Congressman Valadao: Fewer Truckers on the Road will Worsen Supply Chain, Raise Costs

Today, Congressman David G. Valadao (CA-21) joined Congresswoman Michelle Steel (CA-48) and members of the California Republican congressional delegation in a letter to Governor Newsom urging him to take immediate action to prevent Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) from devastating the California trucking industry and further crippling nationwide supply chains.

“Central Valley families are paying more for just about everything, and they desperately need relief,” said Congressman Valadao. “The last thing we need is more burdensome regulations that will restrict the ability of truckers to move goods throughout our state. Fewer truckers on the road will worsen our supply chain bottlenecks and raise costs for Valley families.”

Read the lawmakers’ full letter here.

Congressman Valadao has been a strong voice in supporting balanced legislation to alleviate these supply chain backlogs:

Co-sponsored the TRANSPORT Act, which would temporarily waive operating standards should those standards be more stringent than the federal standard, allowing U.S. Department of Transportation-compliant trucks and drivers from other states to relieve ports and transport goods across the country.
Co-sponsored and voted in support of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act, which became law in June 2022.
Demanded vessel operating common carriers be held accountable when their practices intentionally harm farmers from the Central Valley.
Hosted a bipartisan roundtable with industry leaders on the ongoing supply chain crisis and the Ocean Shipping Reform Act.
Visited the Ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach and discussed lack of container access for agriculture exporters, significant backlogs and congestion, and burdensome trucking restrictions.
Led a letter to President Biden alerting the administration to the severe impact supply chain backlogs were having on agriculture exporters and urging immediate action to address the supply chain.

Background:

Inflation this week reached a record breaking 9.1% thanks in part to supply chain backlogs. The lawmakers sent the letter after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up California Trucking Association v. Bonta, a case challenging AB5. AB5 was enacted by state lawmakers in 2019 and reclassifies many independent contractors as “employees,” subjecting them to stricter regulations and increasing costs of operations. The law had been stayed pending appeal, but will now go into effect, potentially shrinking the number of critical independent truckers, further worsening the backlogs at the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, and exacerbating the supply chain crisis.

California Ag Today2022-07-15T14:31:28-07:00July 15th, 2022|

Heat Illness Prevention–Keep an Eye on Each Other

Be Aware of Heat Illness Prevention

By Patrick Cavanaugh, With the Ag Information Network

While temperatures rise in the Central Valley, those working outdoors should keep an eye on each other. You never know when someone’s coming down with a heat illness. Roger Isom is President and CEO of the Western Agricultural Processors Association based in Fresno.

“You’ve got to drink water before you get too thirsty. If you are possibly starting to have the symptoms of heat illness, get in the shade, and take a break,” said Isom. “And if you’re working with somebody, and you look at them, and you think they’re starting to do look faint, take them over, ‘Hey, you need a break, you need to get some water, get cooled down.’”

Isom said it’s very important for all the employees working in a field to keep an eye on each other. Some people don’t even understand when they’re getting heat illness.

“And you might not even realize that you’re starting to show those symptoms. And so if you’re looking out for everybody else, or they’re looking out for you, hopefully, they can prevent that more serious injury.

And foremen must know how to get emergency services to an employee in a remote area with maps.

“These fields or orchards might only have dirt roads to get back there. And if you’re working on one corner of the field, say the back corner of a section, you can’t tell somebody to come to the main intersection. You’ve got to be able to get them directed back to where the employee is,” said “And so the maps really show that, so the foreman’s got it and he can direct the first aid responders in there to the exact spot of where the worker is. That’s the goal of the maps.”

California Ag Today2022-06-13T10:31:08-07:00June 13th, 2022|

Western Drought Will Impact All Americans

Congress Seeks Solutions

By Family Farm Alliance

The U.S. is facing yet another record-breaking drought year in the West. Farmers and ranchers in some of these areas are receiving little to no water from federal water projects as they enter the dry summer months.

