New smelt agreement will keep Delta pumps going - - Users of water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta have hammered out an agreement with environmentalists that will keep pumps running through June 30 or to when water temperature reaches a daily average of 25 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days at Clifton Court Forebay near Los Banos, whichever occurs first. All pumping restrictions required under the Delta smelt biological opinion will cease as of July 1, allowing water to flow freely to the San Joaquin Valley and Los Angeles through the end of the year, according to Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno. <more> June 24, 2010 Central Valley Business Times   
 

State Water Project increases deliveries - - The California Department of Water Resources says the 2010 State Water Project allocation is being increased to 50 percent of requested amounts because of storms late in the spring. “Unusual late season storms that augmented Northern Sierra snowpack have allowed us to increase our delivery estimate to 50 percent,” says DWR Director Mark Cowin. Even with a return to normal precipitation and reservoir levels, and an above normal Sierra snowpack, State Water Project deliveries will remain limited due to current restrictions on Delta pumping to protect native fish species, the state says. <more> June 23, 2010 Central Valley Business Times  
 

Feds boost west-side water deliveries -- Interior Department officials on Monday again boosted their planned irrigation water deliveries to the San Joaquin Valley, giving farmers 45% of their standard allocation. The new allocation is up from a 40% allocation announced in May. Last year, west-side farmers got just 10%. “This latest increase in allocation is a result of favorable weather conditions this spring and better-than-expected pumping conditions in the south Delta,” Interior Secretary Ken Salazar explained Monday afternoon. <more> June 14, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Judge delays delta water pumping decision - - A federal judge in Fresno on Wednesday delayed a widely anticipated ruling on whether to temporarily lift pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta intended to protect endangered salmon. U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger wants to collect more evidence. He scheduled another hearing for Tuesday, when he may issue a ruling. <more> May 20, 2010 Fresno Bee  
 

Farmers hail water ruling - - Irrigators are hailing a ruling by a federal judge that says the National Marine Fisheries Service needs better science to support pumping reductions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta as a means of helping salmon populations. Farm interests see the ruling as a validation of arguments that irrigators have been making for months and say it could impact a similar lawsuit concerning the protected Delta smelt, which the same judge is hearing in the next few weeks. <more> May 20, 2010 Capital Press
 

Ruling may increase water for Southern California, San Joaquin Valley - - More water may be headed to the Southland and the San Joaquin Valley after a judge concluded Tuesday that a federal agency acted arbitrarily when it imposed pumping limits to protect migrating salmon and steelhead. The decision by U.S. District Court Judge Oliver W. Wanger is the latest development in a tangle of legal challenges to restrictions based on the Endangered Species Act that are cutting water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta, east of San Francisco. Wanger sharply criticized some of the scientific rationale for the pumping curbs, but stopped short of jettisoning them, saying he needed more information before deciding on a cure. The 134-page decision gave something to both sides in the pumping wars, which have grown more intense with the state's recent drought. <more> May 19, 2010 LA Times
 

Fish ruling in Fresno sides with farmers - - A federal judge in Fresno ruled today that people matter as much as fish, siding with farm and urban water agencies fighting water cutbacks from Northern California. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger said federal agencies did not comply with environmental law in protection plans for winter- and spring-run chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, green sturgeon and a population of killer whales. <more> May 18, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Two studies blame Delta fish decline on wastewater -- Two new studies point to Sacramento's wastewater as the culprit behind declining fish populations in the Delta. The studies -- one partly funded by water users -- likely will intensify pressure on the region to upgrade its sewage treatment, which could cost ratepayers $1 billion. Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District already is engaged in a pitched battle with dozens of urban and rural water agencies that depend on water from the Delta. The question: Is sewage or water diversions to blame for the decline of fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta?  On Monday, Patricia Glibert of the University of Maryland said the Delta's environmental problems are more likely tied to wastewater pollution than to water diversions. <more> May 18, 2010 Sacramento Bee  
 

Nitrate contamination spreading in California communities - - The water supply of more than two million Californians has been exposed to harmful levels of nitrates over the past 15 years – a time marked by lax regulatory efforts to contain the colorless and odorless contaminant, a California Watch investigation has found. Nitrates are now the most common groundwater contaminant in California and across the country. A byproduct of nitrogen-based farm fertilizer, animal manure, wastewater treatment plants and leaky septic tanks, nitrates leach into the ground and can be expensive to extract. <more> May 15, 2010 California Watch
 

Water bond campaign splits the Berryhills - - How divisive is the $11 billion water bond on November's ballot? It's split one political family in two. Assembly Member Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres, kicked off the 'no' campaign at a Capitol event Thursday alongside several other lawmakers who criticized it as a pork-filled measure the state cannot afford. But his brother Tom Berryhill, an Assembly member from Oakdale, promises to campaign for the bond, saying it is "desperately needed for the the quality of life of future generations." <more> May 14, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

'War is on' for water bond - - With the statewide primary fast approaching, all eyes have been on candidates and measures going before voters June 8.  But with the general election still more than 170 days away, the battle over the $11.14 billion water bond that legislators placed on the November ballot has already begun. "The war is on," said Assemblyman Bill Berryhill, R-Ceres, after a Capitol press conference today to kick off the campaign opposing the bond.  A bipartisan group of legislators slammed the legislation as flawed policy that will throw California deeper in debt without providing a real fix to the state's water woes. <more> May 14, 2010 Sacramento Bee
 

Feds, state will move less water to users, including Westlands - - Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumps will be ratcheted back today after a federal judge in Fresno rejected a request to keep them operating temporarily at current levels. Wednesday's ruling by U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger means that for the next two months, both the federal and state water pumps will move much less water to users, including the Westlands Water District and the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California. It's the latest loss for farmers and other water users in the decades-long battle over moving water through the state. That battle continues today when water users and environmentalists square off in Wanger's court in what promises to be a pivotal case. <more> April 1, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

First Results from New Drought Research - - A drought management research project funded by the Almond Board is being conducted at the Nickels Soil Lab in Arbuckle. Lead researcher is Ken Shackel, UC-Davis, who gave a first-season update on the project at the Almond Industry Conference in December. Long-term tree responses to different irrigation levels, various canopy reduction scenarios and actual almond water requirements for survival are being investigated in a 20-year-old orchard where the soil is gravelly and shallow. Treatments were imposed for 2009 only, and the carryover effects on tree growth, tree survival, bloom, and yield will be determined for an additional period of two to four years. <Read More> April 2, 2010 California Almonds Newsletter
 

Big Sierra snowpack won't slake California's thirst - - The Sierra snowpack is hefty. Waterfalls are starting to thunder in Yosemite Valley. A spring storm adds to the bounty. It's time to celebrate the end of the state's three-year drought. Right? Wrong. The El Niño-powered winter apparently was not a drought buster -- even though some reservoirs may fill up and rainfall totals are above average in two-thirds of California's major cities, including Fresno. Here's the reality check: State officials expect only about 80% of average snowmelt will find its way into rivers and reservoirs this spring. <more> March 31, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Ground-water permits in California? - - The state Legislative Analyst's Office last week suggested California should require permits for people who pump water out of the ground -- noting this is one of the few Western states without such a requirement.  To download the report, please click here. It's a touchy subject, especially in the San Joaquin Valley farm belt. Growers and many land owners know that government regulation often adds costs to their businesses. The analyst's office, which has been advising state lawmakers for 65 years, says California needs to better coordinate its water system as the state grows. <more> March 29, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Chronicle editorial: The science of water limits - - Score one for science. A national panel waded into California's water wars and sided with salmon and smelt in a politically loaded showdown with Central Valley farmers. Agriculture doesn't deserve the exclusive blame, the report said, in a finding that should soften the sting of its overall support for limits on water deliveries. Finding a flexible answer that siphons off water with minimal environmental damage is the best answer, though striking the right balance will take "careful monitoring, adaptive management and additional analyses." Whether this happens is one of California's biggest challenges. A polarized debate exists between environmentalists and farmers, North versus South, and coast against valley.  <more> March 24, 2010 SF Chronicle  
 

Report backs Valley water cutbacks - - Controversial cuts in water for San Joaquin Valley farms appear to be scientifically justified but still need further study, scientists have concluded in a highly anticipated report to be issued today. The National Research Council determined two federal agencies had a "sound conceptual basis" for their actions protecting Chinook salmon, delta smelt and other endangered fish. The conclusion undercuts a common farmer criticism. But the 65-page report -- the first of two the council is expected to produce -- also may give some ammunition to those skeptical of pumping restrictions imposed by the Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service. Notably, the scientists determined that predators, pollution and other "stressors" accounted for some of the fish lost in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. That supports a complaint from farmers who say they've been held solely responsible for the fish losses, costing them water. <more> March 19, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Another water project could divide the state - - Harvey Bailey was 11 when Friant Dam started spitting the San Joaquin River into an irrigation canal the size of a freeway. His father and other growers laid bets on when the river's cool waters would reach their little farm town on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley, promising an end to the region's irrigation woes. Life magazine published a big photo spread on the canal's opening. "It was a huge event," recalled Bailey, 72, president of the Orange Cove Irrigation District. Now he hopes another dam will rise on the San Joaquin, at a narrow spot seven miles upriver from Friant, called Temperance Flat. <more> March 9, 2010 LA Times
 

