Ag Today Monday, April 29, 2013

$35B overhaul of water system on tap [San Diego Union-Tribune]

The combined price tag for a grand redesign of California’s plumbing network now surpasses a staggering $35 billion, although there are signals that the final bill will eventually shrink….Final decisions are months, if not years away. But the various players — from local agencies to federal regulators — are locked in intense talks on three related fronts: • Scaling back a long-stalled $11 billion water bond, which could deliver $227 million to the San Diego County region. Earmarks for certain projects across the state are likely to be erased as Brown and lawmakers look to trim billions to make it more palatable to voters. Reservoir funding is a prime big-ticket target at $3 billion. • Permitting Gov. Jerry Brown’s $14 billion “twin tunnels” project under the delta or an alternative to bring Northern California water south, including to San Diego County that counts on the current system to fill about a third of its annual needs. • Securing approval of a related 50-year, $10.5 billion plan to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, from the fishery to flood protection. While moving forward on separate paths, the various programs are linked politically as well as financially.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2013/apr/28/35b-overhaul-of-water-system-on-tap/

Delta tunnel project to radically change Sacramento County landscape [Sacramento Bee]

When Daniel Wilson learned earlier this year that the state of California wants to bulldoze his family's pear orchard to build a giant Sacramento River water diversion, he and his brother were making a major new investment in the crop….Wilson and his neighbors are in the cross hairs of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to solve decades of California water conflict. The plan calls for two giant water diversion tunnels served by three intakes and a vast web of additional infrastructure….But the megaproject is giving rise to life-altering questions for people who live in the Delta, a mosaic of 70 islands and 1,000 miles of waterways that is the largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas. Nowhere are the effects more significant than in this 10-mile corridor of farmland between Freeport and Walnut Grove in Sacramento County. All three intakes are proposed here, along with most of the additional above-ground infrastructure.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/28/5377328/delta-tunnel-project-to-radically.html#storylink=misearch

Commentary: Ruling likely to impact farmers [Ventura County Star]

Tuesday, a respected judge in Santa Barbara will make a complex legal decision that could determine the future of agriculture and the unique quality of life and benefits it provides all of us in Ventura County….The city’s chief complaint is that it does not believe that UWCD’s implementation of the Water Code mandate to charge a 3:1 ratio (up to 5:1) on its pump-charge rates for municipal (city) use compared to agricultural irrigation use (i.e. crops, livestock, etc.) is valid under the California State Constitution….In the event the courts eventually agree with the city’s arguments the cost of water will more than double for agricultural needs — likely increasing the cost of food or forcing some farmers to go out of business….The final legal decision could likely play a huge part in the future of agriculture in Ventura County.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2013/apr/28/michael-solomon-ruling-likely-to-impact-farmers/

House GOP Bill: 500,000 farmworker visas [Wall Street Journal]

A GOP-backed immigration bill in the House would offer 500,000 farmworker visas – far more than a Senate plan – and cut benefits for laborers. The bill House Judiciary Committee Chairman Robert Goodlatte (R., Va.) is pursuing to overhaul immigration laws. He also released legislation to make E-verify, the system that checks workers’ legal status, mandatory for employers. Mr. Goodlatte’s plan would replace the existing agricultural visa program with a new program designed to allow workers to stay in the U.S. for up to 18 months. That would allow them to work for dairy farms and food processors, two industries that have pushed for a more flexible program to allow year-round labor. It makes 500,000 visas available each year, dwarfing a Senate proposal to allow 112,000 visas a year in the early stages of the program.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/04/26/house-gop-bill-500000-farmworker-visas/?KEYWORDS=house+gop+bill+farmworker+visas

*Link may require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.

