Look Ma..No Seeds!

UC scientists took a page from nature when they developed the Tango mandarin. Tango is the result of a mutation induced by irradiating budwood of W. Murcott mandarin. The process mimics nature’s manner of improving fruit. Radiation from the sun or natural errors during cell division can cause a single branch or fruit to mutate and develop unique characteristics, which scientists call a “sport.” People have been reproducing favorable sports for generations. In fact, all navel oranges are sports – natural mutations of oranges with seeds or other navel oranges.

W. Murcott mandarins, originally from Morocco, are favored for their deep orange color, easy-peel rind and tangy-sweet flavor. However, when planted within five miles of other seed-bearing citrus – such as Clementine mandarins, lemons or grapefruit – they can be cross-pollinated by bees and become seedy. The Tango maintains the best W. Murcott traits, but because it produces very little viable pollen, it is virtually seedless wherever it is grown.

“This is the most promising mandarin the university has ever produced,” said UC Riverside genetics professor Mikeal Roose.

The Tango mandarin was patented, and registered trees were established by the UC Citrus Clonal Protection Program. Distribution of budwood to citrus nurseries began in June 2006 and was limited exclusively to California growers for one year. Tango was introduced into Florida in 2007 and the trees were available internationally under exclusive licenses since 2009. Tango trees are available to home gardeners through retail nurseries.

The Tango was made possible by a UC and citrus industry partnership going back nearly 15 years. Roose and staff research associate Tim Williams began field testing the fruit in 2001. The research and evaluation program was supported by the Citrus Research Board.

“What’s exciting is the parent variety of the Tango is a good piece of fruit,” said Ted Batkin, director of the Citrus Research Board. “It is without a doubt the most widely planted variety that we have released in the past 25 years.”

Central Valley dairymen are breathing a little easier this week as corn futures have been in a virtual free-fall over the past few days since USDA signaled there were ample supplies on hand,low demand and a good crop coming this summer.

Corn futures have declined about a dollar since last Thursday with May futures declining to $6.42 a bushel today.Corn jumped over $8 last summer as the extreme Midwest drought help drive future prices to record highs.
Prices in Chicago are down 23 percent since last year’s closing high of $8.3875 on Aug. 21.
Speculation has helped move commodity prices in wilder swings in the past few years many observers agree.
USDA is predicting farmers will plant 97.282 million acres this year, the most since 1936. Once the crop comes in – by September – future prices are now down to $ 5.51 bushel – closer to historical averages.
The reality is that a good moisture year will be needed in the Midwest for that to happen.So far this Spring moisture has been good in many parts of the corn belt.
California milk producers import the majority of their feed from the Midwest.
Livestock owners have been hurt hard by the drought last summer that helped drive increasing numbers of families out of the business in places like Kings County – where milk production has fallen by more than 9%.
Corn costs are the biggest expense dairymen face.The high price of corn also  whipsawed all livestock  owners as well as ethanol makers who rely on the feedstock to make biofuel.The record cost has idled scores of plants.
Too Early To Celebrate
Western United Dairymen president Tom Barcellos says it’s “too early to celebrate.We need relief on feed costs and on the milk price that needs to go up – to get a decent margin.”
Barcellos says that California producers are focusing on changing the milk marketing through a federal order instead of the state although they have not given on trying to change the California system through AB31.
Barcellos, who farms near Tipton, says milk volume is up this week as dairy cows enter the Spring Flush period when good weather boosts milk production.

California milk production fell 8% in February compared to a decline of 3.5% across the US.  The drop in California’s milk production came on 2,000 less cows and 155 less pounds of milk per cow. In Kings County there was a 9.3% drop – Tulare County down 6.5% and a 22.4% drop in San Bernardino County as southern California continues to lose dairies.

Californians continue to drink less fluid milk with sales down 3.2 % in February compared to the year earlier but up 9.1% for organic milk.

Another “complete dispersal “ of a local dairy farm – this time it is the George Santos Dairy in Laton set for April 12 with rolling stock to be auctioned April 2. The dairy, that supplied DFA, is for lease.The family is going through a bankruptcy process.

