Summer, 1996 (v8n3)

Almond Guide

BIOS for Almonds: A Practical Guide to Biologically Integrated Orchard Systems Management, 104 pages, Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) Foundation and the Almond Board of California, 1995, $10 (tax included). The knowledge and experience of innovative California almond growers, researchers and pest control advisers is available in this training guide which provides step-by-step information for taking a biological approach to almond management. Intended readers include farmers, consultants, farm advisors and others involved with commercial almond production in California. In addition to sections on cover crops, irrigation, mowing, navel orangeworm management, beneficial insects, and monitoring and sprays, commonly asked questions about almond production are addressed. To order, contact CAFF at Tel: (916) 756-8518; Fax: (916) 756-7857.

Organic Cotton Study

Production Practices and Sample Costs for Organic CottonNorthern San Joaquin Valley, 1995, 23 pages, by Karen Klonsky, Laura Tourte, Sean Swezey, and David Chaney. (Reviewed in Technical Reviews, page 15). Other contributors include UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors and growers. This new organic cost-of-production study is available from UC Cooperative Extension. It includes information on production and processing practices, risk and marketing, state and federal regulations, sample cost and return estimates, and enterprise budgets. Other organic cost-of-production studies are avaiable for apples, coastal vegetables, almonds, wine grapes, rice and walnuts. For complimentary copies, contact Laura Tourte, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616; Tel: (916) 752-9376; Fax: (916) 752-5614 or e-mail: tourte@primal.ucdavis.edu The publications are also available in selected UC Cooperative Extension offices.

Gardening/Greening Directory

The Bay Area Urban Gardening and Greening Directory, 20 pages, $3. Produced by the Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agricutlure (CUESA), this directory lists 150 projects and organizations involved in gardening and greening in the San Francisco Bay Area and includes sections on children's gardening and cooking, farmers' markets, community gardening, horticultural job training. To order, send $3 (checks payable to CUESA) to CUESA, 1417 Josephine St., Berkeley, CA 94703; Tel: (510) 526-2788; Fax: (510) 524-7153; e-mail: sfpmc@igc.apc.org

Farmers' Markets

Farmers Markets '96: The What's Hot/What's Not Guide for Growers and Managers, by Eric Gibson, New World Publishing, 1996, 12 pages, $4. This report, by the author of Sell What You Sow! The Grower's Guide to Successful Produce Marketing, provides the latest tips and trends, including popular products (fresh and value-added), best display ideas, merchandising and selling tips, and farmers' market promotion ideas. To order, send $4 plus $1 shipping and handling to New World Publishing, 3085 Sheridan St., Placerville, CA 95667 (Calif. residents add $0.29 sales tax). Credit card orders available at (916) 622-2248. The report may also be ordered from the Internet Web site http://eldorado.ca.us/~newworld (in "The Farmers' & Gardeners' Resource Catalog" section).

Pesticide Report

1994 Summary of Pesticide Use Report Data, Cal/EPA Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), 345 pages, $10 printed, or $2.50 for diskette. This report summarizes data reported to DPR on the amount of pesticide active ingredients used in California, including types of crops or kinds of application sites (e.g., structures, roadsides). The Summary of Pesticide Use Report Data is available in two formats: one is indexed by the name of each pesticide active ingredient; the other indexed by commodity with pesticides listed. Printed copies are available from DPR for $10 each. Each summary is also available on diskette in WordPerfect 6.0a or ASCII. The cost is $2.50 for either the commodity or chemical diskette report. To order, send payment to: Cashier, California Department of Pesticide Regulation, 1020 N Street, Sacramento 95814-5624. The data summaries can also be downloaded at no cost from the publications section of DPR's Internet Web page: http://www.cdpr.ca.gov

Mill Tax Report

Taxing Pesticides to Fund Environmental Protection and Integrated Pest Management, by William Pease, James Robinson and Daniel Tuden, 1996, 36 pages, $10. This report looks at the California mill tax, a 2.2 percent tax on pesticides that will soon be reduced. It finds that past mill tax increases only minimally affected food prices or demand for pesticides while providing significant revenue to California. It contends that the mill tax is the most politically feasible instrument for funding pesticide regulation and integrated pest management and discusses possible ways to raise mill tax and allocate revenues. To order, mail $10 to California Policy Seminar, 2020 Milvia Street, Suite 412, Berkeley, CA 94704; Tel: (510) 642-5514; Fax: (510) 642-8793; e-mail: ca.polsem@ucop.edu