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9th Annual CA Rangeland Conservation Coalition

Jan. 21-22
California Rangeland Conservation Coalition Summit

Oakdale Community Center, Oakdale, Ca

With rangelands returning as little as $1/acre per year, ranchers and grazing are being replaced not only by ranchettes and shopping malls, but by tree crops, vineyards and other types of agriculture.
This conversion is particularly evident in California’s San Joaquin Valley, the location of the 9th Annual Rangeland Summit. At risk is the future of California’s ranching industry and the diverse wildlife, unique wetlands, and healthy watersheds they support.

Ranchers, researchers, land managers, conservationists and agency representatives will convene at the state’s largest rangeland stewardship forum to learn from one another and consider how to keep California’s rangeland and ranches working for livestock production and conservation.

This is a 2-day event. For presentations, sessions and tour schedule, visit: http://www.carangeland.org/

2016-05-31T19:42:24-07:00December 28th, 2013|

FDA INVITES COMMENT ON FOOD ADULTERATION POLICY

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FSMA Proposed Rule to Protect Intentional Adulteration of Food
FDA’s proposed rule, published on December 24, 2013, on food defense would require domestic and foreign facilities to address vulnerable processes in their operations to prevent acts on the food supply intended to cause large-scale public harm. The proposed rule, mandated by the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), would require the largest food businesses to have a written food defense plan that addresses significant vulnerabilities in a food operation. Comments are invited by March 31, 2014.

 

The FDA is proposing that requirements be effective 60 days after the final rule is published in the Federal Register. Recognizing that small and very small businesses may need more time to comply with the requirements, the FDA is proposing tiered compliance dates based on facility size. The FDA will hold a public meeting on February 20, 2014, to explain the proposal and provide additional opportunity for input. 

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011, to better protect human and animal health by helping to ensure the safety and security of the modern food and feed supply and recognizes the need for global approach food and feed safety as well. 

Acts of intentional adulteration may take several forms, such as the intentional large-scale public health harm; acts of disgruntled employees, consumers, or competitors; and economically motivated adulteration. 

While intentional adulteration of the food supply is unlikely to occur; however, it could have catastrophic results including human illness and death, loss of public confidence in the safety of food, and significant adverse economic impacts, including trade disruption, all of which can lead to widespread public fear.

Efforts to protect against intentional adulteration require a shift in perspective; FDA proposes targeting vulnerable processes rather than targeting specific foods or hazards.

With some exceptions, this proposed rule would apply to both domestic and foreign facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food and are required to register as a food facility. This rule would not apply to farms or other food facilities not required to register.

The FDA has identified four key activities within the food system that are most vulnerable. They include:
  • Bulk liquid receiving and loading
  • Liquid storage and handling
  • Secondary ingredient handling (the step where ingredients other than the primary ingredient of the food are handled before being combined with the primary ingredient)
  • Mixing and similar activities.
Each facility covered by this rule would be required to prepare and implement a written food defense plan, which would include the following:
  • Actionable process steps
  • Focused mitigation strategies
  • Monitoring
  • Corrective actions
  • Verification
  • Training
  • Recordkeeping
The cost of the proposed rule to both domestic and foreign firms (annualized over 10 years at a 7 percent discount rate) is between $260 million and $470 million. The first-year cost is between $520 million and $860 million. The expected benefit of preventing a catastrophic terrorist attack on the US food supply is about $130 billion, such that the benefits of this rule outweigh the costs to Americans if the rule has a 1 in 730 or better annual chance of preventing such an attack.
2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 28th, 2013|

STUDENTS SEEK VOTES FOR BEST AG EXPO VIDEO

Fresno State Video Seeks Public Votes for World Ag Expo Award
A Fresno 
State student-produced video touting the university’s role in agriculture 
education is among 10 global finalists for the World Ag Expo 2014 
video contest. Now the students seek public support to be chosen as the 
best.

Students Michael Price and Connor
 Alstrom learned this week that their five-minute submission, “Fresno State Trains Students to 
Feed Tomorrow’s World” that involved Fresno State
 agriculture, business and art students, made it to the final round for a chance
 at the $3,000 cash prize.

