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some growers volunteer to do these kinds of things because
they want to see what is coming. They want to kind of be on
the leading edge of learning what is happening in a particular
domain, like what is the latest findings on walnut blight.
“It is kind of a give and take thing,” he said.
Davin Norene of Rio Oso, Calif. has been cooperating with
researchers throughout his career. In his case, he said, it is a
family tradition. “My dad has always cooperated with the UC
Extension and USDA researchers who are looking to move the
industry forward, and that is how I learned. That is the culture
here on our farm,” he said.
“You definitely get something out of it,” he added, “It is all
about learning and collaborating. You end up being a better
farmer, and maybe you get some new tools out of it. But it is
usually more of a financial burden than a financial benefit.”
Milliron characterized farmers who donate ground to
research as being service oriented. “Because it is an inconvenience,
these folks really do have a service-oriented mindset
and are seeing the value for the whole industry by advancing
this work,” Milliron said.
“And it is just really tremendous that growers let us do
that work, especially as it has gotten much harder for a lot of
researchers to use the research and extension center, like the
Kearney Ag Center in the Fresno area. The fees associated with
having a research orchard out there have become expensive.
Walnut grower Davin Norene said participating in university and USDA research
projects is a family tradition on his Rio Oso farm (photo by M. Lies.)
“On a grower-cooperator farm, however, it is free,” he said.
“Growers typically will be fronting a lot of the costs for testing
things like whole orchard recycling, or to conduct an almond or
walnut or prune rootstock trial in their orchard.
“All of these things are just such a huge benefit, and hopefully
these folks are learning in the process, too,” he said.
Like many researchers, Milliron has several trials in place
on farms. “We are in dozens of farmers fields, not only in the
three counties in the Northern Sacramento Valley that I serve,
but I work with other farm advisors and have plots in growers’
fields in Sutter and Yuba counties,” he said. “And it is the same
with other advisors around the state.”
He added that he is fortunate to work with several “really
great cooperators.”
“It is hard to find a really great cooperator,” Milliron said.
“What it really takes is not only that they are willing to let you
do research, but they have to be invested in the research as
well. If they are, they are going to keep up on the communications
and they are going to let you in to do what you need to
do. A good cooperator is going to give you a ‘heads-up’ well in
advance of harvest, or when something is going to get sprayed
out there.”
T5
100-PTO-horsepower
‘I Know What It Takes’
Moore, the Visalia walnut grower, said he learned the value
of grower-cooperators while serving as chairman of the California
Walnut Board’s Production Research Committee.
“I know what it takes for these researchers and how hard it is
sometimes to find ground to do their projects,” he said. “So, if
I have a chance, I open up some ground for them to come and
work.”
Moore just completed the third year of his commitment to
the nematode project, and last year, he opened up part of his
nursery for researchers to conduct rootstock research.
“I’m excited to see what comes out of that,” he said. “These
clones they are looking at have resistance to phytophthora,
crown gall and nematodes.”
As for the nematode project, there, too, he is optimistic.
“They are getting some good results,” Moore said, results that
may prove beneficial for him and many other growers in California.
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66 West Coast Nut December 2021