attendance at the international prune … conference and study tour report, 5 it is hoped that the...

Attendance at the International Prune

Association Conference, Visalia

California, May 2003

Jeff Granger The Australian Prune

Industry Association Inc

Project Number: HG02081

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Stamp

HG02081 This report is published by Horticulture Australia Ltd to pass on information concerning horticultural research and development undertaken for the Australian horticulture industry. The research contained in this report was funded by Horticulture Australia Ltd with the financial support of the Australian Prune Industry Trust. All expressions of opinion are not to be regarded as expressing the opinion of Horticulture Australia Ltd or any authority of the Australian Government. The Company and the Australian Government accept no responsibility for any of the opinions or the accuracy of the information contained in this report and readers should rely upon their own enquiries in making decisions concerning their own interests. ISBN 0 7341 1214 9 Published and distributed by: Horticulture Australia Ltd Level 1 50 Carrington Street Sydney NSW 2000 Telephone: (02) 8295 2300 Fax: (02) 8295 2399 E-Mail: [email protected] © Copyright 2005

International Prune Association Conference Report 2003

International Prune Association Conference

Conducted in Visalia, California

8 May 2003 – 21 May 2003

FINAL REPORT

Horticulture Australia Project Number

HG02081 Report Prepared By:

Jeff Granger Industry Development Manager

Australian Prune Industry Association Inc [email protected]

Delegates: Jeff Granger, IDM, APIA Inc., Vice President IPA Colin Farey, Angas Park Fruit Co. Phil Anderson, Young District Producers Cooperative. Sue Marte, Horticulturalist, NSW Agriculture.

IPA Conference and study tour report, 2

Contents. Page Media Summary 3 Expected outcomes and how they were achieved. 3 Results of Discussions 4 Implications for Australian Horticulture 4 Disseminating Information 5 Conference Itinerary 6 Recommendations 8 Acknowledgements 8 Attachments 8 Report by Sue Marte, NSW Agriculture 9 Contact List 21


Media Summary Three Australian Prune Industry Association (APIA) representatives attended the 2003 International Prune Association (IPA) Conference in May 2003 in Visalia, Tulare County, Southern California. The group was accompanied for part of their tour by an horticulture officer of the NSW Agriculture Department. The delegates also undertook a tour of the prune production areas of Sutter and Butte Counties in Northern California. The conference focus was primarily based on the review of international production planning strategies based on statistical data collection, the study of pest and disease information relevant to the Dried Prune industry in Australia and new cultural and production methods. The project also sought to maintain industry contacts in growing, packing and support services and seek new ones, and to investigate new technology and production trends that may assist Australian Prune producers to increase efficiency by achieving greater production levels or by increasing competitiveness and reducing production costs. Concern at the rapid increase in the level of prune production from Argentina has resulted in a decision that a fact finding mission to Argentina and Chile will be undertaken in January 2004 by members of the International Prune Association.

• France reports stable production of about 55,000 tonnes • California still over producing and problems with level of payment to growers • South Africa expects a decline in production, presently about 2,500 tonnes • Australia effected by drought expects increased production to about 5,500 t • Italy production peak of about 1800 tonnes, imports up to 10,000 tonnes.

Expected Outcomes and how they were achieved. Attendance at the IPA Conference provides information that will assist the Australian Prune Industry to be better prepared in developing strategies to increase productivity and meet the challenges and opportunities of the international dried prune market. By providing a comprehensive report to the conference, each member nation is made aware of the problems and benefits of the other producers and is able to gauge with some accuracy how the industry in their own country compares with the other countries. The purpose for visiting growers, packers and marketers wais to gather information that will benefit the Australian producer in meeting the challenges that they will face in the future. Specific issues include new varieties and production methods, pest and disease management, dehydration and packaging innovations and market demands. Comprehensive statistical data is provided by all members to the International body and comparative statistics are made available to all members. Australia has lodged an expression of interest in hosting the 2004 International Prune Association conference and a comprehensive submission was prepared by the Adelaide Convention and Tourism Authority with an accompanying video presentation. Chile also expressed an interest in hosting the 2004 conference.


Results of discussions.

• Delegates were satisfied that the Australian Prune Industry was performing very well in comparison to other producing countries.

• Australian prune production has been lower than expected over the last two seasons due mainly to ongoing drought conditions.

• Market stability and returns to Australian growers compare favourably with the other non-subsidised producing nations, namely South Africa, USA and Chile.

• The European Union countries are experiencing very high costs of production and farm subsidies that are claimed to be barely adequate.

