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Healthy Soils and Ag Tech Field Day at Braga Fresh
Rebecca Roberts, CMSF, 2024
On March 12, 2024 the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) partnered with Braga Fresh, Western Growers Science, and Agrology to host The Nexus of Soil Health and Ag Tech: Field day at Braga Fresh. This event focused on on-farm management practices that benefit soil health and the soil microbiome. Topics highlighted the importance of soil health when it comes to sustainable agriculture, as well as the crucial role that agricultural technology plays when implementing these practices. Ag tech can aid growers in making data-driven, climate-smart decisions that benefit their operation, as well as the health of their soil and soil microbiome.
Healthy soil is defined as the capacity of soil to function as a living system. In order for this system to not only function, but thrive, it is necessary that we learn how to adapt our management practices to reduce soil disturbance and implement sustainable agricultural practices such as, zero/ reduced tillage, cover cropping, mulching, compost application, and beneficial plantings. Healthy soils provide numerous benefits including improving overall crop health, reducing greenhouse gases and sequestering soil carbon, improving water and air quality, increasing soil water-holding capacity, minimizing inputs (i.e., fertilizers and pesticides), and reducing soil erosion and on-farm dust.
This event showcased the current Healthy Soils Project that CMSF is working on with Braga Fresh, which involves a 28-acre plot split into six alternating plots to compare three control plots (e.g., industry standard tillage and winter cover crop) and three treatment plots (e.g., reduced tillage, winter cover crop in beds, in season cover crop, and furrow planting).
This event also included an overview of Agrology’s innovative technologies to monitor and improve soil health, a live demonstration of Wilbur Ellis’ Autonomous Spray Drone Technology, an introduction to the passive spore trapping system ‘Sporenado’ and featured live demonstrations of advancements in automation and field equipment. The day concluded with ‘The future of Ag Tech for specialty crops’, a panel featuring pioneering ag tech professionals.
Farm-to-Ocean: Protecting the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary Together
Healthy Soils Project Wraps up at JSM Organics
Daniel Perea, Science Communication Intern, 2022
On May 11, 2022, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation hosted Increases in Soil Health at JSM Organics: Implementing Multiple Practices, a webinar highlighting the drastic improvement of soil quality through the implementation of multiple coinciding soil health practices at JSM Organics, an organic farm in the Bay Area established in 2012.
Javier Zamora, grower at JSM Organics, purchased Triple M Farm in 2019, and, since then, has been implementing soil health building practices, including winter cover crops, conscientious tillage, residue incorporation, high crop diversity and rotation, compost addition, and hedge row planting. These practices align with the four principles of soil health: 1) Maximize biodiversity, 2) Maximize soil cover, 3) Maximize continuous living roots, 4) Minimization of disturbance.
The multi-pronged implementation of these soil health practices resulted in numerous soil health improvements, including increases in soil organic matter (SOM) and decreases in bulk density. These specific improvements correlate to positive agricultural/agronomical benefits such as a reduction in soil erosion, an improvement to the water holding capacity of the soil, lower capacity to harbor disease-causing pathogens, and a higher crop yield potential. Zamora marked soil organic matter increases of 2.6% that was achieved on clay soils over 3 years from an average of 5.9 % increasing to 8.5%.
The results from Zamora’s three-year implementation of soil health practices have far-reaching effects on the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. An increase of carbon sequestration within the soils means less agricultural runoff and less overall carbon entering the Marine Sanctuary, which would otherwise increase the acidity of the ocean water and negatively affect marine wildlife.
The webinar was facilitated by Pam Krone, Water Quality Program Manager, Urban and Rural Watersheds at Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Jazmine Mejia-Muñoz, Water Quality Program Coordinator at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF). You can watch the meeting recording here.
Cover Crops: Sometimes Soils Need Some Shade
Daniel Perea, Science Communications Intern, 2022
On March 9, 2021, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation hosted Cover Crops, Soil Health and Nitrogen Cycling with A/R Regulations, a webinar highlighting how the utilization of cover crops in agricultural settings improve soil health, facilitate the cycling of nitrogen within the soil, and how the implementation of Ag Order 4.0 pertains to the use of cover crops in agricultural settings.
Cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil as opposed to being harvested at a later time. Cover crops are utilized by growers and other agricultural specialists to improve soil health by infusing carbon and sometimes nitrogen into the soil, thus creating positive conditions for microbial growth which in turn symbiotically bolsters and enriches the soil. Additionally, cover crops help attain the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Soil Health principles of keeping a living root in the ground, which promotes increasing biodiversity, and of keeping cover on the soil during the non-cash crop season.
