Water:
*California governor declares state in drought -- After two years of below-average rainfall in California, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger declared a statewide drought on Wednesday. The proclamation in an executive order allows water officials to more rapidly shift water around California, one of the nation's top farm states that also has wilderness areas prone to wildfires. Reuters 6/4/08
Davis Lake healthy, open for fishing -- More than 1 million Eagle Lake rainbow trout will be stocked this year in an all-out effort by the state Department of Fish and Game to help the impoundment return to prominence. Some of the trout will be lunkers, 3 to 15 pounds. In September 2007, the lake's fishery was completely killed when the state moved to eradicate the predatory, non-native northern pike that had been illegally introduced. Officials treated the Plumas County reservoir and its tributary streams with CFT Legumine - a new liquid form of rotenone - one of the only chemicals licensed to kill fish in California. Stockton Record 6/4/08
Central Valley Project lowers water supply allocations -- The driest spring on record in Northern California and the low level of the San Luis Reservoir are prompting cutbacks in promised water deliveries by the federally-controlled Central Valley Project. The Bureau of Reclamation says the water supply for the agricultural water users both north and south of the Delta is being reduced to 40 percent of average. Central Valley Business Times 6/4/08
Dry spring raises talk of water restrictions -- The year 2008 will go down as the driest spring on record in San Jose and San Francisco, setting up the possibility that Silicon Valley could see mandatory water restrictions by next year. San Jose's rainfall is now running at 75 percent of normal; San Francisco's is 79 percent of normal. SJ Mercury 6/4/08
Health:
Dental care for disabled may grow even scarcer -- With cuts to the state's Denti-Cal program scheduled to go into effect in July and another round of cutbacks already on the table, there could soon be even fewer dentists willing to treat disabled patients. Few dental schools teach students how to care for patients with disabilities. Another barrier is the state's low Denti-Cal payments. Disabilities can interfere with finding work and take a toll on family resources, so many people with disabilities depend on this state-federal insurance program for the poor. LA Times 6/4/08
Online drug program would target abusers -- By next year, California health workers may be able to check any patient's prescription drug history with the click of a mouse. There has been a four-year effort to create an online databank to crack down on doctor-shopping by narcotics abusers, and today, state Attorney General Jerry Brown is expected to announce his support at a news conference. Although some raise concerns about patient privacy, supporters say they are eager for an online tracking system to give prescribers, pharmacists and some law enforcement instant access to medical records. SJ Mercury 6/4/08
Agriculture:
*USA Rice to hold farm bill overview meetings -- USA Rice Federation leaders will provide industry members with an overview and explanation of the key provisions of the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 at a series of educational meetings to be held in June and July. The meetings will allow rice producers in all of the major rice-growing areas to get answers to questions they have about rice-specific provisions included in the 2008 farm bill passed by Congress last month. Western Farm Press 6/4/08
*Big Farms Can Make the Leap to Organic Farming, Study Suggests -- Large fruit and vegetable growers can adopt the methods of small-scale organic farms while maintaining crop yields, keeping pests in check, and improving the health of their soil, researchers report in the July 2008 issue of Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment. Melding organic techniques with ideas from big-farm management helped one grower navigate the jump, the new study says. This success could point the way toward cheaper, more widely available organic produce, and away from environmentally damaging fertilizers and pesticides. Mongabay 6/4/08
*Organic farmers' harvest subscriptions face increased demand, consumer ambivalence -- In the local farming ranks, there's a great divide. Eco-optimists say that rising gas prices, increased attention to food safety and nutrition, and economic jitters only bolster the cause of organic food. But it's not hard to find weary farmers who insist that anyone who views the current landscape as sunny and hopeful is gazing through green-colored glasses. Robyn Van En, who operated a farm in South Egremont, Mass., is credited with forming this country's first CSA, borrowing from European and Japanese models. San Diego Union Tribune 6/4/08
On march to honor farmworker, relatives call for reforms -- Since a four-day pilgrimage protesting the death of a 17-year-old undocumented immigrant began Sunday, Bautista, farmworkers and their advocates have been demanding stricter enforcement of state regulations that require farms and contractors to give workers water and breaks, have shade available and have an emergency plan in place to help those suffering from heat exhaustion. SJ Mercury 6/4/08
2008 California prune forecast 120,000 tons -- The 2008 California prune (dried plum) crop is forecast to be 120,000 tons, up 45 percent from the 83,000 tons produced in 2007, according to USDA/NASS' California field office. Total 2008 bearing acreage is estimated at 65,000. The French prune variety accounts for 97 percent of all prune acreage grown in California. The production forecast is based on a survey of prune growers conducted by USDA, NASS from May 9-30, 2008. Western Farm Press 6/4/08
