Boehner's
stand dims farm bill hopes [Politico]
Hopes
of salvaging a long-term farm bill in this Congress are fading fast as Speaker
John Boehner continues to resist including any such legislation in a year-end
budget deal with President Barack Obama. Both the White House and Treasury
Secretary Timothy Geithner have said savings promised from commodity subsidies
could be part of a deficit reduction down payment this year. And as recently as
last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack urged farm bill negotiators to
work “24/7” so they could be the “caboose” on any legislative train leaving
before New Year’s. But sources familiar with the deficit talks paint a very
different picture: of the speaker digging in, saying he can’t include the farm
bill in any package for fear of losing more Republican votes….This rankles farm
bill supporters, since it was Boehner who blocked the House Agriculture
Committee from even bringing its five-year plan – which was 594 pages, not
1,000 — to the House floor before the election. And Senate Agriculture
Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) is still rooting for a
“Christmas miracle.”
More
support for farmer contracts [Stockton Record]
San
Joaquin County officials reiterated support to continue covering the cost of a
tax subsidy for farmers and other landowners who promise not to develop their
land. The contracts are allowed by a law called the Williamson Act, which acts
as an incentive for farmers to continue using the land for agricultural uses
and preserve the state's limited amount of farmland….There was no crowd of
farmers at Tuesday's meeting of the Board of Supervisors. The Williamson Act
items on the agenda were either routine cleanups or new contracts, according to
the county. But supervisors talked about their continuing support for the
contracts.
Feds
give oyster farm a little more time [Marin Independent Journal]
The
Drakes Bay Oyster Company will have a little more time to wind down operations
under an agreement reached Monday by attorneys for owner Kevin Lunny and the
U.S. Department of Interior. Under the agreement, the oyster company which has
long been a fixture in Point Reyes National Seashore may continue activities
involving planting and growing new oysters in the water at Drakes Estero,
avoiding layoffs of one-third of its 30 employees right before the holidays. It
will also no longer be required to immediately remove the mobile residential
units located on site providing more time for those employees to look for
housing.
So.
Calif. meatpacker settles discrimination claim [Associated Press]
A
meatpacker that makes Farmer John products and Dodger Dogs agreed to pay nearly
$440,000 and offer women hundreds of jobs to settle allegations of gender
discrimination, federal officials announced Tuesday. Clougherty Packing Co.
will pay the money to about 2,000 women whose applications for entry-level jobs
were rejected between 2007 and 2009. The women had sought jobs packaging,
cutting and slicing meat products at the company's Los Angeles-area plant, said
Jose A. Carnevali, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of Labor.
Temperatures
drop as Valley gets freeze warning [Fresno Bee]
A
freeze warning is in effect through 9 a.m. today in the central and southern
San Joaquin Valley, the National Weather Service said late Tuesday night. The
weather service had issued a frost advisory Tuesday afternoon, anticipating
that winds would keep overnight temperatures from dropping below the low 30s.
But the winds died down and temperatures began dropping faster than expected,
said meteorologist Modesto Vasquez.…Citrus growers said earlier Tuesday that
they didn't expect overnight temperatures to drop low enough to damage the
fruit. Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for the Exeter-based
California Citrus Mutual, said temperatures in the low 30s help increase the
shelf life for citrus fruit.
Opinion: Water challenges
need a viable bond measure [Sacramento Bee]
…The
water bond currently slated for the 2014 ballot is both bloated and
unworkable….It's time for a fresh approach. Rather than tinkering with the 2009
water bond, I have introduced a new bill, Senate Bill 42, the California Clean,
Secure, Water Supply and Delta Recovery Act of 2014….The time is ripe for a
fresh, focused discussion on a new, consensus-based water bond. We now have a
new governor and a new Legislature – about two-thirds of the current members of
the Legislature were not there in 2009.
Ag
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