Organic grower uses 'common sense' to make key decisions

Chickens, cover crops and consumers help Rob Lambert farm his organic cherries on the high desert. On the fertile soils east of Ventura, organic citrus grower Robert Delara is trying to become more efficient with his water use.

Both hosted California Small Farm Conference field trips focusing on soil and water—both valuable resources and roadblocks for growers at the same time. The field trips were designed to expose new and aspiring farmers to some of the challenges that lie in crop production. University of California farm advisors and soils experts from the U. S. Natural Resources Conservation Service led the trip and demonstrated various tests growers can perform to determine their water and fertilizer needs.

NRCS district conservationist Dawn Afman recommended that growers get personal with their soil, looking closely at the level of organic matter, moisture-holding capacity and even its smell.

"Know your soil; it's your best friend," advised Afman, as she tried using an auger to take a soil sample in the rock-hard ground that supports Lambert's cherry orchard. Afman also recommended a soil nitrate test to determine how much available nitrogen is in the soil and water. Knowing your nutrient budget, the amount of nitrogen in your soil and water, can save money by avoiding over-fertilization, Afman said. She also advised using moisture sensors to determine when to irrigate.

Lambert started Leona Valley Organics, a seven-acre U-pick cherry operation, in 2004, with no formal training in agriculture. Lambert said he spent time with neighbors who had cherry orchards, took some of their advice and relied on common sense for other decisions. One of his first projects was expansion of his water supply and storage facilities. He has three wells on his property, one powered by a windmill. Water and fertilizer are delivered to his trees via a dual drip system.

"Cherries were not designed to grow in the Southern California desert," Lambert said.

To lessen the effects of the hot, windy and dry climate on his trees, he planted various ground covers to hold moisture and topsoil in place. Getting his ground covers to take hold was not easy and is a continuing battle, but he points out the benefits to the trees. Where the mix of clover and grasses has survived, there is more organic matter in the soil and it holds more water. Without the cover, winds remove topsoil.

Lambert said he allows the ground cover to grow up before his customers arrive to pick cherries in the spring. After several weeks, the grasses are pretty trampled, which adds another layer of protection to the soil and saves on mowing.

The cover still holds moisture and gives his 100 or so laying hens a place to scratch and dig for insects. Lambert added the chickens to both diversify and help him open up the hard ground. They are housed in portable coops that he can move throughout the orchard.

Lambert faced another challenge when fires in the Angeles National Forest adjacent to his property caused a sediment deposit throughout his orchard. That left him with significant differences in soil types and water infiltration. Salt deposits in one area are evidence irrigation water is not infiltrating quickly.

Delara, who is also a farm labor contractor, has more farming experience, but he has had to deal with flooding and invasive pests in his citrus. He has worked with NRCS to develop a conservation plan for his farmland, which slopes from Popper Canyon to the valley floor. Severe sediment damage in 2005 forced him to replace 12 acres of trees, changing to an east-west alignment to better hold his sandy soil in place.

Delara said he began converting his older valencia orange trees to organic in 2002 to secure better prices for the fruit, but found the change was difficult for trees for the first three years. Going from commercial nitrogen fertilizer to composted chicken manure saved money, but production dropped. During that time, he also changed his irrigation system from flood to sprinkler and found some biocontrol tactics that were effective. The trees have rebounded, he said, and production is up.

Changing his irrigation method had a big effect on his tree health and production, Delara said. With flood, it took him three days to irrigate his block of valencias and runoff was a problem. With his sprinkler system, irrigation takes 24 hours, and he has no runoff and uses less water per tree.

His biocontrol methods include releases of Aphytis wasps to control red scale on citrus and introducing décollaté snails in his citrus to eat brown snails that feed on the trees.

Delara admitted an early mistake with mulch caused his newly planted Gold Nugget mandarins to lose growth. He wanted to hold the soil in place with mulch, but the green waste offered by Los Angeles County included Bermuda grass that grew and robbed trees of nutrients and water. Delara said he plans to establish cover crops that can be managed to help hold soil in place.

Many of the agricultural practices demonstrated during the tour can be adapted for use in other situations, noted Ventura County farm advisor Ben Faber. There is no perfect fix for the challenges in growing crops, he added, but growers have to figure out which practices work best for their soil and their crop.

(Cecilia Parsons is a reporter in Ducor. She may be contacted at ceciliaparsons8@gmail.com.)