. 

Blueberries are considered a specialty 

crop along the California coastline and 

in Southern California, but they can still 

produce well if care is taken to address 

the plants’ needs. 

Choosing a Planting Site 

Mark Gaskell, retired UCCE small farm 

and specialty crops advisor, wrote the 

guide, ‘Blueberry Production in Coastal 

and Southern California.’ In the 

guide, he said that if California growers 

are aiming for early season blueberry 

production, requirements include a mild 

winter climate together with low-chill 

varieties and frost protection. 

“The site will ideally be frost-free or have 

a threat of frost only rarely and for short 

periods,” according to Gaskell. 

Hillsides are helpful when planting new 

blueberries. Not only do hillsides assist 

with drainage, “Planting on a hillside 

will also allow cold air to drain away 

from the crop on clear, cold nights with 

the potential for frosts,” Gaskell wrote. 

“Sites with good air circulation will 

also enable mixing of cold air near the 

surface with warmer air higher off the 

ground.” 

Hillsides facing the winter sun are beneficial 

because such sites allow for earlier 

warming. Growers can add additional 

frost protection with fans to mix cold 

air with warm, or by using overhead 

sprinklers. 

Blueberry growers may want to consider 

the use of high tunnels. Tunnels create 

temperature gain, but they will also help 

protect against frost and wind. High 

winds are damaging to berry plants and 

developing fruit. Heavy winds stress 

the plants, Gaskell noted. The berries 

can develop scratches and blisters 

from leaves and branches blowing and 

rubbing against them. One drawback to 

growing under tunnels is an increased 

issue with thrips. If tunnels aren’t 

practical or affordable, growers can add 

windbreaks. 

“Plants in windy areas will not reach the 

same levels of vigor and productivity as 

plants in calmer areas or plants protected 

by windbreaks,” according to Gaskell. 

Soil and Amendments 

Blueberries will grow in a variety of soil 

types in the above mentioned California 

regions, although heavy clay soils create 

drainage issues and sandy soils drain 

too quickly. To slow down drainage in 

sandy soils, incorporate organic matter. 

Spread five tons of compost or well-aged 

manure per acre in three- to four-foot 

bands over the rows. With a rotovator 

or disk, incorporate the compost or manure 

to a depth of 6 to 8 inches, Gaskell 

advised. 

Test soil before planting. Blueberries 

require a pH level of 4.5 to 5.5 to thrive. 

Growers can add elemental sulfur 

and work it in at the same time as the 

compost to acidify the soil, if needed. 

Adding sulfur as early as possible will 

Berkey’s Blueberries test their soil every two 

to three years for pH level, organic matter and 

nutrient concentration (all photos by D. Cahill.) 

Amy and Jesse Berkey grow five acres of 

blueberries in Lebanon, Ore. 

In 2007, blueberries were planted on a sawdust 

mound to improve aeration and drainage. 

help make it available to roots at planting 

time. 

“When elemental sulfur is mixed with 

moist soil, soil bacteria convert the 

sulfur to sulfuric acid,” according to 

Gaskell. “The sulfur products that have 

shown good results in California are 

Tiger Sulfur 90® and Disper-Sul®, both of 

which are finely ground sulfurs formed 

into pellets with bentonite clay for ease 

of application. The clay expands as it 

absorbs moisture and breaks apart to 

disperse the fine sulfur particles.” 


Even with organic amendments, sandy 

soils will still require more frequent 

irrigating than heavier soils. 

To grow blueberries in clay or heavy 

soils, build mounded beds on top of 

compost-amended soil with copious 

amounts of sawdust, wood chips or rice 

hulls. These high beds will improve 

aeriation as well as drainage. Most soils 

do best with this treatment. After planting, 

mulch the entire surface around 

plants to help control weeds. 

Pacific Northwest 

As with California regions, soil pH 

should be tested before planting. According 

to Washington State University 

Spokane County Extension, blueberries 

are better suited to the environment 

found in Western Washington as 

opposed to the eastern part of the state. 

Later blooming varieties are better than 

early blooming varieties for the inland 

northwest since later bloomers are not 

as likely to suffer damage from a late 

spring frost. 

large size and the “tangy-sweet” flavor. 

Jesse said he doesn’t have a favorite. By 

the time berry season is over, he’s had 

enough blueberries to last him awhile. 

“I won’t eat another berry until Christmas,” 

he said. 

What is the biggest issue the Berkeys 

have growing blueberries in Oregon? 

