Farmers no fans of 'tattletale rule' [Stockton Record]
New
rules to protect water quality would force farmers to "tattle" on
other farmers. At least, that's how they see it. A local growers coalition
would be required to send membership lists to state water cops - identifying
not only the farmers who follow the rules, but also the bad apples who don't.
Farmers warn the so-called "tattletale rule" will erode longtime
relationships of trust and perhaps thwart the very purpose of the new rules.
That is, to protect the region's already polluted waterways from additional
harm.…The controversy is just one part of perhaps the most significant new
regulations that San Joaquin County farmers will face in their lifetimes. The
rules are scheduled to be considered on March 12 in Rancho Cordova, and
Stockton-area farmers plan to travel to the meeting by bus to make their voices
heard.
For Valley citrus
growers, this season has 2 natural disasters [Fresno Bee]
…There
is a financial steamroller headed toward hundreds of 10-acre farms along the
rolling Tulare County hills around here. The first-year drought damage alone is
estimated to be up to $59 million for Terra Bella growers. Over five years, as
dead trees are replaced and production slowly comes back for 7,000 acres of
citrus, the toll could exceed $230 million, according to the Terra Bella
Irrigation District. And this is just a small corner of agriculture along the
San Joaquin Valley's east side. Growers on 1 million acres are forecast to get
zero water from the San Joaquin this year. People will lose jobs and homes.
Some growers might be forced out — a common refrain throughout the
drought-scarred Valley. But the misery might be just a little worse in this
enclave south of Porterville….With no well water and no river water, the 600
growers have no wiggle room. In all, more than 9,000 acres of productive trees
face a serious risk of dying this summer.
Experts: New
Stanislaus County orchards to gulp as much groundwater as 480,000 people
[Modesto Bee]
The
cumulative impact of rapidly expanding almond orchards in eastern Stanislaus
County soon may create a massive drain on the region’s groundwater supply. An
estimated 4 million newly planted trees are expected to start consuming as much
water as 480,000 people.…This city of thirsty trees has taken root virtually
unregulated on what had been dry grazing land along the county’s far eastern
and northeastern edge….None of the farmers who planted those east side trees
needed the government’s permission to tap the region’s groundwater supply, and
currently they can pump all the water they want without revealing how much
they’re using. While well-drilling permits are required – and Stanislaus issued
more than 300 of those last year – county officials contend they are just to
make sure the wells are properly constructed, but have nothing to do with
regulating groundwater use.
Commentary: Forget lawsuits, let's solve water crisis together
[Ventura County Star]
…Recently,
several groups purportedly representing environmental, community and cultural
interests filed a complaint against the United Water Conservation District with
the State Water Resources Control Board in an apparent lead-up to a lawsuit
that may be filed against the district. The essence of their complaint is this:
United is allegedly harming public trust resources through its permitted
diversion of water from the Santa Clara River for use by farmers and others in
the Oxnard Plain….Their ultimate goal, however, is obviously to force Ventura
County to reduce the priority it places on agriculture as a means of feeding
and sustaining people, by claiming use of the river for agriculture is not the
most beneficial use of the resource. While we welcome criticism, we find these
critics’ arguments lacking in logic, facts and, more importantly, merit.
Opinion: Support your local slaughterhouse [New York Times]
LATE
on Saturday, Feb. 8, news broke of the recall of 8.7 million pounds of beef
that had come through a Northern California slaughterhouse.…The problem was
that this slaughterhouse, the Rancho Feeding Corporation, didn’t handle only
commodity beef….We operate a small meat company supplied exclusively by our
ranch and nine other ranches that all follow the same protocols. Complying with
the recall would mean destroying over 100,000 pounds of meat we had
intentionally frozen throughout the year to extend our beef season….Why were
our rigorous procedures insufficient to keep us out of the recall? The
Agriculture Department’s tools for safeguarding the nation’s meat supply are
blunt and clumsy instruments, especially when dealing with independent farmers.
In a battle between the slaughterhouse and the federal agency over proper
inspections for animals in its commodity meat business, it was apparently
decided that it would be simpler and more convenient to conduct a blanket
recall. We and about 35 other farming and ranching families are the collateral
damage.
Commentary: Citrus pest can sour best intentions [Ventura County
Star]
We
live in a time and place when one good deed could kill 7,000 jobs and wipe out
a quarter of one of Ventura County’s largest industries….In this particular
article, volunteers were gathering nutritious navel oranges to distribute to
low-income families through local food banks. That’s a win for everyone, right?
But good deeds could go bad as a pest threatens to destroy the citrus industry
in California….Still, the psyllid is getting around, and humans with the most
generous of motives may be transporting them. “The best thing is not to share
fruit,” said Leslie Leavens, who chairs the Ventura County ACP-HLB Task
Force….“The message is eat the fruit where you pick it,” said John Krist, CEO
of the Farm Bureau of Ventura County. “The last thing needed is for
well-intentioned people, particularly in the east county, to move fruit to areas
of low infestation in the west county.”
Ag
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