'Dire' prediction for state water allocation [San Francisco Chronicle]
As
the first significant rain of the season fell on Northern California Wednesday,
the state Department of Water Resources issued an ominous water supply estimate
that makes it clear that much more precipitation is needed this winter. In its
annual water allocation estimate, usually issued around Dec. 1, the department
projects that it will be able to fill only 5 percent of the water requests it
has received from the 29 water agencies it contracts with - agencies that serve
about two-thirds of California's population. Only once before - in 2010 - did
the department issue a similarly low estimate of available water….Paul Wenger,
a Modesto nut farmer and president of the California Farm Bureau, said the low
allocation was not a surprise but is still a dire sign. "It's very
minimal," he said. "We'll have to wait to see what the (federal)
Central Valley Project allocates. Some people are expecting zero."
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Keeping
water is priority No.1 [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
The
need for more water storage and the assurance that water from North California
isn't sent south were the main concerns voiced at a town hall about water
issues Tuesday night in Yuba City. Almost 200 farmers, residents and water
managers attended the meeting, which was organized by Assemblyman Dan Logue. It
brought several managers of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and California
Secretary of Natural Resources John Laird to the table to discuss upcoming
changes to water management policy….Laird stressed the plan wouldn't change the
amount of water allocated to various parts of the state — including the Central
Valley, Southern California and the Delta. He said it would instead improve the
conveyance of the water via two tunnels, which would allow agencies to better
manage what water is already there to improve habitats and create a reliable
supply for farmers….Laird did not mention any specific reservoir projects, but
said that in the draft California Water Action Plan, Gov. Jerry Brown
acknowledged more storage is critical to solving the water issues. Laird also
said it might be time to start managing groundwater.
State,
Congress in a cage fight over eggs [Orange County Register]
Members
of Congress are fiercely debating whether California can, in effect, regulate
the business practices of other states, in this case, the size of the cages
that hens live in, if those hens are laying eggs that will eventually be sold
in California. Depending on which way the argument is settled, California
consumers could face either a period of lower egg supply and higher prices, or
an abundance of eggs at cheap prices, industry trade groups say. The California
egg industry, too, is watching closely because its future is on the
line….Out-of-state producers would be able to "sell eggs for a cheaper price
than we can. We have to offer the double-the-space for our chickens," Gary
West of JS West and Companies, an egg farm in Modesto, told the Register. West
said it costs about $15 per hen to upgrade to the newer, spacious cages. He has
about 1.8 million chickens on two farms; so, the expense has been
"considerable." The cheap, out-of-state eggs will have a market
advantage, Rayne Pegg of the California Farm Bureau said. California egg
farmers, she said, will be asking, "Can I stay in this business?"
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UC
Davis taps plant disease specialist from Cornell to lead agricultural school
[Sacramento Bee]
After
a nationwide search, the University of California, Davis, has chosen one of its
alumna – a plant disease specialist from Cornell University – to head its
world-renowned agricultural school. On Wednesday, the university announced that
Helene Dillard, 58, current head of Cornell’s Cooperative Extension program,
will lead the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Dillard will
start in late January and will earn a yearly salary of $298,500 as head of one
of the world’s top agricultural schools….The appointment ends a lengthy search
to replace former Dean Neal Van Alfen, who had served as the position from 1999
until August 2012.
The
heat is on for farmers [Wall Street Journal]
A
CHANGE IN the weather is enough to recreate the world, wrote Marcel Proust. Due
to climate change, more frequent episodes of erratic weather appear to be doing
just that. Ongoing extreme weather shocks are threatening global food security:
Agricultural harvests are now more prone to drastic variations in size, making
food prices increasingly volatile, warn experts….For now, global grain
production is being affected by idyllic weather conditions, meaning global
cereal production, which includes rice, corn and wheat, is expected to be 10%
higher this year over 2012 levels, at 2.49 billion metric tons, according to
the United Nations' Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)….The
current outlook for grains marks a drastic turnaround since last year after
extreme heat and dryness across the U.S. corn belt meant fields baked under
relentless sunshine, with the result that both corn and wheat prices soared.
Extremes in harvest sizes from one crop year to another seem here to stay.
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Commentary: California wolves:
Endangered species needs help to be saved [San Jose Mercury News]
…The
word out of Sacramento this week is that a preliminary state study undergoing
peer review tries to make a case against protecting wolves….The question is,
will California be prepared to manage them when they get here? It's a question
taking on new urgency as the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rolls into
California on Friday for a public hearing on the Obama administration's
proposal to strip most wolves in the lower 48 states of Endangered Species Act
protections. If the service follows through, wolf recovery will be left almost
entirely to the states….In the Klamath-Siskiyou and Modoc plateau regions that
are home to many of California's 6 million head of livestock, cattlemen and
some elected officials didn't hold back on the vitriol, according to news
reports. "We would like to see them shot on sight," said the chair of
the Siskiyou County board of supervisors as OR-7 first approached the
California state line in December 2011.…In California, historically a leader in
conservation issues, the evidence has always suggested most voters support the
return of wolves.
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