32ND AGRIBUSINESS CONFERENCE

Economy, Water, Trade and Labor were Big Topics at 32nd Agribusiness Conference

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Editor

The reality of the 2014 Federal water allocation, new trade agreements, and the prospects of immigration reform were some of the topics discussed at the 32^ndAgribusiness Management Conference, held at the Radisson Hotel and Conference Center in Fresno, and hosted by Mechel Paggi, Director of California State University Center for Agricultural Business.

California State University, Fresno (CSUF) President Joseph Castro

California State University, Fresno (CSUF) President Joseph Castro, the first CSUF president native to the Central Valley and close to agriculture, opened the conference. “I’m happy that our Jordon College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology has had such a tremendous impact in helping to provide a well-educated work force to serve the many facets of the agricultural industry in the valley and beyond.

“One of my highest priorities as president is to further strengthen our agricultural programs in the broadest sense. In the next week, I will formerly establish a presidential commission on the future of agriculture at Fresno State. The commission will include leaders from the campus and industry coming together to assess our programs and to think about what the needs are now and in the future,” Castro said. “I want these leaders to make recommendations on how to further strengthen our agriculture program.

Following Castro, Terry Barr, Chief Economist, CoBank, presented an economic outlook. He noted that economic decisions are not being made fast enough, because the economy is about the same as it was a year ago. “There are still many issues that are unresolved,” he said, adding, “If you don’t make decisions then you don’t move forward.”

Terry Barr, chief economist, CoBank

“We have been through a very dynamic period over the last 10 years. In the first half of that 10 year period, everyone was talking about the rising middle class in China and India and what it was doing for agricultural product demand,” said Carr. “From 2004 to 2008, we had the best of all possible worlds with strong economic growth and growth in the middle class. That was an extremely strong time for agricultural exports. In late 2008, we experienced different economic turmoil and global recession; however, agriculture was pretty well insulated,” Carr added.

“Today, demand for agricultural products remains very strong, mainly due to global shortfalls of some commodities and, of course, growth in China. Going forward in the next five years, we expect a period of continued turmoil, requiring policy changes to realign management, including budget deficits,” noted Carr.

“China is still going to be important but there will be some major geopolitical realignments globally. We are not going to see rapid growth with solid demand. As we go forward, agriculture will probably have to find the new normal,” he said.

“In the US, there is a lot of policy inaction, and there is no long term strategy to reduce the debt. The US dollar is important to agriculture in terms of our competiveness on a global basis,” Carr explained. “From 2002 to 2011, the US dollar fell in value by 38 percent, and our global competitiveness was extremely strong during that time. But we have to believe that the dollar is going to get stronger, not weaker, against most other currencies, with the exception of China.”

Carr noted that China is really driving the global economy at this point in time and what happens there has extraordinary influence on Ag pricing in the future. “They have a lot of room for stimulus, and they have $3 trillion in reserves that they are deploying both domestic and globally,” he said.

“Brazil, Russia and India are emerging markets, which have slowed since the 2004-2008 experience. However, those economies are now in a more normal growth path,” Carr said.

Paggi then spoke about two trade agreements that are on currently in the forefront, the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP).

Mechel Paggi, director of California State University Center for Agricultural Business

“Basically every commodity we work with in California, particularly from the Central Valley, has a huge stake in the export market,” said Paggi. “We produce about $44 billion worth of product and 38 percent of it moves into international trade. It’s tremendously important to us,” said Paggi.

“TTP and TTIP are the two most important preferential trade agreements to be negotiated since NAFTA,” he noted.

“Our TPP partners encompass a market of nearly 500 million consumers with a combined GDP of nearly $12 trillion,” Paggi said. Partner countries include Canada, Australia, Mexico, Malaysia, Singapore, Chile, Peru, New Zealand, Vietnam, Brunei and Japan.

“The TTIP with the EU spans 28 countries with more than 500 million consumers and a GDP of $16.5 trillion,” said Paggi.

