Leafy Green New Member Sign-Up Deadline – April 1

The Board of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) is currently accepting sign-up forms from new signatories for the 2014/2015 fiscal year. In order to participate in the LGMA program from April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2015, handlers need to submit a sign-up form to the LGMA office by end of day on April 1, 2014. The form is available at the marketing agreement’s website: www.lgma.ca.gov.

The LGMA has second sign-up period with a deadline of October 1st. The April 1st deadline is timely for companies in the Salinas region, and the October 1st deadline accommodates handlers in other regions of the state like Imperial Valley and San Joaquin Valley.

Current members do not need to sign up again. Brand new companies can sign up at anytime.

Handlers who would like to join the LGMA need to verify that they meet the LGMA’s definition of a handler and also that they handle at least one of the leafy green products covered under the LGMA program.

The LGMA defines a handler as: Any person who handles, processes, ships any person who handles, processes, ships or distributes leafy green product for market whether as owner, agent, employee, broker or otherwise. This definition does not include a retailer.

Leafy green products covered by the LGMA include:

arugula
baby leaf lettuce
butter lettuce
cabbage
chard
endive
escarole
green leaf lettuce
iceberg lettuce
kale
red leaf lettuce
romaine lettuce
spinach
spring mix

Prospective members should review the New Members section on the LGMA website. Once enrolled in the program members are subject to compliance audits conducted by California Department of Food and Agriculture inspectors. The goal of these audits is to verify that handlers, and their growers, are complying with the accepted Food Safety Practices of the LGMA.

New members of the LGMA are subject to assessments on all California grown leafy greens handled by the company during the period of April 1, 2014 – March 31, 2015.

Since 2007 handlers of California lettuce, spinach and other leafy greens have been protecting public health by establishing a culture of food safety on the farm through the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement. Buyers of leafy green products look for LGMA certification to see if their suppliers are certified LGMA members; additionally both Canada and Mexico have regulations in place allowing imports of leafy greens only from LGMA-certified companies.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:49-07:00March 17th, 2014|

PLF On 9th Circuit Biological Opinion

PLF statement on 9^th Circuit Upholding Delta Smelt Biological Opinion

Last Week, a panel of the Ninth Circuit largely upheld the federal government’s 2008 “biological opinion” for the delta smelt, a regulation under the Endangered Species Act has that triggered draconian restrictions on water deliveries from the federal and state water projects to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.

Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) attorneys represent some of the farmers in the case who are challenging the biological opinion as an abuse of federal power based on questionable science and shoddy regulatory procedures.

Damien Schiff, a principal attorney with PLF who represents farmers in the case, issued this statement today, in response to the Ninth Circuit’s ruling:

“The Ninth Circuit has done a reverse rain dance for California, practically guaranteeing that the impacts of our current drought will be more devastating,” said PLF Principal Attorney Damien Schiff.

“The ruling gives judicial blessing to regulations that impose real punishment on people with only speculative benefits for a declining fish species. Under these draconian regulations, water is withheld from farms, businesses and communities from the Central Valley to San Diego based on sloppy science and ideological agendas.

“There’s a drought of common sense in the bureaucracies that impose these regulations – and in the perverse legal precedents that lead courts to uphold them. In one notorious precedent, TVA v. Hill, the U.S. Supreme Court said the Endangered Species Act gives absolute priority to species over everything else, including the general welfare of the human community.

“We must all hope that California’s water crisis – made worse today by the Ninth Circuit – can prod the U.S. Supreme Court to reconsider its past decisions that are leaving us so parched.

“Indeed, the one hopeful aspect of today’s ruling is there’s a possibility the smelt case could get to the Supreme Court. There, it might result in a decision that turns the tide of environmental law away from imbalance and zealotry, and back toward sanity.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2021-05-12T11:06:02-07:00March 17th, 2014|

Temporary Experimental Variances are Available for Tractor-Mounted Platforms

Cal/OSHA has consistently taken the position, according to the Monterey County Farm Bureau, that use of tractor-mounted platforms to transport workers violates Cal/OSHA safety standards.

These devices are widely used in the state, particularly in the southern Central Valley and on the Central Coast.

Current Cal/OSHA safety standards prohibit “riders on agricultural equipment other than persons required for instruction or assistance in machine operation.”

