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.
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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Ag
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