High-speed rail board awards $1.4b contract for construction south of Fresno [Fresno Bee]
The
California High-Speed Rail Authority board awarded a $1.36 billion contract for
the design and construction of its second segment of rail line in the central
San Joaquin Valley, a 65-mile stretch from American Avenue south of Fresno to
the Tulare-Kern county line….Under draft terms of the contract negotiations,
the rail agency has until late July to finalize a deal and give the contracting
team a green light to start working — finishing up design and engineering work
and then building the 65-mile segment — without any escalation in price. Once
the contractor has a notice to proceed, the team has up to four years to
complete the work….This is the second of four major construction contracts in
the San Joaquin Valley to build what is planned as the “backbone” of a 520-mile
route to connect San Francisco and Los Angeles with electric passenger trains
traveling at up to 220 mph. The first contract of about $1 billion, for a
29-mile section of the route between Fresno and Madera, was awarded in
mid-2013. A ceremonial groundbreaking for construction on that portion of the
line took place last week in Fresno, led by Gov. Jerry Brown and a cadre of
local, state and federal officials.
California
unveils strictest rules on pesticide [Associated Press]
California
farmers now must abide by the nation's strictest rules for a widely used
pesticide in a change designed to protect farmworkers and people who live and
work near agricultural fields but is likely to raise prices on produce. The
restrictions announced Wednesday target chloropicrin, a pesticide injected into
the ground before planting crops such as strawberries, tomatoes and almond
orchards. In recent years, the chemical has caused hundreds of people to suffer
from irritated eyes, coughing fits and headaches, state officials said….Under
the new regulation, farmers are limited to applying the pesticide on up to 40
acres in one day, a reduction of 75 percent. It also expands the distance
between fields and human activity — in some cases to double the distance.
Farmers who use upgraded tarps to cover their fields while applying the
pesticide can follow less stringent regulations, said officials….California
farmers fear that tighter restrictions will increase the costs of their fruits
and vegetables, potentially driving the market out of state or the country.
Almond and grape growers use chloropicrin once every 20 to 30 years when they
plant a new orchard or vineyard, but California's strawberry growers, who use
it each season, may be hit hardest.
Settlement
struck in long-running land-use debate [Salinas Californian]
A
long-running dispute over language in the 2010 Monterey County General Plan has
been settled, putting in place tougher requirements to protect the area's
threatened groundwater, allow for cultivation on certain steeper hillsides and
ensure wildlife corridors remain open. The settlement is important for everyone
in Monterey County, as it sets the scene for a final version of the General
Plan that directs future land use – be it agriculture, housing development or
major commercial developments. Whether the hills around the Salinas Valley, for
example, are peppered with houses or not is a function of the county General
Plan….New agriculture – predominantly wine-grape and avocado growing – on
steeper slopes (25-35 percent) would be limited to the agricultural and winery
corridor and the Cachagua area near Carmel Valley. The county works in
percentages of slope rather than degrees. Called rise over run, a 25 percent
slope would be four feet horizontal distance with a one foot vertical
climb…."These amendments will ensure the Salinas Valley water basin will
be protected and the problems such as seawater intrusion will be
addressed," said Amy White, executive director of LandWatch Monterey
County and a party to the settlement. "I'm excited that we were able to
reach this compromise; it took movement on everyone's part."
TID
approves large water rate hike [Modesto Bee]
A
vote Tuesday more than doubled water rates for farmers in the Turlock
Irrigation District….The charge for an acre-foot in a normal or wet year will
go from $8.25 to $17.50, assuming an allotment of 4 acre-feet per acre over the
irrigation season. The dry-year price will rise from $15.50 to $36.50, based on
2 acre-feet. An acre-foot covers an acre a foot deep; the 2015 allotments have
not been set…“You’re asking for way too much money,” said Steve Niman, who
raises cattle, corn, oats and alfalfa southwest of Turlock. He added that the
increase would go to “pet projects that we don’t really need.”
Cattle
ranchers worried about state program [Redding Record Searchlight]
North
State ranchers hope they will get a chance Thursday to learn more about how the
state plans to regulate cattle grazing. Steve McCarthy, president of the Tehama
County Cattlemen’s Association, said that so far the state has shared very
little information with ranchers about the Grazing Regulatory Action
Project….The state Water Resources Control Board has proposed the grazing
project to reduce the amount of livestock waste getting into streams and other
water bodies, said Tim Moran, a spokesman for the board. The state is also
concerned about sedimentation from cattle walking on stream banks, he said.
California
drought isn’t farmers’ only worry: It hasn’t been cold enough, either [CBS
Sacramento]
While
California’s drought is causing concern for farmers for another year, the
biggest concern for one farmer has been how cold it hasn’t been. Farming for
six generations, the Waltz family knows their crop lives and dies by what the
weather does. “All we can do is prepare for the worst and hope for the best.
And trying everything we can to make it work along the way,” said almond farmer
Joe Waltz. The drought has been one of the bigger challenges for the family in
the fields in recent years. Lately though, the concern has been temperatures,
and how relatively warm they’ve been at night. “I mean great to work in but not
for the crops,” he said. Crops like prunes, apricots and almonds in his fields
need a deep sleep in cold weather before they start to produce a nut. They need
chilling hours between 45 and 32 degrees.
Ag
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