On February 24, the agency released a memorandum describing how agricultural employers who wish to use tractor mounted personnel platforms to reduce employee fatigue may write to Cal/OSHA to apply for a variance from this standard.

The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board grants permanent variances, but the employer must show that the proposed variance would provide safety equal to or better than the existing standard.

Information about applying for a permanent variance is available at the Board’s website.

Cal/OSHA grants temporary experimental variances (TEVs), which allow employers to “participate in an experiment . . . designed to demonstrate or validate new and improved techniques to safeguard the health or safety of workers.”

A TEV will allow you to gather the information necessary for the Board to evaluate a permanent variance application.

Generally, TEVs granted by the agency are valid for one year, and are envisioned to presage an employer application for a permanent variance.

Both permanent variances and temporary variances are granted to employers individually; an employer who has not been granted either type of variance may not use tractor transportation platforms because another employer has been granted a variance.

To apply for a TEV, you must send a signed letter to:

Juliann Sum, Acting Cal/OSHA chief

1515 Clay Street

Oakland, CA 94612

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:49-07:00March 14th, 2014|

California Cattle Production

Cattle Ranching Critical to Environment, Even During Drought

By Karen Sweet, a cattle rancher in Livermore, CA.

As reported by CDFA TODAY, It is human nature to come at a crisis from one’s own point of view. Sometimes, however, that can lead to conclusions and courses of action that are ineffective at best and drastically short-sighted at worst. With the drought and its impact on agriculture in the news, I am taking this opportunity as a beef cattle rancher to provide insight into California’s cattle production, its value to our environment and our state’s economy, and what ranchers are doing to conserve water not only during this severe drought, but all the time.

First, let’s start with the water usage numbers. A lot of erroneous statistics have been tossed around that aren’t based in cited evidence. In reality, it takes 441 gallons of water to produce one pound of boneless beef—a fraction of the amount of water that is used to produce everyday items such as one cotton T-shirt. That 441 gallons of water includes the water the animals drink daily, water used to irrigate pasture land and grow crops cattle are fed, and the water used in processing the beef.

Water conservation has long been a commitment of U.S. ranchers, and we have reduced the amount of water used to raise beef by 12 percent compared to 30 years ago. (Source: “The environmental impact of beef production in the United States: 1977 Compared with 2007,” J. L. Capper, Journal of Animal Science, 2011)

Secondly, cattle production has many positive aspects beyond providing food that benefit everyone. California ranchers—in fact, all ranchers—think about the environment daily. We understand that raising cattle requires careful use of resources with an eye toward both sustainability of the cattle operation and preservation of wildlife habitat.

Contrary to what you might have heard, ALL beef cattle spend the majority of their lives eating grass on pastures. About 85 percent of U.S. rangeland is unsuitable for crop production, but it is suitable for grazing and for complementary wildlife habitat. This is particularly true for California, a state with more diversity in our rangeland than any other in the country. Some 60 to 70 percent of California’s endangered species such as the California tiger salamander and the California red-legged frog live on privately-owned rangeland. This rangeland also plays a critical role in California’s water supply. According to the California Department of Conservation, while California’s rangeland is about 25 percent of all land in California, about 85 percent of California’s drinking water is collected and stored within these rangeland watersheds. Ranchers actively support on-going watershed research to help them improve their land stewardship practices and protect the water quality leaving their ranches.

In addition to the interconnectedness of rangelands, water, and wildlife, farmers and ranchers have a huge impact on our state’s economy. According to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, there are 80,500 farms and ranches in California and agriculture is a $44.7 billion dollar industry generating at least $100 billion in related economic activity.

Milk, cattle and calves are among the top five valued commodities for California agriculture. Most people don’t realize that across the United States, 97 percent of the cattle ranches are family-owned. These are individuals and families like mine that have been doing this work for generations, and who have been working to continually improve the sustainability of what they do. My grandchildren, for example are the seventh generation to live on the ranch in the East Bay.

California’s ranchers and farmers are caring for our animals during this stressful time, often at great financial risk to purchase hay and other carbohydrate feedstuffs like almond hulls. There is less rain water for the pastures, and some stock ponds and creeks have gone dry since there has not been rainwater runoff.

