Ag Today Thursday, May 31, 2012

Video draws animal cruelty charges [Associated Press]

Prosecutors have filed animal cruelty charges against the owner and seven employees at a Southern California livestock auction house after undercover video shot by an animal rights group showed workers kicking, hitting and tossing the animals as they were readied for sale. The grainy video, obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press and shot by the Los Angeles-based group Mercy for Animals, shows workers at Ontario Livestock Sales in Ontario, Calif., kicking and stomping on pigs to get them to move through a narrow chute, hitting emus with a baton and slinging baby goats by the neck and hind legs. In one shot, two workers drag a sick sheep that can't walk by its ears and heave it into the back of a van. Prosecutors have filed a total of 21 misdemeanor counts against the owner, Horacio Santorsola, and seven employees after conducting further investigation with the help of the Inland Valley Humane Society, said Reza Daghbandan, a prosecutor with the San Bernardino County district attorney's office.

http://news.yahoo.com/apexclusive-video-draws-animal-cruelty-charges-071753642.html;_ylt=A2KJjb1opsdPTT8AqNvQtDMD

Citrus pest 'emergency' plan subject of San Juan meeting [Orange County Register]

The state intends to start applying insecticides to fruit trees in parts of San Juan Capistrano to try to rid them of the Asian citrus psyllid, an insect that agriculture officials call a threat to California's backyard and commercial citrus. The California Department of Food and Agriculture will present a public meeting about its plans from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the San Juan Capistrano Community Center, 25925 Camino del Avion. Officials do not plan a formal presentation but will answer questions. Treatments may begin about a week after the meeting, department spokesman Steve Lyle said. Similar actions are planned for Irvine, Mission Viejo, Ladera Ranch, Lake Forest and San Clemente, he said.

http://www.ocregister.com/news/california-356531-san-insect.html

Sentencing pushed back to September for Salyer in 'Rotten Tomato' case [Monterey County Herald]

Scott Salyer will have a couple of more months before facing a federal judge and a probable multi-year prison sentence, but the rules on a his 20-month-old home confinement won't be relaxed. Last week, U.S. District Court Judge Lawrence Karlton rebuffed a request by Salyer to relax the 24-hour-a-day restrictions on his movement from his Pebble Beach home. Salyer, 56, a Pebble Beach resident and onetime leader in the California produce industry, pleaded guilty in March to racketeering and price-fixing charges in a plea deal.

http://www.montereyherald.com/local/ci_20744495/sentencing-pushed-back-september-salyer-rotten-tomato-case

More genes than humans: The tomato decoded [New York Times]

The tomato, whose genome has just now been decoded, turns out to be one well-endowed vegetable, possessing 31,760 genes. This rich legacy, possibly a reflection of the disaster that killed off the dinosaurs, is some 7,000 more than that of a person, and presents a complex puzzle to scientists who hope to understand its secrets. A consortium of plant geneticists from 14 countries has spent nine years decoding the tomato genome in the hope of breeding better ones. The scientists sequenced the genomes of both Heinz 1706, a variety used to make ketchup, and the tomato’s closest wild relative, Solanum pimpinellifolium, which lives in the highlands of Peru, where the tomato’s ancestors originated. Their results were published online Wednesday in the journal Nature. The tomato, though a fruit to botanists, has been decreed a vegetable by the United States Supreme Court. The verdict is not so unreasonable given that the tomato has a close cousin that is a vegetable, namely the potato. The genomes of the two plants have 92 percent of their DNA in common, the tomato researchers report. The main difference is that the potato is thought to have a handful of genes that direct the plant’s energy away from producing fruit and into the generation of tubers. But even with the genomes of the two plants deciphered, those genes have not yet been identified, said Daniel Zamir, a plant geneticist at Hebrew University in Jerusalem and one of the report’s two principal authors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/31/science/the-tomato-ripe-juicy-and-bursting-with-genes.html?_r=1

Hundreds of salmonella cases tied to chicks [Associated Press]

Those cute mail-order chicks that wind up in children's Easter baskets and backyard farms have been linked to more than 300 cases of salmonella in the U.S. - mostly in youngsters - since 2004. An estimated 50 million live poultry are sold through the mail each year in the United States in a business that has been booming because of the growing popularity of backyard chicken farming as a hobby among people who like the idea of raising their own food. But health officials are warning of a bacterial threat on the birds' feet, feathers, beaks and eggs.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/05/30/2085988/hundreds-of-salmonella-cases-tied.html#storylink=misearch

Ag Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Lack of workers puts harvest in jeopardy [KCRA-TV, Sacramento]

