Support Community Agriculture

I follow a thread for small scale meat processors (NMPAN) where some of them received their SBA Loan for their employees when they applied. This is what one of them is doing with it and how they responded to the pandemic.

I was one of the few out there who successfully applied for a SBA Payroll Protection Plan loan.  I received a check this week, and the first thing I did was announce to my staff that I am paying a $3/hr. hazard pay supplement over the next 8 weeks.  

The second thing I did was to call the 2 employees who were on leave -they were isolating at home because they felt they had risk conditions and couldn't risk going out - and told them they would receive a regular paycheck over those eight weeks.  So I am torn - I need to incentivize people to keep working, since we are under incredible demand for our services.  I have changed my processing services to eliminate the unproductive fussy stuff, and allow me to increase throughput by 20-25%, and try and meet demand.  Even with that, I am now scheduling in August.  

But I do not want to put people at risk, so we are wearing masks, sanitizing doorknobs and contact surfaces like crazy, and constantly reminding employees to go straight home, don't hang out!  

I will likely process in the range of 1,000 beef and 3,000 hogs this year.  That is like nothing, compared to the big meat plants that are being forced to shut down.  But in the weeks and months ahead, as shortages increase, we are going to find that this truly is an essential service.  People generally come together during hard times.  But food shortages will drive us apart, so I am doing what I can.  

I am also hoping to set a good example of how community-based agriculture can work, so in the years ahead, perhaps we will re-think neo-liberal capitalism, and create a system that treats people well. 

Tyson and Cargill and JBS and the rest are literally killing people in their plants by their work practices.  I don't want to take this analogy too far, but I feel a little bit like those doctors and nurses who keep going into the emergency rooms knowing they are risking excessive exposure, but they can't leave the patients.  

I am fielding e-mails and calls all day long from producers trying hard to get processing services anywhere they can.  I hate telling them they have to wait 4 months.  I don't think that there is a right answer to this question - we each have to answer it for ourselves.  I have told every one of my employees that I will hold their job if they self-quarantine.

Joe Cloud of T&E Meats

Buy Local Whenever Possible

Bay Laurel with Scorched Leaves

Q. I have two bay laurel trees planted in a narrow bed behind my swimming pool. They were planted there for about 7 years, and in the last couple of years, the leaves have developed brown borders and spots. There doesn’t seem to be excessive leaf drop, but the leaves don’t look healthy to me.

Bay Laurel tree will be healthiest surrounded by woodchip mulch

A. Sounds like an irrigation or soil issue if it’s affecting all the leaves on the tree. 

Irrigation or Soil Problem

I would guess it’s drought (not enough water) or the soil was kept too wet for a long period of time. Both give brown borders (scorch) to the leaves. My guess is that the trees need water applied to a larger area underneath their canopy. This will result in more water applied to that area.

            Judging from the pictures you sent, this is not a true disease problem.

Bay Laurel Planted from 24 Inch Box

Add More Emitters for More Water

            As trees get older and larger, their water requirement increases and the number of emitters placed under the canopy also must increase. By increasing the number of emitters under the tree, or increasing the size of emitters or both, provides more water during the same number of minutes. Don’t just increase the number of minutes on the controller. That results in all the irrigated plants getting more water.

Bay Laurel can be pruned

Don't Water Too Often

            A word of caution. If the soil is overly wet for weeks at a time, then it can cause the same look. When the soil is overly wet it causes root rot and the tree looks like it is not getting enough water (it’s not getting enough water because the roots rotted!).

Leaves Tell You the Past

            Whenever you look at old leaves, it tells you about its past problems. The new growth tells you how the tree is doing NOW! If you agree with me that it is probably a lack of water, flood the area under the trees with a sprinkler and look at the new growth in a couple of weeks. If the new growth looks strong, add more drip emitters under the tree canopies. After adding the emitters, refresh the top of the soil with a 3-inch layer of woodchips.

Golden Lead Ball Flower Production

Q. I bought the trees and soils you recommended. I am curious if my Golden Lead Ball tree will produce "balls" this first year? Can you point out where to look on the branch, or is it obvious when it happens?

A. Most likely it will not flower or “ball” for about six years, when it gets old enough. Many native desert trees like Golden Ball Lead Tree are like that. They are slow to flower but when they do start, it is perpetual every year.

Yellow or Gold Balls Are Flowers

            These “balls” are its flowers. All flowers are considered “modified leaves”. They always emerge from new growth and from the same places where leaves are formed. In some plants, the plant does not know if its new growth will become leaves or flowers until it figures out its status for that growing season. But these “balls” emerge from new leafy growth when its ready.

            Early in its life is the time to start building a tree’s structure. You can do this with a couple of well-placed pruning cuts so the scaffold limbs originate at the right height and location.

            Golden BallLead Tree is a very hardy small desert tree native to the Chihuahuan desert inareas of south Texas and northern Chihuahua (Mexico). Water it twice a week to about 18 inches deep to get them established. New growth is your signal that the tree is establishing. If you want to “push” its growth, then water deep once a week during the summer. If you want to slow it down, don’t water as often.