“These agreements would give us more marketing opportunities, which at the present time are less than completely open to us, so the benefits would have tremendous potential for us,” Paggi explained.

Paggi said that there is tremendous debate on these potential agreements within the U.S. Also, farmers in the foreign countries involved are worried about opening up their market to U.S. imports.

These agreements would also help to strengthen the existing trade agreements that already are in place with many of the countries in the area.

“We also need to realize that a tremendous amount of trade among these countries is already covered in existing agreements, so what we would be doing with the TTP and TTIP is expanding the membership and bringing everyone into the same circle,” Paggi commented.

Paggi said, in summary, the U.S. has a choice to remain engaged or be left behind. None of these agreements or policy solutions is perfect, so there will have to be a pro-con compromise.

“Also, keep in mind,” Paggi continued, “that trade agreements promote economic well-being, and economic stability promotes political stability, so the benefits of these agreements often transcend simple market access and sales opportunities.”

Tom Birmingham is General Manager of Westlands Water District, an agency of 615,000 acres on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley in Fresno and Kings Counties. “We are here to talk about ‘What’s on tap,’ which is a metaphor that creates an image I wish were applicable on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley,” Birmingham began, “I am not just talking about the Westlands Water District, I am talking about the west side of the San Joaquin Valley that includes the service of every agency that has an agricultural contract with the U.S.”

Tom Birmingham, general manager, Westlands Water District

“Unfortunately, and it almost brings tears to my eyes, next year, when the farmers in the Federal Water districts that use water from the Central Valley Project they open their taps, nothing is going to come. Nothing, that is, unless we have a dramatic change in the hydrology that we have been experiencing over the last year, actually the last eight months,” Birmingham warned.

“In California, water years fall in one of five classifications of hydrology; they have been classified as wet, above normal, below normal, dry or critical. If you talk about average hydrology in California, average rain, average snowpack, average runoff, it doesn’t mean a lot,” said Birmingham. “Because in fact, what is considered to be an average year, falls into a classification that is called, ‘a below-normal water year,’” he noted.

Birmingham continued, “But Westlands is projecting, and these are projections that the Bureau of Reclamation doesn’t take any issue with, that if we have average precipitation or hydrology for the rest of this water year, plus the same operational constraints the Endangered Species Act imposed in 2013 on the state water project and the Federal Central Valley project, our water supply will initially be zero. If we are lucky, we might get to 5% or 10% of our water supply.”

“So, we are facing a repeat of what we saw in 2009,” he noted, “when nearly half of the bare ground lay fallow in the Westlands Water District; where farmers over drafted the groundwater basin; where we experienced incredible unemployment; where people were forced to stand in lines to receive food, in some cases getting to the front of the line to be told the food bank had run out of food, or to get to the front of the line and be given carrots – grown in China. That, in my perspective, is a tragedy; it is unconscionable,” explained Birmingham.

“But that’s what we are faced with. It is hard to talk about these issues without talking about the Delta,” he said.

“The bad news is that in Kern County or the Friant-Kern service area, farmers and the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley, where groundwater is available, growers have been over drafting the groundwater basin,” said Birmingham.

“Westlands has one of the most sophisticated groundwater management programs that exist in the state,” explained Birmingham. “In fact, in 2009, when the state legislature adopted statutes requiring the development of groundwater management plans, Westlands was actually used as one of the examples of the types of information that could be collected.

But Westlands is projecting that in 2013, farmers in the district will use 598,000 acre feet of groundwater from the groundwater basin, compared to a safe yield of approximately 150,000 acre feet.

“The last time farmers in Westlands Water District extracted that much groundwater was in 1992, the fifth year of an extended drought,” said Birmingham.

“We have talked about subsidence and how it has historically occurred, and we are beginning to experience it in numerous places north of Fresno, Madera and Merced Counties,” he said.

