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Almonds in the Rough

When R.L. Poythress settled on 1,500 acres of flat-as-a-pancake Madera County farmland on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley in 1929, the Fresno River slicing through it was yet to be dammed, pest-killing chemicals were yet to be discovered, and big equipment wasn't yet on the drawing boards. In the years since, as his descendants worked the land, all these "innovations" have come to pass, some with tremendous benefits. But 68 years later, his grandson Roger Poythress is trying to wean himself off farm chemicals and pay more attention to how insects, water and cover crops can help him keep 40 acres of almond trees productive.

"I do all the spraying myself, and it's both time consuming and not all that healthy to be sitting in a pesticide mist," says Poythress. "We live on our farm, so the less my wife and kids are exposed, the better."

Though Poythress had already been cutting back on chemicals on his own, he didn't achieve major reductions until he put his almonds in the "BIOS" program. BIOS (which stands for "biologically integrated orchard systems") is a five-year-old Community Alliance with Family Farmers program that helps almondand walnut growers reduce their reliance on agricultural chemicals and manage pests and fertility through naturally occurring biological processes. Since 1993, 72 growers have enrolled in the program, which is largely funded by the U.S. EPA. Together they farm more than 10,000 acres in seven counties using BIOS techniques. To date, 90% of BIOS almond growers have eliminated the use of insecticide dormant sprays such as diazinon, which is becoming a pervasive pollutant throughout the Estuary watershed.

With management advice from the BIOS team, Poythress now sprays 50% less pesticide - largely as a result of planting a cover crop and releasing "good mites to eat the bad mites," as well as other beneficial insects. The cover crop mix of clovers, brome and vetch provided good habitat for beneficial insects and helped open up the ground (via root channels) so the soil could absorb more water instead of "sealing up," he says. The cover crop also curbed runoff and related pollution problems.

"The trees are healthier now, they can take up more water. It's fascinating the way God has put everything together. If you have a healthy plant, it's going to have natural resistance to damaging insects," he says.

Poythress has also had to unlearn one of the axioms of chemical boom times when it was standard practice to eliminate all damaging insects. Even before BIOS, Poythress let his trees go as long as possible before spraying, and often found that the majority wouldn't get any worse. "If you're willing to put up with a little bit of damage, you can save time, money and effort," he says. "Even the pesticide people are now realizing that if you keep spraying at the full-rate you'll be reducing the effectiveness of their products, and putting them out of a job."

Poythress is quick to point out that he isn't always successful with alternatives. In his walnut groves, for example, he recently tried releasing trichogramma wasps to control codling moths, but to no avail (he had to spray three times). But he's still very enthusiastic about the program, and plans to try BIOS-style farming on 160 acres of new orchards now under development. Contact: Community Alliance with Family Farmers (916)756-8518

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