            Established desert trees signal they need water when their leaf canopy starts to thin out. Water them 18 inches from the trunk to the edge of their canopy as they get bigger. Give them enough water to wet the roots to 18 inches deep. Watering them along with other trees in the landscape works for the first couple of years but they will grow very fast like that.

Growing Desert Marigold in the Landscape

Q. I want to grow some desert flowering plants like Desert Marigold in my landscape. In the past, when I attempted to transplant them from seedlings, they did not make it. Is there a technique to transplanting or am I better off planting the seeds directly into the soil?

Opuntia (nopal) cactus flower

A. Once established, desert plants are difficult to move.  If you sow seed into the landscape, get them to grow and then try to move them to a new location, then that is probably why the died. It’s hard to harvest enough roots when moving desert plants to a new location.

Start Wildflowers from Seed in Containers

            You are better off starting plants from seed in containers and then moving them into the landscape once they have solid growth. Kind of the same as starting tomato or basil transplants from seed but without watering as often. If you do move them to a new location, take lots of roots with the plant and cut the top back to reduce its need for water!

            Desert marigold is native to the Mojave Desert and can be grown from seed easily provided they are watered less often and the soil growing them doesn’t hold water. Wet or damp conditions kill new plants or the germinating seed. Spread twice as many seeds as you need on top of a well-draining, coarse gravelly or sandy soil in the spring and cover the seed lightly with a thin sheet of sand. Cactus soil works well.

            Use small plastic or peat containers to start them but 8-ounce paper cups work as well provided you make sure they drain water easily. Don’t use rocks in the bottom of the cup but make sure there are holes that allow water to easily drain.

Starting Wildflowers Seed in the Landscape

            In the landscape, rake the seed lightly into the soil with a garden rake. Lightly apply a sand layer. After you’re done, water with a spray nozzle so the seed gets wet and the sandy sheet tucks them in. Then fight the urge to sprinkle them daily, or even every other day, until you see growth appear.

Warning about Collecting Seed

            Remember, don’t collect seed or plants from public lands. Secondly, get permission from landowners in writing when collecting seed or plants from privately owned land.

Small Fruit Trees are Best With Dwarfing Rootstocks

Q. I watched your pruning videos on YouTube and learned a lot! Is it possible to reduce the size of a standard sized apple tree to a dwarf size this way?

"Dogleg" where scion was grafted to the rootstock about a year earlier

A. Probably not. Standard sized apple trees may grow to 35 or 40 feet in height. You might be able to keep a standard sized tree under 20 feet tall (maybe 15 feet if you’re really aggressive) through pruning but I don’t think you will get it to eight feet tall which is what I aim for in pruning semi dwarf trees for backyards. I call the size of these fruit trees “ladder less”. The standard sized apple tree is just too vigorous for pruning to short heights.

Dwarfing Rootstocks

            Standard sized apple trees normally grow 30 to 40 feet tall. Buying these trees on semi dwarfing rootstocks will keep them smaller than this but it depends on which semi dwarfing rootstock the tree has been grafted onto. I have found that the M111 semi-dwarfing apple rootstock is probably the best semi-dwarfing apple rootstock for backyards in our climate.

            Using this semi-dwarfing rootstock, I have been able to keep Pink Lady and Mutsu apples, for instance, pruned at eight feet through appropriate pruning methods. Apple trees grafted onto M111 rootstock will normally get to 80% of its mature height if left unpruned.

Nursery Tags

          

Nursery tags on a fruit tree from Dave Wilson Nursery showing the rootstock (other color) and the scion (white tag)

Nursery tags from Dave Wilson Nursery on a fruit tree of the rootstock and the scionrseries sell fruit trees with a tag that calls the tree a “semi dwarf” because most people don’t know the different kinds of semi dwarfing rootstocks. In our area an apple that is labeled as semi dwarf is most likely grafted on to M111 rootstock. There are online stores for fruit trees, such as Grow Organic and Bay Laurel, that specify the rootstock used and the most common semi-dwarfing rootstock available on apples for backyards in the Western US is M111.

Early Apricot Produce Fruit First

Q. I have a 9-year old apricot tree that produced a bumper crop of delicious apricots each year.  However, this year there is an abundance of fruit set, but not many leaves. Unless the number of leaves increases significantly, I doubt if all the fruit will mature. I fertilized this apricot tree the last week of January using 10-15-15 fertilizer spikes as I do every year.

Early apricots produce fruit first

A. It is not uncommon for early apricots to set fruit first, followed shortly thereafter by leaf and shoot growth. 

Apricot Flower Production Is Early

The tree “invests” in its fruit production early by shoving stored food reserves into fruit production. You’re right. At some point the tree will not “invest” anymore and it will expect the leaves to start contributing. But that shouldn’t be for a few months.

