May/June 2024 - 19

GROWER PROFILE
" This is not something we can
spray our way out of, " Mason said.
" Attacking the weeds seems to be
the best way (to control INSV). "
A broccoli field may look well from
behind a windshield, but drivers
may miss all the weeds hiding under
plant canopies. To ensure fields are
virus free, growers are examining
plants they've never really worried
about before.
" We as an industry have always
been good at keeping weeds out of
the fields because they compete
with the crops for water and
nutrients, " Mason said. " Now,
we're even more aware and that
could be with hand crews that go
in or with mechanization. "
Platform10 field trials are also
testing products on tomatoes,
strawberries, grapes and citrus in
California.
Pesticide limits
" There's a push for California ag
in general to use less pesticides, "
Mason said. " There are a lot of
biologicals that need to get screened
and gone through. Hopefully, with
that platform, we can try to weed
out some of the ones that may not
be effective. "
As synthetic products become
ineffective because of pests
developing resistance or are removed
from the market by regulators,
Mason said he wants to be ahead
of the curve with experience using
biological products.
Slow reactions may be the most
challenging part of biocontrols.
Growers may say they don't work and
prematurely give up on them, " so
we're going to have to be patient, "
Mason said. " We've got to learn how
to use them. It's going to be a big
learning curve. "
Nature's Reward works to dry
farm as much as possible with
drip tape, which can help prevent
overwatering and water collecting
at field edges.
" It's getting distribution of your
water, " Mason said, " so you don't
overwater. Maybe farm with a little
less water, but it's hard, especially
when you have heat waves coming.
" If your tape doesn't fit the
length of your field, then you have
to overwater certain areas to
compensate for areas that are dry. "
Since 2014, Mason has used the
CropManage system, initially for
nitrogen fertilization. Since 2020,
he's used the app to monitor water
flow and pressure.
Soil focus
Reaping the benefits of healthier
soil, Nature's Reward plants cover
crops. Rotation can help prevent
diseases. Carrots have proven to
be a successful rotation crop
following broccoli, cauliflower and
celery. Nature's Reward added
carrots a decade ago and has been
increasing acreage.
The company's one-to-one policy
requires a non-lettuce crop to follow
first-crop lettuce plantings. Because
lettuce is king in the Salinas Valley,
such rotations can be difficult to
work into the company's farming
system, Mason said.
To ensure healthy soil, Nature's
Reward created a new staff position
dedicated to pulling soil samples
and conducting nitrogen tests,
analyzed in an in-house lab. The
samples reveal missing nutrients
and are run through CropManage for
recommendations. The service has
helped Nature's Reward reduce its
nitrogen units by 30%, Mason said.
Universities, USDA researchers and
seed companies are working to develop
varieties with beneficial genetics.
" Genetics will be the key for pest
management in California crops, "
Mason said. " What's important is
The Huntington family has been growing
vegetables in Monterey County since 1948.
Celery, cauliflower and lettuce were added
in the 1970s.
VEGETABLEGROWERSNEWS.COM | 19
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May/June 2024

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