• France and Chile were both concerned that recent EU concessions to South America could see further uncontrolled expansion of the Argentinian prune industry, even though Chile also stood to benefit.

• Californian growers are very concerned at low returns for their produce and many growers have received less than cost of production returns for 2002 season crops.

• South Africa is experiencing agri-political problems that will probably lead to the eventual downsizing of the industry. The present Government is doing little to encourage prune production.

• The major problem of concern to producers in all countries is with water supply and competition from other users.

• The Australian application to host the 2004 International Prune Association Conference was successful. The city of Adelaide has been selected as the venue.

• The Australian vice Chairman of the IPA has been elected Chairman until after the Australian Conference in November 2004.

. Implications for Australian Horticulture. The Australian Prune Industry is probably the only member of the IPA that has neither Government subsidies or cheap labour and it is pleasing to note that we continue to be cost competitive with other members. The Australian industry is at risk should another country attempt to export prunes to Australia at a cost that is significantly lower than the present Australian market price. Australia needs to be aware of the situation in both Chile and Argentina as both of these countries are significant emerging producers. Chile and Argentina are both large exporters of prunes and are both low consumers of prunes. Chile and Argentina are the major threats to Australia however the USA has previously been a threat and still has the potential to cause market disruption and price instability. New production technology demonstrated in California centers on clonal selections which may not be suited to Australia. The USA trials are not yet to a stage where results are conclusive. Prune crop size regulation by mechanical means was demonstrated and the method used could be adapted to suit Australian requirements however Australian trials are needed to assess the suitability of the method.


It is hoped that the information gathered on this trip will assist producers to achieve greater efficiency by allowing them access to the latest research and development findings, worlds best practice production methods and the latest technology advancements. Disseminating information. The information garnered by attending the IPA conference will be circulated through the industry by means of the APIA Newsletter, discussions with Australian Prune Inndustry Association Branch meetings and by a report to the Annual Conference of APIA on 8 October 2003. Further information is available on the IPA website www.ipaprunes.org, On the website can be found text of guest speaker presentations to the IPA conference on dietary and nutrition information concerning dried prunes, and planning information based on world production forecasts and statistical information.


Itinerary. ITINERARY FOR IPA CONFERENCE AND TOUR OF CALIFORNIAN PRUNE INDUSTRY – 2 May 2003 to 23 May 2003 Fri 2 May 03 Depart

Fly Canberra Sydney Honolulu

Then Fly Honolulu San Francisco Sacramento

Sat 3 May 03 Arrive Sacramento, Hire Car and travel to Yuba City Until Tue 6 May BEST WESTERN BONANZA INN four nights. Arrive very late at night Sun 4 May 03 Meet with Jack Miller, Stapleton Spence packers Mon 5 May 03 Visit Stapleton Spence, Cal Prune Packing Tues 6 May 03 Drive to Red Bluff visit Lindauer River Ranch and also

visit to Sunsweet Growers Hamilton City driers. Wed 7 May 03 Depart Yuba City

Visit Taylor Packing Yuba City, and Mariani Packing at Vacaville. Overnight stay at Pleasant Hill

Thu 8 May Visit Whitworth’s Orinda Import/Export agents Overnight at Pleasant Hill Fri 9 May Travel to San Francisco. Visit Otis McAllister Import/Export agents Sat 10 May San Francisco, meet rest of Conference Group Travel by coach to Harris Ranch at Coalinga for dinner and night. Sun 11 May Tour Harris Ranch and Simonich Ranch. To Visalia to commence Conference Sun 11 May PM until Thursday 15 May Radisson Hotel, 300 South Court St, VISALIA CA 93291

IPA CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Pre-conference Tour

Saturday, May 10 Travel by bus down to Harris Ranch Inn. Coalinga

Sunday, May 11

Tour the Harris Ranch and the Simonich family’s ranch, where lunch will be served, then travel by bus to Visalia.

Conference Sunday, May 11

Check in at the Radisson Hotel for five-night stay (leaving Friday, May 16) Executive Committee meets at the Radisson Free afternoon for accompanying persons Dinner at The Depot restaurant Monday, May 12


Executive Committee meets at Radisson. General Assembly meets at Radisson. Nutrition Advisory Panel meets at Radisson.

