Where’s the beef? Could be scarce in new federal diet guidelines [Associated Press]
For
years, the government has been issuing guidelines about healthy eating choices.
Now, a panel that advises the Agriculture Department is ready to recommend that
you be told not only what foods are better for your own health but for the
environment as well. That means that when the latest version of the
government’s dietary guidelines comes out, it may push even harder than it has
in recent years for people to choose more fruits, vegetables, nuts, whole
grains and other plant-based foods – at the expense of meat. The beef and
agriculture industries are crying foul, saying an environmental agenda has no
place in what has always been a practical blueprint for a healthy lifestyle.
By ‘editing’ plant
genes, companies avoid regulation [New York Times]
Its
first attempt to develop genetically engineered grass ended disastrously for
the Scotts Miracle-Gro Company. The grass escaped into the wild from test plots
in Oregon in 2003, dooming the chances that the government would approve the
product for commercial use. Yet Scotts is once again developing genetically
modified grass that would need less mowing, be a deeper green and be resistant
to damage from the popular weedkiller Roundup. But this time the grass will not
need federal approval before it can be field-tested and marketed. Scotts and
several other companies are developing genetically modified crops using
techniques that either are outside the jurisdiction of the Agriculture
Department or use new methods — like “genome editing” — that were not
envisioned when the regulations were created. The department has said, for
example, that it has no authority over a new herbicide-resistant canola, a corn
that would create less pollution from livestock waste, switch grass tailored
for biofuel production, and even an ornamental plant that glows in the dark.
China stops buying
California walnuts [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
A
bountiful 2014 walnut crop in China prompted that country to pull out of the
California export market, which lowered commodity prices and could hurt the
growers' bottom line. China has been the largest importer of California walnuts
for the past several years, and with no comparable market available to fill its
void, the walnut market could be in for a slowdown after three prosperous
years. Increasing global demand for California walnuts was the prime driver of
a meteoric rise in price from 65 cents per pound in 2008 to $2.42 per pound
this fall. But the Chinese crop came in 35 percent above normal this year. The
country basically satisfied much of its own demand and shied away from
California prices they viewed as too high, said Mat Conant, a walnut grower in
Sutter County.
Who’s watching the
henhouse to enforce California’s new egg law? [KQED News, San Francisco]
If
you’ve never been inside a henhouse with 8,000 chickens, it’s a pretty jarring
experience. Everywhere you turn, there are brown and white feathers, and a sea
of squawking, pecking birds, looking at you with their beady eyes. “These girls
are rockin’ and rollin’,” says egg farmer Frank Hilliker….Hilliker made the
changes to comply with the requirements of California’s Proposition 2 , which
voters passed in 2008….What’s not clear is just who will be coming around to
make sure farmers like Hilliker are complying with everything Prop. 2 spelled
out….The California Department of Food and Agriculture, which generally
inspects egg facilities, says it’s not in charge of enforcing Prop 2. Local law
enforcement is, because the measure makes it a misdemeanor to cram hens into
small cages….But when I called sheriff’s offices in some of California’s top
egg-producing counties, they were a little hesitant. Some of them even chuckled
when I asked if they planned to visit henhouses with a tape measure.
Editorial: Progress in state’s water policy was remarkable last year
[Sacramento Bee]
One
of the worst droughts on record forced California lawmakers and voters to
implement far-reaching initiatives intended to change how the state manages
water….Progress was extraordinary, given that water has been a source of
perennial conflict in the Golden State. Consensus doesn’t come easily in the Capitol,
but the Legislature placed the water bond on the November ballot by a
near-unanimous vote….Next, the Legislature and the California Water Commission
must determine how to invest billions of dollars to improve the health of
rivers and aquifers, expand storage, and conserve and recycle water. Taxpayers
will want to see smart planning and efficient use of their $7.5 billion….As
significant as the bond is, the passage of groundwater reform legislation will
have greater impact on the water supply.
Ag Monday: Mackie leads
by example [Salinas Californian]
April
Mackie, director of Food Safety and Regulatory Compliance for RAMCO
Enterprises, advises women who wish to succeed in the ag industry to have an
open mind and be flexible so they can seize the opportunities that are
available.…Mackie's own career offers a good illustration of how "keeping
your options open," as she counsels others, can eventually pay high
dividends….Mackie oversees employee safety and training for field and
processing operations. She works with a staff of six individuals.…Another part
of Mackie's job focuses on regulations for organic and conventional food
safety. When she speaks of regulatory compliance, Mackie means everything from
what happens in the fields and packing facilities to air and water
quality.…Since she has always been interested in education and being a
spokeswoman for the ag sector, the Hollister resident has been active in
organizations. Among them: She serves as a board member of the national
committee of the American Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers, vice
president for the Monterey County Farm Bureau, secretary for Monterey County Ag
Education and the incoming chair of the Salinas Valley Chapter of the
California Women for Ag.
Agricultural land
advocate Volker Eisele dies [Napa Valley Register]
Napa
County has lost Volker Eisele, the man who helped put local agricultural
protection in the hands of the voters. “Volker was the lion of land use in Napa
County,” said Sandy Elles, executive director of the Napa County Farm Bureau.
Eisele, 77, passed away Friday morning at his Volker Eisele Family Estate in
Chiles Valley, Elles said. He was a native of Germany and a Napa County
resident and grape grower for about four decades. He is known for having
spearheaded Measure J in 1990. Measure J and its successor, Measure P, require
most changes away from agricultural land use designations to go to a vote of
the people.
Ag
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