Progressive Crop Consultant

St. Helena, CA — July 1, 2026 — VineView marks its silver anniversary as the partner of choice for California’s wine grape growers. For 25 years, the company has worked alongside viticulturists and vineyard managers, providing precision aerial imagery and data analytics that transform how growers care for their vineyards.

California’s pesticide use reporting system offers one of the most comprehensive looks at agricultural pesticide use in the nation. It offers insight into how growers and pest control advisers are adapting to changing regulations, economics and pest pressures. The latest data available from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, or DPR, covering 2023 pesticide applications, shows fumigant use continued to trend downward while remaining an essential tool for many California crops.

There is a new cover crop tool available for growers, technical assistance providers, crop advisors and other users in the West. Cover crops provide many benefits because they keep soil covered, maintain living roots that support microbial life and integrate a new plant species into the crop rotation. In an annual cropping system, cover crops are planted on ground that would otherwise be fallow, while in an orchard or vineyard, cover crops are planted between plant rows.

One of my favorite activities to do with my kids is going to the movies. They’re at a perfect age where every new superhero release is the greatest masterpiece ever made. As a sucker for a good deal, I’ll sometimes spring for the refillable popcorn bucket that practically dares you to finish it before the opening credits.

When a fertilizer label lists nitrogen, phosphorus or potassium, growers know those numbers mean something. They’re backed by standardized tests and state enforcement. Fulvic acid labels don’t have that kind of guardrail, at least not yet. As new biostimulant rules roll out in each state, the testing system for fulvic acid is still being built. A method exists, but only a few states use it. Most labels list a fulvic percentage with far less verification than growers expect for plant nutrients.

Abstract Weather and climate variability has direct influence on agricultural production systems. While weather data are typically freely available, their application in farm level decision-making is limited due to lack of translation into actionable information. CalAgroTools is a climate-informed decision support system designed to bridge this gap by transforming raw weather and climate data into crop-specific, location-specific advisory tools.

Rising fertilizer prices and increasing regulatory pressure push growers throughout California to consider decreasing mineral N use. Many growers have become better than ever at practicing the 4 Rs of fertilizer application, right rate, right time, right source, and right placement, but matching N demand with application can be tricky, especially when we don’t have a wide margin of error. Many fields are also salt-affected, compacted and almost devoid of organic matter.

Background 4R nutrient stewardship (right rate, time, source and placement) is central to nitrogen (N) management, but how to optimize it in organic systems remains unclear. Unlike synthetic fertilizers, which supply plant-available nitrate and ammonium immediately, organic N must be mineralized by soil microorganisms before becoming available to crops (Stanford and Smith 1972).

Over the past several months, I have been paying close attention to the growing conversation surrounding paraquat in California. In my opinion, this issue is about much more than one product or one regulatory review. It is a preview of where California agriculture is headed overall when it comes to regulation, transparency, public pressure, and operational risk. The pressure around pesticides is clearly increasing.

The Pest Tactic Journal homepage highlights the peer-reviewed publication’s focus on open-access scientific articles covering agricultural, ornamental, structural, medical and veterinary pest management in North America. Pest Tactic Journal was established a few years ago to provide the pest control industry and researchers a new way to publish and share scientific information.