Dutra Farms ruled in contempt for failing to reinstate fired farmworker [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
A Santa Cruz County Superior Court judge on Wednesday ruled a Pajaro Valley raspberry grower in contempt for disobeying an April 13 order to reinstate a farmworker allegedly fired for union organizing.
Judge Paul Marigonda also found Dutra Farms guilty of a second contempt violation for failing to grant representatives from the Agricultural Labor Relations Board access to employees during the work day.
Marigonda fined Dutra $1,500, or $750 for each violation. Dutra reinstated farmworker Dalia Santiago on Saturday, a day after a state court denied its appeal for a stay of Marigonda's April order.
Wednesday's ruling stems from a case considered the first test of a new state law aimed at strengthening the rights of farmworkers to unionize.
Agriculture Department study concludes healthy diet is less expensive than junk food [Associated Press]
An Agriculture Department study released Wednesday found that most fruits, vegetables and other healthy foods cost less than foods high in fat, sugar and salt. That counters a common perception among some consumers that it’s cheaper to eat junk food than a nutritionally balanced meal. The government says it all depends on how you measure the price. If you compare the price per calorie — as some previous researchers have done — then higher-calorie pastries and processed snacks might seem like a bargain compared with fruits and vegetables. But comparing the cost of foods by weight or portion size shows that grains, vegetables, fruit and dairy foods are less expensive than most meats or foods high in saturated fat, added sugars or salt.
Vilsack touts PSU research, stumps for farm bill [Associated Press]
U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack sought Wednesday to raise the profile of agricultural research at universities like Penn State as Congress begins the arduous task of renewing the farm bill… Later, Vilsack said at a news conference that he hoped to underscore during his visit as "Congress begins its conversation and discussion about the (farm bill) that research in that discussion is extremely important, perhaps more important today than ever… He was trying to highlight the effect of agricultural research beyond the immediate impact on farmers, including areas such energy research and nutrition.
"I think if we do a better job of articulating that, then maybe it will be a little bit easier for governors, state legislators and Congress to make sure that the adequate resources are invested," Vilsack said.
Battling bugs [Stockton Record]
Standing at "ground zero" of the Oriental fruit fly quarantine zone, which encompasses much of Stockton and adjoining orchards and fields, farm officials Wednesday sought the public's help in combating the insect and other unwanted pests."It's a real threat to our local agriculture," said Scott Hudson, San Joaquin County's agricultural commissioner, who helps oversee the region's $2 billion-a-year industry. Area farmers lost an estimated $1 million last fall, unable to move their crops to market after the 118-square-mile quarantine was imposed. They have spent additional hundreds of thousands of dollars in applying treatments to combat the pest.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120517/A_BIZ/205170317&cid=sitesearch
April hail caused $79 million in farm damage [Fresno Bee]
The damage from a devastating hail storm in April has reached $79.3 million in the central San Joaquin Valley. The April 11 storm pummeled area farms with quarter-sized hail, heavily damaging several crops in Kings, Madera, Tulare and Fresno counties. Among the crops damaged were nectarines, peaches, plums, cherries, pistachios, raisin grapes, lettuce and almonds… Steve Schweizer, deputy agriculture commissioner for Kings County, said officials recently updated their damage total from $20 million to $25.3 million after receiving additional reports from farmers… Neighboring counties saw similar losses. Fresno County reported $26 million in crop damage.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/16/2839855/central-valley-damage-estimates.html
Editorial: Brown would clear thicket of timber rules [Redding Record Searchlight]
More than any series of tax increases or spending cuts, what California really needs to resolve its perennial budget deficits is a growing economy. And one way to get business moving again is to lift the dead weight of regulations for which California has become notorious. Gov. Jerry Brown's release this week of his revised budget proposal held nothing but bad news when it comes to spending, but there was one small hint that the governor gets the need to streamline bureaucracy… Without undoing any actual environmental laws, the governor proposes speeding and streamlining the processing of new timber harvest plans, the detailed reviews of potential water, fish and wildlife effects required before loggers can cut a tree… And once approved, the permits would last longer.
http://www.redding.com/news/2012/may/17/editorial-brown-would-clear-thicket-of-timber/
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