Feds challenged on proposed water cuts in Sacramento Valley [Sacramento Bee]
The
strain on water supplies in this serious drought year was evident this week, as
major landowners in the Sacramento Valley protested the federal government’s
forecast that it will deliver only 40 percent of usual water supplies. That 40
percent allotment for the so-called Sacramento River settlement contractors is
only a forecast by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, based on drought conditions
that are expected to deplete snowmelt. Such a low allocation has never been
made before, and it is well below the 75 percent that the settlement
contractors say is the minimum they should receive under any conditions. The
protests are coming from a range of interests: the Glenn-Colusa Irrigation
District, which distributes water to farmers in the Sacramento Valley; the
Conaway Preservation Group, which owns farmland in the Yolo Bypass; and the
city of Redding.
Pumping restrictions
postponed as overflow crowd objects to plan [Ventura County Star]
The
way to fill a meeting hall, apparently, is to say you want to restrict
groundwater pumping. That’s what happened Wednesday afternoon when an overflow
crowd came out for the Fox Canyon Groundwater Management Agency’s monthly
session. A vote ultimately was postponed on a plan that would impact the cities
of Oxnard, Ventura, Port Hueneme, Camarillo and Moorpark, as well as major
agriculture operations in western Ventura County. But concerns raised by
cities, growers and small water agencies show there’ll be no pleasing everyone
when choices eventually are made.
Stanislaus County’s
new Water Advisory Committee members warned to serve greater good [Modesto Bee]
As
a standing-room-only crowd looked on Wednesday, members of Stanislaus County’s
new Water Advisory Committee were repeatedly warned to “check your allegiances
at the door.” The 21-member panel is tasked with finding ways to save
Stanislaus’ groundwater supply. The all-male panel is dominated by people with
strong financial ties to agriculture, which needs water for irrigation. Every
Stanislaus resident also depends on groundwater for drinking, and there are
several city officials representing those interests on the committee….As its
first decision, the committee voted without dissent to make Wayne Zipser its
chairman. Zipser is the executive director of the Stanislaus County Farm
Bureau, and he described himself as having spent his life farming and
advocating for agriculture. “The rest of the state of California is watching
what we do here,” Zipser warned.
Is giving treated
wastewater to livestock legal? [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
California's
drought is prompting a statewide push to let ranchers use treated wastewater
for slaking the thirst of livestock, sparking health concerns and widespread
confusion over whether current regulations already allow the practice.
Assemblyman Marc Levine, D-San Rafael, has introduced legislation that he said
would allow ranchers to legally use treated wastewater as drinking water for
cows, horses, sheep and other farm animals for the first time in
California….However, Levine's bill, AB 2071, has sparked anxiety on the North
Coast, where some farmers already are using treated wastewater for their
animals and have been doing so for years. It's unclear whether that violates
any laws….The Sonoma County Farm Bureau is backing the legislation, which executive
director Tim Tesconi described as a “huge benefit to dairy farmers and other
livestock producers who are in need of good, clean water for animals.”
Valley farmers happy
to see rain arrive at last [Fresno Bee]
Some
areas in the Valley could see up to an inch of rain by the end of the weekend,
pleasing many Valley farmers.…It is not uncommon to see a storm like this at
this time of year, said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County
Farm Bureau….Jacobsen said farmers aren't worried about major fruit damage but
have taken precautions, including applying fungicides to blooms to prevent rot
and mold. "If there was any damage from the rain right now, it could show
up in months," Jacobsen said. "The key ingredient is how long it
hangs around and what happens after." The best circumstances would be
sunny weather with a breeze to dry out the fruit, he said. And the Valley will
see just that.
Lawyer for Petaluma
slaughterhouse co-owner speaks up [San Francisco Chronicle]
The
lawyer for one of the owners of Rancho Feeding Corp., the Petaluma
slaughterhouse that is under criminal investigation for allegedly killing and
selling tainted beef, said Wednesday the company is cooperating with federal
authorities and asks that local ranchers who got caught up in the scandal be
allowed to sell their meat.…Federal agents are looking into possible criminal
charges against Rancho. However, ranchers who used the plant for custom
slaughtering and are not ostensibly part of the probe have gotten swept up in
the recall because of concerns that diseased meat commingled with healthy
beef….Jeffrey Bornstein, the attorney representing Jesse Amaral, co-owner of
the slaughterhouse, would not discuss any aspect of the criminal investigation
other than to say that his client is cooperating with the government….While
Bornstein would not discuss the company's legal troubles, he told The Chronicle
that none of the cows brought in for slaughter by local custom beef ranchers,
including well-known gourmet producers such as Bill Niman and Marin Sun Farms,
"were in any way tainted, diseased or uninspected. The records and
documentation obtained by federal investigators support this fact."
Ag
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