Mike Murray conducts the vegetable crops program in Colusa County and
has cross-county responsibilities for CE processing tomato and vegetable seed programs in
Glenn County. Mike has been on the staff since 1979. He graduated from UCD with a Masters
Degree in plant physiology, emphasizing vegetable crops.
The major crop responsibilities include processing tomatoes, vegetable
seed crops and alternative or "new" fresh market vegetables. Collectively, these
crops were produced on over 39,000 acres in Colusa County in 1997, with an on-farm value
exceeding $71.6 million. This was about twenty percent of the total county ag income.
The following are major issues or trends facing the Colusa vegetable
crop industries:
• Depressed or static prices. Processing tomato returns
have failed to keep pace with production input increases over the past two decades. The
county average return per acre for processing tomatoes in 1997, reported by the
Agricultural Commissioner, was $1825. A UC cost study prepared by Yolo County farm advisor
Gene Miyao, reports the average cost of producing an acre of processing tomatoes is
approximately $1775.
• Our distance from established fresh market vegetable
distribution centers and infrastructure. Local attempts over the past ten years to produce
fresh vegetables have been hampered by the absence of adequate refrigerated
transportation, skilled farm labor, broker or dealer networks and post-harvest facilities.
• Continued anticipated growth opportunities for processing
tomato growers. There are going to be opportunities to expand acreage for those growers
who can profitably grow the crop. The Morning Star Company has announced plans to
significantly expand the processing capacity of their Williams plant for the 1999 season.
A new California processor, Hanover Foods, will be opening a modest-sized tomato
processing facility in Colusa in 1999. Both of these plants will require raw product and
Colusa tomato producers are well-poised to take advantage of the situation.
• Pest management issues. As pesticides are removed from
the market for lack of re-registration or declining manufacturer profitability,
replacements are not being introduced. Additionally, as we gain a longer production
history, new or imported pests are being encountered. Pest management, including diseases,
insects and weeds, are one of the largest production input-costs.
Applied Research Activities
1- Processing tomato variety evaluations. Replicated tests evaluating
recent industry releases are conducted in commercial fields in both the early (Westside)
and mid-season production areas. These efforts are part of a coordinated statewide effort
that evaluates varietal adaptability across both large geographical and smaller localized
areas.
The objective is to identify cultivars that will produce high yields of
fruit with desired quality characteristics. An emphasis is placed on varieties with
disease or insect resistance or improved tolerance, to reduce chemical inputs and costs
for production. The resultant information is used by processors to make management
decisions about which varieties their producers should grow to meet the canners needs.
2- Processing tomato herbicide evaluations. A new selective broadleaf
herbicide, ‘Shadeout®’, gained registration in 1998. This product
holds the promise of chemically controlling nightshade weeds, which are one of the most
serious local weed problems and currently require expensive hand labor to control.
Field research plots conducted locally in 1998, and previous years,
have identified how to best use the product safely and effectively. This information has
also been used as substantiating data in obtaining the California registration.
3- Tomato bacterial speck control. This disease is one of the most
serious early season problems facing local producers. Current control measures are only
partially effective, under adverse environmental conditions.
1998 was an ideal year for conducting the test. Speck pressure and
incidence was high throughout much of the spring, into May. We are learning the strengths
and weaknesses of our control programs.
4- Onion-seed weed management. Onion-seed production in the county is
on the rise. Current weed management options for this crop are limited. The recent
discontinuation of Dacthal® has left the industry with minimal options for
early season weed management, as well as increasing hand hoeing costs.
Field tests were conducted to validate previously results which
indicated promise for significantly reducing weed control costs and lowering the amount of
pesticides applied.
