Public testifies in Fresno on high-speed rail project [Fresno Bee]
About 50 people from the central San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday spoke out -- from enthusiastic support to outright condemnation and not-so-veiled threats of lawsuits -- on the Merced-to-Fresno section of California's proposed high-speed train project. They were among about 130 elected officials, business owners, farmers, labor representatives and residents who attended the first day of the state High-Speed Rail Authority board's two-day meeting in Fresno….While business owners worry about being displaced, farming interests along the route say they don't believe the authority has done an adequate job studying how agriculture will be affected….And Amanda Carvajal, executive director of the Merced County Farm Bureau, said that there are several dairy and livestock operations "that are not even mentioned in this report, which is just asinine for a project of this scope." Carvajal and Madera County Farm Bureau executive director Anja Raudabaugh both urged the authority to delay certifying the report so a more thorough analysis can be done. Raudabaugh hinted at possible legal action.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/02/2822217/state-rail-board-will-hear-from.html
Tulare County cow had calves, but no disease passed on [Fresno Bee]
The Tulare County dairy cow infected with mad cow disease gave birth to two calves, but there is no evidence the cow's offspring had the disease, federal officials said Wednesday. Meanwhile, USDA officials have quarantined the Tulare County dairy where the infected cow came from and a second dairy in Central California. A calf ranch where the infected cow was raised 10 years ago also is being investigated. Since announcing the finding of mad cow disease on April 24th, federal officials have been trying to trace where the infected cow came from and whether any other animals might have the disease.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/02/2822810/infected-cow-in-tulare-co-had.html
Commentary: No bull about it: The straight facts about monitoring mad cow disease [Visalia Times-Delta]
… One of my main jobs as a food animal veterinarian is to serve as a first line of defense against foreign animal diseases. I am trained as a set of eyes on dairy facilities to observe abnormalities in dairy cattle and potentially report suspicions of foreign animal diseases to the California Department of Food and Agriculture….The true question is: Should you be concerned about the safety of your beef and milk? I'm not. That's my job to help keep your food safe.
http://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012205030301
Beef industry struggles with PR crises [Los Angeles Times]
Pink slime. Early death. Mad cow. Over the span of just a few weeks, the beef industry was hit by a string of crises this spring, resulting in the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars and hundreds of jobs. But it could have been worse. The industry, which had $79 billion in sales in the U.S. last year, was lucky that the most potentially damaging of the disasters turned out to be, so far, extremely limited in scope. And there are signs that the industry, despite stumbling in some of its public response, has learned to better handle such matters.
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-beef-industry-20120503,0,5771749.story
Activists near vote on modified food labeling [Washington Times]
California could become the first state in the nation to require food producers to label all genetically modified products after activists this week capped a successful petition drive to get the measure on the state's November ballot. More than 971,000 signatures from 58 counties - almost twice the legal requirement - were collected in a 10-week ballot drive by the California Right to Know initiative, the group announced Wednesday afternoon at victory rallies held around the state….The California Farm Bureau opposes the ballot initiative, along with the California Chamber of Commerce, the California Seed Association, the California Grain and Feed Association, and California Women for Agriculture. Jamie Johansson, vice president of the California Farm Bureau and an olive farmer from Oroville, Calif., said the initiative puts an enormous burden on growers and packagers, and it prevents any processed food from being labeled as "natural." An apple, for example, wouldn't require a label, but it would if it were ground into apple sauce.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/may/2/activists-near-vote-on-modified-food-labeling/
Fresh raids target illegal hiring [Wall Street Journal]
The Department of Homeland Security, continuing its crackdown on employers who hire illegal immigrants, has ordered hundreds of companies in recent weeks to submit their hiring records for inspection. This year's first "silent raids" haven't been publicly announced by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the DHS agency that conducts them. But an ICE spokeswoman confirmed on Tuesday that as of March 29, the agency had notified 500 businesses "of all sizes and types" to turn over I-9 employment-eligibility forms and other documents for audits….ICE's Washington headquarters confirmed it has instructed regional field offices to dedicate a specific number of hours to initiating audits. For instance, an ICE agent this year told several grower labor conferences in Michigan that each field agent had been instructed to devote 250 hours to audits this year, several people in attendance said. Craig Anderson, a Michigan Farm Bureau manager who was at the events, said the agent also told the group to expect a 40% increase in the number of employers inspected this year. "There is no question there has been a steady increase in audits," said Mr. Anderson.
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