State health officials announced today they are lifting warnings against consuming mussels harvested in the Bay Area after ruling out contamination risks related to the Cosco Busan oil spill last fall. Tests of mussels collected recently from seven Bay Area locations showed that all were safe to eat, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency's Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment. CC Times 3/14/08
After nearly two years of debate and numerous drafts, California's State Board of Education quietly adopted its first-ever set of "health education content standards" this week. The guidelines spell out exactly what California's more than 6 million students from kindergarten through 12th grade are expected to know about health and are required as part of a controversial 2004 law that replaced a patchwork of often contradictory statutes on sex education. The law requires that all high schools give "medically accurate" information about condoms and other forms of birth control. The health curriculum, which also covers drug and alcohol use, nutrition, exercise and environmental health, is far broader than sex education. The health standards are posted at: http://www.cde.ca.gov/be/ag/ag/yr08/documents/mar08item11.doc CC Times 3/14/08
If California were a country, it would rank fifth to ninth among the world's nations in the value of its agriculture, according to a report by the UC Agricultural Issues Center. The unpublished report, "Agriculture's Role in the Economy," is now available on the Web at: http://www.aic.ucdavis.edu/publications/MOCA_Ch_5.10aPrePrint.pdf. The report is intended as the fifth chapter in a forthcoming book, "The Measure of California Agriculture." Center staff posted it online so that other researchers and policy analysts can begin to use the data right away. UC Davis 3/12/08
Senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer of California have introduced a bill to stiffen penalties against slaughterhouses that illegally process cows too sick to stand. The legislation comes in response to the scandal over a Southern California slaughterhouse that improperly allowed so-called downer cattle into the food supply, leading to a recall of 143 million pounds of beef. Downer cows pose higher risk of mad cow disease and other infections. SJ Mercury 3/13/08
The nation's schools will be reimbursed for costs associated with the largest beef recall in U.S. history, but it's not clear where the money will come from, federal officials said Thursday. The Chino plant that sold the beef could be held liable for the costs, although Westland/Hallmark Meat Co. President Steve Mendell said this week that he is in no position to pay. PE.com 3/13/08
Congress is unlikely to approve a new farm bill before early April, leaving California fruit and vegetable farmers in the dark about whether they will get any money for specialty crop block grants and research. On Wednesday, both the House and Senate extended the 2002 farm bill until April 18. This is the second time lawmakers have extended the old law. The Californian 3/14/08
The state Department of Water Resources cut the water pumping from the Delta by 25 percent Thursday to comply with a federal court order to protect Delta smelt. The State Water Project water pumping cutback will reduce water deliveries south of the Delta from about 2,000 cubic feet per second to about 1,500 cubic feet per second. Normally at this time of year, with current water conditions, the State Water Project pumps about 8,000 cubic feet per second. The reduction is aimed at protecting the adult population of Delta smelt, which has increased around the Harvey O. Banks Pumping Plant. Bizjournals 3/13/08
Eating out in California is more likely to make you sick than in most other states, according to federal records on food poisoning. For the third year in a row, the website, healthinspections.com listed the Golden State in the top five for food poisoning traced to restaurant food and California came in at number 2. In defense, "California is the most populous state, we have more people eating out than most states," said information officer Ken August said. CBS 13 3/14/08
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a law Tuesday that requires chain restaurants to post nutrition information on their menus - but whether that will turn diners off of Big Macs remains to be seen, nutritionists say. Dozens of studies have produced mixed results on whether nutrition labeling improves consumers' eating habits. SF Chronicle 3/12/08
California winemakers depend on a smattering of nurseries to keep vineyards healthy and thriving SF Chronicle 3/14/08
Brown Apple Moth:
Revised and expanded regulations put into place in both Canada and Mexico will make it substantially more difficult for growers in California counties infested by the light brown apple moth—an invasive species—to certify their crops as “free from” the moth, which is a requirement for exports to be accepted in those countries. The Californian 3/11/08
The California organization responsible for certifying organic farmers shifted its stance on how to fight the light brown apple moth Monday, revoking its support for aerial spraying to mitigate the pest. The board of directors of the Santa Cruz-based California Certified Organic Farmers said it instead backs "diversified ground pest management approaches," such as using natural predators and biological insecticides to combat what the state says is a threat to California's agriculture industry. Santa Cruz Sentinel 3/11/08
Worried about harm to the environment and to California’s economy, farmers in the “Salad Bowl of the World” today called on state and federal agencies to complete the eradication of the light brown apple moth. Directors of the Monterey County Farm Bureau voted unanimously to voice support for the eradication effort that is being mounted by California Department of agriculture and the U. S. Department of Agriculture. The Californian 3/13/08
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