Judge halts Klamath River flows, for now; order on salmon releases in effect through Friday [Eureka Times-Standard]
A
U.S. District Court judge in Fresno halted water releases meant to prevent a
fish kill on the lower Klamath River on Tuesday, granting a temporary
restraining order sought by farmers in the San Joaquin Valley who filed a
lawsuit against the federal government last week.
Lawmakers
assail legislation that would limit California's egg law [Los Angeles Times]
It’s
not just about California and its eggs. So said a bipartisan group of lawmakers
from other states stepping up a campaign Tuesday to defeat proposed federal
legislation that would prohibit one state from imposing conditions on other
states' production of agricultural goods. The measure was drafted by Rep. Steve
King, a Republican from egg-producing Iowa, who contends that California
exceeded its authority and interfered with Congress’ power to regulate
interstate commerce in requiring that eggs imported into the state be produced
under standards ensuring that hens can spread their wings. The state lawmakers
warned that the King measure -- included in the House-passed farm bill -- could
nullify hundreds of state laws dealing with animal protection, food safety and
other matters.…Opponents of the measure are pressing House and Senate
negotiators to keep the King measure out of the final farm bill.
California’s
$43 billion farms see labor in immigrant fix [Bloomberg]
…Local
officials and growers eager to ease the worker shortage are looking to Congress
to implement programs that would grant the undocumented workers legal status
and provide a path to citizenship, among other changes in immigration
policy.…At stake for California, the largest agricultural-producing state, is a
steady, trained workforce and production planning for farmers who supply the
nation with almost half of U.S.-grown fruits, nuts and vegetables….Area farms
have coped with a labor shortage for several years, said Norm Groot, executive
director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau in Salinas, the county seat. “Fewer
people are coming from Mexico to work here because their economy has improved,”
Groot said. “It’s much more difficult and expensive to come across the border.”
Californian
grape growers dismiss disease fears [Australian Broadcast Co.]
The
WA Department of Agriculture and Food (DAFWA) amended its import conditions for
fresh Californian table grapes in late July, in response to a change in
Commonwealth import conditions. The move prompted a furious reaction from the
local table grape industry, who argued that the imports would see the damaging
fungal disease Phomopsis viticola enter the state. President of the California
Table Grape Commission, Kathleen Nave, maintains that their fruit poses no
threat to the local industry.
Global
warming can't slow growth of redwoods or sequoias, new study shows [San Jose
Mercury-News]
Climate
change is melting glaciers, worsening droughts and raising sea levels around
the world. But when it comes to redwood trees -- the ancient, iconic sentinels
that scientists have worried may be at risk as the planet heats up -- global
warming may actually be helping, at least for now, according to research to be
released Wednesday….It may be that the trees prefer warmer temperatures, or
that they are benefiting from more sunlight, a longer growing season or even
decades of fire suppression. Or they might even be responding well to higher
levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Nobody knows yet….Redwood forests
near the California-Oregon border have seen the largest surge in wood
production, with growth rates since the 1970s up to 45 percent faster now than
at any time in the past 200 years.
Commentary: A first step to
solving state's dairy crisis [Porterville Recorder]
California
Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross will convene a hearing
early next month to consider an agreement among dairy farmers and cheese
processors that will offer a sliver of relief for California’s sinking milk
producing industry. The hearing, set for Sept. 12, is perhaps the most
significant event in the many months of deliberations about the financial
crisis that has forced hundreds of family dairies to close up shop….This
short-term fix is absolutely necessary. But sadly, it will not repair all of
the damage being done by a state-sponsored milk pricing scheme that has left
milk producers severely disadvantaged and drowning in debt. My fellow dairy
farmers are losing their homes, their livelihoods and their businesses that have
been passed on to them through generations. Dr. Pan (D-Sacramento) has authored
AB 1038, which would charge a California Dairy Future Task Force — made up of
dairy producers, processors and co-ops — with proposing structural changes to
the California dairy industry’s milk pooling and milk pricing programs.
Ag
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