House Members Seek to Update Endangered Species Act

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (WA-04), Rep. Cynthia Lummis (WY), Rep. Randy Neugebauer (TX-19), and Rep. Bill Huizenga (MI-02) this week introduced four limited bills to improve and update the  Endangered Species Act (ESA).

 

The bills are supported by all of the Members of the ESA Congressional Working Group, representing districts across the nation, and are based on the recommendations and findings of their report and input from a broad array of stakeholders, including the Western Governors‘ Association.

 

California Ag’s interest is on how the revised ESA would affect the Biological opinion on Delta Smelt and Salmon that has drastically cut contractual water supplies issued through the pumps.
The four bills focus on transparency and species recovery. The House Natural Resources Committee will hold a Full Committee legislative hearing on these bills on Tuesday, April 8.

 

“These are very simple, straightforward, and common sense bills and provide a good starting point as we begin the legislative process for improving the Endangered Species Act,” said Chairman Hastings.

 

“The bills are, by design, narrowly focused and something that both Republicans and Democrats can support. Increasing transparency; posting data online; enhancing state, local, and tribal participation; and reducing taxpayer-financed attorney’s fees to help direct taxpayer dollars towards recovery efforts are small, but important steps in making smart and sensible updates to the ESA.”

2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 31st, 2014|

Is Pongamia the New Citrus?

Source: Sam Brasch; Modern Farmer

Citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing or HLB, may have Florida’s limes, grapefruit and oranges headed for near extinction.

The state’s output has dropped from about 30 million field boxes in 2000 to about 15 million boxes in 2013-14. Researchers at the USDA estimate up to 70 percent of the state’s citrus trees could now be infected.

Peter McClure, the Agriculture Research Manager at one of Florida’s largest citrus operations, thinks the state might not have to wait for aphid-like phyllis flies to touch every tree with deadly bacteria. “If we go further, we will reach the threshold where we can’t feed [citrus processing] plants and they will just go away,” he said.

Farmers who haven’t already sold their orchards to developers are looking for ways to hedge their bets. In an extensive report on the disease published last year, the Huffington Post outlined a laundry list of alternatives for Florida’s estimated 525,000 acres of citrus in 2013 — down from a peak 858,000 acres in 1996.

Citrus researcher Bill Castle has identified a few varieties of pomegranates that could succeed in Florida. Others have floated the idea of peaches, blueberries, pineapples and olives, but each alternative has its limits.

Pineapples freeze at the smallest drop in temperature below 28 degrees Fahrenheit. Little infrastructure exists for olive pressing or pomegranate juicing. And even if a small portion of Florida citrus farmers transitioned their acreage to peaches or blueberries, such massive production could drop prices to the point where farmers couldn’t recover a profit.

McClure has turned to Oakland company Terviva Inc. for what he thinks could be a better idea: pongamia pinnata, better known as pongamia.

A native of Australia and India, the pongamia tree is already no stranger to Florida. Since it was brought to the state in the 1920s, bright lavender blooms have added some color to front yards and parks on the southern, east and west coasts of the state.

The tree is so fitted for the environment that it has a habit of showing up in the vacant lots and backyards of Miami (indeed, some, including Miami-Dade country, label it an invasive species).

Terviva and Florida citrus growers don’t mind evergreen shade or the blossoms’ “pea-like fragrance,” but it is the tree’s seed pods that have their attention.

Inside each one is an oil-rich legume. Each season, an acre of mature pongamia trees can produce about 10 times as much oil as an acre of soy beans.

The liquid can then be turned into bio-fuel or higher-value products like lubricants and natural pesticides. The seed cake has also been used as an high-protein animal feed in India.

Unlike their some other alternatives, citrus farmers could use their existing field architecture for the pongamia. Farmers like McClure wouldn’t need to raze the beds that once rooted orange or grape fruit trees because pongam trees thrive in the same sandy soil.

Equipment is also within easy reach. Nut shakers can harvest the seeds each summer, peanut shellers can separate the seeds from the pods and a soybean crushers can separate the oil and the seed cake for their respective markets.