Some rare hope for dairy as cheese prices are rising in the face of a severe drought in New Zealand strengthening export prices.Meanwhile  on the feed front there is hope for lower prices this fall.This week Sept corn dropped the limit – 40 cents – to $5.63 promising lower feed costs for livestock producers later this year.

While New Zealand and California are experiencing a drought, the corn belt in the US Midwest has seen improved winter rain and snowfall helping to replenish dry ground in major parts of the corn belt. A normal corn harvest this year could be a boon all around.

USDA says US corn growers intend to plant 97.3 million acres of corn for all purposes in 2013, up slightly from last year and 6 percent higher than in 2011. If realized, this will represent the highest planted acreage in the United States since 1936 when an estimated 102 million acres were planted.

In California  corn farmers are planning to plant 8% less corn than last year says USDA.The big drop in “ prospective plantings ”came in cotton with Upland varieties down 37% and Pima down 16% from last year.

Cotton acres across the US are expected to drop 27 percent in 2013 as more producers plant corn and soybeans, according to the National Cotton Council’s annual planting intentions survey.

The California Department of Water Resources announced that water allocations for the State Water Project are being reduced from 40% to 35% due to a dry January-March period, coupled with pumping restrictions imposed in December and January to protect Delta smelt and salmon.
The Bureau of Reclamation announced that Central Valley Project allocations for south-of-Delta agricultural contractors are being reduced from just 25% down to 20%. Municipal and industrial contractors south of the Delta will see their allocation decreased from 75% to 70% of their historic use.
Local communities face more than $1 billion in lost economic activity due to reduced water supplies for farmers in Westlands Water District ,the district estimates.

“The water supply reductions facing farmers will devastate the local communities. We understand that the most recent cut imposed by Reclamation is a result of record dry conditions experienced in January, February, and March; but this reduction is being imposed after the loss of hundreds-of-thousands of acre-feet of water experienced during a record wet December. Those losses are difficult to comprehend,” said Thomas Birmingham, general manager of Westlands Water District. “Once again, the needs of our community and the livelihood of our workers are being sacrificed due to questionable decisions by federal officials to protect Delta smelt.”

While rainfall the second half of this water year has been low a wet November and December helped fill a number of key northern California reservoirs to above historical average including Shasta,New Melones and Oroville.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein said “A water allocation of 20 percent for South-of-Delta farmers is a crippling blow to California’s farm community. This is the second very low allocation since 2009, so it should be clear that California needs to store water from the dry years for the wet years. Any water bond put on the ballot must have a strong storage component. Absent that, California will be in deep trouble with respect to water.
“With respect to this 20 percent allocation, all I can say is it’s devastating. In 2010 we were able to work out—thanks to the Department of the Interior, Bureau of Reclamation, water contractors and the state—an additional 150,000 acre feet. I encourage Interior and Reclamation to follow that same formula this year. The water allocation must be increased if California farmers are going to be able to produce.”
Friant Division contractors’ water supply that waters the Valley’s eastside  is delivered from Millerton Reservoir on the upper San Joaquin River. The first 800,000 acre-feet of water supply is considered Class 1, and the next 1.4 million acre-feet is considered Class 2. Based upon DWR’s February WY 2013 Runoff Forecast, the Friant Division water supply allocation is currently 65 percent of Class 1. There are fears that could be lowered if the mid Sierra gets no more storms.

Honey Production Way Down In California

Honey production in 2012 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 147 million pounds, down 1 percent from 2011. There were 2.62 million colonies producing honey in 2012, up 5 percent from 2011. Yield per colony averaged 56.1 pounds, down 6 percent from the 59.6 pounds in 2011.
In California where fears of a bee shortage have been told colonies were down says USDA, to 340,000 compared to 370,000 in2011.

Even more dramatic was the decrease in honey production in California over the same period declining from 17.7 million lbs in 2011 to 11.9 million lbs in 2012.