“In fact, we continue to experience subsidence within the Westlands Water District. It is fascinating to drive long I-5, where it used to be perfectly flat and smooth. Today, as you drive along the Westside, there are lots of undulations. The same is true at the Three Rocks area of Fresno County. I remember highway 33 was perfectly flat, but today now there are undulations as a consequence of subsidence,” said Birmingham.

“We will continue to experience subsidence, but the rate of subsidence will accelerate. Currently the groundwater levels in Westlands are approximately 100 feet higher than in 1967 when deliveries from the Central Valley Project began. When we fall below that historic low groundwater level, we’re going to experience the types of subsidence that led to the authorization of the San Luis unit.

“Congress authorized construction of San Luis to alleviate subsidence on the Westside of the San Joaquin Valley,” said Birmingham.

“One of the things on tap is there is going to be some type of groundwater regulation. California is one of the few states that generally does not regulate the use of groundwater,” he noted.

There is a lot of groundwater monitoring in California, and in a few regions there are special groundwater management districts created by the legislature. But, generally the use of groundwater is not regulated to the same degree as surface water.

“There exists a lack of statewide effort to regulate the use of groundwater. I would suspect that all of our agencies would oppose that type of statewide legislation,” said Birmingham. “From our perspective, regulations should be made at a regional level because every groundwater basin is different and should be managed on a case-by- case basis instead of state-wide regulations.”

“But it is interesting, half of the farmers in the Westlands Water District take the historic agricultural position that groundwater is the resource available to overlying landowners, and no one has any business regulating their groundwater,” he said.

“If the other 50% of farmers in Westlands, do not become proactive in its management of ground water, as opposed to its monitoring, then the state will step in and do it on behalf of everyone in the state,” said Birmingham.

“Equally as controversial, if management is not done by regional entities like Westlands Water District, it will be regulated by county or state.”

“So, Westlands Water District is actively looking to get into the business of regulating the use of groundwater.”

Ron Jacobsma, general manager, Friant Water Authority

There is some good news, tempered with bad news. The good news is there are a lot of resources that can be reasonably and more effectively and efficiently managed.

Westlands Water District has experienced chronic water supply shortages on a regular basis since the implementation of the Endangered Species Act, and has coped using water transfer contracts based annually or on a longer-term basis with a fixed price.

Also speaking about water was Ron Jacobsma, General Manager, Friant Water Authority. He gave an interesting history of the San Joaquin River, Friant Dam, Millerton Reservoir and canal that serve 1,000s of growers on the East Side of the San Joaquin Valley from Madera to Kern County.

Brent Walthall, with the Kern Water Agency, talked about the many different and historical water districts in Kern County, as well as describing the innovative water banking that is taking place in Kern County during flood years.

Brent Walthall, Kern Water Agency

The event was sponsored by California State University’s Center for Agricultural Business, Jordon College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, Zenith Insurance Company, Edgewood Partners Insurance Center, and Higgins, Marcus & Lovett.

There was also a session on Immigration Reform and its importance to the Central Valley. We will post that on Nov. 4.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:12-07:00November 2nd, 2013|

TWO UPCOMING EVENTS

California Farm Labor Contractor Association Announces Two Conferences

Ag Supervisor Development Training Conference

Agricultural employers in the Central Valley and beyond should consider the opportunity offered through California Farm Labor Contractor Association’s (CFLCA) Ag Supervisor Training and Development Conference scheduled for November 13 at the Visalia Holiday Inn.

This conference offers 19 different sessions conducted entirely in SPANISH, to help with compliance, development, and improved performance for your front-line supervisors, safety and HR personnel.

Many sponsors are making this an incredibly affordable program that includes lunch, handouts, documentation of training, and an exhibitors area!

To download the informational brochure and registration form click here (pdf).

____________________________

2013 Ag Employer Compliance Conferences

California Farm Labor Contractor Association (CFLCA) is pleased to announce a series of educational conferences for agricultural employers. The programs are approved by the Department of Labor Standards Enforcement (DLSE) for the required eight hours of continuing education for FLC licensing and renewal.

