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.

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 Take

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

###

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:05-07:00March 28th, 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.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 26th, 2014|

Walnut Board Referendum to Start March 29

Walnut Farmers Support Continuation of Calif. Walnut Board

California walnut producers will be asked later this month to vote in a referendum to decide whether or not the programs of the California Walnut Board will continue for another five years. California Walnut Board Referendum Ballots will be mailed to all California walnut producers March 29 and they must be returned via mail with a postmark not later than April 19.

The California Walnut Board is a federal marketing program operating with oversight from the United States Department of Food and Agriculture. The program works in conjunction with a separate, but cooperating, entity called the California Walnut Commission. For operating efficiencies the two programs are implemented by the same staff based in Folsom, CA.   Much more information about these programs is available on the web at www.walnuts.org.

In short, the California Walnut Board (CWB) conducts activities in the following areas: production research, food safety, grades & standards, regulatory matters and U.S. marketing activities. Meanwhile the California Walnut Commission (CWC) is charged with: health and nutrition research, export market development, educating government officials and communicating with industry members.  The USDA requires growers, who fund marketing order programs like the CWB through mandatory assessment, vote to decide if they want to continue with the programs every five years.

Several members of the California walnut industry are speaking out about the good work of this program and urging walnut farmers to vote in favor of continuing the program. These growers attribute the CWB with much of the industry’s success and note that California is currently experiencing an all-time high price per pound AND an all-time high crop size.

“In my opinion, all growers in California have benefited directly from research funded by the California Walnut Board,” said Todd Ramos, who farms 640 acres of walnuts in Yolo and Solano counties. “In recent years walnut growers have seen average yield per acre increase, quality of our product improve, increasing tonnage and record high prices. This is a direct result of the research funding and market development provided by the California Walnut Board.”

Ramos explained that an observable benefit from this funding and research is the release of California’s three most planted varieties, Chandler, Tulare and Howard and that the walnut breeding program is currently evaluating over 70 unreleased varieties which will lead to additional releases in the future. The financial support and direction provide by CWB has led to the development of disease resistant rootstocks such as VX211, Vlach and RX1. To ensure the walnut improvement program continues to be a priority for researchers, the CWB has set up an endowment of $2 million at University of California, Davis.  Ramos further noted that with respect to daily farming practices by all growers in California, the CWB has supported research on blight control, ethrel use, control of husk fly and codling moth along with spider mite management and pheromone puffers. The CWB Research Committee has also subsidized research on pruning, crown gall, water management, soil fumigation and planting density.

Pat Mecklenberg of Derby Orchards in Rio Oso shares Ramos’ support of the CWB.   “As a business owner, I cannot think of a better investment than investing in our own industry,” she said. “Looking at the increased market demand for walnuts for the past ten years and all that the California Walnut Board has done to promote California walnuts, it’s clear to me this program has given us a better return on investment than any other place I have invested money.”

Pete Jelavich, a walnut farmer in Sutter and Yuba counties, also voiced his support of the CWB. “CWB provides many benefits to walnut farmers including: being proactive in providing information and implementation of food safety programs for industry members; monitoring and inspections of outbound product to buyers and consumers; providing research for insect and disease control, propagation of new varieties, as well as pursuing the use of safer, better, and more effective controls to get product from the farm to the consumer and promoting the many health benefits that have been published through the efforts of the California Walnut Commission. I strongly support the vote to continue the operations of the California Walnut Board.”

“The programs of the Walnut Marketing Board are really effective and they are an integral part of the industry’s great success, especially over the last few years,” said Jonathan W. Field, manager of the Walnut Bargaining Association, a group which supports the efforts of the CWB. Field cited the exceptional production and marketing data developed through the CWB as critical in helping growers make planting decisions; handlers find new markets; banks to make financial decisions and for his organization, the Walnut Bargaining Association, to establish fair grower prices and maintain good returns for growers and handlers. “The historical data available could be lost if the marketing order is not continued.”

Field also noted that CWB provides a forum for discussion of issues that impact the growing and marketing of California walnuts such as: food safety; pests and disease pressure; improved production practices; product theft; drought, etc.  “No other forum is available specific to walnuts that has the credibility of the CWB,” he said.

Donald Norene, who also farms walnuts in Rio Oso, summed it up and reminded walnut farmers of the importance of the upcoming referendum.  “This spring we walnut growers have an important decision to make on behalf of our industry,” said Norene. “The continuation of the California walnut marketing order is dependent on the outcome of the vote.