In addition, Schenk claims the trees are incredibly low-maintenance once they’ve been established.

The trees fix nitrogen, so they need little to no fertilizer and actually encourage grass growth, which could help farmers graze livestock between the orchard rows. A deep tap root makes them drought-resistance. And because the oil works as a natural pesticide, bugs and bacteria have a hard time messing with the early-summer harvest — a huge advantage when other Florida growers have come under environmental scrutiny for contaminating water runoff.

“In no field — in Hawaii, Texas or Florida — have we had to use any pesticide,” said Schenk. Terviva has its largest test grove near Port Lavaca, Texas, where it grows 160 acres of pongamia trees.

‘Basically, we are domesticating a wild tree. But there is no short cut to that other than having mother trees that have been observed, documented, measured and tested’

Even as Australia’s University of Queensland has shared Schenk’s enthusiasm for pongamia as a contributor to biofuel feed stock, some skeptics are holding out. In a 2011 news analysis from Reuters, officials from around the biofuel industry all note the tree as a promising option, but urge caution to investors until companies like Terviva can prove it on an industrial scale.

Schenk understands the challenge. His company has been scouring India and Australia for the best trees and improving the genetics at test facilities. “Basically, we are domesticating a wild tree. But there is no short cut to that other than having mother trees that have been observed, documented, measured and tested,” he said.

In the meantime, citrus growers in Florida like McClure might not have much time to wait for verified proof. They are already Terviva’s largest set of customers.

“Sure, it’s experimental now, but it has a lot of potential,” said McClure.

2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 31st, 2014|

Ag Labor Identifies Solutions for Farmworkers

Housing & transportation recommendations to improve ag labor quality of life and labor force stability

 

Sebastopol, CA – On Tuesday, April 1, 2014, a multi-stakeholder task force will present the ag labor findings and recommendations of the California Agricultural Workforce Housing and Transportation Project to the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. The project was a year long investigation into the challenge of providing safe and affordable housing and reliable transportation to the state’s specialty crop workforce, resulting in a report, SHELTER + MOBILITY: Recommendations for California’s Specialty Crop Ag Workforce.

The key recommendations of the report include:

  • Improve existing and develop new farmworker housing by reducing barriers and dedicating state funding sources.
  • Develop a central, online repository to house information related to farmworker housing and transportation.
  •  Incorporate ag labor housing and transportation needs in federal, state, regional, and local planning and funding policies and priorities.
  • Maintain the newly revised definition of “rural” under federal law and create a recognized and accepted rural-specific definition of ”smart growth.”
  • Increase farmworker transportation options, both public and private.
  • Increase farmworker driver safety through training for farmworkers and their families.

There is an inadequate availability of safe, affordable housing and transportation options for California’s farmworkers. Not only does this impact the quality of life for workers and their families, it also affects labor force stability for the agricultural industry. Recognizing this need, the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) awarded a USDA Specialty Crop Block Grant to Ag Innovations Network to bring together 50 of the state’s agricultural, labor, housing, and transportation leaders to develop a set of recommendations for addressing these issues.

“We all respect the tremendous contributions of farmworkers to successful food and agricultural production,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “California Ag Vision: Strategies for Sustainability recommended we pursue a suite of policies and actions to secure a sustainable agricultural workforce for California agriculture, including options for public transportation and affordable housing. The open and frank conversations held throughout this project were a critical step toward identifying recommendations to achieve our goal of improving the availability of safe, affordable housing and transportation for farmworkers and their families.”

The stakeholders involved in the project offered these recommendations in the hope of ensuring that resources and systems are in place that will result in all of California’s specialty crop agricultural workers and their families having safe, reliable, and affordable transportation to their places of employment, and a home that reflects their dignity and importance.

More information about the project is available at http://aginnovations.org/workforce/. The report can be accessed athttp://aginnovations.org/images/uploads/Housing_Transportation.pdf.

The April 1, 2014 California State Board of Food and Agriculture meeting will be held at CDFA, 1220 N Street, Sacramento. Meeting details are available athttp://www.cdfa.ca.gov/state_board/.