Strawberries boost Monterey County agriculture -- Strawberries pushed overall Monterey County crop production to more than $3.8 billion last year, but leaf lettuce is county agriculture's biggest moneymaker. Strawberry values in 2007 rose 38 percent, a $165 million increase. AP 6/4/08
Agriculture still leading the say in San Joaquin County -- Last year, agriculture in San Joaquin County grew by 19 percent over 2006, according to a report given to the San Joaquin County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday morning. Scott Hudson, the county's agricultural commissioner, estimated there was $2 billion in agricultural production last year, led by milk — 2007's top-grossing commodity with a value of more than $466 million — and grapes. Inside Bay Area 6/4/08
*Prop. 99 wins easily, 98 trounced -- Proposition 98 would have banned governments from taking any private property for redevelopment, and also would have phased out rent control. Proposition 98 was the second attempt in two years to rein in perceived excesses of government use of eminent domain. It would have barred governments from using their power to take property from unwilling sellers to hand over to private developers. Sacramento Bee 6/4/08
Eminent domain initiatives at a glance – A breakdown of the recently passed Proposition 99 reveals that under it homes could be seized to protect public health and safety, prevent serious and repeated criminal activity, respond to an emergency or remedy an environmental contamination that poses a threat to public health and safety. SJ Mercury 6/4/08
County keeps mosquitoes at bay -- For the past four years the west nile virus, first detected in the state in 2004, has become a fact of life in Nevada. While other Northern Nevada communities wrestle with budget woes and cut backs or delay in mosquito abatement programs, the Central Lyon County Vector Control District began working to minimize mosquito-borne diseases in February. Reno Gazette Journal 6/4/08
Immigration:
*U.S. to Make Foreign Visitors Register Online -- Residents of 27 friendly nations who can travel to the United States without a visa will be required to register online with the U.S. government at least 72 hours before departure starting in January, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said yesterday. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization continues a trend after Sept. 11, 2001, of tightened security for residents of countries in the Visa Waiver Program, which includes 22 European nations, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Brunei. Washington Post 6/4/08
Food and Wine:
Wealthy Nations Criticized Over Food Crisis -- Resolving the global food crisis could cost as much as $30 billion a year, and wealthier nations are doing little to help developing nations, United Nations officials said here Tuesday. Jacques Diouf, director general of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and host of the summit, sharply criticized wealthy nations that he said were cutting spending on agriculture programs for the world's poor while spending billions on carbon markets, subsidies for their own farmers and biofuel production. Another major debate at the conference centered on the role of biofuels in producing food shortages. The U.S. delegation here, headed by Agriculture Secretary Ed Schafer, maintains that only 2 to 3 percent of the increases in food prices are attributable to the biofuel boom. But UN officials said the contribution was much higher. Washington Post 6/4/08
*County requires calorie counts on some menus -- In a small but symbolic step toward combating obesity, supervisors voted unanimously Tuesday to require chain restaurants in unincorporated Santa Clara County to include calorie counts on their menus. The ordinance, which takes effect Sept. 1, covers less than 10 restaurants and won't impact eateries located in San Jose and other cities. But the county joins a growing list of communities nationwide that have passed similar laws, including San Francisco and New York. Palo Alto Daily News 6/4/08
Tainted cheese fuels TB rise in California -- A rare form of tuberculosis caused by illegal, unpasteurized dairy products, including the popular queso fresco cheese, is rising among Hispanic immigrants in Southern California and raising fears about a resurgence of a strain all but eradicated in the U.S. MSNBC 6/4/08
*More California wineries find buyers far from home -- U.S. wine exports--95 percent of them from California--reached a record-high $951 million in 2007, an 8.6 percent jump from the previous year. Volume shipments last year increased 12 percent to 453 million liters, compared to 2006. "What we're seeing is that our small family farms are increasingly able to make deals and ship California agricultural products throughout the world," said cattle rancher Kenny Watkins. California Farm Bureau Federation 6/4/08
Moth spraying:
Fremont joins opposition to moth spray plan -- Although state officials have no plans to spray here, Fremont joined more than 20 California cities Tuesday in opposing aerial eradication of the light brown apple moth. Fremont was one of only a few cities that didn't vote to oppose the spraying at an Alameda County mayors conference last month. Newark and Fremont both abstained, while Union City supported spraying, said Harrison, who attended the meeting. Inside Bay Area 6/4/08
Sonoma moth fight begins with twist ties -- State agricultural workers will begin placing chemically infused "twist ties" this month around Sonoma Valley homes and other properties near where two light brown apple moths were found earlier this year. The 8-inch-long twist ties, which can disrupt the moth's mating cycle, will be hung in a 200-meter radius from where the two pests were found this winter and spring. Press Democrat 6/4/08
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