Judge hits Fresno-based raisin marketing group [Fresno Bee]

The future of the California Raisin Marketing Board may be in jeopardy after a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled that the organization was not created legally. Judge Raymond Cadei's decision was hailed by lawyers representing a group of dissident growers and packers who have been trying to dismantle the board for several years.…The Fresno-based board is responsible for promoting California raisins through advertising and marketing campaigns. But some farmers have complained about paying for marketing that they don't agree with.…This is the second attack the raisin industry has faced in recent weeks. The U.S. Supreme Court is hearing a case involving a maverick Fresno County raisin grower who is fighting the federal rules for regulating the flow of raisins into the market.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/27/3277122/judge-hits-fresno-based-raisin.html#storylink=misearch

Op-Ed: California cows may be happy; producers are not [Stockton Record]

California is esteemed for many things, but few are as iconic as our "Happy Cows." Few are as treasured as the "grown and produced in California" labels that proudly represent the family farms that helped shape our state's cultural and economic foundations. Unfortunately, a tangle of antiquated price-setting methods is putting dairy farms small and large in peril. The rules governing the cost paid to farmers for milk allow cheese companies to pay dramatically less for milk in California than in other states and threaten the existence of hundreds of California's local, family-run dairies.…California is the only state that does not calculate whey, a residual protein from the manufacture of cheese, when regulating the price of milk. This leaves California milk producers at a serious disadvantage. Now is the time to begin to bring our system into the 21st century.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130428/A_OPINION03/304280306&cid=sitesearch

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. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Friday, April 26, 2013

Valley groundwater rule draws fire from both sides [Fresno Bee]

A far-reaching plan by the state to protect a large part of the San Joaquin Valley's groundwater drew criticism from farmers who say it is too costly and from environmentalists who say it doesn't go far enough. About 75 people representing growers, community members and agriculture leaders voiced their concerns Thursday during a workshop held by the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in downtown Fresno. The proposed rules that have been in the works for years would create a system for monitoring groundwater and controlling discharges of contaminants such as fertilizers and pesticides. The rules cover 850,000 acres of farmland in the broad Tulare Lake Basin, the nation's richest farming region.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/04/25/3273972/valley-ground-water-rule-draws.html

State orders county grower to clean up water [Salinas Californian]

In an unusual move, state regulators Wednesday issued a cleanup order to a Monterey County farm officials say is poisoning wells near San Lucas with nitrates. What was distinctive about the order is its leniency. “Normally in cases of this importance, where a community water supply is polluted, our order would include much more extensive and costly requirements,” said Michael Thomas, assistant executive officer of the the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board. “However, the land owner and farm operator have been proactive, and they are willing to work with us and the community, so we are not pursuing more extensive requirements or other enforcement actions.” For at least two years, residents of San Lucas in southern Monterey County, and students and teachers at the San Lucas Elementary School, have been using bottled water because the local drinking water well is polluted by nitrate from fertilizers, according to the water quality control board.

http://www.thecalifornian.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013304260028&nclick_check=1

Gov. Jerry Brown presses feds for quick review of Delta water tunnel project [Sacramento Bee]

Gov. Jerry Brown is asking federal officials to expedite review of the controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan, his proposal to build giant water diversion tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In a letter to the U.S. secretaries of Interior and Commerce, Brown urges that they release their environmental review and file a decision on whether the project can proceed by this summer. The goal is to ensure their process meshes with Brown's proposed timing for completion of a state-level environmental impact report and associated planning documents….It's not clear whether the federal government will expedite approval. Federal fishery agencies, overseen by Interior and Commerce, continue to express concerns about the project's potential effect on wildlife, as stated in letters submitted to the state two weeks ago.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/26/5373295/gov-jerry-brown-presses-feds-for.html#storylink=misearch

Flooding as part of Bay Delta Conservation Plan could ruin Yolo Bypass rice crop [Woodland Daily Democrat]

Burying two 40-foot-wide tunnels beneath the Delta will make a mess, but state officials hope to offset the environmental damage by improving the ecosystem in other parts of the Central Valley. And one of their main candidates for mitigation is the Yolo Bypass, where the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, or BDCP, proposes increased flooding to create additional fish habitat. Yolo County leadership has been leery of this idea, and a new report explains why: a cost of up to $9 million per year in lost revenue, and the possible irreversible loss of the entire rice crop in the Bypass.

http://www.dailydemocrat.com/ci_23109323/report-flooding-part-bay-delta-conservation-plan-could?IADID=Search-www.dailydemocrat.com-www.dailydemocrat.com

