Judge asked to cut off extra water for salmon [Associated Press]
Agricultural
water providers in the Central Valley of California asked a federal judge to
stop releases of extra water intended to help salmon in the Klamath Basin
survive the drought.
The
petition for a temporary injunction was filed late Monday in U.S. District
Court in Fresno by Westlands Water District and the San Luis &
Delta-Mendota Water Authority, which supply farmers. At issue is water held in
a reservoir on the Trinity River, which has been divided between the Trinity
and Sacramento river basins for more than 50 years.
Gerawan
labor feud remains unresolved [Visalia Times Delta]
A
longstanding feud between the workers of Fresno-based Gerawan Farming, the
United Farm Workers union and the Agriculture Labor Relations Board continued
Tuesday in Visalia at the ALRB office where about 800 people turned out at a
protest. Dozens of officers from the Visalia Police Department and the
California Highway Patrol were at the scene at 1642 W. Walnut Ave., the Visalia
bureau of the ALRB to provide security and traffic control. What started as a
local fight has quickly escalated, garnering significant national attention.
Each side contends that the other has enlisted the help of larger, more
powerful pro-labor or pro-business special-interest groups. Below are some
quick hits to get you caught up with what each side has to say.
San
Joaquin County goes nuts for nuts [Lodi News-Sentinel]
In
terms of San Joaquin County crop value, almonds have claimed the throne from
grapes, and walnuts are coming on strong, according to the San Joaquin County
Office of Agricultural Commissioner’s official 2013 crop report, which was
released Tuesday. On the top 10 crops list, almonds ranked No. 1, bringing in
$468 million last year — a huge jump from the $300 million they netted in 2012.
Walnuts came in second with $443 million, $14 million lower than last year.
A
tough year ahead for the birds? [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
A
record number of migratory birds is projected to head south into California
this year, but as they fly over the Sacramento Valley, dry ground that is
usually flooded and habitat-ready will stare back. Almost 50 million birds will
arrive from the north looking for wintering habitat and food, normally obtained
from flooded rice fields and wildlife refuges. But the crippling drought and
the water shortages it's caused will mean that much of the water usually
available to farmers to flood their rice fields and decompose the rice straw
from the summer crop will be withheld, said Mark Biddlecomb, executive director
of the western region of Ducks Unlimited, a nonprofit dedicated to the
conservation of wetlands and other habitat for waterfowl.
U.S.
Farm Incomes Forecast to Fall [Wall Street Journal]
U.S.
farm incomes are expected to fall 13.8% this year to the lowest level in four
years as record harvests push down prices for key crops, the U.S. Department of
Agriculture said.
Federal
forecasters projected net farm income would slide to $113.2 billion from an
estimated $131.3 billion in 2013, which was the highest since 1973 on an
inflation-adjusted basis. The latest projected decline is narrower than the 27%
drop in 2014 net farm income that the USDA forecast in February. The change is
due largely to an improved outlook for livestock farmers, who are benefiting
from record prices for beef and pork as well as low prices for corn and other
grains used in animal feed. The USDA said on Tuesday that it expects livestock
farmers' receipts to rise 15% this year, compared with a February projection of
a 0.7% rise.
Santa
Monica Mountains land use plan OK'd over vineyard objections [Los Angeles
Times]
Los
Angeles County supervisors approved a far-reaching land use plan for the Santa
Monica Mountains Tuesday, over the objections of a group of vineyard owners but
with support from a broad coalition of environmentalists, equestrians and
homeowners. The passage of the plan, known as a local coastal program,
consolidates land use authority with the county and sets rules for future
development in the coastal area near Malibu. Among the limits on future
development is a ban on new vineyards. Permitted, existing vineyards would be
allowed to remain. Vineyard owners complained that the plan unfairly singles
out their crop from other forms of agriculture.
Ag
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