Agriculture:
*Drought, shortages could mean big payoff for state rice growers -- Drought in Australia, food riots in Egypt and a shortage of other food grains such as corn because of the move to ethanol are just a few of the complex global ingredients roiling the global market for rice. These market shifts also may have broader policy implications as some countries rethink their opposition to genetically modified rice and U.S. taxpayers question why they should subsidize corn, wheat and rice at a time of soaring commodity prices. San Diego Union Tribune 5/19/08
California farm product exporters face shipping squeeze -- As the weak dollar makes the fruits of California farms ever more attractive to overseas buyers, big exporters like Sacramento's Blue Diamond Growers are finding it tougher to get their products to far-off customers. The high price of oil and shifts in the global balance of trade have made space on container ships hard to come by. Cargo rates are up sharply. Delays of several months have become routine. A tangle of economic trends, however, has made the journey from Sacramento to Hamburg far less routine than it was just two years ago. Sacramento Bee 5/18/08
Insurance softens blow for Valley farmers hit by freak freeze -- With a sharp drop in temperatures that lasted just 30 minutes in many locations, the freak freeze on the morning of April 20 destroyed about $300 million in crops, mostly north of the Delta, according to preliminary data from the California Department of Food and Agriculture. But, a growing amount of acreage around the country is covered – with the help of taxpayer subsidies – against the freak weather events that have always made farming risky. n the past decade, federal subsidies have covered nearly half of the $29.6 billion in crop-insurance claims paid to farmers. Sacramento Bee 5/17/08
Bush's food crisis aid package now promotes genetically modified crops -- The Bush administration has added a controversial ingredient to the $770-million aid package it recently proposed to ease the world food crisis: language that would promote the use of genetically modified crops in food-deprived countries. LA Times 5/17/08
Almond industry votes in new board, first chairwoman -- The newly elected members of the Almond Board of California (ABC) have unanimously voted in Christine Long, of Hilltop Ranch in Merced County, to serve as Chairwoman for 2008-2009, according to a press release issued Tuesday. Red Bluff Daily News 5/17/08
Health:
Broad failings at agencies overseeing organ transplants -- Prompted by serious lapses at three California organ transplant programs, federal inspectors have documented broad failings by the agencies that oversee the nation's transplant system and raised doubts about the pace of promised improvements. LA Times 5/19/08
*Medi-Cal cut could hurt patient care, East Bay doctors say -- Nearly two-thirds of East Bay doctors who treat Medi-Cal patients say they will scale back or stop seeing such patients entirely when a 10 percent cut in reimbursement rates takes effect July 1. That will make it even tougher for low-income and disabled residents to find a physician willing to treat them, and further erode the health care safety net in the East Bay, patient advocates say. Inside Bay Area 5/17/08
Forests:
Firefighting aircraft won't be ready in '08 -- U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein recently learned that two California Air National Guard C-130 aircraft won't be ready this year because of lingering equipment issues. U.S. Forest Service officials had promised the planes would be outfitted with the new equipment in July. San Diego Union Tribune 5/19/08
Bio-fuels:
When cars compete with people for food -- China, India, Argentina and several other countries have raised export restrictions on key crops to ensure food supplies for their consumers. That move has further increased world prices. The United States should retreat from its heavy promotion of corn-based ethanol and allow the markets to settle. The world can produce plenty of crops at reasonable prices for food and feed, if appropriate agricultural investments are made. But it cannot produce enough crops for food, feed and fuel at prices affordable to half of the world's population. SF Chronicle 5/18/08
Water:
*East County water adequate for summer – Despite rationing in a number of east bay cities, Contra Costa Water District's water comes from the Delta and its watershed in Mount Shasta. Those sources have more storage capacity than those used by neighboring water suppliers. East County cities are asking that residents try to conserve water this summer but no rationing is expected. SJ Mercury 5/17/08
Hybrid boat waves hello to S.F. Bay -- Green technology came to the blue waters of San Francisco Bay on Friday, when what the manufacturer calls the world's first hybrid recreational boat was introduced to two of California's top resource officers. SF Chronicle 5/17/08
Simple system stores rainwater for use around the home -- Lenney's Rocklin-based business makes a system to capture and store rainwater. Installing a similar device makes more sense to consumers as the Sierra snowpack is below average and state officials said April and May were the driest spring on record. Sacramento Bee 5/17/08
Food and wine:
*Napa wine pioneer Robert Mondavi dead at 94 -- Robert Mondavi, the charismatic Napa Valley vintner whose work helped establish California wines as among the world's best, died Friday morning. He was 94. Mr. Mondavi was relentless in his drive to make wines that could compete with the finest in the world. His winery, established in 1966 when Mr. Mondavi was 53, became a symbol not only of California's emergence as a wine powerhouse but of the lifestyle that Mondavi embodied - one that placed wine in context with good food and a culture of hospitality. SF Chronicle 5/17/08
Wine lovers' shipping frustrations could grow -- The frustrations of wine lovers over being unable to receive shipments from out of state may only grow in coming months following a recent Supreme Court decision and the lobbying efforts of wholesalers who are urging state officials to tighten enforcement of direct shipping laws. The February court ruling struck down parts of a Maine law regarding tobacco shipments that required common carriers such as FedEx, UPS and DHL to verify the recipient's age when delivering packages. The court said only the federal government can regulate motor carrier services. The ruling could have implications, at least politically, for proponents of direct shipments of wine and spirits because of concerns the alcohol could land in the hands of minors. Pittsburg Post Gazette 5/19/08
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