State Failed to Analyze Effects of Kern Water Bank

Source: Bettina Boxall; LA Times

Stewart Resnick

A court ruling issued Wednesday could throw obstacles to the operation of a Kern County groundwater bank that has helped billionaire Stewart Resnick build a nut empire in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

In the latest development in a two-decade legal fight, a Sacramento County Superior Court judge found that the state Department of Water Resources didn’t properly analyze the environmental impacts of the Kern Water Bank, which is partly controlled by Resnick’s Paramount Farms enterprise.

Judge Timothy Frawley will hold a hearing to determine the next step in the case. Environmental groups intend to argue that the water bank should be shut down while the state prepares a new environmental report.

“These guys have spent 16 years avoiding this moment. It’s always been a possibility that a court would come in and shut it down,” said Adam Keats, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity, which represented plaintiffs in one of two related lawsuits that Frawley decided.

Representatives of Resnick and his wife, Lynda, who also own Fiji Water and POM Wonderful pomegranate juice, referred requests for comment to the water bank, whose attorney could not be reached.

The legal challenges sought to undo changes to the State Water Project that were made as part of a 1994 deal, known as the Monterey Agreement, between the Department of Water Resources and agencies supplied by the project. An earlier round of lawsuits forced the state to issue a new environmental review of the pact, which opponents argued was again insufficient.

Frawley ruled against them on all but one issue involving the water bank.

On that count, the judge concluded that the state’s environmental report failed to adequately assess the effects of the bank’s operation, particularly on groundwater and water quality.

Some neighboring water districts and environmental groups contend that the bank — originally developed by the state, but later ceded to private control — is harming the aquifer.

They also argue that because the groundwater bank is replenished with supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, the operation is increasing demand for water from the environmentally fragile delta.

The Monterey Agreements, made behind closed doors, were intended to settle disputes between contractors of the State Water Project, which supplies Southern California cities and some irrigation districts in the southern San Joaquin Valley.

The deal has been controversial since its inception and opponents have spent years trying to overturn its provisions.

In his decision, Frawley rejected most of their most recent claims, finding that except for the water bank, the state’s review met legal requirements.

Next, he has to decide what happens to the bank while the state launches yet another environmental evaluation. “That’s the big question we’re all going to be fighting over,” Keats said.

Paramount Farms is the world’s largest grower and processor of almonds and pistachios; in tandem with their Grower Partners, they farm 125,000 acres that deliver 450 million pounds of nuts.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:52-07:00March 6th, 2014|

Ag One – Raising Scholarship Money for Students Since 1979

In 1979, several faculty, alumni and friends of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology had a million-dollar idea — to start a foundation that would benefit, promote and support the college and its programs.

The supporters set out to raise $1 million in endowed scholarships.

Today, the Ag One Foundation has raised more than $16 million in endowed funds.

Over the years, donors, board members and volunteers have made it possible to award some 3,250 students with more than $2.3 million in scholarships and grants.

For the 2013-2014 academic year, Ag One will provide nearly $500,000 to deserving students and programs.

Upcoming Events:

March 14, 2014 – Community Salute honoring John P. “Phil” Larson, Fresno Convention Center
March 19, 2014 – 11th Annual Stanislaus County Alumni & Friends Dinner, Durrer’s Barn, Modesto
March 27, 2014 – 18th Annual Common Threads Luncheon, Fresno State
May 2, 2014 – 43rd Annual Turf Day Golf Classic, Madera Golf & Country Club

If you’d like to contribute to Ag One’s efforts, look into their membership opportunities today!

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:52-07:00March 6th, 2014|

Fresno State explores new opportunities in agriculture

Commentary by Joseph I. Castro

Source: California Farm Bureau Federation

At the end of my first 100 days as president of California State University, Fresno, I announced the formation of the President’s Commission on the Future of Agriculture and charged it with the task of identifying opportunities and strengthening industry partnerships to make Fresno State’s agricultural programs and facilities among the best in the nation.

There is no doubt that California agriculture has transformed itself over the decades, born of a necessity to address endless challenges such as the current, devastating drought.

