January 2014 - Page 2 of 10 - California Agriculture News Today

FARMERS IRATE OVER POSSIBLE LOSS OF BANKED WATER

Westside Issue Turns Up Heat On Federal Agency

By Seth Nidever, Hanford Sentinel

The explosive issue of water is on the verge of sparking a major battle between Westside growers and the federal Bureau of Reclamation.

The issue involves Central Valley Project “rescheduled” water that growers banked in San Luis Reservoir during wet years for use during dry years.

Water flows through the California aqueduct near Kettleman City.
(Sentinel file photo)

Severe drought is prompting farmers to ask the Bureau to release the water from what’s left in the shrunken pool of San Luis Reservoir. Farmers built up the reserve by adopting conservation techniques such as drip irrigation systems.

The Bureau’s response is that it is discussing the possibility that farmers might not get it due to competing demands from a variety of other sources, including homes, businesses and the environment.

“If we don’t receive any [additional] precipitation, the water in the system is what we have to work with,” said Bureau spokesman Louis Moore. “We’re concerned with managing the system to meet all the demands that would be required of us.”

Moore declined to specify exactly where else the precious wet stuff might end up.

Irate Westside farmers say they have already paid for the water, were counting on it and were basing financial decisions on the assumption that they’d be able to access it.

“This would be the greatest heist of personal property ever perpetrated,” said grower Ted Sheely, who has 10,000 acres of cropland. “That is water I paid for. I’m really upset they’re even thinking about taking that water.”

Sheely said that the loss of the water would force him to fallow an additional 500 acres on top of the 2,000 he was planning to leave unfarmed.

Westlands Water District officials were tight-lipped, citing ongoing negotiations with the Bureau over the controversy.

“Currently, we’re in discussions with the [Bureau] and other interested parties with this important issue,” said Westlands spokeswoman Gayle Holman. “At this point, it’s our hope that this issue will be resolved in a couple of days.”

The angry reaction is getting the attention of elected officials across the board. Five lawmakers, including Sen. Dianne Feinstein and congressmen David Valadao, Devin Nunes, Jim Costaand Kevin McCarthy, fired off a letter Sunday asking for more clarity on the Bureau’s policy.

“While we recognize the incredibly dry conditions facing many CVP contractors, we strongly oppose the reallocation of any rescheduled water for any use other than its originally intended purpose as a reserve supply secured by contractors in anticipation of ongoing drought conditions,” the letter states. “We respectfully request that the Bureau provide clear guidance … within the next week which provides assurances to those contractors due rescheduled water that those supplies will be fully available to them.”

A separate, Republican-only letter from Valadao, Nunes and McCarthythreatened a congressional investigation.

The bipartisan letter said growers “have spent approximately $150 million on water transfers in order to preserve an estimated 340,000 acre-feet of project water in San Luis Reservoir” as a drought reserve.

If every one of those growers called in their banked water, it would more than empty the 334,000 acre-feet that sit in the reservoir now.

A similar issue cropped up in the last major drought of 2007-2009, but the situation was less dire. The last 13 months have been the driest in recorded California history.

San Luis Reservoir is at 31 percent capacity — less than half of what it was at this time last year. Growers are expecting a 0 percent allocation from the CVP when the Bureau announces its allocation in late February.

The decision the Bureau makes on rescheduled water is threatening to toss a Molotov cocktail into an already dicey situation.

“It’s going to be a big battle,” said Kings County Supervisor Joe Neves.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:09-07:00January 30th, 2014|

WE NEED GRIDLOCK IN HANFORD FRIDAY JAN 31!!

Legislative Committee Wants YOU to Comment on Water Bond, Jan. 31

As the Governor’s recent declaration of a drought state of emergency demonstrates, urgent investments are needed to better enable Californians to prepare for future water scarcity.

The California Legislature Assembly Committee on Water, Parks and Wildlife’s launched a hearing series in October 2013 to explore the need for a general obligation bond in 2014 to help fund water-related projects and programs and to hear local perspectives on the potential public benefits to communities throughout the state from such a water bond.

