Lack of rain dries up grazing land for North State cattle [Redding Record Searchlight]
This
winter’s dry, unseasonably warm weather has North State cattle ranchers and
feed suppliers worried. Most believe the industry is facing its biggest
economic challenge to keep herds fed and healthy since the drought of 1976-77 —
maybe greater. “This is really our third year of drought because the last
couple years were not terribly good years, so to have a serious drought after
those two years,” said Mary Rickert of Prather Ranch, a Siskiyou County-based
operation that has grazing land in Shasta County.
Lack of rain putting
pressure on stressed Pajaro Valley groundwater supplies [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
Cloudless,
blue skies are spurring calls for action in the Pajaro Valley, where the lack
of rain is adding pressure to stressed groundwater supplies. The Pajaro Valley
Water Management Agency board will discuss a drought response, including a
proposal for a voluntary 10 percent cut in water use, Wednesday….Steps were
being taken in the farming community before the drought to reduce groundwater
use. For example, raspberry grower John Eiskamp installed a computer-based
system that allows him to monitor soil moisture levels and pinpoint irrigation.
Suncrest Nursery installed a closed system that allows it to recapture and
reuse irrigation water. Ed Kelly IV, owner of Colleen Strawberries, said the
farming community recognizes the problem, and is discussing the best way to
proceed.
CalFire boosts staff
for unseasonal fire danger [Napa Valley Register]
It’s
only January, but CalFire/Napa County Fire is beginning to staff up as if it
were summer. Hills are brown instead of winter green. Woodlands are tinder dry
from a token amount of rain over the past 12 months. Ranchers are having to
feed their cattle extra hay because, as south Napa rancher Ailene Tarap
explained, “There is nothing growing.”…CalFire announced plans to rehire 125
seasonal firefighters in the northern region, which stretches from Monterey to
the Oregon border, including three in the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit.…In the Sonoma-Lake-Napa
Unit, the seasonal firefighters, who usually work up to nine months a year
during the fire season, would help staff an extra engine at the Santa Rosa
Station. Normally, the station is closed for the winter. The fire season ended
Dec. 8 in the Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit. But because of exceptional winter fire
conditions, it was reopened this week.
Jerry Brown courts
skeptical electorate in inland California push [Sacramento Bee]
Gov.
Jerry Brown, whose public approval rating is rising statewide and whose
re-election is all but assumed, arrived in the San Joaquin Valley this week to
promote his new spending plan in a region that has resisted him for nearly four
years.…Brown’s ability to improve his standing in these inland reaches of the
state could be significant – if not to his relatively safe re-election
prospects – to policies he has made a priority of his third term. These include
high-speed rail, which is highly controversial in the Valley, and water policies
complicated by drought….Brown’s two-day tour took him from Fresno to
Bakersfield and Riverside, including private meetings with agriculture, water,
education and law enforcement officials….Looming over the entire visit,
however, was growing pressure on Brown to declare a drought emergency – he
suggested he is close – and objections to high-speed rail.
Livingston is eager
for Foster Farms plant to reopen [Modesto Bee]
While
the city’s most visible employer remained closed for business Tuesday, it was
business as usual around town, amid optimism Foster Farms soon will reopen.
Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, attended a meeting
at the plant Tuesday afternoon and said it’s likely to reopen Thursday, “maybe
even for a shift on Wednesday.” The company closed its chicken plant
voluntarily Sunday, after reopening briefly following a three-day federal
shutdown related to cockroaches found at the site. Company officials said they
were closing a second time to ensure that Foster Farms has “the most stringent
and effective treatment protocols in place.”
Sonoma County wine
growers set goal of 100% sustainability [San Francisco Chronicle]
The
Sonoma County Winegrape Commission wants every vineyard and winery in its
domain to be certified sustainable in the next five years. The plan, which will
be announced Wednesday, could make Sonoma County the first wine region in the
nation to be 100 percent sustainable. It's a tall order, given that it's
difficult to get 100 percent compliance in any voluntary program, but in
particular, farmers tend to be an independent lot. Then there's the problem
that the word "sustainable" is used so often that no one really knows
what it means.
Ag
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