San Joaquin Valley farmers take drastic measures to deal with drought [Fresno Bee]
San
Joaquin Valley farmers are idling thousands of acres, bulldozing hundreds of
trees and shifting production of some crops out of the area as the state enters
its third straight year of dry weather.…The drought already has caused some
farmers to take drastic measures by whittling the number of acres they farm.
Others worry about the ripple effect the drought will have on workers and the
rural communities that are dependent on the region's multibillion-dollar
agriculture industry….Les Wright, Fresno County agricultural commissioner, said
the lack of water has made it difficult for ranchers to find enough natural
grasses to feed their cattle….The drought has forced one Valley food processor
— Olam International — to shift some of its production to other parts of the
state to maintain a supply of product….For some farmers, the only option for
keeping their farms going is digging new water wells.
Editorial: Put water bond on the ballot [Fresno Bee]
…We
agree with the governor that the delta's imperiled ecosystem must be restored
and that the state's water conveyance system needs to be improved — both of
which are BDCP goals….Increased water-storage capacity, however, is an
immediate need, especially with climate-change scientists predicting that
California will experience wildly fluctuating weather cycles….Our
recommendation is that the Legislature review the bond, remove pet projects
used to woo lawmaker support in 2009 and put it before the voters in November.
We also urge Brown to come out strongly in favor of the water bond — just as he
worked hard to gain voter approval in 2012 for tax increases to get the state's
financial house in order….This historic drought is causing millions of
Californians to pay close attention to water and contemplate a future without
it. They deserve to have the opportunity to vote on a water bond that includes
more water storage this November.
The land – unprotected?
Williamson Act has been defunded [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
…As
it turns out, conserving farmland is a common concern — it was one of the more
frequent responses to an Appeal-Democrat survey asking locals what issue the
community should tackle next. Many readers also said being surrounded by
farmland and orchards was one of the things they like most about living here.
It is those interests that the Williamson Act was designed to protect. The
problem is that the program has been defunded by the state, leaving it up to
counties to keep the act alive….In all likelihood, the payments, which
reimbursed the county for 144 contracts spread over 64,000 acres, won't return
to the state budget, said John Lowrie, division chief of the Division of Land Resource
Protection at the Department of Conservation….Local landowners with property
under the Williamson Act said they are concerned about the future of the act
and the tax breaks it provides.
Farm Beat:
Agriculture educators fight for grant program [Modesto Bee]
High
school ag teachers do not like how Gov. Jerry Brown wielded the pruning shears
in one part of his proposed budget. He has proposed eliminating the
Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Grant Program, which is
providing $4.1 million to schools in the fiscal year that ends June 30. The
proposal is part of an effort by Brown and other leaders to greatly increase
the pot of money over which local school boards have discretion. That idea has
won praise in general, but the ag teachers think cutting out the grants is
shortsighted.
Standstill on farm
bill may revive 1949 rules [New York Times]
Pressure
is mounting on lawmakers working on a farm bill to come up with a deal before
the end of the month, when the Agriculture Department is to begin enforcing a
series of decades-old laws that could cause the price of milk and other
agricultural products to double. In the nearly two-year effort to pass the $1
trillion bill, lawmakers have been able to reach a compromise on most of the
farm and nutrition programs it covers, including what was expected to be the
most contentious issue: cuts to the food stamp program. A deal was reached to
cut about $9 billion from the program over 10 years, but was held up when
Speaker John A. Boehner objected to a measure to help dairy farmers by limiting
milk production to stabilize prices.…Progress has also been stalled by
disagreements over a catfish inspection program at the Agriculture Department
and over payment limits to farmers who receive subsidies. But it is the dairy
provision that has brought talks to a standstill, people familiar with the
negotiations said.
Calif. nut farmers
band together to fight theft [Associated Press]
The
soaring value of California’s nut crops is attracting a new breed of thieves
who have been making off with the pricey commodities by the truckload,
recalling images of cattle rustlers of bygone days….Investigators suspect
low-level organized crime may have a hand in cases, while some pilfered nuts
are ending up in Los Angeles for resale at farmers markets or disappear into
the black market….“The Wild West is alive and well in certain aspects,” said
Danielle Oliver of the California Farm Bureau. “There’s always someone out
there trying to make a quick dollar on somebody else’s hard work.”
Ag
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