Ranchers are using our compromised water and forage sources carefully. In too many cases some need to sell some or all of their livestock to others who have both sufficient feed and water to take care of the animals.

It hurts ranchers to lose their hard-earned enterprise and animal husbandry efforts for the year and, perhaps permanently. But it hurts even more when our neighbors regard us as perpetrators of the water problem and not a key component of California’s food supply and natural resources – affecting their own daily lives.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 14th, 2014|

Dole Fresh Vegetables Announces Precautionary Recall of Limited Number of Salads

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration reported TODAY that Dole Fresh Vegetables, a subsidiary of Dole Food Company based in Monterey, California, voluntarily recalled a limited number of cases of bagged salad yesterday.

The products being recalled are Dole Italian Blend, Fresh Selections Italian Style Blend, Little Salad Bar Italian Salad and Marketside Italian Style Salad, with Use-by date of March 12, 2014 due to a possible health risk from Listeria monocytogenes. Dole Fresh Vegetables is coordinating closely with regulatory officials and has posted the recall on their website.

No illnesses have been reported in association with the recall. This precautionary recall notification was issued based on one sample of Dole Italian salad that yielded a positive result for Listeria monocytogenes in a random sample test conducted by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

The salads were distributed in 15 U.S. states (Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia) and 3 Canadian provinces (New Brunswick, Ontario & Quebec).

William Goldfield, Director of Corporate Communications at Dole Fresh, said, “On the trace back, we’ve been able to identify where the lots came from, the plant they were processed in, and that allows us to trace forward to the distribution points for these salad products.” Dole Fresh Vegetables customer service representatives are already contacting retailers and are in the process of confirming that the recalled product is being removed from the stream of commerce.

Although the products are one day past the Use-By date, it is highly unlikely that any product is still available at retail; however, retailers should check their inventories and store shelves to confirm that none of the product is mistakenly present or available for purchase by consumers or in warehouse inventories.

“Overall, we have found that getting in front of an issue like this and identifying it head-on gets the best response from consumers,” commented Goldfield. “The worst thing you can do, I think, is is to pretend that something like this isn’t occurring. We try to do our best to explain what’s happening to keep people informed.”

Listeria monocytogenes is an organism that can cause foodborne illness in a person who eats a food item contaminated with it. Symptoms of infection may include fever, muscle aches, and gastrointestinal symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. The illness primarily impacts pregnant women and adults with weakened immune systems. Most healthy adults and children rarely become seriously ill.

No other salads are included in the recall. Only the specific Product Codes, UPC codes and March 12, 2014 Use-by date identified above are included in the recall. Consumers who have any remaining product with these Product Codes should not consume it, but rather discard it. Retailers and consumers with questions may call the Dole Food Company Consumer Response Center at (800) 356-3111, which is open 8:00 am to 3:00 pm (PT) Monday – Friday.

Founded in Hawaii in 1851, Dole Food Company, Inc., with 2010 revenues of $6.9 billion, is the world’s largest producer and marketer of high-quality fresh fruit and fresh vegetables. Dole markets a growing line of packaged and frozen foods, and is a produce industry leader in nutrition education and research. The Company does business in more than 90 countries and employs, on average, 36,000 full-time, regular employees and 23,000 full-time seasonal or temporary employees, worldwide.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 14th, 2014|

Tragedy: Court Rules in Favor of Smelt Over Humans

Excerpted from: DAN LEVINE, Reuters*

Photo: Hypomesus transpacificus (Delta Smelt), Wikipedia

A California appeals court sided with environmentalists over growers TODAY and upheld federal guidelines that limit water diversions to protect Delta smelt, in a battle over how the state will cope with its worst drought in a century.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a lower court should not have overturned recommendations that the state reduce exports of water from north to south California. The recommendations leave more water in the Sacramento Delta for the finger-sized fish and have been blamed for exacerbating the effects of drought on humans.

The 2008 report by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which concluded that the fish’s existence was threatened, recommended limited exports of water to farmers and southern California. Farmers and allies sued, and a lower court called the federal biological opinion “arbitrary and capricious.”

Reaction from both sides was swift in the national political issue. In a blog post, Damien Schiff, an attorney for growers, said the ruling “bodes ill for farmers, farm laborers and millions of other Californians dependent on a reliable water supply.”

