Battle
over the 'Wild and Scenic' Merced [Wall Street Journal]
A
small-scale river spat here foreshadows some major water battles to come over
the San Francisco Bay and the delta and rivers that flow into it. Environmental
advocates are objecting to an effort that has been supported by members of the
San Joaquin Valley's congressional delegation to remove the "Wild and
Scenic River" designation from a short stretch of the Merced River that
runs down a deep canyon and past a closed gold mine about 30 miles west of
Yosemite National Park. Lifting the "Wild and Scenic" status could be
the first step toward enlarging Lake McClure, a reservoir on the Merced River,
so it can store more water in wet years for use in dry years. Opponents say
this would be a betrayal of the 1968 Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, which protects
the free-flowing condition of designated rivers.
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New
legal battle over Yuba River [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
Citing
potential economic impact and effects on water reliability and flood control
improvements, the Yuba County Water Agency filed a federal lawsuit on Wednesday
to throw out a biological opinion that calls for removing Englebright and
Daguerre Point dams. If the National Marine Fisheries Service's opinion on how
to restore endangered fish runs on the Yuba River proceeds, according to YCWA,
Yuba County could lose tens of millions of dollars in revenue annually from
water transfers and hydroelectric power….According to the suit, the Fisheries
Service's biological opinion has a host of problems, including flawed science,
failure to consider other environmental impacts from its recommendations and
unreasonable deadlines for compliance. Aikens said among the opinion's
suggestions, requiring certain water flows for salmon runs, would make it
difficult for the agency to have reliable supply to produce energy or sell for
irrigation.
Valley
citrus growers prepare for freezing temperatures [Visalia Times-Delta]
This
weekend will be no time to relax for Larry Peltzer and other citrus growers
across the Valley. “This weekend, it will be sleepless nights for us, but we’ve
done this before. It’s part of the game,” he said Wednesday, noting that he
expects to be busy monitoring the temperature at his Ivanhoe-area farm, along
with his irrigation systems and fans to try to keep his fruit from freezing
overnight. Peltzer and other growers have been getting ready — checking to make
sure their water pumps and fans are working properly and are gassed up — since
getting word Wednesday of freezing temperatures expected to hit the Valley during
the early-morning hours starting late tonight or early Friday morning.
Freeze
warning issued for Santa Cruz County [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
The
thermometer will plunge into the freezing zone for the next day or two, which
some county farmers say could help their dormant crops….John Eiskamp, a
longtime Watsonville berry grower, said the cold temperatures should help his
crops grow stronger and produce greater fruit in the spring. Berries need a
certain amount of "chill hours" during the dormant, winter period, he
said. "The cold weather is good for us," Eiskamp said. "It's a
process they naturally go through." However, Eiskamp said if the freezing
weather lingers for too long, plants can suffer from frost bite, which burns
the leaves and prevents berries from sprouting.
Cash
for hay driving thieves to move bundles [New York Times]
Across
the West, ranchers, farmers and county sheriffs are grappling with a new
scourge: hay rustling. Months of punishing drought and grass fires have pushed
the price of hay, grain and other animal feed to near records, making the
golden bales an increasingly irresistible target for thieves. Some steal them
for profit. Others are fellow farmers acting out of desperation, their fields
too brown to graze animals and their finances too wrecked to afford enough feed
for their cattle….California’s farmers have grappled recently with growing
thefts of grapes, beehives and avocados, and sheriffs say high prices of scrap
metal have made agricultural machinery — whether it works or not — an appealing
target. Dubious online merchants are selling feed to farmers but never
delivering.
Commentary: Taking local
agriculture to the next level [Santa Ynez Valley News]
…I
am blessed to be able to continue farming, but it is not without its
challenges. Agriculture has changed since the days when I rode on the back of
that grain drill as a little boy. Farmers today are faced with ever-increasing
regulations that take us out of the fields and into hearing rooms and endless
meetings. Most farmers can’t afford to attend all these meetings, and rely on
organizations like the Farm Bureau to advocate on their behalf. My grandfather
Sam was a founding member of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, and we
continue being members of this important organization. I have had the privilege
of leading our county Farm Bureau as its president during the past four years.
I am proud of the work we have done as advocates for our members, while
partnering with the California State Farm Bureau Federation.
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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