Fresno State, located in the heart of the No.1 producing region in the nation, is geographically poised to take the lead in making sure the agricultural industry has the tools it needs to be cutting edge and remain economically successful, whatever the challenges that lie ahead.

I created this commission to fulfill my vision for Fresno State to become the front-runner in providing California agriculture with its future employees, industry leaders and innovators in production agriculture and food processing.

Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology is proud of its programs that provide quality education and applied research in agriculture and food technology, but we can do more.

We must help our students excel in a changing agriculture and food industry, and ensure Fresno State will be even stronger for the next generation of students.

My commission is designed to do just that: identify industry needs and make recommendations on how Fresno State’s agricultural programs—defined to include intersections with science, math, engineering, business and other areas—can be among the very best.

Co-chaired by dairyman, attorney and industry leader George Soares of Hanford and Fresno State Interim Provost Andrew Hoff, the commission includes agribusiness and industry leaders from throughout the valley, plus university representatives, who are charged specifically to:

Review Fresno State’s academic, applied research and public service programs that are focused on agriculture and/or serve the needs of the agricultural industry;
Identify areas of opportunity where Fresno State’s agricultural programs and facilities can be among the best in the nation;
Recommend strategies to strengthen partnerships among Fresno State, government agencies, private foundations, individual philanthropists and the agricultural industry in support of campus agricultural programs.

Commission members include Darius Assemi, Granville Management Inc., Fresno; Kim Ruiz Beck, Ruiz Food Products Inc., Dinuba; Barry Bedwell, California Grape and Tree Fruit League, Fresno; Carol Chandler, Chandler Farms, Selma; Octavia Diener, Fresno State Foundation Board, Fresno; Ryan Jacobsen, Fresno County Farm Bureau, Fresno; David Mas Masumoto, Masumoto Farms Inc., Del Rey; Marvin Meyers, Meyers Farming, Firebaugh; Dennis Parnagian, Fowler Packing Co., Fresno; Pat Ricchuiti, P-R Farms Inc., Clovis; Mario Santoyo, Friant Water Authority, Lindsay; Bill Smittcamp, Wawona Frozen Foods, Clovis; Peter Weber, Regional Job Initiatives, Fresno; and Dennis Nef, Susan Elrod, Ram Nunna and Lynn Williams, all of Fresno State.

The commission has met and is actively engaged in examining ways for the Jordan College to achieve its full potential.

A preliminary report of the commission’s findings and recommendations will be available in early May.

This is an exciting time for Fresno State agriculture, its students, faculty, alumni and industry partners.

I encourage our alumni and friends of the university, in particular, to become part of this very important effort. I hope you will contact me with your ideas and suggestions.

(Joseph I. Castro is president of California State University, Fresno. He can be contacted on Twitter via @JosephICastro.)

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:52-07:00March 6th, 2014|

Farm-to-Fork – It’s Weights and Measures Week

From Kristin Macey, Director, CDFA Division of Measurement Standards

With the “Farm to Fork” concept getting more and more attention, it’s worth noting that it’s essential to maintain the integrity of commerce as food products move from farm to fork.

In observing National Weights and Measures week (March 1-7), CDFA’s Division of Measurement Standards (DMS) protects both businesses and consumers in commerce by ensuring fair competition and accurate value comparisons.

DMS works closely with county sealers of weights and measures, who carry out the vast majority of weights and measures inspection activities at the local level.

At the beginning of the farm-to-fork journey, farmers and ranchers purchase the materials they need to produce their harvest.

Accordingly, weights and measures officials are busy reviewing labels and testing feed, seed, fertilizer, plastic pipe, lumber, herbicides, etc. to make sure these production inputs measure up to their stated net weight, measure, or count.

When commodities are transported from the farm, it is important to both buyer and seller that products are being weighed or measured accurately.

This is one reason why DMS licenses weighmasters providing independent assurance that scales are not doctored and that the weights recorded are accurate. Weighmaster certificates validating scales are legal documents used as the basis to buy or sell commodities.

Today, more than $80 billion a year changes hands in California’s economy based on weighmaster certificates.

Foods complete the farm-to-fork trip via retail grocery outlets, or through community supported agriculture or certified farmers markets.

