Senate
opens tough immigration debate [Sacramento Bee]
With
an overwhelming vote, the Senate on Tuesday launched debate on an ambitious
overhaul of the nation's immigration laws, as Republicans, most of whom have
not yet embraced the effort, declined to stand in the way of bringing it to the
floor. But continuing doubts within the GOP about some of the bill's central
elements, particularly on border security, could doom the effort….To become
law, the bill also would have to get through the Republican-controlled House.
Speaker John A. Boehner, R-Ohio, said Tuesday that passing an immigration bill
into law would be "at the top" of his chamber's accomplishments this
year. He also hinted he might be willing to let a bill come to the floor even
if most of his GOP caucus does not support it.
Editorial: California ag needs
reform bill most of all [Bakersfield Californian]
The
U.S. needs immigration reform first and foremost because it's the right thing
to do, both for the undocumented, working immigrants it would most affect and
the nation's agriculture industry. By extension, that also means U.S. consumers.
About half of the country's farm labor force is illegal, according to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture, and California, by far the nation's leading state
for agriculture, is particularly dependent on such workers. Hewing strictly to
the law as it exists now would wipe out whole industries, which ought to be
proof enough that any sort of reform must accept this reality….The importance
of reform is, in a general sense, fairly obvious. But in those places where
agriculture is king -- and ironically that's where much of the opposition of
House Republicans lies -- it is beyond dispute.
Farm
bill reforms would mean change for Sacramento Valley rice growers [Chico
Enterprise Record]
Sacramento
Valley rice farmers will likely see the end of crop subsidy payments and a new
age of crop insurance under versions of a federal farm bill working their way
through Congress….Growers of commodities including rice, corn, soybeans, wheat
and cotton have received program payments in the past, and have been expecting
the shift to crop insurance. The federal government would pay about two-thirds
of insurance costs. "The Senate did its job well," so far this year,
said Tim Johnson, president of the California Rice Commission….The California
Farm Bureau Federation is also pleased programs for specialty crops have been
retained in the current bills, including fruits, vegetables and nuts. About
half of the nation's production comes from California, said Josh Rolph,
director of federal policy for the California Farm Bureau.
Commentary: Farm bill would be
a disaster for conservation, California [Sacramento Bee]
The
farm bills now before Congress will affect all Californians and every aspect of
the American food and farming system. Their priorities are all wrong,
especially when it comes to protecting natural resources. Both the Senate and
the House are proposing to slash vital conservation programs that help farmers
better protect the air, water, soil and wildlife habitat on their farms….But
it's not enough to maintain current funding levels. Conservation resources must
be targeted more effectively to reach more farmers and reduce water pollution.
Our organization, the Environmental Working Group, has found that just 2
percent of funding over the past four years in California's most important farm
bill conservation program – the Environmental Quality Incentive Program , or
EQIP – is going directly to farmers to develop and implement nutrient and pest
management plans that help them reduce the use of fertilizer and pesticides on
their farms.
Review
of Gaviota Coast Plan begins [Santa Maria Times]
It
took the Gaviota Planning Advisory Committee three years to develop the Gaviota
Coast Plan, the draft document that will guide development along the coast from
Vandenberg Air Force Base to Goleta. The Santa Barbara County Planning
Commission, which took its first swing at the document Tuesday, hopes it
doesn’t take that long to give their stamp of approval and pass it on to the
Board of Supervisors….Portions of the plan walk a fine line between property
rights and public access. The area’s farmers and ranchers are looking to retain
their operations without additional restrictions that the new plan could
impose. They’re also looking to keep a vast network of public trails proposed
by the plan off their property.
Op-Ed: Separating the
biotech wheat from the chaff [Wall Street Journal]
…As
a North Dakota wheat producer, the first thing I want you to know is that GM
wheat doesn't put anyone at risk….So the biggest question is not whether the GM
wheat found in Oregon is safe—we know with confidence that it is—but rather how
it got there in the first place….And let's not discount the possibility of
mischief: The enemies of biotech crops are thrilled by this discovery. Last
week, Monsanto Co., which developed the GM wheat, refused to rule out the possibility
of sabotage. This episode teaches us two important lessons. The first is that
we have an outstanding system of food regulation in the U.S., and what appears
to be an isolated event in Oregon has moved from a local farmer to a state
researcher to the USDA for verification testing. The second is that we have
nothing to fear from biotech wheat.
Ag
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