Water increase might come next week - - The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will announce any possible increase in water supply next week for Westlands Water District and other federal water contractors on the Valley's west side. Usually, the announcement would come in the third week of the month, but federal officials are aware that west-side farmers need to know of any increase as soon as possible. At the end of February, federal officials announced the deliveries would be 5% of the west-siders' contractual allotment. But they said farmers might get 30% if storms continued pounding the state, as they have. Statewide, the snowpack already is at 100% of average for April 1, the day most experts say the precipitation season unofficially ends. March 8, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Stuart Leavenworth: Feinstein says she's no Westlands 'shill,' but - - You know you've struck a nerve with an editorial when, on the very next business day, California's senior senator rings you on the telephone. That's how I found myself spending an hour on Monday, engaged in an animated but civil exchange with U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Feinstein, calling me from her home near the nation's capital, was responding to a Feb. 27 editorial on her efforts to secure more water for the Westlands Water District, an agricultural giant in the San Joaquin Valley. <more> March 8, 2010 Sacramento Bee
 

USDA adds $10 million to EQIP funds for drought aid - - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today pledged additional funding to assist California agricultural producers struggling to cope with drought-related water cutoffs. Dave White, Chief of USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), made the announcement on Vilsack's behalf during a visit to California to meet with and listen to the needs of farmers.  White announced that USDA would provide $10 million through a special drought initiative under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). The EQIP funding will build on the $3 million NRCS provided to drought-stricken areas in 2009 by continuing last year's assistance and adding the option of converting farms to highly water-efficient micro-irrigation systems. <more> March 4, 2010 USDA Press Release
 

Bill aims to stop farmers from selling water pacts  - - How can Valley farmers ask for more water if they are making money selling what they already have to cities outside the region? It has happened only a few times in the last couple of decades. But one time is too many for a Valley lawmaker who has introduced legislation to stop the practice for state water contractors. Assembly Member Juan Arambula, I-Fresno, said the ag-to-city transfers make it harder to build sympathy for the Valley’s farm water plight.<more> March 1, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Sacramento Bee Editorial: Westlands wins, but at what cost? - - Over the past year, the Westlands Water District and other irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley have engaged in a dangerous campaign of misinformation. They brought in Fox News' Sean Hannity to spout his claim that farmers in California "are losing their land, their crops and their livelihood all because of a 2-inch fish."  They've portrayed the San Joaquin Valley as a "dust bowl." And they've tried to sell the public on the idea that a "man-made drought" is harming farmers, not the low precipitation of the last three years.  It makes for great propaganda, but lousy policy.  <more> Feb. 27, 2010 Sacramento Bee 
 

West Side farmers could see 30% water allocation, says Interior - - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar announced Friday that west-side Valley farmers will get up to 30% of their contracted water allotments if California has average rain and snowfall, but as little as 5% if dry weather sets in. He said federal officials also will attempt to boost water supplies by another 10% by obtaining water from other sources, such as Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and excess flow from the San Joaquin River restoration. <more> Feb. 26, 2010 Dept of Interior Press Release
 

State Water Project boosts allocation to 15 percent - - The California Department of Water Resources says those who buy water from the State Water Project should get 15 percent of their contracted amounts this year, thanks to heavy snowfall in the Sierra Nevada. The allocation had been set at 5 percent. “This is still one of the lowest allocations in the history of the State Water Project,” says DWR Director Mark Cowin. <more> Feb. 26, 2010 Central Valley Business Times
 

Farmworkers against California water bond- - By Arturo Rodriguez, United Farm Workers President - - Expensive water: $11 billion, or $800 million in annual debt payments for the next 30 years. That's how much Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's water bond will cost California's taxpayers and their children to subsidize the agricultural industry for decades to come. Gov. Schwarzenegger obviously agrees that water is valuable and essential to human life. Yet, every time a farmworker dies from heat-related illness or dehydration, we're told that the state can't afford the cost of enforcing the laws to protect him or her. The water bond that was recently approved by our lawmakers will give agricultural companies billions more in subsidized water. The state treasurer has asked the right question: Why aren't these giant ag industry operators paying for their water like everyone else?  <more> Feb.23, 2010 SF Chronicle
 

Modesto Bee Editorial: Feinstein water plan crucial for farmers  - - We were pleased when Sen. Dianne Feinstein proposed an amendment to the federal jobs bill that would temporarily modify pumping restrictions and give farmers up to 40 percent of their normal allocation. Many farmers along the valley's West Side received only 10 percent of their federal allotments last year, and fear they will receive event less next year.  Feinstein's proposal was -- and is -- a reasonable solution to the water allocation disparity. It would not do away with the Endangered Species Act, which has caused some of the pumping restrictions, but would provide some critical temporary relief for hard-hit farmers and farming communities.  <more> Feb. 23, 2010 Modesto Bee
 

Feinstein water transfer bill would hurt salmon, destroy wetlands, critics say - - Sen. Dianne Feinstein has proposed legislation to make it easier to transfer water to San Joaquin Valley farmers from other areas of the state, part of her ongoing effort to help farmers contending with water shortages. Feinstein made headlines last week with a controversial proposal to amend a federal jobs bill to guarantee San Joaquin Valley farmers 40 percent of their contract water deliveries from the federal government.  Her "Water Transfer Facilitation Act" has received far less attention. It was approved by a Senate committee in December and awaits a floor vote.  <more> Feb. 21, 2010 Sacramento Bee
 

Despite dire predictions, state farm jobs aren't disappearing says economist - - When California Sen. Dianne Feinstein drafted legislation that would weaken endangered species protections to deliver more water to San Joaquin Valley farms, her rationale was jobs. "People in California's breadbasket face complete economic ruin," the Democrat said in a recent statement. She was joining a chorus of Central Valley politicians and farm groups that during the last year have painted the region as a dust bowl, beset by drought and environmental protections that are cutting vital water deliveries and the jobs that depend on them. But crop and labor statistics for 2009 belie the image of a withering farm economy teetering on the edge of collapse. "People make a lot of claims, but the data you see is showing growth," said Paul Wessen, an economist with the California Employment Development Department. "We're just not seeing the job loss." <more> Feb. 22, 2010 LA Times
 

North state lawsuit a major onslaught in war over water - - Invoking the specter of a century-old Los Angeles water grab, Northern California farmers have filed a lawsuit that may escalate the state's ongoing water crisis. The farmers say the San Joaquin Valley communities hardest hit by drought and new protections for endangered species in the Delta — including the nation's largest irrigation district — are nevertheless illegally getting water that belongs to the northerners. <more> Feb. 19, 2010 Contra Costa Times
 

Feinstein may drop Valley water plan - - Facing objections from a dozen West Coast lawmakers, Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Thursday that she might drop her controversial bid to direct more water to San Joaquin Valley farmers if the Interior Department takes action on its own.  "If there can be some administrative action taken to take advantage of the recent bountiful rain and snow and provide reasonable water supplies this year, the legislation may not be necessary," she wrote to one of the lawmakers late Thursday, adding that she will "remain open to ideas" offered by other Democrats. <more> Feb. 19, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Poll shows water bond failing - - A poll commissioned by opponents of an $11 billion water bond shows only 34% of respondents planning to vote yes on the state ballot measure in November, while 55% said they'll vote no and 11% remain undecided. "We are encouraged to see that voters across California share our view that this bond is a bad deal for taxpayers," said Tina Andolina, Legislative Director for the Planning and Conservation League. The poll, by Tulchin Research, surveyed 600 likely voters and has a margin of error of 4 points. <more> Feb. 19, 2010 Fresno Bee  
 

Nunes to introduce water legislation - - A local congressman said Wednesday that he will introduce legislation to address a host of controversial water issues that have frustrated San Joaquin Valley farmers and ranchers. Visalia Republican Devin Nunes admits his legislation is doomed -- at least for now. But he still vowed to do his best to press the matter in Washington, holding hearings through the "hot, dry summer." <more> Feb. 18, 2010 Fresno Bee   
 

