Congress Comes Back to a Face-Off With Angry Farmers [New York Times]
When Congress returns to business this week, it will be met not by the Code Pink antiwar protesters or the Tea Party supporters who often gathered near the Capitol last year. Instead, farmers will be out in force, rallying for a bill that lawmakers failed to pass before they recessed five weeks ago. That unfinished bit of business threatens to cut off aid to farmers across the nation. But lawmakers, fresh off their parties’ conventions, appear to favor action on other bills that emphasize their political agendas over actual lawmaking…The fate of the current farm bill, which expires at the end of the month, has preoccupied many voters in agricultural states and has haunted lawmakers at constituent meetings, debates, and local and state fairs…On Wednesday, the National Farmers Union and the American Farm Bureau Federation will hold a rally near the Capitol to press for the approval of a bill.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/10/us/politics/congress-to-face-angry-farmers.html
National Park Service assessment of Drakes Bay Oyster Company called into question [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Millions of commercially cultivated oysters in Drakes Estero may improve water quality and a resident colony of harbor seals may have grown accustomed to eight decades of oyster farming, a federal panel of scientists has concluded. The scientific report challenges key findings of a National Park Service assessment of the Drakes Bay Oyster Company's impact on the 2,500-acre estuary in the Point Reyes National Seashore in Marin County. The National Research Council's 53-page report concluded that there is a “moderate to high level of uncertainty” associated with most of the adverse environmental impacts cited in the Park Service assessment.
http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20120908/ARTICLES/120909651
$1,900 a ton sought for raisins, a record high [Fresno Bee]
California's raisin farmers, who enjoyed record prices last year, could get a 12% raise this season. The grower-based Raisin Bargaining Association has voted to sell the Thompson seedless raisin crop for $1,900 a ton, or about 95 cents a pound -- the highest amount ever for California raisins. Last year, growers received a record-breaking $1,700 a ton. At least one of the industry's major packers has already agreed on the price and the other 12 have until Friday to accept the offer… Raisin Bargaining Association officials say that the factors driving raisin grape prices higher this year include competition from the region's wineries that will cut into sales to packers.
http://www.fresnobee.com/2012/09/07/2982766/1900-a-ton-sought-for-raisins.html
Central Coast grape harvest kicking into gear [Santa Maria Times]
As Santa Barbara County’s 2012 grape harvest kicks off, winemakers and vineyard managers are anticipating both quality fruit and tonnage more aligned with what one viticulturist called a “long-term average.”
This year’s growing season incorporated more seasonal warmth, average rainfall and an ideally timed heat spike in mid-August…
While some grape varietals, including the pinot noir and chardonnay used in sparkling wines, were picked as early as mid-August, most berries growing on vines in the Santa Maria Valley and Sta. Rita Hills appellations will require more “hang time” before they reach maturity.
More Choice, and More Confusion, in Quest for Healthy Eating [New York Times]
Like many people who are seeking better-tasting, healthier food, Ms. Todd had heard about a recent study on organic food from Stanford University’s Center for Health Policy… For Ms. Todd and countless other shoppers, the study just added to the stress of figuring out what to eat. And it underscored the deep divisions at the nation’s dinner table, along with concerns among even food purists about the importance of federal organic standards… Over the last couple of decades, food has become a platform for social issues and environmental causes, a rallying point for improving schools and a marker of cultural status. Farmers’ markets are seen as an indicator of community revitalization, and visiting them is a regular weekend activity for families… But organic food, especially products processed by large corporations, has become less a player in the front lines of the movement.
Ventura dairy farmer pleads guilty over raw milk [Sacramento Bee]
The Ventura County dairy farmer who was arrested in a dramatic raid on a Venice health food store where officers dumped gallons of unpasteurized milk products was sentenced to community service and a $1,300 fine on Friday, prosecutors said. Sharon Ann Palmer, 52, and her business, Healthy Family Farms of Santa Paula, pleaded guilty to one count of selling her goat milk stored in unsanitary conditions to Rawesome market, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Superior Court Judge David Horowitz ordered Palmer to serve three years' probation, complete 40 hours of community service and pay a $1,300 fine. Eight other counts against Palmer and the business were dismissed.
http://www.sacbee.com/2012/09/07/4798775/ventura-dairy-farmer-pleads-guilty.html
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