UFW
gets fuel for new contracts with farmers [Fresno Bee]
A
new push by the United Farm Workers in the San Joaquin Valley is surprising
farmers, who worry that a bumper crop of union contracts will mean big changes
and higher costs….A change in state law makes it easier to resolve stalled
contract talks. If both sides can't come together after 90 days, the issue goes
to mandatory mediation….Supporters of the new law say that growers no longer
can drag their feet during negotiations. Employers must come to the bargaining
table and reach an agreement, or a state-appointed mediator will do it for
them….State labor officials say that despite the time lapse, the union is
completely within its rights. There is no statute of limitations on when a
contract must be finalized. And it does not matter if none of the original
workers who voted the union in are still there.
Crop
insurance juicy target in 'fiscal cliff' deal [Associated Press]
Rural
lawmakers worry that $9 billion in annual federal crop insurance subsidies are
an easy target for spending cuts in a "fiscal cliff" deal so they're
shopping around for a late compromise on a farm bill to protect them. The
chairmen of the House and Senate Agriculture committees already were set to
make a sizable contribution to deficit reduction through a new farm bill. There
were $2.3 billion in annual cuts to other farm programs and food stamps in a
Senate-passed version and $3.5 billion in annual cuts in a measure awaiting
House action….The concern about the fate of crop insurance stems from previous
efforts by the Obama White House to target the program for cuts. Obama proposed
cutting the subsidies by $760 million a year in his budget proposal last
February. Conservatives long have eyed the program as a pot of money that could
be used for other things. Without giving details or numbers, Obama
administration officials have made it clear in fiscal cliff negotiations that
they see farm programs like crop insurance as a source for savings.
Interior
secretary pledges support for Salton Sea restoration efforts [Imperial Valley
Press]
What
some described as historic may finally be happening: momentum in Washington
toward restoration of the Salton Sea may be building. Interior Secretary Ken
Salazar has pledged to work with local agencies to help restore the troubled
body of water. “I just pledge to all of you on behalf of President Obama and
his administration the full support for moving forward and finding real
solutions to the challenges that we face,” Salazar announced Friday while
visiting the Salton Sea.…Bruce Wilcox, environmental program manager for the
Imperial Irrigation District, briefed Salazar on the complex interplay of
issues that impact the Salton Sea as well as possible solutions. “The sea is
receding rapidly,” Wilcox said. “Irrigation water is what feeds the Salton Sea.
… We fight a declining inflow to the sea, and then we’re fighting a dust issue
as the sea declines.”
Conservationists
team up with ranchers, loggers [Associated Press]
…Across
the nation, conservation groups in partnership with ranchers are using cattle
to restore native plant species by grazing invasive grasses. Other groups are
working with fishermen to fish sustainably, and using logging and mining
profits to pave way for forest and salmon restoration.…In the past,
conservationists relied on purchasing land and setting it aside, away from
human activity. Logging, ranching or mining were seen as harmful and
incompatible with preservation. But in recent years, the use of conservation
easements to retire development rights on private land has exploded. The
easements, which cost a fraction of what it would cost to buy the property,
allow landowners to continue working the land. In areas where nearby urban
development has pushed up land values, conservation easements can provide an
alternative solution to ranchers who might be tempted to sell their holdings,
said Daniel Press, a professor of environmental studies at the University of
California, Santa Cruz.
Massive
Napa do-over prompts grape plant shortage [Associated Press]
Napa
Valley, one of the world's premier wine growing regions, has an uncommon
problem these days: not enough new grapevine root stock is available to supply
the massive replanting that's under way there. A trifecta of developments has
created the critical shortage:
Aging
cabernet vines planted after a deadly phylloxera outbreak in the 1980s are due
for replacement that was deferred for years as sales of premium wines slumped
in the recession.
Decline
in Valley fog is real, records confirm [Stockton Record]
Valley
fog - scourge of white-knuckled drivers, savior of the cherry crop - has
declined by about one-third over the past three decades, according to new
research.…Fog records can be fickle, so they analyzed 30 years of satellite
data instead - more than 10,000 images, altogether - and concluded that about
20 percent of winter days are foggy today, compared with 30 percent before. You
might consider this good news, if you're a morning commuter or a Valley pilot.
Less fog might also bring down your home heating bill. But it's decidedly bad
news for farmers who need a certain number of chill hours each winter. Less fog
means more direct sunlight on the buds of sensitive fruit trees, a threat to
the agricultural industry's $10 billion annual fruit and nut crop. "It is
getting tougher and tougher in California," said University of California,
Davis, plant scientist Kitren Glozer. "This is not just anecdotal,
although the anecdotes are well worth listening to."
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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