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RMA Authorizes Emergency Procedures To Help Drought-Impacted Producers
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas, according to a news release
By TOM KARST
July 13, 2021
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers impacted by extreme drought conditions.
The USDA’s Risk Management Agency is working with crop insurance companies to streamline and accelerate the adjustment of losses and issuance of indemnity payments to crop insurance policyholders in impacted areas, according to a news release.
The agency said the new crop insurance flexibilities are part of USDA’s broader response to help producers impacted by drought, in the West, Northern Great Plains, Caribbean and other areas.
“Crop insurance helps producers weather natural disasters like drought,” RMA Acting Administrator Richard Flournoy said in the release. “We recognize the distress experienced by farmers and ranchers because of drought, and these emergency procedures will authorize insurance companies to expedite the claims process, enabling them to plant a new crop or a cover crop.”
Emergency procedures allow insurance companies to accept delayed notices of loss in certain situations, streamline paperwork, and reduce the number of required representative samples when damage is consistent, according to the release.
Producers should contact their crop insurance agent as soon as they notice damage, the agency said.
The insurance company must have an opportunity to inspect the crop before the producer puts their crop acres to another use. If the company cannot make an accurate appraisal, or the producer disagrees with the appraisal at the time the acreage is to be destroyed or no longer cared for, the insurance company and producer can determine representative sample areas to be left intact and maintained for future appraisal purposes, according to the release. Once an insured crop has been appraised and released, or representative strips have been authorized for later appraisal, the producer may cut the crop for silage, destroy it or take any other action on the land including planting a cover crop, the release said.
Additional information on these emergency procedures is available on RMA’s Crop Insurance and Drought Damaged Crop webpage.
Farming During The Dry Age
The period of 2000 to 2018 was the second driest 19-year period in over a thousand years. Let that sink in for a few moments. Global warming drives increased evaporation, causing droughts to become more likely and more severe where they already exist
The period of 2000 to 2018 was the second driest 19-year period in over a thousand years. Let that sink in for a few moments. Global warming drives increased evaporation, causing droughts to become more likely and more severe where they already exist.
The past 10 to 20 years have been some of the driest on record, especially for the west coast of the United States. 70% of the land in the West is already in severe drought, and the National Weather Service estimates that the area is closer to 90%. Water demand is expected to rise by 55% by 2050, so planning how to provide more water with a diminishing supply is not a matter of whether one believes in climate change, it’s a crisis.
These climate events in the west have economic impacts worth noting water shortages during the 2015 droughts in California resulted in almost $2 billion in direct costs. On average, one drought event causes a 0.8% decrease in agricultural GDP, let alone the cost to the population.
With California responsible for a large portion of the country’s produce and experiencing extremely dry conditions, indoor farming is the only option. CEA (controlled environment agriculture) where environmental factors are manipulated can help keep the west coast's agricultural sector intact.
Greenhouses, whether traditional or vertical uses methods such as drip irrigation that save up to 30-50% of the water it would take to conventionally grow using surface irrigation. Up to half the amount of an outdoor farm. Overall, reports indicate that greenhouses create around a 60% water savings during crop cultivation.
Droughts affect not only the direct air and soil of an open farm, but also the types of pests and pathogens living in them. When a climate drastically changes, the organisms that thrive there adapt much quicker than the plant’s ability to resist them. With the U.S. already using over one billion pounds of pesticides per year, as drier environments invite new pests and pathogens that native crops are ill-equipped to handle on their own either crops will die, or pesticide use will increase.
The agricultural economy along the West Coast and indeed across the U.S. and the world will need to adapt their growing techniques to meet the demand of a growing population and conserve water. Indoor growing saves water during growing cycles and significantly reduces crop loss, pesticide use, and GHG’s.
Droughts along the West Coast are already transforming the farming landscape as we watch farmers plow crops under knowing that there won’t be enough water to sustain them throughout the summer. Crops grown indoors can be both protected and hydrated with indoor technologies that are more secure for feeding people and sustaining the planet.
Hallie Cordingley, Intern
Carl Silverberg, Sr. VP Outreach & Public Affairs
844 746 4868
California Grower Groups Respond To California’s Emergency Drought Proclamation
By TOM KARST
May 11, 2021
California grower groups applauded the state’s May 10 expansion of emergency drought measures but urged caution in their implementation.
“Governor Newsom took a measured step in the right direction, but caution is needed in implementation of this proclamation,” Dave Puglia, Western Growers President, and CEO, said in a statement.
State action
On May 10, California Governor Gavin Newsom significantly expanded his April 21 drought emergency proclamation to include Klamath River, Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and Tulare Lake Watershed counties. In total, 41 counties are now under a drought state of emergency, representing 30% of the state’s population.
