Fears
over water rise from drop to stream [Stockton Record]
From
the bathtub rings around our reservoirs, to the salty Delta lapping up against
our levees, there is ample evidence that in the span of just two years
California's water supply has shifted from wealth to want. The state has not
formally declared a drought, but water managers are using words like
"dire" to describe the situation - particularly if next winter
disappoints….Ultimately, the fact that all this is happening just two years after
reservoirs were full to the brim is not a good sign, said John Herrick, a
Stockton attorney who represents farmers in the south Delta. "The system
is collapsing," Herrick said. "There are so many commitments for
water that now we're seeing regularly, sadly, this huge gap in supply versus
demand."
Residents
question cost of of saving frogs, toads in Sierra [Fresno Bee]
Mountain
residents and the Fresno County sheriff are squaring off against a federal
wildlife agency over frogs and toads — an Endangered Species Act fight that
spreads like wildfire along the Sierra Nevada. People are reacting to proposed
protection for the dwindling amphibians, fearing it will "seal off"
land to logging, grazing and hiking, and threaten use of foothill reservoirs.
The economy will be devastated, they say. Fish and Wildlife leaders say they
are not proposing to shut down forests.…The species in question are two
distinct populations of the mountain yellow-legged frog and the Yosemite toad.
A widespread fungus, fish predation and loss of habitat are decimating them.
Psyllid
meetings scheduled [Porterville Recorder]
Growers
waiting for the California Department of Food and Agriculture to announced what
steps it will take to combat the latest discovery of Asian citrus psyllids will
only have to wait until Tuesday. Officials with the state and Tulare County
announced Friday a meeting will be held 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday at the Heritage
Complex at the International Agri-Center in Tulare for growers. Joel Nelsen,
president of California Citrus Mutual, said the meeting will outline what steps
will be taken to halt the spread of the tiny bugs that are a huge threat to the
citrus industry. It appears, said Nelsen, steps similar to the restrictive
zones created late last year around similar discoveries of the psyllids will be
put in place this time. However, instead of restrictive zones, Tulare County
Deputy Ag Commissioner Gavin Iacono said they will be quarantine zones.
A
race to save the orange by altering its DNA [New York Times]
…With
a precipitous decline in Florida’s harvest predicted within the decade, the
only chance left to save it, Mr. Kress believed, was one that his industry and
others had long avoided for fear of consumer rejection. They would have to
alter the orange’s DNA — with a gene from a different species. Oranges are not
the only crop that might benefit from genetically engineered resistance to
diseases for which standard treatments have proven elusive. And advocates of
the technology say it could also help provide food for a fast-growing
population on a warming planet by endowing crops with more nutrients, or the
ability to thrive in drought, or to resist pests. Leading scientific
organizations have concluded that shuttling DNA between species carries no
intrinsic risk to human health or the environment, and that such alterations
can be reliably tested. But the idea of eating plants and animals whose DNA has
been manipulated in a laboratory — called genetically modified organisms, or
G.M.O.’s — still spooks many people.
Seeking
support, biotech food companies pledge transparency [New York Times]
With
pressure growing to label genetically modified foods, the developers of
biotechnology crops are starting a campaign to gain support for their products
by promising new openness. The centerpiece of the effort is a Web site that is
expected to go into operation on Monday to answer virtually any question posed
by consumers about genetically engineered crops. The site, GMOAnswers.com, is
also expected to include safety data about the crops similar to that submitted
to regulatory agencies.…While there has been opposition to genetically
engineered crops since they were introduced in the 1990s, the Internet has
allowed critical voices to be heard more loudly….While Ms. Enright said the new
Web site was not aimed specifically at opposing labeling, the industry was
apparently hoping more transparency would ease concerns about the crops’ safety
that underlie some of the demand for labeling.
Stanislaus
sees huge increase in almond orchards as demand soars [Modesto Bee]
Millions
of newly planted almond trees are transforming Stanislaus County —
economically, environmentally, aesthetically and maybe even culturally. More
than 18 million trees now produce those tasty little nuts in the county, and
the world's population can't seem to get enough of them. Almond products
emerged as the county's most valuable crop last year, and it is expected to
dominate the agriculture industry for years to come….Now here's the surprising
thing: It's mostly small orchards — not big corporate farmers — growing
almonds.
Ag
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