A first for delta water pumping: Voluntary cutback to protect fish [Fresno Bee]
On
New Year’s Eve 2012, the Sierra had 140% of the normal December snowpack and
rivers swelled with storm runoff. But strangely, a crippling reduction of water
pumping had already begun in Northern California.
The
muddy Sacramento River and mammoth water pumps had created a death trap for the
protected delta smelt….Flash forward to this week, and the same scenario was
lining up again. State and federal water leaders made a historic decision —
slow down the pumps, let some water run to the ocean and protect the fish long
before they get near the pumps. How is that different from 2012? This time,
there was no Endangered Species Act restriction. It was a voluntary act in
hopes of heading off a problem later. The loss this time might be less than a
tenth of the 800,000 acre-feet in 2012, which left farmers and cityfolk scrambling
for alternate sources. It’s a gamble that might backfire, especially for west
San Joaquin Valley agriculture, say farm water officials, who add that they
support this temporary cutback.
California’s
egg laws hatch uncertainty [Sacramento Bee]
Asked
in 2008 whether hens and other farm animals deserve more space, California
voters replied with a resounding “yes.” Two-thirds of them endorsed a standard
allowing hens enough room to stand up, lie down and extend their wings fully
without touching their enclosure or another bird….Now, days away from the law
taking effect, questions about what the law requires, how farmers will comply
and who will oversee it continue to cloud the outlook for California’s hens.
While
Proposition 2 only applied to eggs produced in California, the Legislature
subsequently passed a law covering all eggs sold in the state. The combined
measures dictate that, come Jan. 1, every egg laid or offered at a grocery
store in California must meet the new standards….Representatives of national
and statewide organizations representing the egg industry say they believe
California farmers will be prepared when the calendar flips to 2015….But
Proposition 2’s sponsors at the Humane Society of the United States contend
that farmers are likely to fall short of what voters expected, confining
chickens in ways that still do not offer enough space.
Coming
in 2015: A gas price increase that consumers may or may not notice [Fresno Bee]
Drivers
across the central San Joaquin Valley are enjoying an ongoing drop in the cost
of gasoline, with fuel prices hitting levels not seen since 2009. In a few
weeks, however, the price will go up — guaranteed. It’s all part of
California’s effort to combat global climate change. The question for drivers
here and across the state is how much more they will pay at the pump, not just
next month, but over the next five years. And, given the almost daily
volatility of gas prices, whether they will notice when they fill up. On Jan.
1, transportation fuels will come under California’s cap-and-trade program….The
central San Joaquin Valley’s agriculture industry says the price increase will
put them at a competitive disadvantage with other states and nations because,
to stay competitive, they won’t be able to pass on fuel-cost increases to
consumers.
Opinion: Ag at Large: U. S.
water effort says ‘land grab’ [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
To
begin with, the government's attempt to control the waters of the U.S. sounds
ambiguous. Doing it through the Environmental Protection Agency and the Army
Corps of Engineers makes it suspect. Extending control and protection to mud
puddles, drainage depressions and casual ponds brands the effort as ludicrous….Two
staff members at California Farm Bureau have written extensively about the
threats the rule will bring to traditional farming practices within the state.
Kari Fisher and Rayne Thompson have co-authored a piece that details the
hardships the rule will place on farmers if it is adopted. They point out that
interpretation of the rule will be assigned to local offices of either the
Corps of Engineers or the EPA, leading to wide differences in the rule's
application from area to area. They cite several terms in the language that are
ambivalent, that will lead to confusion as they are interpreted….The only way
to prevent that kind of dictatorial abuse is, as Fisher and Thompson propose,
to "ditch the rule."
Bug
wars: Napa's fight to keep out glassy-winged sharpshooters [Napa Valley
Register]
Twenty-five
years after appearing in California, the glassy-winged sharpshooter remains
public enemy number one on the grape growers’ list of vine-devastating insects.
It has yet to show up in Napa County vineyards. Still, it’s among the pests
that workers at Swanson Vineyards in Oakville look for when they check 150
sticky traps each week. In a county where wine is king, the sharpshooter is a
potential assassin….County Agricultural Commissioner Greg Clark said everyone
in Napa County has a stake in the sharpshooter battle, whether they sell cars,
bag groceries or work in health care. That’s because the wine industry has a
$13.3 billion annual impact on the local economy….Today, the glassy-winged sharpshooter
within California can be found in Riverside, San Diego, San Bernardino, Los
Angeles, Kern and Ventura counties in Southern California. There are limited
infestations in Fresno, Kern, Imperial, Madera, Santa Barbara and, closer to
Napa, Santa Clara County.
Agribiz
classes growing like crops at Hancock [Santa Maria Times]
The
Santa Maria Valley is the salad bowl of the Central Coast and is smack dab in
the middle of one of the world's renowned wine grape-growing regions. So it
makes sense that Hancock College's agribusiness program is beginning to grow as
fast as some of the area's crops. The college will offer 15 agribusiness in the
upcoming spring semester, the most ever in a single term. Alfredo Koch, Hancock's
agribusiness and viticulture program coordinator, said it is a simple supply
and demand response. "The number of students interested in agribusiness
continues to rise at Allan Hancock College," he explained….This year,
close to 250 students declared as agribusiness majors, which is a 15-percent
increase over last year.
Ag
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