Newsom also proposed a $5.1 billion package of immediate drought response and long-term water resilience investments to address immediate, emergency needs, build regional capacity to endure drought and safeguard water supplies for communities, the economy, and the environment, according to the governor’s office.
Reaction
Puglia said the declaration provides regulatory flexibility for water transfers to mitigate water shortages, and parallel executive action allocates $200 million to repair some damaged sections of key water delivery systems.
“However, the emergency authority granted to the State Water Board to curtail water deliveries should give all water users pause,” Puglia said in the statement. “Water curtailments disproportionately impact rural and disadvantaged communities. During the last drought from 2014-2016, regulatory restrictions on water deliveries resulted in the fallowing of half a million acres of productive San Joaquin Valley farmland and cost farms nearly $4 billion in economic activity. With many South-of-Delta farmers slated to receive between zero and five percent of their water allocations, 2021 is shaping up to be another catastrophic year for rural farming communities in the Valley.”
Puglia urged state water officials to lead with voluntary transfers and curtailments, which he said would give public and private water agencies the space they need to maximize limited water supplies and achieve a balance between the environmental and economic needs of the state.
“Beyond the immediate crisis, state agencies must help mitigate the impacts of changing hydrology by removing the red tape that has long prevented meaningful investments in water storage infrastructure,” he said in the statement.
California’s agricultural and rural communities can’t continue to survive without a reliable water resource, Ian LeMay, president of the California Fresh Fruit Association, said in a statement. “While drought is not an unfamiliar foe to Californians, it should be
acknowledged that this will be the first drought in the era of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), with the circumstances intensified and the solutions more complex,” LeMay said in the statement. “It is the hope of the Association that today’s announcement is a step to address California’s short and long-term water resiliency.”
The governor’s approach is a “positive step,” Federico Barajas, executive director of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority, said in a statement.
“The historic drought conditions have negatively impacted nearly 1.2 million acres of farmland, over 2 million people, many of whom live in economically disadvantaged communities, and 200,000 acres of critical habitat and managed wetlands are reliant on the water provided by members of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority.”
“Years like this only reinforce the need for improved water conveyance and increased water storage – so that water can be moved in the years when it’s available and stored for those years when nature fails to provide adequate water for all of California’s needs,” Barajas said in the statement.
The realities of a changing climate mean California must prepare for longer, hotter droughts that can only be effectively mitigated through collaborative approaches that “focuses equally on our state’s economic and environmental sustainability,” Tom Birmingham, Westlands Water District general manager said in a statement.
“We applaud Governor Newsom’s action to mitigate the impacts of a second year of drought in the Central Valley, which has already manifested itself in fallowed fields and lost jobs due to lack of water,” Birmingham said in the statement. “In particular, his move to streamline water transfers and provide $200 million in funding for critical water infrastructure repairs as outlined in Senator Hurtado’s Senate Bill 559 will both help local communities manage drought impacts in the short term and improve drought resiliency by maximizing the beneficial use of every drop of water in the long term. “
Lead photo: (File image)
Growing Drought: USDA Indicates 14 States Have No Topsoil Moisture In Surplus Conditions
USDA's latest Crop Progress report indicates 55% of the U.S. topsoil is considered ‘adequate,’ which is 10 points worse than this time last year. It also indicated soil moisture deteriorated from last week when the U.S. had 59% of the topsoil in ‘adequate’ condition
By TYNE MORGAN May 3, 2021
Drier weather helped aid major planting progress for U.S. farmers last week, but it didn’t help the topsoil moisture situation.
USDA's latest Crop Progress report indicates 55% of the U.S. topsoil is considered ‘adequate,’ which is 10 points worse than this time last year. It also indicated soil moisture deteriorated from last week, when the U.S. had 59% of the topsoil in ‘adequate’ condition.
USDA shows 14 states have no topsoil moisture considered ‘surplus,’ which includes California Iowa, North Dakota, and South Dakota.
More than half of the topsoil in California, North Dakota, and New Mexico is considered ‘very short,’ which is the driest category and echoes the latest U.S. Drought Monitor that showed dry conditions intensified in the Upper Midwest.
The Climate Prediction Center’s Monthly Drought Outlook shows expectations for drought to remain parked in the West, but it’s also expected to worsen across portions of northern Iowa and Wisconsin. While CPC expects drought relief to hit southern Michigan fields, forecasters expect drought to persist across northern Michigan.
In the latest report, CPC did show some slightly good news for drought conditions.
“Heavy precipitation during late April and into the beginning of May is likely to result in either drought removal or improvement across northeast Colorado along with central to eastern Texas,” the CPC in its monthly outlook. “Persistence is likely for western Texas and also throughout the long-term drought areas of the West. Recent dryness and elevated probabilities of below-normal precipitation and above normal temperatures during May favor a return of drought to northwest Oklahoma and parts of the Texas Panhandle. Development is also favored to occur across southern Idaho and eastern Oregon by the end of May.”
