Madera County Farm Bureau News

Friday, May 16, 2014

Ag Today Monday, April 28, 2014

California Gov. Brown orders more emergency drought measures [Sacramento Bee]

Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday signed a sweeping new emergency drought proclamation, cutting red tape for a variety of government functions to help water agencies find new supplies, and to press the public to use water carefully….The governor first proclaimed a drought emergency Jan. 17. This second proclamation goes further by waiving compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act and the state water code for a number of actions, including water transfers, wastewater treatment projects, habitat improvements for winter-run Chinook salmon imperiled by the drought and curtailment of water rights. The order also suspends competitive bidding requirements for drought-related projects undertaken by a number of state agencies, including the departments of Water Resources, Fish and Wildlife, and Public Health.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/25/6355136/california-gov-brown-orders-more.html

'Nobody's going to get the amount of water they are hoping for,' says secretary of the interior as she tours south Delta export pumps in S.J. [Stockton Record]

President Barack Obama's lead adviser on water and wildlife toured the enormous south Delta export pumps Tuesday, examining the roaring, 22,500-horsepower pumps before cautioning that no one would receive all the water they need this year. U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell told reporters that state and federal governments will have to be flexible to make the best use of a limited amount of water….Recent storms temporarily boosted the amount of water flowing through the Delta, west of Stockton. But by the middle of last week, San Joaquin Valley farmers had grown frustrated because most of that water was not being pumped their way. Instead, it was left in rivers flowing toward the ocean.

http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20140312/A_NEWS/403120329

Farmers scramble to bolster water supplies [Marysville Appeal-Democrat]

Thousands upon thousands of acres of crops in Yuba-Sutter will receive no surface water this summer. The chances of that changing have dwindled to almost nothing. After months of uncertainty, the water delivery picture in California has finally crystallized, and the end result has varied depending on water rights seniority. Settlement contractors on the Sacramento River, the most senior water rights holders, saw their water delivery increase from a 40 percent allocation to 75 percent.

http://www.appeal-democrat.com/news/farmers-scramble-to-bolster-water-supplies/article_ce31194e-cddb-11e3-9d70-001a4bcf6878.html

The Public Eye: UCD, growers in dispute over strawberry research [Sacramento Bee]

Just a few months ago, California Strawberry Commission President Rick Tomlinson was looking at the possibility of losing a valuable asset for strawberry farmers up and down the state – the public breeding program at UC Davis. For more than half a century, the university’s strawberry breeding program has played a pivotal role in the strawberry industry, providing research and developing new varieties for farmers to grow. Instead of licensing plants from private companies, farmers are able to buy them from UC Davis, which has some of the lowest royalty rates around. So when school officials raised the specter of shuttering or selling the program, Tomlinson said, the strawberry commission responded in October with a lawsuit, arguing that the college couldn’t in good conscience turn its back on growers who had bankrolled the research program for several decades.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/27/6356733/ucd-growers-in-dispute-over-strawberry.html

Opinion: Lyons, Bradford: Labeling law would hurt California farmers [Merced Sun-Star]

Farmers, scientists, businesses and others have joined to strongly oppose Senate Bill 1381, a costly, anti-science food labeling bill moving its way through the state Legislature. This legislation would add massive new bureaucracy and red tape for California family farmers and food producers; it will increase grocery costs for consumers, and could stifle new scientific advances in agriculture that help local farmers grow environmentally beneficial and abundant healthy crops – all while promoting misleading and unnecessary information to consumers. SB 1381 would effectively ban the sale of tens of thousands of perfectly safe, common grocery products in California that contain genetically engineered (GE) ingredients unless they are specially repackaged, relabeled or remade with higher-cost ingredients. It would mandate complex new food-labeling regulations in California that don’t exist in any other state or federally.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/04/25/3617617/lyons-bradford-labeling-law-would.html

Opinion: Disbelief in water allocations and lessons the state should learn [Sacramento Bee]

I sat silently for many minutes with the phone still in my hand, trying to absorb what I had just heard from two trusted sources. It’s not often that your day includes a moment when the world shifts. Seven weeks ago, that moment was learning that agriculture in the state might die. How can it be, I asked myself, that the drought is so bad and planning so nonexistent that there are serious thoughts of eliminating all surface water for agriculture in the state? I was numb.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/27/6352044/viewpoints-disbelief-in-water.html

Ag Today is distributed by the CFBF Communications/News Division to county Farm Bureaus, CFBF directors and CFBF staff, for information purposes; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and e-mail address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.

