Valley farms may get some drought relief [Stockton Record]
With
February's storms a distant memory, officials on Tuesday announced steps to
bypass water quality standards in the Delta while perhaps making water
available to San Joaquin Valley farmers.…The State Water Resources Control
Board on Tuesday approved an emergency request from state and federal water
managers to allow less water to flow through the Delta than is normally
required. It's the latest in a series of such changes. And while exports from
the Delta had been limited to the amount of water needed to protect human
health and safety, officials said Tuesday that some water may now be available
for farmers - though exactly who would benefit remains to be seen. The amount
of water pumped south would still be a relative trickle - about 1,500 cubic
feet per second, or one-tenth the capacity of the giant pumps, unless flows
through the Delta also increase.
Firebaugh rally rails
against cutbacks in agricultural water [Fresno Bee]
About
1,000 people jammed into the rodeo grounds Tuesday near the San Joaquin River,
roaring approval for politicians and farm leaders who criticized Sacramento's
handling of California's water crisis. A few hours later in Sacramento, state
water leaders made a change in the drought emergency orders issued earlier this
year to assure farmers they would be able to get whatever water becomes
available. The rally had been called because San Joaquin Valley water leaders
feared that agriculture would be cut out of water deliveries completely as
state leaders focused on necessary health and safety issues.
Editorial: Valley clings to hint of good news on water [Modesto
Bee]
When
it comes to water, we’re so desperate for good news that even not-so-bad news
sounds good. That’s how we characterize Tuesday’s announcement by three key
water officials that they would modify the state’s emergency drought order to
allow them more flexibility in delivering what little water we have to those
who need it most….Jeff Shields, SSJID’s general manager, greeted the news with
at least a little relief but also a dose of realism, noting that Jeff Denham
and other Republican U.S. representatives are conducting a “field hearing” in
Fresno today and this action might “temper” the mood. Shields wants the state
to follow the rules established over the past century.…In this case, the
process was changed to make it more normal. That’s worth cheering, but we’ll
save the high-fives for when we get serious about creating more water storage.
Ag education backers
fight for grant program [Modesto Bee]
A
Merced County educator told lawmakers Tuesday about the value of a well-trained
welder. Alan Peterson, principal at Atwater High School, urged the Senate
Agriculture Committee to reject Gov. Jerry Brown’s proposal to end a grant
program for ag education. He said the investment of about $4.1 million a year
pays off in young people prepared for careers….The committee took no action at
the hearing, which was streamed online from the Capitol, but Chairwoman Sen. Cathleen
Galgiani, D-Stockton, made clear that she supports the grants. Her district
takes in Salida, Riverbank and most of Modesto. At issue is the Agricultural
Career Technical Education Incentive grant program….Brown’s proposal is part of
his effort to drastically change how schools are funded. Much more money would
be used as district boards see fit, rather than earmarked by the state for
certain uses.
Local growers speared
by imports [Stockton Record]
San
Joaquin County asparagus growers report an abundant, high-quality crop of the
signature spring vegetable, but they are struggling to get their product into a
market flooded by cheap asparagus from Mexico. The dilemma is sharply defined
by a market report from the U.S. Agricultural Marketing Service that showed
Mexican asparagus at border crossings priced Monday from $19 to $23 per 28-pound
box. At the same time, Delta-area growers, who need roughly $1 a pound just to
break even, were moving some asparagus at $27 to $31 for the same-size box.
Strawberries have
$3.4 billion impact on California economy [Ventura County Star]
Just
how important are strawberries to Ventura County and California? About $3.4
billion important, reports the California Strawberry Commission in its
first-ever economic impact report outlining just how relevant the fruit is to
the multiple businesses that service strawberries, the charities that receive
growers donations and the people growers employ. Carolyn O’Donnell,
communications director for the commission, called the strawberry farms that
thread their way through mostly coastal cities such as Oxnard, “an integral
part of the communities where they grow best.”
Ag
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