Lead photo: Topsoil Moisture in Short or Very Short Condition (Source: USDA, NASS; Photo & Graphic: Lindsey Pound)
BioLumic Appoints Steve Sibulkin as CEO
“An exceptionally sustainable agriculture innovator tackling complex farming challenges, BioLumic is at a critical juncture as it prepares for the immense opportunities ahead and the rigors of global commercialization,” noted Dr. Adrian Percy, BioLumic Chairman of the Board and CTO of UPL Ltd.
Proven Ag and Tech Leader to Drive Photogenics Company’s Continued Product Development Efforts and Global Growth
New York, NY and Palmerston North, New Zealand — June 8, 2020 —BioLumic Ltd. (“BioLumic”), the leader in using plant photogenics to unlock the genetic potential of seeds and seedlings, today announced the appointment of Steve Sibulkin as Chief Executive Officer. Based on decades of experience in the agriculture and technology industries, Sibulkin will lead the company’s global expansion and accelerate its UV light treatment innovation based on the groundbreaking BioLumic photogenics platform.
“An exceptionally sustainable agriculture innovator tackling complex farming challenges, BioLumic is at a critical juncture as it prepares for the immense opportunities ahead and the rigors of global commercialization,” noted Dr. Adrian Percy, BioLumic Chairman of the Board and CTO of UPLLtd. “With a proven track record building industry-leading ag and tech companies, Steve will help BioLumic move faster and deepen relationships with key partners while accelerating the company’s ability to bring its innovations to the market.”
Sibulkin joins BioLumic from Yara International, where he led enterprise sustainability, partnership, and digital initiatives after the company acquired the precision agriculture company he co-founded, Agronomic Technology Corp (ATC), in 2017. As the CEO of ATC, Sibulkin commercialized and grew the Adapt-N nitrogen recommendation solution, which was originally developed by a team at Cornell University. Under his leadership, ATC conducted over one billion simulations, expanded its product portfolio, signed enterprise partners, and became an industry-standard with growers, agriculture industry leaders, and sustainably focused organizations. Before joining Yara, Sibulkin was a multi-time CEO, entrepreneur, and strategic advisor, and held leadership positions at Sapient, Ogilvy & Mather, and Mainspring.
“BioLumic’s discoveries around plant signaling responses harness the natural genetic potential of seeds and seedlings for yield improvement, disease resistance, and the ability to withstand environmental stress — all without requiring additional inputs or genetic modification. This is a huge win for farmer profitability, the food, and agriculture supply chain and the environment,” said Sibulkin. “BioLumic perfectly aligns with the movement toward more resilient and productive agriculture, and the opportunity to accelerate the growth of this transformative technology is one I couldn’t resist.”
Rooted in more than a decade of research into UV light treatments in plants and spun out from Massey University in New Zealand, BioLumic’s proven technology offers seed producers and growers new opportunities to grow more valuable and sustainable crops. Its scientifically validated photogenics platform uses a combination of artificial intelligence and precise light treatments to activate the natural plant signaling response to UV light, triggering plant growth that enhances crop yield, crop quality, drought tolerance, and natural disease and pest resistance.
“Our proprietary technology cultivates stronger, healthier plants to meet rising food demands, and we are ready to focus on commercialization and building a global footprint,” added Dr. Jason Wargent, founder and chief science officer. ”A respected leader in sustainable agriculture, Steve’s wealth of experience leading cross-disciplinary teams around new categories of product innovation will help drive the adoption of our novel light treatments in the global ag marketplace.”
Positive outcomes from produce such as broccoli, lettuce, strawberries, and tomatoes have accelerated the development of BioLumic’s high-quality seed and plant treatment innovations for indoor farming, row crops like soybeans, and high-value crops like cannabis. BioLumic is actively growing its team to support the acceleration and expansion of its UV light treatment initiatives.
“With recent trials showing the extensibility of this novel technology across crops, we know growers around the globe will see improved profit from their seed and seedling investments,” added Sibulkin. “Our next step involves deepening our partnerships with seed companies, seed dealers, sustainability-focused organizations, and enterprises that have aligned interest in utilizing and expanding this technology.”
Sibulkin earned a B.A. in political science from UCLA and an MBA from Kellogg Graduate School of Management, where he graduated with Beta Gamma Sigma distinction and co-founded the Net Impact Chapter. He currently resides in New York City.
About BioLumic
BioLumic harnesses the power of ultraviolet (UV) light to empower growers and seed producers around the globe. BioLumic’s pioneering technology activates natural mechanisms in seeds and seedlings that increase plant growth, vigor, and natural defense mechanisms — resulting in increased yields at harvest without the use of chemical input or genetic modification. Backed by top Ag investors, BioLumic is headquartered in New Zealand and is actively growing its presence in North America.
To learn more, visit www.biolumic.com.