Farmers may need to measure water from Delta [Stockton Record]
Accused
of stealing water released from upstream reservoirs, more than 1,000 Delta
farmers may soon be required to report exactly how much water they’ve been
diverting — a request that their attorneys argue could be burdensome and
unnecessary. Earlier this summer, the state and federal governments complained
to regulators that water released from reservoirs wasn’t making it all the way
to giant export pumps near Tracy. The missing water, they reasoned, was likely
being pumped along the way by Delta farmers. Those farmers do have senior water
RIGHTS, but they are not entitled to water that has been stored upstream….The
broader LEGAL issues are complex, and ultimately may be decided in court. For
now, however, the government says it merely wants a better accounting of how
much water is being used by the farmers. Officials repeated that request to the
State Water Resources Control Board at a meeting Thursday.
Well-drilling
moratorium sought by some Stanislaus supervisors [Modesto Bee]
An
immediate well-drilling moratorium is being called for by at least two members
of Stanislaus County’s Board of Supervisors, and the Water Advisory Committee
will debate whether that’s needed to protect declining groundwater supplies.
“It’s irresponsible not to address this,” Supervisor Jim DeMartini insisted
Wednesday….DeMartini said he will propose on Tuesday halting new well drilling
permits for land in eastern Stanislaus that’s outside an irrigation
district….More than 30,000 acres of what had been nonirrigated grazing land in
eastern Stanislaus were planted with permanent crops – primarily almond
orchards – from 2001 to early 2013, and that cultivation has
CONTINUED….Supervisor Dick Monteith wants to go further by putting a moratorium
on well-drilling permits throughout Stanislaus.
General
Mills shareholders reject proposal to dump GMOs [Los Angeles Times]
General
Mills Inc. has made strong commitments this year to natural and organic foods.
It took genetically modified ingredients out of its signature cereal brand
Cheerios and then doubled down on its organic lineup by striking an
$820-million deal for Annie’s, a stalwart of the organic and natural foods
industry. But when the industrial food behemoth’s shareholders were presented
with a proposal to dump all genetically modified ingredients from the company's
vast lineup of brands, they responded with a resounding “No.” The
Minneapolis-based company said preliminary vote totals from Tuesday’s annual
shareholder meeting showed that 97.8% of participants rejected the proposal.
The debate underscores the tricky road ahead for one of the world’s largest
food companies, owner of brands such as Pillsbury and Haagen-Dazs.
Templeton
Livestock Market closing to make way for housing development [San Luis Obispo
Tribune]
Templeton
Livestock Market’s annual bull sale Oct. 4 will be its last. After 70 years,
the market is closing to make way for a housing development, PROPERTY owners
said Wednesday — news that at least one local rancher took hard. Templeton
PROPERTIES representative Will Tucker confirmed that a 107-home development
will begin construction on the 16-acre property by the year’s end….Beth Baxley,
who has leased the auction yard for 14 years with husband Randy, said Templeton
Properties notified them in August that they would have to vacate the property
to make way for the new development by mid-October….Cambria cattle rancher
David Fiscalini, 60, said the closure is bad news for local ranchers. “It’s
just terrible — it’s not even that; it’s catastrophic,” he said.
Are
bees back up on their knees? [New York Times]
…We
still don’t really know why C.C.D. was happening, but it looks as if we are
turning the corner: Scientists I’ve spoken to in both academia and government
have strong reason to believe that C.C.D. is essentially over…. Perhaps C.C.D.
will one day seem like yet another blip on the millennium-plus timeline of
unexplained bee die-offs. Luckily, the dauntless efforts of beekeepers have
brought bee populations back each time. While this is undoubtedly good news, we
cannot let it blind us to a hard truth. Bees are still dying; it’s just that
we’re finding the dead bodies now, whereas with C.C.D., they were
vanishing….C.C.D. created momentum for the greater cause of bee HEALTH, of
acknowledging the importance of pollinators. We cannot lose this momentum now.
Voice
of the people [Chico News & Review]
As
a walnut farmer, wife and mother, Colleen Cecil knows what it’s like to be a
modern woman in agriculture. But she’s also much more than that to the local
farming community. Cecil been the executive director of the Butte County Farm
Bureau for the past eight years, during which time she has overseen the
day-to-day operations of the nonprofit organization of some 1,500 farmers,
ranchers and landowners throughout the county.
Ag
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