Saving delta fish doesn't save Valley farms - - By Joe L. Del Bosque,  owner of Empresas Del Bosque Inc., is a farmer in the Westlands Water District -  - The more it rains, the more water we lose. It sounds crazy, but that's what these federal restrictions on our water supplies mean for us in California. For the past three years, we have all been suffering the effects of a prolonged drought. But these restrictions on water deliveries have made the effects of the drought much worse. Here in the San Joaquin Valley, we've experienced drought conditions far worse than this year and still received 30 percent of our water supplies. This year, we are expecting zero percent. <more> Feb. 18, 2010 SF Chronicle
 

Water is jobs - - By Dianne Feinstein - - This is a make-or-break moment for California's agricultural economy. After three years of drought, winter storms have boosted storage capacity at key reservoirs and replenished the Sierra Nevada snowpack to between 90 and 129 percent of average. Yet hundreds of family-owned farms in the Central Valley still don't know if they'll be able to plant, hire and harvest this year because they may not get sufficient water allocations. Thousands of farm industry workers could again be standing in food lines in towns with unemployment rates as high as 40 percent. However, there currently exists an imbalance in the measures the government will take to protect the delta smelt and those it will take to protect people from economic devastation. I seek to remedy this imbalance by making technical modifications to the biological opinions that restrict delta pumping and give west side farmers the minimum amount of water necessary to work this year - 38-40 percent of their contractual allocation - while respecting environmental protections. <more> Feb. 18, 2010 SF Chronicle
 

Fresno Bee editorial: Feinstein offers an equitable water plan - - We have supported a balanced approach to dividing up California’s limited water supply that recognizes the needs of protecting the environment, providing drinking water to urban residents and giving farmers a fair share of this crucial resource. But water allocations for agriculture on the San Joaquin Valley’s west side are far from equitable. Federal law and court decisions have led to thousands of acres of fallowed farmland, caused economic devastation to some of Fresno County’s poorest communities, and damaged the Valley’s agricultural-based economy. Sen. Dianne Feinstein is now offering an amendment to the federal jobs bill that would temporarily modify pumping restrictions and give farmers up to 40% of their normal allocation. West-side farmers received only 10% of their federal allotments last year. Feinstein’s proposal is a reasonable solution to the water allocation disparity. <more> Feb. 18, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Cardoza calls on Congress to include emergency ag water in jobs bill - - Congressman Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) today announced he is working with Senator Dianne Feinstein and Congressman Jim Costa on an Emergency Temporary Water Supply Amendment to the Jobs Bill. The amendment aims to provide for an emergency stop-gap agriculture water allocation of 40 percent for the next 2 years.  Senator Feinstein is expected to introduce the amendment to the Jobs Bill. This amendment will result in a 40 percent water allocation for a two year period. The amendment is based on previous legislation approved by Congress in 2003 that provided municipal water supply allocations to Albuquerque, New Mexico that were being threatened by the Rio Grande Silvery Minnow, a fish similar in size to the Delta smelt. Feb. 11, 2010 Cardoza Press Release
 

West siders expect forecast of zero federal water delivery - - The first water-delivery forecast for west San Joaquin Valley farmers is expected near the end of next week -- and water officials are still privately expecting a zero allocation, despite big storms this winter. Hopes had been raised last week when a federal judge set aside endangered salmon protections and allowed water pumping to go full blast in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But another protected fish, the delta smelt, triggered pumping reductions just a few days later. Now, no one is sure if there was enough pumping to raise the forecast. Last year, west siders were forecast to get zero early in the year. The number eventually rose to 10%. Feb. 11, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Judge rejects delay in delta pumping restrictions - - West Valley farmers last week were celebrating a reprieve from water pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Five days later, it's over. A federal judge Wednesday rejected an emergency request by water districts to delay a new set of pumping restrictions. <more> Feb. 11, 2010 Fresno Bee  
 

Cardoza: Court Ruling on Delta Smelt is “Absolutely Absurd” - - Congressman Cardoza (D-Merced) strongly criticized a court ruling this week that will lead to further blocking of agricultural water for Westside farmers. Congressman Cardoza called the ruling another example of the complete insanity with which California’s water system has been managed. “This is absolutely absurd,” said Cardoza. “The Environmental Species Act has essentially become the default management tool for our state’s water system. Regulation after regulation is blocking us from using this system that was intended to provide water throughout California and ensure that our farmers have the water they desperately need to grow our nation’s food.” Feb. 11, 2010 Cardoza Press Release
 

Farmers sue over ignored Delta woes - - For the past two years, California farmers have faced extraordinary water shortages -- not so much because of a lack of water supplies, but because of a tightening of federal and state regulations protecting the Delta smelt and salmon, which are on the endangered species list. Farmers acknowledge that pumping from the Delta estuary does impact smelt and salmon populations to some extent. They also say they are being unfairly blamed for the entire problem. They say other factors contributing to the decreasing population of smelt and salmon -- invasive species, in-stream pumping and treated wastewater that gets dumped into the Delta -- are not considered. This argument forms the basis of several lawsuits that farmer-backed groups have filed against state and federal government agencies. <more> Feb. 11, 2010 Capital Press
 

Tunnel emerges as favored way to deliver Sacramento River water to the state - - A giant tunnel now is the primary concept for delivering water from the Sacramento River to the rest of California. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan, a coalition of water agencies and nonprofit groups, agreed at its meeting in Sacramento Thursday to pursue the tunnel idea. It now is the group's primary option for further study as a solution to freshwater delivery problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. <more>  Feb. 11, 2010 Modesto Bee
 

Feinstein seeks to ease curbs on water delivery to farmers- - Sen. Dianne Feinstein has drawn up legislation that for the next two years would loosen Endangered Species Act restrictions on pumping water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to increase irrigation deliveries to San Joaquin Valley growers. Feinstein has not released details of the proposal, which she is calling the Emergency Temporary Water Supply Amendment and which is expected to be attached to a jobs bill. In a statement Thursday she said that the language had not been finalized and that she was open to "alternative ways" of boosting water supplies for the valley's west side, which has been hit hard by delivery cuts caused by the state drought and the pumping limits. <more> Feb. 12, 2010 LA Times
 

Pumps blast water to west Valley farmers - - Federal officials are pumping an extra billion gallons of river water daily into San Luis Reservoir for west Valley farmers, thanks to a federal judge's order and a string of winter storms. But if the storms disappear, the full-blast pumping could stop far sooner than the two weeks ordered by the judge. West San Joaquin Valley farm leaders say the extra water would help them keep stressed orchards and vineyards alive. There's even a small chance some idled acreage would be brought back into production, which would help a region suffering from widespread job losses. <more> Feb. 9, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

GOP candidate Whitman explains her support for water bond- - Eight months ago, I wrote in these pages that our failure to rebuild California's water supply system is crippling our economy and hurting large parts of the Central Valley. I'm sad to say that the suffering continues. California needs action to solve its water crisis. I'm proud that I was the first candidate for governor to take a strong position on this critical issue. And I immediately announced my support for the comprehensive water bond when it passed the Legislature last fall. It's a needed start to solving a crisis years in the making. My support of the bond on the November ballot underscores my commitment to finding a solution. <more> Feb. 9, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Ag users hail federal judge's temporary hold - - A federal judge on Friday put a temporary hold on a controversial management plan for endangered salmon -- a critical decision that will send more water to parched farms and ranches on the San Joaquin Valley's west side. The 23-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger in Fresno is in place for only two weeks, but it comes at a time when there is increased water flow into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the main source for agricultural users in the Westlands Water District. Agriculture officials say an additional 40,000 to 50,000 acre-feet of water will be sent to federal water users in the next two weeks, saving ranchers and farmers an estimated $10 million to $12 million. <more> Feb. 7, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Judge orders Calif water pumping limits lifted temporarily - - A federal judge says pumping limits intended to protect native salmon can be lifted for two weeks in order to boost irrigation supplies for California's drought-addled farmers. Districts representing some of the country's largest farms asked for a temporary restraining order that would suspend the limits in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta through mid-June. The pumping restrictions part of federal biologists' plan aimed at safeguarding winter-run Chinook salmon as they breed and swim out to the Pacific Ocean. Despite the restrictions, several native fish populations are still crashing. Farms as well as fisheries have suffered under the persistent drought, which has left thousands jobless. U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger said Friday afternoon the limits could be lifted for two weeks.  Feb. 5, 2010 AP
 

Hard to wash away drought- - The question gurgles up from every storm drain and creek in California: Is the drought over? The simple answer is no. The reasons are not so simple. Two weeks of heavy rain and snow, nice as it is, cannot erase three years of drought statewide. For starters, California's largest reservoirs are far from full. This includes Shasta, Oroville and Folsom, all vital storage points for state and federal water supply canals. These reservoirs likely won't fill completely with the snowpack on the ground now, especially if there is no more of it by April 1. <more> Jan. 29, 2010 Modesto Bee
 