Growers should consider the numerous benefits – crop production research, new variety research, methyl bromide replacement research, food safety efforts, domestic market promotion and the viability of the entire industry – we receive for the small cost of the California Walnut Board’s assessments.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 26th, 2014|

Extended Deadline for USDA Value-Added Producer Grants

TODAY, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Rural Development Agency announced a two-week extension for grant applications for the Value-Added Producer Grant program. The new grant deadline, April 8, was necessary due to changes to the program included in the 2014 Farm Bill that was recently signed into law.

“Value-Added Producer Grants create jobs and economic growth in rural communities by increasing income and marketing opportunities for farmers and by improving the local economy through job development and retention,” said Ferd Hoefner, policy director for the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). “VAPG also enhances food choices for consumers, helping farmers meet growing demand for high quality, value-added local and regional food products.”

Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding

To help farmers, farm groups, and farm coops understand the program and the current funding cycle, NSAC today re-issued its Farmers’ Guide to Value-Added Producer Grant Funding. The updated free Guide provides helpful hints to improve a producer’s chances of obtaining funding from the highly competitive program and provides clear information on the program’s application requirements, including a step-by-step description of the application and ranking processes.

Veteran Priority Added

The two week extension will allow groups who have already submitted funding applications to revise their proposals if the new farm bill’s addition of returning veteran farmers to the program’s priorities is applicable to their proposal.

Other program priorities include small and medium-scale family farms, beginning farmers and ranchers, and socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers. “We urge everyone who submitted a VAPG application to make a determination in the coming days as to whether their proposals need to be modified or not,” said Hoefner. “As part of the new farm bill, Congress added a veteran’s preference to a variety of programs, including VAPG, and applicants whose project includes returning veterans will want to highlight that aspect of their project.”

In addition, the 2014 Farm Bill also clarifies that group projects that include more than a single farmer are to be ranked in terms of how well they advance the program’s priorities by the review panels that evaluate all of the proposed projects. USDA will also be implementing this change as part of the current funding round.

“The program will function better with the new approach for determining which group project proposals best contribute to advancing the congressional-mandated priorities for small and mid-sized family farms and for beginning, minority, and veteran farmers.” commented Hoefner. “We applaud USDA for implementing this provision and the veterans priority as part of the current grant cycle.”

Second Grant Round This Year Possible

Congress appropriated $13.8 million in fiscal year 2013 and $15 million in fiscal year 2014 for VAPG. Both sums will be added together for this current grant round. Whether USDA awards the entire combined amount, or something less than that, will depend on the quality of the proposals received.

In addition to the $15 million in appropriated funds for fiscal year 2014, the 2014 Farm Bill also provides the program with $63 million in funding that can be used over the course of the next five years. USDA may decide to use a portion of the $63 million in a second grant round later this year; final decisions are pending.

“We are pleased USDA is combining two years’ worth of appropriations in this grant round, and that they are considering a possible second round later this year,” said Hoefner. “This will allow Rural Development to catch up and hopefully get back on a normal year-by-year grant cycle beginning in 2015.”

The National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition is a grassroots alliance that advocates for federal policy reform supporting the long-term social, economic, and environmental sustainability of agriculture, natural resources, and rural communities.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:06-07:00March 25th, 2014|

California Table Grape Commission News

Grape Commission Positions Itself for Continued Industry Growth

New and expanded positions in international marketing, digital media/community service, and marketing communications

Fabian Garcia

Fresno, CA – The California Table Grape Commission recently hired Fabian Garcia as the new assistant director of international marketing, and expanded the responsibilities of Rachel Scott and Jeff Klitz in the areas of digital media/community service and marketing communications, respectively.

Fabian Garcia fills the new position of assistant director of international marketing. A native of Santa Barbara, Garcia studied international relations at American University in Washington, D.C. and traveled frequently to east Asia. He speaks Spanish and Mandarin Chinese and spent several years in Shanghai, China where he worked as a market researcher at the USDA Agricultural Trade Office. Garcia joined the commission in January and in his new role assists in developing and implementing the commission’s international promotional programs, with an emphasis on China.

Rachel Scott

Jeff Klitz

Rachel Scott, digital media and community service manager, has been with the commission for five years. She has a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University in organizational communications and Spanish (double major); before joining the commission, she spent two years in Japan teaching English. Rachel’s new responsibilities include content development and management of the Grapes from California website and social media platforms, which includes Facebook and Pinterest and the launch of a Twitter account this year. On the community service side, she will assume a greater role in managing the programs, which include scholarships, grants and donations.

Jeff Klitz, assistant director of marketing communications, has also been with the commission for five years. Jeff is a native to the San Joaquin Valley, growing up in Fresno, and has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural business from Cal Poly State University, San Luis Obispo. Jeff has been involved in helping coordinate components of the commission’s communications and research programs, but will now begin assisting in the development and implementation of the broader consumer communications program for Grapes from California.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 24th, 2014|

50 Most Powerful People in 2014 Food World

Source: Colman Andrews

These men and women decide what and how you eat, whether you realize it or not.

