An encore of Valley drought crisis — only worse [Fresno Bee]
The
next train wreck in California’s drought is headed for the San Joaquin Valley
this week when federal leaders forecast how much river water farmers can expect
to irrigate nearly 3 million acres this summer. Most folks in farm country are
expecting the same number as last year — zero for both east and west sides of
the Valley. Consecutive years of no river water would be another unprecedented
body punch from a drought dating back to the winter of 2011-12….This week, the
angst will come from the initial forecast of federal water deliveries for
summer. No date has been set, but the forecast in years past has usually been
made in this week in February. The forecast is important because it involves a
huge swath of California’s interior served by the Central Valley Project (CVP),
the largest water system in the nation. The CVP is operated by the U.S. Bureau
of Reclamation.
State’s population
growth expected to outstrip water conservation in coming years [Sacramento Bee]
California
water agencies are on track to satisfy a state mandate to reduce water
consumption 20 percent by 2020. But according to their own projections, that
savings won’t be enough to keep up with population growth just a decade
later….California’s population, already larger than all other Western states
combined, is expected to grow 14 percent during that same period, reaching an
estimated 44 million people by 2030, according to the state Department of
Finance. If those projections hold, the result would be an additional 1 million
acre-feet of water demand statewide – about equal to the capacity of Folsom
Reservoir – by 2030. This would occur even as people use less water to meet the
20 percent reduction goal.
US labor official looks
to untangle West Coast port dispute [Associated Press]
West
Coast seaports that were all but shut over the holiday weekend because of a
contract dispute are reopening as the nation's top labor official begins his
efforts to solve a stalemate between dockworkers and their employers that
already has disrupted billions of dollars in U.S. international trade. U.S.
Labor Secretary Thomas Perez plans to meet Tuesday in San Francisco with
negotiators for both the dockworkers' union and the maritime association, which
represents shipping lines that carry cargo and port terminal operators that
handle it once the ships dock….After a fruitless meeting Friday between the
International Longshore and Warehouse Union and the Pacific Maritime
Association, President Barack Obama said Saturday that Perez would come west
and engage in the talks, which a federal mediator has overseen since early
January. Over the weekend, Perez was in touch by phone with both sides.
Study: Ag is foundation
of local economy [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]
What
would happen to Yuba-Sutter's economy if agriculture suddenly disappeared? A
recent study provided the beginnings of an answer to the question by examining
the effects of converting agricultural land into uses that are consistent with
being in a floodplain — meaning that higher value crops, such as walnuts and
almonds, would not be viable. The study, by Stephen Hamilton, professor and
chair of economics at California Polytechnic State University, reinforces what
is already mostly known: Agriculture is the lifeblood of the local economy, the
foundation that props up a number of peripheral industries and provides
billions of dollars of indirect benefits to the counties.…The study was
commissioned by the Yuba-Sutter Farm Bureau and the Sutter Butte Flood Control
Agency in response to a possible plan from the Central Valley Flood Protection
Board to widen the Sutter Bypass, a flood control feature in western Sutter
County, by either 1,000 feet or 2,000 feet.
Citrus industry gets
research funds to help ward off a fruit-destroying disease [Ventura County
Star]
WASHINGTON
— With more than 20,000 acres devoted to citrus, Ventura County growers are
bracing for the onslaught of a disease called citrus greening that has
devastated the industry in Florida and Texas. Nationwide, growers and
scientists are fighting back with a huge infusion of money for research to save
the industry now threatened in Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina….Early
detection is the focus of efforts by UC Riverside, said Michael Pazzani, the
university’s vice chancellor for research and economic development. The school
was awarded a $1.6 million USDA grant to tackle HLB last week. “For California,
one of the goals is, as soon as it’s spotted, to eradicate it in a certain area
before it can spread,” Pazzani said.
Gene-altered apples get
U.S. approval [New York Times]
The
government on Friday approved the commercial planting of genetically engineered
apples that are resistant to turning brown when sliced or bruised. The
developer, Okanagan Specialty Fruits, says it believes the nonbrowning feature
will be popular with both consumers and food service companies because it will
make sliced apples more appealing. The feature could also reduce the number of
apples discarded because of bruising. But many executives in the apple industry
say they worry that the biotech apples, while safe to eat, will face opposition
from some consumers, possibly tainting the wholesome image of the fruit that
reputedly “keeps the doctor away.” They are also concerned that it could hurt
exports of apples to countries that do not like genetically modified foods.
Ag
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