Feinstein tweaks drought bill to improve prospects [Associated Press]
Sen.
Dianne Feinstein said Thursday she has dropped $300 million in emergency
spending from drought-relief legislation to try to improve prospects for
getting the bill passed….The new bill will continue a focus on regulatory
relief. It mandates that federal agencies open channel gates on the Sacramento
River as long as possible without endangering salmon populations. The gates are
closed during certain times for fishery protection. The bill also mandates that
federal agencies use "flexibility" within existing law to pump more
water to farmers through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta….Meanwhile, Feinstein
stripped out $300 million in emergency spending, such as $100 million that was
to go to farmers to undertake new conservation projects, and $25 million that
was to go to communities and non-profits serving migrant and seasonal
farmworkers hurt by the loss of jobs.
Lack
of water could reduce city, county revenues [Visalia Times Delta]
Expectations
are that thousands of acres of crops may be lost because of lack of water,
which in turn could cost numerous jobs both in and outside the agricultural
industry, a decline in home buying and a slowdown in retail sales. And those
effects no doubt are weighing on the minds of staff for Tulare County and its
cities as they prepare their budget and spending plans for the coming fiscal
year, which starts July 1, and possibly beyond that….“It could be
catastrophic,” said county Assessor Roland Hill. With not enough rain predicted
to stop the drought and no plans this year to distribute any water through the
Friant-Kern Canal to farmers in eastern Tulare County —the only water source
for most of them —Hill said he has heard as many as 14,000 acres of trees on
the east end of the county alone could die….To put that in perspective, Hill
said that, if each of those acres were assessed at an average $5,000-an-acre value,
Tulare County would lose $70 million in property tax revenues.
Opinion: More water for fish
could lead to ecological Armageddon [Manteca Bulletin]
Today
the water in the American River is much deeper despite California struggling
with its third year of severe drought. That’s because Folsom Dam was completed
in 1956. If it weren’t for the Bureau of Reclamation facility the American
River today would probably not be much more than a trickle and fish would be
struggling not to perish. The fact a decent amount of water is still flowing in
the American River despite the drought isn’t good enough for environmental and
fishing groups….The Save the American River Association, Public Trust Alliance,
California Sportsfishing Protection Alliance, and California Save Our Streams Council
have filed a complaint with the State Water Resources Control Board to force
the Bureau to increase river flows and lower the water temperature….Change the
rules of the game in the middle of a drought when there are 38 million people
and millions of acres of farmland and no additional downstream water storage
facilities to capture whatever excess there is in wet years and you will
exacerbate water shortages.
Big
new pest is stinky problem [Chico Enterprise-Record]
A
large, foreign and invasive version of the common stink bug has been making its
way through California, including confirmation of its presence in Butte County.
The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, has created severe economic
damage in crops in other states, including fruit and vegetables such as
cucumbers, pumpkins and melons….Butte County Agricultural Commissioner Richard
Price confirmed the pest's presence last week. Other confirmations have been
made in Sutter, Glenn, Solano and Sacramento counties….It's unknown how much
damage the pest will do to commercial crops. In this area, the bugs aren't
particularly attracted to rice and nut crops. But prunes could be affected. The
pests suck sap from plants and cause deformed fruits and vegetables.
Frozen
food makers plan PR push as sales slip [Associated Press]
Frozen
foods are about to get some badly needed image therapy. With sales slipping in
the category, frozen food makers are in the final stages of preparing a major
public relations campaign to defend the nutritional reputation of their
products. The push will include what are said to be the first national TV ads
on behalf of the industry as a whole, as well as social media and in-store
promotions…The campaign comes as Americans are increasingly reaching for foods
they feel are fresh. That has hurt the performance of many frozen foods, which
are often seen as being processed and full of preservatives or sodium….In
addition to the industry campaign, companies are working behind the scenes to
communicate the benefits of frozen foods to dietitians. The hope is that such
health professionals will then pass on the message to their clients.
S.J.
Farm Bureau celebrates 100 years tonight [Stockton Record]
The
San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation - older than the California or national farm
bureau organizations - is 100 years old today. And more than 450 Farm Bureau
members, public officials and others are expected to commemorate its founding
at its annual meeting tonight at the San Joaquin County Historical Society
Museum in Micke Grove Park. But while its membership, the type of crops grown
in San Joaquin County, farming technology and society have changed greatly over
the past century, the Farm Bureau's basic mission - sharing knowledge in
support of agriculture - remains much the same….The emphasis remains on
education, only the audience has changed, San Joaquin Farm Bureau President
Jack Hamm said. "Going back 100 years ago, ... it was educating people in
agriculture, in the agricultural community," he said. "Now it's not
about growing the crops but (teaching) the rest of the community about
agriculture.
Ag
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