By David Eddy, Editor, American Fruit Grower
A plan issued by the California Department of Pest Regulation (DPR) didn’t attract much attention when it was passed earlier this year, not when you consider it calls for massive change in pest control in the coming decades.
“Sustainable Pest Management: A Roadmap for California” was drafted by a DPR-appointed committee of 29 people representing a variety of interests, from pesticide manufacturers to environmental activists.
The ambitious Roadmap calls for wholesale change to the state’s approach to pest management over the next 25 years. It’s likely to have global ramifications, as the approach is nearly as comprehensive as the European Union’s “Green Deal,” a plan to have 25% of EU agricultural land be organically farmed by 2030.
The California strategy contains no similar organic mandates, but because about half the nation’s fruits, nuts, and vegetables are farmed in the Golden State, the Roadmap’s effects will no doubt reverberate across North America and beyond.
“We had disagreements, no question, but considering where we started, we ended up with a very good roadmap for California.”
With so much at stake, those who participated in drafting the Roadmap said there were some highly contentious discussions.
“It was a difficult process, to say the least, we spent almost two years, pretty much all on Zoom,” says Don Cameron, Vice President/General Manager of Terranova Ranch, who grows a wide variety of fruits, nuts, and vegetables in Helm, CA. “We had disagreements, no question, but considering where we started, we ended up with a very good roadmap for California.”
Cameron, who also serves as President of the California Department Food and Agriculture, says because there were so many divergent voices on the committee, it made for some lively conversations.
“I've never been through a process as intense as that was, the discussions actually got a little heated,” he says. “We ended up with a final product that we didn't all agree with, but we all said we could live with, so that was success.”
The talks got testy because there is so much at stake. Activists are concerned pesticides will poison the environment, and growers are worried about having the tools they need to produce a crop, and thus, maintaining their livelihoods.
“Sustainable Pest Management: A Roadmap for California” is designed for a long trip, as there are two stated goals, both to be achieved by 2050. The first is “California has eliminated the use of Priority Pesticides by transitioning to sustainable pest management practices.” The second: “Sustainable pest management has been adopted as the de facto pest management system in California.”
Another member of the committee that drafted the roadmap, Pam Marrone, is the Co-founder of the Invasive Species Corporation in Davis, CA. Originally a biologist, Marrone has gone on to be a serial entrepreneur in crop protection, focusing on a biological approach.
Like Cameron, she too found the discussions intense, and realizes that the first goal raises an obvious question: What are “Priority Pesticides?” They are the more toxic pesticides, but what actually makes the list remains to be seen.
Priority Pesticides
“It's not just a list of restricted materials,” Cameron says. “It will be determined by a work group that will be looking at individual pesticides and determining a list of priorities within that group.”
So-called “harsher” chemicals, such as organophosphates and carbamates, are likely candidates for the list, which will be composed by a committee similar to the roadmap committee, which was also selected by DPR. That committee will have some important decisions.
“So there needs to be more vetting and training and education on biological alternatives and how to use them.
“Now, we know some of the fumigants are typically at the upper end of the list, and we know they're one of the most difficult to replace,” Cameron says. “We're going to have to find new ways of dealing with our problems, ones that are that are safer not only for our workers, but our communities and the environment.”
It’s a critical point, because there are so few new products being introduced for specialty crop growers, Marrone notes. In addition, for too long the industry has focused on chemical answers, not biological.
“We have to look at it more sustainably, obviously, as a system that can incorporate a lot more biological products because they're out there and already registered, but just not used,” she says. “So there needs to be more vetting and training and education on biological alternatives and how to use them. They're out there, but about half of all growers have never used them, or don't even know how to use them, because they don't have the knowledge or training to do so.”
It's understandable growers don’t know enough about biologicals because the people they look to for answers, mainly pest control advisers and university Extension, are themselves not as educated on the subject as they could be. They haven’t really had an incentive, Marrone says, noting there are no Continuing Education Units offered for sustainability.
“For getting your PCA license, we recommended that it includes sustainable pest management practices which are not currently required, and that was accepted by everybody.”
“We said, you have to train the trainers, so one of the recommendations in here is to retool pest control advisers. You’ll see farm advisers having more knowledge and background in sustainable pest management,” she says. “For getting your PCA license, we recommended that it includes sustainable pest management practices which are not currently required, and that was accepted by everybody.”
However, Cameron notes the committee took a hard look at the situation through the producer’s eyes as well, and hopes there’s no real downside, though there are no guarantees.
“I'm hopeful that we won't remove a product until we have a safe, effective economic alternative to a product that's being removed. Although that may not happen, I think the jury is out on that. We will have to wait and see how that progresses, but we are very hopeful,” he says. “The Department of Pesticide Regulation will be moving products through at a quicker pace. We know that that has been an issue in the past, and we know that the products are safer and should get a quicker review.”
No doubt about it, Cameron says, growers have to have the means to do their jobs.
That is indeed a critical point and one the committee focused on.
“Over and over again, we, as a committee, said, ‘You can't leave growers without anything,’” Marrone emphasizes. “There's going to be a huge gap, so we have to be careful of that.”
“We’ll see if we can use something a little safer, a little different than we've used in the past, but we have to have new tools,” he says. “There's no question we have to have good alternatives, or you can't get the mainstream grower on board.”
Cameron adds that Western Growers and the Almond Board of California are both embarking on exhaustive new programs to test biological products under real-world conditions, so growers can be assured of their efficacy.
Holistic System
Marrone notes, however, that sustainable pest management should not be focused exclusively on inputs.
“It's also about creating a resilient ecosystem that wards off pests better. And it's picking the right varieties, increasing soil health practices, it could be picking cover crops,” she says. “There's a whole range of practices to incorporate in the system beyond just using inputs.”
Cameron says he’s found that to be true in his 40 years at Terranova Ranch, where he not only works, but lives.
“We've become very diverse here on our farm, it seems to help keep pest pressure lower, and I think we keep a reserve of beneficial insects on-farm to where we really don't spray anywhere near where we did many years ago,” he says. “We've got a nice balance here, and I think we have to look at the whole farm, the whole region a little bit differently, than we did in the past.”
Tech to the Rescue
Even if all goes according to plan, implementing The Roadmap even by 2050 represents quite a challenge. Proponents are counting on a huge contribution from technological advances, Marrone says.
Cameron says improving technology has indeed become a part of the process at his farm, an increasingly necessary part.
“You’re going to see a more automated, digital farm where you're going to have your pest being predicted in real time instead of by degree-day models. Today there are companies doing that with smart trapping, real-time trapping,” she says. “Trapping the bugs and knowing exactly what you’re dealing with, so you can predict exactly when to spray really aids biological solutions because they need to be timed properly.”
“We're trying to automate as much as we can, trying new things, every year we try something new out here. and I think that's good,” he says. “Growers should be looking for new products, new ways of doing things. I mean, that's our future. And if we don't, we're going to fail.”
