Editorial: Farm Bill
Foolishness [Wall Street Journal]
With
Congress back for a few weeks, Democrats are pressuring Speaker John Boehner to
hold a vote on this five-year farm spending reauthorization, which passed the
House Agriculture Committee in July. The farm lobby piled on last week, with a
"Farm Bill Now!" rally outside the Capitol, at which even some
Republicans, including South Dakota's Kristi Noem, blasted her leadership for
inaction… That's because despite Agriculture Chairman Frank Lucas's assurances
that his product is "fiscally responsible," the House farm bill
authorizes a nearly 60% increase in spending over 2008 levels. Some of that
money goes to new crop entitlement programs, although nearly 80% would finance
Mr. Obama's soaring food-stamp program at historic levels.
Opinion; McEwen: Fresno
County supervisors can do the right thing on Williamson Act [Fresno Bee]
Today
we'll learn about the priorities of the Fresno County Board of Supervisors… Now
the board has a chance to add about $2.5 million to the general fund by
adopting a modification of the Williamson Act, a state law that promotes
farmland preservation through tax breaks… The state no longer partially
reimburses counties for lost taxes from Williamson Act properties. Moreover,
the proposal before the board wouldn't eliminate tax breaks. Supervisors are
being asked to shave the tax reductions by 10% in exchange for reducing the
time that property owners must preserve their land. You should know that this
modification was proposed by the California Farm Bureau Federation and the
legislation (Assembly Bill 1265) was introduced by farmer-friendly Assembly
Member Jim Nielsen, R-Gerber.
Imperial
County faces more stringent dust control rules [Imperial Valley Press]
The
first information workshop addressing a revised set of more stringent
regulations for dust mitigation in Imperial County was held Monday, as compliance
with the Clean Air Act and a stay on recent sanctions are being sought… And
while many of the changes deal with updating single words within dust control
general requirement, others changes explicitly impact dust mitigation measures
in farming operations. Under the revised rules, agricultural operations are
going to have two additional control measures, said Air Pollution Control
District Director Brad Poiriez… Linsey Dale, executive director of the county
Farm Bureau said after the meeting that farmers should also be aware that new
conservation management practice plans will have to be prepared for each crop
change.
Fight
to Save Citrus from Bugs in Desert Hot Springs [KMR-TV Palm Springs]
A
little bug that can carry a disease that kills citrus trees has been found in
Desert Hot Springs.
Monday
night the California Department of Food and Agriculture talked to residents
about how they are fighting the invasion. The California Department of Food and
Agriculture will begin spraying citrus trees in a two-mile stretch of Desert
Hot Springs on Thursday. The disease the bug can carry is not a health risk to
people, but can wipe out entire citrus crops.
Forest
Fire Research Questions the Wisdom of Prescribed Burns [New York Times]
Scientists
are at loggerheads over whether there is an ecological advantage to thinning
forests and using prescribed fire to reduce fuel for subsequent fires — or
whether those methods actually diminish ecological processes and biodiversity.
The United States Forest Service, which manages nearly 200 million acres of
public land, believes limited thinning and burning will prevent catastrophic
wildfires. The agency contracts with logging companies to cut down large and
small trees across sweeping landscapes, and uses prescribed fire. Besides
protecting homes, experts say, these methods also recreate the natural state of
the forest… Some ecologists and environmentalists, however, are challenging the
Forest Service’s model, saying it is based on incomplete science and is causing
ecological damage.
Occupy
Monsanto starts campaign on movement's anniversary [Ventura County Star]
Local
food activists chose Monday, the anniversary of the Occupy Wall Street activist
movement, to start a global outcry in Oxnard against agribusiness giant
Monsanto Co.'s chemicals and genetic modifications of plant seeds. Less
dramatic than Tuesday's protest at Monsanto's seed distribution plant Seminis
Vegetable Seeds Inc. on Camino Del Sol, in which nine protesters in chains and
shackles were arrested when they blocked the gates, Monday's event at the same
site drew about 35 protesters who limited their opposition to signs, masks and
shouting on the sidewalks… The demonstrators were part of a group called Occupy
Monsanto, which identifies itself with Occupy Wall Street. Monday was the first
day of the group's weeklong series of 65 events planned worldwide to protest
Monsanto, its relationship with Third World farmers and the seeds it develops.
Ag
Today is distributed to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for
information purposes, by the CFBF Communications/News Division, 916-561-5550; news@cfbf.com.
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