The Informational Hearing Series, “The Need for a 2014 Water Bond – Local Perspectives” travels to Hanford on Friday, January 31, from 5-7 pm at the:

Kings County Government Center

Board of Supervisors Chambers

1400 W. Lacey Boulevard

Hanford, CA

Friday’s hearing will focus on the Tulare Lake Hydrologic Region, one of ten in the State. The Tulare Region relies on surface water, groundwater, and water imported from the federal Central Valley Project (CVP), operated by the U.S. Bureau of

Reclamation (Reclamation), and State Water Project (SWP), operated by the California Department of Water Resources (DWR).

Some significant local water issues include:

Groundwater supply, management, and contamination
Clean and safe drinking water, particularly for disadvantaged communities
Water storage potential

AB 1331, the Clean and Safe Drinking Water Act of 2014, repeals the existing bond and places a $6.5 billion bond on the November 4, 2014 ballot that is better tailored to current water management challenges. Specifically, the $6.5 Billion Assembly Water Bond proposal includes:

$1 Billion for maintaining and improving Drinking Water Quality
$1.5 Billion for protecting Rivers & Watersheds
$1.5 Billion to fund integrated regional water management that will improve water delivery and help regions reduce the impact of climate change on water supply.
$1 Billion to protecting The California Delta that is critical to the state water supply system and a key ecological resource.
$1.5 Billion for Water Storage projects that will also reduce the impact of climate change on clean, reliable and affordable water supply.

Opening Comments will be presented by:

Assemblymember Anthony Rendon, Chair, Water, Parks & Wildlife
Committee
Assemblymember Rudy Salas, Chair, Select Committee on Regional
Approaches to Addressing the State’s Water Crisis
Assemblymember Mariko Yamada
Assemblymember Jim Patterson

Local perspectives will be presented by:

Dave Orth, General Manager, Kings River Conservation District
Maria Herrera, Director of Community Advocacy, Community Water Center
Brent Walthall, Assistant General Manager, Kern County Water Agency
Aubrey Bettencourt, Executive Director, California Water Alliance
Mario Santoyo, Executive Director, California Latino Water Coalition

Finally, the public is invited to comment.

This is where you come in. . .

Testimony may be subject to time limits.

Related materials may be found on the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee’s website under the Water Bond tab: http://awpw.assembly.ca.gov/waterbond

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:09-07:00January 29th, 2014|

PERSPECTIVES ON PENDING POLICY

Pending Farm Bill Addresses California Ag’s Top Priorities

The California Farm Bureau Federation (CFBF) said top priorities for California farmers and ranchers appear to have been achieved in the bill:

A farm bill amendment that would have harmed California egg producers and other farmers was removed. It would have prevented California and other states from setting customized standards for foods and agricultural products. The amendment was directed specifically at California law that will require imported eggs sold in the state to meet Proposition 2 hen-housing standards.

The amendment also threatened other state-specific standards to prevent pests and diseases that threaten California crops.

With California suffering from severe drought, the bill would also restore programs intended to help farmers and ranchers through such emergencies.

The farm bill includes funding for the National Animal Health Laboratory Network; for specialty crop programs that focus on research, marketing and pest-and-disease prevention for fruit, vegetable, and nut and nursery crops; and for dedicated air-quality funding.

The bill indicates that a dairy gross margin insurance program would be implemented, but without a supply management feature. Instead, each dairy producer would have a base assigned at the highest level of his or her production in 2011, 2012 and 2013.

Indemnities would be paid on any production up to base. If a producer increases his or her marketings, only 25 percent of the indemnity would be paid above the base amount. For example, if a dairy producer’s base was 3 million pounds and he produced 3.2 million pounds in 2014, he would receive indemnities on the 3 million pounds and 25 percent of the indemnities on the remainder.

There is also a transition period whereby premiums would be significantly reduced for the first two years for those producing less than 4 million pounds of milk.