Efforts to save the Delta smelt, which lives only in the wetlands stretching north of San Francisco, have been described as a human vs. fish battle.

Kate Poole, a senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, said growers’ hopes of taking more water out of the Delta wouldn’t solve California’s problems.

“It’s the drought, not the Delta, that’s affecting the water supply this year,” Poole said in a statement. “While we can’t make it rain, we can take charge of our water use by investing in smart water practices that protect and preserve our water supply.”

However, in TODAY’S opinion, 9th Circuit Judge Jay Bybee, an appointee of President George W. Bush, ruled that the lower court should have been more deferential to the Fish and Wildlife Service.

“We recognize the enormous practical implications of this decision,” Bybee wrote. “But the consequences were prescribed when Congress determined that ‘these species of fish, wildlife, and plants are of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, and scientific value to the Nation and its people.'”

Paul Weiland, an attorney who represented Kern County Water Agency and a coalition of Central Valley water users in the case, said he hopes the ruling will clear the way for all sides to come together and make progress on the Bay Delta Conservation Plan.

The plan seeks to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystems and secure California water supplies into the future. A draft of the plan is currently open for public comment.

Progress of the plan could be delayed if one or more of the parties in the case ask the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the case or ask for a Supreme Court review, Weiland said.

Thursday’s ruling could also pave the way for a ruling in another pending case regarding the water needs of wild salmon and steelhead trout in the state, which involves many of the same players. A February hearing on that case was postponed until after the Delta smelt decision was handed down.

*(Reporting by Dan Levine; Additional reporting by Rory Carroll; Editing by Stephen Powell, Peter Henderson and Richard Chang)

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-09-03T00:01:45-07:00March 13th, 2014|

California Agriculture Provides Healthy Choices for World Kidney Day!

Today is World Kidney Day, and California agriculture provides most, if not all, of the typicality recommended foods for those with kidney disease. While one in ten adults living in the U.S. has kidney disease, most don’t know it because there are often no symptoms. Kidney disease challenges kidneys to remove protein waste and minerals. Kidney diets generally limited include protein, phosphorus, potassium and sodium.

Drink plain water without sodium, potassium or phosphate and home-brewed tea or homemade lemonade.

Protein – Choose fresh poultry and pork while avoiding products that contain sodium, phosphate and potassium additives. Choose egg whites and high omega-3 fish to get essential amino acids.

Vegies – Eat meatless or modest amounts of meat and make low-sodium homemade soup.

Choose Dairy foods low in phosphorus, and consider the non-fat or lowfat versions such as butter and tub margarine, cream, Sherbet and strong-flavored natural cheese in limited amounts. Consider substituting saturated fats such as shortening, animal fats and hydrogenated margarine with healthy fats, such as olive oil and trans fat–free margarine.

Go Heavy on the Antioxidants – Powerful compounds called antioxidants found in certain foods may help protect you against kidney disease, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Eat antioxidant-rich apples, berries, cherries, peaches, pears, pineapple, plums, tangerines, watermelon, red grapes, cabbage, cauliflower, red leaf lettuce, garlic, onions and red bell peppers to help decrease chronic inflammation associated with kidney disease, cardiovascular disease and cancer. Avoid fruits that have high potassium levels.

Antioxidants neutralize harmful molecules in your body called free radicals, so they are good for your health. Use colors in fruits and vegetables to identify antioxidants, and eat a daily variety of colorful foods.

White/Green = Allyl sulphides, quercetin
Yellow/Green = Lutein, zeaxanthin
Green = Indoles, sulforaphanes, lutein
Red = Lycopene
Red/Purple = Anthocyanins, polyphenols, resveratrol
Orange = Beta-carotene
Orange/Yellow = Cryptoxanthin, flavonoids

Add flavor to food with antioxidant-rich spices such as cinnamon, pepper, curry powder, turmeric and oregano.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 13th, 2014|

Governor’s Office Creates Drought Toolkit

Source: Matt Williams in Water News

The Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (OPR) has created a new toolkit for local governments that provides guidance for coordinating on drought response and meeting the governor’s call for a 20% reduction in water use.

