Agriculture Daily News March 13

State officials struggling to convince critics about the safety of aerial spraying to control an invasive moth awarded a $500,000 no-bid contract to a prominent public relations firm with ties to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. E-mails obtained by the AP revealed a senior state contracting official questioned the arrangement. He said it was difficult to justify a public affairs campaign related to moth spraying as an emergency, which entitled the deal to be exempted from normal contracting rules designed to limit favoritism. CC Times 3/13/08

 

Lawmakers on Wednesday launched an independent state investigation into last year's ship fuel spill in the Bay, but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger expressed confidence that his administration properly handled the emergency. A legislative committee granted Sen. Carole Migden, D-San Francisco, a request for the nonpartisan Auditor's Office to conduct a probe of what she says was a series of mistakes by state agencies reacting to the November spill. CC Times 3/13/08

 

U.S. regulators found "objectionable conditions" in almost half of their inspections of packaged fresh spinach producers but took no "meaningful enforcement action," a congressional report released Wednesday said. The Food and Drug Administration listed poor sanitation and other deficiencies in 47% of 199 inspections from January 2001 to February 2007, according to a report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. None of the cases was referred to the FDA's enforcement arm for further action. LA Times 3/13/08

 

The grim prospect of a total shutdown of ocean salmon fishing in California and Oregon is forcing anglers, merchants and food servers who rely on the once-thriving fishery to reassess their lives and futures.  So few fall-run chinook came back to spawn in the Sacramento River and its tributaries last fall that the Pacific Fishery Management Council said Tuesday it would have to ban all salmon fishing unless a request is made for an emergency exception. SF Chronicle 3/13/08

 

Placer County Water Agency (PCWA) officials plan to expand a three-year pilot irrigation-management program developed to help area farmers optimize their use of water while increasing crop yields and quality. With help from consultant Jim Brockmeyer of JVB Consulting, soil moisture probes are used at selected commercial irrigation sites throughout the county, including several fruit orchards. Readings from the probes, combined with computerized analysis and planning, allow farmers to develop reliable irrigation schedules that can be adjusted weekly. Auburn Buzz 3/13/08