In addition, a new “Section 32 type” program would be implemented and the USDA would be required to purchase excess product if the margin falls below $4 for two consecutive months.

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, or SNAP, would take a reduction in funding of about $8.6 billion. The cuts were primarily achieved by boosting the minimum threshold for low-income fuel assistance to food stamp households.

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:09-07:00January 29th, 2014|

SUSPENSE YET, HOUSE TO PASS FARM BILL TOMORROW

Anticipated Farm Bill Would Benefit California Farmers; Not a Done Deal

Dennis Nuxoll, Vice President of Federal Government Affairs for Western Growers Association, TODAY told California Ag Today that he anticipates the Farm Bill will pass this week.

“The House floor vote is occurring tomorrow, Wednesday. Once finished, we anticipate it will move to the Senate by Thursday or Friday, probably Friday, where I expect it to pass quickly. Then it moves to the President, who can sign it anytime, even over the weekend, but he may sign it next week in a ceremony.”

Dennis Nuxoll, WGA

‘So, I expect we’ll have a farm bill in place next week,” said Nuxoll.

“That’s my expectation,” Nuxoll said, tentatively, “but, there is a little bit of mystery and suspense; while all the deals have been cut in this bill, the House will debate this, and there are some members on the left who continue to be unhappy that the bill cuts too much and on the right who are unhappy because the bill doesn’t cut enough.”

“We believe there will be enough in the center to pass this bill, but we saw over the summer some of the original bills did not pass,” Nuxoll warned. “All in all, I expect we will win at the end of the day, but there is an element of suspense.”

Nuxoll says this is a beneficially significant Farm Bill for producers in California:

There is money in the Conservation Title for producers to help meet air quality regulations.
It’s a big deal to have federal funding to create long-term focused research for fruits and vegetables, such as federal resources to battle ACP/HLB.
There’s money for other research priorities.
Federal money is included for educational opportunities such as teaching growers the on the latest food safety techniques, a big issue for consumers.
Federal resources in the bill can be used to combat pests and disease, invaders that attack our crops.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:09-07:00January 29th, 2014|

USDA CROP INSURANCE DEADLINES FOR CALIFORNIA FAST APPROACHING

Adjusted Gross Revenue Insurance

Deadlines Approaching

USDA’s Risk Management Agency (RMA) reminds producers that the sales closing dates for several crop insurance programs are almost here. Producers need to make sure to sign up, review, or change their crop policies before these dates have passed.

January 31, 2014 is the last day to buy or change a policy for Adjusted Gross Revenue, apples, cherries, chile peppers, fresh market and processing tomatoes, grapes and table grapes, olives, pears, pecans, potatoes (spring planted in San Joaquin County), stone fruits, and walnuts.

February 1, 2014 is the last day to buy or change a policy for onions in Modoc and Siskiyou counties.

Producers who purchased crop insurance are covered for all natural causes of loss listed in their policies. Policies are yield and revenue based and vary across commodities and regions. Producers can tailor their coverage to fit the needs of their operation with a choice of coverage levels that range from 50 to 75, or 85 percent on some policies.

More information on specific crop programs can be found in the crop insurance factsheets online.

Producers can get a premium amount estimate of their insurance needs with the online cost estimator.

Private crop insurance agents are solely responsible for the sale and delivery of the federal crop insurance program. A list of crop insurance agentsis available at all USDA Service Centers.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:09-07:00January 28th, 2014|

CITRUS MUTUAL APPLAUDS FARM BILL COMMITTEE

Sustained Funding For HLB Research In Farm Bill

California Citrus Mutual (CCM) President Joel Nelsen issued the following statement upon release of the 2014 Farm Bill Conference Report TODAY:

“Leaders of both Houses of Congress deserve applause for putting forth an outstanding Farm Bill that prioritizes funding, reduces overall spending, and sustains valuable programs for the Specialty Crop industry, and specifically, the U.S. citrus industry.”

