USDA REMINDS DAIRIES OF MILC PRODUCTION EVIDENCE DEADLINE

November 1^st MILC Program Deadline

Juan M. Garcia, Administrator of USDA’s Farm Service Agency (FSA), reminded producers yesterday that final production evidence and any supporting documentation for eligible months that Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) payments were available must be submitted by Nov. 1, 2013

“The MILC program helps dairy producers get through tough economic times and is another reason we need a new Farm, Food and Job bill,” said Garcia. “When low dairy prices create a hardship for dairy producers, payments are made to those who participate in the program to ensure they have the financial assistance they need to maintain their business,” and to ensure the stimulation of local economies.

Statutory authority for the MILC program expired Sept. 30, 2013; new legislation is required for the MILC program, or its replacement, to provide assistance.

For more information on MILC, contact a local FSA office or search “MILC” at www.fsa.usda.gov.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 27th, 2013|

Sun-Maid Honored with Best of Show at PMA

Sun-Maid Is Honored with “Best of Show”

at Fresh Summit New Orleans

John Slinkard, left with Authur Patryk

The 250,000 square-feet exhibit hall at the New Orleans Convention Center was filled with more than 1,000 exhibits, and the Produce Marketing Association judges selected Sun-Maid Growers as Best of Show in the Island Booth Category at Fresh Summit, held Oct. 18-20.

“We are ecstatic that we won and we are very honored,” said John Slinkard, Vice President of Customer & Supply Chain Services for Sun-Maid Growers of California. “We think our booth is dramatic and represents our brand very well.”

“One of the big challenges and the impetus behind the exhibit design was to revitalize the iconic Sun Maid girl logo and bring it into the current era,” noted Arthur Patryk, an exhibit consultant with Skyline who created the exhibit.

“This exhibit also had to adapt to the various layouts in different convention centers,” said Patryk. “In New Orleans, the elaborate 4-sided exhibit had equal representation of branding on the front and back, as well as the sides, with huge images of the famous Sun-Maid girl.

Sun Maid just celebrated their 100th anniversary, and that was incorporated in the exhibit space.

The award-winning exhibit was introduced four years ago in Orlando, then Atlanta, Anaheim and New Orleans.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 27th, 2013|

CALIFORNIA DAIRIES TO SUPPLY CHINA’S MILK DEMAND

California to Export UHT Milk To China

U.S. suppliers find their latest export opportunity in ultra-high temperature (UHT) milk, particularly to China, as reported by Western United Dairymen TODAY.

With its growing middle class, China’s demand for imported UHT milk is soaring. U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) reported China’s consumption jumped from nearly 18 million pounds in 2010 to a forecast of 331 million pounds this year, and is expected to reach 1.3 billion pounds by 2020.

UHT milk is “ultra pasteurization” for one to two seconds with higher temperatures than traditional pasteurization. It allows a 9-12-month shelf life without refrigeration—until opened. The Chinese UHT import market was worth $76 million in 2012, but topped $85 million just six months later, and Chinese buyers want U.S. dairy products.

While UHT milk could significantly cut the need for refrigeration, thus reducing green house emissions, high heat in the UHT process can change the taste and smell of dairy products, and UHT milk cartons are raising environmentalists’ eyebrows.

California is the nation’s largest dairy-producing state. It produced nearly 42 billion pounds of milk in 2011, 21 percent of the nation’s total output, according to the Dairy Institute of California. With an oversupply of milk, California may be the most logical U.S. supplier to China.

California’s dairy industry has gone through hard times, losing more than 300 dairies since 2007, as reported by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. Feed prices have skyrocketed from competition with the biofuels industry, regional droughts, and increased shipping and transportation costs. Worse yet, California’s large dairy farms are affecting Central Valley air and water quality, including groundwater.

If these impediments in California’s dairy industry can be resolved, this new dairy relationship with China may very well be a good fit.

Sources: Larisa Epatko, PBS; Western United Dairymen; Susanne Rust and Serene Fang, Center for Investigative Reporting

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 26th, 2013|

BROCCOLI SALAD KITS RECALLED FOR THE DRESSING

Possible Listeria Contamination of Dressing in Broccoli Salad Kits

TODAY, October 25, 2013, USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) announced Taylor Farms, a Jessup, MD establishment is recalling approximately 5,084 pounds of broccoli salad kit products. The kits contain salad dressing in packets that are the subject of a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recall due to concerns about possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination.