Meanwhile, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has decreased and destabilized worldwide agricultural commodity production and availability. Rising input costs, combined with the ongoing energy and supply chain crises, continue to impact food supply and demand.

“We’re seeing reports that the war in Ukraine, sanctions and destroyed ports could take nearly 30% of the world’s grain supply out of production or off the market this year,” Family Farm Alliance Executive Director Dan Keppen recently said at a Congressional drought forum hosted by House GOP Members.

All of the above factors have combined to cause significant inflation – food prices alone have increased 9 percent this year – that will impact all Americans.

Loss of Agricultural Water Means Less Food on Grocery Store Shelves

Many Western farmers rely on federal Bureau of Reclamation projects for irrigation water. Over the decades the operations for several of these projects – including the Klamath Project (California and Oregon) and California’s Central Valley Project – have been significantly impacted by government decisions that disproportionately direct water to perceived environmental needs.

Every acre of farmland taken out of production equates to a loss of real food that could help replenish grocery store shelves that may soon run short of once-plentiful food products.

“When people talk about taking millions of acres of California farmland out of production, those are just numbers,” said Bill Diedrich, a fourth-generation California farmer said at the recent Congressional drought forum. “Let me put them in perspective for you. For every acre that is left unplanted because of a lack of irrigation water, it is the equivalent of 50,000 salads that will not be available to consumers.”

Mr. Diedrich also serves as President of the California Farm Water Coalition.

“Our food supply is just as much a national security issue as energy,” he said. “If we fail to recognize that, we put the country at risk.”

Sacramento Valley Farmers and Business Leaders Talk About This Dry Year

As NCWA President David Guy recently wrote, California farmers are no strangers to drought, although one of the driest years in California has widespread and significant impacts in the Sacramento Valley.

To provide some context for the dry year and the economic impacts, see the recent paper prepared by Dr. Dan Sumner at UC Davis entitled, Continued Drought in 2022 Ravages California’s Sacramento Valley Economy. In sum, the report suggests there will be 14,000 lost jobs, with $1.315B in impacts for those who rely on agriculture in the Sacramento Valley.

In a recent Ingrained Podcast, Jim Morris was able to catch up with several farmers and business leaders on the west-side of the Sacramento Valley to talk about the dry year and the impacts they will see this year.

“We’re down to 25 percent of normal rice acreage,” said grower Kurt Richter, who farms in Colusa County. “For a westside operation, that figure is actually very high this year. I’m the only person I know who is on the west side who is even planting rice at all.”

We encourage you to listen to the Ingrained Podcast to hear firsthand how the dry year will impact people and businesses in the region.

Water Allotment to Klamath Basin Farmers Hindering Food Production Amid High Market

Many farmers across the Klamath Basin are currently in the stages of planting their crops following the first few water deliveries from irrigation districts. However, with only 50,000 acre-feet of surface water allocated by Reclamation, one farmer says the impacts of another low production year will continue to hurt the community and the farming industry.

“It’s about to get a lot worse because the entire West is in this situation and food scarcity is going to be a real thing this year,” said Scott Seus, a farmer, Tulelake Irrigation District board member, and member of the Family Farm Alliance.

CLICK HERE for the interview Scott did with CBS affiliate KTVL TV (Medford, Oregon).

Clearly, federal management of water has become too inflexible in places like California and Central Oregon, where a frog protected by the ESA impacts water deliveries to Deschutes River Basin producers.

“We must restore balance in federal decision-making regarding water allocation, particularly in times of drought,” said Alliance President Patrick O’Toole, a rancher from Wyoming. “This is one of several solutions needed to maintain food security for the nation and the economic wellbeing of the Western landscape.”

Congress Proposes Measures to Increase Western Water Supplies

Democrats and Republicans in both houses of Congress bill are advancing additional measures that would increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure in California and other areas of the Western U.S.

A suite of new water supply enhancement projects and demand management programs can also help alleviate the stress on existing Western water supplies. The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, signed into law last November by President Biden, provides a once-in-a-generation federal investment towards this end. Legislative proposals made in the House and Senate seek to further improve water supplies for the West.

