Tulare County dairymen want more money for milk [Visalia Times-Delta]
If dairy producers don't start getting paid more for their milk, the dairy industry in Tulare County could die out, according to local dairy owners. But those prices may change, depending on the outcome of a hearing with the California Department of Food and Agriculture on May 31 and June 1 that will determine if the price of whey should go up. Whey, which is a main component of cheese, makes up about 40 percent of California dairy production. California dairies petitioned the CDFA, which sets m ilk prices, to raise the price of whey so that it is comparable to the Federal Order that many other states use, said Cornell Kasbergen, owner of Rancho Teresita Dairy in Tulare. The CDFA will have 62 days to announce its determination after the hearings, although Kasbergen said in the past the department has not ruled in favor of dairy farmers.
Soured hopes for sweet crop [Wall Street Journal]
…Even as growers in Watsonville and in neighboring Salinas Valley are increasing strawberry production, they are scrambling for an alternative to methyl bromide, a pesticide used for decades to protect strawberry crops that federal regulators ordered phased out by 2015…. "We are very, very afraid," said Victor Ramirez, who grows strawberries on about 350 acres here in Santa Cruz County and adjoining Monterey County—together home to nearly half the nation's $2.1 billion of annual strawberry production. "Without a fumigant, that may be a deal breaker for us."…The California Department of Pesticide Regulation said it is working with farmers to develop additional nontoxic techniques, such as mixing in onion skins or rice waste to fumigate fields naturally, said Brian Leahy, director of the state agency. "The goal," he said, "is to keep a very vibrant industry going."
More water to be shipped to California; good news for avocado growers [North County Times]
In a rare piece of good news for water-short California, the state has raised this year's estimated water shipments from the State Water Project to 65 percent of normal, up from 60 percent announced on April 16….Southern California avocado growers cannot use undiluted Colorado River water because it contains too much salt. The announcement from the California Department of Water Resources brings the estimated water delivery above the original estimate in November of 60 percent…."A 65 percent allocation is not unusually low," the department said in a press release issued Wednesday.
EPA proposes new rules for muddy logging roads [Associated Press]
The Obama administration wants to change the rules applying to stormwater running off logging roads, blunting a landmark court ruling that found the muddy water running into salmon streams and drinking water reservoirs should be regulated like industrial pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency filed notice Wednesday in the Federal Register proposing to revise stormwater regulations to say hundreds of thousands of miles of logging roads on private and public lands nationwide don't need the same kinds of permits that factories must get. Some of the roads are paved, but most are graveled, and some are bare dirt. Instead, they would be regulated under a less stringent system known as "Best Management Practices," where authorities set up guidelines for the design and maintenance of logging roads to minimize erosion that sends mud into rivers. EPA is reviewing how states and tribes handle the issue, and plans to issue the new rules by Sept. 30, when an exemption for the timber industry enacted by Congress expires.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/23/4512239/epa-proposes-new-rules-for-muddy.html#storylink=misearch
Editorial: More input needed in MID water sale [Modesto Bee]
…Establishing an advisory committee of ag and urban customers surely couldn't hurt, given the level of divisiveness that has developed over this issue, and it could help identify solutions….The MID board would not relinquish control or responsibility if it created some sort of citizen committee, but it could flush out some better ideas….The MID has a problem: It needs to make some expensive improvements to its water delivery system. More exact numbers are needed about the cost and the timing. Then the next big step is identifying how to pay for those improvements….The MID attorney indicated a revised draft contract with San Francisco could be released as early as today. If the board insists on voting on the contract on June 26, as is tentatively scheduled, it will be sending a message that it is not interested in consulting with some of the concerned farmers and city residents who want to talk about alternatives. That would be a mistake.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/05/23/2212950/more-input-needed-in-mid-water.html
Opinion: How farm bill can help our Valley [Fresno Bee]
…California historically has been underserved by the farm bill. Our Valley congressmen are positioned to have an important role over the coming months in protecting the programs that truly make a difference to local farmers. These include: access to training and financing; conservation assistance; support for farmers markets and local marketing; and set-asides for beginning farmers….Organic agriculture represents an important sector of our Valley's farm economy, and we need policies that support organic farmers, especially those transitioning to organic for the first time….In a year when the Senate cut farm bill funding by $23 billion, our local congressmen will have to fight hard to get a farm bill that works for California….We are counting on them to make sure that beginning farmers and those focusing on local and organic marketing get a fair shot at success.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/23/2848206/john-teixeira-and-steve-koretoff.html#storylink=misearch
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