What they really meant to say - - There was a Bee story Wednesday about an Interior Department announcement that made it seem as though west San Joaquin Valley farmers would get an additional 350,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of water this year. As the story said, that's a false impression. The announcement was a commitment from the federal government to make room in San Luis Reservoir for water that west-side farmers already have purchased. This commitment has been renewed annually for at least 15 years. This was the earliest commitment in memory, and that was the significant point. <more> Jan. 28, 2010 Fresno Bee 
 

Feds promise more water to California - - Interior Secretary Ken Salazar sought to mollify San Joaquin Valley farmers but ended up disappointing them again Tuesday when he declared federal pumps will deliver more water this year. Facing considerable political pressure from California farmers and lawmakers, Salazar announced that 350,000 to 400,000 acre-feet of additional water will be delivered. But San Joaquin Valley farmers said the water described by the Interior Department will not increase irrigation supplies, as they already have bought most of it. <more> Jan. 27, 2010 Fresno Bee    
 

Valley urged to fight for water at congressional forum - - Major change in federal policies fueled by mounting public pressure must happen in order to solve the Valley's ongoing water crisis, several speakers said Monday at a congressional town hall forum in Fresno.  More than 200 people attended the meeting at Fresno's City Hall chambers. The event was chaired by Rep. Tom McClintock, R-Thousand Oaks, the ranking Republican of the House Natural Resources Committee. McClintock was joined by Reps. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, Kevin McCarthy, R-Bakersfield, and Rob Bishop, a Utah Republican. A panel of witnesses that included water district officials and farmers provided testimony.  <more> Jan. 27, 2010 Fresno Bee
 

Delta panel swears to avoid politics - - A panel of scientists charged with conducting an objective review of the ailing Delta will not be swayed by politics, a representative said Monday. "We pride ourselves on independence," the National Research Council's Stephen Parker said, speaking for 15 experts from across the country who will decide if there are ways to help fish other than reducing the amount of water that can be pumped out of the estuary. <more> Jan. 27, 2010 Stockton Record 
 

Delta smelt rules face new challenge in court -- Already thwarted by a Fresno judge, a conservative legal organization is pressing its case that federal rules to protect delta smelt are unconstitutional.  In an appeal filed Monday in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on behalf of Valley farms, the Pacific Legal Foundation argues that the government cannot enact the regulations because smelt are not involved in interstate commerce. <more> Jan. 27, 2010 Fresno Bee  

Modesto City Council to study selling water to West Side farmers - - One man's trash is another man's treasure, and the same goes for waste water. The Modesto City Council on Tuesday night advanced a plan to sell its treated waste water to drought-stricken West Side farmers. The council voted 7-0 to pay for part of a feasibility study that will look at how the city could pipe treated waste water from its Jennings Road sewer plant to the Del Puerto Water District. The district is a narrow, 45,000-acre strip that hugs Interstate 5. <more> Jan. 13, 2010 Modesto Bee
 

Get a closer look at state's ground-water bill - - California for the first time will require water users to disclose ground-water levels as a result of legislation recently approved by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers. Ground-water monitoring has long been sought by Democrats and environmentalists, but opposed by Republicans and farm groups, who fear an invasion of property. But the parties last week struck a compromise as part of a larger water deal, which includes new conservation rules and an $11 billion water bond voters will consider in a year to pay for dams and other projects. <more> Nov. 11, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

Millerton Lake a backdrop for water-bond signing - - With Millerton Lake as a backdrop, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed an $11.1 billion water bond Monday that proponents acknowledged will be a tough sell with voters. Schwarzenegger was flanked by legislators, local elected officials, farmers, and members of the California Latino Water Coalition during the afternoon ceremony. The governor said it will be up to those involved in the fight for water to encourage public support for the bond, which will be on the ballot next November. He also said many of the groups that have previously fought each other on water legislation have come together to support the package. <more> Nov. 10, 2009 Fresno Bee  
 

Feds moving toward addressing Central Valley water issues - - The federal government might be moving toward approving more water from the San Joaquin-Sacramento Delta to farms and ranches south of the Delta. The National Academy of Sciences’ National Research Council Governing Board on Tuesday is expected to approve a request of the Departments of the Interior and Commerce for an independent scientific review of key questions relating to the Delta, and how to both protect the ecosystem and provide a reliable water supply, says Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar. <more> Nov. 10, 2009 Central Valley Business Times     
 

Drought relief commitment made to Reps. Cardoza and Costa - - Over the last several months, Congressmen Cardoza and Costa have met with top officials from the White House and the Department of Interior. As part of ongoing discussions, the Congressmen have expressed the need for the Obama Administration to take action to address California’s Central Valley water crisis. In conjunction with their recent legislative efforts, the Congressmen have provided the Administration with a list of water-improvement projects and actions that would provide significant relief to San Joaquin Valley farmers, farm workers, and farm communities. In response to these discussions, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar today released the following statement: <more> Nov. 9, 2009 Cardoza Press Release  
 

California water crisis' human face - - While the fiscal malaise continues to hang over the state like a black cloud, California’s water crisis is really the No. 1 mess facing this state, according to agricultural lobbyist/attorney and Hanford  dairyman George Soares. Soares, whose law firm represents a host of agricultural and commodity groups, told the annual Western Cotton Shippers Association conference at Harris Ranch that California’s water crisis is in a race against money, politics and time. Agriculture has put a “human face” on the water crisis in the fields and that has given the issue considerable traction with the public and the politicians; it will take more than that to solve the issue. It will take political coalitions. One of the strongest voices in resolving the water crisis has been the Latino political caucus. It is the strongest caucus in the Legislature with 26 members. “This caucus is sensitive to the human conditions brought on by a lack of water for agriculture,” he says. This group of legislators has put together one of the most comprehensive water solution packages yet. “Trade unions are part of this effort. When is the last time a union stood up for us in ag? The carpenters’ union said they supported the Latino caucus’ water package.” The water crisis is a jobs issue with many unions, according to Soares. <more> Nov. 9, 2009 Western Farm Press
 

Westlands Water District is a powerhouse for Valley farmers - - The most powerful voices in the state's $11 billion water talks last week might have been two water districts -- one speaking for half the state's population and the other for just 600 San Joaquin Valley farmers. The negotiations led to legislation with the promise of epic change, restoring dying fisheries, building dams and easing gridlock that has dogged water system improvement for decades. It made sense that Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which serves 19 million people, would wield big political clout in those talks. But who are those 600 farmers? They are customers in Westlands Water District, the country's largest federal irrigation district. <more> Nov. 9, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

Water plan goes easy on ag users, critics say - - Cities across the state must slash water consumption by about 20 percent over the next decade under newly passed legislation aimed at reworking the aging policies and plumbing that determine water flow to 38 million Californians. But the California agriculture industry, which consumes an estimated three-quarters of the water used in the state, won't have to change its practices much under the new rules. And that vexes many involved in the political wrangling over water in a state where global warming, population growth and crumbling infrastructure are forcing wrenching changes in the way natural resources are divvied up. <more> Nov. 9, 2009 SF Chronicle    
 

“Historic” Water Bond Would Contribute to Historic Debt - - Passage of an $11 billion water bond by the Legislature comes just a few weeks after the state treasurer warned that lawmakers cannot keep issuing debt willy-nilly and need a master plan to set priorities for its issuance. Apparently, lawmakers didn’t read the treasurer’s report on debt levels. The water bond stipulates that no more than 50 percent of the $11 billion can be sold during the next five years — assuming the bond measure is approved by voters next November — which reduces the increase in debt service in the short term. However, Lockyer’s debt affordability report shows the amount of debt service the cash-starved General Fund pays will already double from $6 billion this year to more than $12 billion in seven years. <more> Nov. 6, 2009 Californiascapitol.com   
 

Governor says state can handle debt service on $11.1B water bond - - By Jim Boren - - One of the criticisms of the $11.1 billion water bond is that California has passed so many bonds that the financially strapped state won't be able to handle the annual debt service on this huge bond. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said the bond is structured in a way that will make the debt service feasible. Schwarzenegger and bond supporters have two big problems: The first is selling the measure to voters at the November 2010 election when the citizenry is expected to be in a rebellious mood. The second is the bond should have cost $9.4 billion, but was loaded up with extras (pork) to get the votes of lawmakers who were on the fence in supporting the historic measure. Opponents will be pointing out the pork in this bond measure during the campaign. <more> Nov. 6, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

