February 3,2015
Butter & Dry Milk Production Fall Big In Late 2014
CDFA says butter production fell 11percent in December year over year and down 3.4% for the whole year. Off by far worse was dry milk production off 56% in Novembe and 39% in December putting i it down 21.5% for the year.
Cash dry milk price has dropped by half form a year ago ago to $1 a pound.
While dairy farmers are facing lower margins this year unlike 2009 when many Valley dairies threw in the towel – feed costs are not at record highs with corn now selling for $3.70 a bushel. Also operations are not as stressed on bank loans.
Strong Dollar Hurting Nut Sales
Exports of almonds are down 16% this crop year and walnuts too are seeing lower sales overseas.Exports of California walnuts are down 17% in December. The strong US dollar may be to blame as our products are more expensive in the local currency.The index is up about 15% this year.
Farmers test processing of ‘energy beets’
A pilot plant in the San Joaquin Valley has begun processing sugar beets into ethanol. The demonstration biorefinery in Five Points will test processes for converting the beets. Farmers and researchers are testing a special variety of sugar beets, known as “energy beets,” which can deliver high yields of ethanol. Progress made at the pilot plant could lead to construction of a commercial-scale biorefinery later this decade.
By 2020, the US must have 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels in the market with 21 billion gallons from advanced biofuels. Advanced biofuels produce 50% less carbon emissions compared to petroleum-based fuels, reducing the greenhouse gasses that cause global warming.
New varieties could boost avocado production
The great majority of California-grown avocados come from coastal Southern California, but a University of California researcher says the crop shows promise in the San Joaquin Valley. Summer temperatures in the Central Valley generally prove too warm for traditional avocado varieties, so the researcher has been breeding new varieties better adapted to the region. She says the new varieties feature eating quality comparable to the popular Hass avocado.
With Big Pullout – Winegrape Acreage May Stay The Same
Some 22,000+ acres of grapes were removed in 2014 in the interior of the state says Allied Grape Growers. The rate of the pullout is triple that of 2013.Of the 22,000 – about half were winegrapes. The estimate is that up to 30,000 acres of winegrapes will be removed by the 2015 harvest leaving total producing acres of wine grapes about the same.