CCM has worked tirelessly with Valley Congressmen Kevin McCarthy, David Valadao, Devin Nunes, Jim Costa, and Jeff Denham along with Senator Feinstein (CA) and Senate Agricultural Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (MI) to achieve one of the organization’s key goals – securing a sustained funding for Huanglongbing (HLB) research and programs.

Florida and California have spent a combined $12 million annually in the past five years for research alone. “Simply put, this level of funding from the industry is not sustainable given the increased operating costs of protecting the industries in California, Florida, Texas, and Arizona from the Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) and HLB.”

“There are many ‘thank you’s’ to be issued, but the effort put forth by Congressman McCarthy, Senator Stabenow and Congressman Frank Lucas (OK), Chair of the House Committee on Agriculture is deserving of special recognition. They heard our requests and were mindful that the future of the U.S. citrus industry depends upon finding a solution to this devastating disease.”

Staff members for McCarthy, Stabenow and Lucas have been in constant contact with Nelsen to draft language that would create a streamlined process for funding HLB research and programs such as biological control efforts for ACP.

“In particular, the engagement of Congressman McCarthy was invaluable in getting this priority moving forward.”

Other Farm Bill components of note include continued funding for air quality programs, continued funding for commodities to overcome trade barriers, pest and disease protection programs, and school lunch programs that put fruit and vegetables at the top of the nutritional priority list.

“This balanced approach is a noteworthy accomplishment that cuts spending while providing valuable assistance to many stakeholders and ensuring that a viable economic environment for the production of food and fiber continues to exist.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:10-07:00January 28th, 2014|

WEBINAR JAN. 29 IN KERN, TULARE: MITIGATING DROUGHT ON PASTURE AND FEED

Webinar Jan. 29th, Mitigating Drought: Optimizing Pasture and Supplemental Feed and Managing Risk

UC ANR Cooperative Extension will present a joint webinar on Mitigating Drought: Optimizing Pasture and Supplemental Feed and Managing Risk

The webinar will be held on January 29th, from 9:00 – 3:30, simultaneously at the

Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center (VMTRC) in Tulare and the UC Cooperative Extension Office, Kern County. Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Please pre-register online, but the $10/per person will be collected at the door.

This webinar is an extension of an informational drought meeting being held at the Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center.

Among the topics are:

Rainfall and rangeland forage production
Optimizing pasture
Using and storing annual feed
Alternatives to annual feed
Roughage supplementation
Optimizing irrigation and fertilization on irrigated pasture
Grazing management
Field demonstration of drought management tools and impacts
Optimizing supplemental feed
Economics of supplementation

Veterinary Medicine Teaching and Research Center (VMTRC)

18830 Road 112

Tulare, CA 93274

UC Cooperative Extension Office, Kern County.

1031 S. Mt. Vernon Ave.

Bakersfield, CA 93307

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:10-07:00January 28th, 2014|

UC ANR’S SOUTHERN SAN JOAQUIN LIVESTOCK SYMPOSIUM

UC ANR Cooperative Extension presents 1st Annual Southern San Joaquin Livestock Symposium

On February 27th, 2014, 9 AM – 2 PM, UC ANR will present the 1st Annual SouthernSan Joaquin Livestock Symposium at the Porterville Veterans Memorial Building, Porterville. Refreshments and lunch will be provided.

Topics will include:

Safety of GMO Feeds
General Herd Health Management
Foothill Abortion Vaccine Update
Maintaining Financial Viability
2014 Yellow Starthistle Program

Please register online.