Spouses and accompanying persons: tour Exeter murals, antique/craft/souvenir shopping, lunch at Wildflower Café, tour miniature rose nursery

Delegates lunch at Radisson Dinner Hoe-down at Ritchie Barn Tuesday, May 13 IPA Congress at Convention Center Country Reports Lunch at Convention Center Nutrition Presentations Dinner at Vintage Press Wednesday, May 14 Tour nearby prune orchards Tour Tule River Drier Lunch at drier Tour walnut plant Visit Farm Equipment Museum at Tulare Evening free, dinner on your own Thursday, May 15 Tour National Raisin Company: prunes and raisins Visit Kearney Ag Center at Parlier (new varieties, brown rot) Lunch at the home of Gus and Barbara Collin Farewell dinner at Chinese Cultural Center Friday, May 16

Check out of Radisson. Those departing California make their own arrangements. Post-Conference Tour Friday, May 16

Those going on the post-conference tour gather to travel by bus to Kings Canyon National Park. Saturday, May 17 Continue to Yosemite National Park Sun 18 May Collect Hire Car- Fresno Airport Mon 19 May Visit north of San Joaquin Valley production areas. Overnight Modesto Tues 20 May As for Monday then to visit Ashlock Machinery Company San Leandro Wed 21 May Return to San Francisco International Airport

Depart for Australia Fly San Francisco Los Angeles Sydney Adelaide/Canberra


Recommendations. Information that has been passed on to members of the Association has been left to the individual to assess for suitability for Australian use. A recommendation has been approved by the National Executive of APIA to attend the Fact Finding mission to Argentina as Australia could be a target for further export pushes by the South Americans. Acknowledgements. The Australian Prune Industry Association Inc acknowledges the support of the following organizations who supplied funding towards this trip;

• Horticulture Australia Limited • The Australian Prune Industry Trust • The Angas Park Fruit Co • Young District Producers Cooperative Society Ltd • The NSW Cherry Growers Association • The NSW Department of Agriculture • Phil Anderson

Attachments Copy of Report by Sue Marte, Horticulturalist, NSW Agriculture based at Young NSW.


ATTACHMENT.

PRUNE AND CHERRY INDUSTRY OVERVIEW IN CALIFORNIA, USA

Report on International Prune Association Conference and study tour of cherry industry in California USA

May 8 – May 25, 2003

Sue Marte

District Horticulturist

NSW Agriculture PO Box 51, Young 2594

[email protected]


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Officer Sue Marte Title District Horticulturist Contact Details PO Box 51, Young NSW 2594 Phone 02 6382 1077 Fax 02 6382 2228 Email [email protected] This report discusses the International Prune Association conference and gives a brief overview of the prune and cherry industries in California, USA. Recommendations are made as to what NSW Agriculture can do to encourage industry development. Recommendations are also made to the prune and cherry industries to increase their international market strategies. This project was funded by the Australian Prune Industry Association, the NSW Cherry Growers Association, Horticulture Australia Ltd, and NSW Agriculture.

No person should act on the basis of the contents of this report, whether as to matters of fact or opinion or other content, without first obtaining specific, independent professional advice in respect of the matters set out in this report.

Photo 1, page 1 – Some IPA delegates studying prune trees


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Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 12

INTRODUCTION 13

OUTCOMES 13

1. IPA Conference, Visalia 13

Conference Overview 13

2. Prune Industry and Congress Tours 14

3. Cherry Production Aspects in California 17

RECOMMENDATIONS AND BENEFITS 19

ITINERARY 20

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 20

CONTACT LIST 21


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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The purpose of attending the biannual International Prune Association conference was to increase awareness of world trends in prune production and to meet with industry leaders from the major prune producing countries. Delegates from the USA, France, Italy, Chile, South Africa and Australia attended the conference. The purpose of the study tour was to examine aspects of cherry production, including rootstocks, varieties, and packing facilities, in California. The 15 day study tour included attendance at the International Prune Conference and field visits to orchards, ranches and packing sheds in Tulare, Sutter and San Joaquin counties. The US is capable of producing between 200,000 – 250,000 tons of prunes a year. Maximum Australian production is 5,000 tons a year, with the 2003 crop recorded at 3,000 tons. While Australia under-produces for its needs, America over-produces. Three years ago a tree pull program was initiated and subsidised by the USDA and industry in the hopes this would help even out the supply and demand for prunes. About 16,000 acres of productive trees were removed in this program. The growers were compensated for pulling the trees and not allowed to replant the land to prunes for two years. They can plant other crops on the land or plant new land to prunes. This program is estimated to have cost the USDA about $13 million and industry about $2 million, but probably has not decreased the production. Australia is well placed to learn from these types of programs for industry. There are about 25,000 acres grown to cherries in California, with about 4,000 acres in the Fresno/Bakersfield area. Seventy-five per cent of the state’s production is Bing. Early season cherries are grown in the south, mid-season in the central valley, with some of the later varieties grown further north. Marketing windows are very small so each district tends to only grow the few varieties suited to their market, instead of a large range of varieties. The rootstocks used in California are the same ones used by Australian industry. They find the same limitations with new stocks that research trials have shown here. The major difference seen overseas is size. Orchards, packing sheds and markets are all larger and this affects the way production occurs. There is a large immigrant population base for the seasonal work with a low minimum wage. This affects the way they grow and pick trees. The many small packing sheds have been replaced by a few larger sheds, which incorporate dedicated packing lines for export quarantine. Their marketing strategy is geared towards children, with brightly coloured boxes and catchy logos. They are able to package product in a range of sizes because the population base and market access can support this. Their farming systems, although not necessarily better, are export and environment driven. They are being pushed into integrated farming systems for a number of reasons. The main one is a decrease in pesticide availability. Australia is often in the position to learn from other’s mistakes and this is one example. Research and industry in Australia are trying to implement better practices before we lose our options.


