Ag Today Thursday, January 30, 2014

GOP pushes California drought bill Democrats call irresponsible [Fresno Bee]

California congressional Republicans escalated the anti-drought pressure Wednesday, introducing an ambitious California water bill that includes controversial provisions immediately dismissed by the state's two Democratic senators. Authored by San Joaquin Valley lawmakers, but backed by the state's united GOP House delegation, the far-reaching water package would repeal a San Joaquin River restoration program, lengthen irrigation contracts and cap the delivery of water for environmental purposes, among many other provisions. And within hours of its introduction, the bill also incited bad blood, harsh words and doubts about its long-term prospects….Feinstein has indicated that she plans to introduce her own California water bill, but has not yet revealed details.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/29/3739402/gop-pushes-california-drought.html

Panel to vote on pesticide [Santa Maria Times]

The Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board will consider setting new long-term standards today for pesticides in the Santa Maria River Watershed that, according to one official, local farmers could have difficulty achieving….The amendment would introduce total maximum daily loads, or TMDLs, which are designed to mitigate environmental damage to aquatic insects and the fish that feed on them, according to the board’s Senior Environmental Scientist Christopher Rose….Claire Wineman, president of the Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, said many farmers wouldn’t be able to meet the standards.

http://santamariatimes.com/news/local/govt-and-politics/panel-to-vote-on-pesticide/article_5fffdd28-8981-11e3-8321-0019bb2963f4.html

Farm Bill expected soon; would impact rice farmers and provide some help for drought [Chico Enterprise-Record]

The House of Representatives Wednesday passed the 939-page Farm Bill, with the Senate expected to do the same next week. As California heads into a harsh planting season amidst a drought, the Farm Bill will help. Rayne Pegg, manager of the California Farm Bureau Federation, said the bill contains a number of provisions that aid livestock producers harmed by weather disaster, including cattle, honeybees and farmed fish….For farmers of staple crops, including rice, wheat, corn and soy, the farm bill does away with direct payments….

http://www.chicoer.com/news/ci_25024919/farm-bill-expected-soon-would-impact-rice-farmers?IADID=Search-www.chicoer.com-www.chicoer.com

Glass half full: Despite obstacles, S.J. grape growers confident in wine industry [Stockton Record]

California winemakers and grape growers must prepare to respond to a complex, dynamic and competitive global wine industry - where larger crops loom in the future and fickle consumers turn to apple cider, flavored spirits and craft beer - even as drought threatens to cripple this year's harvest. And those are just some of the concerns, as well as opportunities raised, by experts in wine economics, grape production and global wine sales Wednesday at the California wine industry's largest annual trade show….Nat DiBuduo, president of the Allied Grape Growers cooperative in Fresno and a keynote speaker at the Unified Wine & Grape Symposium, said new vineyard plantings ratcheted up over the past few years, including an estimated 35,000 to 45,000 acres this year, and could begin to outpace the long-term trend by 2017….DiBuduo summed up the most important issue facing the wine and grape industry: "It's water and it's water and it's water."

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140130/A_NEWS/401300318&cid=sitesearch

Ventura County growers face same challenges of past, experts say [Ventura County Star]

The top issues facing Ventura County’s agriculture producers not only have continued since researchers began studying the industry a century ago, but they also are now worse. That was the key message, eclipsed when possible with positive news, at an agriculture symposium Wednesday in Oxnard that marked the 100th anniversary of the local industry’s partner and supporter, the UC Cooperative Extension in Ventura County and the Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center….Growing crops, however, means nothing unless there is labor to harvest them. John Krist, CEO of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County, told the audience California growers’ historical reliance on a foreign workforce is at a critical point because that source is shrinking.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/jan/29/ventura-county-growers-face-same-challenges-of/

*Link may require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.

Editorial: Immigration Breakout [Wall Street Journal]

The most important reason to reform immigration laws is to promote economic growth and prosperity….In today's global economy, with many rising nations, the U.S. is in an increasingly competitive contest for human capital….Agriculture is among the worst off, and millions of crop acres go fallow or are left to rot due to too few farm workers. The current farm-visa program is such a bureaucratic morass that almost nobody uses it, and the gap is filled with workers who have fake documents. Some on the right claim these workers take jobs away from Americans, but only union leaders and Beltway intellectuals could believe this….A generous guest-worker program that allowed immigration to meet economic demand is also the only effective way to reduce illegal immigration.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304691904579348531764733444?KEYWORDS=immigration+breakout

*Link may require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.

