Ag Today Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Alejo, others press DC for immigration reform [Santa Cruz Sentinel]

In a nation where the political equations around immigration reform seem locked up like a crashed operating system, Assemblyman Luis Alejo wants a reboot….He is now one of hundreds descending on Washington this week to urge Congress to move forward with reforms….The nationwide effort is aimed partly at reluctant conservative lawmakers who have not backed a comprehensive immigration deal hammered out and passed by the Senate this summer….Many of those immigrants support agriculture, a top county industry, and the Watsonville-based California Strawberry Commission is in the nation's capital as well….Salinas-based Fresalva Berry owner Jesus Alvarado met with several lawmakers, saying Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Oroville, assured his group some form of legislation would come in November. Alvarado said he knows at least one local farm that closed this year due to a lack of workers, adding that many pickers want a way to come and go easier with the seasons.

http://www.santacruzsentinel.com/news/ci_24405623/alejo-others-press-dc-immigration-reform

Commentary: Just how do lawmakers like the family farmer? [Sacramento Bee]

…Converging trends conspire against growers. With tighter borders, many illegal immigrants haven’t returned to Mexico for years. Remaining here year-round, they gravitate toward more stable occupations like construction and landscaping, and stay there….The bipartisan immigration bill already approved by the Senate provides an effective mechanism for migrants to come in, do the work and go home, but it has languished in the Republican House. There’s little indication that’s going to change, in part, reports Politico, because Republicans badly lost the shutdown battle and passing immigration reform would be a huge legacy piece for President Barack Obama. Lawmakers all say they love the family farmer. They sure have a funny way of showing it.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/29/5860124/bruce-maiman-just-how-do-lawmakers.html

Editorial: Denham has the right idea on immigration [Bakersfield Californian]

Ladies and gentlemen of the House of Representatives, take a cue from Rep. Jeff Denham. The Turlock Republican took the bold step last week of endorsing an immigration plan that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants -- one of a scant few members of the GOP to do so thus far….Denham joins Hanford's David Valadao among the few Republicans who see the writing on the wall. Rep. Kevin McCarthy, the No. 3 man on the House leadership team, ought to join them. We're not investing much hope in that, though. The House needs to pass an immigration reform bill soon, and not just because growers are suffering losses because of farmworker shortages -- although, for representatives in rural, agriculture-dependent districts like Denham, Valadao and, for that matter, McCarthy, that ought to be enough.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/opinion/our-view/x558594370/Denham-has-the-right-idea-on-immigration

Bill aims to give farmers 'peace of mind' [Stockton Record]

A bipartisan group of Central Valley representatives introduced legislation last week allowing farmers in high-risk flood zones to rebuild and repair agricultural structures without the expense of raising them….The Federal Emergency Management Agency has remapped many areas in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, placing some of them into what are known as special flood hazard areas….The bill allows farmers to upgrade or replace storage facilities, sheds, farmhouses, barns or other structures without being required to elevate them. The bill also requires that flood insurance rates be applied as if the structures had been built before the land was deemed high-risk….This is not the first attempt to find relief for farmers. Garamendi last year introduced similar legislation allowing farmers in flood zones to "build necessary agricultural structures and provide a solid economic base for their region." The bill was never enacted.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20131029/A_NEWS/310290312

San Joaquin Valley raisin industry could shrink amid labor, price woes [Fresno Bee]

California's raisin industry could shrink by thousands of acres next year as falling prices, a tightening labor supply and the lure of higher value crops continue to chip away at one of the San Joaquin Valley's longtime crops. Raisin and grape industry officials say farmers have already pulled out hundreds of acres this year and more are expected to be pulled. "We are seeing it in Kerman, around Fresno and in Madera," said Glen Goto, president of the Fresno-based Raisin Bargaining Association. "They are getting yanked out." Goto says farmers could bulldoze as many as 20,000 acres, or 10% of the state's total raisin grape acreage.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/28/3577723/san-joaquin-valley-raisin-industry.html

IID board approves water apportionment plan for 2014 [Imperial Valley Press]

The Imperial Irrigation District Board of Directors approved on Monday an apportionment plan that allocates water to Imperial Valley farmland in a way that blends a field’s historical water consumption with an equal “straight-line” allocation. The 2014 plan allows eligible acreage slightly more than half of the 2013 allocation of 5.45 acre-feet of water, with the other half of the allocation based on 50 percent of a field’s historical use. And, like the apportionment plan currently in place, those who need more water can order it from the district’s water clearinghouse, while those who received more water than they need can put it in the clearinghouse….Monday’s meeting was the second time the board took up the matter after it failed to approve an apportionment plan Oct. 22. IID staff had been recommending a plan for 2014 that was similar to that of 2013. While the 2013 plan was approved by a committee of Valley farmers, there were some who claimed it was not equitable.

http://www.ivpressonline.com/news/local/iid-board-approves-water-apportionment-plan-for/article_2fe8a26c-4063-11e3-a591-0019bb30f31a.html

Ag Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.