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INTRODUCTION The major Australian prune production occurs in Young and Griffith, NSW. The industry’s major competitors are the USA and South Africa. To remain internationally competitive we need to have knowledge and understanding of what is occurring in these markets. This conference was an ideal opportunity to visit production areas in the US as well as meet international industry leaders.

Meeting production needs is a problem for the Australian industry. This industry would like to grow enough product for the domestic market, while also being able to export. The past two season’s crops have been reduced due to rain during the harvest period. To fill our demands, we have had to import product. Some concerns with importing are pest and disease issues on imported product, costs associated with the importing and market access.

Young is the largest producer of cherries in Australia. To remain competitive, the industry needs to be aware of world trends in varieties, processing and markets. The US is a leader in these areas. The study tour of current trends in California will help the industry here by providing information on what is current in the US. It was also an opportunity to see what varieties are in the ground and how they are performing. This information can be used here to make planting decisions. Keeping up with current varieties is important to remain internationally competitive in export markets. The study tour was also a good chance to see technological developments in packing lines and to meet with stonefruit breeders and UC Davis researchers. The specific objectives of the conference and study tour were to: • attend the International Prune Association Conference • visit some of the major fruit and dried fruit packing operations in central and northern California • study the cherry industry in the area • look at current varieties of cherries not yet available and/or cropping here • meet with experts in the prune and cherry industries, including UC Davis personnel

OUTCOMES The major outcomes will be described in three sections. The first will describe the IPA conference, the second will discuss the prune industry and congress related field tours and the third will discuss aspects of cherry production in California.

1. IPA Conference, Visalia CA Conference Overview There was one day of Congress, one day of meetings and three days of field tours. Each International Congress has a theme, set at a previous meeting, with this year’s being prune nutrition for humans. The following discusses the various meetings held. Prune Nutrition sub-committee advisory panel meeting There has been six years continuity with the committee. There have been 21 studies funded; 19 studies completed (two still on-going); 18 articles published; 50+ collaborators used. Some of the projects funded:


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Dr James Joseph spoke on his research involving prunes and aging cognativity. One of the difficulties was getting a prune product to an acceptable form for the rats to eat. This was unlike the ease they had with acceptable forms of blueberries, strawberries and spinach.

Dr Daniel Gallaher spoke on the effect of dried plums on colon cancer risk factors. Positive effects

included: • High concentration of fibre in dried plums • High antioxident capacity (ORAC), so prunes being used as a chemopreventative agent

Prunes as a pre-exercise snack

A research project was undertaken by Kristine Clark to try to elevate the prune’s profile as a pre-exercise snack. This followed some bad publicity for the fruit in Runner’s World magazine. To counter this, they undertook a trial with people who run regularly. Prunes came out as a favourable snack in comparison with bananas (which crushed) and sports bars (which could melt).

Laxative effects of prune juice concentrate and prune powder

The basis of this study was to assess what can be done to increase prune juice consumption based on today’s lifestyles. As beneficial as prune juice is, consumption is a problem. They are trying to find something functional, such as a pill, because the taste of prune juice is relatively unfavourable. They are also looking at flavouring prune juice to make it more palatable.

