Republicans draft plan for immigration reform [Los Angeles Times]
A
Republican blueprint for immigration reform offers legalization for some of the
nation's 11 million people who are in the country illegally, but no special
pathway to citizenship except in the cases of children brought here by their
parents, according to a draft presented Thursday to lawmakers by party
leadership….Republicans hope to narrow their internal differences and introduce
legislation this year. Boehner said the House would pursue a "step by
step" approach to reform, rather than adopt the comprehensive legislation
passed by the Senate last year. But any immigration bills probably wouldn't
come up until June, when most of the congressional primaries are over. This
would protect Republican incumbents, who are facing challenges from the right,
from having to make a tough vote.
Drought likely to
cost thousands of Fresno County farm jobs [Fresno Bee]
The
water shortage in the central San Joaquin Valley is forecast to cost thousands
of farm jobs in Fresno County and create larger ripple effects throughout the
region's economy, according to a report issued Thursday by economists at
Stockton's University of the Pacific….Five years ago, farm water shortages
forced farmers across the Valley to let about 250,000 acres go fallow, with a
loss of about 6,000 farm jobs and about $350 million in farm production.…Water
shortages this year are likely to be even more serious and accordingly have a
deeper effect on the area. "It ripples through consumer spending in the
entire economy," Michael said. "When farmers fallow their fields,
they're not investing in the input upfront, so suppliers see declines in sales,
and there's less processing and harvesting on the back end."
West-side farmers get
to keep water they had stored away [Fresno Bee]
West
San Joaquin Valley farmers don't have to worry about losing the 340,000
acre-feet of water they stored in San Luis Reservoir last year -- the federal government
won't take it. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had been considering taking the
water to fulfill obligations to other farm water contractors who have more
senior rights to water….West-siders had spent $150 million on water last year
as a hedge against a dry year. California is enduring a third year of drought,
and water is scarce. Federal officials were considering all options to honor
high-priority contracts with land owners who exchanged their San Joaquin River
water for Northern California water decades ago….But Bureau leaders also had
been considering seizing water now in Millerton Lake, another part of the
federal Central Valley Project. No announcement has been made on that water.
Board OKs pesticide
limits for farmers [Santa Maria Times]
The
Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board voted unanimously on
Thursday to approve targets for pesticide reduction in the Santa Maria River
Watershed. The board discussed the issue for about three hours at its meeting
in Watsonville, hearing comments from stakeholders ranging from private farmers
to representatives of the city of Santa Maria. Claire Wineman, president of the
Grower-Shipper Association of Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, gave
her testimony. She said the targets, which would require farmers to demonstrate
progress in reducing pesticides in local surface waters, would be very
difficult for some farmers to meet.
Drought forcing local
ranchers to sell off cattle [San Luis Obispo Tribune]
Saturdays
are busy at the Templeton Livestock Market. As this year’s extreme drought
continues day after day, ranchers are selling off large percentages of their
cattle and calculating how long they can hold on before selling their entire
herds. The situation is so dire because the Central Coast is entering its
second year of extreme drought. That means there is no grass from last year,
and none is growing this year for the cattle to graze on.
At some Tulare County
ranches, accusations that cattle are too skinny [Fresno Bee]
Animal
rights activists are demanding an investigation into the health of rangeland
cattle along Dry Creek Road in northern Tulare County, claiming that the cows
are near starvation because penny-pinching ranchers are skimping on hay. They
have posted pictures on Facebook of skinny cattle and urged fellow advocates to
call authorities. But ranchers on Dry Creek Road say they know of no starving
cattle. They say they've been feeding hay to their herds for months because the
drought has left hillsides brown instead of green.
Ag
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