Ag Today Thursday, April 24, 2014

Merced Irrigation District seals deal with state for more irrigation water [Merced Sun-Star]

Irrigation officials this week closed a complicated deal with state agencies to increase the water supply for drought-plagued farmers. The deal could also help authorities cut the price of irrigation water in Merced County. The State Water Resources Control Board approved the deal granting Merced County farmers more water, said Mike Jensen, Merced Irrigation District spokesman. MID board President Tim Pellissier and Vice President Dave Long said the deal was the best news Merced County farmers have had in the last two years.

http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/04/23/3615393/mid-seals-deal-with-state-for.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1

Dam flows boost Trinity River for now; officials say dry conditions mean less water released into river [Eureka Times-Standard]

As Lewiston Dam waters are released into the Trinity River, officials are advising the public to use caution while visiting its banks, even though this year's flow into the river will be reduced on account of the statewide drought. ”It's a relatively rare event, but it's not outside the realm of possibility,” said Ernest Clarke, a science program coordinator for the Trinity River Restoration Program, a multi-agency program made up of organizations including the U.S. Forest Service and the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service. “We're making the appropriate flow release.” The flows started increasing Wednesday, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation public affairs officer Louis Moore said. Up to 1,500 cubic feet of water per second -- the equivalent of 75,000 to 80,000 jugs of water or basketballs, according to Moore -- will be released each day until the end of May before being reduced. The rates are expected to drop to 1,200 cfs in early June, and will dip to the summer level of 450 cfs on June 26.

http://www.times-standard.com/localnews/ci_25627718/dam-flows-boost-trinity-river-now-officials-say

Editorial: Minimum-wage hike: Alarming start to a crucial debate [San Diego Union-Tribune]

City Council President Todd Gloria has unveiled a proposed ballot initiative under which the minimum wage in San Diego gradually would be raised to $13.09 cents an hour by July 2017. That would be 31 percent higher than the state minimum wage, which is set to be $10 an hour effective 2016. At his news conference Wednesday, Gloria said the proposal is a work in progress and that he is open to input. But given his remarks, San Diegans should wonder if he is open to reason. For example, the council leader was asked if much higher minimum wages were so good for the economy — as he contended — why didn’t businesses clamor for them? He responded by noting that many companies already pay more than $13.09 an hour. But that’s a decision they made — not one forced on them by local government.

http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/apr/23/minimum-wage-hike-todd-gloria-poverty-san-diego/

Clovis Rodeo at 100: From dusty origins to big-time business [Fresno Bee]

One hundred years ago, when Clovis was a small, distant and dusty farm town of perhaps 1,000 residents, a group of enterprising women decided to get together and throw a "spring festival" — a little town picnic with a parade and informal horse races among ranchers and cowboys — as a fundraising event. Nowadays, pardner, things are different around these here parts. With a population of about 100,000, Clovis isn't so small, distant or dusty. You're more likely to find a bicycle rack on the street than a hitchin' post. The Clovis Women's Club, which organized that long-ago festival, is no more.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/19/3886022/100-yearsof-tradition-and-change.html?sp=/99/217/&ihp=1

Opinion: Frank Bigelow: Ag education cut would hurt state economy [Fresno Bee]

Agriculture is critical to California's economy because of the jobs, tax revenue and food it provides for our state. It makes sense then to teach ag in our public schools so we can prepare students who want to pursue ag-related careers. Yet if Gov. Jerry Brown's budget proposal becomes law, those students may no longer have that opportunity. In his 2014-15 budget plan, the governor seeks to eliminate the Agricultural Career Technical Education Incentive Program, more commonly known as the Agriculture Incentive Grant. This grant funds 315 local ag programs that teach 78,000 high school students basic skills such as planning and planting. The money helps pay for items such as shop equipment and field trips for students at relatively little cost to the state. Many students have said that being a part of such classes is one of their most positive high school experiences.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/23/3891934/ag-education-cut-would-hurt-state.html?sp=/99/274/

Ag Today Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Drought concerns create momentum to regulate California's groundwater [Ventura County Star]

Lester Snow has for decades been one of California’s premier “water buffaloes” — people who are expert in the arcane policies of water supply and delivery….This year, he senses a shift in public attitude toward taking steps to preserve groundwater, one of California most precious, but unregulated, sources of water….Snow, who now heads a nonprofit group called the California Water Foundation, testified in support of a bill by Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills, to establish regional groundwater management plans and to authorize the State Water Resources Control Board to step in when local agencies are unwilling to take steps to stop the over-pumping of groundwater basins.

