March 2021 - 4

EDITOR'S LETTER
Fruit
Sustainability takes many forms
Last fall, an alliance of groups representing farmers,
forest owners, the food sector, state governments
and environmental advocates unveiled a set of
recommendations to guide the development of
federal climate policy.
The Food and Agriculture Climate Alliance (FACA)
was formed in February 2020 by four groups that
now co-chair the alliance: American Farm Bureau
Federation, Environmental Defense Fund, National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives and National Farmers
Union. The alliance has since expanded to include
FMI - The Food Industry Association, National
Alliance of Forest Owners, National Association of
State Departments of Agriculture and The Nature
Conservancy.
Together, the group developed more than 40 recommendations based on three
principles: agricultural and forestry climate policies must be built upon voluntary,
incentive-based programs and market-driven opportunities; they must promote
resilience and adaptation in rural communities; and they must be science-based.
Climate policies will impact farmers, forest owners, ranchers, rural and limitedresources
communities, wildlife and natural resources and must be thoughtfully
crafted to account for any potential inequities, consequences and tradeoffs, the
group stated.
" We are proud to have broken through historical barriers to form this unique
alliance focused on climate policy, " Zippy Duvall, FACA co-chair and president of
the American Farm Bureau Federation, said at the time of the group's formation.
" We began discussions not knowing whether we would ultimately reach
agreement. It was important to me to reject punitive climate policy ideas of the
past in favor of policies that respect farmers and support positive change. Our final
recommendations do just that. "
Gary Pullano
Editor
" More resilient farms and forests protect the agricultural economy, reduce risk
from the climate impacts that are already here and help prevent worsening climate
impacts in the future, " said FACA co-chair Chuck Conner, president of the National
Council of Farmer Cooperatives.
" Much as a farmer co-op gets its strength from uniting many producers to
achieve a single goal, so too does FACA. Through FACA, the food, forestry and
agriculture sectors can speak with a single voice on climate and, leveraging the
unique perspectives and special talents of its members, help drive the conversation
about the role that the food, forestry and agriculture sector can play in addressing
climate policy. "
" Climate change is adding another enormous variable to the already
unpredictable work of farming. Every year, farmers face more frequent and severe
weather events, making it just that much harder to make a profit. There are
concrete actions farmers can take to build resilience to weather extremes and pull
carbon out of the atmosphere, but they need strong policy behind them, " said Rob
Larew, FACA co-chair and president of National Farmers Union.
Read the full recommendations at www.agclimatealliance.com. They cover six
areas of focus: soil health, livestock and dairy, forests and wood products, energy,
research, and food loss and waste.
The newest award to come from Fruit Growers News parent company, Great
American Media Services, the Specialty Grower Sustainability Award seeks to
recognize a grower or farming operation that has put in major efforts to improve
sustainability in their operation. The efforts can be reflected in several categories,
including waste water management, soil health, climate control labor, advocacy and
more.
Any growers or farming operations who have taken significant steps to improve
sustainability in their agricultural practices can be nominated. Nominees will be
judged based on: Innovative Thinking, Execution, Impact/Results and Leadership in
the Industry.
Sustainability in agriculture is a priority for Valent U.S.A., the sponsor of the
inaugural Specialty Grower Sustainability Award.
Valent's sponsorship of this award is its way of helping to support growers
as they take the next incremental step toward increasing the sustainability and
preservation of their operation, whether that's adopting conservation tillage
practices, improved utilization of IPM or looking to reduce food waste on the farm.
To submit a nomination for the Sustainability award, visit
fruitgrowersnews.com/sustainability.
The last day for nominations will be April 16, 2021.
Growers
News.com
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FRUITGROWERSNEWS.COM
2021 Adverse Effect Wage Rate finally
determined
With the release of USDA's Farm Labor Survey
on Feb.11, farmers that utilize the H-2A
program finally know the minimum wage
they must pay their H-2A workers in 2021.
CMI Orchards' sales of Ambrosia dominates
in South; strong elsewhere
Wenatchee, Washington-based CMI
Orchards has announced that Ambrosia
apples are dominating sales in the
Southern region, with strong sales reported
throughout the rest of the United States.
New study shows why strawberries must
keep (their) cool
To ensure the fruit is at peak form, you're not
supposed to break what's called the " cold
chain, " said Jeff Brecht, a University of Florida,
Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
horticultural sciences professor and Extension
specialist.
DroneDeploy, Corteva bring scalable
analytics to farms
Enterprise drone data platform DroneDeploy
announced Feb. 9 a collaboration with one
of the world's largest pure-play agricultural
organization, Corteva Agriscience, to bring
improved management decisions to farmers
year-round.
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THEY SAID IT
While disease resistance is important, the culinary
characteristics that are favored by consumers are
equally important in the success of a new variety. "
-DAVID BEDFORD, UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA
P. 14
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March 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March 2021