2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 30th, 2014|

Lawmakers Unite and Urge Administration to Capture Water from Storm

Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressmen Ken Calvert, Jim Costa, Jeff Denham, Kevin McCarthy, Devin Nunes and David Valadao TODAY sent a letter to Interior Secretary Jewell and Commerce Secretary Pritzker calling on their departments to evaluate the operating criteria that govern the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project in order to capture as much water as possible from this week’s storm.

State Water Project

Full text of the letter follows:

 

March 27, 2014

The Honorable Sally Jewell

Secretary

Department of the Interior

1849 C Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20240

 

The Honorable Penny Pritzker

Secretary

Department of Commerce

1401 Constitution Ave. N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20230

 

Dear Secretary Jewell and Secretary Pritzker:

We are writing to urge you to immediately evaluate the operating criteria that govern the Central Valley Project (CVP) and the State Water Project (SWP) so that actions can be taken as soon as possible to capture the maximum amount of water from this week’s storm in California.

We begin by contrasting two different circumstances under the drought:

Extremely Low Water Allocations to Agriculture

  • An unprecedented zero percent allocation for SWP water contractors
  • Zero percent allocation for CVP agricultural water service and Friant Division contractors
  • A historically-low 40 percent allocation for senior water rights holders (Settlement and Exchange contractors)
  • 
500,000 acres of farmlands to be fallowed
  • 100,000 head of cattle expected to be lost
  • At least 10 communities potentially running out of water soon without relief action

Minimal Endangered Fish Incidental TakeCentral Valley Project, USBR

Adult Delta smelt – 0 out of 155 allowed

Juvenile Delta smelt – 0 out of 1,007 allowed

Winter Run Salmon – 276 out of 24,237 allowed (1.1%)

Spring Run Salmon – 0 taken based on various levels of concern

Steelhead – 148 out of 3,000 allowed (4.9%)

These numbers show that existing protections for endangered fish are more than adequate. On the other hand, our constituents’ farms and communities are facing potential devastation. From our view, it is apparent that there is a significant imbalance of regulatory burdens.

Let us be clear: A disaster of great magnitude has been unfolding in our communities, and will continue to worsen with each passing day if relief is not provided.

Ever since the State’s drought declaration on January 17, 2014, there have only been two major storms in California. With much of the rain season behind us, California has received only about 50 percent of normal precipitation. The principal reservoirs for the CVP and SWP – Shasta and Lake Oroville – and San Luis Reservoir in the South Delta are still below 50 percent of capacity, and the snowpack is less than 25 percent of normal.

Farms and communities north and south of the Delta are suffering from the drought’s severe effects. Besides lost or fallowed acreage and damage to livestock, highly valuable trees and vines are being cut down. The socioeconomic impacts – such as unemployment – will be disastrous.

According to the National Weather Service, two storm systems will be passing through California this week. The central and northern Sierras expect to see more than two inches of rain; higher elevations could receive four to six inches. The San Joaquin Valley could receive between 0.25 to 0.75 inches of rain. The far northern reaches of the State could see up to 5 inches of rain. The Sierras can also expect between 3 to 16 inches of snow depending on location and elevation.

Based on historical weather patterns, these storms could be our last chance this year to receive, capture, and move a sizable amount of water to those farms and communities that desperately need it for public health and safety and for their livelihoods that are under severe threat.

Biological opinions issued by your Departments regulate the amount of water that can be exported from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in order to protect endangered fish. However, based on the data we cited above, there is clearly no imminent threat to any of the key protected fish species that is attributable to water pumping operations.

We understand that your Departments have to consider other factors, such as salinity levels in the Delta and the need for pulse flows. Still, this latest data strongly suggest that there is significant leeway for the Bureau of Reclamation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the National Marine Fisheries Service to alter current water operations to benefit water users without risking jeopardy to protected species.

This latest rainstorm is occurring as we speak. You have authority under the law and, we assert, the obligation, to immediately take advantage of the rare, and likely the last, opportunity this year to capture and move water to bring relief to millions of Californians, and to mitigate the large-scale drought disaster that has struck our State. We urge you in the strongest terms to take action without delay.

