Agriculture Daily News May 13

Water:

 

*East Bay to face water rationing -- The East Bay's largest water utility is expected to impose mandatory water rationing today for the first time in nearly 20 years to conserve depleted water supplies after two droughty years. The 1.3 million customers in the East Bay Municipal Utility District will probably be prohibited from hosing off sidewalks, washing cars with a hose that doesn't have a shutoff nozzle or watering lawns two days in a row, among other measures. CC Times 5/12/08

 

East Bay to face water rationing -- Contra Costa and Alameda county residents would be forced to immediately slash their use of water by nearly 20 percent - and some large-scale users by 30 percent - under the first water-rationing proposal by the East Bay district in nearly two decades. SF Chronicle 5/13/08

 

Hopes rise for keeping Tahoe blue as clouding trend slows -- Scientists who for decades reported that famously clear Lake Tahoe was turning murkier have discovered that its clarity actually has been stabilizing since 2001. Using a new, more sophisticated statistical analysis of environmental data, researchers also determined that a reduced rate of visibility loss in the lake was likely the payoff from decades of erosion control, purchases of environmentally sensitive land and restrictive building rules designed to curb runoff. Sacramento Bee 5/13/08

 

Organic:

 

*Watchdog group files complaint with USDA over Calif. Dairy -- A consumer group says a Merced County farm that supplies organic milk to the nation's largest dairy processor is breaking federal rules on organic production by keeping cows penned instead of letting them roam over pastures. SF Chronicle 5/12/08

 

Consumer group wants tougher enforcement, stricter rules -- The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group, has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Agriculture claiming that a California supplier to one of the nation's largest organic labels is skirting the law. Cornucopia has fought this battle before. Last September the group was successful in lobbying USDA to threaten action against Aurora Organic Dairy, a supplier of organic milk to a number of national chain stores. Consumer Affairs 5/13/08

 

Agriculture:

 

Farmers unable to cash in on soaring food prices -- The amount of corn planted in the U.S. is expected to dip this year. The cost of planting some crops is rising as fast as their prices, and sometimes faster, leaving little incentive to increase production of some foods that remain in high demand around the world. Both corn and rice, for example, require more fertilizer to grow and fuel for farmers to tend than other crops. LA Times 5/13/08

 

California farmers sell rice ahead of harvesting -- With the surging global food grain prices, much of the medium-grain rice being planted between the Sutter Butte mountains and California’s Coastal Range has already being sold even though harvest still is months away. The grains are traded on the California Rice Exchange. According to Pat Daddow, head of the California Rice they have sold an ungodly amount of rice, the price has nearly doubled - and this is the crop they’re just beginning to plant. Commodity Online 5/13/08

 

Calif. farm accused of abuse says undercover video staged -- A central California farm is accusing an animal rights group of staging an undercover video that shows its workers mistreating chickens. A statement released Monday by Gemperle Farms claims an activist affiliated with Chicago-based Mercy for Animals coerced Gemperle employees into violating the farm's animal welfare standards. SJ Mercury 5/12/08

 

Locavores get vocal -- Becoming a member of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a convenient way to fulfill a locavore's needs to buy locally and seasonally. The locavore movement emerges as a compelling concept, but actually following all the guidelines presents its challenges. John Silveria, director of Pacific Coast Farmers' Market Association and its almost 50 farmers market in the San Francisco Bay Area, says he's absolutely aware of customers wanting to buy local produce. Inside Bay Area 5/13/08

 

Moth spraying:

 

*Judge blocks spraying in Monterey Peninsula -- A judge ruled Monday that aerial spraying to eradicate an invasive moth in Monterey County may not go forward in populated areas without a full environmental review. Superior Court Judge Robert A. O'Farrell ruled that state officials had not demonstrated there is an emergency that warrants immediate spraying on the Monterey Peninsula and surrounding areas. SJ Mercury 5/12/08

 

Judge halts moth spraying in Monterey County -- State agriculture officials plan to appeal a superior court judge's ruling that halts aerial spraying to eradicate the light brown apple moth in Monterey County until an environmental impact report can be completed. SF Chronicle 5/13/08

 

Secretary Kawamura Comments on Monterey County Court Ruling Regarding Light Brown Apple Moth Eradication Effort View this Press Release 5/12/08

 

Food and wine:

 

First Google chef to open local restaurant -- Non-Googlers will soon get the chance to taste former Google chef Charlie Ayers’ food when he opens the Calafia Cafe and Market a Go Go in Palo Alto's Town and Country Village. Though slated to open this spring, the prepared-foods shop and adjoining cafe with a technology spin will now likely open in November, Ayers said. Inside Bay Area 5/12/08

 

Some wine grape growers turning to dry farming methods –  ‘Dry farming’ is something a few vintners are returning to, driven by factors ranging from concerns over dwindling water supplies, the belief it produces more intensely flavored fruit, or, to forge a link with old traditions. It refers to growing wine grapes without artificial irrigation and is practiced in various parts of the world such as Spain and France, where some regions have laws forbidding use of irrigation. Dry farming in California is unusual, although there is a trend toward using less water. SJ Mercury 5/13/08

 

*Farm Bureau Responds to Governor Schwarzenegger Position on Proposition 98 -- Emphasizing that property rights protection and water development go hand-in-hand, the leader of the state's largest farm organization said today he's disappointed that Gov. Schwarzenegger has decided to oppose the property-protection measure on the June ballot. The California Farm Bureau Federation co-sponsors Proposition 98, the California Property Owners and Farmland Protection Act, which would add needed protection for homes, farms, businesses and churches from abuse of the government property-seizure process known as eminent domain. It also assures fair treatment of property owners when property is seized. Imperial Valley News 5/13/08

 

Salmon:

 

*Farm Bill includes $170M in aid for salmon fisheries -- Legislators have added $170 million to the U.S. Farm Bill to aid families and businesses in California, Oregon and Washington affected by the biggest and most devastating Pacific salmon season closure in American history. The House and Senate are expected to pass the final version of the Farm Bill later this week.  BizJournals 5/13/08

 

400,000 Young Salmon Released Into SF Bay -- The California Department of Fish and Game released an estimated 400,000 young Chinook salmon, called smolts, into the San Francisco Bay on Monday, according to Fish and Game spokesman Harry Morse. A total of about 17 million salmon smolts will be released over a two-month period that began in mid-April, Morse said. CBS 5 5/12/08

 

Health:

 

Energy drinks make caffeine the drug of choice among California youth -- It's not known how much of the $6.2 billion energy drink industry in the United States can be attributed to sales to adolescents and teens. Nevertheless, kids' use of the drinks has concerned school officials and health advocates. San Luis Obispo 5/13/08