The ability to make things happen, rewrite the rules, change the conversation and shift the paradigms; the people with power in the food world decide or influence what and how and where and why we eat.

Their power is economic, legislative, sometimes inspirational. They’re the agribusiness moguls who decide what crops to plant and how to harvest, process, and sell them.

They’re the heads of major food processing and distribution concerns and retail food outlets (that is, the people who actually put food on our tables).

They’re the scolds and nannies — and admirable consumer advocates — who tell us what we should and shouldn’t eat and why, sometimes upending whole industries in the process; the key figures in the governmental agencies concerned with the economics and the safety of our food supply; the media stars and public figures who sway our food opinions and stimulate our appetites; the chefs and restaurateurs who introduce us to flavors and culinary ideas, and establish and maintain standards for the preparation and presentation of food. They’re the journalists, in whatever medium, who report on all of the above.

Any catalogue of powerful people — and certainly any ranking of them in order of perceived power— is bound to be highly subjective. That doesn’t mean that it has to be arbitrary.

To come up with our list of The 50+ Most Powerful People in Food in America, our editors assembled an initial roster, based on research done gradually over many months, then added and subtracted, fine-tuned and developed.

We read news stories, annual statements, editorial analyses. We consulted with experts in the various fields we cover. We had endless discussions and occasionally strenuous debates.

Our ultimate criterion was simply this: Is each person on our list capable, whether by dint of corporate station, media access, moral authority, or sheer personality, of substantially changing, improving, and/or degrading the quality and variety of the American diet or the way we think about it?

Choosing which men and women in the American food world to include on our list was difficult enough; arranging them in order of power was a far greater challenge.

Here is the finalized list:

50. Danielle Nierenberg and Ellen Gustafson, Co-Founders, The Food Tank 

49. Adam Rapoport, Editor in Chief, Bon Appetit 

48. Matt Maloney, CEO, GrubHub Seamless 

47. Bill Marler, Foodborne Illness Lawyer and Attorney

46. Steve Ells, Founder/ Co-CEO, Chairman, Chipotle Mexican Grill 

45. Tom Colicchio, Chef-Restaurateur and TV Personality

 44. Catherine Cassidy, Vice President and Editor-in-Chief, Taste of Home 

43. Ingrid Newkirk, President and Co-Founder, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 

42. Mark Bittman, Journalist and Author 

41. Tracey Ryder, President and CEO, Edible Communities Publications 

40. Dana Cowin, Editor-in-Chief, Food & Wine 

39. Alice Waters, Chef-Restaurateur and Founder and Director, The Edible Schoolyard Project 

38. Dawn Sweeney, President and CEO, National Restaurant Association 

37. Thomas Keller, Chef-Restaurateur 

36. Susan Ungaro, President, James Beard Foundation 

35. Danny Meyer, Restaurateur 

34. Michael Pollan, Author (just noteworthy) 

33. Bill Shore, Founder and CEO, Share Our Strength 

32. Dan Bane, Chairman and CEO, Trader Joe’s 

31. Bob Aiken, President and CEO, Feeding America 

30. Steve Spinner, CEO, President, and Director, United Natural Foods, Inc. 

29. Julie Packard, Executive Director and Vice-Chairman, Monterey Bay Aquarium 

28. John Mackey, Founder and Co-CEO, Whole Foods Market 

27. David Kirchhoff, CEO, Weight Watchers International 

26. Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich, Chef/ Restaurateurs 

25. David Murdock, CEO, Dole Food Company 

24. Kevin Systrom, Co-Founder and CEO, Instagram 

23. Ben Silbermann, Founder and CEO, Pinterest 

22. Michelle Obama, First Lady of the United States 

21. Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO, The Kroger Co. 

20. Fred DeLuca, Co-Founder and President, Subway 

19. Bob Tuschman, General Manager and Senior Vice President, Food Network 

18. José Andrés, Chef-Restaurateur 

17. Pamela Bailey, President and CEO, Grocery Manufacturers Association 

16. Paul Grimwood, CEO and Chairman, Nestlé USA 

15. Donald Thompson, Vice Chairman and CEO, McDonalds 

14. Pete Wells, Restaurant Critic, The New York Times 

13. Craig Jelinek, CEO, Costco 

12. Donnie Smith, President and CEO, Tyson Foods 

11. William J. Delaney III, CEO, Sysco 

10. David MacLennan, Chairman and CEO, Cargill

 9. Jeremy Stoppelman, Co-Founder and CEO, Yelp 

8. Jack Menzel, Product Managing Director, and Dan Entin, Director of Digital Product Management, and their teams, Google 

7. Patricia Woertz, Chairman, President, and CEO, Archer Daniels Midland 

6. James P. Hoffa, General President, International Brotherhood of Teamsters 

5. Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, Pepsi 

4. Michael R. Taylor, Deputy Commissioner for Food, Federal Drug Administration 

3. Doug McMillion, President and CEO, Walmart 

2. Hugh Grant, Chairman, President, and CEO, The Monsanto Company 

1. Thomas Vilsack, Secretary, USDA

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 24th, 2014|

Tulare Water Rally Needs You on March 26th

Water Rally in Tulare Needs You!