Ag Today Monday, October 28, 2013

Jeff Denham, David Valadao ally with Democrats on immigration legislation [Fresno Bee]

Two San Joaquin Valley Republicans are trying harder to break the partisan mold on immigration, amid broader challenges to their party and their own re-election prospects. In a hands-across-the-aisle gesture that could foreshadow more to come, Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, is becoming the first Republican to formally endorse a comprehensive immigration bill introduced by House Democrats. For the moment, the move makes Denham the sole GOP lawmaker to join House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and some 183 other Democratic co-sponsors….Denham's endorsement of the bill identified with Democrats is his most emphatic statement yet on an issue that's divided his party, and it extends his prior declarations of support for comprehensive legislation….Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, representing a congressional district where Hispanics make up 72% of the population, has likewise been boosting his visibility on the immigration front.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/26/3572005/some-california-republicans-ally.html

California reservoirs in dire need of a wet winter [Fresno Bee]

Pine Flat Reservoir is a ghost of a lake in the Fresno County foothills — a puddle in a 326 billion-gallon gorge. Holding only 16% of its capacity, Pine Flat is the best example of why there is high anxiety over the approaching wet season. Gone is the healthy water storage that floated California through two dry years. Major reservoirs around the state need gully-washing storms this winter.…Northern reservoirs face similar challenges, though water storage is not as low as Pine Flat. Shasta, Oroville, Trinity, New Melones, Don Pedro and Exchequer are hovering at one-third to one-half of capacity, far lower than average for late October. Dwindling reservoirs should be a wake-up call to Californians, said Mark Cowin, director of the state Department of Water Resources. The state has not declared a drought, but now is the time to prepare additional water-conservation ideas for next year.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/27/3574965/reservoirs-need-a-wet-winter.html

Drought squeezes local cattle ranchers [San Luis Obispo Tribune]

Faced with a second year of severe drought, many San Luis Obispo County cattle ranchers have been forced to thin their herds and bring in costly feed to keep animals healthy. “We’re waiting for the rain, and it’s going to be real ugly if we don’t get any this winter,” said Richard Gonzales, who operates a cow-calf operation in Paso Robles. Ranchers are used to the whims of Mother Nature. Droughts happen from time to time and they usually suffer through them and recover, local ranchers say.…Local ranchers declined to say how much they were spending on extra hay to feed their animals, but alfalfa hay can run several hundred dollars per ton. In a normal year, cattle simply graze on the natural grasses.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2013/10/25/2750638/cattle-ranchers-drought-herds.html

Cattle theft increasing in California [Sacramento Bee]

…Cattle rustling, it turns out, has never gone away. And it’s on the rise in California and nationwide….Last year, 1,317 head of cattle were reported stolen or missing in California, said Greg Lawley, chief of the state’s Bureau of Livestock Identification. That’s a 22 percent increase from what was reported before the recession. “We assume this is an outgrowth of cattle price rise,” Lawley said….In cattle ranching, it is well known that cattle theft is, typically, an inside job, said John Suther, senior investigator with the Bureau of Livestock Identification.…Suther has the herculean task of being the only cattle theft investigator for the whole state.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/27/5850087/cattle-theft-increasing-in-california.html

Hearing in Sacramento Nov. 22 on proposal to remove gray wolf from endangered species list [Sacramento Bee]

Sacramento will host one of four hearings in the West on the federal government’s proposal to withdraw Endangered Species Act protection for the gray wolf. The hearing will be held Nov. 22 from 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Marriott Courtyard Sacramento Cal Expo, Golden State Ballroom, 1782 Tribute Rd., in Sacramento. It previously had been set for Oct. 2, but was canceled by the federal government shutdown….Environmental groups have petitioned the state to protect wolves under the California Endangered Species Act, a separate state law. That petition is still pending. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service also extended the public comment period on the federal delisting proposal for the wolf. It had been set to conclude on Oct. 28, but is now extended until Dec. 17.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5852607/hearing-in-sacramento-nov-22-on.html

Feds seek threatened status for some sage grouse [Associated Press]

Federal wildlife officials on Friday proposed to list as threatened populations of greater sage grouse in Nevada and California in an effort to save the struggling species, a decision that promises to pose new challenges for ranching and energy development in the West. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service found that invasive species and energy development in the desert have had a devastating effect on the large, ground-dwelling bird's populations, said Ted Koch, Nevada state supervisor for the service….Ranchers, miners and energy developers who use the mostly public lands that serve as the sage grouse's habitat have opposed the listing, saying it would have a deep economic impact in the rural West….Ranchers worry that protections will scuttle or block outright vast grazing areas. They say it adds a lot of uncertainty to any plans to expand or even launch habitat restoration plans on their lands.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/25/5852000/feds-seek-threatened-status-for.html

Ag Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.

