Rail board approves bullet train route from Fresno to Bakersfield [Bakersfield Californian]
Recently
unveiled route changes for high-speed rail between Fresno and Bakersfield won
approval Thursday by the project's governing board. The unanimous vote, which
the board's chairman emphasized is not final, was supported by Shafter and
Wasco farmers but opposed by Bakersfield representatives unhappy with the
proposed alignment through downtown….Two people who spoke on behalf of the
Wasco-Shafter Ag Group were far more complimentary. Their concerns had been
addressed when the rail authority released a revised, staff-recommended route
last week that closely followed the BNSF Railroad through Wasco and Shafter rather
than veer deeper into nearby farmland and the Paramount Logistics Park,
Shafter's busy industrial center.…The agency's oil-related compromise irked
government representatives from Kings County. One of them, County Counsel
Colleen Carlson, noted that Kings farmers had requested accommodations similar
to what Shafter received.
Farmworkers
union admits women were not 'held hostage,' 'locked inside' [Bakersfield
Californian]
The
United Farm Workers of America on Thursday walked back many of the inflammatory
and downright inaccurate statements it made about how an immigration reform
rally at Congressman Kevin McCarthy's Bakersfield office went down late
Wednesday. The union sent out a news release at 9:33 p.m. Wednesday in part
talking about "Bakersfield police intimidating and locking in more than a
dozen of the activists and several members of the press inside McCarthy's
office." When that description of the atmosphere and attitude of police
was challenged by The Californian Thursday -- because it so differed from what
a newspaper photographer witnessed first-hand -- UFW Communications Director
Maria Machuca changed the union's story….The day of protest started Wednesday
with rallies urging McCarthy to meet with them and use his political muscle as
majority whip to try to get comprehensive immigration reform to a House vote
before the end of this year….Sometime before midnight Wednesday, McCarthy and
his wife, Judy, did meet with the protesters for 30 to 40 minutes. It obviously
did not bring McCarthy to the protesters' side. "Congressman McCarthy
remains undeterred toward reforming our broken immigration system, and will
continue to listen to his constituents -- and not the protests and threats of
outside special interest groups -- as he works with his House colleagues
towards a step-by-step approach," Fong said in a statement Thursday.
Large
Pajaro Valley land deal has implications for entire farming community [Santa
Cruz Sentinel]
In
what's being described as the largest Pajaro Valley real estate transaction of
its kind in years, more than 450 acres of prime farmland have been put on the
market. The land comprises eight ranches protected from development by
agricultural conservation easements, and will be sold in one or two lots. The
Borina Foundation owns the ranches, which are being sold as the philanthropic
organization winds down its activities and transfers its assets to the
Community Foundation Santa Cruz County for future management….Raspberry grower
and past Santa Cruz County Farm Bureau president John Eiskamp said he couldn't
think of another offering of this scale in recent years, and the pool of local
farmers who could make such a purchase was limited, based on his rough estimate
of $50,000 an acre.…Eiskamp said the sale could have wider ramifications in a
valley working to solve a long-standing groundwater deficit.
SLO
County grape harvest expected to produce high-quality wines [San Luis Obispo
Tribune]
With
favorable weather on their side, San Luis Obispo County winemakers are calling
the 2013 grape harvest one of the best in years, producing moderate crop yields
and a high-quality vintage.…Although growers and winemakers are hesitant to say
how the final product will taste, they expect good color and great flavors. An
early spring, warm, dry conditions and a lack of inclement weather, such as the
spring frost that damaged the 2011 crop, provided ideal growing conditions….The
amount of grapes harvested this year depended greatly on the region, said Jeff
Bitter, vice president of operations for Allied Grape Growers, a California
wine-grape marketing cooperative, which has done a preliminary assessment of
the harvest.This year’s harvest produced a “shorter” or smaller crop on the
Central Coast, roughly 10 percent to 15 percent less than last year, said
Bitter, noting that it may be due to the natural cycle of the vines.…However,
the interior wine-growing regions of the state, which include counties like
Glenn, Kern and San Joaquin, had crop yields that were as large or larger than
last year. Those regions produce about 3 million of the 4 million tons of wine
grapes in California.
Editorial: Labels for
controversial ingredients [New York Times]
A
ballot initiative in Washington State would require many foods to carry
conspicuous warning labels if they use genetically engineered ingredients. The
votes will not be completely tallied for several days, but a partial count
shows the initiative losing by 54 percent to 46 percent. The aim of the measure
is to discredit crops that use genetic engineering, though the Food and Drug
Administration has concluded that there is no scientific evidence to support
the notion that genetically modified foods pose any more risk than conventional
foods. Instead of requiring labels by law, it makes sense to let the food
companies decide whether and how to inform consumers….A better course for
manufacturers is to label the products voluntarily. Consumers generally want to
know what is in the food they buy, but the vast majority may well shrug at the
labels and buy the products anyway. They have been eating genetically
engineered foods (more than 70 percent of the food sold in grocery stores) for
years without harm.
Editorial: Stick a fork in
trans fats [San Francisco Chronicle]
A
decision by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to rid America's diet of
unhealthy trans fat is overdue. Decades of studies have shown that the
artery-clogging food additive should go, and the federal action should finish
off the harmful ingredient for good….The fight has local origins. Tiny Tiburon
in Marin County was the first in the country to pass a voluntary ban on trans
fat in 2004. San Francisco followed in 2008. California officially barred the
oil in restaurants in 2009 with a 2011 deadline for bakeries….The federal
action comes late in the push against trans fat. But it should be a reminder
about watching dietary ingredients and listening to scientific advice. The country's
health depends on this watchful spirit.
Ag
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