Four indicted in Rancho Feeding slaughterhouse scandal [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
Two
former owners and two employees of a Petaluma slaughterhouse at the center of
an international meat recall have been charged with selling meat from diseased
cattle and concealing the elaborate scheme from federal inspectors by swapping
out the heads of cows with eye cancer….The charges cap an eight-month federal
investigation that followed a massive meat recall at the former Rancho plant on
Petaluma Boulevard North. The slaughterhouse closed in February after recalling
8.7 million pounds of its beef and veal sold in the United States and Canada —
all that was processed there in 2013. Roughly 44,000 retail establishments were
involved in the recall, a USDA official told local farmers. The action also
caused considerable financial harm to North Bay ranchers who had used the plant
for the custom slaughter of their grass-fed cattle and were ordered to dispose
of any remaining meat….News of the charges sent ripples through the North Bay
farming community, where Amaral, Singleton and Corda were longtime members with
extended families….As well, farm officials, food safety advocates and the
region’s two members of Congress voiced concerns about how much remains
unknown.
Rights
to California surface water far greater than average runoff [Los Angeles Times]
California
over the last century has issued water rights that amount to roughly five times
the state’s average annual runoff, according to new research that underscores a
chronic imbalance between supply and demand. That there are more rights than
water in most years is not news. But UC researchers say their study is the most
comprehensive review to date of the enormous gap between natural surface flows
and allocations….In theory, that difference is not necessarily a problem. It
gives water agencies and irrigation districts with junior rights access to
additional supplies during wet years, when runoff is above average and there is
plenty to go around. But in reality, study co-author Joshua Viers said, it
fosters unrealistic expectations for water that is often not available….The
study, published online Tuesday in the journal Environmental Research Letters,
analyzed public data from the State Water Resources Control Board, which
administers water rights, and compared it with estimates of natural surface
flow….The authors say that the state board has spotty information on actual
water use by rights holders, hampering its ability to do its job.
Valley
farmers finding ways to make water last [Visalia Times-Delta]
With
the Valley struggling through one of the worst droughts in California's
history, Dennis McFarlin has been looking for new ways to get water for his
120-acres of farms between Orosi and Orange Cove….This time around, farmers
with wells are making deals with farmers who don't have any — or badly need
additional water to supplement their wells — to buy water….New pipes, flow
meters and pressure regulators to control and measure the water going in out of
the the system have been installed at farms buying or selling groundwater in
the Orange Cove district, its the farmers who make the deals to buy and sell
its explained Fergus Morrissey, the district's manager, adding that this is the
first time district has transferred well water between farms….This is just one
example of farmers and irrigation districts going beyond business as usual to
try to save their crops from dying out due to the drought.
Bill
to form Paso Robles groundwater district heads to governor [San Luis Obispo
Tribune]
A
bill to allow the formation of a Paso Robles groundwater management district is
on its way to California Gov. Jerry Brown. The state Assembly on Monday
approved by a 51-4 margin amendments made to the bill in the state Senate. AB
2453, created by Assemblyman Katcho Achadjian, R-San Luis Obispo, allows the
formation of a water district for the Paso Robles groundwater basin with a
hybrid board of directors consisting of a combination of landowners and basin
residents….The hybrid board of directors was the result of a compromise between
the Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions, a group of
mostly vintners, and PRO Water Equity, a group of basin residents….If formed,
the water district will have the challenge of managing a water basin that
covers nearly 800 square miles and is the primary supply of water to the North
County.
Commentary: Water bond
compromise is a good deal for Delta [Sacramento Bee
…Last
week, after months of pushing and pulling and tough negotiating – with an
injection of leadership from Gov. Jerry Brown – the Legislature finished that
work and put a new $7.5 billion water bond on the November ballot….This bond is
a compromise. No one got everything they wanted. But all of California gets
what it needs. Last week was a historic moment that demonstrated government, at
least here in California, can get things done when partisan politics are set
aside. I urge all voters, especially those in the Delta region, to finish this
work in November and vote yes on Proposition 1.
Editorial: The field of empty
dreams [Santa Maria Times]
The
first sign of trouble in local agriculture is, well, a sign. And it says, “Need
labor, will pay.”…There is more to the labor shortage than campaign rhetoric
about cracking down in illegal immigration. This problem has been running a
parallel course with California’s worst drought in years. The dual threat of
drought and a labor shortage has growers worried, and if the ag community is
worried, so should the rest of us be concerned….Since this seems to be a
two-headed monster, two solutions may be required. First, we need to get
serious are about securing an adequate water supply. We should be planning to
desalinate seawater. Second, voters must demand reasonable action on federal
immigration reform, so workers can make their way to local fields. Waiting for
miracles is not a viable option.
Ag
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