Sutter supervisors lash out at flood control plan [Marysville Appeal Democrat]
Sutter County supervisors seemed inclined Tuesday to throw the draft Central Valley Flood Protection Plan in the river, finding more flaws than good in it, if they could find any good at all. An overemphasis on habitat restoration, a lack of scientific support for proposals in the plan and the onerous qualities of taking property for expanded bypasses and levees led the board to be committed to sending the Central Valley Flood Protection Board a strong letter expressing concern… And beyond suggesting acquisition of 40,000 acres for expanded bypasses like the Sutter Bypass, the plan also recommends designating another 25,000 acres outside those larger waterways for what is termed, "environmentally friendly agriculture," he said. "So we have a severe impact on agriculture and Sutter County," said Peterson, who had made a similar proposal last week to the CVFPB during a Marysville hearing to take public comment on the plan.
http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/plan-115290-flood-board.html
IID Board of Directors OKs increase in the price of fallowed water [Imperial Valley Press]
More money will go toward fallowing fields in Imperial Valley after the local utility approved an increase in the allocation per acre-foot. The Imperial Irrigation District will now pay $125 per acre-foot for water fallowed from local fields. The district is trying to contract 170,000 acre-feet as part of the water transfer with San Diego. To date, the district has more than 100,000 acre-feet contracted, said Tina Shields, assistant water manager. However, that’s far below where the district needs to be to meet its current obligations, and it will “have to play catch up.”
Agency to absorb Delta council [Stockton Record]
An independent council with at least some veto power over a peripheral canal or tunnel would be consumed by the same agency that wants to build one under a little-noticed element of a reorganization plan by canal supporter Gov. Jerry Brown. Critics say the change would strip the council of its role as impartial evaluator of the estimated $13 billion aqueduct, which would cross the Delta west of Stockton.
Brown's plan, released March 30, goes far beyond California's water bureaucracy. It calls for replacing five state agencies with three, and eliminating or consolidating a number of boards and commissions in order to streamline state government. Buried in the proposal, however, is a plan to place the newly created Delta Stewardship Council under the umbrella of the state Resources Agency.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120411/A_NEWS/204110316
FDA wants limits on antibiotics given to animals [Associated Press]
The Food and Drug Administration called on drug companies Wednesday to help limit the use of antibiotics given to farm animals, a decades-old practice that scientists say has contributed to a surge in dangerous, drug-resistant bacteria. Under the new FDA guidelines, the agency recommends antibiotics be used "judiciously," or only when necessary to keep animals healthy. The agency also wants to require a veterinarian to prescribe the drugs. They can currently be purchased over-the-counter by farmers. The draft recommendations by the FDA are not binding, and the agency is asking for drug manufacturers' cooperation to put the limits in place. Drug companies would need to adjust the labeling of their antibiotics to remove so-called production uses of the drugs. Production uses include increased weight gain and accelerated growth, which helps farmers save money by reducing feed costs. The FDA hopes drugmakers will phase out language recommending those uses within three years.
Growers not overly worried as storms approach [Bakersfield Californian]
Several days of thunderstorms are possible in the central and southern San Joaquin Valley starting Wednesday. The storms aren't likely to damage crops, said Steve Maniaci, president of the Kern County Farm Bureau and a grower with operations in Arvin, Edison and Lamont. The county's key almond bloom is done, and the cherry bloom is just finishing up, said Maniaci, who grows multiple crops including almonds and citrus. The citrus bloom is under way, but citrus growers aren't too alarmed, said Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for California Citrus Mutual, a nonprofit citrus growers association.
Feinstein to hear from both sides of Valley ag [Fresno Bee]
In the Valley, there's east-side agriculture and west-side agriculture. Today, Dianne Feinstein is hitting them both. California's senior senator will attend a noon fundraiser at the Sanger home of Nisei Farmers League President Manuel Cunha Jr., and she will follow that up with a dinner event at the north Fresno home of Westlands Water District board President Don Peracchi. Both Cunha and west-side grower Mark Borba -- who is among the hosts at the Peracchi event -- downplayed the east-west differences, but it is clear that both events will have distinctly different aims. For Borba and the west-siders, water is paramount… At the same time, Cunha is focused on immigration reform.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/04/10/2795421/feinstein-to-hear-from-west-and.html
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