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2014/apr/22/vcspop-drought-concerns-create-push-to-regulate/

Fresno County supervisors won't change rules for farmland subsidy [Fresno Bee]

A commercial farming operation is not defined by the amount of agricultural product it sells, the Fresno County Board of Supervisors determined on Tuesday. Supervisor Henry R. Perea asked supervisors to consider a recommendation by county Assessor Paul Dictos to place a retail value on crops to qualify farmland for Williamson Act tax reductions…. But the board decided not to make the change sought by Dictos. The Williamson Act, a statewide program administered locally, gives counties the option of reducing property tax bills for farmers to encourage farmland preservation. Under the program, property owners agree contractually to farm their land for at least 10 years in exchange for having their property assessed at its agricultural value, not its higher market value.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2014/04/22/3890019/fresno-county-supervisors-wont.html?sp=/99/217/&ihp=1

Future of MID farm water transfers is uncertain [Modesto Bee]

Plans to combat drought by allowing water transfers among farmers could be in jeopardy, growers and Modesto Irrigation District leaders learned Tuesday at a meeting tinged with uncertainty and accusations of unfairness. The Lyons family and its Mapes Ranch could cancel their transfers if the MID doesn’t remove last-minute requirements slapped on participating farmers, Bill Lyons said. His operations, he said, account for most of the water involved in one of two programs created by the MID to address the drought. Several other growers and their attorneys also protested recently drafted participation rules, calling them punitive to those who choose to help the district, other farmers and themselves.

http://www.modbee.com/2014/04/22/3304818/future-of-water-transfers-uncertain.html?sp=/99/1571/&ihp=1

Calif. strawberry production stays brisk despite drought [Capital Press]

As strawberry growers in California enter their peak season, production is again on a brisk pace. Nearly 39.5 million flats of strawberries had been picked and packaged as of last week, compared to about 36.7 million trays at this point last year, according to the California Strawberry Commission. Last week alone, growers had shipped 6.2 million trays, up from a little more than 5 million trays sent out in the middle week of April last year, said Carolyn O’Donnell, the commission spokeswoman here.

http://www.capitalpress.com/California/20140422/calif-strawberry-production-stays-brisk-despite-drought

Opinion: Science behind air regs more sketchy all the time [Bakersfield Californian]

The more I learn about how certain air regulations were concocted, the more ludicrous it all seems. Tomorrow the California Air Resources Board will debate whether to extend the deadline for small trucking firms to comply with rules on PM2.5. (That's tiny bits of fine particulate matter contained in soot, dust and diesel exhaust.) Truckers will be fighting truckers over table scraps. What should happen is the whole silly rule should be chucked. And CARB should pay the poor saps who already retrofitted their rigs with filters that, by numerous reports, are a constant source of engine trouble. And I'm not even talking about the CARB-approved brand that caused a huge fire in Washington state a couple years ago and had to be recalled.

http://www.bakersfieldcalifornian.com/columnists/lois-henry/x1042364595/LOIS-HENRY-Science-behind-air-regs-more-sketchy-all-the-time?utm_source=widget_82&utm_medium=synapse

Editorial: Label this bill a scare tactic [Orange County Register]

California voters in 2012 wisely rejected Proposition 37, a ballot measure that would have mandated that grocery manufacturers affix de facto warning labels on genetically modified foods. It would have applied to roughly 70 percent of food found on supermarket shelves in California, primarily processed foods containing harmless ingredients derived from GM corn and soybeans. Two years later, a bill is wending its way through the Legislature that proposes to institute the mandatory GMO labeling Californians said they don’t want. It was set to be considered today by the Senate Judiciary Committee.

http://www.ocregister.com/articles/bill-610709-foods-senate.html

Wednesday, April 23, 2014

Ag Today Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Fields and farm jobs dry up with California's worsening drought [National Public Radio]

…On a recent afternoon on the main drag of Orange Grove, Calif., about a dozen farm workers gather on the sidewalk in front of a mini-mart….Salvador Perez paces back and forth with his hands stuffed in the pockets of his jeans. If there is no water, there's no work, he says in Spanish. Perez was laid off when the citrus farmer he worked for ran out of water….You hear a lot of these stories up and down California's Central Valley. Everything that everyone has been warning about over the past few months is starting to happen. Workers are getting laid off as prized fruit and nut trees are going unwatered, and fields are going fallow.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/04/22/303726931/fields-and-farm-jobs-dry-up-with-californias-worsening-drought

California edging closer to regulating groundwater for the first time [KQED – San Francisco]