All along this leg of the journey, packaged products are subject to inspection to verify that labeling is truthful and the net content statements are accurate.

All scales used by grocers or at farmers markets are routinely inspected, tested, and sealed by county inspectors, so consumers can have confidence they’re getting their money’s worth.

There are over 300 state and county employees who perform this type of work in California. They are largely unseen, but the fruits of their labors are everywhere.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:53-07:00March 5th, 2014|

March 31st deadline for enrollment in Nutrients-on-Demand (NOD) management program

Nutrients-on-Demand (NOD) is an educational program developed by Western United Dairymen, California Dairy Quality Assurance Program (CDQAP) and Sustainable Conservation.

NOD aims to help dairy producers improve the accuracy of applying liquid manure to fields to increase the efficiency of nutrients while maintaining yields.

The program provides easy-to-use diagnostic tools that help you track your nutrient application rates based on crop demand and identify manure infrastructure needs and funding opportunities.

NOD consists of three meetings that provide training on field nutrient balance. The program will work with you to develop a plan for a trial field, review your results in the diagnostic tool and identify areas for improvement.

NOD runs from March 2014 through November 2014. The program requires the dairy producer and/or irrigator to attend meetings.

Benefits of NOD include improved nutrient application amounts and timing, covered cost of lagoon samples for 2014, covered cost of time spent with your own consultant, provision of 24-hour lagoon sample results, and identification of programs that may assist with infrastructure improvements.

The application deadline is March 31st, 2014. Please contact John Cardoza, Project Manager at (209) 576-7731.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:53-07:00March 5th, 2014|

Valley Women to be honored at Common Threads Awards Program

Five women have been selected as the 2014 honorees for the Common Threads Award, which recognizes women from the San Joaquin Valley for their agricultural, philanthropic and community service.

The Common Threads Award recipients for 2014 are Juliet Campos, Caruthers; Lorraine Machado, Merced; Alice Saviez, Fresno; RoseAnn Serrano, Le Grand; and Helen Sullivan, Hanford.

These five Valley women have strong agricultural backgrounds and are active participants in their communities through philanthropic endeavors and community service.

The honorees will be recognized at a special luncheon on Thursday, March 27 at the University Courtyard Dining Hall at California State University, Fresno.

The 18th Annual Common Threads luncheon will begin at 11:00 a.m. and will feature award-winning Fresno State wines, a raffle and the Common Threads Award presentation.

Tickets are $40 per person if purchased by March 20; $50 per person after March 20. Space is limited.

Net proceeds raised from the luncheon support the California Agricultural Leadership Foundation (Ag Leadership), Ag One Foundation and charities of the honorees’ choice.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:53-07:00March 5th, 2014|

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross talks with students at Chico State

Source: Excerpted from Heather Hacking, ChicoER News; posted by CDFA

California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross spoke to students at the California State University, Chico Farm on Tuesday.

Ross was in Chico as guest speaker at the Chico Rotary Club and she toured the University Farm before meeting with students and local ag leaders.

“We need to reconnect farmers with consumers and create an ag-literate populace,” said Ross.

One student asked about a recent proposal by the governor to eliminate grant funding for FFA agriculture education.

Ross said students can send a powerful message; those in the FFA blue jackets can and should stand up at school board meetings and talk about the importance of investing in youth.

“What about conflicting messages that come from various sectors of agriculture?” asked Dave Daley, an instructor at Chico State.

Ross said there is room for many different segments of the food industry — organic and conventional and all the variations in between.

“Consumers want assurance that they have a choice,” said Ross. “Having many different markets also provides opportunities for producers.”

For students wondering which direction to go with after college, Ross encouraged young people to consider careers with CDFA and USDA.

“Many people are at retirement age,” Ross said. “A fresh workforce is welcome.”

“CDFA Secretary Karen Ross talks with students at CSU Chico” -ChicoER News

For any ag producers, it’s important to be able to communicate and to clearly express themselves through writing, she added.

The stories of the farm cannot be told in 140 characters, the length of one Twitter entry, and the ability to communicate science to non-farmers will become increasingly important.

