California drought deepens as another year's rains stay away [San Jose Mercury News]
The
driest year on record is turning the golden hills of California to dust, drying
up wells, pastures and cash reserves in a season that is traditionally lush and
generous….Records are being broken all over the state, according to the
National Weather Service. San Jose has only received 3.8 inches since January,
well short of its 14-inch average. Oakland is even drier -- 3.39 inches this
year, compared with its 22.8-inch average. The last time it was this dry in San
Francisco was in 1917, with 9 inches. This year, the city has had less than 6
inches….But while water managers and urban gardeners are nervously watching the
sky, the impact of the growing drought is especially troubling for farmers. A
parched landscape, unlike a hurricane or tornado, is a slow-moving disaster
with indirect effects.
Reservoir
proposal would fortify dam [Stockton Record]
A
proposal to enlarge a key reservoir south of the Delta would also make the dam
less likely to fail during an earthquake, a disaster that would flood portions
of Stockton and south San Joaquin County. Much of the discussion about raising
the San Luis Reservoir dam by 20 feet focuses on how that would help the
state's water supply. More space in San Luis could allow officials to export
more water from the Delta in wet years, when pumping is less likely to harm the
fragile environment. But the expansion plan released this month also calls for
strengthening the 300-foot-high earthen dam, which officials in recent years
have concluded could be vulnerable to an earthquake as large as magnitude-6.75
on the Ortigalita Fault, which crosses the reservoir.
Valley
citrus packers: First the freeze, now sorting out damaged fruit [Fresno Bee]
San
Joaquin Valley citrus packers are hiring extra workers and inspecting fruit as
they try to separate the good from the bad after an early December freeze.
Although citrus industry officials are reluctant to put a percentage on the
damage from nearly a dozen days of subfreezing temperatures, some citrus
packers are estimating damage at between 30% to 50% for the entire
industry….Over time, freeze-damaged fruit will begin to dry out and become
lighter, making it easier for specialized equipment to kick out bad fruit…. So
far, county inspectors have found spotty damage throughout the Valley's citrus
belt. At packinghouses, if inspectors find more than 15% damage in a specific
lot of fruit, it will be rejected and must be repacked.
Time
Is running out To save Florida's oranges [National Public Radio]
It's
not been a good year for Florida's citrus industry. The U.S. Department of
Agriculture reports that, for the second year running, the orange crop is
expected to be almost 10 percent lower than the previous year. The culprit is
citrus greening, a disease that has devastated Florida's oranges and
grapefruits, and has now begun to spread in Texas and California….Scientists
and growers now say virtually 100 percent of Florida's groves are infected with
citrus greening….The industry, the state of Florida and USDA are spending
millions of dollars each year funding research. And scientists have some
promising leads.
Defined
by critics, big ag restarts conversation [Associated Press]
There's
a lot of conversation about traditional agriculture recently, and much of it is
critical. Think genetically modified crops, overuse of hormones and antibiotics,
inhumane treatment of animals and over-processed foods. This explosion of talk
about food — some based on fact, some based on fiction — has already
transformed the marketplace. Slow to respond and often defensive, farmers and
others in agribusiness have for several years let critics define the public
debate and influence consumers. Now, the industry is trying to push farmers and
businesses to fight back, connecting with those consumers through social media
and outreach that many in agriculture have traditionally shunned.
Opinion: Schiff and
MacDonald: The Endangered Species Act Turns 40—Hold the Applause [Wall Street
Journal]
Forty
years ago, on Dec. 28, 1973, the Endangered Species Act became law. If you want
to celebrate, you'll need to close your eyes to hard truths. A law intended to
conserve species and habitat has brought about the recovery of only a
fraction—less than 2%—of the approximately 2,100 species listed as endangered
or threatened since 1973. Meanwhile, the law has endangered the economic health
of many communities—while creating a cottage industry of litigation that does
more to enrich environmental activist groups than benefit the environment….How
to get the Endangered Species Act back on track? A couple of straightforward
reforms would have a big impact, and they could be implemented by the
administration through regulatory change, without the need for legislation.
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