Delta restoration plan released for review [Sacramento Bee]
The final draft of a plan to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta was released for public review Monday. The so-called Delta Plan was prepared by the Delta Stewardship Council…The plan contains 14 policies and 68 recommendations. Only the policies would carry the force of law. They aim, among other things, to improve flood protection, restore fishery habitat and reduce demand on the Delta as a water source for 25 million Californians… The plan reinforces existing law requiring urban water agencies to cut water use 20 percent by 2020. Farm water agencies must adopt "best management practices" to conserve water but without numerical targets.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/05/15/4490071/delta-restoration-plan-released.html
Call Kurtis Investigates: What’s In Your Milk? [CBS 13/Sacramento]
Some of the dairy milk we drink could contain farm medicine used to treat sick dairy cows, if reports from dairy cow meat tests are an indication, CBS13 has learned. A three-month Call Kurtis investigation has learned 17 different types of antibiotics have been found in the meat of dairy cows, though dairy milk is only screened for six antibiotics. The findings show some farm medicines could be flying under the radar and onto the dinner table, since most of that milk is not tested for those additional antibiotics… Advocacy groups suspect the same medicines given to sick cows may be ending up in our milk, allowing bacteria to develop resistances… Fifth-generation dairy farmer Jim Pellandini of Galt’s B&J Dairy said nursing sick cows is part of the business, and farmers know how to keep these farm medicines out of the milk supply… “We do so much testing it’s unbelievable,” he said, referring to the $15-$20 milk tests his farm buys in bulk to ensure milk shipments don’t contain any of the six CDFA-restricted antibiotics.
http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2012/05/14/call-kurtis-investigates-whats-in-your-milk/
California's Genetically Engineered Food Label May Confuse More Than Inform [National Public Radio]
When Californians go to the polls in November, they will very likely have the chance to make California the first state in the nation to require labeling of genetically engineered food. That's according to California Right to Know, which filed a petition to force a statewide vote… But a new analysis of the labeling initiative suggests that if it passes, it would create a complex mandate for food companies that may make it harder — not easier — for consumers to figure out what's really in their food. That's because the initiative muddies the definition of a "natural" food… The word "natural" on a food label is already pretty controversial… The activists behind the labeling initiative say they want California consumers to know what they're eating. So they're calling for any processed food or raw agricultural commodity (like corn) that has been or may have been partially or wholly produced with genetic engineering to be labeled as such. And they want to prevent processed foods with GE ingredients from using the "natural" label, too.
Del Monte to close Kingsburg peach plant [Fresno Bee]
San Francisco-based Del Monte Foods is closing its Kingsburg plant after this season as it consolidates its peach processing operations into one plant in Modesto…The shutdown, announced Monday, will take place over the next year and will result in the loss of 70 full-time and 1,100 seasonal jobs… Del Monte officials said the move will allow the company to continue meeting consumer demand for canned peaches at a reasonable price, especially during a tough economy… Del Monte will continue to buy peaches from Kingsburg-area growers, who supply about 25% of its peaches.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/05/14/2836650/del-monte-to-close-kingsburg-peach.html
Immigration permit auction touted as reform that would aid economy [Contra Costa Times]
America's decades-old immigration system should be replaced with an auction of work permits, says a UC Davis economist who is attracting attention on Capitol Hill. His market-based reform, which is being unveiled Tuesday, would have U.S. companies compete in a quarterly electronic auction to buy permits to hire foreign workers. In essence, U.S. firms' willingness to pay for work-based visas would become more important than family connections and fixed quotas in determining who gets to move to the United States... Work permit bids would start at a minimum $7,000 for high-skilled workers and $1,000 for lower-skilled seasonal jobs. Higher demand for workers could push employers' bid prices higher, compelling Congress to make more visas available. Revenue from the auction would be channeled to the federal government and to state and local agencies that provide public education and other services to immigrant families.
Commercial cherry orchards decimated by bad weather [Bakersfield Californian]
Owners of local cherry tree orchards are assessing the damage after badly timed unusual weather decimated this year's cherry crop. Steve Murray, owner of Murray Family Farms off Highway 58 just east of Bakersfield, called the damage to this year's crop "unprecedented.".. Meanwhile, Acorn Farms east of Lamont says at least a quarter of the production on 40 acres of trees it owns east of Lamont is lost. It's not clear yet the extent of the crop damage on another 260 acres of cherries Acorn Farms grower Bruce Frost farms for another owner, but as much as half this year's yield could be gone. "It's not just us but the jobs, too," Frost said. "It's going to have a big economic impact." Murray said he'd normally have between 8,000 and 10,000 people picking cherry trees on his property this time of year, "but if you look out here now, you see maybe a dozen cars."
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