Central Valley growers struggle with farmworker shortage [Modesto Bee]
…Growers around the Central Valley are wringing their hands as they struggle to find the manpower they need, though the situation appears better in Stanislaus County. Anti-immigration laws and policies, an aging population and even a raging drug war south of the border are contributing to a slowdown in the pipeline of Mexican workers. Steward, president of the Sacramento County Farm Bureau, said he has only a fraction of the 40 workers he depends on to tend the 1,000 acres of vineyards he manages in Amador and San Joaquin counties….Laborers available to harvest San Joaquin County's lucrative cherry crop are down as much as 30 percent, according to the county's farm bureau. Stanislaus County has not had much trouble, said Wayne Zipser, executive manager of its farm bureau….California Farm Bureau officials say the labor force typically peaks at about 450,000 in September.
http://www.modbee.com/2012/06/10/2236284/growers-struggle-with-farmworker.html
Valley ag faces a smaller crop of workers [Fresno Bee]
San Joaquin Valley farmers, already slammed this year by hail and high fuel costs, could be hit with another blow: a shortage of workers. Tighter border enforcement, increased smuggling costs for immigrants and drug-related violence are contributing to fewer people coming to the U.S. from Mexico -- longtime source of undocumented workers for Valley farmers. And while critics of illegal immigration may be pleased with the current decline, farmers are worried.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/06/09/2867844/valley-ag-faces-a-smaller-crop.html#storylink=misearch
Environmental objections in path of bullet train [Los Angeles Times]
The California bullet train is promoted as an important environmental investment for the future, but over the next decade the heavy construction project would potentially harm air quality, aquatic life and endangered species across the Central Valley. Eleven endangered species, including the San Joaquin kit fox, would be affected, according to federal biologists. Massive emissions from diesel-powered heavy equipment could foul the already filthy air. Dozens of rivers, canals and wetlands fed from the rugged peaks of the Sierra Nevada would be crossed, creating other knotty issues. A wide array of state and federal agencies is examining those effects and, over the next several months, will issue scientific findings that could affect the cost and schedule of construction. Beyond the regulators, environmental lawsuits brought by the powerful California agriculture industry are threatening to further delay work.
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-bullet-green-20120611,0,7566489.story
Big fat suggestion [Stockton News]
Not far from where Jones Tract mysteriously cracked open eight years ago, flooding 12,000 acres of farmland, a pickup last week breezed along the levee road past a group of fishermen and cleared their vehicles with room to spare.…Call it the new-look Delta levee - and it is far different from the vision many people have of crumbling, sagging, decrepit piles of dirt that are destined to eventually fail. Next month, Gov. Jerry Brown is expected to announce plans to build a peripheral canal or tunnel to send water past the Delta and therefore bypass its levees. The project could cost $13 billion or more. Canal opponents say so-called "fat levees" can be built for $1 billion to $4 billion, reducing flood risk and eliminating one of the primary justifications for the canal or tunnel.
http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20120611/A_NEWS/206110321&cid=sitesearch
Farmers mull MID water rate hike as sale alternative [Modesto Bee]
You don't hear this often: Some farmers in the Modesto Irrigation District might accept increases in their water rates. But they see doing so as an alternative to the MID's proposal to sell water to San Francisco. The size of the increases has not been determined, but these farmers say they are willing to pay for at least some of the canal system upgrades that the proposed San Francisco sales are designed to fund. "Nobody wants to see their water rates go up," said Ron Peterson, president of the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau, "but we also realize as farmers that we have to make improvements in the capital infrastructure."
http://www.modbee.com/2012/06/10/2228231/farmers-mull-mid-water-rate-hike.html
California, Oakland officials prepare for wildfire season [Oakland Tribune]
The Bay Area has been untouched by any major wildfires since the fire season began Memorial Day, but a dry winter has made the conditions ripe, and officials want property owners to be on the watch. Cal Fire has responded to more than 1,500 wildfires this year, which is twice as many as last year. It also tops the state's five-year average of 1,307.…"This season, in particular, appears it might be a tough season for wildfires," said Kathleen Stalter, risks services manager for the Fireman's Fund Insurance Company. "We're facing four or five months of little rain. That doesn't bode well for wildfires."…"Our outlook for the season is that there are many areas in the state for the potential for fire due to the dry conditions," said Daniel Berlant, spokesman for Cal Fire. "The potential is there for a very active fire season for us."
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