House panel set to offer several immigration bills [New York Times]

The House Judiciary Committee announced Thursday that it would introduce a series of bills beginning this week to overhaul the nation’s immigration system. The move was designed to keep the committee in the middle of the debate over the issue, which is now percolating on Capitol Hill, and to press a bipartisan group in the House that has been working in private on its own broad legislation. Representative Robert W. Goodlatte, Republican of Virginia and the chairman of the committee, said the first of several proposals in the coming weeks would create a guest worker program for agriculture and require employers to use an electronic verification system to check the immigration status of employees. Mr. Goodlatte made it clear that his committee’s intention was to jump-start the debate in the House. The bipartisan House group studying immigration, which has been meeting in secret on and off for about four years, has yet to offer its own proposal.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/us/politics/house-panel-says-it-will-offer-series-of-immigration-bills.html?_r=0

U.S. opens spigot after farmers claim discrimination [New York Times]

…Ever since the Clinton administration agreed in 1999 to make $50,000 payments to thousands of black farmers, the Hispanics and women had been clamoring in courtrooms and in Congress for the same deal. They argued, as the African-Americans had, that biased federal loan officers had systematically thwarted their attempts to borrow money to farm….On the heels of the Supreme Court’s ruling, interviews and records show, the Obama administration’s political appointees at the Justice and Agriculture Departments engineered a stunning turnabout: they committed $1.33 billion to compensate not just the 91 plaintiffs but thousands of Hispanic and female farmers who had never claimed bias in court….The compensation effort sprang from a desire to redress what the government and a federal judge agreed was a painful legacy of bias against African-Americans by the Agriculture Department. But an examination by The New York Times shows that it became a runaway train, driven by racial politics, pressure from influential members of Congress and law firms that stand to gain more than $130 million in fees. In the past five years, it has grown to encompass a second group of African-Americans as well as Hispanic, female and Native American farmers. In all, more than 90,000 people have filed claims. The total cost could top $4.4 billion.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/26/us/farm-loan-bias-claims-often-unsupported-cost-us-millions.html?pagewanted=all

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. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Thursday, April 25, 2013

Immigration bill uncertain in House [Wall Street Journal]

The last time House Republicans passed a broad immigration overhaul, they called for expedited deportations and tougher criminal penalties, but did nothing to expand guest-worker programs or address the millions of immigrants in the country illegally. Now, more than seven years later, many lawmakers who backed that bill are vowing another tough stand if the Senate passes a bill to expand work visas and create a pathway to citizenship for people now in the country illegally….At the same time, there are reasons to believe Republicans there will be more receptive this time to provisions rejected in 2005….One of the Republicans involved in the broader discussions is first-year Rep. David Valadao, whose district in California's Central Valley is more than 70% Hispanic. He argues that even districts with small Latino populations would benefit from expanded legal immigration, because their constituents benefit from economic activity elsewhere in the country.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324743704578443153893400608.html?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6

*Link may require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.

GMO foods subject of bill in U.S. Senate [San Francisco Chronicle]

On the heels of last year's defeat on the issue in California, Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., and Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., have introduced a bill to order the Food and Drug Administration to mandate the labeling of genetically engineered foods. The legislation, which would require food manufacturers and stores to tag items made with genetically modified ingredients or grown from genetically engineered seeds, has support from both sides of the aisle, including more than 20 co-sponsors combined in the Senate and House of Representatives. It has been hailed by food labeling advocates as a boon for consumers who have repeatedly tried to get such laws passed. California's Proposition 37, a referendum on requiring genetically engineered food labeling last year, failed to pass. Boxer tried to pass a similar bill, without success, in 2000. But activists say that Boxer and DeFazio's proposed legislation shows that demand for a genetically engineered labeling law has reached critical mass.

http://www.sfgate.com/default/article/GMO-foods-subject-of-bill-in-U-S-Senate-4460967.php

Yellow frog, Yosemite toad close to ESA protection [Associated Press]