The document, available here, contains a list of regional contacts for the Office of Emergency Services, State Water Board and other water-related state agencies; templates for a proclamation declaring a local drought emergency or a resolution calling for voluntary water conservation; web links to drought information and resources for local governments; and water-related curricula for grades K-12.

Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration is encouraging local governments to enact water use reduction plans at their facilities, share well data, pursue emergency drinking water grants if necessary, and update local ordinances to encourage water conservation.

The tools were designed with city and counties in mind, and are appropriate for use by water districts, officials said.

OPR has launched a Local Drought Clearinghouse to ensure local governments can quickly access the toolkit and other resources.

For more information, contact Debbie Davis, local drought liaison, at (916) 327-0068 or drought.clearinghouse@opr.ca.gov.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 13th, 2014|

GRAY ALLEN RECEIVES CALIFORNIA CULTIVATOR AWARD

Gray Allen, left, receiving the award from Rich Hudgins, Chair of Ag Council and President and CEO of the California Canning Peach Association.

The Agricultural Council of California (Ag Council) held a joint meeting with CoBank last week where more than 160 farmer cooperative leaders and members met in Huntington Beach, Calif.

A highlight of the Ag Council’s 95^th Annual Meeting was the presentation of the prestigious 2014 California Cultivator Award (formerly the Cooperative Leader Award) to Gray Allen, a public relations consultant who has dedicated his career to cooperatives, and more recently has been serving as a member of the Placer County Water Agency.

“Gray’s lifelong dedication to promoting and advancing the cooperative business model through his public relations work for first, Ag Council, then with California Canners and Growers, and now as a consultant to our coop makes him an ideal candidate for this award,” said Susan Brauner who nominated Allen for the Cultivator Award and serves as director of public affairs for Blue Diamond Growers. “He has been working tirelessly as an advocate for coops and farmer-owned businesses for 55 years, and continues to do so to the present day.”

Raised in New Orleans and educated in North Carolina and Arizona, Allen began his career in public relations in 1959, working with agricultural cooperatives in North Carolina and Arizona before moving to Sacramento in 1966 to accept a position with the Agricultural Council of California. From 1973 to 1983, he worked with California Canners and Growers, and from 1983 to 1989, with National Semiconductor Corporation in Santa Clara. In 1989, he started his consulting business based in Roseville, Calif.

“I am humbled to be receiving this award,” said Allen after being presented with the Cultivator Award by Rich Hudgins, current chairman of Ag Council and president and CEO of the California Canning Peach Association. “Farmers working together cooperatively to ensure their economic well-being has been a leading factor in the remarkable success of the American food industry. I am awed by what has been achieved and humbled by having witnessed it up close and personal.”

Since 1993, Ag Council has given this prestigious award to individuals who have served the agricultural cooperative industry with steadfast commitment and loyalty. Historically, award winners have been lifetime servants to cooperatives, either as growers or in management.

In recent years, Ag Council has opened the selection process to include more contemporary achievements. This special award is given to individuals who clearly have made significant contributions to agricultural cooperatives, or have demonstrated leadership and personal commitment to the industry. These contributions can be in areas such as proven leadership and dedication, innovation and/or environmental stewardship.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 13th, 2014|

New Water Supply for Monterey Peninsula

California American Water is concerned about the communities on the Monterey Peninsula; they are hard at work, developing new water sources with the Monterey Peninsula Water Supply Project.

A three-part solution will supply water to all the communities on the Monterey Peninsula, protecting the natural resources of the Carmel River and providing future protection from drought.

A desalination plant located in Marina, will provide water for residents on the Monterey Peninsula.
Expanded underground water storage will keep excess winter water underground. This reserve will act as an additional source for our communities.
A replenished groundwater supply with highly treated recycled water will make even more water available for residents and businesses.

The need to develop a sustainable, drought-proof water supply for the Monterey Peninsula is as urgent as ever.

Because of state and court-ordered reductions to the community’s primary sources of water, the Carmel River and the Seaside Aquifer, a new water project for the Peninsula must be permitted and constructed without further delay.

The existing supply is being ramped down over the next decade to less than half of what is today.

Stay Connected: Keep updated on what’s going on by visiting www.watersupplyproject.org for the latest news and information.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:50-07:00March 13th, 2014|