Transcript Environmental Stewardship Campaign Status Report 8/05-10/05

Environmental Stewardship
Campaign
Status Report
8/05-10/05
Activities
 July 2005. Newsletter published on innovative harvest practices to reduce
dust. AirWay Farms General Manager Fred Olmstead was featured in this
article discussing his company’s commitment to investing in environmentally
friendly farming practices.
 Aug. 2005. Worked in partnership with the Coalition for Urban/Rural
Environmental Stewardship (CURES) to promote their Watershed Coalition
newsletter which was published in August.
 Oct. 2005. Newsletter published on Almond Board-funded research by Dr.
Ken Giles and other researchers on measuring dust from harvest activities.
Newsletter also featured almond growers participating in a PG&E and So Cal
Edison rebate program for converting from diesel to electric pump engines.
 DPR informed us that Pesticide Use Report data for almonds would be
released near the end of October and asked Board staff to review the data.
Consultants Looker, DeMont and Barney are working with Chris Heintz and
Gabrielle Ludwig on preparing possible Board’s responses to the release of
the data which shows an upward trend for 2004.
Activities (cont’d)
 Work continues on the project to develop a definition of “sustainable” for the
almond industry through a series of focus groups to be held in December 2005 and
January 2006. Dr. Keith Warner, Santa Clara University Environmental Studies
Institute, has been retained as the focus group facilitator. Almond farm advisors,
Board members and members of the Environmental Committee have been asked to
submit names of growers and PCAs who may be interested in participating in the
focus groups. A discussion guide is in the process of being developed.
 Thomas Vetsch of Bakersfield, an Almond PMA cooperator since its inception, was
awarded the IPM Innovator Award by DPR Oct. 11. We are in the process of
interviewing him for a press release and story to be placed in a future newsletter, as
well as pitched to print media and trade publications.
 Plans continue to be made for the February 2006 regulator tour. Officials from the
California Air Resources Control Board, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution
Control District, the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board will be invited, along with state and local
elected officials, as well as media. The tour’s purpose is to educate regulators and
local officials about the proactive efforts being made by almond growers on water
and air quality issues.
Upcoming Schedule
 Oct/Nov 2005- - Press Release on air quality research.
 December 2005- - Presentation on Stewardship Project to
Almond Conference.
 December 2005- - Press Release on IPM, PESP awards and
industry innovation.
 December 2005 - - Sustainable Definition Focus Groups
 January 2006 - - Sustainable Definition Focus Groups
 January 2006 - - Environmental Newsletter – topic to be
determined
 February 2006 - - Regulatory educational tour
 March 2006 - - Press release- - topic to be determined
 April 2006 - - Environmental newsletter - - topic to be
determined
 May 2006 - - Press release - - topic to be determined
• July 2006 - - Environmental newsletter - -topic to be
determined