Ag Today Friday, October 25, 2013

Obama presses for action on immigration bill [Wall Street Journal]

President Barack Obama renewed his push Thursday for a broad immigration overhaul, pressuring the House to pass legislation this year….House Republicans responded Thursday by reiterating their intent to consider immigration in smaller chunks, rather than try to pass a sweeping bill, as the Senate did in late June….House committees have approved five immigration bills so far, with lawmakers still working to draft others. But House leaders have yet to say when they would bring any to the floor and it isn't yet clear if Republicans will offer any bills likely to garner Democratic support on the thorniest pieces of an overhaul. And with legislative time scarce, it would require heavy lifting to reconcile any bills the House passes this year with a sweeping bill that passed the Senate in June. After that, any compromise measure might be even harder to push through the House.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304799404579155523411114600?mod=WSJ_WSJ_US_News_6

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FDA proposes rules to make animal food safer [Associated Press]

Amid incidents of pets dying from dog treats, the Food and Drug Administration is proposing long-awaited rules to make pet food and animal feed safer. The rules stem from a sweeping food safety law passed by Congress almost three years ago. Like rules proposed earlier this year for human food, they would focus on preventing contamination before it begins.…The proposed rules would require those who sell pet food and animal feed in the United States — including importers — to follow certain sanitation practices and have detailed food safety plans. All of the manufacturers would have to put individual procedures in place to prevent their food from becoming contaminated….The agency will take comments for four months before issuing a final rule and will hold a series of public meetings to explain the proposal.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/25/3571558/fda-proposes-rules-to-make-animal.html

Agriculture water quality tackled at CSU Monterey Bay forum [Monterey County Herald]

Two months after the state water board approved rules for agricultural water quality, a panel of experts discussed a slew of ways the Salinas Valley could address the issue at a public forum at CSU Monterey Bay on Thursday. Officials from Ventura County and the Central Valley outlined their methods for dealing with ag water quality regulations, including a cooperative approach with regional water board officials, use of best management practices and a farmers-only coalition….The goal, Din said, was to step away from the debate between farmers and environmentalists — who locked horns in a contentious battle over the ag water rules that left no one satisfied — and focus more on a positive, science-based approach to finding solutions that would result in improving water quality.

http://www.montereyherald.com/localnews/ci_24383668/agriculture-water-quality-tackled-at-csu-monterey-bay?IADID=Search-www.montereyherald.com-www.montereyherald.com

Yuba County opposes federal flood insurance reform [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]

Yuba County has joined Sutter County and Yuba City in opposing federal flood insurance reform that opponents say will dramatically increase rates for farmers. A letter signed by Andy Vasquez, Board of Supervisors chairman, asks for a full review of the Biggert-Waters Insurance Reform Act of 2012 to "seek solutions that do not undermine the security of our residents." It says the act will "effectively discourage our residents and property owners from obtaining important flood insurance protection ..."

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/articles/county-128399-yuba-insurance.html

Chinook salmon thrive in flooded-field experiment [San Francisco Chronicle]

Researchers who fattened young chinook salmon in flooded fields after the rice harvest last winter reported Thursday that the fish grew fast and to record sizes, offering a promising new way to improve survival of the long-threatened salmon.…Now researchers report that an experiment begun in April shows how those juvenile fish can grow faster and fatter in rice fields that are regularly flooded along the river than they do in the open water of the river….Next year, he said, another experiment will cover more than 2,500 acres of flooded rice fields after the crop has been harvested.

http://www.sfchronicle.com/science/article/Chinook-salmon-thrive-in-flooded-field-experiment-4924225.php

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National Park Service wants to honor labor leader Cesar Chavez [Fresno Bee]

The life and times of United Farm Workers’ co-founder Cesar Chavez should be honored with a new multi-state national historical park that stretches from Arizona to California’s San Joaquin Valley, the National Park Service recommended Thursday. After studying some 100 potential sites important in the U.S. farm labor movement, officials pinpointed four in California and one in Arizona. The proposed national historical park would include the existing Cesar E. Chavez National Monument in Keene, Calif., which was previously established by President Barack Obama….But unlike the Chavez national monument established last year through the president’s own executive power, creation of a national historical park requires congressional action….The House is now controlled by Republicans, who have sometimes cautioned against expanding the national park system in order to retain focus on the needs of existing parks….Western farmers’ traditional antipathy toward the United Farm Workers could also possibly complicate the proposed park’s legislative prospects.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2013/10/24/3570219/national-park-service-wants-to.html

Ag Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.