Porterville Veterans Memorial Building

1900 W. Olive Ave.

Porterville, CA 93257

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:10-07:00January 28th, 2014|

CALIFORNIA WATER REFORMS PRESENTED AT FARM BILL CONFERENCE COMMITTEE

House Speaker Boehner and California Congressmen Propose Water Crisis Relief

Posted TODAY: At the request of Speaker of the House John Boehner and California Congressmen David Valadao, Kevin McCarthy, and Devin Nunes, Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas has presented a legislative fix in a bicameral conference committee to relieve the water crisis in the South Valley. The proposal, meant for inclusion in the Farm Bill that could pass Congress as early as this week, calls for two main actions:

Turning on the Delta pumps this year and next year to capture future rain events.
Ending restoration flows in the San Joaquin River for this year and next year in order to stop wasting water

In a joint statement, the three California representatives declared, “We’d like to thank Speaker Boehner and Chairman Lucas for their leadership and for acting quickly on this urgent issue. With more than 50,000 acre feet of water about to be flushed into the ocean, this is the last chance to make a difference for tens of thousands of Central Valley farmers and residents whose water supplies are running critically low. We urge California’s senators to support this language and cooperate with the House to get it passed into law as soon as possible.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:10-07:00January 27th, 2014|

Almond Drought Management

Severe Drought Management Recommendations For Almonds

By David Doll, UCCE Farm Advisor, Merced County

The Almond Doctor

UC researchers have urged growers not to take aggressive actions in reducing tree size or crop load in response to the West side water shortages this year. Severe pruning will increase new growth which would increase the leaf surface and evapo-transpiration rates (ETc) of the tree. Crop thinning has a similar effect and is also not recommended.

David Doll, UC Farm Advisor, Merced.

By reducing crop load, the source/sink ratio of the tree is disturbed, causing the tree to put nutrients into vegetative growth instead of the nuts. Furthermore, data suggests that less than 10% of ET may be attributed to crop load. The tree should thin naturally when it undergoes a late-spring water stress period. Furthermore, in season nitrogen applications should also be reduced in order to reduce vigorous shoot growth.

In scheduling irrigation, the pressure chamber should be used to determine the stem water potential of the trees. Orchard irrigations should not be initiated until the trees reach -15 bars. Irrigations should be at the percentage of ET that can be afforded – for example: if 15% of water available for the season, water at 15% ET at each irrigation. Research by David Goldhamer suggests that almond trees can survive through the year on as little as 6-8 inches of water (5- 10% ET). This includes the 2-4 inches of water available within the soil profile.

Further reduction of inputs this coming year is advised for the growers facing water restrictions. Reductions of in-season fertilizers and foliar nutrients will help decrease the vigor of the tree. Use judgment in making these cutbacks as the goal is to reduce tree vigor, not to make the trees deficient. Post harvest fertilizer applications are still recommended. Furthermore, it is not advised to cut back on miticides. With severely stressed trees, mites can flare up easily, causing defoliation and adding to tree stress.

If the orchard has a history of pyrethroid use, miticides will most likely be necessary for the coming growing season. If softer chemistries have been used, sprays may be limited or unnecessary. In these cases, monitoring the population of mites and beneficials will be needed throughout the season to see if they approach the treatment threshold.

A light pruning or topping, may be a feasible practice to stop new shoot growth in the spring. Once the trees push new growth, heading cuts would terminate shoot growth, thus reducing leaf surface area. This may work if nitrogen rates were reduced – otherwise the tree would push again causing more tree stress. There is no direct data that supports this practice, and it may not be worth the effort or expense.

In general, if the tree is able to maintain some of its leaves until the fall, the tree probably will survive. Yields will be affected severely for the next 2 years. This year would be a good year to remove older blocks with declining production and divert the water to younger blocks if possible.

A meeting on drought irrigation management will be held at 9:00 AM – 11:00AM on January 28th at the UCCE Merced Office in Merced, CA (2145 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced). Ken Shackel, David Doll, and Steve Grattan will be presenting on the water and salinity issues facing growers in 2014.

This session will be repeated by Dr. Shackel and Dr. Grattan on February 6th at the Northern San Joaquin Valley Almond Day at the UCCE San Joaquin Office near Stockton, CA (Robert J Cabral AG Center, 2101 E Earhart Avenue, Stockton). On February 4th, Dr. Shackel will be presenting on the subject at the Colusa County CE Extension Meeting.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:41:10-07:00January 27th, 2014|