The question of how to promote the consumption of more fruit and vegetables was raised. A Better Health Foundation Study found that there has been a 14% decrease in fruit and vegetable intake in the last 10 years in the USA. Only 20% of the US population achieves the target ‘5 A Day’. Achievers are young males; women over 55; and men over 45. Non-achievers include children 2-12; teenage girls; and women under 45. One idea to increase consumption is to make fruit and vegetables more consumer friendly, ie cut, washed and pre-packed. Also felt is the importance to expose children early to fruits and vegetables so they carry these eating habits into their adult years. This particular presenter felt if you marketed towards children and got them to change their ways, they in turn would change their parents buying or eating habits. The USDA National Nutrient Database will have new releases this summer (US time). The major changes for the prune industry are that iron content of prunes will go from 2.48mg/100g serve to .93mg. Vitamin A will move from 1987IU/100g serve to 781IU. The USDA data will never reflect package data because the USDA uses aggregate data so packers need to do their own nutrient research. In the US, packages must show the USDA data, but in Australia, packages must show independent data from the packer. Preliminary research from France Dr Jean-Marie Bourre, a researcher from France, would like to begin a project which explains the relationship between brain function and glucose, and what role prunes could play in this. It is known that the brain is 2% of body weight and uses 20% of the body’s calories and 40% of its carbohydrates in its function, with boron and glucose necessary for proper functioning. Without this energy, the brain’s functioning can be less than optimal. He is certain there is a correlation linking glycemia and the brain and therefore he believes more work into this area is warranted. At the Congress, each country reported on the previous year. These are listed in the appendix under Proceedings. 2. Prune Industry and Congress Tours In a good year, the US produces about 200,000 – 250,000 tons of prunes. This production is mainly centred around Yuba City, California. The US supply overwhelms the demand, meaning they are dependent on export markets.


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Tours Simonich Farms Don Simonich is one of the larger producers near Visalia, CA. The conference visited a thinning trial on one of his prune properties. A shaker is used on each tree for two seconds to thin to their ideal load. This is more suited to orchards in the south as their crop load tends to be heavier than trees in the Yuba City area. Tule River Cooperative Dryer The Tule River Cooperative Dryer is a grower owned prune dehydrator that was established in 1962. The cooperative started with twelve drying tunnels. Additional tunnels have been added as prune acreage expanded. Currently, there are 134 drying tunnels and they can process over 1,200 green tons of prunes per day. The drying season begins in early August and lasts approximately 40 days. Shipment of dried prunes to various prune processing facilities may take an additional 30 days. The co-op dries between 25,000 - 30,000 green tons of prunes per year.

While at Tule River, Gary Uberoff, Cooperative Extension, spoke about an Integrated Prune Farming program he started five years ago. This began as a result of a decrease in pesticides available for use in the US. He had 45 prune growers throughout the state in this project, with the object being to improve IPM. In the program, monitoring techniques have been improved to help make better management decisions. One concern is off site movement of pesticides. They have been recording pesticide levels in water and rivers and are trying to develop ways to stop the run-off problems. The project also monitored nutrition and irrigation water. There were high levels of nitrates in well (bore) water so they needed to adjust accordingly. They also measured water status of the tree for irrigation management. Lori Berger, entomologist with Minor Crops Council also spoke at Tule River. In California, there are over 250 minor/specialty crops. These include products like cherries, citrus and asparagus. One problem with regulations in California is that they are based on large agriculture enterprises, such as cotton. Therefore, minor crops have little influence on the way regulations are written. There is a Food Quality Protection Act, which has created new standards for pesticides. The ‘Reduced Risk Pest Management’ focuses on risk to children and the environment. The effect growing prunes has on water quality, air quality and endangered species is targeted. Minor crops must comply with US and foreign standards because of exporting.

