Paicines Ranch Vineyard Field Day
There are still a few tickets left for this event; grab them while they last! Join Wild Farm Alliance and the Paicines Ranch Learning Center for a hands-on field day to learn about incorporating conservation plantings, bird boxes and bat houses, livestock and other ways to support biodiversity in a vineyard. There will be three interactive sessions followed by a speaker series.
Tickets are $33 each, which includes a locally-sourced organic lunch and snacks. Sliding scale ticket price is also available for those needing additional support to attend.
See the Agenda and Register Here
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Connecting with Wild Neighbors: North American Beavers
A pair of perpetually growing incisors make the North American beaver the largest living rodent in the United States. Weighing 40-80 pounds and measuring more than three feet in length, these wetland engineers are known for their gnawing and construction skills. While some landowners are appreciative of beaversâ presence, others are frustrated by their modifications to the landscape. The good news is that beaver activity can be managed with economical, long-term strategies that prevent property damage, avoid the need to kill beavers and retain the many benefits beavers bring.
This issue of Connecting with Wild Neighbors features tips on how to co-exist with beavers, a farmerâs perspective on mitigating beaver damage, and some fun facts. Did you know that a beaver's sharp incisors, which are used to cut trees and peel bark, are harder on the front surface than on the back, creating a sharp edge for cutting through wood?
Read the full North American Beaver issue online here
Download a PDF of the Beavers issue here
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Vineyard Field Day at Ramona Ranch
On a spring morning in May, more than 30 farmers and others gathered to learn about vineyard management practices that incorporate the benefits of biodiversity (pollinators and beneficial insects and birds), and about the conservation resources available. We met at Ramona Ranch Vineyardâs home site, which is one of three parcels they farm in San Diego County. The growers, Teri Kerns and Micole Moore, also strive to optimize energy, water and nutrient use. We co-hosted this field day with the Resource Conservation District of Greater San Diego County, part of their week-long series of events about pollinators.
Read More Here
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Monitoring for Nest Box Successes
"We are proud participants in the Farmland Flyways initiative, which encourages farmers and ranchers to provide habitat and nest boxes for beneficial wild birds." -Little Paradise Farm (click to see a video of their bluebird nestlings)
Wild Farm Alliance and our partners monitored 174 songbird nest boxes last year on farms across the Central Coast of California. Most of the boxes were checked while cleaning them out in the fall or winter. We recently analyzed the data and of the 174 boxes, 127 were occupied during the breeding season by songbirds, giving us a 73% occupancy rate! We determined seven different species were using our boxes.
Read More Here
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For Melon Farmers, Insectsâ Benefits May Outweigh Their Costs
By Ian Rose, Civil Eats
A recent study focused on watermelons has wider implications for how farmers can strike a balance between predation and pollination in the produce industry.
Modern pest control is often run on whatâs called a threshold principle. The idea is that for each crop, there is a point of pest or disease damage that starts to affect its value. Below that threshold, there is no need to interfere. Beyond it, there may be a need to apply some treatmentâchemical, biological, or otherwiseâto mitigate the damage. For Midwestern melon farmers, that threshold is widely considered to be between two and five beetles per plant. The researchers found no effect on yield even at densities of nine beetles per plant, where conventional wisdom would suggest spraying pesticides to knock back the bugs. The only thing that significantly affected the production of marketable watermelons was the number of visits bees made to pollinate the plants. The beetles, even in significant numbers, didnât make a dent. They also found that density of wild bee pollinators had a greater effect than that of domesticated honeybees.
Read More Here
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Senate Introduces Opportunities in Organic Act
Senator Peter Welch (D-VT), together with 11 other senators, introduced a bill this month to reduce barriers to organic agriculture. A House companion bill was released this week. The Opportunities in Organic Act of 2023 builds on the existing Organic Certification Cost-Share Program and adds flexible funding to support organic transition and expansion, organic supply chain development, and technical assistance, with an emphasis on resources for producers and regions that havenât received a fair share of public investments in agriculture.
âOrganic production has huge benefits for our rural economies and our environmentâbut farmers canât make the switch to organic practices without help,â said Senator Welch. âMy Opportunities in Organic bill will give these folks the support they need to make the transition to organic and thrive while they do so. Thatâs a win for our farmers and for our communities.â
Read More Here
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California Budget Outlook Includes Cuts for Popular Climate Smart Agriculture Programs
Earlier this month, Governor Newsomâs office released the May Revise, a part of the annual California state budget process, which updates the governorâs economic and revenue outlook. With the state facing significant economic uncertainty and a worsening deficit now projected at $31.5 billion, the May Revise maintains over $100 million in proposed reductions to climate smart agriculture programs while proposing a climate resilience bond.
As budget negotiations continue, our friends at California Climate and Agriculture Network will continue to advocate for robust funding for climate smart agricultural and related programs that are needed to both meet the stateâs climate goals and foster climate resilience in the agricultural sector.
Read More Here
Wild Sustainers Club
This month we wrap up our Wild Sustainers campaign. A big thank you to our 13 new Wild Sustainer members! We only need two more members to reach our 15 person goal. A gift of just $10 per month translates to 120 feet of hedgerow being planted on a farm each year to benefit birds, pollinators, natural enemy insects, and other wild neighbors. As a bonus, you will get a free organic cotton WFA hat when you sign up.
Join the Wild Sustainers Club
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