Ross also noted that farming has always included adaptation; as the world population increases and open land decreases, improvements to farming will continue.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:54-07:00March 4th, 2014|

“The Fight for Water” screens at Columbia College in Sonora, California

The award-winning documentary, “The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle”, has been invited to screen at 5:40 pm, Saturday, March 8th at Columbia College’s Dogwood Theatre in Sonora, California, as part of the “Official Selection” at this year’s Back to Nature Film Fest Series.

Joe Del Bosque

Presented by the college’s Forestry & Natural Resources Club and the ITSA Film Festival, the screening will be followed by a Q & A with the filmmaker.

The film documents the impact of a federal decision on people living in a Central Valley farming community in the Spring of 2009 when their water supply was cut off and they staged a march to fight for their water.

The film proudly tells the humble story of Joe Del Bosque, who came from parents who were migrant farmworkers to become a farmer and a major Ag leader in the California Central Valley.

He was recently thrown into national spotlight when President Barack Obama visited his farm on February 14, 2014 to address the current drought in California.

Hollywood actor Paul Rodriguez, who helped organize the March for Water in the style of Cesar Chavez, and former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger are also featured in the film.

The documentary film, which serves as a cautionary tale and precursor to the current drought in California, has screened at over 10 film festivals, winning accolades and worldwide recognition. The film was produced by Juan Carlos Oseguera, 40, a San Francisco State University alumnus who has been a published film critic and an accomplished producer of several award-winning short films.

It recently received the Best Documentary award at the 2013 International Monarch Film Festival and at the 2013 Viña de Oro Fresno International Film Festival. The film also received runner-up honors for Best Documentary in Cinematography and for Best Political Documentary Film at the 2013 Action on Film International Film Festival, where it also received a nomination for Excellence in Filmmaking.

“People should see this film,” stated Lois Henry, a newspaper columnist who reviewed the film for The Bakersfield Californian. “It’s important that we understand that perspective of what the ‘Water Wars’ mean on a really, really human scale.”

This is Oseguera’s first feature-length film.

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Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:54-07:00March 4th, 2014|

Ag One Foundation Honors Supervisor Phil Larson March 14th

SUPERVISOR PHIL LARSON TO BE HONORED FOR AG AND WATER LEADERSHIP

Fresno County Supervisor and past Fresno County Farm Bureau President Phil Larson will be honored by the Ag One Foundation at California State University, Fresno during the 2014 Community Salute, scheduled for March 14, 2014, at the Fresno Convention Center beginning at 6 p.m.

Larson has passionately served the agricultural community in Fresno County and California at many levels. After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and achieving the rank of sergeant E-4, Larson came home to the farm, where he grew cotton, hay and corn, eventually planting permanent crops.

Phil Larson

He worked for Wilbur Ellis Company for more than 37 years as an agricultural chemical sales representative. Larson became active in the community where he served on the Fresno County Republican Central Committee, the Greater Fresno Area Chamber of Commerce, the Kerman Unified School Board and the Kerman Covenant Church Board. For more than 45 years, he was actively involved in the Kerman High School Boosters.

“I commend the Ag One Foundation for bestowing its Community Salute distinction on Phil Larson,” said Dr. Charles Boyer, dean of JCAST. “His statewide leadership on agricultural issues and expertise on water have had a lasting impact on the Central Valley.”

Proceeds from the $125-per person fundraiser will establish an endowment in Larson’s name to support deserving students in the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology (JCAST).

The event will begin with a social at 6 p.m. immediately followed by a dinner and program at 7 p.m. Per-person tickets are available for $125; sponsorship levels beginning at $500 are also available.

RSVP is requested by March 7. For more information and to register, visit www.agonefoundation.org or contact the Ag One/JCAST Development Office at 559-278-4266.

Ag One Foundation benefits, promotes and supports Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology and its programs. The Foundation has raised more than $16 million in endowed funds and awarded some 3,250 students with more than $2.3 million in scholarships and grants. For the 2013-2014 academic year, Ag One will provide nearly $500,000 to deserving students and programs.

Patrick Cavanaugh2016-05-31T19:38:56-07:00February 25th, 2014|