Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1369084
AROUND THE WORLD As the industry continues its progress toward achieving its Almond Orchard 2025 Goal of increasing adoption of environmentally friendly pest management tools, growers are looking to ABC and PCAs for guidance on how to implement an approach of proven cultural practices, alternatives to sprays (when possible), precision application and reduced spray drift. Implementing these practices will not only move the needle toward reaching this goal but also set the industry up for success years down the road, ensuring the most efficient methods of production and protecting our right to farm. "Partnering with CAPCA will greatly strengthen the Almond Board's ability to reach PCAs with the latest ABC-funded research and resources. Working together, we aim to extend our support of the PCA community and thereby further support growers as they continue seeking more effective, efficient ways to responsibly grow their crop," said Tom Devol, ABC's senior manager of Field Outreach and Education. AgSafe AgSafe aims to provide health and safety education to the agricultural community. Since 1991, AgSafe has trained over 100,000 employers, supervisors and farm workers on issues impacting worker safety, human resources, pesticide safety and food safety. The Almond Board partnered with AgSafe to assist growers and allied industry members in meeting regulatory compliance and ensuring a safe and healthy workforce. Currently, ABC and AgSafe are collaborating on safety and pesticide application trainings and developing outreach materials to support both English and Spanish speakers. "California's almond industry is successful for numerous reasons and an important element of the equation is the skilled labor force who tend and harvest the industry's crop. AgSafe is honored to partner with the Almond Board of California to invest in the men and women who work within the industry to ensure they are able to safely utilize complex equipment, accurately apply inputs and follow best management practices, thereby safeguarding the product, environment and ultimately ensuring the industry's workforce continues to thrive and is safe, healthy and whole," said AgSafe President and CEO Theresa Kiehn. "With AgSafe's successful track-record established in education and trainings, ABC can further extend research and materials, which not only help growers in their individual operations, but also help the industry in reaching the Almond Orchard 2025 Goals," said Jenny Nicolau, senior manager of Industry Relations and Communications at ABC. Resource Conservation Districts (RCDs) Water losses – seen and unseen – can negatively affect an orchard's distribution uniformity (DU), a measurement of how evenly water is applied across an orchard. The key to quantifying water loss and understanding its impact on a grower's bottom line starts with boots-on-the- ground surveillance and adjustments. That's where Resource Conservation Districts (RCD) come in. RCD's mission is to ensure the resilience and health of California's water, soil, wildlife habitat and other natural resources. In 2020 and again in 2021, the Almond Board is partnering with the Tehama County and East Stanislaus County RCDs to offer DU tests through their Mobile Irrigation Lab programs free of charge to growers to help them achieve the maximum "crop per drop." Beyond these two counties, several RCDs across the state offer free irrigation system evaluations through Mobile Irrigation Labs, which identify issues and generate recommendations specific to an individual grower's situation. "ABC's partnership with local RCDs to bring more distribution uniformity tests ALMOND COMMUNITY "Partnering with AgSafe was a natural step in our journey to continue serving California almond growers," – Jenny Nicolau Irrigation mishaps are costly and add up quickly. Contact your local RCD to request a DU test. Continued from page 12 13