Photo 2 – A row of drying tunnels at Tule River Cooperative


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Family Tree Farms, Reedley, CA Family Tree Farms grow and package about 10,000 acres of tree fruit. Acres comprise apricots, plucots, peaches, nectarines, plums and cherries. They pack between 10-11 million cartons of fruit per year, mostly in 20-30lbs cartons. They employ 600 people in the packing sheds and 1,200 in the fields during peak harvest times and operate 24 hours/day. They pick into small lugs to reduce damage to the fruit. Their primary cherry varieties are Brooks and Tulare. One-third of their best quality produce is shipped to Taiwan. The other two-thirds is marketed in the US. They hydrocool only 5% of their fruit because about 95% of it is too fragile. In their cool rooms, they aim to get the middle of the fruit bins to 34°F (1-2°C). Like all the packing sheds visited, their advertising and marketing is aimed at children. Kearney Agricultural Center The Kearney Ag Center is the University of California’s largest off-campus agricultural research facility. Carolyn DeBuse spoke on the University of California’s prune variety breeding project. Improved French (known in Australia as California French Improved) makes up 98% of the planted variety in California. To minimise pest and disease risk and to extend the harvest season, this breeding project was begun. Varieties were bred for disease resistance and a longer harvest window. There were four phases to this program. They will continue screening to try and find a variety equal to, or better than, Improved French. Two varieties to come out of the breeding program are: Sutter – is a self-pollinated, high quality drying prune. In trials, it is 7-10 days earlier, with a brix 1-2° higher, than CFI. 26-27° brix is typical at harvest. Tulare Giant – is not self-compatible and needs another pollinator. It is large and egg shaped. Because both the fruit and pit are too large, it tends to slab when dried so has been released as a fresh prune. It is mature in Tulare on July 4, and Davis and north July 15. It is harvested at 17-19° brix for the fresh market. Dr Themis Michailides, UC Davis talked about his brown rot prediction model for prunes. His paper on the subject is listed in the appendix. Taylor Bros, Prune Growers & Packers There are about eight processors in Yuba City. Sunsweet is the largest and processes about 100,000 tons/year. Mariani would be second with about 30,000 tons/year. Taylor Bros processes about 3,000 tons/year and the other packers each process between 1,000 – 10,000 tons/year. Taylor Bros exports fruit to Verity and Angas Park in Australia. Because the IPA conference was not in the predominant prune growing area, a visit to Yuba City occurred after the conference. Rich Taylor was at the conference and agreed to host a visit to talk about production in that area and also their methods of production. Most of the prunes John and Rich Taylor grow and process are organic and National Organic Proved (NOP). Product must meet this standard when importing. The main pest problems they encounter in growing prunes are flat head and peach tree borer. Aphids can also be a problem. After harvest, they defoliate the tree with zinc to break the aphid’s life cycle. For production, Mariana is their primary rootstock but they also use myroblan. CFI is the primary variety. There is interest in the new Mariana 40 because it does not sucker. It also seems to be more efficient in its potassium uptake from the soil. They are starting to monitor not only the soil, but also the tree, for water efficiency. The pressure bomb is a relatively simple monitoring tool which they use and could also be adapted for use in Australian conditions. Leaf and soil analysis are taken each year and used for nutrient application. One element they monitor is potassium because deficiency can cause die back, with complete defoliation and tree death possible. In the area, a good year and healthy soil can produce 4,500 tons/acre, but on average harvest is usually between 2,250 – 2,500 tons/acre. They test every pallet of prunes they process. They check weight and bits of pit still in fruit. Everything is averaged out with allowance up to 8% of standard.


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ITO Packing Their shed was packing cherries and nectarines. ITO packs Brooks, Tulare, Bing and Rainier. Bing still makes up 75% of the state’s production. Brooks and Tulare are grown between Fresno and Bakersfield because of their lower chill requirements. Both are California selections and are used for early export markets. Because of this, Bing has been pushed back into the domestic market, and therefore gets a lower price. They market a donut peach under the name UFO – Unique Fruit Orb. It needs about 700 – 800 chilling hours. They are high in sugar and market well. They have the rights to this variety, but Zaiger’s (plant breeder in Modesto) has other donut peaches which have just come off patent.

3. Cherry Production Aspects in California To get an overview of the cherry industry in California, visits were made to growers, packing sheds and plant breeders, as well as meeting with industry, university and cooperative extension representatives. There are about 25,000 acres grown to cherries in California, with about 4,000 acres in the Fresno/Bakersfield area. On average, growers pick 400 – 500 boxes/acre (5kg) and average $25/box. Waine Aalto, Grower Relations, Warmerdam Farms The following points come from a day with Mr Aalto: • They pack mostly Tulares because they are heat and crack resistant. • There is a huge difference between Brooks and Tulares in regards to doubling and spurring. • They dormex nearly everything and push the use of GA. • The differences in dormex suitability varied greatly depending on tree and variety. • They do not prune tree height. They head early to encourage lateral growth. • They use a vase shape. They cut the central leaders out. • They primarily use Colt rootstock in that area. • They have some Mahaleb, but they are dying out and do not handle the heat as well as Colt. • There were visible differences in the field between Giesla 5 & 6. • Mr Aalto thought there was some promise with some of Steve Southwick’s rootstock selections

coming out of UC Davis. • Their major pest is flat head wood borer. Their control is to cut out infected wood and burn it. Warmerdam packing shed There were three cherry packing lines in total, with one of them a quarantine line for export into Japan. They also have two pack lines for apples, stonefruit and kiwifruit, with the kiwifruit packhouse certified organic. Joe Grant, Cooperative Extension, UC Davis, Stockton Major points of the day with Mr Grant: • Diseases and disorders seen – cherry x, cherry stem pit, dormex damage, gopher damage, cherry

necrotic rusty mottle • Rootstock trial visited. Three rootstocks due for release are 159-5 with dwarfing characteristics; 156-5

with spreading habit; and 155-1 showing resistance to phytopthora • Trials starting to assess ways to reduce stem loosening from cherries after GA use • Giesla 5 is not vigorous enough; Gielsa 6 is too precocious but not vigorous enough; Gielsa 12 looks

promising in test plots • Rest breaking treatments and the use of CAN 17 • Reassessing the 45° day model for more accurate dormex spraying • Citation rootstock with an interstem makes for a nice balanced 8’ tree in 6th leaf