California may have one of the worst unemployment rates in the country, but in one industry, there's more work than there are people to do it. The San Joaquin County Farm Bureau said the number of seasonal workers is down about 20 to 30 percent this year. For cherry growers just starting their harvest, the shortage is concerning.

http://www.kcra.com/news/local-news/news-stockton/Lack-of-workers-puts-harvest-in-jeopardy/-/12969936/14285060/-/112jxx/-/index.html

Columnist: Bring farmworkers' plight into the sunlight [Los Angeles Times]

…Lots of growers in California fear that this could be the year when they take a hit because they can't find enough hired hands, due in part to tightened border security. And if that happens, don't be surprised if their losses translate into higher prices for you at the supermarket. Do the nation's immigration laws work for anyone? Not particularly, and they don't even make any sense….And if the growers had any horse sense, so to speak, they'd let those GOP officials know the cost of inaction….If they want to end the lies and hypocrisy that define immigration policy, bring their employees out of the shadows and improve their lot. They ought to begin telling the story of those workers' risks, sacrifices and contributions. As the growers know, they have no more valuable asset than the sweat and calluses of their crews. And rather than slip quietly into Washington next time, as they did recently on another unsuccessful lobbying mission, they should grab their pitchforks, fire up the tractors and take the town by convoy.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-lopez-farmpart2-20120529,0,5211864.column

Solar project draws protest [Merced Sun-Star]

The first large-scale solar energy project proposed for Merced County is drawing criticism from farmland advocates and environmental groups. The Quinto Solar Project, planned for more than 1,000 acres outside of Santa Nella, would create a 110-megawatt photovoltaic facility -- enough power for about 40,000 homes….While the solar installation is being touted as a boon for the local economy, concerns have been voiced that the project's plan doesn't go far enough to address negative effects to wildlife and agriculture. "I hope they dramatically alter their mitigation plan," said Amanda Carvajal, executive director for Merced County Farm Bureau. "This is very precedent-setting. That's our biggest concern."…"This is a temporary facility for 35 years, but they don't have a real plan for (farmland) reclamation," Carvajal said, adding that the land includes about 500 acres of "prime farmland," and more than 300 acres of "productive farmland."

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2012/05/30/2364377/solar-project-draws-protest.html

Supervisors express frustration with delta plans [Davis Enterprise]

Yolo County supervisors continued to express concerns on Tuesday that the various plans being drawn up by state agencies to restore habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta while also providing flood protection and a reliable water supply, fail to take into account the impact on agriculture in the county. The draft Central Valley Flood Protection Plan, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and the Delta Plan — which supervisors heard about on Tuesday — all discuss changes to the Yolo Bypass that could include increases in the duration and area of flooding. That, in turn, prompts concern among county supervisors about the loss of agricultural land and the subsequent impact on Yolo County revenues.

http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/ag-environment/supervisors-express-frustration-with-delta-plans/

Editorial: Groundwater depletion must be addressed [Bakersfield Californian]

The time for Central Valley farmers to make drastic and pervasive changes to the way they manage crop irrigation is very near. That's the only reasonable conclusion anyone can draw from a groundwater depletion joint study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, the U.S. Geological Survey and the Universite de Rennes in France….Among their conclusions: Central Valley farmers replace the flood irrigation systems that are standard for about half of the region's crops with sprinkle-and-drip systems. Groundwater banking was also expanded. California groundwater banks can store about 2 cubic kilometers of water, roughly the storage capacity of a large surface reservoir. Converting such irrigation systems will be a daunting and expensive undertaking that will almost certainly require government participation. But the alternatives -- diminished returns in the fields and water shortages for all uses -- are too dire to ignore.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/our-view/x84914027/Groundwater-depletion-must-be-addressed

Crop Swap helps gardeners share wealth [Napa Valley Register]

A bumper crop of vegetables isn’t worth much if there’s no one to eat it. Now, rather than tossing extra vegetables in the compost pile or eating tomatoes every night of the week, you can trade excess produce with other gardeners to add a little variety to your meal planning. Each month, local gardeners can gather at the Napa County Farm Bureau for Napa’s first organized Crop Swap program. “People who plant tomatoes and realize they have way too many tomatoes can bring them and exchange them for zucchini,” said Crop Swap organizer Sylvie Petitarmand. “It’s a good way for everybody to bring what they have too much of and exchange it for something they don’t have, something they may not be able to grow.”