Colonies which produced honey in more than one State were counted in each State where the honey was produced. Therefore, at the United States level yield per colony may be understated, but total production would not be impacted. Colonies were not included if honey was not harvested. Producer honey stocks were 32.9 million pounds on December 15,2012, down 10 percent from a year earlier. Stocks held by producers exclude those held under the commodity loan program.

Record High Honey Prices

Honey prices increased to a record high during 2012 to 195.1 cents per pound, up 11 percent from 176.5 cents per pound
in 2011.
Exports Key For Dairy:

A new report from Rabobank has recommended that product innovation and export markets are key for future dairy industry growth.The Rabobank Agribusiness Research and Advisory (FAR) group released its dairy industry report “California Dairies: Getting More Moola”.

The report offers insight into how value in the dairy industry could be maintained for the benefit of both producers and processors.Authored by Vernon Crowder, agricultural economist and senior vice president at Rabobank and James DeJong, dairy industry analyst with Rabobank, the report looks at moving the industry more in line with the free market system.The report states that infrastructure investment and different practices are necessary in order to move away from milk marketing orders (MMO), the long standing protection for farmers against unbalanced pricing.Despite refinements over the years Crowder and DeJong state that minimum price formulas and the redistribution of milk revenue to farmers remains the same. The future of dairy farming, they predict, will depend on product innovation and tapping into the value of dairy produce internationally.”There’s a growing demand on the world market for a variety of milk by-products and California dairies need to position themselves to capture that market share,” said Mr Crowder. “California dairies can’t simply continue to produce and market products for the satisfaction of their own domestic market, they really have to think globally.

Since 2008, the export market has started to offer greater possibilities alongside domestic revenues. Rabobank recommend that US farmers follow New Zealand’s lead and tap into markets by tailoring products for exportation.Referencing The Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) as an example of a cooperative that targets good relationships with key export customers, Rabobank suggest that processors need to initiate expansion.

Goats’ Milk With Antimicrobial Lysozyme Speeds Recovery From Diarrhea
Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of a human antimicrobial protein has proved effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, demonstrating the potential for food products from transgenic animals to one day also benefit human health, report researchers at the University of California, Davis.
The study is the first on record to show that goats’ milk carrying elevated levels of the antimicrobial lysozyme, a protein found in human breast milk, can successfully treat diarrhea caused by bacterial infection in the gastrointestinal tract.
The findings, slated to appear March 13 in the online scientific journal PLOS ONE, offer hope that such milk may eventually help prevent human diarrheal diseases that each year claim the lives of 1.8 million children around the world and impair the physical and mental development of millions more.
Milk Specialties Global Begins Visalia Production
Milk Specialties Global began production from the Visalia plant partnering with Provisions Foods in the former Kraft plant in Visalia.
David Lenzmeier, CEO stated, “Tulare County, California is one of the largest milk producing counties in the US. The ability to produce Milk Protein Concentrates in this county allows us to take full advantage of a fresh, local supply of milk, providing the highest quality Grade A, rBGH-free Milk Protein Concentrates to our customers. We are really excited to be able to meet our customers’ growing needs, and I would like to send my deepest appreciation to our MSG family for all of their hard work in getting our fifth food grade facility up and running.”

The Milk Protein Concentrate market is expanding in the areas of Sports Nutrition, for sustained release and Functional Foods, for protein fortification. Major growth categories include: ready-to-drink nutritional beverages, Greek yogurt, sports nutrition powders, processed cheeses and chocolates and candy.

Suvash Kafley, Director of Research & Development says, “With the growing demand of milk proteins and micellar casein, we have dedicated our Visalia, CA facility to Milk Proteins Concentrate and Isolate production. We will also be making native micellar caseins and low-grit micellar caseins, as well as caseinate replacers for creamer applications. The plant can produce high quality liquid or powder milk protein concentrates and isolates in less than 24 hours, allowing us to provide an estimated 1 million pounds each month, of milk protein concentrates and milk protein isolates to the market place, in order to meet current demand.”