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3

4 There used to be a number of packing sheds in the area but now they have been consolidated to three larger ones. At Chincholas, there were at least three cherry packing lines, one of which was quarantine-dedicated for fruit going to Japan. Another shed visited was Sambado & Sons, which was just beginning to use a new automated bag packer. The pack houses employee between 200 – 900 people in the sheds, with double that amount in the fields. In comparison to Australia, these operations were huge. The major difference was in cost of labour. Because of their minimum wage, they can afford to have a taller tree which will bear more fruit. The strength of their export market also helps. They have built their sheds to take quarantine into consideration. Plant Breeders - Zaiger’s Genetics and Marvin Neis Floyd Zaiger is a plant breeder in Modesto, and Marvin Neis is in Lodi. Both breeders have selections in Australia. Some new varieties, not yet named, may have a place in the Australian market.

Photo 3 – 6th leaf Tulare on Colt rootstock. This variety is now available in Australia through ANFIC

Photo 4 – symptoms of cherry necrotic rusty mottle, not yet confirmed


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RECOMMENDATIONS AND BENEFITS Personal Being able to attend an international conference along with putting a study tour together will be invaluable to this position. Industry From what was seen, Australian fruit growers seem to be doing the right things. Overall, our whole systems are better. US growers seem to stress the tree a lot to get it to perform to their liking. Then they have to treat it in another way to get the quality of fruit they need for export and transport. They still use mostly flood or furrow irrigation, although they have more accountability for run-off of pesticides. Their packing lines are centralised, with the small packhouses nearly obsolete. They had dedicated lines for export which is something that might be useful here in the future as more markets are secured, or it might be something that helps to secure those markets. Varieties There were a few selections of cherries, peaches, plums and apricots, which might be suitable for Australian conditions. Descriptions are available. The donut peach seems to be very popular there, especially with children. In the US, private breeders are the ones working on new varieties of stonefruit, whereas in Australia this work is done through government departments. With cherries this is costly for the industry, with a large percentage of levy funds being spent on breeding and not on other research. Marketing Marketing is one thing growers always mention when asked what needs improving. Our prune packaging seems out-dated. US stonefruit growers seem to be marketing strongly towards children. Their packaging is bright, colourful and fun. They also seem to incorporate aspects of production onto their packages ie. ‘California Hydro-cooled Cherries’. They are using the box to help sell the product. Pest and disease surveillance After seeing what pests and diseases were in California, we are either very lucky here in Australia, or we do not have a clear idea of what is actually going on in our orchards. It definitely stressed the importance of surveillance. Orchardists are in the prime position to do this as they know their orchards better than anyone. If they are put off by the cost of analysis, then they will not contact people who can make proper diagnosis of the problem. And unchecked problems, such as sharka or fire blight, could have disastrous effects on the Australian fruit industry and ultimately the economy. NSW Agriculture has excellent resources for diagnosis of pest and disease. If cost recovery gets in the way of this, an important source of surveillance will be lost.


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ITINERARY DATE ACTIVITY 8 May Travel to Canberra 9 May Travel to San Francisco

Dinner meeting with Everett Golden, President of Otis McAllister, Inc. International Trade and Consulting Services; with other Australian delegates

10 May IPA pre-congress tour begins. Travel to Harris Ranch, Coalinga; via Casa da Fruita, a road-side fruit and value added product complex.

11 May Tour Harris Ranch feed lot operation. Visit to Westside Field Station, part of the University of California Cooperative Extension Service. Visit Simonich Ranch for a look at their sub-irrigation system and learn about their water problems. Travel to Visalia.

12 May General Assembly meeting with the Nutrition Advisory Panel and Nutrition Subcommittee.

13 May IPA Congress 14 May Tour Hamilton Ranch, a walnut dehydrator, pecan processing line and orchard.

Tour Tule River Cooperative Dryer and cotton gin. Visit the Heritage Center in Tulare to learn about farming in the area.