These “Ag Employer Compliance Conferences offer a wide range of information, including updates on: new and proposed labor laws; The Affordable Care Act/Obama Care; immigration reform; wage and hour issues; Cal OSHA requirements; worker transportation issues; and FLC licensing and continuing education. Plus – AB 1825 compliance with two-hour session on Sexual Harassment and Discrimination Prevention.

November 6, 2013 – Stockton

December 6, 2013 – Las Vegas

To download the informational brochure and registration form click here (pdf).

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

GROUNDWATER MEETING NOV. 5 IN SACRAMENTO

State Ag Board to Discuss

Groundwater Supply Challenges

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture announced TODAY it will focus on groundwater supply issues at its upcoming meeting in Sacramento on Tuesday, November 5^th, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 ‘N’ Street – Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814.  

“Groundwater plays a critical role in California’s water supply, but greater reliance upon this precious resource during times of drought increases the challenges we face,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “Managing groundwater at the local and regional levels is effective but must relate to California’s overall water management plan. Issues of overdraft, impaired water quality, salinity accumulation and land subsidence must be addressed to ensure sustainable groundwater management and the long-term vitality of agriculture.”

California’s groundwater supply provides about 40 to 50 percent of total annual water use for agricultural and urban purposes

In 2009, the U.S. Geological Survey reported that for water years 1962-2003, California’s Central Valley aquifer was depleted by almost 60 million acre-feet – the equivalent of providing every resident of California with water for eight years.

In addition, the Central Valley is the second-most-pumped aquifer in the United States, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the nation’s groundwater demand. California is the largest agricultural producer in the United States, with farm revenue of $44.7 billion; an estimated seven percent of the total U.S. food supply comes from the Central Valley.

Invited speakers include: Jay Famiglietti, UC Center for Hydrologic Modeling, University of California, Irvine; Jim Branham, Sierra Nevada Conservancy; Martha Conklin, University of California, Merced; Dr. Ruth Langridge, University of California, Santa Cruz; Steve Phillips, U.S. Geological Survey; Eric Oppenheimer, State Water Resources Control Board; Clay Rodgers, Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board; Karen Christensen, Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County; Kelley Bell, Driscoll’s; Jerry Reaugh, Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions, and E. Michael Solomon, United Water Conservation District.

“Water remains one of the most critical topics for this Board,” said Craig McNamara, president of the California State Board of Food and Agriculture. “We cannot have the level of farming in this state that generations of consumers are used to unless we manage our water resources effectively and efficiently. Our rural communities and farmers deserve no less.”

The California State Board of Food and Agriculture advises the governor and the CDFA secretary on agricultural issues and consumer needs. The state board conducts forums that bring together local, state and federal government officials, agricultural representative and citizens to discuss current issues of concern to California agriculture.

This meeting will be streamed online at: www.cdfa.ca.gov/LiveMediaStream.html

Follow the board on Twitter at: www.twitter.com/Cafood_agboard

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

COLLABORATION, SOUND SCIENCE TO KEEP DELTA WATER OUT OF COURT

“We can do better. We must do better”

A newly published, peer-reviewed article this month, “We Can Do Better: Longfin Smelt and a Case Study in Collaborative Science” begins with the concept, “water is a limited resource” and “there should be no question that flows into, through, and out of California’s Delta are biologically important.”

The article also acknowledges, “Competing demands for Delta water include flows for native fish, water supply for farms and cities, and cold water held back in large reservoirs to cool salmon streams.”

The following passages attempt to quote and/or paraphrase the article:

Since water is limited, there are inevitable trade-offs. This is where science and policy intersect.

For too long, this tension has been handled one species at a time, one crisis at a time, and usually in court. This has fostered ‘combat science,’ where regulatory agencies, water contractors, and environmental advocates line up their own hypotheses, studies, and conclusions like artillery in the courtroom. It has fed distrust and stymied collaboration. This is a failed approach.

Absent a change in how we manage the Delta, there is no evidence to suggest the situation will improve. We can do better. We must do better.

The Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) takes a more comprehensive approach than the single-species management pursuant to the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Yet, a commitment to a more robust and collaborative science program is also emerging between many of the long-term litigants and between several state and federal agencies involved in the Delta.

All of these positive developments involve a fundamental shift in the way water agencies and regulators interact. Different sides may have different policy overlays, but the science will be the science.

There has to be a better way than arguing about science while species continue to decline and water supply reliability is jeopardized.

This better way starts with applying state-of-the-art scientific approaches, models, and tools. The BDCP sets forth a three-step “decision tree” process to help resolve disagreements over the recovery of longfin smelt requires.

A decision tree is nothing new: In simplest terms, it is a chart that maps successive decision points over time.

In all, we will learn by doing, and evaluate our progress in a structured way. We will measure success by assessing how well stakeholders are meaningfully engaged and committed to the process; by generating science that all agree is sound; by making progress toward achieving the biological objectives; and, by determining how well results from the science research are used to adjust and improve management decisions.

If we can achieve these measures of success, we may be able to avoid the courts and use our best available science to give ourselves a firmer footing for balancing and managing the Delta’s co-equal goals.

**************

Source

This work is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution in the San Francisco Estuary and Watershed Science, 11(3), by Mark W., Cowin, California Department of Water Resources, and Charlton H. Bonham, California Department of Fish and Wildlife. Copyright 2013 by the article author(s).

Article References

(DSP) Delta Science Program. 2013.

(CA): Delta Stewardship Counci.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

LET’S TALK ABOUT CALIFORNIA’S WATER PLAN

Westlands Supports Dialogue
on Draft California Water Action Plan

TODAY, Westlands Water District announced that it supports the goals of the draft California Water Action Plan, a proposal to secure reliable water supplies, restore important species and habitat, and construct a more resilient water system to meet changing conditions.

The Action Plan acknowledges that California cannot meet the water supply needs of the residents of the state or reach its environmental goals unless critical actions are taken to increase water supply and improve the state’s water infrastructure.

“This Action Plan comes at a critical time for the Westlands Water District and the people in the San Joaquin Valley who are facing the prospect of a record low water allocation, an historic low point in water supply reliability, and yet another year of severe economic hardship,” said Westlands General Manager Tom Birmingham.

The Plan recognizes the need for near-term solutions to respond to the extreme water supply conditions that currently exist that are adversely impacting state agriculture production.

The state and federal government must address the short-term water supply needs of farmers immediately. Westlands will continue to work closely with the Administration and federal officials to develop solutions that will protect the farms and families in the areas most impacted by chronic water supply shortages and to address the inability of the current water infrastructure to deliver available water.

Failure to address the recurring near-term water shortages will have a devastating impact on California’s agricultural economy and jobs in the Central Valley, and ultimately the economy of the entire state. Everything from farm workers harvesting crops for food supplies to agricultural exports at our ports will be impacted negatively by another crippling water supply allocation.

Westlands is also committed to the longer-term solution provided by the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and supports the implementation of the BDCP as the means of achieving the long-term co-equal goals of providing a more reliable water supply for California and to protect, restore, and enhance the Delta ecosystem. Through new conveyance, the BDCP addresses water supply and delivery problems that have been discussed and debated for more than 30 years.

State and federal agencies have developed a comprehensive plan that has been analyzed by numerous experts from the scientific, economic, and environmental perspective, modified substantially to address issues raised by interested groups and presented to the public for review in more venues than any other state project.

As acknowledged by the draft California Water Action Plan, it is time for the project to begin. We must take action now.

The draft California Water Action Plan is the beginning of an important dialogue on a comprehensive solution, but dialogue needs to result in substantial changes. We are optimistic that the Plan will create the momentum for major water supply and ecosystem improvements throughout the state.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

Dairies are Meeting the WDR Requirement

Water Board Reissued WDR To Dairies

The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in early October adopted Reissued Waste Discharge Requirements General Order No. R5-2013-0122 for existing milk cow dairies.