Thank you for your urgent attention to this very important matter.

Sincerely,

 

Dianne Feinstein, U.S. Senator

Ken Calvert, U.S. Representative

Jim Costa, U.S. Representative

Jeff Denham, U.S. Representative

Kevin McCarthy, U.S. Representative

Devin Nunes, U.S. Representative

David Valadao, U.S. Representative

###

2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 28th, 2014|

CALIFORNIA STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR STATE-WINNING STORIES

Six California student authors were recognized for their state-winning stories in the Imagine this… Story Writing Contest. On Wednesday, March 19, the students and their teachers were honored during a ceremony at the California State Capitol in the Governor’s Council Room.

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross, along with several legislative members and staff representing various districts throughout the state, attended the ceremony to honor the students for their academic achievements.

The state-winning authors received medals, e-readers, books, artwork, and resources for their teachers from California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC).

The following third through eighth grade students were selected from more than 8,000 entrants for their creativity, writing skills, and positive interpretation of California’s agriculture industry:

  • Rose Velasquez, 3rd grade, McSwain Elementary School (Merced county) for her story, The Pink Shirt
  • Evan Johns, 4th grade, Gratton Elementary School (Stanislaus county) for his story, The Incident
  • Jake Martin, 5th grade, Sacred Heart Catholic School (Stanislaus county) for his story, Luigi’s Pride
  • Creed Newton, 6th grade, Scott Valley Jr. High School (Siskiyou county) for his story, Branding Day on Our Ranch
  • Allyson Wei, 7th grade, San Gabriel Christian School (Los Angeles county) for her story, Strawberry Troublemakers
  • Morgan Hicks, 8th grade, Gratton Elementary School (Stanislaus county) for her story, Raineo and Dropulete

Hundreds of California teachers participate in this annual contest by assigning their students the task of researching an aspect of agriculture and challenging them to incorporate these facts into their own creative story.

The success of this contest is bolstered by meeting state English-language arts teaching requirements and by providing an opportunity for students to explore topics of which they previously had limited knowledge.

“We are excited to recognize these students for their writing achievements and their better understanding of farming through the Imagine this… Story Writing Contest. We encourage the students to continue learning about the vital role agriculture plays in our daily lives,” said CFAITC executive director, Judy Culbertson.

The contest’s purpose is to promote reading, writing, and the arts while furthering the public’s understanding of agriculture. Stories are posted online at www.LearnAboutAg.org/imaginethis.

For more information, contact Stephanie Etcheverria, Program Coordinator at 800-700-AITC.

2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 27th, 2014|

AG CRIME ALERT: STOLEN TRACTOR

antiCrime

AG CRIME ALERT: 

Stolen Tractor – Case number 14-7233

Make: Massy Ferguson

Year: 2012

Model: HD2680

Color: Red

Vin #: 31024BX15024

Noticed Missing: 3/25/14 @ 1330 HRS

Stolen From: 1300 BLK S Airport way, Manteca

Last Seen: West bound on Mariposa Rd, from Austin Road, Stockton

Any info contact the rural crimes unit at (209) 468-4798 / 468-4400 or email lvictoria@sjgov.org 

2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 27th, 2014|

Strategic Plan for the Future of Integrated Regional Water Management

DWR is developing a strategic plan for the future of Integrated Regional Water Management (IRWM) in California.

This plan will help shape the desired future for IRWM and identify measures needed for that future to be achieved.

The IRWM strategic plan will describe DWR’s future role and guide its actions for improving its support of IRWM. In addition, the plan will identify options, tools, and recommendations for others to support the practice of IRWM.

California Water Conveyance or irrigation, water managementThe Strategic Plan for water management is needed to:

  • build on the current and past successes of IRWM
  • further enable, empower, and support regional water management groups
  • better align state and federal programs to support IRWM
  • develop a shared vision for funding priorities and financing mechanisms
  • inform and influence future water management policies and investments for California

“The Strategic Plan for the Future of IRWM in California is critical for ensuring the continued advancement of sustainable water resources management.”             – Mark Cowin; Director, DWR

Today, DWR protects, conserves, develops, and manages much of California’s water supply including the State Water Project which provides water for 25 million residents, farms, and businesses.