The contest winner is determined by the number of public votes, and supporters can vote once daily until Jan 27. The winner will 
be announced on Jan. 31, two weeks prior to the annual expo in Tulare, 
Feb.11-13, where the top video will be played and recognized.

To promote the expo’s 2014 theme, “Feeding
 Tomorrow’s World,” entrants were asked to find creative ways to tell the true
 story of agriculture. Anyone 30 years of age or younger was eligible to enter.

“Farmers and ranchers are dedicated to 
providing us with a safe and consistent supply of food and fiber. We want the 
public’s help to tell their stories,” said Jerry Sinift, chief executive 
officer of the International Agri-Center.

The 
Fresno State production incorporated students from the Plant Science Department 
in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Lyle’s Center for 
Innovation and Entrepreneurship and the College of Arts and Humanities. 

Alstrom is an Entrepreneurship 
major from Fresno and a Craig Business Scholar who went
 through the Lyles Center Student Hatchery program at Fresno
 State. He was also a Network for Teaching
 Entrepreneurship (NFTE) student when attending Bullard High.

Price 
is a mass communication and
 Journalism major from Fresno and a current Hatchery student with his own private
 venture, Price Right Productions. While in high school, 
Price was the winner of the 2010 Contest hosted through Fresno Works.

They said they made the Ag Expo video to show how 
Fresno State leads the Central Valley in producing educated workers in the agriculture
industry.


“These 
students are the future leaders of the agriculture industry in America, the world’s
 breadbasket,” Alstrom said. “Investing in 
programs and students at Fresno State is the best way to advance agriculture so
 we are able to feed tomorrow’s world.”

Price
 said wining this contest would not only bring exposure to their own ventures but
 also “to the students of Fresno State and the advancements that they will bring 
to the future of agriculture.” 

Eric Liguori, Lyles Center assistant director, said the project 
represents the collaboration between faculty and students in several of
 Fresno State’s colleges.

“Not only does it demonstrate the exceptional skill 
level present in our student entrepreneurs, but also the outstanding efforts of
our agricultural department,” he said.

Others involved in the video included Dr. Bruce Roberts, professor 
of Plant Science, Elizabeth Mosqueda, president of Plant Science Club, 
and fellow plant science majors Zac Borges, Jeremy Mora and Luis Toledo.
2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 27th, 2013|

DPR APPROVES FUNGICIDE REVISION

Revised Precautionary Statement for Cannonball WP

Ann M. Prichard, Branch Chief of the Pesticide Registration Branch of Pesticide Regulation, DPR,  posted TODAY, the updated Notice Of Final Decisions To Register Pesticide Products and Written Evaluation with the Secretary of the Resources Agency.

Cannonball WP, a Syngenta Crop Protection LLC fungicide controls various diseases such as white mold, vine decline, and gray mold on crops such as melons, beans, and leafy vegetables.


Cannonball WP now has a revised precautionary statement, ground water advisory, rotational crop groups, ginseng crop table and added directions for use on crops such as bushberries, spinach, and chives.

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 27th, 2013|

Farmers Urged to Participate in Survey

Study: Conservation benefits From Farming in Central Valley

By Anita Brown

USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Every year thousands of California farmers work hard to protect the environment while maintaining the state’s enviable status as the nation’s top agricultural producer.

Farmers establish highly efficient irrigation systems, limit or stop the runoff from their farms, add vegetative strips and hedgerows to catch sediment, lend a patch of space to pollinators and wildlife, practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM), and adopt practices to build healthy soils that help stop fields and creek banks from eroding.

The USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) enters into conservation contracts with over 2,400 producers each year in the state. Other farmers work with resource conservation districts, industry groups or non-profits, or they undertake conservation completely on their own to comply with the strictest regulations in the nation and fulfill an internal commitment to pass-on the land in better condition than they found it. As a result, hundreds of millions of dollars and countless hours are invested in protecting water, soil, air and wildlife on California farms. And yet, we constantly struggle to tell the story of what farmers are doing to protect natural resources.

With all of this in mind, NRCS California and the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), are collaborating on an extensive survey of approximately 1700 farmers in the Central Valley watershed. The study, called the Conservation Effects Assessment Project or (CEAP), is the largest one ever undertaken in California. NASS surveyors, called enumerators, have just begun to collect data and will continue to do so through next February.