The water board will soon be sending out a letter to each dairy notifying them that they are now covered under the reissued order in place of the 2007 order.

A copy of the Reissued Dairy General Order may be downloaded at http://www.waterboards.ca.gov/centralvalley/water_issues/dairies/dairy_program_regs_requirements/index.shtml. The water board was mandated by a court order to set aside the Dairy WDR adopted in 2007 and reissue the Order once it complied with the court’s writ of mandate.

The reissued order, which is now 167 pages in length, strengthens the language within the document and makes it clear that the practices that dairy producers having been implementing for several years meet the requirements of the State’s antidegradation policy.

For dairies that are members of the Representative Monitoring Program (RMP) will continue to meet the requirement for groundwater monitoring.

Source: Western United Dairymen, Modesto

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

Novavine Open House Friday Nov. 1

Demand for Grafted Grapevines

Expands Supply Space

The increase in vineyard planting throughout California over the past few years has created a huge demand for grafted grapevines.

Grapevines suppliers such as Novavine, who has the only production facility on the North Coast, have experienced expediential increases in the demand for vines. With sales double what they were in 2010, Novavine has been expanding its infrastructure in order to keep up with the demand.

One major need was more greenhouse space. This created an opportunity to design and install a new state of the art greenhouse. The new greenhouse will hold 595,000 vines at a time and will be filled at least twice during a growing season, resulting in more than one million vines per year produced.

The new greenhouse facility features:

◦ 46,332 square feet

◦ Rollup walls to provide natural cooling on average temperature days

◦ A palletized traveling bench system

◦ Both under bench and overhead heat to ensure optimum growing conditions

◦ Duel boilers and pumping system to provide complete redundancy

◦ Evaporative cooling

◦ State of the art monitoring and control systems

◦ Quick connect hose attachments for ease of watering

◦ …And much more

Novavineis excited to embark on this new venture and will be opening their doors to the public hosting the Grand Opening of their new growing facility at 6735 Sonoma Highway, Santa Rosa, CA on Friday, November 1^stfrom 1pm – 4pm. CEO Jay Jensen and the entire staff will be joined by local Sonoma County dignitaries, clients and vendors in a casual afternoon setting of clonal wine tasting, pizza, tours of the new facility and discussions about innovation in grapevine propagation.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

California Citrus Mutual Annual Meeting, Nov. 7 in Visalia

Congressman Valadao

To Keynote Calif. Citrus Mutual Meeting

Central Valley Congressman David Valadao will serve as the Keynote Speaker at the California Citrus Mutual Annual Meeting on Thursday, November 7^th at the Visalia Convention Center.

The first-term Congressman is expected to talk about his perspectives on the inner-workings of the U.S. House of Representatives andhow gridlock in Washington, D.C. has unquestionably impacted agriculture policy.

“We are looking forward to an honest and engaging discussion with David on a number of issues which will undoubtedly include an evaluation of Congress’ performance on Farm Bill legislation and immigration reform,” says California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen.

A Hanford native, Valadao has strong ties to Central Valley agriculture. His family business now consists of 2 dairies and over 1,000 acres of farmland in Kings and Western Tulare County.

The Congressman was elected in 2012 and represents portions of Fresno, Tulare, Kings, and Kern Counties and serves on the House Appropriations Committee, specifically the Agriculture, Interior, and Legislative Branch Subcommittees.

California Citrus Mutual is the industry trade association representing over 70 percent of the tree crop tonnage on a voluntary basis. The event marks the organization’s 36^th year serving as the “voice of the citrus grower.”

During the evening, newly elected Board Chairman Kevin Severns will offer his perspective on the organization’s agenda for the coming year and install the 2013-2014 Board of Directors.

California Citrus Mutual will also honor four retiring Directors who have completed 10 years of service to the organization: John Demshki, John Gless, David Tomlinson, and retiring Board Chairman Tom Wollenman.