California Ag Today emphasizes the recall is for the salad dressing in the salad kit, not the broccoli.

The salad kits were shipped to distributors and retail locations (delis) for consumer purchase in Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Vermont. Two different – sized boxes of Taylor Farms Broccoli Crunch With Bacon And Dressing are subject to recall.

FSIS, FDA and the company have received no reports of illnesses associated with consumption of these products. Anyone concerned about an illness should contact a healthcare provider.

Consumption of food contaminated with L. monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a serious infection that primarily affects older adults, persons with weakened immune systems, and pregnant women and their newborns. Listeriosis is treated with antibiotics.

Consumers with food safety questions can “Ask Karen,” the FSIS virtual representative available 24 hours a day at AskKaren.gov.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 26th, 2013|

More On CDFA’s Rejection of 4b Milk Adjustment for Dairy Industry

Sen. Tom Berryhill:

‘Thought we had an Agreement”

on Dairy Pricing Issues

Source: Western United Dairyman

Sen. Tom Berryhill (R-Modesto) sits on the Senate Agriculture Committee. A Stanislaus County farmer, Tom was elected to the Assembly in 2006 and to the Senate in 2010. He has been one of the state legislative leaders who have worked closely with a coalition of state dairy organizations to address the industry’s pricing issues. He was a member of the state Senate Agriculture Committee that held a special hearing over the summer and arrived at an arrangement struck between milk producers and cheese processors.

The proposal had two basic tenets. First, there would be emergency price relief for up to one year in an amount of no more than $.46 to be assigned to Class 4b milk. This would have replaced the existing emergency price relief. Second, the sliding scale used to value whey in the Class 4b formula would be restructured to result in a new ceiling of $1.00 per cwt. contributed to Class 4b, achievable at current market prices.

That deal unraveled this week when CDFA Secretary Karen Ross issued a decision on a petition filed by Western United Dairymen, California Dairies, Inc., Milk Producers Council and California Dairy Campaign. Ross wrote, “I understand there will be disappointment with this decision in light of the publicity surrounding the perceived agreement between producers and processors during the legislative session. However, the Department was not jointly petitioned by producers and processors – only some producers – and when questioned by the hearing panel, processors responded that there was no agreement.”

In an interview this week with Western United Dairymen, Berryhill said, “I thought we did come to an agreement with the Dairy Institute about a dairy pricing mechanism that would allow my guys to stay in business.”

Referring to fellow Ag Committee members Sen. Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) and Chair Cathleen Galginai (D-Stockton), Berryhill pointed out, “The three of us thought there was an agreement. On the processor side they did not want to give anything. I thought it (the deal) was a happy middle ground. We all thought we had a deal that day and were very surprised to come back (after summer recess) and find everything had fallen out.”

Referring to Secretary Ross’ decision, Berryhill said, “Karen has made her decision to kick this can down the road to June. We will have to live with that and it will put us back to the drawing board. We will have to sit down and talk some more.”

The Decision by Sec. Ross will lead to more closed dairies, and devastation
to families, who for many generations, were able to make a good living.

The industry’s current financial crisis is driven in part by federal mandates on ethanol which are driving feed prices to record highs, said Berryhill. “Feed prices will continue high for the near future or so. This industry’s dynamics have changed.”

Looking ahead, Berryhill says he remains committed to finding a solution. “Kicking that can down the road doesn’t help anyone. Any decision we come to, both sides will be mad at me. Those processors don’t want to give anything up. The producers out there are really challenged and we are trying to keep them sustainable and working.”

Gov. Brown has not actively engaged on the pricing issue and Berryhill’s feeling is, “He would like to see this thing worked out on its own. I don’t think it will be able to. At some point in time he will have to insert himself. I’ve found him to be a very pragmatic guy and many times willing to do the right thing.”

What does the future hold for pricing legislation? Berryhill says, “You are going to see this thing resurface for sure – – I don’t see this issue going away.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 26th, 2013|

FSMA UPDATE

FDA Releases Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Proposed Rule

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

TODAY, October 25, 2013, FDA released the Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Proposed Rule, required under the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Under the new proposed rule, facilities that manufacture, process, pack, or hold food for animals would be required to adhere to current good manufacturing practices and implement hazard analysis and risk-based preventive controls.

Proposed animal food Current Good Manufacturing Practice (CGMP) regulations areas include:

Hygienic personnel practices and training;
Facility operations, maintenance, and sanitation;
Equipment and utensil design, use, and maintenance
Processes and controls; and
Warehousing and distribution.