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 Wednesday, January 29, 2014

House sends farm bill compromise to the Senate [Los Angeles Times]

The House of Representatives easily approved a new five-year farm bill Wednesday, ending nearly two years of contentious debate over how to cut agriculture subsidies and nutrition programs. The final vote was 251-166. The Senate is expected to begin considering the compromise bill, which was unveiled Monday by House and Senate negotiators, early next week. The final product averts deep cuts sought by Republicans in the federal food stamp program and ends direct payments to farmers — a controversial provision under the previous farm bill in which farmers received federal subsidies regardless of their output.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-house-passes-farm-bill-compromise-20140129,0,3521202.story#axzz2rocv1bRf

Valley GOP leaders regroup after drought-relief maneuver fails [Fresno Bee]

San Joaquin Valley congressional Republicans took aim this week and missed their stated goal of helping California cope with drought. Now, having unsuccessfully tried a long-shot, last-minute farm bill maneuver, the GOP lawmakers are regrouping. Their next steps, though unclear, are certainly on the way….One key question now is whether this week’s failed effort to add California water language to a farm bill poisons the well or builds effective long-term pressure. Another question is what political lessons might be learned to ease future drought action. There’s also the question of what future legislation would look like.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/01/28/3737399/politics-leaks-into-efforts-to.html

California Farms Going Thirsty as Drought Burns $5 Billion Hole [Bloomberg News]

…The drought in California, the top U.S. agricultural producer at $44.7 billion, is depriving the state of water needed to produce everything from milk, beef and wine to some of the nation’s largest fruit and vegetable crops, including avocados, strawberries and almonds. Lost revenue in 2014 from farming and related businesses such as trucking and processing could reach $5 billion, according to estimates by the 300-member California Farm Water Coalition, an industry group….Farmers in the state probably will leave as much as 500,000 acres unplanted, or about 12 percent of last year’s principal crops, because they won’t have enough water to produce a harvest, which will mean fewer choices and higher prices for consumers, said Mike Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition, a Sacramento-based group of farmers, water district managers and farm-related businesses.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-01-29/california-farms-going-thirsty-as-drought-burns-5-billion-hole.html

Oakdale Irrigation District directors vote to reject Westlands water deal [Modesto Bee]

A proposal to pay Oakdale landowners to fallow their pastures so irrigation water could be sold to Fresno-area farmers was rejected Tuesday morning.

Oakdale Irrigation District directors voted 4-1 to reverse Thursday’s decision, which would have kept the proposed Westlands Water District deal alive.

OID directors said they changed their minds after being flooded with phone calls from Oakdale farmers and ranchers opposed to selling water to outsiders during this drought.

http://www.modbee.com/2014/01/28/3158345/oid-directors-switch-votes-reject.html

Lawsuit filed to stop new water wells in Stanislaus County [Modesto Bee]

A just-filed lawsuit seeks a court order to stop Stanislaus County from issuing new well construction permits without first requiring environmental reviews. Lawyers representing two environmental groups submitted the “complaint for declaratory relief,” which court officials were processing Tuesday….The lawsuit contends that Stanislaus’ well permit policy is unlawful because it allows new groundwater wells to be drilled without determining whether they may have significant adverse environmental effects. The California Environmental Quality Act requires that such reviews be done, according to the lawyers. At issue are hundreds of large wells – primarily for agricultural irrigation in eastern Stanislaus – that were approved last year by the county. New wells continue to be granted permits almost daily.

http://www.modbee.com/2014/01/28/3158957/lawsuit-filed-to-stop-new-water.html

Editorial: Our View: Brown’s FFA funding could be a concern [Imperial Valley Press]

That Gov. Jerry Brown’s budget proposal aims to unlock the $4.1 million in categorical funding that makes up in some cases the lion’s share of FFA funding is a bit scary….FFA education isn’t cheap. There are many costs born that other public school programs never see. Again, local control for schools is important where at the local level administrators hopefully know where to use it and how to use it. That is the plus. The minus will be to see if that occurs, and in this case, to make sure FFA gets its due.