In February 2021, U.S. Representative David G. Valadao introduced the Responsible, No-Cost Extension of Western Water Infrastructure Improvements, or RENEW WIIN, Act, a no-cost, clean extension of operations and storage provisions of the WIIN Act (P.L. 114-322).

“Food prices are at a record high, and people are struggling to put food on the table,” Rep. Valadao recently wrote in a recent blog, titled “Severe drought threatens America’s farmers and food supply”. “The ongoing war in Ukraine is destabilizing worldwide agricultural commodity production. Experts are warning about the very real possibility of a global food shortage. Now more than ever, we need to do everything in our power to support our domestic farmers, ranchers, and producers to provide much needed stability to our global food supply.”

The RENEW WIIN Act – supported by the Alliance and several of its member agencies – would extend the general and operations provisions of Subtitle J of the WIIN Act and extend the provision requiring consultation on coordinated operations of the Central Valley Project and State Water Project. The legislation would also extend the authorization of appropriations for water storage projects that the Secretary of the Interior finds feasible.

“Making sure our agriculture producers have access to safe, clean, and reliable water is critical,” said Rep. Valadao.

Senators Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Kyrsten Sinema (D-Ariz.) on May 17 introduced S.4231, the Support to Rehydrate the Environment, Agriculture and Municipalities Act or STREAM Act, a bill that would increase water supply and modernize water infrastructure in California and throughout the West.

“If we don’t take action now to improve our drought resilience, it’s only going to get worse,” said Senator Feinstein. “We need an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy to meet this challenge, including increasing our water supply, incentivizing projects that provide environmental benefits and drinking water for disadvantaged communities, and investing in environmental restoration efforts.”

Click here for the press release issued by Senator Feinstein’s office, which includes links to a one-page summary of the bill, a section-by-section analysis, and a list of supporters, which includes the Family Farm Alliance.

“We appreciate the increased attention that many Western Members of Congress recognize the importance of modernizing and expanding our water infrastructure,” said Mr. Keppen. “There is still time for all of our state and federal officials to right this ship and recognize the importance of storing water and growing food with it.”

California Ag Today2022-05-23T09:24:15-07:00May 23rd, 2022|

Pest Variability Poorly Understood

UC Davis Ecologist Daniel Paredes: Understanding Pest Variability Key to Managing Pest Outbreaks

Newly published research led by UC Davis ecologist Daniel Paredes suggests that pest abundances are less variable in diverse landscapes comprised of multiple crop types and patches of natural habitat.

“As a result, pest outbreaks are less likely in diverse landscapes,” said Paredes, who analyzed a 13-year government database of diversified landscapes encompassing more than 1300 olive groves and vineyards in Spain. The database documented pests and pesticide applications.

The paper, “The Causes and Consequences of Pest Population Variability in Agricultural Landscapes,” appears in the Ecological Society of America journal, Ecological Applications. Co-authors are UC Davis distinguished professor Jay Rosenheim of the Department of Entomology and Nematology, and Daniel Karp, associate professor, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology. The research is online at https://bit.ly/3a64WRN.

Pest variability: an understudied but critical topic
Although population variability is often studied in natural systems, the need for long-term pest population data collected across many farms has largely prevented researchers from studying pest variability in agricultural systems, said Paredes, a postdoctoral fellow in the Karp lab.

“However, understanding variability in agriculture is key to understanding when pest outbreaks are likely to occur,” Paredes said. “Farmers are really risk averse, with fear of very rare but severe pest outbreaks driving their decisions. But huge datasets are needed to understand when outbreaks are likely to occur and better inform management.”

“We found that more variable pest populations are more likely to downgrade crop quality and induce catastrophic damages,” Paredes said. “For example, the likelihood that olive flies consume more than 20 percent of olive crops doubled when comparing the most versus the least volatile populations.”

What causes a pest population to be variable?
Having shown that more pest-population variability is more likely to cause problems for farmers, the researchers then set out to discover what farmers could do to manage variability.