Social hour begins at 6:00 p.m. followed by the evening’s program and dinner at 7:00 p.m. Reservations are available by calling the Citrus Mutual office at 559-592-3790.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

Bakersfield Screening is Nov. 8

Award-wining film ‘The Fight for Water’

To Screen in Bakersfield

The award-winning documentary, “The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle”, which documents the historic 2009 Water March that spanned across the Westside of the California Central Valley to the San Luis Reservoir by farmers and their farm workers in order to restore their water, will screen in Bakersfield, California, as the “Official Selection” at this year’s first ever Outside the Box Bakersfield Film Festival, which will be held November 8 – 10, at the Historic Fox Theater.

The film, which was just awarded Best Documentary at the Viña de Oro International Film Festival in Fresno, will screen Friday, November 8 at 1:50 pm. Tickets for the screening can be purchased online at www.foxtheateronline.com or at www.bakersfieldfilmfest.com.

The documentary, which put a human face to the historic water crisis and the environmental decision that impacted a farm working community in the Westside of the California Central Valley, has won accolades and worldwide recognition. The film was recently nominated for Excellence in Filmmaking and was Runner Up Winner for Best Documentary in Cinematography and Runner Up Winner for Best Political Documentary Film at the Action on Film International Film Festival. The film also screened internationally at the Kuala Lumpur Eco Film Festival, in Malaysia, and at the Life Sciences Film Festival, in the Czech Republic.

The film will also screen in Pacific Grove, California, as the “Official Selection” at this year’s International Monarch Film Festival, which will be held December 11 and 12.

The film was produced by Juan Carlos Oseguera. He is a San Francisco State University alumnus who has been a published film critic and has won awards and recognitions in writing, producing and directing.

Oseguera is not associated with the California Latino Water Coalition, which was the prominent organization behind the 2009 Water March; nor did he receive any funds from any organization to produce the film. Oseguera wrote, edited and directed the film independently to maintain his sole vision and perspective.

Hollywood actor Paul Rodriguez, who helped organize the water march, is featured in the film for his activism in this cause. Major political figures from throughout the state, and community leaders representing the Central Valley community, who stood in favor and against the water cause, also appear on the film. Arnold Schwarzenegger also makes an appearance.

The documentary features two Latino farmers, Joe Del Bosque and George Delgado, who describe how federal water measures contributed to fields going dry in the West Side of the California Central Valley in 2009 while refuges that protect a threatened fish received all of the water designated for them. Because of this, workers were laid off and the governor had to declare the affected area a disaster in order to provide government-run food assistance for over two-hundred thousand farm working people who were now displaced from their jobs. Many of these were undocumented workers who did not have other means to turn to.

Oseguera, 39, who was raised in the California Central Valley by parents who were migrant farmworkers, understood the struggle they were facing and set out to document the their plight as a lesson to be learned and as a voice to be heard. Yet in his quest to understand this water situation, he uncovers class, racial and environmental intricacies behind water access and distribution in California, and the ripple effect it has on all of us. It is an eye opening documentary that everyone must see.

For additional information about the film and the film festivals screenings visit:

www.thefightforwaterfilm.com

www.facebook.com/thefightforwaterfilm

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:13-07:00November 1st, 2013|

Western United Dairymen Convention March 5-7

New Convention Website for

Western United Dairymen

Western United Dairymen has launched a website dedicated to

the WUD convention set to be held March 5-7, 2014 at the Embassy Suites in San Luis Obispo.

For the latest convention updates, visit www.WUDconvention.com.

You can also access the website link at www.WesternUnitedDairymen.com on both the main page and the “About Us” page.

“We developed the site to be an online clearinghouse for convention information,” stated Heidi Savage, convention manager. “If you have a question about the convention, the answer should be on the site. So, whether you need to make a hotel reservation, see what kind of workshops are offered or sign up for an exhibit booth, you’ll find the most updated information there.”

The WUD staff wants the site to be as complete and easy to navigate as possible. If you see something on the site that can be improved, please contact Heidi Savage at hsavage@westernuniteddairymen.com

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:43:14-07:00November 1st, 2013|

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