Ag Today Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Commentary: Wenger: California forest proposal offers a rare reform opportunity [Modesto Bee]

…Right now, California has the most lengthy, costly and burdensome review process for timber harvest in the United States, so it's no wonder that 70 percent of the lumber sold in California is imported from outside its borders….As the state's largest agricultural organization, representing many small-scale, family forest landowners whose businesses and communities depend on sound harvest planning, the California Farm Bureau supports the reform package….The timber proposal provides a rare opportunity for meaningful reform on issues important to rural voters. The reform package promises real relief for an important enterprise that prides itself on environmental stewardship while providing good-paying jobs in areas with some of the highest unemployment rates in California. It deserves support.

http://www.modbee.com/2012/08/27/2346061/forest-proposal-offers-a-rare.html#storylink=misearch

Letter to the Editor: Existing heat regulations are working fine [Desert Sun]

Your editorial properly notes that most farmers do their best to protect their employees' safety in warm weather. But we disagree that new state law is needed to assure that farmers follow existing heat-safety regulations….The existing standard is working. There has been only one confirmed heat-illness death in agriculture in the past four years, and everyone wants the number to reach zero and stay there. Awareness of heat safety has risen and compliance with the standard has increased. The regulation includes significant penalties, and Cal/OSHA can recommend criminal prosecution. The new legislation is not necessary.

http://www.mydesert.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2012208280340&nclick_check=1

Controversial Hanford slaughterhouse back in business [Fresno Bee]

Wearing hard hats and hair nets, employees at Central Valley Meat Co. went back to work Monday after the USDA lifted its one-week suspension of the slaughterhouse. The action gives the locally owned business a new lease on life, but a U.S. Department of Agriculture investigation into alleged food safety violations will continue, the department's Food Safety and Inspection Service said Monday….It appeared from the outside Monday that the meat processing plant is up and running again -- the employee parking lot was almost full and several trailers of Holstein cows arrived as reporters and TV crews watched. But the economic effect of the plant's closure on both the business and its employees remains unclear….The USDA said it let the plant reopen because Central Valley Meat Co. wrote a corrective action plan detailing more employee training on humane handling of animals; more monitoring inside the plant, including video monitoring; and outside audits of operations.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/08/27/2966977/hanford-slaughterhous-back-to.html

At least 2 cities under quarantine after Med flies found in traps [CBS TV/Los Angeles]

An 88-square mile stretch of land in the Rancho Cucamonga area is under quarantine after Mediterranean fruit flies were found in tree traps. The California Department of Food and Agriculture set up a quarantine area that spans from Claremont to Rancho Cucamonga. The department said the med flies destroy crops by injecting larva. The most obvious sign is maggots inside fruits and vegetables.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2012/08/27/at-least-2-cities-under-quarantine-after-med-flies-found-in-traps/

Q&A with Jackie Crabb of SLO County Farm Bureau [San Luis Obispo Tribune]

Jackie Crabb has served as executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau for more than a decade, leading the nonprofit organization and its members in the “protection, promotion and advocacy of agriculture.” The county’s bureau is part of the larger California Farm Bureau Federation, whose delegates represent each county in the state and focus on a host of policy issues, ranging from the definition of agriculture, water, labor, natural resources, and marketing to the philosophy of government….Crabb recently discussed the Farm Bureau’s goals and challenges with The Tribune.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2012/08/27/2201461/qa-with-jackie-crabb-of-slo-county.html#storylink=misearch

Farmers should not face water burden alone [Porterville Recorder]

More than 300 farmers turned out last week for a meeting of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board that is considering imposing a hefty fee on farmers to pay for monitoring of the underground water table under the Valley….The water board is all over the place in its estimates on what it might cost….It was suggested that the cost of the monitoring program could be spread out more evenly until the source of contamination can be firmly nailed down, if there is widespread contamination. That would certainly lower the costs for farmers, but would mean increases in what citizens pay for water in cities and special districts….Farmers are not blameless, but they certainly should not bare all the burden of paying for the monitoring program.

http://www.recorderonline.com/opinion/water-53726-farmers-cost.html

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