johnholland's blog

With just six days to go before the Super Bowl, the California Avocado Inspection Committee has four vacancies. Just how does it expect to do its job of assuring the quality of game-day guacamole? I got a news release about the vacancies from the California Department of Food and Agriculture (never mind that Modesto isn’t exactly avocado country). “This committee makes recommendations to the CDFA secretary on all matters pertaining to the California Avocado Inspection Program,” the release said. But not just anyone can join. The openings are for two grower representatives, one handler representative and an alternate grower representative. They will help the state assure that avocadoes meet stands for size and have minimal defects. Something that they don’t trust to some Joe Sixpack poking around the produce aisle.

A few growers from the southern San Joaquin Valley displayed “dust bowl” signs at last week’s briefing on water issues in Los Banos. They wanted to let federal officials know the impact of the sharp irrigation cutbacks in parts of the region. They had a good point, since the impacts are indeed severe in places where federal water was cut to 10 percent of the contracted amount. The “dust bowl” signs did have me worried a little, though. It’s just the image that a wire service could broadcast to the rest of the nation and world, suggesting that the entire valley has dried up. People elsewhere would not bother to check on specific areas that are doing OK, such as the Modesto, Turlock, Oakdale and South San Joaquin irrigation districts. Although the drought has affected them to a degree, they still have a decent amount of water thanks to senior rights and ownership of their own reservoirs.

You might have read that California faces a shortage of veterinarians to care for cattle and other livestock. I got an e-mail today about a new program that provides work experience to veterinary students at UC Davis. The program is featured in California Country, the magazine of the California Farm Bureau Federation, at http://www.californiacountry.org/features/article.aspx?arID=666. It's an important topic, as veterinarians help make sure that livestock produce milk, beef and other products efficiently, while controlling diseases. I remember visiting a dairy farm a few years back, when a vet happened to be there too and started talking to me about the shortage. He did so while conducting a certain, um, procedure with a pregnant cow. It was there that I recommitted to a career in journalism.

Tomato growers in the San Joaquin Valley supply the main ingredient for Heinz ketchup. Now there’s a chance for students to contribute, too. H.J. Heinz Co. is sponsoring a national art contest for kindergarten to 12th-grade students. The grand prize winner’s work will go on about 2.5 million ketchup bottles. He or she also will get $5,700. The winner for each grade will receive $1,000 and have the art printed on about 20 million ketchup packets. Entrants start with templates available at www.ketchupcreativity.com. Entries are due Feb. 26.

Remember the talk about tearing out Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to restore the Yosemite National Park valley that it flooded about 75 years ago?

The wet season is off to a nice start, and so is the cold season. I’m not talking about sniffles. I’m talking about “chilling hours,” which are a measure of the cold weather that benefits deciduous fruit and nut trees during winter. Chilling, defined as 45 degrees or lower, keeps the trees in a dormant state. Too many mild days could prompt them to produce buds too early, putting them at risk of damage from late-winter frost. Peaches, apricots, cherries, apples and walnuts are among the crops that need a lot of chilling hours if they are to produce in high volume in late spring and summer.

I'm working on a story for this weekend on the local farm products that you can give to family and friends this Christmas. You can find plenty of nuts, dried fruit, wine, cheese and other products online or at stores. I'd like to get thoughts on this from people on the Hive (who I'm guessing are especially big fans of local honey). If you're like me, you find food packages to be great gifts for people who don't need yet another gadget. I also like to put the assortments together myself rather than buying something pre-assembled. Please share your thoughts, and happy shopping.