The webinar dived deep into an analysis of a long-term study of soil health that included cover crops and compost and fostered discussion of how cover crops cycle nitrogen and how to select the right cover crop mix for a variety of grower needs. The webinar also showcased information on how cover crops are being considered in terms of Applied N minus Removed N in the new Central Coast Region Ag Order 4.0.
Lastly, the webinar facilitated a paneled discussion with a handful of local growers in the Bay Area on some of the challenges of applying cover crops in rotational production and on the rationale behind why growers like JSM Organics in Aromas, California uses cover crops on all of their agricultural fields. Javier Zamora, organic grower and owner of JSM Organics, emphasized one key advantage to using cover crops, stating “You must use some sort of cover crop… that can help you avoid erosion and having your hill end up on [your] neighbor’s backyard.”
The webinar was facilitated by Pam Krone, Agricultural Water Quality Coordinator at the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary and Water Quality Program Manager for Urban and Rural Watersheds at the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation.
Seeds for Bees Effort Helps Nurture Pollinator Habitat
Farmers are helping pollinators by planting thousands of acres of forage cover crops to provide nutrition for honeybees and other pollinators that are essential for a variety of commodities, including the state’s almost 3-billion-pound almond crop.
“I love paying it forward. Helping the bees is a big issue, so I thought, how can I do my part?” said Butte County almond farmer Darcy Jones. “They come to my orchard, I spend a lot of money to bring them here, and of course be a good host. But I just think it’s a great time for people to reassess and think about how to do it better.”
Last fall, Jones enrolled in the Seeds for Bees, a program by Project Apis m., a nonprofit organization dedicated to honeybee research that provides growers subsidized cover-crop seeds and technical support. Seed mixes are designed to bloom at times of the year when natural forage is scarce but managed and native bees are active.
Rory Crowley, director of habitat programs for Project Apis m., said the program gives growers an opportunity to try cover crops at a reduced cost.
Jones planted her first seed-mix cover crop between the rows of her orchard last October to increase the density, diversity and duration of bee forage and improve soil health and crop production.
“I’m planting for the bees, and (the cover crop is) supposed to be a soil builder, so I’m adding more nutrients, more nitrogen, to the soil,” Jones said. “After it was growing this spring, there was just so much life out there. The most striking thing was the abundance; I had buzzing bees, butterflies and more birds chirping.”
Merced County almond farmer Ken Rapp said he contacted Project Apis m. for help and has participated in the program for three years.
“I decided that keeping the orchard floor bare was not good for the soil, so I was quite interested (in planting a cover crop),” Rapp said, adding that he is pleased with the results he observed last season. “I had a lot of bloom during the pollination period and got the biggest crop I’ve ever had.”
Contrary to what he has heard from others, Rapp said, “Having a cover crop during bloom does not interfere with pollination. I’m still learning, but I’m pretty convinced that you can have all of those cover-crop blooms, and the bees are still going to pollinate your crop.”
Related to drought, planting cover crops for forage, Jones said, “depends on location and what type of irrigation you have.”
Understanding that farmers are facing challenges due to drought, inflation and supply-chain issues, Crowley said, “We are doing absolutely everything at Project Apis m. to help, giving away more, negotiating for better pricing on seed and creating easy-to-use tools that growers can look at quickly and understand what to do and how to do it.”
“We have two goals this year: Help growers and beekeepers get through and make a profit, and get the bees the nutrition they need to come back strong and do it again next year,” Crowley said. He said this year Seeds for Bees is offering a $2,500 credit for the purchase of seed to first-year program participants and a $1,500 credit for second-year participants. Seeds for Bees supplied various seed mixes that comprise mustards, clover, vetch and wildflowers to more than 200 California farmers, who planted more than 12,580 acres of cover crops, according to a 2020-2021 report by the nonprofit.
Participation in the program has increased each year, and more than 86% of participants reported they increased their engagement in honeybee best management practices such as improved pesticide application and better communication with beekeepers, Crowley said. To enroll in the Seeds for Bees program by the Aug. 31 deadline, go to www.projectapism.org/seeds-for-bees.html.
(Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
What Should I Do With My Agricultural Field Plastic?
Drip Tape being mechanically rolled with an Andros Megabinder.
China’s ban on imported plastic waste in 2017 was a reality check that promoted the need to find and develop creative solutions to recycling plastic. The California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) has taken on this challenge along with the help and commitment of conservation minded growers and other professionals. Together, we have found recycling options for agricultural plastic in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties and are exploring future disposal options.
Plastics used in agriculture fields have different chemistry components and levels of contamination; two important factors that help determine the recycling possibilities. As a grower, you can be part of the solution by taking three initial steps:
- At the end of the season separate, clean, and bundle plastics used in agriculture fields
- Recycle your plastic whenever possible (options below)
- Purchase agricultural products made with recycled content
Drip Tape
Drip irrigation tape represents the largest use of field plastic in Monterey County, amounting to approximately 6,000 tons per year (Photo 1). Drip tape is composed of polyethylene resin and can be recycled back into drip tape, or into other polyethylene products such as bender board, garbage bag liners, and drip tubing.
