Our next edition of Ag Today will be Monday, July 8. Happy Independence Day from the California Farm Bureau Federation.
Heat
wave continues to punish San Joaquin Valley [Fresno Bee]
…Triple-digit
temperatures mean field workers are ending their days earlier, dairy operators
are working to keep their cows cool and farmers are protecting their tree fruit
from the extreme heat….Among the biggest changes farmers have made is pulling
their crews from the sweltering fields by mid-afternoon to avoid the hottest
part of the day and reduce the risk of heat illness.…John Thiesen, general
manager of tree fruit grower-packer Giumarra of Reedley, said most growers are
starting their workers about 5:30 a.m. and stopping at about 12:30 p.m.
"We worked yesterday until about 1:15 p.m. and it was already 90
degrees," Thiesen said Tuesday. "We work really hard to make sure
that everyone is safe. We want our workers to go home safe and healthy to their
families."…Bill Krycia, statewide heat enforcement coordinator for Cal/OSHA,
said enforcement officers will be in the field through the weekend to make sure
employers are following the rules.
Immigration
bill hits close to home for California Republicans [San Jose Mercury News]
As
the House of Representatives takes up immigration reform this summer following
a sweeping bill's passage in the Senate, few of the Republicans who dominate
the chamber are as affected by the nation's border and immigration laws as
those from California….Reform proponents are targeting staunch conservatives in
multiethnic districts such as Denham's, which stretches from Tracy to the
Sierra foothills, to gather enough votes to pass a bill this year, but they are
waging an uphill battle against House GOP leaders determined to ignore the
Senate's proposals….Already, Denham and another Central Valley Republican, Rep.
David Valadao, R-Hanford, have bucked party leaders in opposing Goodlatte's
agricultural guest worker bill passed through the House Judiciary Committee
last month. Both say they prefer the Senate's farmworker provision, a
compromise between the farm industry and worker unions that includes a way for
farmworkers already here to stay.
Farm
bill defeat shows agriculture’s waning power [New York Times]
The
startling failure of the farm bill last month reflects the declining clout of
the farm lobby and the once-powerful committees that have jurisdiction over
agriculture policy, economists and political scientists said this week.
Although a number of factors contributed to the defeat of the bill — including
Speaker John A. Boehner’s failure to rally enough Republican support and
Democratic opposition to $20 billion in cuts to the food stamps program —
analysts said the 234 to 195 vote also illustrated the shift in the American
population and political power to more urban areas….But as Americans have moved
to the cities and suburbs, farmers and lawmakers representing districts largely
dependent on agriculture have seen their political muscle steadily decline.
Just 2.2 million people now work in farming in the United States, or about 2.5
percent of the total work force.
Rep.
Jim Costa visits New Exchequer Dam in support of project [Merced Sun-Star]
Rep.
Jim Costa toured New Exchequer Dam on Tuesday, the site of legislation he's
supporting to study expanding its capacity. The $40 million project would
expand reservoir capacity by up to 70,000 acre-feet by raising the spillway as
much as 10 feet at its main storage reservoir, Lake McClure.…Costa and Rep. Tom
McClintock, R-Elk Grove, introduced a bill in Congress that would permit the
project to be studied, but it would still need federal approval….But critics
also question whether the project is viable for MID customers. However, the MID
points out that additional water supplied by the project would support the
region's agricultural industry, a third of the economy in Merced County.
Oakdale
Irrigation District agrees to help neighbor districts if needed [Modesto Bee]
Should
the water situation worsen for the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts,
they have a neighbor willing to help out. The board of the Oakdale Irrigation
District agreed Tuesday to offer some of its Stanislaus River water for sale to
the MID and the TID, which share Don Pedro Reservoir on the Tuolumne River. The
offer also went to San Francisco, which draws from higher on the Tuolumne and
already was talking with the OID about a possible supplement for next year.
Prune
prices picking up [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
An
undersupply of prunes is helping to reverse years of world market surplus, with
expectations of improving prices for local farmers. "We have seen an
uptick in prices ... and we anticipate another in 2013 with the short
crop," said Pete Righero, farm manager at B.E. Giovannetti and Sons, a
prune producer in Sutter County….The National Agricultural Statistics Service
estimates the 2013 California prune crop will be 105,000 tons, down 24 percent
below the 138,000 tons harvested last year….The short supply, older prune trees
that need to be removed and emerging alternative crops have all helped cut the
market glut. The statistics service said trees pulled after last year's harvest
reduced acreage by 7 percent in California.
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.
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