Cotton growers allowed to grow in same fields

After five years of what they described as excessive regulations on cotton production, growers got a break Tuesday when the Glenn County Board of Supervisors revised an ordinance most admit was "overly strict."

Cotton growers will be allowed to plant in the same fields each year, unless the level of verticillium dahliae — a soil-born fungal disease that has the potential to kill neighboring nut tress — reaches 10 percent.

The 2008 ordinance, which was established to protect pistachios, walnuts and the county's growing olive industry, prevented cotton growers from planting in the same field three years in a row if the level of verticillium wilt was detected in 3 percent or more of the crop.

Verticillium dahliae is found naturally in most soils on the valley floor, said Agriculture Commissioner Jim Donnelly.

"This should make it easier for cotton growers," Donnelly said. "Cotton is a good crop and prices are high right now."

Donnelly said levels of verticillium dahliae are extremely low in cotton crops in Glenn County, and 16 years of testing shows there is little about which olive and nut growers should be concerned.

"We do intend to maintain the county line where cotton can be grown," he said.

The supervisors restricted cotton production to areas south of Highway 162 and Butte City in 1994.

After a few weeks of talking with nut growers and Farm Bureau members, Donnelly said the general consensus was that a 10 percent threshold for the disease was more fair.

Donnelly said farmers can guard against transferring verticillium spores from one place to another by cleaning farm equipment after it leaves the fields and other precautionary measures.

Glenn County cotton grower Thad Stephen was pleased the 3 percent rule was finally thrown out, but felt that even the 10 percent threshold requiring the added expense of having their cotton tested for the disease could still be perceived as a war on a singled-out crop.

"Why test only cotton?" he asked. "There are a lot of other crops that are better hosts for verticillium."

Stephen, who would like to see the disease threshold removed from the ordinance completely, said growers know when to rotate their crops because a high level of disease would reduce yield.

But Adam Englehardt of the California Olive Ranch said that wasn't the point.

"The purpose of the ordinance is not to protect cotton, but to protect damage to olives," said Englehardt, who is not overly convinced that the spread of the disease is restricted to soil movement.

Still, Englehardt said 10 percent, not 3 percent, is a more realistic level of concern, and will allow farmers to do with their land what they see fit.

County officials hope the decision to allow cotton growers to plant successively in the same fields as long as tests determine the level of disease is under 10 percent will remove the most restrictive provision of the cotton ordinance, and protect the county's nut crops at the same time.

"We don't want to be overly restrictive, but we still have to balance the two," said Supervisor Dwight Foltz.

Chairman Steve Soeth said the board will review the ordinance again in five years.

CONTACT Susan Meeker at 934-6800 or smeeker@tcnpress.com.