Growing California Avocados

The U.S. Department of Agriculture will be issuing a second round of payments for eligible specialty crop producers who applied to the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops program by the January 20, 2025 deadline.

The California Avocado Commission will host a grower field day on Tuesday, May 20 at the Pine Tree Ranch demonstration grove that will focus on the new online irrigation calculator, rootstock trial results and pruning strategies.

On June 17, the University of California Cooperative Extension Agriculture and Natural Resources department is hosting a comprehensive Avocado Irrigation Workshop from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The seminar will take place at the San Diego Farm Bureau located at 420 South Broadway, Escondido, CA.

The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Produce Safety Technical Assistance Program helps operations reach PSR compliance and is hosting a PSA Grower Training on May 22.

The special local needs (SLN) label for Forfeit® 280 (glufosinate-ammonium) herbicide for use on avocados has been amended. All users must have a copy of this latest amended SLN label in their possession when using Forfeit® 280 on avocados.

On Wednesday, April 16 the California Avocado Society is hosting a two-hour seminar entitled, Water Knowledge is Power Knowledge.

The California Family Farmer Emergency Fund is accepting applications for extreme weather event relief grants. The deadline to apply is April 1.

On March 27, the International Society for Horticultural Science will host a webinar entitled, “Plant Biostimulants: (How) Do They Work?” from 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. Professor Patrick du Jardin of the University of Liege will serve as the speaker. Panelists will include researchers from across the globe and California.

Researchers are seeking input from specialty crop growers concerning snails and slugs. Thus far, there has been limited coordination of research efforts and as a result there is a gap in knowledge concerning how to manage snails and slugs and prevent crop damage.

A team of Iowa State University weed scientists and sociologists are conducting an anonymous survey among specialty crop growers to determine what weed control tools and technologies growers are aware of or are interested in and what factors drive or hinder growers from adopting weed management technologies.