It would be a shame, in Imperial County, California, where ag is king, to see a district not use the money for its ag programs.

http://www.ivpressonline.com/opinion/our-view-brown-s-ffa-funding-could-be-a-concern/article_7f0b094c-8880-11e3-a08d-001a4bcf6878.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 Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Farm bill compromise protects California's egg law [Los Angeles Times]

California's egg law survived a congressional effort to scramble it as key lawmakers from both parties announced an agreement Monday on a multiyear farm bill. That means beginning next year, all eggs sold in California will have been laid by hens that had plenty of room to flap their wings. The compromise farm bill, which could come up for a House vote Wednesday, would avert deep cuts sought by Republicans in the federal food stamp program and end direct payments to farmers — a controversial provision under the previous farm bill in which farmers received federal subsidies regardless of their output….The California Farm Bureau Federation hailed the compromise House-Senate bill and called for its passage. "Although the debate about the King amendment focused on eggs, the amendment threatened other state-specific standards to prevent pests and diseases that threaten California crops," federation president Paul Wenger said in a statement.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-farm-bill-california-20140128,0,7017006.story#axzz2riZpYR2w

Negotiators agree on farm bill [Stockton Record]

A House plan to make major cuts to food stamps would be scaled back under a bipartisan agreement on a massive farm bill, a near end to a more than two-year fight that has threatened to hurt rural lawmakers in an election year. The measure announced Monday by the House and Senate Agriculture committees preserves food stamp benefits for most Americans who receive them and continues generous subsidies for farmers. The House was expected to vote on the bill Wednesday, with the Senate following shortly after….Bruce Blodgett, executive manager of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, welcomed the news from Washington, saying having a farm bill will provide some certainty for San Joaquin County's No. 1 industry.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140128/A_BIZ/401280317&cid=sitesearch

House Republicans consider their own immigration plan [Los Angeles Times]

In a potential breakthrough for long-stalled immigration legislation, House Republicans will consider a proposal this week that would allow millions of immigrants in the country illegally to gain legal status and, in some cases, to eventually become citizens. House Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio is expected to issue a list of broad immigration "principles" to fellow Republicans during a three-day retreat that begins Wednesday at a Chesapeake Bay resort. For the first time, the list will include a narrow path to citizenship as well as tighter border security and new visas for foreign workers.

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-gop-immigration-20140128,0,5729206.story#axzz2riZpYR2w

As California drought continues, federal government could seize San Joaquin Valley farm water [Modesto Bee]

Farmers from the San Joaquin Valley set aside precious water last year, like money in a bank. But now someone else might claim the investment.

With the state extremely dry, farmers fear federal officials effectively could seize for other purposes the water, set aside primarily in San Luis Reservoir on the West Side. Affected farmers say that would be wrong. Unfortunately for them, it might be legal.

http://www.modbee.com/2014/01/27/3156657/as-california-drought-continues.html

Dan Walters: Gov. Brown increasingly desperate to save bullet train [Sacramento Bee]

Desperate times, it’s been said, call for desperate measures. The oft-quoted phrase originated with ancient Greek physician Hippocrates, who declared, “For extreme diseases, extreme methods of cure, as to restriction, are most suitable…” Gov. Jerry Brown, without uttering the words, has adopted it as his guiding credo to keep alive his bullet train project that otherwise would die a natural death.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/28/6106244/dan-walters-gov-brown-increasingly.html

Ernie Righetti, local agriculturalist, dies at age 97 [San Luis Obispo Tribune]

Ernest Righetti, pioneering Edna Valley farmer and pillar of the county’s agricultural community, died Sunday. He was 97. He had been in ill health and under hospice care recently. He died late Sunday night at Sierra Vista Regional Medical Center in San Luis Obispo, where he had been treated since Tuesday, said son David Righetti….Righetti was a longtime director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau and served as its president from 1975 to 1977. The bureau named him Agriculturalist of the Year in 1991.

http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2014/01/27/2895841/ernie-righetti-farmer-death.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, January 27, 2014

Dry days, sleepless nights for farmers [Stockton Record]

With 2013 San Joaquin County's driest year on record, and January - typically one of the highest rain months - coming to an end with no measurable rain, area farmers are increasingly worried. The drought has already taken a heavy toll on those who depend on fall rains, mostly ranchers whose grazing animals can't find feed on the dry, brown pastures. But even farmers with sources of irrigation, whether well water or available surface water, are facing higher costs and mineral buildup in the soil. "It just depends on the crop and the commodity," said Brent Holtz, director of the University of California Cooperative Extension in Stockton.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140127/A_NEWS/401270313