            Later in the year the apricot tree recovers its stored food investment plus more because of the new leaf growth combined with the presence of fertilizer in the soil. Fertilizer is applied just before growth starts happening. So, in mid-to-late January (very early Spring) is a good time to apply fertilizer.

Look at Leaf Color

            Over the next couple of weeks observe the new growth. Look at the color of the leaves and the strength of growth. Dark green leaves mean the nitrogen fertilizer is inside the leaves and ready to push new growth. If we experienced cool weather earlier, then growth is slow until it gets warmer and then the tree should grow like gangbusters!

Nitrogen Produces Leaves and Stems

            If you’re established tree is not putting on some new growth by April 1, apply a high nitrogen fertilizer around the tree such as 21-0-0 or a rich compost which does basically the same thing. Spread one bag of rich compost, or about 3 pounds of 21-0-0, in a circle around the tree 18 to 24 inches from the trunk. Water it a few inches deep into the soil by hand or sprinkler. It’s important not to apply fertilizer or rich compost too close to the trunk or it could cause the fruit to drop or damage the tree.

Mulch Conserves Water

            Secondly, spread a 3 to 4-inch layer of woodchips on the surface of the soil around the tree and out to at least the edge of its canopy. Keep woodchips away from the tree trunk a few inches to avoid inciting a disease called collar rot. This mulch layer helps keep moisture in the soil and enriches it as well. You should see the tree explode with new leaf growth in about a week or two.

Time to Garden! Garden Plots Available at Provident Community Garden

Since most people are staying at home during these times and many are feverishly gardening now, you might want a raised bed or two at the Provident Garden Community Garden.

Plots are $10 per month and ready to plant which includes your irrigation water. Members are avoiding contact with each other but still gardening! Many have not gone to the grocery stores in weeks!

Provident Community Garden is located at 6001 W. Oakey, behind the Mountain View Church.  They have several 4′ x 8′ raised beds available.  The one time fee of $75 is currently being waived!  The only cost is $10/mo billed quarterly for maintenance which includes water. The Provident Community Garden is located near the cross streets of South Jones Blvd and West Oakey in Las Vegas.

Contact me if you're shy and I will forward your contact info.

http://www.providentcommunitygarden.com/aboutus/

Can I Still Prune Privet in the Spring?

Q. I have mature Texas Privets that I neglected to prune back during the winter. They are now sprouting out new growth. If I trim them back now, will that prevent future new growth this year?

Japanese privet, like the Japanese Blueberry, it comes from the great Japanese desert (joke). Avoid planting it here unless its on the cool side of a landscape AND the soil covered in woodchips. Always use compost when planting it.

A. No, it won’t. You can prune now without any problems. What I worry about when it gets hot is sunburn. Now it's not a problem.

This is what it does when you plant it in rock after a few years.

There is plenty of stored nutrition inside the larger stems for future growth. Japanese privets are versatile plants in the landscape and used either as small trees, shrubs or grown as a hedge. You didn’t say how you are using your plants.

Privet used as a hedgerow (hedge) for privacy.

            If you are using Japanese privet as a formal hedgerow then pruning with a hedge shears is appropriate. Pruning plants with a hedge shears is not appropriate for any other type of pruning.

            Hedgerows are created by spacing plants slightly closer than their mature height. When pruning plants as a formal hedge, the top of the hedge should be pruned slightly narrower than the bottom of the hedge. Informal hedgerows are not pruned with a hedge shears but a hand shears, a.k.a. hand pruners. Informal pruning is best left to the commercial experts.

            When pruning with a hand pruners or loppers, pruning cuts are made deep inside the plant canopy removing only a few of the larger stems to reestablish their size.

Insect Control Depends on Damage Done

Q. I grow a lot of different plants in nursery containers in my yard. This past spring I found  three white grubs in the soil in one 5-gallon container! I also found them in the soil in my yard when planting new roses and trees. I’ve been manually picking them out and tossing them on the driveway for the birds to eat when I see them. Are they a threat to my flowers and veggies? Should I take any action against them?

A. Finding large white grubs in the landscape where soil has been improved is normal during the spring months. However, finding a lot of white grubs in landscape soils is not a good thing because they can eat the smaller young roots of plants as well. Personally, I wouldn’t be overly worried if I found one white grub in a 5-gallon nursery container full of soil but three is excessive. I would take some action.

            This is the immature grub of a scarab beetle, sometimes called a June beetle. When temperatures begin to warm they pupate in the soil and emerge in summer as a flying adult seeking the opposite sex and a place to lay its eggs if it’s female. Your landscape sounds like it’s a playground for these guys!

Green metallic june beetles devouring Kadota fig

            Probably one of the most frequent “June beetles” we see flying in the summer months is the metallic green June beetle. When flying out and about they love to eat white Kadota figs and just about any soft fruit that’s ripe! But we also see during summer months the brown June beetles as well which are another type of scarab beetle.