USDA statisticians will use the survey data to populate computer models showing the benefits of conservation practices in use. The models can also simulate the impact of removing current practices or the benefits of targeting and applying additional conservation on the landscape.

This will help us tell our story to those crafting policy or legislation or anyone else who asks, “What has agriculture done for the environment lately?”

The results will also help point up where more assistance is needed and make the case for greater funding in such areas.

Since information is pooled for statistical analysis and modeling, confidentiality for individual landowners is absolute. In fact, in over 17,000 CEAP surveys completed nationwide, there has never been a breach of privacy.

But the project will be scientifically valid only if farmers agree to take their valuable time to participate. This conservation story deserves to be told. We ask farmers and ranchers to please add their voice if NASS comes knocking.

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 26th, 2013|

BILL TO CURB ANTIBIOTICS FOR FARM ANIMALS

California Law To Stop Non-Medical Antibiotics For Farm Animals
Senator Jerry Hill (D-San Mateo) has announced he will introduce legislationlegally requiring recently released FDA voluntary guidelines to phase out the non-medical use of antibiotics in farm animals in California in order to combat “growing resistance to these vital drugs. The bill will be introduced when the Legislature re-convenes on Jan. 6.

Under the legislation, farmers’ and ranchers’ use of antibiotics to make animals grow bigger, a practice since the 1950s, would be illegal in California. The bill would require food producers to obtain a veterinarian’s prescription to use the drugs to prevent disease in their animals.

“With veterinary oversight, animal pro-dicers will still be able to use medically important antibiotics for legitimate disease treatment purposes,” according to the press release.

Drug manufacturers would have to change their labels to prevent farmers from buying antibiotics over the counter and using them for non-medical purposes. Again, the press release states, “Pharmaceutical and livestock producers would be subject to penalties if they do not comply.”

At hand is the issue of disease-resistance from repeated exposure to antibiotics to drugs such as penicillin and tetracycline that are used to treat common bacterial infections in humans. Medically important antibiotics used in food-producing animals are the same ones used in humans. Farms consume at least 70 percent of the nation’s antibiotic supply, and the FDA has approved at least 685 different drugs for use in animals.

This year, an outbreak of antibiotic-resistant salmonella linked to three chicken plants in California sickened nearly 400 people; 40 percent of those infected were hospitalized. Each year antibiotic-resistant infections result in at least $20 billion in direct health care costs and at least $35 billion in lost productivity.

“Antibiotic use in food producing animals for non-medical reasons is a serious public health issue,” Hill said. “My legislation is intended to ensure that medically important antibiotics remain effective in treating bacterial infections in animals and humans.”

Sources: Office of Senator Jerry Hill, Western United Dairymen, 12/20/13

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 25th, 2013|

SOYMILK, ALMOND MILK NOT FROM COWS

Judge: Reasonable Consumer Knows Products Contain No Milk
U.S. District Judge Samuel Conti in California dismissed a lawsuit by ruling that that a reasonable consumer would not be deceived into thinking that products labeled as “soymilk” and “almond milk” contain dairy milk.

Conti said in the ruling, “Under plaintiffs’ logic, a reasonable consumer might also believe that veggie bacon contains pork, that flourless chocolate cake contains flour, or that e-books are made out of paper.”

The ruling terminates a lawsuit filed in California that seeks class action status and accuses manufacturers WhiteWave Foods, Dean Foods, WWF Operating Co. and Horizon Organic Dairy of false advertising. The judge said that because the words “soy” and “almond” precede “milk” in the product names, it’s obvious to “even the least discerning of consumers” that they’re not produced by dairy cows.

Since the FDA hasn’t adopted a uniform interpretation for what such products should be called, Conti said he agreed with the manufacturers that the terms “soymilk” and “almond milk” are accurate descriptions.

Soy milk, a beverage made from soybeans, is a stable emulsion of oil, water, and protein. It is produced by soaking dry soybeans and grinding them with water. Soy milk contains about the same proportion of protein as cow’s milk: around 3.5%; also 2% fat, 2.9% carbohydrate, and 5% ash. commonly used. The coagulated protein from soy milk can be made into tofu, just as dairy milk can be made into cheese.

