Hi Janet,
Yes, I think that is correct. The problem with getting an exemption is that you will run into the problem Brad mentioned with your buyers. I've been to so many of the seminars, because I don't want to run into that problem. I think it is making it more difficult for small producers to sell their produce. I don't think buyers go to those seminars but they do get scared by the regulators. I think most of the problems are due to sloppy practices while harvesting but there could be some contamination by watering, and that listeria outbreak on melons was found to be caused by the washing off the melons, the water was harboring pathogens due to the way it traveled through the system. Some of the problems are caused by the way the fruit is stored. I don't know anything about Brad's operation, but ours is small, 7 acres, some "dense" planting, some at the old spacing of avocados. It's not easy to sell wholesale, the new regulations are making the buyers more skittish. One of our grocery customers actually came out to see our operation. Fortunately he liked what he saw.
The other problem is that getting the exemption is like getting the "Ag price" for your water, it comes with restrictions. There is always a possibility of there being a problem. If you operate under the guidelines required, especially if you are inspected and certified anyway, you are more likely to not have the stress of having your production monitored or shut down.
We also start out each year hoping to make as much as we can, mainly to cover water costs, and be in that category of needing to follow the rules, sometimes the conditions take that away ( like 119F days and weeks of over 100F) which make fruit drops a not so fun part of our season.
I think the question of "what is your favorite avocado?" is a really important one. For a small grower, determining what to plant can be a difficult decision, because once you plant, you have to wait for the trees to become large enough to produce fruit for a return, and the market could change in the meantime. As growers and hobbyists we often forget that the work of marketing your crop is every but as important as growing it, I know I do, it's my favorite part to grow it. I'm learning to do a better job at marketing so I can be more efficient in finding a home for all of the fruit.
I'm also thinking that maybe grafting scions of the more sensitive varieties to more hardy for our climate and growing conditions ( like Zutano) might help us get more of those varieties that seem to be in vogue into production.
Brad, so far my favorite is actually "Marvel", followed by "Gem" and "Reed", and "Fuerte", but I would love to be able to buy and taste other varieties, there is another grower in Fallbrook, I think, who does a monthly avocado gift box and he uses different varieties to fill in the times when the more well know varieties like Hass are not available. Once he had a booth at the Fallbrook Avocado Festival with so many different varieties, that was really fun to see.
https://avocadomonthly.com/avocado-schedule/