Ten lined June beetle in the orchard another chafer or scarab beetle

            Adult female beetles lay eggs in mid-summer. The female picks spots to lay her eggs where there’s plenty of food for her young to eat. She hones-in on soils that have been amended with compost since these young white grubs favor ripe or decaying organic plants mixed in the soil. Young tender roots of plants are mingled with decaying soil organics and they’ll feast on both. That’s the problem.

Another June beetle picture sent to me by a reader

            Traditional pesticides like Sevin insecticide applied to the area as a soil drench will easily kill these grubs if you lean in that direction. Sifting through the soil when you’re planting and handpicking them like you’re doing will get rid of most of them if you are organically inclined. Using Milky Spore bacterium for biocontrol only works if these white grubs are related to Japanese beetles. Most of our white grubs are not.

            A preventive measure for future years is mixing beneficial nematodes into the soil that pursue various types of white grubs and not just the Japanese beetle. Your local garden center may carry beneficial nematodes, but they should be refrigerated when buying them. The best time to apply them is usually around August after egg laying has finished and the young grubs are starting to gain some size.

            Beneficial nematodes should be kept in the dark and in the refrigerator until they are ready to be mixed in the soil. They will have directions for their use on their label.

Control Vines Growing into Trees

Q. Is there any risk to my Chinaberry tree from the ivy that has grown exponentially through the canopy of this tree during the past few years?  It was kind of charming when there was just 4 or 5 feet of ivy on the trunk but now it looks a little too successful. Should I rip it off and if so, how? The Chinaberry tree is more important to me than the ivy, FYI.

A. I looked at the pictures you sent to me and you're right, the vine is an ivy. Probably English Ivy. Two things you should be thinking about with English Ivy growing in the Chinaberry is what kind of damage it can create for your Chinaberry and, secondly, how much shade it might produce if it gets a foothold throughout the tree canopy.

            From the pictures it’s obvious to me that both plants are successful in that spot and it does look nice to have the ivy climbing on the tree. Congratulations.

            Is that a single vine climbing that tree trunk or are there multiple vines? If there are multiple vines coming from the soil around the tree then pull the oldest one, or the one with the thickest stem, off the trunk. Cut it two or 3 inches above the soil. This will cause the vine to grow multiple shoots up the trunk and keep it young.

            When you pull English Ivy from anything, it leaves woody aerial roots behind still attached where the vine was attached to the tree. That’s normal for Ivy and it’s one of its problems when it’s allowed to climb things. But the new growth of the young vines will cover anything unsightly left behind on the trunk when it’s pulled off.

            If the vine is starting to climb inside the canopy of the tree,  prune this growth back to the largest limbs or the trunk. You don’t want the vine growing inside the canopy and smothering the tree. That will happen as you suspected. You might have to carefully prune it back two or three times a year to keep it under control.

            If there is only a single vine climbing the trunk of the tree, then I would cut the single vine two or 3 inches above the soil and allow it to regrow up the trunk from several locations rather than just one. After it climbs the trunk you can pull off a larger vine like I described earlier and still allow others to grow on the trunk.

Local Soil Testing Service?

Q. I have an 8-foot x 8-foot raised bed garden about 3 feet deep. I used a soil mix with a rich compost about three years ago. I added rock dust and steer manure to the soil over the last two years. I would like to test it now before adding anything more. Are there any local soil testing laboratories I can use?

A. There are at least two Las Vegas soil testing laboratories that can do this kind of work, but they specialize mostly in soils for construction and environmental protection.

http://geoscience.unlv.edu/ESAL/ESAL.html

https://www.ssalabs.com/services/

Las Vegas is not an agricultural community. I think the local laboratory is more expensive compared to existing agricultural soil testing laboratories and you must specify with them what you need done. Plus they have a minimum numbers of samples that must be submitted for the quoted price. It would be a good idea to do some comparison shopping.

            When shopping for a soil testing service, know what you want done. They analyze a soil for its structural and chemical properties. For a small fee they include a computer-generated response about results, how to correct the soil if there are problems and what to add to it if it’s lacking something. I would recommend getting it.

            Select a soil testing service that does a lot of desert agricultural soil testing. Selecting an agricultural soil testing service in Florida for instance may not give you desert appropriate feedback. I am comfortable with soil tests from A and L Agricultural Soil Testing Laboratory in Modesto California, IAS or Motzz Laboratories in Phoenix and Waypoint Analytical in Los Angeles. I’m sure there are others as well. Any of them would provide good information.

            Some people may cringe when I say this but if you are careful and have analytical skills, the home soil testing kits are not bad and give you a rough approximation of nutrients and the chemistry of your soil.

            My last piece of advice when taking and submitting a soil sample is, “garbage in – garbage out”. You must sample the soil from several random locations in your raised bed and mix them together. Use extremely clean tools and soil sampling containers. Sample the soil to a depth you know is actively supplying plants with nutrients. In your case, if you’re growing vegetables and herbs I would sample to 12 inches deep only.