One key factor that emerged was the type of landscape the crops were grown in, specifically whether the landscape was dominated by vast fields of a single crop variety or more diversified. Pest populations were both more abundant and more variable in crop monocultures.

However, while landscape type influenced both pest population sizes and variability, this was not always the case for other variables. “This research shows that the factors that promote high overall mean pest density are not necessarily the same factors that promote high variability in pest density,” Rosenheim said. “So, mean densities, which is what researchers have been studying for decades and decades, are only part of the story. Variation in density, and in particular unpredictable severe outbreaks, need to be studied separately.”

The take-away message?

“In Spain, planting multiple crops and retaining natural habitats would help stably suppress pests and prevent outbreaks,” said Paredes, a native of Spain who holds a doctorate in environmental sciences (2014) from the University of Granada. “Diversifying agricultural may be a win–win situation for conservation and farmers alike.”

“Therefore, we encourage agricultural stakeholders to increase the complexity of the landscapes surrounding their farms through conserving/restoring natural habitat and/or diversifying crops,” the researchers wrote in their abstract.

Tapping into other large datasets such as this one, will be key to understanding whether diversified landscapes also help mitigate pest variability and outbreaks in other areas, they said.

This project was funded by the National Science Foundation with funds from the Belmont Forum via the European Biodiversity Partnership: BiodivERsA. It was also supported by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

California Ag Today2022-05-19T13:47:29-07:00May 19th, 2022|

Westlands Water District awarded $7.6 Million Grant by the California Department of Water Resources

Grant Funds Will Help Create Drought Resilience, Increase Investment In Recharge Projects, and Drive Regional Groundwater Sustainability

Today the California Department of Water Resources (DWR) awarded Westlands Water District, which serves as the Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) for the Westside Subbasin, a $7.6 million grant as part of the Department’s Sustainable Groundwater Management (SGM) Proposition 68 Implementation Grant Program. This grant provides critical investment in the District’s efforts to ensure a sustainable groundwater basin.

“As we enter the third year of historic drought, Westlands remains committed to utilizing the most proactive, innovative, and scientifically-sound strategies in groundwater management,” said Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands. “This grant funding from DWR will be instrumental to the District’s implementation of the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act and to achieving groundwater sustainability. We are grateful for the support and investment in these vital projects.”

The grant funding will further three key efforts within the Subbasin: the Storage Treatment Aquifer Recharge (STAR) Program, Phase 1; the Westside Subbasin Groundwater Sustainability Plan (GSP) 5-year Update; and the Westside Subbasin Geophysical Investigation for Recharge Potential.

The STAR Program will establish a network of treatment and aquifer storage and recovery (ASR) facilities in the Westside Subbasin. These facilities will treat water from the unconfined upper aquifer and provide temporary storage of surplus supplies. Based on current design, each treatment facility could treat up to 10,000 acre-feet a year and each ASR well could inject up to 1,200 gallons per minute to be stored for later use. Phase 1 of the STAR Program includes planning and identification of locations for the treatment facilities.

The funding will also support the District’s 5-year review and update of the Westside Subbasin GSP. This update enables the District to assess the implementation of the GSP and incorporate the latest information on groundwater conditions, technology, and science. The 2025 update will reflect progress towards achieving the Westside Subbasin 2040 sustainability goals, key groundwater project, and SGMA regulations compliance.

Lastly, the grant provided by DWR will also provide funding for the Westside Subbasin Geophysical Investigation for Recharge Potential. This Investigation consists of conducting geotechnical examinations on lands within the Westside Subbasin to identify groundwater recharge potential. The data collected will help interested parties, such as growers and/or the District, determine if a proposed site is feasible for groundwater

California Ag Today2022-05-03T11:03:46-07:00May 3rd, 2022|

New UCANR Extension Specialist Coming

UC ANR to recruit 16 new UC Cooperative Extension Specialists

By Pam Kan-Rice, UCANR Assistant Director, News and Information Outreach

University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources will be recruiting 16 new UC Cooperative Extension Specialists over the next 12 months. This is in addition to the five UCCE Specialist positions released for recruitment last fall and two co-funded UCCE Specialist positions since May 2021 – one in partnership with UC Merced and another with UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

To date, 106 UCCE Specialist and Advisor positions have been released since spring 2021, thanks to increased 2021-22 state funding. The positions are located in communities across California.