Some drip irrigation tape manufacturers offer full circle recycling of drip tape, including pick up at the end of the season provided certain conditions are met (Table 2). In Monterey and Santa Cruz county, Netafim and the Toro Company / Revolution Plastic Recycling Partnership offer a full circle recycling chain of drip tape.
Table 2. Requirements for pick up and recycling options.
For effective recycling of drip tape, keep the material non-contaminated, bundled, and separate from all other plastics. Plastics are made of different chemicals and other additives; thus, each type must be recycled separately. If contaminants such as dirt, water, or other plastic mulch is found within the drip tape bundle, then it may enter the recycling stream and “wreck” the entire batch that will have to be thrown out. Do not “get rid” of other plastic by bundling it with the drip tape, as this misuse potentially endangers the economic viability of recycling businesses. Bottom line: keep drip tape separate from all other plastic!
Rolling or bailing drip tape is important to: (1.) remove field contaminants (water, plants and soil) and (2.) Minimize transport costs by reducing the size and increasing transport efficiency of the spent drip tape bundle (Photo 3). Recycling operators prefer tightly mechanically rolled bundles that can be achieved through mechanical winding equipment, for example the Androse Ultra Binder (Photo 4) and the Agrishield Drip Irrigation Winder. Growers have also constructed their own winding equipment to achieve a tight bundle.
Winding equipment expels the water from the drip tape and removes some of the soil and plant material that stick to it. The resulting roll can be tied together with drip tape or twine but NOT with adhesive tape that can be difficult to remove. Additionally, there are services, such as Salinas Valley Tarp Pullers and RDO Water, that can provide winding and removal of drip tape and other field plastic. You can contact Salinas Valley Tarp Pullers by contacting Adam Gomez at (831) 809-5133 or RDO Water at (831) 536-6199 (Santa Cruz County)
The Monterey Regional Waste Management District (MRWMD), it manages the landfill in Marina, is trialing a drip tape recycling drop off project with Revolution Plastic. This would potentially provide a location for growers who do not meet the minimum quantities for on-farm pick up to drop off drip tape and hoop house plastic for recycling at the landfill site on specified days each month. MRWMD would bale the plastic and Revolution Plastic or other recyclers would pick up the drip tape and transport it for recycling to their facility. An announcement will be made with further information and requirements at a later date.
What about other used agricultural plastics?
Revolution plastic will recycle drip tape, polypropylene twine, bin liners, hoop house films and solarization film.
Film Plastics
There are currently no recycling options available for fumigation tarp or PE mulch films in the California Central Coast area. There are hopes that in the future recycling or pyrolysis may be feasible recycling options for these plastics.
However, biodegradable mulch may be a viable replacement for plastic mulch in terms of performance and cost in the future. There are currently some small-scale trials of biodegradable mulch in strawberry production on the Central Coast. If you are interested in the outcomes of these trials, please be in touch with Pam at pam.krone@noaa.gov or Jazmine at jazmine@californiamsf.org.
For the time being, the best alternative for disposal is complete removal of film plastic from the field and disposal of plastic to the regional landfill. Completely remove the mulch plastic from the fields including all the small fragments, this will prevent it from being blown or carried by water into ditches, rivers and eventually on to the ocean.
Pesticide Containers
Pesticide containers made of HDPE #2 plastic can be recycled. The Monterey Ag Commissioners office accepts (for free) triple rinsed containers at MRWMD in Marina on schedule dates including: May 13, June 10 & 14, July 15 &29. Additional later dates are available for drop off and a reservation can be made for drop off by calling 831-759-7340. The Agricultural Container Research Council will pick up pesticide containers and can be reached at 877-952-2272. Interstate Ag Plastics also accepts pesticide containers throughout California and can be reached at 661-764-9614.
Containers must be triple rinsed prior to pick up or drop off for recycling as described in the following link: https://www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/mill/container_recycling/triple_rinse.pdf. Recycled containers are made into fence posts, pallets, speed bumps, marine pilings, drain tiles and various other industrial supplies. The current estimated recycling rate for this container is only 54%. Please make the effort to recycle these pesticides by dropping them off.
More Information
With the help and commitment of conservation minded growers and other professionals we can find and develop creative solutions to dispose of plastic waste.
For more information and updates, sign up for our Agriculture Water Quality Alliance (AWQA) free newsletter by sending an email to rebecca@californiamsf.org or pam.krone@noaa.gov with the subject, “Add me to the AWQA Newsletter”. We look forward to hearing from you!