Please Don't Plant Japanese Blueberries. They Don't Belong Here.

Q. I have 13 Japanese blueberry that have been planted for quite a few years. They have grown tall but only one filled out from the bottom to top because of some shading. This shading is now gone. What can I do and when to stimulate the growth and hopefully have them fill out all over? 

I have railed against this plant before in other posts here:

https://xtremehorticulture.blogspot.com/2015/07/more-problems-growing-japanese.html

Why nurseries are selling it for desert landscapes is beyond comprehension.

A. You cant just plant Japanese Blueberry anywhere you want in a desert landscape. They are not desert plants. Japanese Blueberry became popular in the Las Vegas Valley and used inappropriately in my opinion as a visual screen between properties because the plant is evergreen. 

Hopefully most people have steered clear of this tree for this purpose because it’s not suited for desert climates. Using it as a screen in the desert is questionable because it uses a lot of water (probably as much as a mulberry tree) and requires quite a bit of future maintenance (think pruning and leaf cleanup).

            

Japanese Blueberry will grow to heights of 35 – 40 feet. The planting spaces between them should be 15 to 20 feet wide. If planted as a screen it would be a tall one at somewhere around 15 to 20 feet. Planting distances to walls or foundation should not be closer than perhaps 8 to 10 feet.

            

As these trees get bigger they will naturally shade each other. Parts of the tree that receive light will sucker and grow new branches when they get some. If planted closer than 15 feet apart consider removing every other tree as they start growing together. This will provide more light to the bottom of the canopy and help them fill in down there. 

Pruning to reduce its height through a method called “drop crotching” should help keep it around the 15-foot-tall in height and encourage them to fill the spaces between them and grow wider.

            

This is a tree that should be used as a medium-sized specimen tree in a cool part of a landscape if used in our climate at all.  The soil should be heavily amended at the time of planting and the tree grown in an area where woodchips 3 to 4 inches deep improve the soil surface.

When Planting Beneath Trees Mimic Their Need for Water

Q. I have two very old Olive trees and I would like to plant some greenery around the extensive roots at the base of the trees. Something low to the ground.

Plant at the base of olive trees but mimic their need for water and root depth.

A. There are many plants to pick from so let me give you the guiding principles when making a choice. Olive trees are Mediterranean in their climate preference. They like hot dry weather but are not desert trees. Technically they are classified as mesic (nondesert) in their water use, not xeric (desert). They can handle desert landscapes well but are not desert trees like Mesquite or Palo Verde.

Dwarf oleeander is Mediterranean in its water use and would be a good pick for planting beneath olive.

            Secondly, olive trees are irrigated to a depth of 18–24 inches deep. The watering area of older trees should extend from 2 to 3 feet from the trunk out to a distance nearly equal to the spread of its canopy.

            When selecting plants to grow beneath an olive tree, try to mimic these two features as much as possible. Selecting small flowers to grow beneath them requires frequent irrigation which olive trees will not like. Selecting larger desert shrubs (xeric) may cause these shrubs to grow excessively because of the more frequent watering needed by the olive.

            Some smaller, Mediterranean, deep rooted shrubs include petite oleander, Cistus (sometimes called Rockrose), dwarf myrtle, Euphorbias, rosemary (and other large perennial herbs), and even roses! Because these are Mediterranean plants I would use woodchips or decorative would mulch and not rock.

             I would look for a small to medium sized Mediterranean flowering shrub or groundcover since olive is also Mediterranean that thrives with a similar irrigation. Both plants will benefit from their close companionship.

Do You Want Tomatoes or Not?

Slicing tomato brought to the University Orchard several years ago. Might not get the same production year after year when planting unproven varieties.

           The choices you make when fertilizing tomato plants right now might be the difference between having tomatoes to eat or not. If we have a long drawn out cool spring with temperatures in the 80's, it won’t make much of a difference. You just might have an abundance of tomatoes. If we have one of those springs that jumps from cool weather to hot weather you will have fewer tomatoes. Tomatoes stop setting fruit when daytime temperatures are consistently well above 90° F. But you can harvest into June.

Nitrogen Fertilizer Management

            It’s all about nitrogen fertilizer management. High nitrogen fertilizers, like 21-0-0 or fish emulsion, guano or blood meal can cause tomato plants to grow abundantly with dark green leaves during warm weather but push flowering and fruit production a little longer than necessary in the spring. Once flowering and fruiting begins, rampant growth subsides usually keeping tomato plants from growing too rapidly. However, using high nitrogen fertilizers soon after planting can cause a lot of top growth and, along with that, delay flower and with it fruit production.

Start With a Pre-Plant Fertilizer

            If you are planting into a dark, rich soil mix then don’t fertilize with anything. If this soil mix is one year old, I would use a starter fertilizer  at the time of planting and not fertilize again until flowers and small fruit are seen. Those who use conventional fertilizers might use 16-20-0 as a starter fertilizer. Ideally we are looking for a fertilizer that contains about twice as much phosphorus as nitrogen and still delivers some potassium. In fertilizer lingo this would be as close to a 1-2-1 ratio.

