House
panel to try again with full agriculture bill in 2013 [Bloomberg]
Farm-state
lawmakers in the House have conceded they probably won’t be able to attach a
long-term extension of U.S. farm policy to any deal to avert tax increases and
budget cuts set to take effect in the new year, and will now go back to the
drawing board. Representative Collin Peterson of Minnesota, the Agriculture Committee’s
top Democrat, said the panel probably will begin consideration of a new bill,
designed to set farm policy for five years, on Feb. 27. The old law expired
Sept. 30. “What else are we going to do? We have no other choice,” Peterson
said yesterday. Late February is the earliest such action could happen and “I
see no reason to delay,” House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas, an
Oklahoma Republican, told reporters.
Vilsack
expresses doubt about future of farm bill [Gannett News Service]
For
the first time, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack publicly expressed concern
that Congress would not finish work on a five-year farm bill this year. In
recent weeks, the former Iowa governor has ratcheted up pressure on Congress
and top House Republicans to get a bill done while warning that a failure to
pass a new law could send the healthy farm economy into turmoil and boost
uncertainty for farmers and ranchers. "The reality is that there is a very
serious risk that we might not get a farm bill done this year," Vilsack
said on Wednesday at an event sponsored by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
"The uncertainty of not knowing what the policies are going to be will
create difficulties. We need a farm bill and we need it now."
Farm
work: The job that no American wants? [AOL Jobs]
The
majority of the business owners in a state industry say they can't find enough
workers to fill all their open jobs. And the state, California, has a 10.2
percent unemployment rate, the third worst in the nation.…According to a new
survey of 800 farmers, nearly 2 out of every 3 farmers are having trouble
finding enough workers to harvest crops. And 1 out of 5 farmers say they've
been forced to cut back on planting or left crops unharvested as a result of
the lack of workers for these $10-an-hour jobs. The explanation: Due in part to
government crackdowns on illegal immigration and undocumented workers, there is
a shortage of workers willing to work at these farm jobs, according to the
survey by the nonprofit, non-government and nonpartisan California Farm Bureau
Federation.
Yolo
County Farm Bureau supports Woodland-Davis water project [Woodland Daily
Democrat]
The
Woodland-Davis Clean Water Agency gained another notch on its belt of
supporters. Agency Chairman and Woodland City Councilman Bill Marble shared a
letter of support, addressed to him, regarding the pending surface water
project from the Yolo County Farm Bureau at Tuesday's council meeting.
"The project will decrease the demand on the groundwater supply, which
will benefit Yolo County's agricultural and rural residents who depend on the
groundwater to supply their water needs as Yolo County's groundwater is a vital
water supply source, especially during periods of drought," said Farm
Bureau President Chuck Dudley in the letter as one reason directors give the
project a nod of approval. "This project will keep the 45,000 acre-feet of
water in Yolo County, rather than possibly being sold to out-of-county
interests," Dudley added.
Valley
citrus growers brace for more cold temperatures [Fresno Bee]
Central
San Joaquin Valley citrus growers were bracing for another cold night Wednesday
as temperatures were forecast to drop below freezing for the second time in as
many days. Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for the Exeter-based
California Citrus Mutual, said most growers came out of Tuesday night's freeze
unscathed. Temperatures dropped to the upper 20s for several hours in the
coldest areas. Many farmers used wind machines and ran irrigation water through
their groves to help protect the fruit from frost.
Opinion: Food donation
always in season [Fresno Bee]
…
In California, more than 4 million people -- over 10% of the state's population
-- wake up not necessarily knowing where their next meal is coming from.
Furthermore, far too many of these families live in the Central Valley, close
to our highly productive farms, and some of them may even work on those farms
or elsewhere in the food delivery system. We know that farmers and ranchers
want to help solve this problem, and a new tax credit for 10% of inventory
costs of fresh fruits and vegetables donated to California food banks, after
Jan. 1, 2012, provides additional incentive. Fortunately, a tradition of
helping the needy is already firmly established in the farming community, a
commitment we are honoring during the holidays by recognizing December as Farm
to Food Bank Month. This year, approximately 135 million pounds of food (more
than the weight of the International Space Station) were donated by farms and
ranches to food banks in California.
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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