Water overhaul looks like win for Valley farmers - - Valley farmers scored big wins in the package of water bills state lawmakers passed Wednesday, but most of the benefits are years away — if they come at all. Voters still must approve a key provision — an $11 billion bond for water projects, potentially including money for a dam east of Fresno. And a planned canal to move water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to the Valley’s west-side farms faces regulatory and legal hurdles. But on Wednesday, farm leaders were all smiles as they celebrated passage of proposals they had pushed for years without success. <more> Nov. 5, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

All cheer water deal -- California farm interests gave positive reactions to historic water legislation approved this week by the Legislature. Legislation passed Wednesday, Nov. 4, consisted of five bills, including an infrastructure bond for $11.1 billion to pay for a wide variety of water management, conservation and storage projects. The package also includes the creation of a new governing panel to oversee the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and gives the state the authority to monitor groundwater levels. Doug Mosebar, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, said the legislation is a step forward in serving the state's central water needs: new storage, improved ability to transfer water, protection of water rights and Delta ecosystem protection. <more> Nov. 5, 2009 Capital Press  
 

Water deal details outlined - - HIGHLIGHTS OF THE PLAN. Authorizes an $11.14 billion bond measure to pay for dams, underground water banking, water recycling, Delta restoration and dozens of regional projects. The California Legislature's water package calls for an election, probably in November 2010, on an $11 billion water bond requiring majority approval by the state's voters. Regarding the peripheral canal, the plan would: Provide assurances about a proposed Delta water diversion canal. It would prevent the Department of Water Resources from starting construction until the Water Resources Control Board approves a diversion permit for the project. That diversion permit must specify 'flow criteria' that set new stream-flow requirements to improve Delta habitat. <more> Nov. 5, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

Cogdill sees valley benefitting from water deal - - State Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, said the package is a welcome sign of bipartisanship in the Capitol. "Nothing is more important to the state's economic prosperity than ensuring that we have water to meet California's needs now and into the future," he said in a statement. "With this plan, we can improve the state's water supply and protect the environment, without destroying our economy." Cogdill, vice chairman of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee, said the package could help the parts of the valley where drought and delta fish protection have led to fallowed farmland and job losses. <more> Nov. 5, 2009 Modesto Bee
 

Bill would ease San Joaquin Valley water swaps - - - - San Joaquin Valley farmers could swap water more easily under a bill floated Thursday before a Senate panel. The four-page water transfer legislation is far less ambitious than an $11 billion water bond package approved Wednesday by the California Legislature. For now, though, it may reflect the leading federal contribution to addressing the state's water woes. "The Valley can't wait for a long-term solution," Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein said. "The one thing we can do now, in the short term, is facilitate (water) transfers." <more> Nov. 5, 2009 McClatchy
 

Water deal now goes to governor, voters - - As the sun rose over Sacramento Wednesday morning, Democrats and Republicans came together to reach a major deal on water, including sweeping changes in water policy and an $11 billion bond that must be approved by voters. The package includes new rules for water conservation -- with most localities being asked to reduce water use by 20 percent over the next 10 years -- and a new system of governance for the Sacramento/San Joaquin River Delta.  The deal was approved after an all-night session, an increasingly familiar scene in the world of the California Legislature. The major breakthrough came Tuesday night after leaders agreed to add $1 billion into the bond package at the request of the Los Angeles delegation. In return, Republicans won a major concession as Democrats agreed to sever an enforcement bill from the water package that cracked down on illegal diversions of water, boosted fines and increased the power of the state water boards -- provisions long demanded by environmentalists. <more>  Nov. 4, 2009 Capitol Weekly
 

Water: Dems make major concessions to GOP - - Republicans appeared to win a major concession Tuesday after leaders agreed to sever an enforcement bill from the water package that cracked down on illegal diversions of water, boosted fines and increased the power of the state water boards -- provisions long demanded by environmentalists.  The water-rights enforcement bill had been linked to the reform package of several other bills dealing with conservation, groundwater monitoring and governance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River delta. Now, SB 5 7x will stand on its own. While its passage is likely in the Senate, it faces a tough road in the Assembly. Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, agreed to the change amid fears that opposition to the measure could sink the entire water package. <more> Nov. 4, 2009 Capitol Weekly
 

Environmental Defense Fund Praises California Legislature's Passage of Historic Water Legislation - - Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) praised the California Legislature for passing historic water legislation in both the Senate and Assembly today. It will now be sent to Governor Schwarzenegger to sign into law. "This is a major breakthrough that sets a new framework for providing both water supply reliability and protecting our fragile ecosystems," said Laura Harnish Regional Director of Environmental Defense Fund. "It puts California on course for a smarter water future." <more> Nov. 4, 2009 EDF Press Release
 

Sec. of Interior Salazar Reacts To Water Legislation Passage - - Thousands across the state and country are reacting to the California Legislature's passage of historic comprehensive water reform. One of those sounding off on the passage is Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar, a man who visited the San Joaquin Valley several times in regards to the issue. "Thanks to the California legislature and Governor Schwarzenegger, Californians now have the opportunity to choose a more secure and sustainable water future," Salazar said.  <more> Nov. 4, 2009 KMPH News  
 

Schwarzenegger: Build a canal around the Delta - - Hours after California legislators reached what they called an historic agreement on water, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger told a crowd of Stockton business people at an electric vehicle plant grand opening that “we’re going to fix the Delta and to build a canal around the Delta.” “That was great news,” Schwarzenegger said of the legislation’s passage after a long night of political wrangling. <more> Nov. 4, 2009 Stockton Record  
 

Dan Walters: Capitol labors long on water but produces a drop in the bucket - - Winston Churchill paid tribute to the young fighter pilots who staved off Nazi Germany's aerial assault on England during the Battle of Britain with characteristic eloquence: "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few." California politicians' machinations over water, still under way in the Capitol late Tuesday with a conclusion uncertain, inspires a parody of Churchill's immortal words, to wit: "Never in California's political history have so many politicians labored so long to produce so little."<more> Nov. 4, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

California's San Joaquin Valley lawmakers again introduce water legislation-- San Joaquin Valley lawmakers on Tuesday again voiced their discontent over the region's dry spell, this time by introducing a new bill to review several key water-delivery decisions. The legislation, authored by Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, would reconsider decisions that have steered more water toward Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta protection and away from Valley farmers. Cardoza's bill follows up on similar, unsuccessful efforts made in both the House and Senate. "It is both unfair and illogical to blame our farmers for all of the environmental problems facing the Delta ecosystem," Cardoza said. <more> Nov. 3, 2009 Modesto Bee  
 

Bipartisan Cardoza bill demands accounting of all factors affecting Delta Smelt and Salmon -- Congressman Dennis Cardoza introduced bipartisan legislation today that calls for a review of the federal biological opinions that have significantly reduced the amount of water flowing to San Joaquin Valley farmers. Congressmen Costa (D-Fresno) and Radanovich (R-Mariposa) joined as original cosponsors. To read the complete text of the bill, click here. Specifically, the legislation calls for a “re-consultation” of the biological opinions on Salmon and Delta Smelt that have resulted in curtailments of water deliveries to the Valley. The biological opinions place unfair blame on Valley farmers and the pumps that deliver their water as the cause for declines in the Delta fish populations. Congressman Cardoza’s legislation would require a review of all factors affecting the survival of endangered species in the Delta, rather than simply focusing on cutting back water deliveries to the Valley. <more> Nov . 3, 2009 Cardoza Press Release          
 

Enviro community already split over water bond - - With heavy rain finally falling on Sacramento this week, the Legislature and the governor appear to be inching closer to a water bond deal.  But several environmental groups are already lining up to oppose the potential ballot measure. If a package does make it to voters, these groups also appear to have a ripe target — the bond’s multibillion dollar cost, which could be a hard sell in the current fiscal environment. “The bill is only moving closer to a loss for the environment,” said Charlotte Hodde, water program manager for the Planning and Conservation League, which is opposed to the package as it is currently being drafted. “The big Achilles heel for this package has been the financial mechanism.” <more> Oct. 15, 2009 Capitol Weekly  
 

Valley irrigation blocked from bill on Bay Area water - - San Joaquin Valley lawmakers failed Wednesday in efforts to turn a Bay Area water recycling bill toward the valley's advantage. Following heated debate and some political gamesmanship, a key House committee blocked valley representatives from trying to add irrigation delivery provisions to the Bay Area bill. The unadorned bill comes to the House floor today. "If we're going to have a bill that affects the Bay Area, we ought to have a bill that helps the rest of the state, too," said Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia. Nunes and Rep. George Radanovich, R-Mariposa, brought five separate amendments designed to increase irrigation deliveries or, at the least, send a political signal about the valley's water shortages. <more> Oct. 15, 2009 Modesto Bee
 