Organic Fertilizers

            Those who prefer organic fertilizers might use bone meal mixed in the soil at the time of planting and follow that with an organic foliar spray when needed. Fish emulsion mixed with water or compost tea sprayed on the foliage when tomato leaves become light green.

             The same principle holds true with garden soils. If you mixed in a rich compost before planting, then don’t fertilize with anything more until fruit is first seen. If the garden soil is a little worn out from last season’s harvest, then use a starter fertilizer at planting time.

Local Foods Beats the Pandemic

By John Hamm & Denise Wee, Wisconsin River Meats

https://www.wisconsinrivermeats.com/

Saturday and Sunday, March 14 & 15, 2020 

Started out at Wisconsin River Meats much like any March Saturday.  We were expecting some folks to stop out to pick up their venison or custom processing orders.  We figured we would also sell a bit of sausage and our usual mix of steaks, chops, roasts and burger.

The preceding couple of weeks had been strange with talk of Coronavirus, and with the cancellation of State Basketball, NCAA Championships and Professional Sports.  We saw quarantines of cruise ships and reports of illnesses and deaths in Italy on the rise. 

I arrived to work at 6:30 AM and had only a small handful of retail staff and our sausage crew on hand.

The first half hour was typical for a Saturday morning in March, slow.  We received a strange phone call at around 7:45 AM. “Are you still open?” The caller asked.  “Why yes of course, until 4 o’clock,” we said.  “Do you have any meat left?” they asked hopefully.  “Of course,” we answered, somewhat perplexed at the question.  His last question to us, “Will you run out?”  We replied, “No.”

All of us at Wisconsin River Meats that day thought that the call was very odd.  We were puzzled when within a few minutes we received several more calls.  Each caller inquired the same as the first.  They wanted to know if we were still open, if we were out of meat, and if we would run out of meat.

I told our boys that we had better make an extra round of fresh ground beef, just in case the store got busy.

Customers began to trickle in, many we had never seen before and had trekked an hour or more.  The store quickly filled with people. The influx of hoarders had hit, they were coming and going in droves.  They began buying ground beef; 20, 40, 50 pounds or more at a time.  Any and all pork that was merchandised in the store was quickly wiped out as fast as we could fill it.  Steaks and discount bundles disappeared by the carload.  It turns out that Big Box Stores and small local grocers in outlying areas had run completely out of meat by Friday evening.

Desperate to find meat to get them through this crisis, customers came out en mass, families with each member holding arm loads of meat, and shopping baskets overflowing.

Our butchers made two more rounds of fresh ground beef and cut everything we had available.  We made it through the day without running out of any product and had just enough to get through the second surge of shoppers who came in Sunday.

Monday, March 15, 2020

Monday morning Wisconsin River Meats was beginning to run short on product. Fortunately, our suppliers were able to provide us with meat for sausage and fresh ground beef Monday morning, which we immediately rushed to process ensuring we were able to keep our meat cases stocked for the record number of customers that continued to stream in throughout the day.

While the rush continued on with no signs of slowing, I reached out to our local livestock producers.  I ordered double the usual head of beef and pork, which our wonderful local livestock producers were able to provide for us the next day. 

Meanwhile, the hoarding of meats nationwide caused boxed beef, pork and chicken prices to explode, and retail prices in meat cases to soar.                      

 As Monday the 16^th progressed, we were still filling the store as fast as we could, barely keeping up with the onslaught of customers.  We ran out of Pork Butts and Pork Loins in the store midmorning.  We began to offer up our frozen overstock and promptly sold out.  We had made plenty of Corned Beef for our usual St. Patrick’s Day rush, and had plenty to go around.   Monday left our meat cases half empty, we had made over 500 pound of fresh ground beef which sold as fast as we filled it.

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

Fortunately, Tuesday the 17^th was slaughter day; we were able to restock with fresh Beef and Pork from the previous week’s harvest.  Wednesday our Butchers broke down the increased number of hogs and merchandised them all.  Every bit of pork we had was merchandised and sold as soon as it hit the shelves.  Any beef we were able to break down and merchandised simply vanished into shopping baskets and our meat cases were soon wiped clean. 

All the while shoppers continued their frenzied purchasing; at the big box stores and big name grocers the supply chain broke.

They were unable to order product in quantities to keep up with the demand brought on by the panic buying customers had participated in over the last several days.  Their shelves and meat counters stood empty for days. 

Wisconsin River Meats helped some of our neighboring independent grocers by supplying hundreds of pounds of beef and pork so they could have something to sell to their customers. 

By the end of Tuesday it was apparent that we would soon run out of product again.  We reached out once more to our local farmers and producers and secured another round of hogs to slaughter.  We bought more hogs and scheduled a state inspector for a second slaughter date on Thursday. 

