Water experts pitch for Temperance Flat Dam [Fresno Bee]
The
historic drought this year has pushed California's twice-delayed water bond to
the top of the public agenda, water experts told lawmakers Thursday. Now is the
time for a ballot measure to fix the state's aging water system, nurture the
ecosystem and help rural communities get healthy drinking water, the experts
said. A new dam on the San Joaquin River must be part of the equation, most
said. A panel of state lawmakers listened to the testimony at a hearing at
Fresno City College on Assembly Bill 1331, which would put a $6.5 billion bond
on the November ballot. A vote on some version of a water bond bill is expected
in the next several months.
Ventura County's
groundwater crisis returns [Ventura County Star]
On
April 30, 1979, state water officials came to Oxnard and dropped a word that
sent terror through the hearts of every farmer on the Oxnard Plain:
“adjudication.”…Three decades later, the situation is arguably worse. The area
of saltwater intrusion has expanded, and about 25,000 more acre-feet of
groundwater are being pumped from aquifers each year than is sustainable.
Editorial: In record drought, state leaders can’t ignore
agriculture to save water [Sacramento Bee]
Securing
emergency drinking water supplies for the worst-hit communities is absolutely
necessary. With no end in sight to California’s record drought, state leaders
are right to focus most of the $687 million relief package they announced
Wednesday on longer-term efforts to conserve and recycle water. But if we’re
really all in this together, leaders must pay far more attention to the biggest
user – agriculture, which sucks up as much as three-fourths of available water
in a given year.…Just like urban systems, water districts in farm country
should have state help – and have goals – to save as much as they can.…To make
a real difference, state leaders ought to look more critically at agriculture.
Few dare to even talk about discouraging crops that use lots of water but do
relatively little to boost California’s economy.
EPA proposing new
rules - the first in 20 years - to protect farm workers [Sacramento Bee]
New
proposed rules meant to safeguard farmworkers from pesticide exposure were
announced Thursday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, with the
proposed national rules likely to affect the bulk of California’s 77,000 farm
operators. The EPA’s proposed regulations are the first updating of its Worker
Protection Standard in 20 years, said Jim Jones, administrator of chemical
safety and pollution protection at the EPA. The rules would demand farmworker
training, new signage, whistle-blower protections and a minimum age for
handling pesticides on farms, among other changes.
State regulators pull
trigger on fumigant [Fresno Bee]
Public
health concerns have prompted the state Department of Pesticide Regulation to
end an exemption that let growers apply more of the fumigant Telone than is
allowed. The move is not being well received by some growers, who say that,
without the exemption, they will have to use less effective chemicals,
resulting in lower yields and a shorter growing season. "The state has to
do what they think they need to do," said Bob Weimer, who farms 400 acres
of sweet potatoes in the Atwater-Livingston area of Merced County. "But I
think they are taking an overly cautious view of the product and its potential
hazards."
State Sen. Noreen
Evans proposes labeling GMO foods in state [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
State
Sen. Noreen Evans plans to introduce legislation today that would require all
foods containing genetically modified organisms to be labeled in California, a
move sure to reignite a contentious and costly battle that the state's voters
last weighed in on in 2012. The Santa Rosa Democrat says genetically modified
organisms have been linked to health problems ranging from allergies to cancer,
and that babies, in particular, are at risk of getting sick, in part because
their immune systems are not fully developed.…Evans originally was planning to
target only baby foods. But later Thursday, her staff announced that her bill
has been broadened to require GMO labeling for all foods used for "human
consumption" in California. That more closely mirrors Proposition 37,
which voters rejected in 2012. The senator's staff said about 85 percent of all
foods on store shelves in California contain genetically modified organisms.
Evans did not respond to a request seeking comment on the changes made to the
proposed legislation. Teala Schaff, her spokeswoman, said the changes were made
at the request of the California State Grange, which pushed for the original bill.
Rancher seeks to buy
shuttered slaughterhouse [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Marin
Sun Farms, a gourmet farm-to-table meat producer, is buying the Petaluma
slaughterhouse at the center of an international meat recall and intends to
reopen the shuttered facility. Marin Sun founder and CEO David Evans on
Thursday said he has a deal in escrow to purchase the plant operated by Rancho
Feeding Corporation, which ceased operations this month and recalled all 8.7
million pounds of beef processed at the plant in 2013. Evans, a
fifth-generation Marin County rancher, said the purchase will encourage the
growth of the North Bay's custom meat producers. He intends to expand
operations to slaughter species other than cattle and to process
organic-certified meat.
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.
No comments:
Post a Comment