“We are positioned to make an even bigger difference in the lives of Californians by having so many more boots on the ground,” said Glenda Humiston, UC vice president for agriculture and natural resources.

UCCE Specialists perform research on campus with other campus-based academics and in the field with UCCE Advisors, who work directly with farmers, families and other Californians.

Currently UC ANR has UCCE Specialists located on six campuses – UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Riverside, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz and UC Merced – at UC ANR’s research and extension centers and in county offices.

“We are excited to strengthen partnerships with additional UC campuses by placing UCCE Specialists at UC Irvine and UCLA for the first time,” Humiston said. “We are also adding a position in UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health.”

The new UC Cooperative Extension Specialist positions are listed below:

Agricultural Toxicology Specialist, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Molecular Biosciences and CAES Department of Environmental Toxicology
Agroecology Specialist, UC Santa Cruz Center for Agroecology and Department of Environmental Studies
Climate Resilience and Labor Specialist, UC Berkeley School of Public Health
Dairy Cattle Production Health and Management Economics Specialist, UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine Teaching & Research (located in Tulare County)
Diseases of Nursery Greenhouse and Native Crops Specialist, UC Davis Department of Plant Pathology
Economics of Diversity and Equity Specialist, UC Berkeley Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics
Economics of Food Supply Chains Specialist, UC Davis Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics
Engineered Wood Products and Design Specialist, UC Berkeley Department of Environmental Science, Policy and Management
Food Crop Safety Specialist, UC Riverside Department of Microbiology and Plant Pathology
Nutrition and Health Equity Specialist, UC Davis CAES Department of Nutrition
Regenerative Agriculture Specialist, UC Merced Department of Life and Environmental Sciences
Soil Health Specialist, UC Davis Department of Land, Air and Water Resources
Subtropical Fruit Crop IPM Specialist, UC Riverside Department of Entomology
Urban Water Quality, Health and Justice Specialist, UC Irvine Department of Civil and Environment Engineering
Water Equity and Adaptation Policy Specialist, UCLA Luskin Center for Innovation
Weed Science Specialist, UC Riverside CNAS Department of Botany and Plant Sciences

The full list of UCCE positions released is posted on the 2021-22 Release of UCCE Positions web page. More about the process is available on the 2021 Call for Positions web page.

All UC ANR jobs open for recruitment can be found at https://ucanr.edu/About/Jobs.

California Ag Today2022-05-02T15:00:43-07:00May 2nd, 2022|

Today’s World is Full of Uncertainties. Your Food Supply Shouldn’t be One of Them

By Mike Wade, California Farm Water Coalition

The war in Ukraine and all the global unrest it is causing has focused American’s attention on just how uncertain a world we inhabit.

Inflation was already wreaking havoc on family budgets and now gas prices are also skyrocketing.

Which is exactly why our government should be doing everything it can to reduce reliance on foreign sources for our basic needs, especially food.

Unfortunately, that is the exact opposite of what is happening.

Through out-of-balance regulatory policies and a failure to prioritize western farming, our government is putting our safe, affordable, domestic food supply at risk.

Over 80% of our country’s fruits, nuts and vegetables are grown west of the Rockies and simply cannot be moved elsewhere. Without that supply, Americans will see shortages at the store, even higher prices, be forced to rely more heavily on increasingly unstable foreign sources, or all of these at the same time.

Learn More

When you make a salad, have fruit for breakfast, eat a hamburger with cheese, or put tomato sauce and garlic on a pizza, odds are that at least some of those products came from California.