Thanks to our local farmers rushing to supply us with hogs and our butchers working long hours to process them and cutting what beef we could, we managed to keep our cases full through the weekend.  Though, we began to run low on just about everything on Sunday the 22^nd.  

Week of March 23, 2020

The week of the 23^rd remained busy.  Once again, with credit to our local livestock producers, we ran double the amount of hogs and tripled the number of beef for slaughter.  Our Butcher’s worked long and hard to keep our store’s needs and our customers supplied with meat for their families. 

To get through the “Safer At Home” order, our customers purchased more in our store than ever before.  They have purchased a record amount of Beef halves and quarters and also Pork wholes and halves. All locally sourced. 

Unlike our competitors, we did not raise Pork prices a single penny, and did not have to raise Beef prices at all until March 23^rd, saving our customers thousands of dollars. 

This series of events during the March Pandemic scare illustrates the efficiency and value of a local food network and the resiliency of a vibrant local food chain.  A healthy food chain benefits not only local consumers, but the local livestock producers/farmers, local processors and local retailers who work cohesively to bring food and products to the public.  

Taken from a communication at NMPAN (Niche Meat Processor Assistance Network) a Google Groups Listserve.

Lemon Yellowing After Transplanting

Q.  I believe I have a Bears lemon tree. It was growing in the ground then transplanted to a 22” planter last fall and for a variety of reasons finally  transplanted it to my raised bed a few weeks ago and used the rejuvenate soil mix from Viragrow. I cut off one third of the top when moving it, but the leaves are still yellow, I don’t see any new growth. I don’t believe tree is dying but it’s not healthy. Is it the soil?

A. First, not that it makes any difference but if you have Bears, it may be a lime, not a lemon. That might affect when it’s harvested. The Rejuvenate soil mix drains easily provided the hole drains water. If the hole drained water in 6 to 8 hours, everything is fine. Just don’t water the tree every day.

Yellow Leaves

            The yellowing and poor growth is most likely due to recovery from the damage during transplanting. Yellow older leaves stay yellow even if everything is wonderful. Watch the new growth coming out. That’s the key. If the new growth is green and not yellow then that indicates the tree is doing well. The yellow leaves will be replaced visually by dark green leaves later.

Water and Drainage

            Make sure you are not watering too often. I am watering established fruit trees with woodchips on top of the soil once a week all during February. This irrigation frequency is to push new growth and fruit production.

            If trees were just planted (or transplanted), I water twice immediately after planting and then about twice a week, every three to four days, until new growth appears. Once strong new growth appears, once a week should be often enough until about mid-April if the soil is covered in wood chips.

Stake After Moving

            Make sure the tree is staked solidly in the ground to keep the roots from moving during  establishment. I use a three or four-foot-long 3/16 rebar pounded in the ground right next to a new five or 15-gallon tree, and the tree tied to it only for the first growing season. I  tie the tree to the rebar tightly with stretchable green nursery tape. 

Saquaro Wobbling

Q. After I spoke with you yesterday, I went outside and took some pictures of my saguaro. Upon closer inspection, I found some of those dreaded black spots you mentioned at the base of the plant. I also attempted to move it and it wobbled back and forth. I'll be taking it out this spring if you think that is what should be done.

A.
Sagaro Shouldnt Wobble

That “wobbling” you mentioned is bothersome to me. These plants need to be firmly anchored into the soil if they are to remain upright. In nature the roots of the saguaro may spread out eight times its height. This provides firm anchorage in the soil. To get this kind of anchorage, water needs to be applied deep and infrequently and at large distances from, and including, the plant.

Plant Neighboring Desert Plants

            This can be done in several ways. One method is to grow other plants coming from the same climate zone at different distances from the saguaro. Irrigation supplied to these plants will be enough to encourage the roots from the saguaro to spread out. Enough water should be applied the first couple of years about a foot deep. As the saguaro gets taller, this water should be applied so it percolates 2 to 3 feet deep.

Water Once in Awhile

            Another method, and one that I really prefer, is to take a hose on a mechanical timer and inexpensive sprinkler and turn the water on for one hour. I would do this on both sides of the saguaro about 6 feet from the trunk with the water reaching the saguaro. Do this three times; in early spring, once in the summer, and again in the fall. This timing encourages root growth of desert plants but avoids the growth of Bermudagrass. If you see some Bermuda growing, whack the top off with a hoe or shovel as soon as you see it. Do this once a week until it’s gone.

Look for Black Spots

            The “wobbling” and appearance of black spots on the outside of the saguaro tell me that it’s probably getting watered too often and the water applied is too close to the trunk. Those black spots or “cankers” indicate an internal rotting of the tree.

            You can find out more about this and what to do by “Googling” the words “University of Arizona” and “problems and pests of cacti”. Scroll down and a link should appear that will take it to their publication on how to control diseases of agave,cacti, and yucca and what to do about it. Make sure you use a sharp and sanitized knife.