Ag Today Thursday, October 24, 2013

Shutdown Hit Visas for Agriculture Workers [Wall Street Journal]

The government shutdown froze visa processing for thousands of temporary agriculture workers, raising concerns about a labor shortage just as the harvest kicks off for the multibillion-dollar citrus and vegetable industries. Growers worry that without enough pickers, produce could be left rotting in the fields. Groups representing growers in Florida, California and Arizona are working furiously with members of Congress to urge the government to expedite processing for H-2A seasonal agriculture visas….Growers had to begin paperwork in late September or early October to meet the application timetable for the workers they will need in November. But during the 16-day shutdown, which ended Oct. 17, no applications were accepted or processed by the Labor Department, one of the agencies involved in the visa program. A spokesman said the department has "open applications" representing 10,600 workers.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304682504579153891929623218?KEYWORDS=miriam+jordan

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Negotiations on a Farm Bill begin next week [Washington Post]

Members of the House and Senate agriculture committees announced plans Wednesday to begin meeting to negotiate details of a new Farm Bill. The agriculture conference committee is a back-to-the-future moment for Congress, which in recent years has subverted the once long-standing practice of having conferees from the House and Senate meet to negotiate final versions of legislation passed in each chamber. That process has been largely replaced by deals struck between leaders that must then be ratified by each body, usually in the face of some crucial deadline….Once considered among the most sacred “must-pass” measures, the Farm Bill affects about 16 million U.S. jobs and provides billions in food stamp aid….For two years, lawmakers have blown through temporary deadlines to reauthorize the bill, but they now seem more eager to act.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/negotiations-on-a-farm-bill-begin-next-week/2013/10/23/796a6c88-3c0b-11e3-a94f-b58017bfee6c_story.html

House passes $8.2 billion water projects bill [Associated Press]

Bucking some of the same conservative groups that encouraged the government shutdown, Republicans and Democrats united Wednesday to overwhelmingly pass an $8.2 billion House bill mapping out plans for dams, harbor, river navigation and other water projects for the coming decade. Members of both parties praised the measure just a week after Congress voted to end a bitterly partisan standoff that shuttered much of the federal government for 16 days and threatened a first-ever default on its debt. It passed the House 417-3….The water bill's sponsors attracted support from members of both parties by including projects from coast to coast and labeling the measure an engine for job creation. To attract conservatives, sponsors emphasized the measure's lack of earmarks, or projects for lawmakers' home districts, and changes including an accelerating of required environmental reviews that have dragged out many projects for years.

http://www.sacbee.com/2013/10/23/5846530/house-poised-to-pass-bipartisan.html

Salton Sea agreement to be signed Thursday [Palm Springs Desert Sun]

State and regional officials will head to the Salton Sea on Thursday morning, where an agreement will be signed to end a decade of legal disputes and ensure greater cooperation for mitigating the Salton Sea and working on a restoration plan. The memorandum of understanding means the Imperial Irrigation District, Imperial County and the county’s Air Pollution Control District will be legally committed to working together on a plan to leverage the sea’s renewable energy sources as well as secure funding for a transmission line that helps California’s power grid. The memorandum is in place through 2017, when a massive water transfer will dramatically reduce the flow into the Salton Sea and start to shrink California’s largest lake.

http://www.mydesert.com/article/20131023/NEWS0701/310230008/Salton-Sea-agreement-signed-Thursday

Turlock officials want county to halt new ag wells [Modesto Bee]

City leaders want a stop to new agricultural wells across the county. City Council members voted unanimously Wednesday night to draft a letter to the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors requesting members to consider a moratorium on drilling for new agricultural production wells. Council members also want a stakeholder group to be convened to consider new groundwater-pumping regulations. The letter will ask that the stoppage continue until the new regulations are in place. Turlock Municipal Services Director Michael Cooke said the action is necessary because of the rapid conversion of land in the eastern part of the county from pastures to orchards and vineyards.

http://www.modbee.com/2013/10/23/2990317/turlock-officials-want-county.html

Drying times in Humboldt County: Drought effects echo through beginning of rainy season [Eureka Times-Standard]

With temperatures dropping and the fog rolling in, it may be hard to believe Humboldt County is still in a drought. ”The effects of a drought, the lag is a full year,” said Blake Alexandre, a Humboldt County dairy farmer. “We will be suffering all winter and all spring because of this summer.” Alexandre, who owns ranches in Ferndale, Eureka and Del Norte County, and a hay farm in Modoc County, said he has 40 percent less feed going into this winter than normal.

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_24377168/drying-times-humboldt-county-drought-effects-echo-through

Ag Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.