But without a reliable water supply, that farmland simply cannot produce what our country needs.

It doesn’t have to be this way.

In some western states, the government is holding on to existing water supply, rather than release it to farms to grow food. In California, we must move more quickly to build and repair infrastructure that will help us store more water in wet years for use in dry ones like this one. And in general, water policy has become unbalanced in ways that penalize the farms trying to produce our food supply.

California farmers are doing their part and have reduced water use by double digits since 1980. Throughout the West, farms are also important in the battle against climate change because crop production helps remove carbon dioxide from the air. If things continue the way they are, our government is essentially creating deserts instead of food production, which will only perpetuate the cycles of drought and wildfires we’d like to avoid.

Food price increases in 2022 are now expected to exceed those observed in 2020 and 2021. Without changes in water policy, it will continue to get worse.

It has never been more important that U.S. consumers insist on domestically grown food in our stores.

California Ag Today2022-04-21T15:58:13-07:00April 21st, 2022|

California Agricultural Mediation Program Helps Farmers

As Farming Population Ages, New Partnership Offers Support and Tips for Transition Planning

Nearly 40 percent of producers in California are over the age of 65 according to the most recent U.S. Census of Agriculture, slightly higher than the national average. The stability of California agriculture, the backbone of U.S. food production, is largely dependent on the successful change of hands to the next generation.

As a result, many non-profits are instituting holistic succession planning programs to help farm families with the transition process. In California, California FarmLink offers a 12-month long program, The Regenerator: A Year of Farm Succession Planning, which addresses all aspects of transition, including tax and estate planning, business structure and valuation, as well as financing strategies.

California FarmLink recently partnered with the California Agricultural Mediation Program (CALAMP) to set the stage for productive farm transition conversations and help participating families with any communication related issues. CALAMP is a nonprofit organization that provides free mediation and facilitation to those working in agriculture.

CALAMP and California FarmLink offer these five tips for successful farm transition planning, an often overlooked but critical part of farm operations.

Have a Champion & Prioritize the Discussion
Have someone at the farm who is dedicated to moving the process forward. Often transition conversations are put on the back burner because people get too caught up in the day-to-day.

Recognize Each Other’s Point of View
It’s common for family members and stakeholders to have different visions for the future. It’s important to listen and recognize each other’s point of view as valid, whether you agree or not.

Understand the Financial Picture
The next generation should have access to the finances for the best chance of success. For example, unknowns can cause issues and prevent a successful transfer.

Write Down Your Rough Draft for Transition of Assets and Management
Write down your vision or ideas to ensure everyone is on the same page. This draft will help you finalize it with a professional.

Get Help as Needed from a Facilitator
A facilitator or mediator with experience in family coaching and succession planning helps create a sense of fairness. They’ll help set the agenda at family meetings, ensure nothing is missed, and help reluctant participants become more involved.

“We provide free mediation services on a variety of issues facing farmers, including farm transitions.” said Matt Strassberg, CALAMP Program Director. “CALAMP’s services helped many families reach agreements about how to manage the farm going forward.”

CALAMP offers both on-site mediation sessions and teleconferencing sessions so that everyone has access to this service no matter where in California they live.

“Farm transition discussions don’t have to be limited to only family members. Some may want to involve long-term employees in future ownership or young farmers outside the business,” Strassberg said.

For more information on FarmLink’s program, visit: https://www.californiafarmlink.org/succession. Or email Liya Schwartzman at liya@cafarmlink.org.

For more information or to sign up for free mediation with CALAMP visit www.CALAMP.org where you can fill out an online request form. Or email Jenna Muller at jennam@emcenter.org or Mary Campbell at maryc@emcenter.org.

California Ag Today2022-02-03T09:12:41-08:00February 3rd, 2022|

EPA Looking At Pesticide AIs on Effect on ESA

EPA Announces Endangered Species Act Protection Policy for New Pesticides

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking action to further the Agency’s compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA) when evaluating and registering new pesticide active ingredients (AIs).

Before EPA registers any new conventional AI, the Agency will evaluate the potential effects of the AI on federally threatened or endangered (listed) species, and their designated critical habitats, and initiate ESA consultation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service (the Services).

Prior to this action, there was a litany of resource-intensive litigation against EPA for registering new AIs prior to assessing potential effects on listed species. EPA’s new policy should reduce these types of cases against the Agency and improve the legal defensibility of new AIs, which often have lower human health and ecological risks than older pesticides.

Under this new approach, if EPA finds through its analyses that a new conventional pesticide AI is likely to adversely affect listed species or their designated critical habitats, EPA will initiate formal consultation with the Services before granting a new AI registration. As part of its analysis and under its existing authorities, EPA will consider the likelihood that the registration action may jeopardize the continued existence of listed species or adversely modify their designated critical habitat and provide its findings to the Services.

To determine or predict the potential effects of a pesticide on these species and habitats, EPA will use appropriate ecological assessment principles and apply what it has learned from past effects determinations and the Services’ biological opinions.

If EPA determines that jeopardy or adverse modification is likely, the Agency will only make a registration decision on the new AI after requiring registrants to implement mitigation measures that EPA determines would likely prevent jeopardy or adverse modification.

If EPA finds that a new AI is likely to adversely affect listed species or their critical habitat, but that jeopardy/adverse modification is not likely, it may nonetheless require registrants to include mitigation measures on their registration and product labeling to minimize the effects of incidental take to listed species that could result from use of a pesticide.

California Ag Today2022-01-27T10:51:53-08:00January 27th, 2022|

Current and Former FFA Officers Tour CA Ag

FFA Members Explore Agriculture in California During January

Earlier this month, 46 current and former state FFA officers visited California and learned about the various types of agriculture the state offers.

Members flew into California and toured various agribusinesses — from the largest U.S. producer of caviar to a fourth-generation ranch practicing responsible carbon farming and more. They also talked with Karen Ross; California Secretary of Agriculture, Dorene D’Adamo; the vice-chair of the California Water Board, Matthew Allen; vice president of state government affairs at Western Growers.

During the second week of the tour, members visited berry farms, nurseries, a horse ranch, and a feedlot; experienced whale watching; and explored the Muir National Forest. They spoke with a variety of agriculture experts, learned about practices they could take home to their communities, and visited the Mark Richardson Career Technical Education Center & Agricultural Farm in Santa Maria.

The experience was made possible thanks to FFA sponsors John Deere and Bunge.

FFA members who participated in the experience include: Alyssa Andrews and William Blankenship of Arkansas; Jillian Johnson, Carter Howell, Julia Heijkoop, Kelly Alexander, Barrett Young and Tyler Brannan of Florida; Madison Stevenson and Kesley Holdgrafer of Iowa; Cassandra Moody, Claire Shelton and Katherine Hebdon of Idaho; Julia Hamblen of Indiana; Ashley Chandler and Rachel Sebesta of Kansas; Kyle Schulze of Maryland; Olivia Coffey and Adele Battel of Michigan; Nicol Koziolek of Minnesota; Joceyln Dvorak of Missouri; Regan Hand of Mississippi; Bailey Robinson, Emma Kuss, Madison Stracke and Victoria Ference of Nebraska; Emily Sadlon, Abigail Goodenough, and Johnathan Finney of New Jersey; Aubrey Schwartz, Jacob Zajkowski, John Dippold, Katherine Price, Kylie Baldwin, Isabel D’Aquisto-Butler and Justin Sharp of Oregon; Hunter Eide of South Dakota; Ryder Mortenson of South Dakota and Samantha Olson of South Dakota; Charles Moser; Samuel Leach; Ellie Vance; Jackson Lohr, Lauren Rhodes and Emma Jackson of Virginia.

The National FFA Organization is a school-based national youth leadership development organization of more than 735,000 student members as part of 8,817 local FFA chapters in all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

California Ag Today2022-01-24T09:11:42-08:00January 24th, 2022|