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fall 2016 ag

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Fall 2016 Central Coast AGRICULTURE Buy Tickets Online www.aghistory.2016.bpt.me Agricultural History Project Center and Museum | 2601 East Lake Avenue, Watsonville, California | 831-724-5898 A special advertising & content section of the Monterey Herald and Santa Cruz Sentinel Marketing Groups The Grower Shipper Asso- ciation of Central California unveiled a much anticipated film project on Septem- ber 8th at Corral de Tierra Country Club for a capacity crowd. The documentary film, aptly titled "Historical Narratives of Salinas Valley Agriculture" captures the stories of Salinas Valley ag- riculture, as told by the pio- neers who lived it. Through- out the filming, 16 local ag industry veterans were inter- viewed for this historical look back at the beginning and growth of Central Coast agriculture. Each individ- ual revealed personal and touching memories of how they got their starts and where their careers took them - oen in some unex- pected or unplanned ways. These sometimes serious, somewhat emotional first person interviews oen included a touch of humor wrapped in the nostalgia and reminiscing of the many characters who impacted each of these leaders and their families. Interviewees included recognizable and well know industry pioneers who continue to inspire future generations. When you listen to these first hand stories as told by the likes of Jack Armstrong, Jim Bogart, Ed Boutonnet, Andy D'Arrigo, Carl Dobler, Denny Donovan, Ed Given, Bill Gularte, Ray- mond Gularte, Tom Hubbard, Lloyd Koster, Vic Lanini, Bob Nunes, Tom Nunes, Bill Ramsey and Hugo Tottino you gain a better under- standing of the hard work and dedication each of them gave - and continue to give to local agriculture. In this educational docu- mentary, you learn about the history of this great industry through the stories of amazing individuals who spent their lives building and shaping Salinas Valley agriculture. The film project was the idea of past-GSA Chairman Henry Dill of Pacific International Marketing, and is a result of his desire to preserve the rich history of our local ag- riculture industry. Dill's late grandfather, H.P. Garin, was a pioneer of Salinas Valley agriculture, and Dill wanted to capture the stories of those who farmed during the same generation as his grandfather. For more information on the film and upcoming screen- ings, visit www.growership- per.com. Grower Shipper Association Premieres Historical Ag Film by Dana Arvig for the Monterey Herald - Provided Photo - Provided Photo - Provided Photo How to Handle Deer & Gophers Steve McShane Here along the Central the Central Coast we are blessed with one of the greatest senses of "Outdoor Living." It seems almost 365 days of the year can be spent enjoying our gardens and landscape. One of the most exciting times of the year is fall. As colors change and things dry out, we're presented with great beauty a Mediterranean climate offers. Fall and the dry weather bring an increase in some of the challenges presented to our landscapes by animals. Year's worth of success can be wiped out in no time by deer and gophers. When dry weather hits, these creatures get hungry and our property can take the hit. The most problematic animal pest is the deer. I oen tell folks that a plant's susceptibility to deer is determined by its palat- ability and by the supply of the deer's natural food source. Generally speaking, deer seem to avoid plants that are thorny, spiny, have stickers, are poisonous, have a milky sap, have a strong taste, or have aromatic foliage. Deer also are less likely to eat twiggy plants with tiny foliage. Plants deer seem to avoid include cacti, suc- culents, yuccas, agaves, palms, ferns, conifers, very low ground covers, mowed lawns, ornamental grasses, and tiny rock garden plants. However, when the deer's natural food source becomes scarce, as in the fall, during drought or in newly devel- oped areas, even resistant plants become susceptible to deer. New plantings and old- er plantings with lush, succulent, new growth are especially attractive to deer. Most trees howev- er, can be protected until their canopies grow out of the deer's reach. The best solution is chicken wire and fencing. Though dietary habits of deer cannot be reliably predicted, there are some plants which, in our area, deer seem to avoid. A list is available at McShane's Nursery & Landscape Supply. The best product I've seen to work on deer is "Liquid Fence." I have used it for years and recommend it to everyone I know that faces a deer problem. It is a patent- ed blend of environmentally – friendly ingredients that acts almost immediately. The best part is that it is 100% guaranteed to work by the manufacturer. The next animal that pres- ents us with a challenge to our outdoor environments is the pocket gopher. The pocket gopher is a solitary creature which spends near- ly all of its life beneath the surface of the ground, gen- erally emerging only at night to feed near an entrance or to clean out its burrow. The burrow system of a single pocket gopher may include as much as 800 feet of tunnels, which are 2 to 5" inches in diameter. The main or foraging runways usually are from 4 to 8 inches be- neath the surface, although they may be somewhat deeper or shallower. Side tunnels and small chambers are used for nests and for deposits of food, feces and extra soil. Some of the side tunnels may go as far as 5 to 6 feet below the surface. Surface openings usually are plugged with soil, except when the gopher is foraging near the opening or cleaning out its burrow. Soil thus pushed from the burrow forms the mounds which characterize the gopher in- fested area. Mounds have a horse-shoe-shaped depres- sion on one side, where the hole is located. The burrow system of a single gopher will have several mounds. Believe it or not, one gopher may displace as much as 3 tons of earth! As previously suggested, the pocket gopher leads a lonely life. Seldom is more than one gopher found in a single burrow system, except during the mating season. Gophers are highly terri- torial and will not tolerate other gophers invading their space. The mating season is in the spring and females usually produce only one litter of from 3 to 10 young in a year, between March and June. Young gophers leave their parental burrows in middle or late summer, traveling above ground to new terri- tories or to old ones which have been vacated by other gophers. This is when land- scape problems can become the greatest. It is no secret that pocket gophers are most active in the fall. In the summer, heat drives them into the deeper reaches of their burrow systems, and foraging activity slows con- siderably. Trapping and the use of poi- son baits are the two main methods to control pocket gophers. To trap a gopher, the main runway must be located by scraping the dirt form a fresh mound on the (continue on page 7)

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