Cooperative
groundwater quality program launched [Salinas Californian]
…Dubbed
the Central Coast Cooperative Groundwater Program, it will anonymously test
wells in southern Santa Clara, San Benito, Santa Cruz and Monterey counties for
levels of compounds that leach into groundwater from modern agriculture
practices, nitrate being of top concern….The new approach, devised by the
Grower-Shipper Association of Central California and its partners, will develop
a more comprehensive data set that will provide growers, regulators and the
public with a better understanding of aquifer patterns, geology and levels of
nitrate contamination throughout the area, said Abby Taylor-Silva, vice
president of policy and communications with the Grower-Shipper Association and point
person for the groundwater monitoring project. The collaborative approach is
not unique, said Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm
Bureau, which will join with its counterparts in the other regional counties to
implement the program. The program has been used successfully in the eastern
San Joaquin Valley in the Tulare Basin, which is also battling excessively high
levels of nitrates in its groundwater.
Dairy
farmers, cheese makers compromise on milk, whey prices [Modesto Bee]
California
dairy farmers and cheese makers have agreed to a short-term compromise over the
price of milk bound for the cheese plants. The proposal, which has been written
into state legislation, could help farmers get through an economic crunch that
started nearly half a dec-ade ago….The deal calls for an increase in the
minimum amount that processors must pay for milk that's made into cheese, and a
separate increase reflecting the value of whey, a cheese byproduct sold to
other food companies. The increases would be added to the monthly minimums that
long have been set by the California Department of Food and
Agriculture….Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, has introduced a measure,
Assembly Bill 1038, that would carry out the change.
Rustlers
come back to steal more Hilmar calves [Modesto Bee]
A
recent spree of dairy cattle thefts worsened when a dairy owner discovered
Monday morning that 16 more of his Jersey calves had vanished, the Stanislaus
County Farm Bureau reported….It was the second such theft in two weeks. On July
1, the same dairyman reported 10 calves had been stolen….Charlene Borrelli, one
of three coordinators for Hilmar Farm Watch, is confident the thieves don't
intend to sell the calves as veal, but for their intended purpose of becoming
dairy cows. Hilmar Farm Watch, a very active and expansive rural neighborhood
watch, reaches thousands of people who subscribe to its email alerts and
Facebook posts. The group works with the farm bureaus and sheriff's departments
in Merced and Stanislaus counties, the Turlock Police Department and the
California Highway Patrol to exchange information about rural crimes and
educate its members.
Tulare
County on the hunt for citrus pest [Fresno Bee]
Hundreds
of insect traps are being placed near Porterville as county and state
agriculture officials try to determine if there are any more Asian citrus
psyllids in the area. Six of the potentially destructive bugs were found in
three traps south and east of Porterville, Tulare County agriculture officials
announced Friday. As of Monday, inspectors had not discovered any new bugs,
said Dennis Haines, agricultural staff biologist for Tulare County…. Haines
said inspectors have not found any evidence of the disease in the area….Haines
said 500 traps will be placed around each of the sites and will be checked
routinely.
"If
there is anything to indicate a breeding population then that will trigger
additional action," Haines said.
Guava
Fruit Flies Threaten California's Fruit Industry [KNTV/San Jose]
…Three
guava fruit flies were trapped and caught in the Mayfair neighborhood in San
Jose in recent days. They come from South Asia and somehow made it over to the
Bay Area. "The first thing that we did when we caught the very first one
was we put out hundreds of traps to really pinpoint and find out how severe the
infestation is," said Joseph Deviney, Santa Clara County Agricultural
Commissioner….Santa Clara County agricultural crews will be putting up
"bait stations" on all of the trees and utility poles around the
Mayfair neighborhood. A sticky, gelatin like insecticide substance will be
applied onto the trees and poles about ten feet above the ground.
Watsonville's
red-legged frog population under watch as restoration efforts improve breeding
habitats [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
The
Watsonville Slough and Pajaro River Valley historically have been strong
breeding grounds for the frog, but the development and water changes during the
past 30 years have shifted the balance of the local ecosystem. Gary Kittleson,
an environmental consultant who has studied the wildlife habitats of the
sloughs since 1990, will be discussing the findings of his recent Watsonville
mapping studies as well as critical life history points for both the frog and
the Western pond turtle Thursday as part of the Watsonville Wetlands Watch
speaker series….Kittleson, but he suspects that the two biggest factors
influencing the frog population locally are the changes in the hydrology of the
slough and the subsequent introduction of the predatory bullfrogs and
non-native fish. Areas of the slough that used to dry out in the summer are now
full of water year-round.
Ag
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