2016-10-18T16:17:33-07:00March 27th, 2014|

Reclamation Releases Central Valley Project Integrated Resource Plan

The Bureau of Reclamation today released the final report on the Central Valley Project Integrated Resource Plan. Reclamation investigated climate change impacts on water supplies and demands in the CVP service area and performed an exploratory analysis of potential adaptation strategies to address these impacts.

The Plan was authorized by the CALFED Bay Delta Authorization Act which directs Reclamation to develop CVP Division-specific water needs assessments and work with partners to develop integrated resource plans.

The Plan provides valuable information for other Reclamation studies, including the Sacramento-San Joaquin Basin Study, the CALFED surface storage investigations, the Bay Delta Conservation Plan and the California Department of Water Resources’ California Water Plan Update 2013.

Reclamation employed a scenario-based planning approach by combining three potential socioeconomic and six climate projections to form 18 scenarios characterizing a wide range of future uncertainties. Potential adaptation strategies identified in the Plan include increased water conservation, storage, conveyance and others.

The Plan Summary Report may be viewed at http://www.usbr.gov/mp/SSJBasinStudy/.

For additional information, please contact Michael Tansey at 916-978-5197 (TTY 1-800-877-8339) or mtansey@usbr.gov.
Reclamation is the largest wholesale water supplier and the second largest producer of hydroelectric power in the United States, with operations and facilities in the 17 Western States. Its facilities also provide substantial flood control, recreation, and fish and wildlife benefits. Visit their website at www.usbr.gov.

2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 27th, 2014|

Change in Policy on Fumigant Puts Farmers in Bind

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation 

New restrictions have been placed on an important crop protection tool used on more than 40 different California fruit, vegetable, tree and vine crops.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation has ended a policy that allows growers in certain areas—also known as townships—to acquire necessary quantities of the soil fumigant 1,3-dichloropropene—sold under the trade name Telone—above an annual allocation cap.

The amount of Telone allowed to be used annually is based on potential exposure averaged over a 70-year span. DPR had allowed more to be used when requested, with the understanding that lesser amounts would subsequently be used so as not to exceed the averaged, 70-year limit.

The affected areas are largely in Fresno, Tulare, Merced, Monterey, Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. These areas have used more than the yearly limit of 90,250 pounds set for each township, which is 36 square miles. Some 450 townships in 42 counties use 1,3-D, with about 10 townships likely to be affected by the new policy, according to DPR.

Growers of crops such as sweet potatoes, almonds, walnuts, grapes and strawberries use 1,3-D as a preplant soil fumigant to give their ground a clean start and protect their crops against nematodes and diseases that result in lower yields and quality.

Fumigants continue to face tighter regulatory restrictions, leaving growers with fewer pest management options and less-effective materials. With the international phase-out of methyl bromide, growers have increasingly turned to alternatives such as 1,3-D, and they say the latest limits on the product erode their ability to produce their crops.

“Food costs are going to go up,” said David P. Souza, a sweet potato grower in Merced County, “because the less we produce, the more it’s going to cost. Hopefully, people are ready to adjust to that.”

DPR officials said they understand that no longer granting the exemptions will present challenges for farmers. But DPR Director Brian Leahy said the department “believes in being very protective when it comes to fumigants.”

“We continuously evaluate their use,” Leahy said, noting that DPR has been reviewing 1,3-D since 2009 to assess its toxicity and risk. The department said it expects to complete the study in 18 months.

David Doll, a University of California pomology farm advisor in Merced County, said the change in DPR policy has created a real bind for almond growers who had made planting decisions based on the belief that they would be able to fumigate with Telone.

“I think it caught a lot of people by surprise,” he said. “There were a lot of farmers who were expecting (the cap) to be raised and more Telone to be released, and when it wasn’t, I was getting one call after another from farmers who said they weren’t getting any Telone and they didn’t know what to do with regard to planting their almond orchard.”