            Your call on whether to remove it or try to rescue it.

What Fruit Trees to Plant at a School

Q. I am working on a new project serving middle and high school age kids. The idea of fruit trees around their garden area came up and I’m wondering what trees you would suggest. They will have approximately 9 trees spaced on a grid.

A. Make sure the trees are spaced a minimum of ten feet apart and are semi dwarf.

Dwarfing or Semidwarfing Rootstocks

All fruit trees should be grafted onto dwarfing or semi dwarfing rootstocks (Citation for stone fruit, M111 for apples, OHxF333 for pears). If you don’t know the rootstock then the plant label should say “semi dwarf” or “dwarf”, not “standard”.

Many fruit and ornamental trees are grafted. The :dogleg" appearing on the trunk of a young tree is because its grafted.

Early Producers

            Since these are kids and they are normally not is school from June – September, I would think you would avoid trees that produce fruit then. That still leaves you with early producers like May Pride peach, Early Grande Peach, FlordaKing or FlordaPrince peach, Earlitreat peach, Flavorosa pluot. Royal Rosa, Flavor Giant, Katy, or Gold Kist apricots. These should produce fruit from late May until maybe early June.

There are some very early peaches like Earlitreat and FlordaKing or FlordaPrince which will probably produce peaches before June graduation.

Late Producers

For late producing fruit trees I would pick Pink Lady or Sundowner (red) or Mutsu (green) apples, Bartlett or red Bartlett pear, or Bosc pear, your favorite pomegranate, Flavor Grenade or Flavor Finale pluots, Emerald Beaut plum, Giant Fuyu persimmon or any Fuyu or Chocolate persimmon. I would suggest avoiding late producing peach. I would avoid any nectarines due to the scarring of fruit from insects. Nectarines are difficult to produce without spraying for insects. No late peaches because there aren’t any good ones in my opinion. The best peaches are in late June, July and August.

Enerald Beaut plum produces good but late fruit in Las Vegas.

Non Desert Recommendations

Be careful of planting fruit trees based upon recommendations from people not living in desert regions. The tree will most likely grow but it’s more of a question about the quality of the fruit it produces. It’s different. An interesting exploration for these children would be to compare the quality of the fruit produced by their trees with the quality of fruit purchased at the grocery store.

Flavor Finale pluot is a good fruit tree for late production in the fall.

            Dave Wilson Nursery online has a harvest calendar that you can download to your computer for your reference. The harvest schedule is for central California but is very close to harvest times in southern Nevada with a few exceptions. Be careful of fruit recommendations from non-desert climates.

Delay Pruning Grapes as Long as Possible

            I finished pruning the 300+ desert and juice grapes at The Orchard at Ahern located in downtown Las Vegas on March 8. New growth was just starting on a few of the vines. 

Grape Disease Control

I delay pruning grapes as long as possible in the spring to reduce disease possibilities and avoid any late spring frost damage after pruning. Immediately after pruning grapes, consider applying a fungicide to the vines if there were problems with grape bunches diseases last year. Repeat the fungicide application if it rains. For homeowners I would consider using Bordeaux fungicide.

 Effective fungicide sprays include the copper fungicides such as Bordeaux for homeowners. Fungicides primarily protect new growth from getting infections primarily through the pruning cuts.

            Unlike insecticides like Sevin or even organic soap and water sprays which kill insects, fungicides primarily “contain” diseases and help keep these diseases from spreading to new growth. That’s why it’s important to repeat it after a rain which can wash the fungicide from the vine.

Grapes Bleed

It’s normal for grapes to “bleed” after they have been pruned in the spring. Don’t worry. Water will stop coming from the pruning cuts when new growth appears.

           

Other Dwarf Peach Besides Bonanza

Q. I suddenly lost my favorite dwarf peach tree, Bonanza, over a year ago and I want to replace it. The local nursery said today they probably won't be carrying Bonanza peach anymore. Could you please advise me where I could purchase one as I don't know where to look?

Genetic dwarf peach trees can produce normal sized fruit.

A. I just checked online, and Bonanza genetic dwarf or miniature peach tree is available from many nurseries. Check around and see if your nursery will order it for you. If not, you can order it online in November or December from nurseries such as Bay Laurel, Grow Organic, Willis Orchards and others. They well send it to you bareroot and in good condition for immediate planting in January.

Three genetic dwarf peach trees, Eldorado, planted together. In the back is a "high bud" graft of Eldorado and the two in the front were "low bud" Eldorado peach. Genetic dwarf peach can be grafted high or low on the rootstock to give trees of different heights.

            I think you will like the fruit from any of the other genetic dwarf peach trees besides Bonanza if you find it locally. When I have tested many of the fruit coming from these genetic dwarf trees it has been good. These include Bonanza II, Garden Gold, Garden Sun, Honey Babe, Pix Zee. Eldorado and many others. Oftentimes retail nurseries don’t know what will become available later in the year so keep checking.