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/crop-swap-helps-gardeners-share-wealth/article_5cfbc516-aa16-11e1-829c-001a4bcf887a.html

Ag Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Farmers scrambling to find harvest labor [San Francisco Chronicle]

Skip Foppiano of Morada Produce is praying for cool weather. The San Joaquin County grower and packer is thick into cherry harvest season and is short on labor - 20 to 30 percent fewer pickers than he had last year….Farmers across California are experiencing the same problem: Seasonal workers who have been coming for decades to help with the harvest, planting and pruning have dropped off in recent years….But the American Farm Bureau Federation and its California chapter believe there is plenty of reason to worry. "There have been instances in which growers had to disc up whole crops because they didn't have the workforce to harvest," said Kristi Boswell, the Farm Bureau's director of congressional relations. She points to Georgia, where whole tomato fields were plowed under last year….In San Mateo County, home to Brussels sprouts, English peas, fava beans, pumpkins, leeks, green beans and various flower varieties, growers say they are having more trouble than ever getting enough workers - especially at harvest time, said Bill Gass, executive director of the San Mateo County Farm Bureau….California has yet to calculate its losses, but Bryan Little, director of labor affairs for the state's Farm Bureau Federation, said some asparagus growers have already had to disc up their fields because there weren't enough pickers.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/27/BUAK1OLQ31.DTL

California budget cuts hurt long battle against invasive weed threat [Sacramento Bee]

Yellow star thistle is public enemy No. 1 in the California weed world, found in every county but one and covering as much as 14 million acres. It is blamed for altering native landscapes, turning meadows into deserts and even killing horses, which are uniquely vulnerable to a toxin in the plant's leaves….A coordinated effort across 14 counties has made strides in recent years to keep star thistle out of the Sierra Nevada, one of the few California regions the weed has not yet penetrated entirely. But now star thistle appears poised to win that battle, too, with a powerful ally on its side: state budget cuts. The Star Thistle Leading Edge Project was funded by the state Department of Food and Agriculture as part of its weed control budget totaling $2.7 million in 2011….All that money was cut from the 2011-2012 state budget cycle.

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/26/4517821/budget-cuts-hurt-long-battle-against.html#storylink=misearch

California's egg-farm law prompts a push for national standards [Los Angeles Times]

…Proposition 2, passed by a wide margin in 2008, requires chicken farmers to give their egg-laying birds enough room to stand and spread their wings. Although farmers have until 2015 to implement the changes, JS West is one of the few to have already installed new cages in an attempt to comply with the law. The Central Valley company, which helped bankroll the campaign against Proposition 2, says it has spent more than $7 million for two barns filled with the new 4-by-12-foot cages, each holding 60 birds….That solution may now be going national. In a rare alliance, the Humane Society of the United States and egg ranchers have joined forces to lobby for federal legislation that would set national standards for egg ranches similar to those implemented at JS West….California egg farmers say Proposition 2 had major flaws that federal standards could correct. For example, the state law does not specify how many square inches they need to provide their birds.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-egg-farms-20120527,0,2029128.story

Delta tunnel details emerge [Stockton Record]

By July, Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to announce plans to build a canal or tunnel to siphon water past the Delta - a multibillion-dollar project that people around Stockton have been fighting for decades. But some details are already emerging about where the announcement is heading. And so far, Delta advocates don't like what they're hearing. The governor's representatives briefed environmentalists, water users and a coalition of Delta counties this week, and, while nothing has been placed on paper, the discussion is indeed centering on a tunnel beneath the Delta.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120526/A_NEWS14/205260314&cid=sitesearch

Senate farm bill a small step forward for Calif. [San Francisco Chronicle]

The Senate is poised to take up a new farm bill in the coming weeks that will set the nation's food policy for the next five years and cost nearly $1 trillion over a decade. But California, the nation's largest farm producer and a strong voice in environmental and health policy, is destined to cede billions of dollars to entrenched commodity interests in the Midwest and South. The state's fresh fruit and vegetable growers are pleased that the Senate bill preserves hard-fought gains in the last farm bill in 2008, including research for organics and produce, farmers' markets and more fruit and vegetable purchases for school lunches and other federal food programs.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2012/05/28/MNCG1OMDA6.DTL

Demand strong for government program paying farmers not to plant crops [Wall Street Journal]

More farmers than expected applied to put their land in a government program that pays the farmers not to plant crops and not all of the acres could be accommodated, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Friday. The USDA accepted 3.9 million new acres into the Conservation Reserve Program, or CRP, in the latest sign-up period and turned away 600,000 acres. Interest in the program was so high, a USDA spokesman said, the agency extended the time period to allow farmers to get their applications filed.

http://blogs.wsj.com/economics/2012/05/25/demand-strong-for-government-program-paying-farmers-not-to-plant-crops/?KEYWORDS=paying+farmers+not+to+plant

