California
harvest much smaller than normal across crops [Sacramento B
It’s
harvest time in much of California, and the signs of drought are almost as
abundant as the fruits and nuts and vegetables. One commodity after another is
feeling the impact of the state’s epic water shortage….While many crops have
yet to be harvested, it’s clear that the drought has carved a significant hole
in the economy of rural California. Farm income is down, so is employment, and
Thursday’s rain showers did little to change the equation….Rising commodity
prices have helped cushion at least some of the pain, but more hurt could be on
the way. With rivers running low and groundwater overtaxed, the situation could
get far worse if heavy rains don’t come this winter.
Spring
strawberry crop could be reduced by groundwater squeeze [KNBC TV, Los Angeles]
Approaching
the fall planting season in the grips of drought, growers of Ventura County's
famed strawberries are considering whether to cut back acreage. The county's
Farm Bureau expects to see a reduction on the order of between 1,500 and 2,000
acres due to a number of factors, including the drought's impact on water for
irrigation, said CEO John Krist…For more than half a century, there has been a
system for using surface water to replenish much of the region's groundwater as
it is withdrawn. But the drought has dramatically reduced the amount of surface
water available to do so….October historically sees the biggest demand for
irrigation crops, to help establish newly planted berries, Krist said. Friday
he met in the Bureau's Ventura office with a committee of member growers
in an ongoing effort to develop courses of action for dealing with water issues
that have been exacerbated by the drought.
Almond
boom has downside in fewer farm jobs, less crop diversity [Modesto Bee]
The
remarkable expansion of almond orchards in Stanislaus County has been an
economic boom for growers, but it’s come at a price: fewer farm jobs and less
crop diversity….While many of those are new trees now growing on what had been
non-irrigated pastures on the county’s east side, others have replaced
once-coveted fruit trees, tomato fields, vegetable farms and dairies. The
numbers tell the story. USDA census figures show nearly a 56 percent reduction
in Stanislaus acreage used to grow vegetables from 2002 to 2012. Tomato acreage
declined 52 percent, peaches 64 percent, alfalfa 38 percent, lima beans 41
percent … and the list goes on. Declining, too, are farm jobs, in part because
almonds simply don’t need as many hands to tend and harvest as fruits or
vegetables.
Jerry
Brown vetoes farm labor bill [McClatchy News Service]
Gov.
Jerry Brown vetoed legislation Sunday that would have changed procedures in
farm labor disputes to make it harder for California farmers to stall new
contracts. Senate Bill 25, by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg,
D-Sacramento, would have allowed the state’s Agriculture Labor Relations Board
to implement farm labor contracts secured through mandatory mediation even if
employers appeal. Proponents of the bill, including the United Farm Workers
union, said the legislation was necessary to avoid delays in contract disputes.
Opponents argued the legislation would give labor unions unfair leverage in
negotiations.
U.S.D.A.
to start program to support local and organic farming [New York Times]
The
United States Department of Agriculture plans to announce Monday that it will
spend $52 million to support local and regional food systems like farmers’
markets and food hubs and to spur research on organic farming. The local food
movement has been one of the fastest growing segments of the business, as
consumers seek to know more about where, how and by whom their food is grown.
But local farmers still struggle to market their food….The $52 million will be
the first outlay to local and organic enterprises of the farm bill signed into
law by President Obama in February, which tripled the amount of money aimed at
that sector to $291 million.
Pig
handling stuns fair-goers [Bakersfield Californian]
Kern
County Fair-goers were outraged Thursday when hundreds of sold hogs housed in a
three-section ring erupted in fights. Fair workers, attempting to stop several
of the fights, kicked and grabbed the animals and used what looked like large
pieces of plastic to try to separate them. Onlookers recorded video and gasped.
Clay Freeman, a Foothill High agriculture teacher, said his students were among
the onlookers….Freeman said he is proud of how he teaches students to care for
animals especially in California, where livestock practices are heavily
scrutinized. "I think that yesterday there were a lot of images that I
wasn't proud of," he said Friday.
Ag
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