Obama proposes new agency to make Americans' food safer [Associated Press]
President
Barack Obama wants to create a new government agency dedicated to keeping the
nation's food safe. The proposal in the president's budget released Monday
comes after outbreaks of illnesses linked to chicken, eggs, peanuts and
cantaloupe in recent years. More than a dozen federal agencies oversee food
safety, and consumer advocates have long called for bringing all those
functions together in a single home….The budget proposes consolidating the
Agriculture Department's Food Safety and Inspection Service and all of FDA's
food safety oversight into one new agency within the Department of Health and
Human Services. The new agency also would coordinate with state and local
health departments, a job that is now mostly handled by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention….The changes are likely to meet opposition on Capitol
Hill.
Winter
skips January: ‘This just keeps getting worse’ [Fresno Bee]
One
look at the numbers says it all about California’s latest drought nightmare: The
snowpack must grow seven times its current size in the next two months just to
be average.
After
a stormy December, the spigot shut off for January, typically the state’s
wettest month. In the fourth consecutive dry year, California recorded one of
the driest Januaries on record. After a drought-scarred 2014, water leaders are
inspired to start scrambling early for what little water might be available,
working with several agencies on ideas to allow more supplies to flow out of
Northern California while still protecting water quality and the environment.
But if the storms don’t get going again, the San Joaquin Valley’s
nation-leading $37 billion farm belt may have to live through an even worse
scenario than 2014.
Amid
California’s drought, water chief preaches conservation – and balance
[Sacramento Bee]
Felicia
Marcus gets in the shower when it’s still cold. As full-time chair of
California’s State Water Resources Control Board, Marcus has a key role in how
California stewards its finite resources during a devastating drought….A fourth
year of drought means another year of crisis management for the constellation
of agencies that manage California’s water. Marcus’ agency will have a pivotal
role in much of it….It must consider the needs of urban users, of farmers, of
disadvantaged small towns, of fish reliant on flows of fresh water – what
Marcus describes as “a terrible, Solomonic set of choices.” “People need fish,
they need agriculture, they need to eat,” Marcus said. “Our task, unenviable
though it may be, is to strike the balance that honors all users.”
Climate
change’s bottom line [New York Times]
It
was 8 degrees in Minneapolis on a recent January day, and out on Interstate
394, snow whipped against the windshields of drivers on their morning commutes.
But inside the offices of Cargill, the food conglomerate, Greg Page, the
company’s executive chairman, felt compelled to talk about global warming….Mr.
Page is a member of the Risky Business Project, an unusual collection of
business and policy leaders determined to prepare American companies for
climate change….After meeting with Mr. Page, Jon Doggett, executive vice
president of the National Corn Growers Association, said he was skeptical that
the report would influence farmers much….Dale Moore, executive director of
public policy for the American Farm Bureau Federation, which lobbies in
Washington on behalf of farmers and ranchers, said he agreed with Mr. Page that
climate seemed to be in a “more extreme cycle” and that agribusiness would do
well to develop hardier seed strains. But the group’s members remain skeptical
that humans cause climate change.
Many
G.M.O.-free labels, little clarity over rules [New York Times]
Few
industry debates are as heated these days as the one about labeling foods that
contain genetically modified ingredients. And while interest groups and
advocates wage war in state legislatures, on ballots and in Congress over what
should be disclosed on product labels, products certified as containing no
genetically modified organisms are proliferating on grocery shelves without any
nationwide mandatory regulations. Moreover, many manufacturers are nodding to
the public debate, adding the phrase “non-G.M.O.” to their packaging without a
verification process….The shift toward voluntary labeling has also led to a lot
of consumer confusion, as different labels, organizations and agencies issue
seals or stamps that attest to compliance with few, if any, uniform standards. In
addition, food companies are tacking the words “non-G.M.O.” on items that would
never be considered in need of such labeling.
Solano
Farm Bureau hits milestone [Vacaville Reporter]
The
100th anniversary of the Solano County Farm Bureau kind of snuck up on the organization.
Deeply rooted in looking out for farmers’ interests, the group planned on
celebrating that focus once again during its 97th annual dinner. However, after
research by Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez, it was determined that the
Solano County Farm Bureau has been around a little longer — an entire century,
to be exact. “We thought we were 97,” said Ryan Mahoney, president of the
Solano County Farm Bureau. “It’s amazingly special to see the organization’s
commitment to the county.”
Ag
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