The Yosemite toad and the Sierra Nevada yellow-legged frog share some critical mountain habitat and now an unenviable distinction: both are being proposed for federal Endangered Species Act protection. Yellow-legged frogs, which live throughout the Sierra Nevada, have declined in numbers in recent years due to habitat destruction, predation by non-native trout in mountain waterways, the drifting of pesticides to the mountains from farm fields and climate change. Yosemite toads are threatened primarily by livestock grazing, climate change and pesticides, according to the Center for Biological Diversity, which has pushed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to speed up protection decisions.…The proposal, announced Wednesday, includes designating 2 million acres of critical habitat for the amphibians. The listings could impact some federal permits on grazing land, a situation that is frustrating members of the California Cattlemen's Association.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/04/24/5369006/yellow-frog-yosemite-toad-close.html#storylink=misearch

Wild dogs kill hundreds of goats [Stockton Record]

The San Joaquin County Sheriff's Office conducted air and ground searches Wednesday for a pack of wild dogs that has slaughtered hundreds of goats in French Camp, and one dog was shot when it advanced toward a deputy, authorities said. The dogs are believed to be responsible for at least six attacks at five locations since April 11, said Deputy Les Garcia, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Office. The bloodiest attack occurred Monday, when 160 goats were killed at the Stockton Livestock Auction Yards on East French Camp Road, Garcia said. Auction yard manager Joe Mayar said 87 goats were found dead and 73 others were euthanized because of injuries to their throats and limbs, costing his business $35,000.…The dogs have killed at least 240 goats in the area, Mayar said.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130425/A_NEWS/304250330&cid=sitesearch

Shorebirds fit into puzzling future of rice farming [Davis Enterprise]

Yolo County’s rice farmland is home to more than one entity that needs to cope with changes in order to survive. “We get up every morning, look for the sunshine, and hope it’s going to be a good day,” said Yolo County rice farmer Jack De Witte. His 1,500-acre stretch of land sprawls in the Yolo Bypass, and neighbors many unlikely allies — long-legged shorebirds wading in wetlands. The two — the rice farmer and the (native and migratory) waterbirds — are reliant on one another in their less than ideal circumstances.

http://www.davisenterprise.com/local-news/shorebirds-fit-into-puzzling-future-of-rice-farming/

Editorial: Preparing county for ag’s future [Santa Maria Times]

It seemed evident many years ago that, at some point, decision makers in Santa Barbara County would need to choose between agriculture and residential/commercial development as the dominant social configuration.…As the years passed, it became just as evident that agriculture would remain an integral part of the local culture, social fabric and economy….Which is what the Board of Supervisors had in mind last week by unanimously approving a series of land-use recommendations, the purpose of which is to establish a more formal and official buffer between farm/ranch lands and residential/commercial development….Protecting agriculture and developers from each other makes perfect sense for Santa Barbara County, which is an eclectic mix of urban chic and dusty-booted wranglers. It’s a balance worth protecting, and the county’s new rules about buffering without fencing off seems a good way to maintain that balance.

http://santamariatimes.com/news/opinion/editorial/preparing-county-for-ag-s-future/article_0aeab246-ad4e-11e2-95af-0019bb2963f4.html

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. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.

Ag Today Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Judge orders FDA to proceed on food-safety rules [Wall Street Journal]

A federal judge ordered the Food and Drug Administration to move forward with enacting an overhaul of U.S. food-safety regulations that were signed into law two years ago. The Center for Food Safety, a group concerned with human health issues, sued in August to prevent the agency from delaying enactment of the 2011 Food Safety Modernization Act. The FDA has missed most of the deadlines set by Congress to implement new food-safety rules for domestic producers and imports. In a decision Monday, Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California said the agency shouldn't be able to endlessly delay the process.…Judge Hamilton acknowledged the FDA's argument that implementing the food-safety law is a "complex and difficult task" and that the agency doesn't have enough specialists to move quicker, but she said fixed deadlines are still necessary. She ordered the Center for Food Safety to work with the FDA and agree on new timelines for the rules. The judge asked them to present the rules to the court by May 20. An FDA official declined to comment on the decision.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324235304578440982270788050.html?KEYWORDS=judge+orders+fda