He said he’s been advising almond farmers to treat what they can with the limited Telone, if they can get it, and then consider applying chloropicrin, which he said is less effective in managing nematodes but works well against Prunus replant disease. Doll said after seeing his own trial work, he consistently recommends fumigating before replanting.

“I’ve seen the stuff work. I’ve watched orchards developed with and without fumigants,” he said, noting that fumigated trees not only produce a crop earlier, but they have higher yields and also use water and nutrients more efficiently.

“If we have an efficient-running operation, we then can trim back our nitrogen, our water and maintain same or greater production,” Doll added.

Merced County farmer Bob Weimer, who grows sweet potatoes, almonds, walnuts and peaches, said the new policy on Telone comes at an especially difficult time when growers are already struggling with dwindling water supplies due to drought.

“If we’re hindered with disease issues underground attacking the roots, then the problems become exacerbated with a shortage of water,” he said.

He said growers’ inability to control pests and diseases wastes critical resources such as water, fertilizer and labor, and undermines the sustainability of the land.

2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 26th, 2014|

Ag Students Rally to Try to Preserve Education Grants

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation 

Concerns about future funding for high school agricultural classes and leadership programs are being voiced throughout California—and nowhere louder than at the state Capitol, where thousands of students and members of Future Farmers of America rallied last week to try to prevent elimination of the state’s $4.1 million Agricultural Education Incentive Grant program.

“It was gratifying to see the number of legislators who came out to support the students at the Capitol rally,” said Jim Aschwanden, executive director of the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association, who estimated participation at more than 2,000 students.

“They were met with great bipartisan support from both houses,” Aschwanden said. “The kids who came to the Capitol were well prepared to discuss the programs and funding issues, and did a great job of visiting offices.”

Program funding was included in the 2013-14 budget because legislators pressured the administration to preserve it, but the administration suggested the grant program could be scrapped this year.

Agricultural educators across the state currently use the grants to support career-based education that combines FFA leadership and personal development programs with classroom and vocational instruction, he said. The programs develop young leaders who go on to attend post-secondary colleges and career technical education programs at higher rates than their peers, Aschwanden said.

Enrollment in agriculture classes offered at 315 high schools statewide has steadily climbed during the past decade, educators said. Today, about 78,000 California high school students take agriculture-related classes, with strong program growth at urban high schools as well as those in rural communities.

“As teachers, parents, community members and taxpayers, we’re angry,” said Dave Gossman, who heads the agriculture department at Atwater High School. “The decision to eliminate the ag grant program is perplexing because it impacts an education program that has a direct benefit on the lives of our kids and the state’s future.”

Without the grant funding, California’s agricultural programs could be terminated, vocational education experts said.

“Instead of eliminating California’s proven FFA program, why not secure funding and build on the programs to offer more students the opportunity for success?” Gossman said.

“Virtually every region in our state has an FFA program,” Assemblyman Rudy Salas, D-Bakersfield, said in a letter to legislative leaders, which was signed by nearly 100 members of the Legislature and also noted the rising enrollment in agricultural classes.

The classes include agriscience, mechanics, ornamental horticulture, animal science, agriculture business, plant and soil science, forestry and natural resources.

Andrea Fox, legislative policy analyst for the California Farm Bureau Federation, said Farm Bureau has been “actively involved in ensuring that funding will remain available for the agricultural grant program.” She noted that a Farm Team alert from CFBF generated nearly 400 letters to the governor and legislators in support of the program.

Aschwanden said the next steps in the state budget process will include legislative committee hearings.

“We’re anxious to see what the May (budget) revise looks like in terms of overall funding for education,” he said. “We’re hearing there may be additional funds available for education, which will make these proposed cuts to ag education even more disturbing.”

He said agricultural educators have asked people to contact legislators, “particularly those from urban areas.”

Leaders of “Save FFA.com,” a grassroots group affiliated with the California Agricultural Teachers’ Association, encourage parents and community leaders to write letters to the governor and members of the Legislature. More information on the effort to ensure funding for agricultural education is online at www.saveffa.com.

2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 26th, 2014|
Go to Top