An improved animal food safety system as stipulated in the Proposed Rule can reduce the human and animal health burden by reducing the risks of serious illness and death to animals, adverse health effects to humans handling contaminated animal food, recalls, and losses of contaminated animal food ingredients and products.

The proposed rule will be published in the Federal Register on October 29. 2013, and comments are due 120 days later.

FSMA outreach will involve the dissemination of information to the public and industry through meetings, hearings, and workshops.FDA will hold three public meetings to explain the proposal and provide additional opportunities for input on the Preventive Controls for Food for Animals Proposed Rule:

November 21, 2013 in College Park, MD.

November 25, 2013 in Chicago, IL

December 6 in Sacramento, CA.

Visit the meeting page to view the agenda and additional information.

For more information on FDA’s Food Safety Modernization Act, visit http://www.fda.gov/fsma

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 26th, 2013|

CCM ANNOUNCES NEW BOARD CHAIRMAN

Kevin Severns Elected CCM Board Chairman

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

TODAY, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) announced that Kevin Severns, Sanger citrus grower and General Manager of Orange Cove–Sanger Citrus Association, was unanimously elected to serve as the 2013-2014 CCM Board Chairman.

Severns has served on the CCM Board since 2007, most recently as Vice Chairman. Additionally, Severns is a member of the Sunkist Board of Directors, Vice Chairman of the management committee for the industry-funded Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program, and former Director for the Citrus Research Board.

“Kevin’s experience and dedication to this industry is unquestionable,” notes CCM President Joel Nelsen. “He is undoubtedly an asset to the California Citrus Mutual Board and an exemplary leader for the California citrus industry.”

Severns has represented the citrus industry on a variety of issues, traveling to Sacramento and Washington, D.C. on multiple occasions.

“I appreciate the faith and support from my fellow industry members and Directors,” says Severns. “Many challenges await our future and the future of CCM. I am honored to serve on behalf of this great industry and represent California’s citrus growers as we navigate through these challenges.”

CCM is a citrus producer’s trade association whose 2,200 voluntary grower members comprise 75% of California’s 275,000-acre, $2 billion citrus industry. Founded in 1977, CCM represents its members on matters that affect their economic livelihood and provide them with necessary information to enhance their ability to profit from their work.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:15-07:00October 25th, 2013|

NEW DEVELOPMENTS IN SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

Foster Farms: Company Apologizes And Improves Facilities While Mexico Blocks Imports

By Laurie Greene, Associate Editor

Almost simultaneously, Foster Farms issued an apology for the salmonella outbreak and described progress in its new food safety measures—and Mexico blocked imports of the company’s chicken.

Mexico, the top export market for U.S. poultry, told the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Tuesday it was removing two Foster Farms plants in Fresno and one in Livingston from its list of approved exporters. USDA had identified these plants as the likely origins of a salmonella outbreak.

The removing of approval is believed to be the first time Mexico has responded in such a way to a U.S. health alert. While Mexico imposed anti-dumping duties on U.S. chicken leg quarters last year, the ruling has not been implemented because of poultry shortages brought on by avian flu.

Federal inspectors and Foster Farms have maintained that poultry from the processing sites are safe to eat if handled properly and cooked to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

Foster Farms relies overwhelmingly on domestic sales to drive its annual revenue of $2.3 billion; however, Foster Farms President Ron Foster said sales had fallen 25% since the USDA announced its health alert on Oct. 7.

NOTE: California Ag Today deems the Mexican refusal to accept Foster Farms chicken unfair because the consumer has always had the ability and responsibility to avoid salmonella by cooking poultry safely and preventing cross-contamination with other items.

Meanwhile, TODAY, Foster Farms posted the following full-page letter on Fresno Bee’sback page of the A section:

Dear Customers and Friends,

Our family is committed to the safety of your family.

For nearly 75 years Foster Farms has worked hard to earn your trust, and we know that the recent Salmonella illnesses associated with Foster Farms have shaken that trust.

We want to take this opportunity to apologize wholeheartedly.

We also want to let you know what we’re doing to fix this.

We have strengthened our food-safety programs, from our ranches to our processing plants and all the way to the packages you purchase at the store. These measures are designed to go beyond USDA requirements and set a new standard not just for Foster Farms but also for the poultry industry as a whole.