Ag Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Friday, May 25, 2012

Battle brewing over labeling of genetically modified food [New York Times]

…Labeling bills have been proposed in more than a dozen states over the last year, and an appeal to the Food and Drug Administration last fall to mandate labels nationally drew more than a million signatures. There is an iPhone app: ShopNoGMO. The most closely watched labeling effort is a proposed ballot initiative in California that cleared a crucial hurdle this month, setting the stage for a probable November vote that could influence not just food packaging but the future of American agriculture….Farmers, food and biotech companies and scientists say that labels might lead consumers to reject genetically modified food — and the technology that created it — without understanding its environmental and economic benefits….For labeling proponents, California, where the Legislature would be bypassed by a direct popular vote, is the big prize.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/science/dispute-over-labeling-of-genetically-modified-food.html?_r=1&hp

Gov. Jerry Brown seeks to cap wildfire liabilities in California [Los Angeles Times]

Gov. Jerry Brown wants to limit the amount of money government agencies can recoup for battling wildfires and restoring damaged public lands. The proposal would prevent agencies from seeking payouts several times larger than the value of the land — a goal of the powerful timber industry, which has fought the federal government's efforts to recoup hundreds of millions of dollars after destructive wildfires in California….Richard Stapler, a spokesman for the California Resources Agency, said the government could still get compensated for fighting fires and rehabilitating land. However, government agencies could no longer seek what the Brown administration called "excessive damages."

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-wildfires-20120525,0,7567588.story

State regulators raise existing cap on solar 'net metering' [San Jose Mercury News]

In a huge victory for solar customers and the states's growing solar industry, state regulators with the California Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted Thursday to effectively raise the current "cap" on net energy metering. Net metering, a popular policy that has been in place in California for 15 years, allows homeowners, school districts and businesses to offset the cost of their electricity with the rooftop solar power they generate and export to the grid. Current state law requires California's major utilities to make net metering available to customers on a first-come, first-served basis, but the program is capped at 5 percent of a utility's "aggregate customer peak demand." That means that as soon as a utility gets 5 percent of its electricity from solar customers, it is no longer required to sign new contracts. But Thursday's 5-0 vote more than doubles the size of the cap, ensuring that net metering will continue to be a key driver of solar adoption in California. The issue largely centered on jobs: Several commissioners spoke about the fact that the solar industry is creating desperately needed installation jobs in the state.

http://www.mercurynews.com/business/ci_20702094/state-regulators-raise-existing-cap-solar-net-metering?IADID=Search-www.mercurynews.com-www.mercurynews.com

Pima cotton production on increase [Fresno Business Journal]

The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that California grown American-Pima cotton acreage and estimated production will be up significantly from 2011. Global demand and higher prices for quality Pima cotton are sited as primary reasons for the jump. American-Pima producers planted 274,000 acres in California this season, up 51 percent from last year. Production is estimated at 785,000 480-pound bales, up 69 percent from 2011. The average yield is estimated at 1,380 pounds per acre, up 143 pounds from just two years ago.

http://www.thebusinessjournal.com/news/agriculture/1974-pima-cotton-production-on-increase

Farm stands launch annual Fruit Trail guide [Fresno Bee]

…Fresno County officials on Thursday kicked off the annual Fruit Trail, a guide to nearly 40 family farms, roadside stands and farmers markets. The guide that can be found online -- www.gofruittrail.com -- was launched nine years ago as a way to directly connect consumers with the region's bounty of fruits, nuts and agriculture-related festivals….Gigi Gibbs, Fresno County's director of tourism, estimates the Fruit Trail generates tens of thousands of visitors each year, including many foreign travelers….Farmers say consumers are growing increasingly interested in buying local and learning more about specific varieties of fruits, nuts and vegetables.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/24/2849796/farm-stands-launch-annual-fruit.html#storylink=misearch

Wet, cold weather about to storm into Valley [Fresno Bee]

…The National Weather Service says an abnormally cool low pressure system is moving into the central San Joaquin Valley for the start of the Memorial Day weekend.…Reaching the Valley by way of the west coast of Canada, this two-day low pressure system is expected to bring a 20% chance of showers and thunderstorms from Fresno down to Hanford today and Saturday, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jim Andersen.…In Yosemite, about one to four inches of snowfall is forecast, with the snow level at 6,000 feet, Andersen said. The peak of snowfall will be between Friday night and Saturday morning, when temperatures in the Sierra Nevada will be at their lowest.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/24/2849058/wet-cold-weather-about-to-storm.html

Ag Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.