Cooperation urged over Valley groundwater loss [Modesto Bee]
Don’t
wait for groundwater to go so low that a judge or state officials feel
compelled to step in and take over. That message, in so many words, came
through loud and clear from expert after expert at Monday’s packed forum
addressing the Central Valley’s emerging crisis. “The writing is on the wall in
Sacramento,” said Greg Zlotnick of the Association of California Water
Agencies, predicting groundwater legislation early next year at the
Capitol….Nearly 300 people, most with some stake in pumping of well water,
converged Monday for the first forum hosted by the American Ground Water Trust
in the San Joaquin Valley, where groundwater depletion is getting
scary….Drought combined with increased farm pumping has dried up some families’
wells in Stanislaus County, mostly in the Denair area. Monday’s crowd learned
that other regions have it much worse, in places such as Kansas, Texas and,
closer to home, parts of the San Joaquin Valley south of Merced.
U.S.
Meatpackers Fight New Country-of-Origin Labels [Wall Street Journal]
Big
U.S. meatpackers are appealing to Congress in a last-ditch effort to stave off
new federal labeling rules that require more information about the origins of
beef, pork and other meats. At issue are regulations set to come into full
force Saturday that require meat processors to list details including the
countries in which livestock were born, raised and slaughtered. The U.S.
Department of Agriculture issued the new rules this past spring to update
previous country-of-origin regulations that the World Trade Organization said
discriminated against Canada and other trading partners. A six-month grace
period on the rules is set to end Saturday. Tyson Foods Inc., Cargill Inc. and
other meatpackers are lobbying members of Congress to amend the latest rules
within a new federal farm bill, arguing they impose unnecessary costs on the
industry. Supporters of the mandates, including U.S. beef ranchers and consumer
groups, are pushing back, contending the labels will help consumers make
more-informed decisions about the meat they buy.
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Farm
bill takes aim at state animal welfare laws [Associated Press]
The
future of state laws that regulate everything from the size of a hen's cage to
the safe consumption of Gulf oysters may be at stake as farm bill negotiators
work to resolve a long-simmering fight between agriculture and animal welfare
interests. The House Agriculture Committee added language to its version of the
farm bill earlier this year that says a state cannot impose certain production
standards on agricultural products sold in interstate commerce. The provision,
authored by Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, is aimed at a California law that will
require all eggs sold in the state to come from hens that inhabit cages in
which they can spread their wings — a major burden for egg producers in Iowa
and other states who don't use large cages and still want to sell eggs to the
lucrative California market….But opponents say that depending on how the
language is interpreted, the provision could lead to challenges of dozens of
other state laws — including some aimed at food safety, fire safety and basic
consumer protections.
Murky
waters: Elk River residents, logging companies divided on sediment pollution
[Eureka Times Standard]
State
water quality officials announced Saturday their intent to reduce the rate of
sediment pollution in the Elk River by 97 percent over the next 20 years by
limiting it in timberland areas for both residents and logging companies.
”There's been a loss of property uses in terms of being able to get to and from
homes, to and from work, damage to structures, damage to water systems,” North
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board engineer Adona White said. “This
watershed's been managed for timber for 150 years. There's been a lot of hard
impacts to the river.” White said the board is in the preliminary steps of
establishing a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for the Elk River watershed,
with a goal of late 2014. The TMDL would establish a limit for on how much
sediment could come from the property owners in the area.
Valley
helps U.S. farm exports hit record [Modesto Bee]
The
world’s appetite for what the United States grows has increased again, pushing
the nation’s farm exports to an estimated $140.9 billion in the last fiscal
year. Soybeans, corn and other Midwest crops played the biggest role, but the
San Joaquin Valley found plenty of foreign buyers for its nuts, wine, dairy
goods and other products….Agriculture continues to perform well in a Valley
economy still feeling the effects of the housing market collapse that started
in 2006. And it’s good for the nation’s economy, experts say, to have a sector
that exports heavily, helping to make up for imports of electronics, clothing
and many other consumer goods. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic
Research Service reported the $140.9 billion in exports for the year that ended
Sept. 30, up 3.8 percent from $135.8 billion the previous year.
Editorial :Chico
Enterprise-Record Chico Enterprise-Record
It's
understandable that the state agency has angered so many. Small trucking firms already
operate on thin margins, with a long life required for their expensive
equipment. Then the state came along and demanded expensive regulations that
are supposed to improve air quality, mandating either new trucks or filters
that supposedly will clean the air but truckers say don't work as promised….The
state has retreated on when the filters need to be in place, delaying the
implementation in the less-polluted north state and other regions of California
for at least a year. While this won't have an impact on the local lawsuit, it
is a good indication CARB's gotten the message. We hope the state will use the
one-year delay to address equipment flaws and even the question of whether
existing trucks in the north state should be exempt from the laws.
Ag
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