Solano County is home to a diverse, unique geography stretching from the Bay Area and Delta into the Sacramento Valley. The small county is home to a range of microclimates that make it ideal for a wide range of crops like wine grapes, small grains, livestock, tree nuts and much more.   

We recently sat down with Solano County Ag Commissioner Ed King to discuss how he and his office work to help growers keep their crops healthy and productive while facing pressure from things like pests and ever-changing regulation.   

Q: What are some of the big issues facing Solano County agriculture?

A: We’re always absorbed in early pest detection and pest exclusion work trying to provide a first line of defense for growers and the environment. Last year, we had a record bad year in California for fruit fly detections. Active quarantines are still in place now and we’re only about two months out from the start of this year’s detection trapping season. We’re always on high alert, but given the severity of the problem last year, we’re not expecting any miracle improvements out of the gate this year. It’s poised to be an intense year for fruit fly trapping, control and possibly additional quarantines. That’s the highest concern locally now.    

It’s not uncommon that we have fruit fly detections that trigger quarantines. Ag Commissioners and the California Department of Food and Ag are successful in eradicating these detections in time, but the severity, extent and massive number of detections we’re having now puts us in uncharted territory. We’re also dealing with invasive pests like glassy-winged sharpshooter in Solano and surveying for spotted lanternfly. The glassy-winged sharpshooter infestation we are trying to eradicate is a major challenge and takes up a lot of resources. Sharpshooters are good vectors of the bacterium that causes Pierce’s disease in grapevines, but they also infest a broad range of host materials like citrus trees in suburban settings around Solano County.   

Q: What kind of pressure are growers in your area under?  

A: Growers face overwhelming challenges. Pressures come from every direction. In California, we have an extremely robust — the most robust — pesticide regulatory system in the country. We work with growers very closely to keep them up to speed, coordinating and cooperating with the constantly evolving regulatory landscape in California. Grow West is a great intermediary. Their pest control advisers are in the know and very well-connected in working with us and directly with growers as well.   

Q: What do you think will happen with pesticide regulations in California a year from now? Five years from now?

A: Our state department of pesticide regulation is sponsoring an endeavor now to transition California to what they are terming “sustainable pest management.” Ultimately, this is likely going to reshape the pesticide regulatory system and pest control tools available to growers in California. This is just getting started, so it’s something we’re going to have to watch play out over the next few years.   

We will likely see efforts to phase out certain products, but hopefully simultaneously phase in new products and chemistries as well, which is a tall order. It’s much easier for the regulatory system to cancel existing products than it is for the industry to bring about effective new chemistries that will meet a standard of safer pest management.  

What we really need is resources to gradually evolve pest management systems instead of prematurely taking away tools and overregulating growers. We need a paced and well-planned transition to safer pest control systems with ample research and investments to give growers better tools to ultimately secure our nationwide food system, our local economies and national security.  

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?  

A: I enjoy working with the community, connecting with growers and my fellow ag commissioners. Together, we can make sure we have a uniform pest management system throughout the state. It’s a team effort to keep up with regulatory changes. We have a very tight-knit state association of ag commissioners, and our collaboration makes all this possible. It’s a diverse and great job.