Almond milk, a beverage made from ground almonds, contains no animal products, cholesterol nor lactose.


Sources: Western United Dairymen, 12/20/13
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 25th, 2013|

SANTA CLEARED FOR TRAVEL JUST IN TIME

Santa Gains All Permits for Travel, California is First Stop
Dr. Peter Merrill, APHIS Director of Animal Imports posted BREAKING NEWS out of Washington DC TODAY that the US Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has issued a movement permit to Mr. S. Claus of the North Pole, a broker with Worldwide Gifts, Unlimited. 
The permit will allow Santa and his reindeer to enter and exit the United States between the hours of 6 PM December 24, 2013 and 6 AM December 25, 2013, through or over any northern border port.
In a fireside interview, Santa told California Ag Today that after entering from the north, his itinerary will commence in California’s Central Valley, where he can stock up on his favorite snacks: tree nuts and kale. Santa will bring some citrus back to the elves.
 

Santa – Across the Field in the Distance

“During this season of giving, USDA wants to do everything in its power to help Santa,” said Dr. John R. Clifford, USDA’s Chief Veterinary Officer. USDA has agreed to waive normal application fees and entry inspection/sniffing dogs/overtime costs/permits/baggage fees/passportcertification/visiting visa and foreign currency exchange, provided he winks his eye and wishes port personnel a Merry Christmas at the time of crossing.
APHIS also waived the normally applicable disease testing requirements, as the North Pole is recognized by APHIS as a negligible risk for all livestock diseases; at a recent inspection, the reindeer were found to be healthy and able to prance and paw with each hoof.
As a condition of entry, Santa Claus must certify the reindeer as never having been fed anything other than hay, sugarplums, and gingerbread. The reindeer must also be individually identified with microchips or official ear tag identification, and must respond to the names ‘Dasher’, ‘Dancer’, ‘Prancer’, ‘Vixen’, ‘Comet’, ‘Cupid’, ‘Donner,’  ‘Blitzen’ and ‘Rudolph’ when interacting with port personnel. 
No more than one reindeer in the group may be visibly affected by ‘Rednose Syndrome’, and upon entry, port personnel will visually inspect the reindeer to ensure they are healthy and fit for continued travel.
They will arrive pulling a wooden sleigh that has jingling bells attached and is filled with brightly wrapped gifts. Port personnel will clean and disinfect the runners and underside of the sleigh at the time of entry.
The Division of Motor Vehicles has already provided Santa with registration plates for the sleigh. Santa renewed his drivers’ license just in time for the journey.
“With these steps completed, the reindeer will continue their journey across the country and around the world, spreading holiday cheer as they go,” said Clifford.
APHIS regulates the movement of cervids, noted by their antlers, including reindeer, to protect the health of America’s livestock population. The permitting process provides assurance that only healthy animals enter the United States.

California Ag Today wishes everyone a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, a good 2014 crop and a deluge of rain.

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 24th, 2013|

SNAP BENEFITS THOSE IN NEED

Data Show SNAP Supports Work
TODAY,Kevin Concannon, Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services, circulated the following OpEd posted TODAY by Huffington Post:

Everywhere I go, I hear stories of seniors, veterans, and the working poor who use the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). This includes returned servicemen and women who spent holidays away from their families, missing major milestones while abroad in service to their country; previous generations who have worked hard to build our American infrastructure brick by brick; and even people working in the service industry across the nation.

SNAP serves 900,000 veterans and nearly 3.8 million elderly adults each and every month. While 60 percent of SNAP recipients are not required to work, either because they are children, elderly, or disabled, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), the vast majority of adults who are able and expected to work, want to work and do so.

These people all serve their country and its citizens in some capacity. They work hard to keep us safe and secure, to build a strong, sustainable economy, to put food on the table for their families. America is a better country for their service.

