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.
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.
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….
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."
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.
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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.
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require paid subscription; text included in attached Word file.
Ag
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