State committed to fighting food fraud [Stockton]

Food fraud takes many forms - horse meat labeled as beef in a frozen lasagna, toxic melamine plastic added to infant formula to fool testers or cheap canola oil dyed emerald green passing as virgin olive oil. But they're all intended to cheat consumers out of their money and sometimes, unintentionally, their lives. Battling such fraud was the focus of a conference Tuesday at University of California, Davis, that drew dozens of people, including food producers, researchers, legal experts and government leaders. It is an important fight, said Karen Ross, the state secretary of food and agriculture. California's $42.5 billion agricultural industry is bolstered by consumers' confidence in its products. And Ross said the state is active in ensuring label and advertised claims are met, helping regulate organic food standards and farmers' markets, and enforcing standards for products such as processing tomatoes, strawberries, garlic and leafy greens. "We want to stand for the strongest standards possible to keep that consumer confidence in California products," she said.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130424/A_BIZ/304240312&cid=sitesearch

Farm Bureau urges caution in reforming environmental law [Napa Valley Register]

Some Napa County supervisors spoke in favor of reforming the California Environmental Quality Act Tuesday, but stopped short of throwing their support behind any specific proposal that’s currently being considered in the Legislature.…Critics of the law assert special interest groups seeking to delay or stop projects will file lawsuits under CEQA, dragging out the land-use and planning process while driving up developers’ costs. But supporters say it provides much-needed protection to the environment and to residents, who are able to better gauge project impacts and participate in the process by offering comments and attending public hearings.…Sandy Elles, executive director of the Napa County Farm Bureau, urged the supervisors not to be hasty in staking out positions on the proposals. While having to read 5,000-page CEQA documents doesn’t help public transparency, Elles said CEQA is still an invaluable legal tool for the public. “I don’t want to see the public and stakeholders lose their ability to utilize this very important public process,” Elles said. “It’s a very delicate process to reform CEQA.”

http://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/farm-bureau-urges-caution-in-reforming-environmental-law/article_b3c335f0-ac68-11e2-88fc-0019bb2963f4.html

Advisory committee: MID should consider reservoirs in Salida, Empire [Modesto Bee]

A volunteer advisory committee may have found a silver bullet sought by grateful Modesto Irrigation District leaders. In a progress report Tuesday, committee spokesman Jim Mortensen pitched the idea of a new reservoir in Salida that would build sorely lacking flexibility into the district's water delivery system. Converting a partly dug stormwater basin owned by Stanislaus County into a holding reservoir would allow the MID to capture water that otherwise would continue to flow down canals into rivers, Mortensen said. The district could conserve 4,700 acre-feet of water a year, he said, that might be sold to generate money to upgrade its aging canal system. The committee suggested starting environmental studies needed for a larger holding reservoir near Empire that could conserve 7,930 acre-feet per year. By the time construction would start in three or so years, the district would have enough data from the Salida reservoir to know how valuable such flexibility is, Mortensen said.

http://www.modbee.com/2013/04/23/2683913/advisory-committee-mid-should.html#storylink=misearch

Editorial: Immigration reforms still needed [Monterey County Herald]

Opponents of immigration reform, including Sens. Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Rand Paul of Kentucky, want to slow down legislation in the wake of the Boston bombings. It's no surprise; politicians exploit news events for political gain all the time. But the hypocrisy is particularly transparent….Those grasping this excuse to delay reforms do not want to fix the system. They don't want to make it easier for tech companies and farmers to get the workers they need, or to bring 11 million immigrants out of the shadows. They want to kill reform. Senators concerned about the safety of Americans should be for reforms now on the table. The bipartisan proposal reflects years of work with a heavy focus on national security….The proposal needs some work. The fees are awfully high. The rules should do more to help families stay together, since tight relationships are often key to an immigrant's success in America. Reforms must allow gays and lesbians to bring their partners. But when it comes to what really matters — the things that business, labor, immigrant rights advocates and law enforcement have been clamoring for — this proposal is spot on.

http://www.montereyherald.com/editorials/ci_23094199/immigration-reforms-still-needed

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. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address.