Agriculture may start with the farmer, but it doesn’t end there

When the term “agriculture” is used, most of us think of the farmer. The farmer is certainly central to the production of our food chain. However, it takes a lot more than the farmer to ensure a steady and abundant supply of food.

American ingenuity and technology can be credited with making food production what it is today. No longer is it necessary for everyone to grow their own food and raise their own livestock to eat. Today, America eats because roughly 1 percent of its population can efficiently produce the meat, fruit, nuts and vegetables we consume. When it comes to winter vegetables consumed in the United States, most of that produce comes from the Valley.

And today, Imperial Valley farmers (like farmers throughout the country) and those whose work supports the food chain process are embracing new technology and the need for a strong team to ensure a more efficient production and a safe, healthy crop reaches stores and our dining tables.

But just how does the process work today? The farmer grows the seed to use for future crops. In today’s technology-centric world, that seed is purchased by various seed distributors. Some of it is sold as is. Some is tested for various viruses, like lettuce mosaic virus. For the lettuce mosaic virus testing, if one seed in a sample batch of 30,000 tests positive for the virus, the entire seed lot must be destroyed. Once the various tests are completed, some seed is treated to allow for better germination. Once the farmer has the seed, then it is planted.

Again, technology has improved this process. Planting of the seed is no longer done by hand but with the aid of a sophisticated seed planter tractor. This is only done after another sophisticated tractor, called a tiller or cultivator, has prepared the field for planting.

Here in the Imperial Valley, this tractor is generally equipped with a Ground Positioning System laser level to accommodate the gravity fed irrigation practice. Those tractors are big business here. RDO sells John Deere; Jordan Center is the source for Case/ International Harvester; Empire sell/leases Caterpillar; and Torrence’s Farm Implements is the source for Kubota, New Holland, Ford and Challenger.

Once the seed is in the ground, next in the process comes the watering and fertilization of the crop. That means having a secure water-delivery system. In the Valley, the water comes from the Colorado River through the All-American Canal into Imperial Irrigation District’s extensive 3,000-mile-long canal system.

The IID’s zanjeros are responsible for opening the gate to a particular field in consultation with the grower’s irrigator who then is responsible to ensure the water flows to the correct crop and at a volume for proper coverage. This could be done using three possible methods: row irrigation, sprinklers or even a drip-tape system.

As part of the water conservation needs, many farmers here have converted to either a sprinkler or drip-tape systems. The sprinklers are moved by crop and season to other fields. If a drip-tape irrigation system is used, that tape is installed seasonally and is not reused. Rain for Rent, LaBrucherie Irrigation, and RDO Water are three of the local companies who sell the various irrigation supplies.

Fertilizers, either organic or chemical, are applied to enhance the crop. Those fertilizers as well as any integrated pest management as recommended by a certified pest advisor are part of the agricultural ingenuity and technology that allows for increased production. Here we have Helena Chemical, Rockwood Chemical and Crop Protection Services, the largest companies providing this aspect of the process. There are also independent certified pest advisors who are contracted by a grower. We also have aerial applicators, like Sun Valley Applicators and Chaparral Applicators, that apply the specified fertilizer or integrated pest management product as the weather, especially the wind, allow.

In two to five months, that coordinated system results in a healthy crop, then starts another complex and coordinated system—the harvest. A crew of farm workers must be available and at the right field for harvest. In some cases, the crew drives directly to the field, and in some cases a farmer labor contractor transports the crew to the field.

Food safety briefing for a vegetable crop is done at the start with each harvest team each day or night (to ensure compliance with the food safety standards, some voluntary and more recently some enacted with the U.S. Department of Agricultural Food Safety Modernization Act. Since there are no restaurants or facilities available in the fields, tables and rest break areas with shade as well as toilets must follow the crews. Many of the vegetable crops are machine harvested, boxed in the fields and then transported to cooling facilities (and some growers here have built their own to better manage that part of the process).

For the forage crops, including alfalfa, Sudan, and Klein Grass, the harvest is a little simpler. A smaller crew using another set of sophisticated tractors cut the hay, leaving it in the field a couple of days to dry, and then it is baled. In some cases, for the export market, those bales are compressed since sea shipments are based on size not weight. Like all components of agricultural today, technology is used.

So far, we have highlighted the seed to harvest process. In our next article, we will cover the transportation, distribution and retail sales aspects of the food supply chain.

The concept of farm to fork seems simple, but it is only because all the components of growing, harvesting and marketing the crop work well together. Yes, while it all begins with the farmer who grows it, let’s not lose sight of how interconnected we all are with agriculture as we strive to do what we can to ensure the American farmer has everything he or she needs to continue farming our food, as what we all like to eat and eat well — depends on it.