Poll finds Californians back smaller water bond [Associated Press]
A
slim majority of likely California voters support an $11.1 billion water bond
slated for the November ballot, but public support would grow if the bond comes
with a smaller price-tag, according to survey results released late Wednesday.
The Public Policy Institute of California poll comes as lawmakers are
negotiating changes to a funding package for water projects that legislative
leaders see as too large and full of pork-barrel spending to win voter
approval. The survey found 51 percent of likely voters back the existing
measure and 26 percent are opposed. Support grows to 59 percent for a smaller
bond, but questioners did not ask what price tag respondents would accept.
California
water prices soar for farmers as drought grows [Bloomberg News]
Farmers
in California’s Central Valley, the world’s most productive agricultural
region, are paying as much as 10 times more for water than they did before the
state’s record drought cut supply. Costs have soared to $1,100 per acre-foot
from about $140 a year ago in the Fresno-based Westlands Water District, which
represents 700 farms, said Gayle Holman, a spokeswoman. North of Sacramento,
the Western Canal Water District is selling it for double the usual price: $500
per acre-foot, about 326,000 gallons (1.2 million liters)….The drought gripping
the state that supplies half the fruits, vegetables and nuts consumed in the
U.S. has led federal and state providers to curtail the water they distribute
to California’s farmers. That’s prompted districts representing growers to buy
and sell for escalated prices from other parts of the state as thousands of
acres go unplanted.
Major
California reservoirs below 50% capacity as drought wears on [Los Angeles
Times]
Most
of California's major reservoirs are now less than half-full -- or at what
officials call a "seriously low" level -- but that's still nowhere
near the historic lows set in 1977, the state's driest year on record. The
latest report released Wednesday by the California Department of Water
Resources shows 10 of the state's 12 major reservoirs below 50% of their total
capacity, with some nearing just 20%....But when all 12 of the major reservoirs
are combined, the average is at 60%, Thomas said. That's puts the state in a
far better position than it was 37 years ago, when a crippling drought brought
the statewide reservoir average down to 41%....Officials are trying to retain
current reservoir levels by cutting back on water shipments to local agencies,
Thomas said. That, in turn, has prompted agencies and property owners to tap
underground aquifers, which have also taken a hit.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-california-reservoirs-below-capacity-20140723-story.html
White
House to begin $10 billion rural investment fund [New York Times]
Wall
Street is looking for ways to invest in America’s heartland, and the government
is ready to play matchmaker. The White House Rural Council will announce plans
on Thursday to start a $10 billion investment fund that will give pension funds
and large investors the opportunity to invest in agricultural projects. Those
include wastewater systems, energy projects and infrastructure development in
rural America. “We’re the eHarmony.com of infrastructure and business
investment,” the agriculture secretary, Tom Vilsack, said, referring to the
online dating service….As a result, the fund will offer investors the
opportunity to put money into bundled projects. One specific area where
investment is needed is in California, Mr. Vilsack said, where the state is
facing one of its most severe droughts on record.
UC
Davis to work with Chinese on food safety [Sacramento Bee]
Scientists
at UC Davis have signed a five-year agreement to collaborate with China on food
safety. The agreement, signed Wednesday in China by U.S and Chinese officials,
brings together UC Davis and China’s Northwest Agricultural and Forestry
University, which is funded by the Chinese government. The schools will work
together to propose solutions for current problems in food safety in China at
every point along its food chain, and will seek to improve tracing of food
products….Beachy said highly publicized food safety lapses in China have made
the issue an urgent one for the government. “The Chinese government is quite
worried about this because it has eroded the Chinese people’s confidence in
food from China,” Beachy said.
Can
you trust that organic label on imported food? [National Public Radio]
Maybe
you've wondered, while looking at the price tag on some organic produce,
whether that label is telling the truth. Peter Laufer, a writer and professor
of journalism at the University of Oregon, doesn't just wonder. He's an
outright skeptic, especially because the organic label seems to him like a license
to raise prices. And also because those products are arriving through supply
chains that stretch to far corners of the world….Laufer is convinced that
organic fraud is common — but his book doesn't actually uncover much evidence
of it….In their response to Laufer, organic industry executives say that the
word "organic" is far more trustworthy than most labels you see on
groceries….Organic farmers have rules to follow, and third-party certifiers
inspect their operations to make sure they're following the rules.
Ag
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