Endangered tricolor blackbird’s fate entwined with dairy industry [Sacramento Bee]
…A
decades-long decline in the tricolored blackbird population has reached a
crisis point. Earlier this month, the state responded by listing the bird under
the California Endangered Species Act on an emergency basis. The listing means
it’s illegal for farmers to destroy the birds’ nests, said Lisa Belenky,
attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which filed the petition
with the California Fish and Game Commission that led to the emergency listing.
The listing comes two years after the federal government began paying dairy
farmers in the San Joaquin Valley who agree to delay their harvest to avoid
killing young birds. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has spent $370,000 on
the program so far. It soon may add $1 million to the effort, though state
officials concede the program hasn’t stemmed the species’ decline.
Organic farmers to get
a break on agriculture fees [Sacramento Bee]
An
organic farming seed planted in the latest farm bill sprouted Tuesday,
broadening exemptions from conventional crop- promotion fees. From almonds to
watermelons, the proposed new fee exemptions cover many organic crops across
different U.S. regions. The exemptions also reflect the escalating federal
cultivation of an organic agriculture sector that posts an estimated $35
billion in annual sales….Any investment is particularly significant for
California, which accounts for 19 percent of all organic farms and 36 percent
of all organic crop sales, according to research by Karen Klonsky, a
cooperative extension specialist at the University of California, Davis. Other
states could benefit as well.
California drought: We
need 11 trillion gallons of water in the bank [Los Angeles Times]
A
series of rainstorms — one of which was powerful and destructive for residents
statewide — helped deposit needed moisture to California, but it’s going to
take 11 trillion gallons of water in storage to recover from the drought, NASA
scientists said this week. California must receive three seasons of
above-average rainfall to get back to a “manageable situation,” said Jay
Famiglietti, senior water-cycle scientist of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory
in Pasadena. “We need 11 trillion just to get back to our normal, dry
conditions,” he said.
Rain could spell
trouble for Calif. water conservation [Associated Press]
After
California's driest three years on record, there have been few sounds as
disturbing to water conservationists as the whisk-whisk-whisk of automatic lawn
sprinklers kicking on directly behind TV reporters covering some of the state's
first heavy downpours in years….Recent storms eased the drought somewhat, but
there's a long way to go. And state officials are worried that the rain will
give people an excuse to abandon the already inconsistent conservation efforts
adopted to deal with the dry spell…."A deluge like this makes us feel,
'Oh, my God, it must be over,'" said Felicia Marcus, chairwoman of the
state Water Resources Control Board, which instituted monthly water-use
reporting this year to bring home to Californians how much water they were
using. But "we are in a really deep hole ... and we have to act like we are
in the drought of our lives." She said officials will "keep working
on it even after the drought because there's going to be another one around the
bend."
Humboldt County
supervisors hear potential plans for Mad River water exports [Eureka
Times-Standard]
The
last Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting of 2014 on Tuesday focused on
many aspects of the Mad River, with a local water district presenting outlines
to potentially transport water out of the county and increase flows for native
species, and the board approving an update to its environmental review of
current mining operations along the waterway. Ending the year in the festive
spirit, the meeting began with a surprise visit from Santa Claus — with 1st
District Supervisor and board Chairman Rex Bohn mysteriously absent — to hand
out gifts to the board members and candy to attending staff and members of the
public. After Bohn returned in his regular attire, the board heard a
presentation from the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District — the local water
wholesaler for seven municipal water providers — on its proposed plans to
ensure it can keep its sizable water rights when it undergoes state review in
2029.
Walnut harvest stronger
than expected [Stockton Record]
California’s
fall walnut harvest is coming in bigger than expected, and while that could
mean farmers will see smaller crop payments, in coming months consumers should
get relief from what had been record high walnut prices….Given usual trends as
farmers wrap up deliveries this month, the final crop may total close to
563,000 tons, said Pete Turner, an industry consultant and president of the
California Independent Handlers Coalition. That would make the California
harvest about 3 percent above the fall forecast and a whopping 12 percent
larger than the previous state record of 504,000 tons in 2010. It’s also 14
percent more than last year’s 492,000 ton crop.
Ag
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