Sutter County farmers fearing flood plan [Marysville Appeal Democrat]
Friday's meeting of the Central Valley Flood Protection Board was designed for people to comment on an ambitious new flood control plan. For many, however, their thoughts could have been just either-or-questions. Such as:• Is the plan about flood control or habitat restoration?• Protecting urban areas, or keeping agriculture in mind?• Doing something new, or improving what exists?• And perhaps most importantly, were their comments being considered, or simply patronized?... Farmers seemed to have the strongest concerns, especially over proposals to expand the Sutter Bypass and other channels and, in their estimation, take up valuable farming ground. And those concerns were exacerbated by provisions in the plan for those expanded bypasses, or new setback levees, to double as habitat for species.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/flood-115201-plan-county.html
San Gabriel Valley homeowners swarm to meeting about citrus disease [Los Angeles Times]
Area homeowners are responding to agricultural officials' call to action to help save the state's $2-billion citrus industry and their beloved backyard trees from a bacterium that the Citrus Research Board has referred to as "a death sentence for California citrus."About 100 worried homeowners buzzed with questions during an information session last week in the San Gabriel Valley. State agricultural inspectors have enacted a quarantine in a five-mile radius around the neighborhood where Huanglongbing, or yellow dragon disease, was first confirmed March 30 in a citrus tree in Hacienda Heights… Inspectors have gone door-to-door collecting samples of the pest within a half-mile radius of the diseased tree. None have tested positive, state officials say, and the tree was removed Thursday and sent to a state lab for analysis and disposal. Citrus trees within this area will be sprayed with psyllid pesticides beginning this week, and inspectors will continue to monitor and routinely survey the area.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-citrus-disease-20120408,0,2227102.story
Pesticide drifts, violations, down past few years [Bakersfield Californian]
The number of people affected by pesticide drift in Kern County has dropped substantially since 2005, but if a recent incident is counted for 2012, the trend could be reversed. When pesticide drifted over a school bus on March 29, about 20 of the 30 students on board complained of itchiness and nausea. These symptoms might have been caused by the pesticide that was being dropped nearby. The students' clothing and the bus are being tested to see if they came into contact with pesticide. A wheat field was being sprayed at the time. Last year, the Kern County Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards received only two reports of people being affected by pesticide drift in the county, and in 2010 there were none… Glenn Fankhauser, the department's deputy director, said he attributes the decrease in part to better communication between growers. He said the Spray Safe program has played a large role in that… Under the Spray Safe program, growers let neighboring farms know when they plan to spray so workers aren't sent into a nearby field at the same time.
Growing marijuana? Feds can take your land [KFSN TV Fresno]
Law enforcement says large marijuana grows are becoming more common on the Valley's farmland. Friday, they offered ways you can protect your property, or risk having the Feds take it away. The Fresno County Farm Bureau hosted the informational meeting for farmers and landowners. It comes one month after the US Attorney warned them; they could lose their property or be prosecuted if they allow marijuana plantations on their land. Right now, just in Fresno County alone, the Sheriff's office says there are 78 marijuana grows on farmland. In some cases, the landowners don't know anything about what's being grown. But, many do. And under Federal law, that's illegal.
http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=8611958
McEwen: Builders aren't calling the shots anymore in Fresno [Fresno Bee]
Developers trying to ram through their sprawling vision of Fresno's future must feel their grip on this city slipping. Yes, they scored an apparent victory Thursday night when the City Council put off a vote on the General Plan update. But my prediction is the two-week delay will be a prologue to turning the page on old Fresno ways: converting acre after acre of prime farmland into residential subdivisions. There's a new reality facing developers. Their ranks are fractured, and they face formidable opposition, for the first time, from growers… Farmers traditionally have championed personal property rights. Selling off productive soil was seen by many growers as a quick and easy way to fund retirement. But the Fresno County Farm Bureau has gotten serious about preservation, and others in the industry are joining the ranks.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/08/2792321/builders-arent-calling-the-shots.html
Modesto Irrigation District water sale hits snag [Modesto Bee]
A last-minute hitch delayed Friday's planned release of a proposed water sale contract between the Modesto Irrigation District and the city of San Francisco. The city asked to postpone the release after reviewing a March 28 letter from the Tuolumne River Trust objecting to the sale. The group contends that the deal — involving a fraction of the total water that eventually could be sold — would interfere with efforts to revive the river ecosystem. It also says the water is not needed anyway because of reduced demand… This first sale would involve 2,200 acre-feet of water to be taken by San Francisco into its Hetch Hetchy Water and Power System, upstream on the Tuolumne from the MID's diversion. The city ultimately could buy another 25,000 acre-feet — water the MID plans to free up thanks to conservation projects on its canals.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/04/06/2147590/mid-water-sale-hits-snag.html
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