Salinas
forum sparks fumigant debate [Salinas Californian]
State
pesticide officials can be certain of two things as they continue to unveil
their plan to further regulate a widely-used agricultural fumigant in the
Salinas Valley: Environmentalists and farmworker advocates will likely claim
the finished product lacks teeth while growers will argue it’s too restrictive
and costly. Not an enviable position to be in but that was the overarching
message delivered on Monday and Tuesday as officials from the state Department
of Pesticide Regulation held regional forums — including two in Salinas — that
solicited comments about its plan to increase safeguards around the use of the
fumigant chloropicrin….Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County
Farm Bureau, told officials that unless consumers are willing to double or
triple what they pay at the supermarket, there is no viable economic
alternative. He added that if chloropicrin is ultimately banned before there is
a workable alternative, it could have unintended consequences for agriculture
in the state.
Boehner
says he will support farm bill [Associated Press]
House
Speaker John Boehner says he will vote for a wide-ranging farm bill headed to
the House floor this month, a major boost for the five year, half-trillion
dollar legislation that stalled in the House last year. The Ohio Republican
voted against the last farm bill in 2008 and said Wednesday that he has
concerns with this year's version as well. But doing nothing, Boehner said,
means "that we get no changes in the farm program, no changes in the
nutrition program."…Boehner said earlier this week that the House will
vote on the bill this month and encouraged members of the chamber to offer
amendments to make the bill better. Conservatives in have been divided over the
food stamp program, which now serves around one in seven Americans. Some feel
the committee's cuts don't go far enough to reduce the size of the domestic
food aid….Conservative groups have been pressuring Republicans to vote against
the farm bill, saying it is too costly.
Immigration
amendments reflect concern about border security [New York Times]
As
debate started on Wednesday on amendments to the Senate immigration bill,
border security emerged as a focal point, with supporters and doubters agreeing
that those provisions would have to be strengthened to attract more votes,
especially from Republicans. “In order to bring conservatives to this cause,
those who want immigration reform must understand that a real solution must
ensure that our borders are secure,” said Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, a Republican
who is one of those conservatives.…The eight senators who wrote the overhaul
bill say they are open to changes, but not to altering its core: a path to
citizenship for 11 million immigrants now in the country illegally, with a
sequence of border measures, known as triggers, along the way.
Cesar
Chavez film to avoid immigration debate [New York Times]
For
Participant Media, a nine-year-old Hollywood company with a fondness for films
about social issues, the political minefield is comfortable terrain.…But this
time is different. Participant and its partners are getting ready to offer a
Latino hero in their still-unfinished movie “Chavez,” about Cesar Chavez and
his struggle to unionize farmworkers. But they are largely avoiding the
overriding Latino issue of the moment — immigration reform. Mr. Chavez, perhaps
the best-known Mexican-American activist, fought for better wages and
conditions for workers but held complex and evolving views on the status of
unauthorized immigrants, some of which would be at odds with the changes many
Hispanics and others are seeking today….While no release date has been set, the
movie is expected to open next year around March 31, Mr. Chavez’s birthday,
which several states, including California, will observe — and when backers
hope the possible declaration of national holiday in his honor will give the
film a point of entry.
Record
corn and soybean yields are predicted [New York Times]
The
government is predicting record corn and soybean yields this year despite
intense spring showers that have delayed planting, damaged crops already in the
ground and prevented farmers from sowing all of their seeds. But the
projections are based on estimates made before the heavy rains came about how
many acres of crops will be planted. The Department of Agriculture, in a report
released on Wednesday, estimated that 14 billion bushels of corn will be
produced this year, a forecast that, if it holds true, would crush the previous
record of 13.1 billion set four years ago. The World Agricultural Supply and
Demand Estimates report also forecast that a record 3.39 billion bushels of
soybeans would be harvested….But even a moderate decrease in the U.S.D.A.’s
current projections would still mean a much more bountiful crop than last year,
when one of the most widespread droughts in the nation’s history led to a
harvest of about 10.8 billion bushels. Last year’s poor production leaves a lot
of room for improvement this year, which could translate into an ease on
commodity prices.
WA
resists California grape imports [The West Australian]
WA's
Department of Agriculture is at loggerheads with its Federal counterpart over a
proposal to allow imports of grapes from California, setting the stage for a
fierce battle with Canberra to preserve the State's pest-free reputation. In a
submission to the Federal Department of Agriculture's proposal, the WA Department
of Agriculture and Food disputed the Federal finding that grapes imported from
California carried a low risk of importing phomopsis viticola….Growers in WA's
premier wine regions of Margaret River and Swan Valley have banded together to
fight the proposal….Mr Griffiths said the importation of Californian grapes
would open the door to several other nasty pests and diseases such as
phylloxera - an insect that feeds on the roots of grapevines - and Pierce's
disease, which is one of the biggest threats to grape growers.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment