BIG WATER RALLY SCHEDULED FOR JAN. 16!
Thousands Needed To Participate In Big Water Rally on Jan. 16
Solano County 4-H Clubs Win Big at Skills Day
When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemon Curd!
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| Showmanship winner Tyler Scott of the Wolfskill 4-H Club |
DIXON–Tyler Scott of the Wolfskill 4-H Club, Dixon, figures that “When Life Gives You Lemons, I Make Lemon Curd.”
And that’s exactly what he did when he showcased his project at the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day, held Jan. 11 in the C. A. Jacobs School, Dixon.
Scott gathered lemons from his grandparents’ tree, figured out the cost and nutrition value, purchased a table cover from a thrift shop, and polished his presentation skills. For his efforts he won a showmanship award in the intermediate food preservation category for sixth through eighth graders.
Scott was one of 11 youths winning showmanship awards, the highest honor given at the annual Project Skills Day, which showcases what the youths have learned in their projects and provides an opportunity to share their knowledge with others. Judges score the 4-H’ers on their display, presentation, knowledge and interaction.
The event drew 40 projects. Youths showcased projects ranging from poultry, horses, dairy goats and swine to gardening, Legos, candles and “the role of the 4-H treasurer.”
Other showmanship winners:
Lilya Gardner, Roving Clovers 4-H Club, Dixon, “Iced Pumpkin Cookies,” entered in the intermediate foods category, sixth through eighth grades.
Evelyn Young, Rio Vista 4-H Club, “Chickens: Easy Ways to Cook Eggs,” entered in the junior livestock/animals category, fourth through fifth grades
Sarah Bowen, Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, “Backing a Horse,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Makenna Caulfield, Roving Clovers 4-H Club, “Home-Grown Cookies,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Ivy Christensen, Sherwood Forest 4-Club, “Join Up With Your Horse,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Josephine Linan, Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, “The Bridle: English or Western,” entered in the senior livestock/animals category, ninth through 12 grades
Adilene Koelzer, Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville, “Gi’me Kumihimo,” entered in “all other projects,” junior division, fourth through fifth grades
Maya Miller, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, Fairfield-Suisun, “Stretching from your Health Officer,” entered in “all other projects,” junior division, fourth through fifth grades
Alec Merodio, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, “A Rube Goldberg Machine,” entered in “all other projects,” intermediate division, sixth through eighth grades
Carson Merodio, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, “The Role of the 4-H Treasurer,” entered in “all other projects,” senior division ninth through 12 grades
In addition to the showmanship winners, participation certificates went to:
Foods (primary grades, kindergarten through third grade) – Not Judged
Kaitlyn Westerhaus, Roving Clovers, Dixon, Baking Mixes
Kylie Westerhaus, Roving Clovers, Dixon, Baking Mixes
Foods Intermediate, sixth through eighth grades)
—Katie Hurtado, Wolfskill, Dixon, “What’s up, Doc? Hoppin’ and Healthy Rabbit Meat”
Food Preservation (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
–Xavier Copeland, Suisun Valley, “What’s P J – How To Make Pomegranate Jelly”
Food Preservation (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Siera Giron, Wolfskill, “Poppin’ Hot Pepper Jelly”
Livestock/Animals (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
–Jordan Burkett, Sherwood Forest, “Horsie Hair Cuts”
–Christopher Lang, Suisun Valley, “This Little Piggy Went to the Market”
–Savannah Torres, Sherwood Forest, “Good Hoof/ Good Horse”
Livestock/Animals (intermediate,sixth through eighth grade)
–Kasey Davis, Elmira 4-H Club, Elmira, “Got Combs?”
–Natalie Greene, Sherwood Forest, “One Size Does Not Fit All – Selecting the Saddle for Your Horse”
–Amanda Kant, Sherwood Forest, “Trick or Treat – Decorating a Horse for Halloween”
–Luis Laffitte, Vaca Valley, “Nutrition Mission”
–Erica Lull, Elmira, “What’s a Good Egg”
–Julette Pierce,Vaca Valley, “Scoop on Chicken Combs”
–Daniela Setka, Wolfskill, “Dressing the Little Piggy”
–Jack Strickland, Vaca Valley, “Nutrition for a Pregnant Dairy Goat”
–Emily Turner, Elmira, “Caring for Your HYPP Horse”
Livestock/Animals (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Nika Gardner, Roving Clovers, “No Horsin’ Around”
–Audrey Hennigan, Roving Clovers, “The Bunnies, The Birds and The Bees”
–Sarah Lull, Elmira, “A Fishy Home – Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium”
All Other Projects (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
—Natalie Frenkel, Suisun Valley, “Record Book Tips”
–Haley Scott, Wolfskill, “Haley’s Edible Flower Garden”
–Jason Williams, Roving Clovers, “Pi”
–Cheyenne Miller, Suisun Valley, “Recycle/Reuse”
All Other Projects (intermediate, sixth through eighth grade)
–Sam Forbes, Suisun Valley, “Fire and Ice: How To Make Ice Candles”
–Ethan Brown, Suisun Valley, “Lego Pieces, Parts, Bricks”
All Other Projects (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Megan Torres, Sherwood Forest, “Garden in a Jar”
–Emma Vogliano, Suisun Valley, “The Science of WORDS”
In addition, the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day featured the annual 4-H Chili
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| The 4-Alarm Team was comprised of (from left) Cody Ceremony, Marley and Justin Means. |
Cook-Off, won by the 4-Alarm Chili team of Dixon Ridge/Pleasant Valley clubs. The winning team: Cody Ceremony, Randy Marley and Justin Means of the Pleasants Valley Club with advisor Chuck Means of Dixon Ridge. Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez Jr. of Vacaville, Ed Coffelt of Dixon and Kathy Keatley Garvey of Vacaville judged the competition.
Receiving participation certificates were:
Want Quackers With Your Chili, Vaca Valley: Makenzie Davi, Marissa Daviand Emma Ryder
Jeans n Beans, Pleasants Valley: Sabrina Brown, Melanie Campilongo, Lillian Tudbury and David Witzel
The Persim-Monsters, Suisun Valley: Alexis Taliafero, Clairese Wright and Robert Wright
The 2013-14 Solano County 4-H All-Star Lyle Glass of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club served as the emcee. Assisting him were Tyler Sasabuchi of the Roving Clovers 4-H Club, and Siera Giron of the Wolfskill 4-H Club, the Dixon area representatives to the Solano County 4-H Leaders’ Council, and the 2012-2013 Solano County 4-H All-Star Julianne Payne of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club.
In special presentation, Tractor Supply Company of Dixon received the 4-H Paper Clover Award. Receiving the award was the store’s representative, Kristen Clark-Webb. The company and its employees supported 4-H during the Paper Clover promotion, which raised $503 for the county 4-H program.
 |
| Chili judges Ed Coffelt (left) of the Maine Prairie 4-H Club, Dixon, and Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez Jr. of Vacaville score the teams at the Solano County 4-H Chili Cookoff. |
Solano County 4-H representative Valerie Williams of Vacaville and her sister, Kelly Fletcher of Dixon, each received a bouquet of flowers for their work in organizing the event.
Solano County has 12 4-H clubs with a total of 500 members
The clubs are:
Dixon: Dixon Ridge, Maine Prairie, Roving Clovers, Tremont and Wolfskill
Fairfield-Suisun: Suisun Valley and Westwind Rio Vista: Rio Vista 4-H Club
Vacaville: Elmira, Vaca Valley and Pleasants Valley
Vallejo: Sherwood Forest
More information about the 4-H program is available from Valerie Williams, Solano County 4-H program representative, Solano County Cooperative Extension, at (707) 784-1319 or Valerie A Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu or by accessing the web site at http://cesolano.ucdavis.edu.
Solano County 4-H Clubs Win Big at Skills Day
When Life Gives you Lemons, Make Lemon Curd!
|
| Showmanship winner Tyler Scott of the Wolfskill 4-H Club |
DIXON–Tyler Scott of the Wolfskill 4-H Club, Dixon, figures that “When Life Gives You Lemons, I Make Lemon Curd.”
And that’s exactly what he did when he showcased his project at the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day, held Jan. 11 in the C. A. Jacobs School, Dixon.
Scott gathered lemons from his grandparents’ tree, figured out the cost and nutrition value, purchased a table cover from a thrift shop, and polished his presentation skills. For his efforts he won a showmanship award in the intermediate food preservation category for sixth through eighth graders.
Scott was one of 11 youths winning showmanship awards, the highest honor given at the annual Project Skills Day, which showcases what the youths have learned in their projects and provides an opportunity to share their knowledge with others. Judges score the 4-H’ers on their display, presentation, knowledge and interaction.
The event drew 40 projects. Youths showcased projects ranging from poultry, horses, dairy goats and swine to gardening, Legos, candles and “the role of the 4-H treasurer.”
Other showmanship winners:
Lilya Gardner, Roving Clovers 4-H Club, Dixon, “Iced Pumpkin Cookies,” entered in the intermediate foods category, sixth through eighth grades.
Evelyn Young, Rio Vista 4-H Club, “Chickens: Easy Ways to Cook Eggs,” entered in the junior livestock/animals category, fourth through fifth grades
Sarah Bowen, Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, Vallejo, “Backing a Horse,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Makenna Caulfield, Roving Clovers 4-H Club, “Home-Grown Cookies,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Ivy Christensen, Sherwood Forest 4-Club, “Join Up With Your Horse,” entered in the intermediate livestock/animals category, sixth through eighth grades
Josephine Linan, Sherwood Forest 4-H Club, “The Bridle: English or Western,” entered in the senior livestock/animals category, ninth through 12 grades
Adilene Koelzer, Vaca Valley 4-H Club, Vacaville, “Gi’me Kumihimo,” entered in “all other projects,” junior division, fourth through fifth grades
Maya Miller, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, Fairfield-Suisun, “Stretching from your Health Officer,” entered in “all other projects,” junior division, fourth through fifth grades
Alec Merodio, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, “A Rube Goldberg Machine,” entered in “all other projects,” intermediate division, sixth through eighth grades
Carson Merodio, Suisun Valley 4-H Club, “The Role of the 4-H Treasurer,” entered in “all other projects,” senior division ninth through 12 grades
In addition to the showmanship winners, participation certificates went to:
Foods (primary grades, kindergarten through third grade) – Not Judged
Kaitlyn Westerhaus, Roving Clovers, Dixon, Baking Mixes
Kylie Westerhaus, Roving Clovers, Dixon, Baking Mixes
Foods Intermediate, sixth through eighth grades)
—Katie Hurtado, Wolfskill, Dixon, “What’s up, Doc? Hoppin’ and Healthy Rabbit Meat”
Food Preservation (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
–Xavier Copeland, Suisun Valley, “What’s P J – How To Make Pomegranate Jelly”
Food Preservation (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Siera Giron, Wolfskill, “Poppin’ Hot Pepper Jelly”
Livestock/Animals (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
–Jordan Burkett, Sherwood Forest, “Horsie Hair Cuts”
–Christopher Lang, Suisun Valley, “This Little Piggy Went to the Market”
–Savannah Torres, Sherwood Forest, “Good Hoof/ Good Horse”
Livestock/Animals (intermediate,sixth through eighth grade)
–Kasey Davis, Elmira 4-H Club, Elmira, “Got Combs?”
–Natalie Greene, Sherwood Forest, “One Size Does Not Fit All – Selecting the Saddle for Your Horse”
–Amanda Kant, Sherwood Forest, “Trick or Treat – Decorating a Horse for Halloween”
–Luis Laffitte, Vaca Valley, “Nutrition Mission”
–Erica Lull, Elmira, “What’s a Good Egg”
–Julette Pierce,Vaca Valley, “Scoop on Chicken Combs”
–Daniela Setka, Wolfskill, “Dressing the Little Piggy”
–Jack Strickland, Vaca Valley, “Nutrition for a Pregnant Dairy Goat”
–Emily Turner, Elmira, “Caring for Your HYPP Horse”
Livestock/Animals (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Nika Gardner, Roving Clovers, “No Horsin’ Around”
–Audrey Hennigan, Roving Clovers, “The Bunnies, The Birds and The Bees”
–Sarah Lull, Elmira, “A Fishy Home – Setting Up a Freshwater Aquarium”
All Other Projects (junior, fourth and fifth grades)
—Natalie Frenkel, Suisun Valley, “Record Book Tips”
–Haley Scott, Wolfskill, “Haley’s Edible Flower Garden”
–Jason Williams, Roving Clovers, “Pi”
–Cheyenne Miller, Suisun Valley, “Recycle/Reuse”
All Other Projects (intermediate, sixth through eighth grade)
–Sam Forbes, Suisun Valley, “Fire and Ice: How To Make Ice Candles”
–Ethan Brown, Suisun Valley, “Lego Pieces, Parts, Bricks”
All Other Projects (senior, ninth through 12th grades)
–Megan Torres, Sherwood Forest, “Garden in a Jar”
–Emma Vogliano, Suisun Valley, “The Science of WORDS”
In addition, the Solano County 4-H Project Skills Day featured the annual 4-H Chili
|
| The 4-Alarm Team was comprised of (from left) Cody Ceremony, Marley and Justin Means. |
Cook-Off, won by the 4-Alarm Chili team of Dixon Ridge/Pleasant Valley clubs. The winning team: Cody Ceremony, Randy Marley and Justin Means of the Pleasants Valley Club with advisor Chuck Means of Dixon Ridge. Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez Jr. of Vacaville, Ed Coffelt of Dixon and Kathy Keatley Garvey of Vacaville judged the competition.
Receiving participation certificates were:
Want Quackers With Your Chili, Vaca Valley: Makenzie Davi, Marissa Daviand Emma Ryder
Jeans n Beans, Pleasants Valley: Sabrina Brown, Melanie Campilongo, Lillian Tudbury and David Witzel
The Persim-Monsters, Suisun Valley: Alexis Taliafero, Clairese Wright and Robert Wright
The 2013-14 Solano County 4-H All-Star Lyle Glass of the Vaca Valley 4-H Club served as the emcee. Assisting him were Tyler Sasabuchi of the Roving Clovers 4-H Club, and Siera Giron of the Wolfskill 4-H Club, the Dixon area representatives to the Solano County 4-H Leaders’ Council, and the 2012-2013 Solano County 4-H All-Star Julianne Payne of the Sherwood Forest 4-H Club.
In special presentation, Tractor Supply Company of Dixon received the 4-H Paper Clover Award. Receiving the award was the store’s representative, Kristen Clark-Webb. The company and its employees supported 4-H during the Paper Clover promotion, which raised $503 for the county 4-H program.
|
| Chili judges Ed Coffelt (left) of the Maine Prairie 4-H Club, Dixon, and Solano County Supervisor John Vasquez Jr. of Vacaville score the teams at the Solano County 4-H Chili Cookoff. |
Solano County 4-H representative Valerie Williams of Vacaville and her sister, Kelly Fletcher of Dixon, each received a bouquet of flowers for their work in organizing the event.
Solano County has 12 4-H clubs with a total of 500 members
The clubs are:
Dixon: Dixon Ridge, Maine Prairie, Roving Clovers, Tremont and Wolfskill
Fairfield-Suisun: Suisun Valley and Westwind Rio Vista: Rio Vista 4-H Club
Vacaville: Elmira, Vaca Valley and Pleasants Valley
Vallejo: Sherwood Forest
More information about the 4-H program is available from Valerie Williams, Solano County 4-H program representative, Solano County Cooperative Extension, at (707) 784-1319 or Valerie A Williams at vawilliams@ucanr.edu or by accessing the web site at http://cesolano.ucdavis.edu.
California Ag News UC To Help Ranchers
UC to Help Ranchers
Survive Winter 2013-14
The first agricultural operations to feel the impact of a drought are dryland ranchers, many of whom rely almost entirely on annual rainfall to grow food for their livestock. The UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources will hold a drought workshop from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Jan. 29 in Browns Valley to help these ranchers live on to fight another day, said Glenn Nader, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Sutter-Yuba counties.
“From previous droughts we’ve learned that feeding the whole herd through the drought may spell the end of business,” Nader said. “We plan to provide information on management options and impacts of drought on dryland range and irrigated pasture, feeding options to consider during a drought and how to decide what cows to sell.”
Nader is organizing the workshop, “Mitigating Drought – Optimizing Pasture and Supplemental Feed, and Managing Risk,” with Jeremy James, director of the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center.
The workshop is designed to provide ranchers with information to manage their herds during a period of low feed supply. Practical tools and strategies to be presented include:
• Getting the most effective use out of limited dryland and irrigated pasture
• Alternative protein and roughage supplementation
• Understanding the economics of supplementation
• Managing animal health
• Making culling decisions
• Tax and insurance issues related to drought
The meeting will be at the UC Sierra Foothill Research and Extension Center, 8279 Scott Forbes Rd., Browns Valley, CA 95918. Registration is $10 and includes lunch. To register, fill in the online form at http://ucanr.edu/droughtworkshop. The forum will also be webcast for those that cannot attend in person. Register using the same online form.
Following is the complete agenda:
Overview
9 a.m.
Welcome and introduction
9:10 a.m.
The last 30 years of rainfall and rangeland forage production
Larry Forero, UCCE Shasta and Trinity counties
Optimizing pasture
9:30 a.m.
Using and storing annual feed on rangeland and alternatives to annual feed
Josh Davy, UCCE Tehama, Colusa, Glenn counties
9:50 a.m.
Optimizing irrigation and fertilization on irrigated pasture
Larry Forero, UCCE Shasta and Trinity counties
10:10 a.m.
Getting the most out of your pastures with grazing management
Roger Ingram, UCCE Nevada, Placer counties
10:30 a.m.
Field demonstration of drought management tools and impacts
11:30 a.m.
Lunch
Optimizing supplemental feed
12:50 p.m.
How and when to supplement and economics of supplementation
Dr. Jim Oltjen, Dept. of Animal Science, UC Davis
12:50 p.m.
Alternative protein supplementation
Dr. Roberto Sainz, Dept. of Animal Science, UC Davis
1:20 p.m.
Roughage supplementation, feeding corn to spare hay
Glenn Nader, UCCE Yuba, Sutter, Butte counties
Risk Management and Economics
1:40 p.m.
What did ranchers learn from the 1970s drought?
Wally Roney, Rancher
Tehama and Butte counties
2:00 p.m.
Government/NAP, Emergency feed, Low interest loans
Justin Oldfield, California Cattlemen’s Association
2:20 p.m.
Lack of Rainfall Insurance
Matt Griffith, Ranch Protection
2:40 p.m.
Cow-calf Economics
Glenn Nader, UCCE Yuba, Sutter, Butte counties
3:00 p.m.
Wrap up and assessment
MONTEREY FARM BUREAU WARNS CPUC ON WATER ISSUES
Desalination Plant Could Jeopardize Groundwater Supply
California American Water could threaten the ground water supply of the Salinas Valley where up to 60 percent of the vegetables and leafy greens are grown for the nation. The water company, which serves about 100,000 people on the Monterey Peninsula, was ordered 20 years ago to reduce using their source of water from the Carmel River by 60 percent by 2016.
Norm Groot, the Executive Director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, says the water company has been frantically searching for an alternative source. “Unfortunately, they have had twenty years to do that and the voters haven’t really been necessarily sympathetic and voted for their particular projects when they proposed them. So, now we are down to the point where we are looking at a desalination plant that is supposedly going to replace all that water from the Carmel River.” Groot says people there are concerned about such additional issues as the cost and the energy footprint.
The test well for the proposed desal plant may be fairy close to the shoreline, but any water taken from that well could impact the Salinas Valley. Groot thinks our biggest concern is we really don’t know how large a cone of influence, a scientific term for the influence that a source water intake has in a particular area, is going to be felt. The variables are the confluences between the lower aquifer, which is the Salinas Valley Basin, and the shallow aquifer that they are proposing to take the water from and the potential for impact because the actual aquifer goes off shore quite a distance.
Groot has been actively involved in the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) process, “trying to insert our particular viewpoints into the process so that everyone is fully aware of what the ramifications are of placing the source water intakes over the aquifer and really what happens if there is determination that the there is harm and that they are pumping some sort of source water that includes Salinas Valley, either brackish or fresh water.”
Nunes: Valley Suffering from Government-made drought
From Congressman Devin Nunes Today!
A letter RE: CVP Improvement Act of 1992
Policies pushed by environmental extremists have now taken deep root in the Central Valley, especially due to the Central Valley Project Improvement Act of 1992 (the George Miller/Bill Bradley bill), destructive court rulings based on the Endangered Species Act, and the San Joaquin River Settlement of 2009. The devastating results of these policies are now undeniable – the Valley is suffering from a permanent government-made drought.
A bill that would have rectified this situation – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Valley Water Reliability Act (H.R. 1837) – was approved by the House of Representatives in 2012 but did not pass the Senate due to opposition from both California senators and from Governor Brown.
The current impasse on water is the result of a deliberate campaign to pit water districts and local officials against one another, and to create a giant, impenetrable bureaucracy around the issue that insulates our senators and governor from the political consequences of this disaster.
In light of the dire threat the drought poses to Valley agriculture and to Valley life in general, our senators and Governor Brown must either work to pass the reforms from H.R. 1837 or explain to Californians how they intend to mitigate this calamity. Ultimately, it will take federal law to fix the problem; without Senate support for a comprehensive water bill that gains President Obama’s signature, there will be no relief from current conditions outside of flood-level rainfall.
For further information, please see the letter I recently sent to Friant farmers on this topic here, and a letter I sent out in 2008 here.
Sincerely,
Devin Nunes
MEMBER OF CONGRESS
If you would like to contact me, please visit my website at www.nunes.house.gov. If you would like to be removed from my mailing list, please send a message to LISTSERV@LS1.HOUSE.GOV with the text “SIGNOFF
CALIFORNIA SUSTAINING GLOBAL ALMOND DEMAND
Domestic Consumption Greatest Source of Increased Almond Demand
Mark Jansen, President and CEO Blue Diamond Growers, issued a press release TODAY reporting that for the second consecutive year, domestic consumption of California Almonds is driving demand. U.S. shipments have grown 11% over a year ago, and in December they posted a 20% gain. The U.S. is the most consistent, largest and greatest source of growth for California almonds.
Total global shipments for the month were flat to last year. Year to date, shipments exceed prior year by 6%. We are now projecting a 2 billion pound crop, which should give the industry just enough almonds to sustain the current growth rate of 6%.
Prices are 25% higher than last year, so we are increasingly seeing which markets will pay premium prices for almonds. Sales weakness continued in two of the largest export markets, China and India. The total European region sits at 21% year to date over last year. Spain had a particularly strong month receiving nearly 60% more volume than last year. The Middle East is recovering, replacing last year’s losses with shipments up 28% over prior year for the month and climbing 39% year to date.
With demand for California Almonds firmly in place, prices are expected to remain solid as we progress into the bloom.
Mark Jansen currently serves on the Executive Council for the California Chamber of Commerce, is on the Executive Council for the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives, is Director, International Nut and Dried Fruit Council, and is on the Board of Trustees for the Graduate Institute of Cooperative Learning.
FEDERAL MILK ORDER MEETINGS THIS WEEK
Federal Milk Marketing Order Info Meetings in Tulare Jan. 16 and Modesto 17
Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos has made arrangements to hold informational meetings, open to the public, with Deputy USDA Administrator Dana Coale and her team on Jan. 16 and Jan. 17.
Coale and her team will be available to answer questions about Federal Milk Marketing Orders that might be considered for the State of California following passage of a Farm Bill.
The first meeting will be held at the Tulare County Ag Commissioner’s Auditorium located at 4437 S. Laspina Street in Tulare at 1 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16.
The next day, Friday, January 17th, a meeting will be held with Dana Coale and her team in Modesto at 3 p.m. at the Double Tree Hotel in Modesto, 1150 9th Street.
Drought Emergency to Be Declared
Breaking News, But not Unexpected
Governor Brown to Declare Drought Emergency Within 3 Weeks
According to the California Farm Water Coalition There are other things that can be done to alleviate the effects of drought. Strict water supply cuts a year ago prevented water managers from storing more than 800,000 acre-feet of water in San Luis Reservoir, west of Los Banos. Instead, that water went out to the ocean with no measurable environmental benefit.
Federal fishery agencies have the discretion to allow a more realistic amount of pumping of water that flows through the Delta.
Last year’s lost water could have irrigated 200,000 to 400,000 acres of farmland or served the annual water supply needs of more than 4 million people. Storing water when we have it is the key to having water during dry years like this.
PROPOSED DESALINATION PLANT IN SALINAS VALLEY
Salinas Valley Worried about Desal Plans
California American Water could threaten the ground water supply of the Salinas Valley where up to 60 percent of the vegetables and leafy greens are grown for the nation.
The water company, which serves about 100,000 people on the Monterey Peninsula, was ordered 20 years ago to reduce using their source of water from the Carmel River by 60 percent by 2016.
Norm Groot, executive director of the Monterey County Farm Bureau, commented, “They’re searching frantically to find an alternative source. Unfortunately, they have had twenty years to do that and the voters haven’t really been necessarily sympathetic and voted for their particular projects when proposed.”
“So, now we are to the point of looking at a desalination plant that is supposedly going to replace all that water from the Carmel River,” Groot said. “There are a number of issues there as well—not only the cost—but the energy footprint and a number of other things that really have some of the people here quite concerned right now.”
“The test well for the proposed desal plant may be fairy close to the shoreline,” Groot said, “but any water taken from that well could impact the Salinas Valley. I think our biggest concern is what is that cone of depression, which is a scientific term for the influence that a source water intake has in a particular area. And because of the confluence between the lower aquifer, the Salinas Valley Basin, and the shallow aquifer from which they propose to take the water, we really don’t know how large a cone of influence is going to be felt. And since the actual aquifer goes offshore quite a distance, there is potential for some sort of impact there.”
“We’ve been involved in the whole CPUC process for the Public Utilities Commission trying to insert our particular viewpoints into the process” Groot explained, “so that everyone is fully aware of the ramifications of placing the source water intakes over the aquifer. And what if pumping is determined to cause harm to source water that includes Salinas Valley, either brackish or fresh water?”