Fix water delivery, state ag board urges - - If California farmers are to survive another dry year, they will need better water-transfer and delivery systems, state water officials said Wednesday as they met in Fresno. "The talking is over," said Al Montna, president of the State Board of Food and Agriculture. "And the time to act is now." The State Board of Food and Agriculture water subcommittee, which met Wednesday at the Fresno County Farm Bureau, will recommend to the full board and to state and federal officials that the water-transfer process be streamlined. <more> Oct. 15, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

Putting together the (impossible?) water puzzle -- Negotiations on major water legislation are in the "language drafting stage" right now, which is another way of saying Democrats and Republicans haven't agreed on anything. Even so, Senate Democrats want a vote next week. Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg "is pushing for a public hearing on the comprehensive water package next week, and also a vote on the Senate floor," said his spokesman Jim Evans. "There's no agreement yet, but parties involved in the talks are drafting language consistent with negotiations between the governor and legislative leaders." <more> Oct. 14, 23009 Fresno Bee
 

Congressman Cardoza pushes bipartisan legislation on Valley ag water - - Congressman Cardoza joined with his colleagues from the San Joaquin Valley in a bipartisan effort to direct water from the San Joaquin Delta to local Valley growers and farmers. In recent years, water deliveries to Valley agriculture have been significantly reduced. A federal judge’s ruling has ordered curtailments of water as a means of protecting endangered fish in the Delta. Cardoza and others have countered that the pumps are not the sole cause of declines in fish populations and that a comprehensive study of the Delta ecosystem is needed before placing undue and severe hardship on Valley farmers. During a Rules Committee hearing today, Congressmen George Radanovich (R-Fresno) and Devin Nunes (R-Visalia) each offered two amendments to H.R. 2442, the Bay Area Regional Water Recycling Program Expansion Act of 2009. One amendment from Congressman Radanovich would have blocked the legislation from taking effect until the Two Gates project is in place.  This project calls for placing gates in front of the Delta pumps that provide water to Valley farmers.  The aim is to protect fish from being sucked into the intakes. The other amendment adds the text of H.R. 856, the California Drought Alleviation Act of 2009, to the end of the bill.  Under the Drought Alleviation Act, of which Congressman Cardoza is a co-sponsor, the W.W. Bill Jones Pumping Plant and the Harvey O Banks Pumping Plant would receive exemptions from the federal Endangered Species Act.  This in turn would allow the pumping stations to provide much needed water to Valley farmers and growers during times of drought emergency. The amendments from Congressman Nunes call for a suspension of the Endangered Species Act as a means of providing water to growers in the Valley.  This would prevent the implementation of the December 15, 2008 Biological Opinion by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the June 4, 2009 Biological Opinion by the National Marine Fisheries Service, which relate to the Delta-smelt and the salmon, steelhead, green sturgeon and killer whales, respectively. Congressman Cardoza voted in favor of the Radanovich and Nunes amendments to ensure they would receive a vote before the entire House of Representatives on Thursday.  Ultimately, however, the amendments were defeated by a vote of 5 to 6.  The rule passed the Rules Committee by a vote of 6 to 5, with Congressman Cardoza opposing the rule because the Radanovich and Nunes amendments were not made in order. Oct. 14, 2009 Cardoza Press Release
 

‘Grassroots’ Latino Water Coalition registered to ag industry lobbyist - - Anyone who works in or around the Capitol has likely seen them in the last few months: clumps of Latino farm workers holding blue and white signs with slogans such as “Farm water=Jobs” or “If you like foreign oil, you’ll love foreign food.”  The California Latino Water Coalition is one of several groups that have sprung up in recent years as the Golden State has tried to address its water woes. But according to critics, those blue signs are hiding another color: the green of Astroturf. In politics, “Astroturfing” means creating and financing a group to make it appear to be a real grass-roots organization when, in fact, it isn’t. It is a common practice in the high-stakes world of Sacramento lobbying and communications strategy.  <more> Oct. 14, 2009 Capitol Weekly
 

Congressmen Cardoza and Costa introduce bill to facilitate water transfers - - Representatives Dennis Cardoza (D-Merced) and Jim Costa (D-Fresno) introduced a bill today that would help ease the effects of severe drought in the Central Valley by facilitating the transfers of up to 300,000 acre-feet of irrigation water. The Water Transfer Facilitation Act of 2009 eases restrictions on the Bureau of Reclamation and would streamline environmental reviews for the giant garter snake.  The bill would reduce unnecessary delays in water transfers at a time when Central Valley farmers have been hard hit by a three-year drought. <more> Oct. 7, 2009 Cardoza, Costa Press Release
 

Latinos make case on water issues in D.C.  - - After a week in Washington, D.C., members of the California Latino Water Coalition said they were satisfied with their effort to educate federal officials about the Valley's water woes. The group that included local politicians, farmers and water district officials met with several congressional leaders, including Sen. Diane Feinstein, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-Santa Fe Springs, who heads the House Subcommittee on Water and Power. Mario Santoyo, a coalition member, said he was pleased that Feinstein and Hoyer agreed to try to find additional funding for the "Two Gates" project on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. <more> Oct. 6, 2009 Fresno Bee    
 

My View: Farm, fishing industries can't remain foes in water debate - - By Larry Collins, co-founder of Salmon Water Now and  president of the San Francisco Crab Boat Owners Association - - The battle for California's water took national stage recently as several senators and political pundits added their comments to a debate that has riveted this state for years. Yet with the new voices came the same old repetition: Someone else is responsible for our water crisis. The current blame game ensures the status quo survives. Progress requires a common ground. This is a crisis with some readily available solutions. Instead of passing blame, all of the industries affected by the water crisis must come together to work with water policymakers on implementing sensible changes over the coming months. Only through cooperation and dialogue is it possible to restore the bounty of next year's summer growing and fishing seasons. If the political bickering continues to dominate the process, however, farmers and fishermen won't be the only ones with empty dinner plates.  <more> Oct. 6, 2009 Sacramento Bee    
 

Farmers challenge water cutbacks in court - - Two West Side farmers are plaintiffs in a high-stakes federal court lawsuit challenging the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta pumping restrictions which reduced the flow of irrigation water to a trickle in some parts of California this summer.  Attorneys for the public interest Pacific Legal Foundation  will present the heart of their case Friday in Fresno on behalf of three plaintiffs, including Stewart & Jasper of Newman and Arroyo Farms of Firebaugh. Grant Craven of Patterson is managing partner of that enterprise. The third is King Pistachio Grove.  <more> Oct. 6, 2009West Side Index
 

Gov wants bills pulled back until water deal is reached - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, apparently standing by a threat to veto hundreds of bills on his desk unless a deal can be reached on the state's water problems, has suggested to Senate leader Darrell Steinberg that all legislation before the governor should be withdrawn to avoid a veto. About 700 bills are awaiting action.  Schwarzenegger did not formally request that the bills be yanked, but that was the implicit suggestion in his proposal, Capitol sources said.  The communications between Steinberg and the governor were referenced in an e-mail sent from Steinberg to Senate Democrats this week. In the internal e-mail, which was reviewed by Capitol Weekly, Steinberg said Schwarzenegger "even mentioned coming back this week to withdraw bills from his desk and hold them until after water is done."  <more> Oct. 5, 2009 Capitol Weekly   
 

Dan Walters: California water deal very close? Perhaps not - - Last week, in response to a reporter's question, Arnold Schwarzenegger said he and legislators are so close to a historic deal on California's water crisis that it could be done in just a few hours. Superficially, that appears to be true. A multiyear drought, a federal judge's crackdown on pumping water out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect fish, national media attention on San Joaquin Valley farmers, and pressure from the governor and even the White House have created more political activity on water than we've seen in three decades. Seemingly, therefore, everything could be done quickly if only Schwarzenegger would call a special legislative session, as the White House is urging. But appearances may be deceiving. Negotiations on the intertwined issues of improving the Delta's environment and improving reliability of water supply have also revealed political micro-fissures. <more> Oct. 5, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Willie Brown: Water issue could sink state Dems in 2010 - - A political earthquake is rumbling in the Central Valley over water, and it could cause a real tsunami for the Democrats in the 2010 elections if they don't handle it well. That's the message I'm getting from my Blue Dog Democrat friends in farm country. Rep. Jim Costa, D-Hanford (Kings County), told me unemployment in his district is running at 35 to 45 percent. The once-fruitful federal farm subsides are drying up and so is the water, with people blaming the Democrats on both counts. <more> Oct. 5, 2009 SF Chronicle
 

