Industry

Each year the California Avocado Commission partners with Land IQ to produce a Statewide Avocado Acreage and Condition Analysis report utilizing digital satellite imagery, aerial photography and analytical tools to survey California avocado groves. This data provides crucial information for the industry.

The University of California Cooperative Extension of San Diego County offers a Farm Labor Management Training Program designed to help agricultural employers better understand and mitigate labor related risks. As part of this program, two ag labor management seminars are being hosted in August.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has expanded funding assistance to both small- and medium-sized agricultural operations seeking to renew or obtain a food safety certification through the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program. In addition, the program will include assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses.

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the CCOF Foundation provides grants, mentorship and technical assistance to growers making the transition to organic production. The $10,000 grants are awarded annually for three years to assist producers as they wait the three years before achieving organic certification. 

Beginning with the 2025 crop year, organic California avocado growers will have expanded crop insurance options. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk Management Agency will now allow Enterprise Units for California avocados and will allow non-contiguous parcels of land that qualify for optional units to also qualify for Enterprise Units.

On June 26, 2024, the California Avocado Commission released a statement regarding the U.S./Mexico Operational Work Plan allowing Hass avocados from the Mexican states of Michoacan and Jalisco to be exported to the U.S. Under the current OWP, the inspections are conducted by Mexican personnel employed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Nominations are now being accepted for growers to serve on county committees for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency. These committees play an important role in making decisions about how federal farm programs are administered at the local level. Committee members serve three-year terms.

On May 22, the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Avocado Inspection Program announced the Reed avocado release dates for the 2024/2025 season.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has approved the herbicide Rely® 280 (glufosinate-ammonium) for use in avocado groves in California. Rely® 280 is a post-emergence broad-spectrum herbicide for use against broadleaf and grassy weeds. Glufosinate-ammonium is an excellent alternative to glyphosate, especially for those weeds that have developed glyphosate resistance.