“This year, it was the heat stress,” Jesse 

said. 

The Berkeys offer u-pick and have a 

farm stand with pre-picked berries for 

sale, along with value-added products, 

including syrup, jam and dog treats. 

The family sells at six different farmer’s 

markets in the Willamette Valley and 

at the Oregon coast. They also have an 

online store. 


to hear from you. Feel free to email us 

at article@jcsmarketinginc.com 

Are Blueberries A Good Option? 

Blueberries want loose, welldrained 

soil high in organic matter. 

They need acidic soil with a pH 

between 4.5 and 5.5. (Gaskell 

suggests keeping pH levels 

under 5.0 in California). 

If the pH is too high, blueberry 

leaves turn yellow. If the 

pH remains too high for too 

long it kills the plants. 

Retest soil every three to four years. 

In later years, growers may need 

to add major or minor nutrients. 

Protect plants from high winds. 

Choose the right varieties for your 

planting zone; early bloomers tend 

to do well in low-frost California 

regions. Late bloomers are better 

in the Pacific NW where late 

spring frosts aren’t uncommon. 

According to Oregon State University, 

Washington State University and 

University of Idaho, the same holds true 

with western and eastern Oregon. Most 

commercial blueberry production in 

Oregon is west of the Cascades, although 

Northern highbush blueberries 

can be grown successfully not only in 

Eastern Washington, but also in Eastern 

Oregon and some areas of Idaho. 

Amy and Jesse Berkey grow five acres of 

blueberries in Lebanon, Ore. Their operation, 

Berkey’s Blueberries, is certified 

organic with Oregon Tilth. They grow 

six highbush varieties (7,600 plants) on 

five acres. 

Before planting in 2007, the Berkeys 

incorporated sawdust into the soil and 

built up a bed of sawdust to plant the 

berry bushes on. The Berkeys test their 

soil every two to three years for organic 

matter, pH levels and nutrient concentration. 

They add more sawdust around 

the plants annually. 

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Of the six varieties they grow, Duke is 

Amy’s favorite. She likes it for the fairly 


DROUGHT AFFECTS URBAN FARMERS IN CALIFORNIA 

Decentralized water system and municipal water restrictions create 

special headaches for urban agriculture. 

By TAYLOR CHALSTROM | Assistant Editor 

Many issues that urban farmers encounter during drought (and even when drought is not severe) can be attributed to California’s uneven water 

landscape and decentralized water system as it pertains to municipal supply (photo courtesy Rachel Surls, UCCE.) 

As California suffers from yet 

another period of extreme 

drought, it can be easy to forget 

how urban farmers are also affected in 

the larger scope of agriculture. 

Urban farmers can suffer from many of 

the same consequences of drought as 

large-scale farmers. Issues that urban 

farmers encounter during drought 

(and even when drought is not severe) 

include water rationing, drought 

surcharges, and access to water infrastructure 

such as lines or meters. Many 

of these issues can be attributed to 

California’s uneven water landscape 

and decentralized water system as it 

pertains to municipal supply. 

Uneven Water Landscape 

A number of factors interact to create 

an uneven water landscape for urban 

farmers and gardeners, according to 

UCCE Urban Agriculture and Food 

Systems Advisor Lucy Diekmann, and 

these factors become even more complicated 

during drought. 

Diekmann said a key factor of Cali- 


L 

fornia’s uneven water landscape is its 

decentralized water system, noting 

that most water for urban agriculture 

comes from municipal sources and is 

frequently more expensive than other 

non-potable sources of irrigation water. 

“During drought, urban water restrictions 

are likely to apply to farms and 

gardens using municipal water,” she 

said. “These could have a large impact 

on urban farms’ operations if they have 

to ration water or limit watering to 

certain days and times.” 

A case study led by Diekmann published 

in 2017 looked at how urban 

agriculture in Santa Clara County 

was affected by drought. An important 

finding of the study, which can 

be found at tandfonline.com/doi/ 

abs/10.1080/13549839.2017.1351426?- 

journalCode=cloe20, showed that some 

urban farmers connected to non-municipal 

water supplies, such as wells, 

experienced water shortages. 

“One farm’s well ran dry, forcing them 

to end their season early,” Diekmann 

said. 

Farms that were connected to the municipal 

supply had more reliable water, 

she said, but were concerned about 

their ability to afford much higher water 

bills if water rationing or drought 

surcharges took effect. 