Lockyer: State’s water projects should be paid for by users - -California should come up with an infrastructure master plan, including a requirement that improvements to the state’s water works should be financed mainly by users, not the state General Fund, says state Treasurer Bill Lockyer. “The case for user-funding for most water system improvements is compelling, both as a matter of equity and fiscal prudence,” says Mr. Lockyer. “The days of blithely heaping more and more debt burden on the General Fund are over – at least they should be,” says Mr. Lockyer. “We face a $38 billion structural budget deficit over the next three fiscal years. If we’re not careful, rising debt service payments soon will consume more than 10 percent of General Fund revenues.” <more> Oct. 2, 2009 Central Valley Business Times   
 

Feinstein planning major delta legislation - -California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, considered a pre-eminent broker in the state's water wars, said Wednesday she is planning one of the biggest pieces of legislation she's ever attempted, to address the water and environmental crisis in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Feinstein told The Chronicle of her plans after a fiery public hearing at the Interior Department in Washington , where Secretary Ken Salazar fended off angry charges from Central Valley congressmen that the Obama administration has failed to respond to the crisis that is devastating California 's farm communities. The legislation is still in the idea stage, but Feinstein has told her staff to scour other major water restoration projects, from the Great Lakes to the Everglades , to find a way to fix the delta, one of the world's largest natural estuaries. <more> Oct. 1, 2009 SF Chronicle
 

Final amendments pave way for Valley agriculture water improvements - - The U.S. House of Representatives today approved the conference report for the FY 2010 Energy and Water Appropriations Bill. The bill included two provisions authored by Congressman Dennis Cardoza and his colleague Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) aimed at increasing water flows to San Joaquin Valley farmer. The first provision will make it easier for water to be transferred from one county to another. Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation restricts such transfers, creating an impediment to efficient and practical water movement during times of need. The amendment also directs the Secretary of the Interior to implement a recovery plan for the giant garter snake, an endangered species. A recovery plan will help to remove the bureaucratic red tape that prevents water transfers from Northern California from moving forward. The second provision provides $10 million in increased funding for the California Bay-Delta Restoration Program, which will help fund important water projects such as the Two Gates and the Intertie projects. These projects will help to convey and transfer water to the people and farms most impacted by the shortage. <more> Oct. 1, 2009 Cardoza Press Release

Obama Administration calls for new look at delta - - The nation’s most respected scientists should re-examine the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and controversial measures now protecting it, the Obama administration declared Wednesday. In a nod to Central Valley residents and their increasingly angry congressional allies, the administration agreed to seek an independent review by the National Academy of Sciences. The study announced at an often-heated public hearing Wednesday morning would include a search for alternative environmental protections that might demand less sacrifice from farmers. In addition to the proposed National Academy of Sciences study, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar urged Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the California Legislature to convene a special session on the state’s water policies. <more> Oct. 1, 2009 Fresno Bee

Glass half full for California water, as administration seeks new science study -- The nation's most respected scientists should re-examine California's Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and the controversial measures now protecting it, the Obama administration declared Wednesday. In a nod to Central Valley residents and their increasingly angry congressional allies, the administration agreed to seek an independent review by the National Academy of Sciences. The study, announced at an often-heated public hearing Wednesday morning, would include a search for alternative environmental protections that might demand less sacrifice from farmers. "This is a huge priority for the president and for me," Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said. "We will do our part." <more> Sept. 30, 2009 McClatchy
 

Cardoza blasts Interior over lack of action on San Joaquin Valley drought - - During a meeting today with Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and other top officials with the Department of Interior, Congressman Cardoza took aim at the lack of government action in addressing the San Joaquin Valley’s drought. As a result of water curtailments to farmers in the heart of California, an estimated 40,000 jobs have been lost and thousands of acres of prime farmland have been fallowed. “My definition of ‘crisis’ is a disaster that requires an immediate response,” said Congressman Cardoza. “By no definition of the word crisis has the federal government responded appropriately. Instead of red lights and fire trucks, I see business as usual. We all know that this crisis will not end even if we have a wet year. It is time to face this crisis head-on and finally take action.” California’s San Joaquin Valley farmers are currently in their third year of drought. In addition to the natural drought, farmers are also faced with a “regulatory drought” from regulatory requirements that have cut back their water allocations from the San Joaquin Delta. <more> Sept. 30, 2009 Cardoza Press Release
 

Stalled water measures spur veto threat- - A frustrated Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger may threaten to veto dozens of unrelated bills if lawmakers fail to move a stalled water package to his desk in the coming days, according to those close to negotiations. But those brokering the deal privately warn that such an ultimatum could further poison negotiations already marred by distrust, making it even more challenging to meet his demand. <more> Sept. 21, 2009 San Diego Union
 

Sacramento Bee Editorial: Water reform package is worth saving - - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and state lawmakers came very close earlier this month to a historic pact aimed at restoring the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and ensuring the future of California's water supply. They should get back to work and close that deal. The package that died at the end of the legislative session was like a glass half full. It was missing some crucial elixers – the result of some hasty, last-minute bartending. But now there is time to finish the job and give the proposals the public vetting they deserve. Why wait? This package included some attractive elements, including provisions for conservation and groundwater management. The bills would set a statewide goal of reducing water consumption by 20 percent by 2020, and they would expand the state's role in monitoring the overdrafting of groundwater. <more> Sept. 20, 2009 Sacramento Bee   
 

Water deal eludes Calif lawmakers at session's end - - California lawmakers ended a legislative year dominated by an unprecedented fiscal crisis without an agreement on their top policy priority -- an ambitious upgrade of the state's water delivery and storage system.  Democrats and Republicans believed there was enough momentum to try again and vowed to continue meeting in a yet-unannounced special session. Each side said they are determined to fix a problem that has bedeviled lawmakers and governors for decades.  But the state Senate session ended with a bitter partisan battle early Saturday, after Republicans blocked all bills requiring a two-thirds vote, raising doubts about whether there really is enough goodwill to reach accord on major policy issues such as water.  <more> Sept. 12, 2009 AP 
 

Partisan apprehensions sink water reform package - - Eleventh-hour discord over a huge bond proposal sank an ambitious legislative water package that would have brought some resolution to one of California 's most contentious issues. As the clock ticked toward adjournment of the legislative session late Friday, Democratic leaders realized they didn't have the votes and shelved a wide-ranging set of measures aimed at improving the state's water supply and stopping the environmental hemorrhaging of the center of its waterworks. But they vowed to try again, saying they would ask Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to call a special session on water this fall. <more> Sept. 15, 2009 LA Times 
 

Fresno Bee Editorial: Legislature failed in not passing a water bill - - The Legislature finished its regular session Saturday morning without producing a comprehensive water plan -- one of the most critical issues for the San Joaquin Valley. Some key players, including Sens. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, and Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, the president pro tem, said they made serious progress in recent weeks. That sounds great, but where's the finished product? Democrats and Republicans must make more compromises to get water solutions moving. The longer they delay, the more serious the consequences and the greater the public sentiment that the Legislature just can't get the job done on the most important issues facing the state. <more> Sept. 15, 2009 Fresno Bee   
 

Delta a bargaining chip in water talks - - Republicans are seeking to limit the power of a proposed council to oversee the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, as a condition to signing off on legislation to overhaul the state’s water system. The role and makeup of the envisioned Delta Stewardship Council is one of several sticking points lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office are negotiating behind closed doors as they seek a compromise in the final days of the legislative session, which ends in a week. Talks heated up Thursday and today and are scheduled to continue through the weekend, but major hurdles remain. <more> Sept. 4, 2009 Fresno Bee  
 

Feds: Calif. water crisis isn't Washington's fault -- Top Obama administration officials took California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to task Thursday for blaming the state's water crisis on federal environmental restrictions. The governor sent a letter to Washington on Wednesday demanding a response to "catastrophic impacts" he said were caused by federal environmental rules that have slashed water deliveries. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar and Commerce Secretary Gary Locke countered that a three-year drought is responsible for most of the state's water shortages, not agency scientists. <more> Sept. 4, 2009 AP  
 

Central Valley groundwater strategy in the works - - The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is creating a region-wide strategy for managing groundwater quality, with a first draft expected by early fall.  Lonnie Wass, supervising engineer with the regional board, said a string of public workshops, held Aug. 24-28 in Sacramento, Redding, Delano and Fresno, drew a wide range of responses. Some expressed suspicion that the effort would result in new groundwater rules. The board has sought to assure stakeholders that it is not creating new regulations for managing groundwater. Rather, the board seeks to create a road map by which the efforts of existing efforts at managing groundwater quality can be coordinated in the future, Wass said. <more> Sept. 4, 2009 Capital Press
 

