Get to Know Avery Austin, GAR Bennett PCA

Almonds: Growers are preparing for navel orangeworm (NOW) sprays. Talk with your GAR Bennett (GB) PCA about your plan for the coming weeks. Due to the rising triple-digit temperatures, GB PCAs are seeing lots of ants, mites and weeds. Mites are starting to show up in dusty or underirrigated areas. Talk with your PCA to decide whether to treat before hull split. Also, pay attention to hull rot, especially if you had it last year. You may need a two-spray application; your PCA can best advise you on preparation and treatment.

Cherries: Harvest is done in the Central Valley; growers are now concentrating on post-harvest fertilizer of phosphate to increase fruitful buds for a good crop next year. Talk with your GAR Bennett PCA about applying sunburn protection materials to protect next year’s fruiting buds from the high temperatures. Finally, monitor for mites and treat as needed.

Citrus: It’s been a heavy thrips year for many Valley growers, but most fruit is past the danger stage for this pest. Treatment times for red scale have begun; consult your GAR Bennett PCA on applications and timings appropriate for your location. It’s also important to do nutritional sprays in a timely manner to ensure you get the maximum set and size on citrus. With the heat, growers are monitoring for mites and cleaning up weeds. Keep an eye out for snails as they move from the ground to the tree this time of year. It’s easier to control them on the ground.

Grapes: June calls for staying on top of powdery mildew and pests to ensure a great harvest. Be sure to keep your vineyards clean this month as powdery mildew may cause bunch rot issues. GAR Bennett PCAs are monitoring for mites, leafhoppers and mealybugs. It’s important to keep mealybugs in the trunks and not on the vines where damage makes the fruit unmarketable.

Pistachios: Growers are monitoring for Botryosphaeria (BOT) and Botrytis. If you didn’t spray, keep an eye on leaves and nuts for speckling. This is a critical time for proper irrigation. Be sure not to underirrigate as this may cause shells to not split. The more split shells we have at harvest, the better. Also, talk to your GAR Bennett PCA about timing for Alternaria which is coming up in the next few weeks.

Pomegranates: Aphids move in this time of year, and you’ll want to make sure they don’t get out of control. GAR Bennett PCA’s are monitoring for leaffooted bugs, NOW and omnivorous leafroller.

Stone Fruit: Harvest is underway in some varieties. GAR Bennett PCA’s are currently monitoring for mites, which can become a problem with the triple-digit temperatures. Silver thrips have been a problem this season in smooth skin peach varieties. Towards the end of the month, oriental fruit moth (OFM) timing will become important. Talk with your GB PCA to discuss the best time to do an OFM application, as well as peach twig borer. Beginning July, some varieties may need extra treatments for brown rot.

Tomatoes: GAR Bennett PCAs are keeping an eye out for beet armyworms, thrips and beet leafhoppers that carry curly top virus. Harvest for this crop is around July 5. The drought and little allocation of water is forcing many growers to use well water. Well water creates a very small vine which can make the plant susceptible to sunburn. Talk with your GB PCA about applying a heat protectant spray to avoid sunburn.

Walnuts: Husk fly traps are out and the 2A flight of codling moth is wrapping up. Growers are now preparing for the 2B flight. Talk with your GAR Bennett PCA about the best timing of sprays for codling moth, BOT and mites. Some growers are also applying sunburn protection. Weeds are being cleaned up and growers are staying on top of their nutritional programs.

Garlic: Growers are beginning to harvest this crop. Stay on top of weeds and consult your GAR Bennett PCA about applying glyphosates to clean up rows.

Dehydrated Onions: Water has been cut and dry down has begun as growers wait for August’s harvest. Some fields are currently being treated for weeds.

Cotton: Several growers on the west side are beginning to spray lygus treatments. For roundup ready growers, the second round of top applications are underway. Talk with your GAR Bennett PCA about any necessary miticide applications as the heat settles in.

Alfalfa Seed: Growers are currently treating for lygus with a second application in 7-10 days. As bees are pollinating the seeds, be sure to consult with your GAR Bennett PCA on treatment products that are safe for the bees.

WORKER SAFETY

Rising temperatures cause shifts in the harvest schedule from mornings to evening times. Our trainers have adjusted their working hours to ensure each crop being harvested, no matter the time of day, is being covered for optimum safety measures. During hours of darkness, employees have reduced visibility and increased risk factors while in the workplace. PPE, such as class 2 high visibility garments, are extremely important during a night harvest along with trainings on defensive driving, being alert and having proper lighting on all equipment. Our trainers go in depth with Cal/OSHA guidelines to ensure safety is kept number one during all times of day. Reach out to GAR Bennett today to get in touch with our Worker Safety Lead, Lilly Reyes, for an in-depth list of services we offer.

FOOD SAFETY

Enter to Win!

• Two four packs of tickets to each Fresno Grizzles home game
• One four pack of tickets to each Visalia Rawhide home game
• National Ice Cream Day Giveaway, partnered with Rosa Brothers Milk Company: enter to win a $250 gift certificate to Rosa Brothers retail store in Tulare and two GAR Bennett 2021 hats. Giveaway registration will open Monday, July 5, on Instagram.