Valley water agencies look at farming contamination [Fresno Bee]
California failed to protect the San Joaquin Valley from fertilizer, dairy and septic contamination now threatening drinking water from thousands of wells, says the leader of the responsible state agency. But Pamela Creedon, executive officer of the Central Valley Regional Water Control Board, says her agency is working on ways to make up for the past….Creedon spoke in Clovis on Thursday after a University of California at Davis researcher described his study on the Valley's vast water contamination from nitrates, which he linked mostly to farm fertilizing and dairy practices in the past…. Later this year, the state will issue the first rules for controlling salts, nitrates and other contaminants in underground water. California will be the first place in the United States to regulate underground water, state water leaders say.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/03/2824626/valley-water-agencies-look-at.html
California bullet train board approves environmental studies [Los Angeles Times]
State bullet train officials Thursday approved the environmental impact studies for an initial section of high-speed track to be built from Merced to Fresno, a decision that sets the stage for possible legal challenges from powerful Central Valley farming interests. Certification of the final state and federal environmental reports is a critical step before the California High-Speed Rail Authority can begin to secure government permits and award construction contracts for the first phase of the $68-billion project that would link Los Angeles and San Francisco with 200 mph trains….Before the environmental analysis was approved, representatives of farming interests in Madera and Merced counties criticized the reports as inadequate and raised the possibility of lawsuits, actions that could delay the project as rail officials hustle to begin construction later this year. "We want to explore all political and legal avenues," said Anja Raudabaugh, executive director of the Madera County Farm Bureau. "
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-train-20120504,0,3100853.story
Projected almond crop down slightly, still strong [Stockton Record]
California almond growers could produce a near-record 2 billion-pound California almond crop this year, U.S. farm officials said Thursday. Growers in San Joaquin County, where almonds are the region's fifth most valuable commodity worth an estimated $157 million in 2010, said this year's crop looks to be of decent size, even if it's down slightly from 2011's bumper harvest. The report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service, an arm of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, said the 2012 crop would be down about 1.5 percent from last year's 2.03 billion pounds.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120504/A_BIZ/205040311
Organic farmer aid bill passes state Assembly [KXTL-TV Fox 40-Sacramento]
A bill that would give cash amounts up to $250 to farmers who seek to get their crops certified as organic passed the State Assembly Thursday. Authored by democratic Assemblymember Michael Allen, the measure would use industry and private sources to fund the program similar to a federal program that allocates up to $750 to farmers who are going organic….A similar bill was vetoed by then Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who believed administering the program would be too time-consuming by the Department of Food and Agriculture. But Allen says California is a leader in organic farming and it's can be an economic boon to the state if barriers to switching to organic farming can lowered without using taxpayer funds.
Sustainable ranching renaissance takes hold in Northern California [San Jose Mercury News]
…These dark-brown Angus cattle are lusted over in Bay Area culinary circles, and the grass-fed behemoths are not the only ones. What began as a locavore movement that emphasized local, organic produce has grown to include the proteins on the dinner plate as well….Ranchers at places like Stemple Creek in Tomales, Devil's Gulch and Morris Grassfed Beef in San Juan Bautista strive to raise cattle, pigs, sheep, rabbits, chickens and other delectable beasts in ways that show respect for the land, the animal and, in turn, the consumer. Many high-end Bay Area restaurants and grocers now insist on sourcing their meat from these ranches, and their gourmet popularity is fueling a resurgence in neighborhood meat markets,
Reviving slaughter of horses [Wall Street Journal]
…Companies are planning to revive the horse-slaughter industry in several states, including Missouri, thanks to new rules authorizing federal funds to again be made available to inspect the facilities. In 2006, Congress, bowing to animal-welfare groups, cut off funding for inspections, effectively shuttering the domestic industry. Without federal inspections, slaughterhouses can't ship horse meat to Europe and Asia, where it is consumed by people….Congress reversed course last year, authorizing funding for inspections after the Government Accountability Office concluded that the closing of domestic slaughterhouses had caused a decline in horse welfare, partly because it prompted more horses to be transported long distances to Canadian and Mexican slaughterhouses, without adequate rest, food or water.
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