Search
for GOP immigration overhaul support tough - even in California [San Francisco
Chronicle]
David
Valadao has been a congressman only since January, but the 36-year-old
Republican is already in a tough spot over immigration reform. More than half
of the voters in his Central Valley district are Latino, and the work of
immigrants - from scientists to farmworkers - touches every level of the
agriculture industry that dominates the region. Valadao's political
predicament: The resident of Hanford (Kings County) is one of only two of the
15 Republican House members from California who explicitly support a pathway to
citizenship for undocumented immigrants….As the immigration battle kicks into
high gear, House Democrats need to find about 20 Republicans like Valadao if
any reform package is going to contain a pathway, which is the main stumbling
block to passing immigration reform.
Texas
on the Potomac [Houston Chronicle]
A
California Democrat is taking aim at more than a dozen Republicans who
benefited from agricultural subsidies then voted to cut food stamps from the
farm bill. Fourteen Republicans, including Texas Reps. Blake Farenthold, Randy
Neugebauer and Mac Thornberry, collected at least $7.2 million in farm
subsidies but opposed funding for nutritional assistance programs, according to
a report released Monday by Rep. George Miller, D-Calif. Miller, one of the
most liberal representatives in Congress, blasted the members for jeopardizing
food aid, specifically the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, to
support self-interested policies….Nearly three-quarters of those subsidies went
to just two lawmakers — Rep. Stephen Fincher, R-Tenn., and Rep. Doug LaMalfa,
R-Calif.
Tracy
farmer, state to square off over fine, cleanup progress [Stockton Record]
A
Tracy dairyman facing more than $1.1 million in penalties for allowing
"massive" amounts of manure to accumulate on his property is
scheduled to argue his case before water quality officials on Thursday. An
attorney for Henry Tosta protested the amount of the fine in letters to the
Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board, saying that Tosta is under
"severe economic strain" along with the rest of the dairy industry….The
1,000 cows at the property have been producing manure faster than Tosta has
been removing it, regulators say….The investigation started as the result of an
inspection in May 2012. Mounds of manure were piled up in an area not designed
to store waste, and inspectors later said they believed wastewater had
overflowed from holding ponds, threatening a small channel that drains into the
sensitive Delta.
Nut
farm awaits approval of Oakdale Irrigation District annexation [Modesto Bee]
A
panel could give final approval Wednesday evening to a major expansion of nut
farming in Stanislaus County's eastern hills. The Stanislaus Local Agency
Formation Commission will consider a proposal to annex 7,296 acres of new and
planned almond and walnut orchards to the Oakdale Irrigation District, which
would supply them with water. The proposal, involving land owned by Trinitas
Partners LLC of Menlo Park, is a big deal for a couple of reasons. It would be
a notable increase in nut acreage in the county, already a leader in these
booming enterprises….The Trinitas plan pleases people who say that if extra water
is sitting around, it should go to expanded farming. The OID has offered to
sell some of its Stanislaus River supply to San Francisco, an idea that failed
at the neighboring Modesto Irrigation District last year.
Helping
farm workers stay safe [Stockton Record]
Reaching
farm workers with information about pesticide safety has always been difficult.
There are language and cultural differences, the rural, widely scattered work
locations and the often transient nature of the workers themselves. But a new
program is helping break down those barriers in a somewhat surprising fashion -
by being mobile-friendly, officials said. The Pesticide Safety Project has a
dedicated website - thesafetyofyourfamily.com - with pesticide safety tips,
videos and public service announcements both in English and Spanish. And it's
all designed to work with any browser-capable cellphone.
Salinas
entering national spotlight [Salinas Californian]
Salinas
is the place where every field of produce will boast innovative new
technologies helping those crops thrive. That is the message the city has
successfully put out to major national media outlets, city officials said. On
Monday, they unveiled the fruits of their “Grow In Salinas” marketing campaign,
with media outlets ranging from the San Francisco Chronicle and the Financial
Times to KQED radio and Wine Enthusiast magazine all publishing articles about
the public-private partnership between the city and the top agriculture
concerns behind the rollout of a “smart farm” concept.
Ag
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