We hear a great deal about California’s reliance on its “frozen reservoir,” a reference to the (currently anemic) Sierra snowpack. We hear a lot less about the Golden State’s invisible reservoir, the water that resides in underground aquifers beneath our feet. That’s about to change. Today, state Sen. Fran Pavley (D-Agoura Hills) puts a trio of water conservation bills before her Natural Resources and Water Committee, the centerpiece of which (SB 1168) is a frontal assault on the management of California’s groundwater, which, compared to other western states, is almost unregulated….If you want to see farmers and ranchers turn ornery, make like you’re a state bureaucrat going after their water — or their right to pump as much as they need out of the ground….California is the only western state that doesn’t exercise some degree of control over its groundwater. But how much control is too much? Matt Conant, a walnut grower in Sutter County, articulated the greatest fear of many in the ag community: “I’m afraid that the state will come in and try to over-regulate groundwater and surface water,” he told me outside a recent hearing of the State Water Resources Control Board.

http://blogs.kqed.org/science/2014/04/22/california-edging-closer-to-regulating-groundwater-for-the-first-time/

Editorial: Mercury News editorial: Feinstein bill risks further damage to Delta [Mercury News]

California Sen. Dianne Feinstein's willingness to do Big Ag's bidding at the expense of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta is increasingly alarming. Last week she released a revised drought bill that has environmentalists up and down the state fuming -- with good reason….We sympathize with the Central Valley farmers who provide the vast majority of the state's fruits and vegetables. The state needs to find every drop of water available for them, as long as it doesn't permanently harm the Delta. But Big Ag has a dirty little secret: Wealthy Central Valley farmers have doubled the area of profitable almond orchards in recent years to 800,000 acres, largely for export….Feinstein has a choice. She can pander to corporate farming interests who are big donors, or she can stand up for reasonable protection for the Delta to ensure safe, adequate water supplies for future generations in California -- both on farms and in cities.

http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_25608771/mercury-news-editorial-feinstein-bill-risks-further-damage

Supreme Court weighs truth in labeling in fruit juice case [Sacramento Bee]

Dual marketing disputes have ripened for the California-based makers of Pom Wonderful pomegranate juice, with Supreme Court justices sounding sympathetic Monday to some company claims. In the first of two key court cases, justices seemed Monday to accept Pom Wonderful’s argument that Coca-Cola misleadingly labeled as “Pomegranate Blueberry” a product that had only an infinitesimal amount of either juice….In a legal twist, the validity of Pom Wonderful’s own marketing claims anchors a second pending case. On May 2, in arguments before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, the company will defend health claims that have been disputed by the Federal Trade Commission.

http://www.sacbee.com/2014/04/21/6341358/supreme-court-weighs-truth-in.html

U.S. dairy insurance plan a template for reluctant livestock farmers [Reuters]

A plan in the new U.S. farm law to help dairy farmers limit losses from rising feed costs or falling milk prices may become a model in coming years for livestock producers who have resisted similar types of insurance. The plan, called the Margin Protection Program, takes a page from the popular multibillion-dollar government-backed crop insurance programs for grain, cotton and other crops. In short, MPP will create formulas to insure against loss of "revenue" rather than actual loss of animals. Cattle and hog producers have traditionally rejected government risk-management schemes because they abhor any idea of government controls….But the thrust of the 1,000-page Agricultural Act of 2014, signed into law Feb. 7, was to move away from "direct payments" toward more elaborate insurance coverage. The dairy program aims to convince not just dairy farmers but all livestock producers they can benefit as crop producers have.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/21/usa-agriculture-dairy-idUSL2N0ND0UN20140421

U.S.-Japan Trade Deal Is Coveted—but Elusive [Wall Street Journal]

The U.S. and Japan had hoped to demonstrate the strength of their alliance with an announcement of a landmark trade agreement during President Barack Obama's visit to Tokyo. That is now uncertain, with no deal just hours before Mr. Obama's arrival….A trade deal between the two countries is crucial to the success of the broader Trans-Pacific Partnership, a U.S.-led initiative meant to eliminate tariffs among 12 economies that account for around 40% of global economic output and 30% of trade….The U.S. had hoped to conclude the trade agreement as early as last year. But after months of talks, including intensive negotiations over the past two weeks, significant differences with Japan remain on key issues, particularly U.S. access to Japanese agricultural markets. Japan wants to protect its own farm products, including rice and beef, while the U.S. is demanding full access for its agricultural goods.

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303825604579517193558187648?KEYWORDS=mitsuru+obe&mg=reno64-wsj