Historically, about 80% of the funds authorized by the Farm Bill go to the SNAP food stamp and other nutrition assurance program. About 15% of the funds are designated for farm commodity subsidies and crop insurance, with the rest going to food safety, conservation, rural development, renewable energy and other farm programs.
The 2013 Farm Bill may not contain funding for the SNAP program. Congress has been deliberating over passage of the Farm Bill with and without SNAP funding and passage of a stand-alone SNAP funding bill later in 2013, possibly with billions in SNAP cuts.


According to the CBPP’s report, The Relationship Between SNAP and Work Among Low-Income Households (January 2013), SNAP’s primary purpose is to increase the food purchasing power of eligible low-income households in order to improve their nutrition and alleviate hunger and malnutrition.


The program’s success in meeting this core goal has been well documented. Less well understood is the fact that the program has become quite effective in supporting work and that its performance in this area has improved substantially in recent years.

The data also indicate that SNAP receipt does not create work disincentives. The overwhelming majority of non-disabled, working-age households that start receiving SNAP do not stop working. In the mid-2000s, only 4 percent of SNAP households that worked in the year before starting to receive SNAP did not work in the following year.

SNAP’s success in supporting work is not an accident. Through its basic structure and program rules, SNAP is designed to support work. It helps working households with low-incomes afford adequate nutrition during economic downturns. In addition, its performance in serving working families has improved in recent years, even during the recent deep recession and lagging economic recovery. Efforts at the federal, state, and local level to strengthen SNAP for working families have produced results.

Nonetheless, further improvements could be made. Despite hitting record high participation rates among eligible working households, one in three SNAP-eligible households with earnings fails to receive the help that is available in purchasing groceries. In addition, as the economy improves, states will be required to reinstate the program’s severe three-month time limit for unemployed childless adults — and most states will do so without producing an adequate number of work program slots for these adults — weakening the program’s ability to reach all otherwise eligible low- income households who are willing to work.

Sources:

–Colleen Callahan,Senior Writer and Communication Specialist, Feeding America, Huffington Post

-The Relationship Between SNAP and Work Among Low-Income Households, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

-http://usgovinfo.about.com/od/uscongress/a/About-The-Farm-Bill.htm

Feeding Americais the nation’s fourth largest charity, according to Forbes Magazine.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is a non-partisan research and policy institute, which works at the federal and state levels on fiscal policy and public programs that affect low- and moderate-income families and individuals.

2016-05-31T19:42:25-07:00December 24th, 2013|

PASSING THE HOE: Farmer Training

Beginning Farmer-Training Program Accepting 2014 Students

 

The Center for Land-Based Learning, dedicated to creating the next generation of farmers and teaching California’s youth about the importance of agriculture and watershed conservation, is getting ready for it’s third California Farm Academy class beginning in February 2014. The Farm Academy still has a few spots available.

 
The California Farm Academy, a one-of-a-kind beginning farmer-training program, was established to inspire and motivate people of all ages, especially youth, to promote a healthy interplay between agriculture, nature and society through their own actions and as leaders in their communities.

Admission requirements include:

  • A strong desire to become a specialty crop farmer
  • A commitment to participate in 7-10 hours of training per week, and
  • Transportation to attend classes near Winters, CA and at other nearby locations.
  • Some previous experience with farming is preferred. Classes and activities are conducted in English.

 

The program provides approximately 270 contact hours from Feb. 11th to Sep. 13th, 2014, including classes, hands-on experience, one-on-one consultations, farm visits and field trips. Printed curriculum materials are provided, as are the necessary machinery, tools and supplies for the activities. Partial tuition assistance may be available for admitted applicants who demonstrate financial need.
 
Another CLBL program, FARMS (Farming, Agriculture, and Resource Management for Sustainability) Leadership Program, provides innovative, hands-on experiences to urban, suburban and rural youth at working farms, agri-businesses and universities. Participants develop leadership skills and learn about agriculture practices that contribute to a healthier ecosystem, and connect to agricultural, environmental, and food system careers.
 
CLBL envisions a world where there is meaningful appreciation and respect for our natural environment and for the land that produces our food and sustains our quality of life. CLBL Founder, Craig McNamara was awarded the 2012 James Irvine Foundation Leadership Award. He is also President, California State Board of Food and Agriculture.
2016-10-24T15:28:53-07:00December 23rd, 2013|

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