Kern cattle ranchers look to the skies for rain -- and hope [Bakersfield Californian]

Fifth-generation cattle rancher Nathan Carver coaxed his flatbed Dodge into low gear, opened the driver's door and stepped out onto the parched landscape…."In most years, it would already be green out here," Carver said, looking around at the dirt-brown hills. "We did have green -- but it didn't last." Instead, Carver and scores of other ranchers in Kern County are in survival mode.…Ranchers from the Temblor Range to the Tehachapis are digging into their reserve funds, turning to banks for loans, or if they're lucky, securing emergency funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency -- all to buy hay and feed for their cows: their livlihoods, their lives….At the junction of Highway 99 and Famoso Road north of Bakersfield, Justin Mebane was in the saddle Thursday morning, working with a group of cowboys to separate "pairs" -- cow and calf -- from a herd being readied for sale. Mebane, owner-manager of Famoso-Western Stockman's Market, said he's seen a jump in the number of cattle being placed on the auction block. But if the rains and mountain snows don't return, the young cattleman said he's expecting a much more radical spike in sales activity.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/local/x429887337/Kern-cattle-ranchers-look-to-the-skies-for-rain-and-hope

Stormy seas ahead for the California water debate [Sacramento Bee]

The California drought will soon expose the geographic, political, personal and institutional divisions that complicate meaningful congressional action. Forget farmers versus environmentalists, that classic California plot. These divisions go deeper, and could easily kill the legislative fixes House Republicans vowed to make at a Bakersfield-area farm last week. In the state’s Central Valley, the potential farmer-against-farmer conflict could pit East Side versus West Side and North versus South. On Capitol Hill, besides the never-ending clash between Republicans and Democrats, unresolved tensions divide House from Senate. One on one, bad blood divides certain key lawmakers.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/01/27/6099476/stormy-seas-ahead-for-the-california.html

Farm Bill agreement expected this week, with final passage within days [Washington Post]

A final version of the Farm Bill, legislation that accounts for billions of dollars in federal spending and has lingered on the congressional to-do list for two years, is expected to be unveiled as early as Monday, with final passage likely in the coming days, according to several aides familiar with the talks. If an agreement is finalized Monday, senior House aides said that Republican leaders will bring the measure up for a vote in the House, where they believe it will pass with sufficient bipartisan support. The bill would then move to the Senate and likely be approved before a mid-February recess. "We remain optimistic that we can reach agreement in time to be on the floor next week," House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank D. Lucas (R-Okla.) said in a message to his colleagues sent over the weekend. The message asked members working on the legislation to return to Washington in time for a possible meeting Monday morning. Aides later said that signatures of support for the compromise were being collected in case not enough lawmakers returned in time.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-politics/wp/2014/01/26/farm-bill-agreement-expected-this-week-with-final-passage-within-days/

House Republicans to offer broad immigration plan [New York Times]

House Republicans are preparing to unveil their own broad template for overhauling the nation’s immigration system this week, potentially offering a small opening for President Obama and congressional Democrats to pass bipartisan legislation before the end of the year. Speaker John A. Boehner of Ohio and other Republican leaders are expected to release a one-page statement of immigration principles this week at their annual retreat in Cambridge, Md., according to aides with knowledge of the plan. The document is expected to call for border security and enforcement measures, as well as providing a path to legal status — but not citizenship — for many of the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the country, the aides said….But heading into the three-day Republican retreat, even some of the most ardent conservatives say consensus is forming around an immigration package that would include several separate bills on border security; a clampdown against the hiring of undocumented workers; expanded guest-worker programs; a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants brought to the country as children; and a path to legal status for undocumented workers with family ties to citizens or employer sponsors.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/26/us/politics/house-republicans-to-offer-broad-immigration-plan.html?_r=0

A new push to prevent produce pilfering [San Diego Union-Tribune]

…With 22,000 acres of avocado groves in the county — many off dark and rural roads in North County — the dollar losses from theft easily reach into the millions each year. Exact numbers are difficult to quantify because some theft goes unreported, said Eric Larson, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/04/agricultural-theft-avocados-valley-center/

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.