In Santa Clara County, there are 13 

different water retailers providing 

water across 15 cities. Each water 

retailer, Diekmann said, adopts their 

own price structure and water rates 

and is responsible for creating and 

implementing their own drought 

management plan. 

“Depending on where a farm is located, 

farmers can pay very different 

amounts for water and need to adopt 

different drought-related measures,” 

she said. “In Santa Clara County, water 

JCS-Organic Grower_1Q2021_April Print Ad_Final.pdf 1 3/15/21 5:49 PM 

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WHERE A FARM IS 

LOCATED, FARMERS 

CAN PAY VERY 

DIFFERENT AMOUNTS 

FOR WATER AND NEED 

TO ADOPT DIFFERENT 

DROUGHT-RELATED 

MEASURES.” 

‒LUCY DIEKMANN, UCCE 

retailers also have the option to offer a 

discounted rate for agricultural water 

use. During the last drought, however, 

less than a third of retailers offered this 


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rate to their customers, so, again, an 

urban farm’s ability to take advantage 

of this discount is highly dependent on 

location.” 

This is only one example of the unevenness 

in urban water landscapes. Other 

examples center on inconsistent water 

costs varying with agencies hosting 

urban farms, whether parks, school or 

utility districts, faith-based institutions 

or other organizations, and details of 

their land use agreement(s). 

Diekmann also said that many urban 

farms and gardens are supported by 

city and county departments, educational 

institutions, nonprofit organizations 

and others who help them access 

both land and water. These supporters, 

she said, can have a big impact on a 

farm’s operation depending on whether 

they choose to absorb or pass on conservation 

requirements and extra water 

costs in a drought. 

“This is also where opportunities for 

innovative policies among urban food 

systems policy makers remain,” said 

UCCE Urban Ag & Food Systems Advisor 

Rob Bennaton. “If urban growers 

cultivating crops beyond their own 

personal and family needs are managing 

lands in ways that preserve soil and 

water resources while increasing food 

security and environmental quality, 

should those costs for growing crops be 

at municipal or residential water rates?” 

Indeed, water is becoming more expensive. 

“Some may be better able to 

manage changes, at least over the shortterm, 

while others may not have the 

necessary resources to tide them over,” 

Diekmann said. 

Cooperative Solutions 

In order to change the uneven water 

landscape for urban farming in metropolitan 

cities and improve water access 

during periods of drought, organizations, 

local governments and urban 

farmers must all contribute. 

One way to improve water access, according to UCCE Urban Agriculture and Food Systems 

Advisor Lucy Diekmann, is to offset the cost of installing needed water infrastructure, such 

as water lines or meters, at urban farm and garden sites (photo courtesy Urban Homestead.) 

Diekmann suggested offering a discounted 

water rate for urban agricultural 

uses as one way local governments 

can help to improve access 

to water for urban farms. Bennaton 

agreed with supporting discounted or 

reduced rates, given the proven social 

and environmental benefits of urban 

farming. 

Another way to improve access, according 

to Diekmann, is to offset the cost of 

installing needed water infrastructure, 

such as water lines or meters, at urban 

farm and garden sites. 

“On sites that do not already have water 

lines or a water meter, paying to have 

them installed can cost thousands of 

dollars,” Diekmann said, noting that 

the city of San Francisco has several 

model programs in this area while also 

providing tools for calculating a water 

budget and encouraging training on 

efficient irrigation. Additional information 

about the program can be found at 

sfpuc.org/programs/grants. 

Improving Efficiency 

Educational opportunities abound to 

learn practices for conserving water, 

including workshops and webinars 

by UCCE Master Gardener Program, 

and also the Qualified Water Efficient 

Landscaper (QWEL) training program 

for professionals. Over the long-term, 

municipalities could consider opportunities 

to develop or extend alternative 

water sources, like recycled water, to 

urban agricultural users, she said. 

As for what urban farmers can do to 

mitigate the effects of drought and 

reduce water usage, practicing efficient 

irrigation management is key. Soil 

health practices, such as applying compost 

or mulch, can increase the soil’s 

water holding capacity, and using drip 

irrigation can also save water for plant 

growth. 

Bennaton added, “Mulch and drip 

irrigation can also minimize soil upsplash 

onto undersides of leafy green 

vegetables, helping keep food safe when 

growing crops in variable urban soils.” 

Diekmann noted that many urban 

farmers, including the ones in the 

Santa Clara County case study, already 

emphasize water conservation whether 

there is a drought or not. “In our study, 

100% of farmers were already using 

drip irrigation,” she said. 





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