Citrus growers, legislators push for putting water bond on ballot [Fresno Bee]
Standing
near a water-starved citrus grove in east Fresno County, farmers, legislators
and agriculture leaders on Tuesday urged public support for a
multibillion-dollar water bond to build new reservoirs. Agriculture officials
say that without more above-ground water storage, California will continue to
suffer from extremely dry years like this one….Slated to be on the Nov. 4 ballot
is an $11.1 billion bond measure that was drafted in 2009. State legislators,
however, are trying to substitute the current measure with a slimmed-down
version that spends less, but still provides money for water storage. It's
unclear if the Legislature will accomplish that in time for the November
election.
Modesto
Irrigation District leaders hustling to get growers more water [Modesto Bee]
Nut
farmers and other Modesto Irrigation District customers can wait to water crops
as late as Oct. 3. That’s two weeks later than initially planned, giving trees
a better chance of surviving the drought and being healthy enough to produce
again next year. The MID board also agreed Tuesday to accommodate another round
of farmer-to-farmer water transfers with a Sept. 2 application deadline. And
the district might offer to sell some extra water reserved in April by a few
farmers who haven’t asked or paid for it since then. Faced with a third
consecutive dry winter, district officials in February said the irrigation
season would end Sept. 19, several weeks earlier than usual, and capped
deliveries at 24 inches per acre, down from 36 in a normal year. But farmers,
especially those raising almonds, have been pressing for later deliveries.
http://www.modbee.com/2014/07/29/3463145/modesto-irrigation-district-leaders.html?sp=/99/1571/&ihp=1
Commentary: County planners
not thrilled with groundwater bills [Bakersfield Californian]
Don't
look now, but someone isn't exactly on board with the state's groundwater
regulation plans.
The
Board of Supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to oppose two groundwater
regulation bills currently barrelling through the Legislature, unless they are
seriously amended. The two bills, AB 1739 and SB 1168, are being melded into
one as we speak with help from the governor's office, so everyone expects they
will likely become law sometime in the fall. Which is hugely concerning to the
county since the bills would mandate creation of a groundwater basin
"sustainability plan" that is, so far, completely separate from the
land use planning functions of cities and counties….To that end, Kern wants these
groundwater bills changed so they clearly state that any groundwater
sustainability plan cannot usurp the land use planning functions of counties
and cities.
Fresno
County supervisors vote to oppose high-speed rail [Fresno Bee]
The
Fresno County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday switched tracks in its position
on California's proposed high-speed rail project, voting 3-2 to oppose it….The
action rescinds earlier county votes dating to at least 2009 to support
high-speed rail, and asks that the state Legislature place the issue back on
the ballot. California voters originally approved Proposition 1A, a $9.9
billion high-speed rail bond measure, in 2008. The vote aligns Fresno County
with other San Joaquin Valley counties that have taken formal positions
opposing the California High-Speed Rail Authority's plans. Madera, Merced,
Kings, Tulare and Kern counties are on record with opposition resolutions, and
Kings and Kern are going to court with the rail authority.
‘Murky
water’ for farm bill in Yuba-Sutter [Marysville Appeal Democrat]
For
the first time since 2008, Congress passed a farm bill. That was six months
ago, but its impacts on Yuba-Sutter, where agriculture rules the economy, are
unclear….Regulations and administrative policies are still being written and
staff in local Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and
crop insurance offices are still waiting for details about the new bill's
provisions. "We haven't been given all the rules for the programs we're
going to be operating under," said Alan Atkins, district conservationist
with NRCS….One major change is known: The elimination of the direct payments
program, although the details of what will replace it are still being
developed, said Val Dolcini, state executive director for the FSA.
Court
upholds meat labeling law; consumers will know its origin [Los Angeles Times]
A
federal law requiring meatpackers and processors to list where livestock was
born, raised and slaughtered survived another legal challenge from the meat
industry. The District of Columbia Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday that the
labeling law did not violate free speech in compelling the meat industry to
disclose to consumers the origins of their products. The so-called
country-of-origin labeling law, or COOL, was introduced late last year by the
U.S. Department of Agriculture as a way to strengthen food safety and boost
transparency at a time when meat has become a highly globalized business.
Ag
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