We have drawn upon the best advice, the best technology and the best efforts of our employees to develop these new programs, which have already proven effective in further reducing Salmonella. We will not be satisfied until Foster Farms is once again a product that you purchase with complete confidence.

Foster Farms is a family-run business, and food safety has always been at the very heart of what we do. In the coming days and weeks, I look forward to sharing more about our commitment to lead the industry in food safety. Until then, please take the time to visit our website at www.fosterfarms.com, or call us with any questions at 800-338-8051.

Sincerely,

Ron Foster

President and CEO of Foster Farms

OUTBREAK HISTORY

Since March, the salmonella outbreak from Foster Farms chicken has sickened at least 338 people across 20 states, including at least five in Fresno County. A particularly virulent strain of salmonella, Salmonella Heidelberg has proved resistant to antibiotics, so about 40% of victims have been hospitalized, double the usual rate associated with such outbreaks, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

USDA threatened to shut down the plants after inspectors found multiple cleanliness violations, including fecal matter on carcasses.

In response, the firm agreed to develop new protocols to reduce contamination rates and bolster food safety at the three facilities, which continued operating after Foster Farms demonstrated progress on new control measures. Government regulators generally allow some levels of the contaminant in poultry facilities because it can be killed through cooking.

Please Click “Read More” Below

Yet, USDA announced the recall of more than 13,400 “Kirkland Signature Foster Farms” rotisserie chickens and related Kirkland Farms products such as soup, chicken salad and leg quarters over concerns about salmonella sold at Costco’s South San Francisco store between Sept. 24 and Oct. 15.

A previous recall encompassed more than 9,000 Foster Farms rotisserie chickens and related products purchased at the same South San Francisco Costco between Sept. 11 and Sept. 23.

COMPANY RESPONSE

Foster, the grandson of the company’s founders, apologized for the biggest food safety lapse in the family firm’s history, privately owned and operated by the Foster family since 1939, and acknowledged the reputation of California’s No. 1 chicken producer had taken a serious hit.

Foster could not account for why company and government inspectors failed to detect the contamination before the product reached consumers, but he stated, “We truly regret any illness associated with our products; our brand was built on trust and I think we violated … our consumers’ trust. And it’s now our responsibility to earn it back and we plan on doing that by having a gold standard chicken in the market.” He vowed to reassure consumers with improved sanitation and other measures to reduce the ubiquitous bacteria proving a challenge for poultry producers nationwide.

Foster also defended his decision not to recall Foster Farms poultry because the tainted birds met or exceeded industry standards for salmonella, and the firm’s products were still safe to eat if handled properly and cooked to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. “If we had pulled our product from the market and put someone else’s in, we’d be lying to the consumer because you’re saying someone else is better,” Foster said.

Officials said the company has begun vaccinating birds for Salmonella Heidelberg and feeding chickens probiotics, a sort of good bacteria, to combat salmonella in the birds’ digestive systems. Foster Farms is also requiring poultry breeders who supply the company with chicks to certify that the birds are free of salmonella.

Foster Farms has increased sterilization efforts on surfaces, equipment and workers’ clothing in its processing facilities. Officials admitted the company had lagged behind in its safety procedures inside the plants because it focused its energy on the farms, where the threat of salmonella contamination was greater.

Foster Farms has already reaped rewards from the new safety measures. The company is close to achieving a chief goal: reducing the instances of salmonella on its chicken parts from an industry average of 25% to 5%.

Foster said sampling shows the company is currently at 5.6%.

While the industry as a whole usually finds salmonella on 3.5% of its whole birds, Foster Farms’ chickens showed no evidence of salmonella, and Foster believes that the reduction in salmonella is sustainable and hopes that other poultry producers will follow suit.

Although some food safety advocates have called for reduction in antibiotics used in farming. Robert O’Connor, Foster Farms’ chief veterinarian, defended their use in the early stages of their chickens’ lives to prevent a common gastrointestinal disease. “These antibiotics are used very sparingly,” O’Connor said. “There has to be a reason for treating a flock. There has to be a disease that requires us to treat.”

Both O’Connor and Foster had hoped that the worst has passed for the outbreak, largely because the company moved quickly to address shortcomings in its facilities. “Our goal was to get improvements in place as soon as possible,” Foster said.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Foster Farms; Fresno Bee; Rich Pedroncelli, Associated Press; David Pierson and Tiffany Hsu, Los Angeles Times; Lynne Terry, The Oregonian; USDA

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:16-07:00October 25th, 2013|

SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY GROUNDWATER OVERDRAFT FORUM

Forum on Groundwater Overdraft Management, Education

A regional forum Nov. 18 in Tulare will examine challenges and concerns associated with groundwater overdraft in the San Joaquin Valley and the American West.