Mario Santoyo, Executive Director of California Latino Water Coalition, announced a Water Rally on Wednesday, March 26^th in Tulare. We urge everyone with agricultural water interests to attend and advocate for increased water allocations!

Mario Santoyo

Santoyo commented:

You all are very aware of the water crisis that has been plaguing the West Side farmers due to federal pumping restrictions, well now with this year’s historic drought combined with those same pumping restrictions the East Side farmers will be in the same crisis condition.

The only hope for farmers on both sides of this Valley to survive this year is a change in the Delta Operations by both the State and Federal governments in order to maximize the flexibilities they have under this crisis to deliver more water south of the Delta, so an upcoming rally is intended to send that message.

The initial event flyer for the rally along with a water supply update on the East Side farmers’ dire situation is below.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 22nd, 2014|

2014 AG Trends

2014 Ag Trends and Land Values

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

At the Outlook 2014 California Agriculture Thriving Through Change meeting about ag trends and land values, this week in Fresno, the crowd was upbeat despite the drought and regulations facing the farming industry.

Nat DiBuduo

Nat DiBuduo, President of the Allied Grape Growers is also an Accredited Farm Manager and President of the California chapter of American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers (ASFMRA), which hosted the conference.

“We talked about a lot of different commodities today starting out with citrus and ending with the dairy industry. And I am really happy to say that everyone, including the dairy industry are on a high,” DiBuduo said. “We do have our challenges; we have the drought issues and how that it is affecting things, but I would still say that California agriculture is positioned for a good future.”

“Granted, we have regulatory issues, drought issues, immigration issues to deal with, but the messages of the day’s meetings were positive,” noted DiBuduo.

It was also announced that ag land prices in all areas of the state and nearly all commodity prices are up.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 22nd, 2014|

California Coming off Warmest Winter on Record

United States weather scientists have revealed California is coming off of its warmest winter on record, aggravating an enduring drought in the most populous US state.

The state had an average temperature of nine degrees Celsius for December, January and February, an increase from 5.8°C in 1980-81, the last hottest winter.

Reuters Newsagency reports that figure was more than four degrees Fahrenheit hotter than the 20th-century average in California, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in a statement.

Warmer winters could make the already parched state even drier by making it less likely for snow to accumulate in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, NOAA spokesman Dr. Brady Phillips said.

“Winter is when states like California amass their main water budget, when snowpack is building,” said Dr Phillips, a marine biologist. “If you’re starting from a deficit and going into the dry season, it’s setting you up for a drier summer.”

Reuters reports California is in the grip of a three-year dry spell that threatens to have devastating effects on the state and beyond.

Farmers are considering idling 200,000 hectares of cropland, a loss of production that could cause billions of dollars in economic damage, and several small communities are at risk of running out of drinking water.

The state also recorded its driest winter to date by March, despite recent storms, with an average of 114mm of rainfall, compared to 297mm over the previous winter, NOAA said.

The agency is planning to release its spring outlook climate forecast tomorrow.

NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. Their reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as they work to keep citizens informed of the changing environment around them.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:07-07:00March 21st, 2014|

CDFA Honors UC Cooperative Extension Centennial

CDFA honors UC Cooperative Extension Centennial

The annual Ag Day at the Capitol event yesterday (March 19) in Sacramento honored the University of California Cooperative Extension for its centennial. California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross presented a proclamation to Barbara Allen-Diaz, UC vice president for Agriculture and Natural Resources, who oversees UC Cooperative Extension.

“I want to commend my good friend Barbara Allen-Diaz and Cooperative Extension,” said Ross. “You help us take all that great knowledge from the UC System and extend it directly to farmers and ranchers. It is a circle of innovation that sets us apart. It is absolutely crucial to our future and I’m really happy to be here to celebrate 100 years with you.”

UC Cooperative Extension, which has offices in counties throughout California, will be holding local celebrations throughout 2014. For more information about the UCCE centennial, visithttp://ucanr.edu/100.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:08-07:00March 21st, 2014|

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