Agriculture Daily News July 29

Parks and forests:

 

Air tanker drops in wildfires are often just for show -- Fire commanders say they are often pressured to order planes and helicopters into action on major fires even when the aircraft won't do any good. Such pressure has resulted in needless and costly air operations, experienced fire managers said in interviews. LA Times 7/29/08

 

Agriculture:

 

*Aerial spray credited with reducing West Nile threat -- Aerial pesticide spraying has reduced the number of mosquitoes plaguing the Sacramento area, the Sacramento-Yolo Mosquito and Vector Control District said Monday. The two species that most effectively carry West Nile virus declined around the county after spraying, but much more sharply in sprayed areas, district data showed. Sacramento Bee 7/29/08

 

Sunscreen for fruits, veggies? Farmers try it -- Sunscreen for fruits and vegetables is being tested in Australia and Chile, and now California farmers are checking it out courtesy of a local vendor. A California company is finding positive results with an SPF 45 product made of multicrystaline calcium carbonate crystals that are engineered to specifically deflect ultraviolet and infrared light from the plants and trees on which it is sprayed. MSNBC 7/29/08

 

Strawberry Festival celebrates California's top export -- Aiming to rival the Gilroy Garlic Festival, the Monterey Bay Strawberry Festival is getting back to its roots, dedicating more than 100 feet of booths to strawberry desserts alone this year. Live entertainment, gooey strawberry pie-eating contests, arts and crafts vendors, and carnival rides will fill Ramsay Park this weekend. SJ Mercury 7/29/08

 

Bee research aims for diverse bee genetic pool -- University of California Davis bee breeder-geneticist Susan Cobey and Steve Sheppard, a professor and apiculturist at Washington State University, Pullman, Wash., are investigating several races of the Western or European honey bee (Apis mellifera), which European settlers brought to America in 1622. The Cobey-Sheppard research team has received semen from the Italian bee, shipped from Italy; the Carniolan bee, from Germany; and the Caucasian bee, from the Caucasus region of Eurasia. The Italian bee is a honey-colored bee that's the most common honey bee in the United States. The Carniolan and the Caucasian bees are darker in color. Western Farm Press 7/29/08

 

Food and wine:

 

Wine: Iconic winery being sold; Napa's Crimson receives biomass test grant -- Jim Barrett, who purchased the Calistoga winery in 1972, is talking to Michel Reybier, who owns Chateau Cos d'Estournel in the Saint-Estephe appellation of southwestern France, about an acquisition of Chateau Montelena, according to a joint announcement last week. Crimson Wine Group of Napa was awarded a $560,000 federal grant to convert vineyard foliage to fuel at Pine Ridge Winery. Press Democrat 7/29/08

 

*California schools get fruit and vegetable grants -- State Supt. of Public Instruction Jack O'Connell today announced grants today for schools to get kids to eat more fruits and vegetables. Twenty-five grantees, four of them in Los Angeles County, will share $184,100 in Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program grants. LA Times 7/29/08

 

FTC: Kids target of $1.6 billion in food ads -- The nation's largest food and beverage companies spent about $1.6 billion in 2006 marketing their products _ especially carbonated drinks _ to children, according to a Federal Trade Commission report. The report, to be released Tuesday, stems from lawmakers' concern about growing obesity rates in children. It gives researchers new insight into how much companies are spending to attract youth to their products, and what venues the companies are using for their marketing. AP 7/29/08

 

Staff breaks not duty of restaurants, court decides -- A state appellate court has ruled that the owner of Chili's restaurants is not responsible for ensuring employees take mandatory meal breaks. As a result, Dallas-based Brinker Restaurant Corp. will not face a class-action lawsuit from employees who say they were denied paid and unpaid breaks. The court did not rule on the merits of the case filed in San Diego against Brinker, which operates more than 175 restaurants in California, including Chili's, On the Border, Maggiano's Little Italy and Romano's Macaroni Grill. San Diego Union Tribune 7/29/08

 

Water and fishing:

 

Fish farmers fear feed costs -- It's been a struggle for California's catfish farmers, as they try to cope with rapidly rising feed bills.  Farm-raised catfish eat feed that's composed of soybean meal and corn, two commodities that have risen steeply in price.  Central Valley Business Times 7/29/08

 

*Canal in state's future -- A QUARTER CENTURY after it was soundly defeated by California voters, the Peripheral Canal is making a comeback. This time around it has the support of some environmentalists as well as the backing of the respected Public Policy Institute of California. What has changed over the past 26 years since the defeat of the canal is the viability of the Delta ecosystem. CC Times 7/29/08