15 May Visit Family Tree Farms in Reedley and tour the packing facility. Tour Kearney Agricultural Center where Ms Carolyn Debuse spoke about the prune variety breeding program and Dr Themis Michailides explained about his brown rot prediction model in prunes. Visit to ITO Packing facility.

16 May Toured cherry orchards in Visalia and Hanford with Waine Aalto, Grower Relations Manager with Warmerdam Packing. Toured Warmerdam Packing. Travel to Oakhurst.

17 May Toured Yosemite as part of post-conference tour. 18 May Travel to Yuba City. 19 May Visit Taylor Bros. Farms. Met with Rich and John Taylor. Toured area and

packing facilities. Travel to Stockton. 20 May Met with Joe Grant, Farm Advisor with UC Cooperative Extension Service.

Toured farms in the Lodi and Stockton areas. Visited packing facilities. 21 May Tour of Zaiger Genetics, stonefruit plant breeders. 22 May Tour Lodi area with Marvin Neis, stone and pome fruit plant breeder. Travel to

San Francisco. 23 May Meeting with Everett Golden. Return travel to Australia. 24 May Travel – lose one day 25 May Arrive Sydney and Canberra and travel to Young

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank the Australian Prune Industry Association and the NSW Cherry Growers Association industry bodies for providing the funding assistance for this conference and study tour. Also Jeff Granger for working out the details of the trip.


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CONTACT LIST Pietie Wolfaardt Ceres Cascade Farms PO Box 106 Prince Alfred Hamlet 6840 Republic of South Africa Ph/fax +27 23 3133638 [email protected] Colin Farey Angas Park PO Box 62 Angaston SA 5353 Ph 08 8561 0851 Fax 08 8564 2686 Mobile 0417 875 149 [email protected] G. Steven Sibbett Pomology Farm Advisor UC Cooperative Extension, Tulare County 2909 Village Ct Visalia, CA 93277 Ph 559 734 4607 Fax 559 734 2708 Mobile 559 280 0666 [email protected] Christian Amblard Secretary International Prune Association 18 avenue de Bias B.P. 162 47304 Villeneuve-sur Lot Cedex France Ph +33 5 53 495070 Fax +33 5 53 495071 [email protected] Richard and John Taylor Taylor Bros. Farms 182 Wilkie Avenue Yuba City, CA 95991-9437 Ph 530 671 1505 Fax 530 751 1514 Mobile 530 870 1546 [email protected] Waine Aalto Grower Relations Warmerdam Packing


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15650 Excelsior Ave Hanford, CA 93230 Ph 559 584 9211 Fax 559 583 1018 Mobile 559 904 0563 [email protected] John Warmerdam Warmerdam Packing (details as above) [email protected] Everett Golden President and COO Otis McAllister 353 Sacramento St Suite 300 San Francisco, CA 94111 Ph 415 248 9207 Fax 415 421 6016 [email protected] Alanna Grever International Sales Manager Otis McAllister (address as above) Ph 415 248 9250 [email protected] Richard Peterson Executive Director California Dried Plum Board Prune Marketing Committee 3841 North Freeway Blvd, Suite 120 Sacramento, CA 95834 Ph 916 565 6232 Ph 916 565 6235 Fax 916 565 6237 [email protected] Gus Collin Chairman Emeritus – Sunsweet 13503 View Drive Orange Cove, CA 93646 Ph 559 626 4301 Fax 559 626 1121 Mobile 559 994 8157 [email protected] Lawrence Sambado A. Sambado & Sons


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16461 E. Comstock Rd (shed) 8077 N. Tully Rd (mail) Linden, CA 95236 Ph 209 931 2568 Fax 209 931 9318 Mobile 209 969 8077 Steve Southwick UC Davis Ph 916 825 3913 [email protected] Jim Llano Director International Sales and Marketing Ito Packing Co PO Box 707 707 W. South at Reed Ave Reedley, CA 93654 Ph 559 638 6802 Fax 559 638 6455 Mobile 559 351 5853 [email protected] Daniel Jackson Family Tree Farms 41646 Road 62 Reedly, CA 93654 Ph 559 591 8394 Fax 559 595 7878 Mobile 559 280 6115 [email protected] Joe Grant UC Cooperative Extension 420 S. Wilson Way Stockton, CA 95205 Ph 209 468 2085 Mobile 209 483 4572 [email protected] Marvin Neis 9295 East Kettleman Lane Lodi, CA Ph 209 368 0951 Fax 209 367 0505 Mobile 209 481 858

attendance at the international prune … conference and study tour report, 5 it is hoped that the...

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