Organized by the nonprofit American Ground Water Trust (AGWT), the forum will explore how different communities throughout the West have dealt with groundwater overdraft and will consider if local control is a feasible water management solution for San Joaquin Valley water users.

Hosted by Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District and Tulare Irrigation District with support from ACWA and other organizations, the forum will bring together irrigation interests, engineers and hydrologists, water resource managers, agency professionals and attorneys to share current information about groundwater management activities at the local, regional and state levels.

Four panel discussions will cover past and present groundwater conditions, overdraft and subsidence, case studies in several western states, groundwater law overview, and possible future actions, among other topics. ACWA Executive Director Timothy Quinn and ACWA Groundwater Committee Chair Greg Zlotnick are among the many panelists scheduled to participate.

There is a strong ongoing need to educate the public, and capture the imagination of decision-makers about the economic and environmental benefits of creative use of sub-surface water resources. Ongoing drought conditions, predictions of the hydrologic implications of changing weather patterns, ineffective and unsustainable water management, emerging aquifer storage technologies and political uncertainty regarding regional water transfers demand increased attention to the benefits of using groundwater resources as an essential component for optimizing water resources.

To register, go to the American Ground Water Trust.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:16-07:00October 24th, 2013|

TODAY IS FOOD DAY!

Food Day: Preparations for the Future

TODAY is Food Day, a nationwide celebration and movement for healthy, affordable, and sustainable food.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross said, “We are part of a system that will be asked to produce roughly twice as much food by 2050, while utilizing fewer natural resources. California farmers and ranchers must prepare to meet the challenges and opportunities of a growing population at home and abroad.” Asia, deeper into the 21st Century, will see an exploding middle class, and many of those newly minted consumers will want the quality, safety and reliability of California products. “I was fortunate to have the opportunity to travel to Asia twice over the last year. I witnessed that interest first-hand.”

Ross is encouraged by the vision of the UC Davis’ World Food Center, which addresses perhaps the most critical issue facing society today—how to feed and nourish a growing planet in an environmentally sustainable way. The World Food Center takes broad approach to solve humanity’s most pressing problems in food and health, including sustainable agricultural and environmental practices, food security and safety, hunger, poverty reduction through improved incomes, health and nutrition, population growth, new foods, genomics, food distribution systems, food waste, intellectual property distribution related to food, economic development and new technologies and policies.

More than 30 centers and institutes at UC Davis will collaborate through the World Food Center, plus world-class scientists, innovators, philanthropists and industry and public leaders. The center will generate the kind of visionary and practical policy solutions to feed and nurture people for the future. “Few major universities, if any, have the interdisciplinary research strength and close connection to a diversity of agricultural crops nearby to support an enterprise like this,” said Ross.

UC Berkeley’s new Berkeley Food Institute is equally ambitious. The center’s mission is to help food and agriculture systems transform to become diverse, healthy, just, and resilient from the local to international levels. The Institute will stimulate collaborative research efforts across its five partner units—Berkeley Law, the Goldman School of Public Policy, the Graduate School of Journalism, the School of Public Health, and the College of Natural Resources (CNR), plus faculty affiliates throughout the University.

Global climate change, a growing world population, broad public health concerns from hunger to obesity, and complex policies from the farm bill to food safety are among the large-scale issues that have been changing the dialogue about food.When it comes to food, separating agriculture from environmental, public policy, social justice and public health issues no longer works.

Secretary Ross stated, “A sustainable food production system must include producers of all sizes and approaches, from those serving the export markets, to large-scale producers, to smaller-scale operations that include the farm-to-fork movement that has attracted so much interest in recent years.”

CDFA is opening a Farm-to Fork Office that has a special interest in healthy food for children, and in schools. “While local food procurement can sometimes be a challenge for schools, this office will work to establish best practices for procurement of locally grown produce by large-scale buyers,” explained Ross.

October is National Farm-to-School Month, and Ross explained that the most important work we do is to teach children about healthy eating and the origins of food because if it is to remain sustainable, healthy and affordable, it will be up to them.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:16-07:00October 24th, 2013|

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Sources: Larisa Epatko, PBS; Western United Dairymen; Susanne Rust and Serene Fang, Center for Investigative Reporting

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