The annual Nickels Soil Lab Field Day will be Thursday, May 18. The location will be off Marine Avenue, southwest of Arbuckle, one mile west of Wildwood Road. There will be signs at the intersection of Wildwood Road and Marine Avenue pointing towards the meeting site. This year, the meeting focus will be almond production practices.
Registration will begin at 8:30 AM with coffee and donuts, courtesy of Farm Credit Services of Colusa-Glenn, ACA. The program begins at 9 AM with short, in-the-orchard presentations on airblast sprayer coverage, weed control with a tight budget, orchard moisture monitoring, and diagnosing root problems in a wet year. After a short break (with snacks courtesy of Blue Diamond Growers and drinks thanks to Colusa Co Farm Supply), three more talks – insect pest update, almond hulls and shells for potassium rich soil amendment, and phytophthora root/crown rot management will round out the presentations.
A barbecue tri-tip lunch will follow the talks. Lunch is a fundraiser for the Pierce High School FFA program and can be pre-ordered by contacting the Colusa UCCE office (458-0570). Some lunches will be available on the day of the meeting, but the way to ensure a ticket is to call ahead. Pre-ordered lunches cost $20, drop-in price will be $25.
The luncheon speaker will be Bill Vanderwaal, manager of the Dunnigan Irrigation District, speaking about the Dunnigan Area Recharge Project.
This meeting is free to the public. PCA CE credit (1.5 hrs) and CCA CE (2.5 hrs) have been requested.
For more information, please call the UCCE Colusa office at (530) 458-0570 or e-mail Franz at fjniederholzer@ucanr.edu. ■
