Farm Information

County: Yolo
Location: Esparto, Capay Valley
Slope: Mild slope
Irrigation system: Suspended micro-sprinklers
Soil type: Loam
Soil detail: Hillgate loam, with some Capay clay
Special farming challenges: n/a

• Cropping Systems Information
• Crop: almonds
  Acres of orchard or vineyard: 12.5

  Other crops: No
  Acres of other crops: n/a
  Organic management: Yes
  Certifications: Yolo County Certified Organic
  Certifications notes: Homegrown Heroes, Real Organic Project, Bee Friendly Farming
  Where using cover crops: All of the almond plantings.

• Grower Experience, Farm Priorities, and Cover Cropping Goals
• When started farming (yr): 2009
  Farm priorities: Organic. 2% almond growers in the world are organic. Microbial activity in the soil. Organic matter, food for microbes, healthy fertile soils.
  Years growing orchard or vineyard crop: 12 years
  Years growing cover crops: 7 years
  Initial transition to cover cropping: Planted whole orchard in a broadcast method. May have started with vetch only.
  Goals and benefits: Nitrogen supplement, soil improvement, pollinator support, water infiltration/retention
  Benefits description: N fixation, pollination, erosion control, soil organic matter/soil health, water holding capacity, early orchard entry
  Change in goals over time: The reasons have increased. Soil erosion, infiltration, water holding capacity, feeding microbes.
  Reasons: Still broadcast. Added other seeds, each year can be different, some things may do better than others. E.g, radish helps aerate soil, as does mustard, plus provides a lot of biomass.
• Cover Crop Details, Planting and Management Methods

• Block described here: Almonds
  Current cover crops: Legumes, grasses
  Species and mixes: Vetch, tritcale, Project ApisM clover mix (17% balsana clover, 25% persian clover, 8% Hykon rose clover, 10% crimson clover, 15% medic, 25% berseem clover)
  Planting method: Broadcast seed
  Planting date (2020): January
  Was that optimal? No. Prior October would have been better but the fall was very dry.
  Pre-plant soil prep: Low-till, 1” rototill prior to planting, chicken manure to integrate, helps with weed control, providing good seed bed.
  Planting equipment: Broadcast. PTO broadcast spreader
  Seeding rate: 160lb/ac.
  Seeding depth: Rough till, leave seed, no need for harrow.
  Did it germinate well? No
  Additional management and advice: Mows to reduce competition, do sanitation, and reduce rodents. Experimenting with running sheep year round except for the pre-harvest interval. Does not harvest off the ground.

• Cover Crop Termination Methods and Biomass Management

• Termination method: Mow
  Termination equipment and process: Mow 3-4x throughout season, although 2021 did not require much due to low germination. They are also experimenting with keeping sheep in year round, aside from the pre-harvest interval.
  Termination date: May 1
  Was it optimal? No, not enough rain
  Biomass management: n/a

• Cover Cropping Challenges and Strategies to Address Them
• Challenges: Establishment difficulties, Orchard floor residue at harvest
  Challenges description: Rainfed, so difficult to get a good stand established with unpredictable rainfall
  Strategies to address challenges: Harvests almonds up off the ground, with an old prune harvester into a catch frame, so orchard floor residue is not a problem.
  Was the cover crop worth it? Yes, marginally, but hard to know without a control and testing.
  Least successful past cover crops: Clover gets too much competition from grassy weeds. Usually better with early planting. If we had rain in October, it could be okay, as he relies on rain.