Schwarzenegger demands response to water crisis -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called on the Obama administration Wednesday to intervene immediately in California's water crisis, saying environmental restrictions that have slashed water deliveries to farms and cities were having "catastrophic impacts." The Republican governor sent a letter demanding a federal response to the state's prior requests to hold talks about reduced supplies from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the delicate ecosystem that serves as the main conduit moving water from north to south. The governor and the farming industry have been pressing the federal government to rewrite plans protecting species like the chinook salmon in a way that will lessen impacts on the water supply. <more> Sept. 3, 2009 AP
 

Union politics, Latino clout entwined in water battle - - Latinos’ political clout has emerged as a driving force in the political battle over overhauling California’s water system, with a coalition of statewide officials linking with the Legislature’s Latino Caucus to attempt to force change. “They’ve always had the clout, they just haven’t exercised it,” said Mario Santoyo, a director and adviser to the California Latino Water Coalition and an executive at the Friant Water Authority. They want a water plan that includes a canal through or around the delta east of San Francisco, reservoirs, desalination, recycling, delta environmental protections, and more water for Central and Southern California. And more.  “But what really brought them to the table this time was the crisis, the drought, in the Central Valley that has left hundreds of thousands of acres fallow. There are Latinos in the bread lines, there are Latinos in the unemployment lines,” Santoyo said <more> Sept. 3, 2009 Capitol Weekly  
 

Growing more with less water - - John Diener is neck-deep in the drought. In three decades of farming, he said this is the worst year for water allocation. But his business has survived, and he credits the University of California with helping him make the most of his water. Diener runs Red Rock Ranch in Five Points, southeast of Fresno, where he grows almonds, grapes, tomatoes and wheat. As a result of working with the UC system, he has turned to pivot irrigation, drip irrigation and other practices to optimize his water use. "It's an ongoing relationship between agriculture and the university," said Diener, a UC Davis alumnus. "The university is the independent third party that helps the community and the legislators." <more> Sept. 4, 2009 Western Farm Press
 

Canal raises concerns -- Water stakeholders are expressing reservations over plans for a canal that would carry water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and how pending legislation should address the canal's impacts. The conveyance structure, known as the peripheral canal, is being planned as part of the state's ongoing Bay Delta Conservation Plan. In a joint hearing of the Senate and Assembly water committees on Tuesday, Aug. 25, stakeholders mulled the minutia of how a new Delta-governance structure might ensure waterways' health along with reliable water supplies, and how it would regulate a BDCP process already long under way. Tuesday's hearing was one of a series addressing five water bills that focus on agricultural and urban water efficiency and creation of a management plan and governance structure for the Delta. <more> Aug. 27, 2009 Capital Press
 

Farm groups say bills won't solve water problems - - Water-related activity swirled through the state Capitol last week, but there was little agreement on what the solutions should be and who should pay for them. With less than a month left in the current legislative session, time for fixing California's water woes could quickly wash away. "We must act now," Danny Merkley, California Farm Bureau Federation director of water resources, told a joint legislative hearing last week. But he noted it's "equally important that we act correctly." Referring to five hastily compiled bills currently before the Legislature, Merkley said, "This legislative package includes elements we believe will hinder economic and delta ecosystem recovery goals, and the package is lacking key elements necessary for a reliable water supply to achieve those goals." <more> Aug. 27, 2009 Ag Alert
 

Water Compromise Elusive in Calif. Debate Over 'Broken' Ecosystem -- The Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta ecosystem is busted. That view prevails on all sides of a raging fight over the delta’s coveted water supply. Whether an environmentalist, commercial fisher, farmer, bureaucrat, academic or politician – all of whom were invited yesterday to a major hearing in the state Legislature – all seemed to agree that the delta had fallen apart. "Anyone who believes the status quo is working doesn't understand what's going on," said Lester Snow, director of the state Department of Water Resources. "The system is broken." "The delta has gone to hell in a handbasket," added Sen. Joe Simitian, Democrat from Palo Alto. <more> Aug. 20, 2009 NY Times
 

LA Times Op-Ed: Water battle not as simple as people versus fish - - The "water buffaloes" like to frame their fight as farmers vs. fish. It is not. It's about farmers and fishermen. A California water buffalo is someone who instinctively battles to develop water -- so named, I'm told, after the beast that reputedly can smell water from 200 miles away. The fight isn't necessarily about "versus" either because farmers and fishermen often are in the same boat, dry-docked for lack of water. Up and down the San Joaquin Valley, farm fields have been fallowed and field hands can't find work because there isn't enough water to irrigate crops. <more> Aug. 20, 2009 LA Times
 

Fresno Bee editorial: Water talks near stalemate - - We had hoped that the latest round of hearings on California's troubled water system would produce a comprehensive solution in the Legislature. But it appears that key Democratic lawmakers would rather talk about water than solve the problem. That's not good for San Joaquin Valley farmers, Southern California residents or those wanting more water for environmental uses. Today's water system is serving 38 million Californians, yet it was built for half that many. The Legislature is handling the water crisis like it handles the budget crisis. Do as little as possible and hope it will go away. It won't and that makes the problem even more difficult to resolve. <more> Aug. 20, 2009 Fresno Bee 
 

NorCal neighbors poisoning the delta - - While state lawmakers talk about fixing the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, destruction of the largest estuary on the West Coast continues. Every day up to a billion gallons of partially treated sewage are dumped into the delta and its waterways by cities such as Sacramento, Martinez, Davis and Stockton -- turning the estuary into a toilet, according to the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta. Every day the delta's 12 native species of fish -- including the federally protected delta smelt -- compete for food and survival against 28 non-native species. Don't be surprised if someday the Loch Ness Monster is spotted gulping down young salmon heading up the Sacramento River. Every day, the delta is poisoned by industrial discharges, pesticides, herbicides, toxic urban runoff and even rusting, mothballed ships.Yet each time the delta's rapidly diminishing pulse is taken, blame for the estuary's fragile condition usually is affixed to the massive pumps sending water to 25 million Californians and thousands of businesses -- including farms on the west side of the central San Joaquin Valley. <more> Aug. 20, 2009 Fresno Bee  
 

Central Valley battles for clean drinking water - - After years of effort by community activists, politicians and even young teens, California's progress toward clean water for all is dwarfed by discoveries of more problems. Residents continue to rely on ground water tainted by pesticides, nitrates, industrial chemicals and arsenic. Californians have voted twice for bond money to ensure clean water, with $230 million in grants and loans aimed at mostly small and disadvantaged communities. The state also receives annual federal money for clean-water projects, this year totaling $67 million. And, thanks to the federal stimulus plan, California is getting another $160 million bump. But a 2007 federal study estimated it will take $39 billion over 20 years to improve California's drinking water quality. <more> Aug. 20, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

Legislative hearings on state's water crisis begin -- Lawmakers say they are determined to start solving the state's water problems this week.  "I think we have to get something done on water, period. Expect major action," predicted Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter. But with only four weeks left in the legislative session, groups on all sides of the debate are skeptical that Democrats and Republicans can strike a deal to stabilize city and farm water supplies while reversing the environmental decline of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Informational hearings on legislation will start today and continue for two weeks. At that point, a special joint committee of the Senate and Assembly is scheduled to convene, leaving only two weeks for compromise. "We don't have a lot of time left," said Sen. Dave Cogdill, R-Modesto, a lead water negotiator. But he said he is confident that "if we don't get it done by the regular session, [Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger] will call a special session on water and keep after it." <more> Aug. 18, 2009 Fresno Bee    
 

Dan Walters: A new shot at settling Delta water war - - Gov. Pat Brown's proudest achievement was California's historic water system, including Oroville Dam – the nation's highest – on the FeatherRiver and the California Aqueduct that carries water south to San Joaquin Valley farms and millions of Southern California homes. But that half-century-old system had a weak link – the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta into which Oroville's water flowed (via the Sacramento River ) and out of which the aqueduct's immense pumps drew water for shipment southward. The system worked well enough in the early stages when water shipments were relatively small. But as the aqueduct was completed and local water agencies began drawing their allotments, the pumping began to wreak environmental havoc on the Delta, including reversing natural stream flows and sucking fish into the pumps. The answer was what was called a "peripheral canal" that would pull water out of the Sacramento River and deliver it to the aqueduct, bypassing the Delta. <more> Aug. 17, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

State lawmakers shift focus to pressing water problems - - With California mired in a third year of drought and thousands of farm acres lying fallow, lawmakers are turning their attention from the state's budget crisis to another issue that is equally as charged: state water policy. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers from both parties want sweeping reforms that would overhaul how the state manages its water supplies. The difficulty, as with solving California’s continual fiscal crises, will be finding compromise. <more> Aug. 18, 2009 AP
 

Democratic water package at a glance - - Democratic lawmakers in the state Legislature have proposed five bills intended to overhaul how the state manages its water supplies.  The drafts came after months of bipartisan meetings between the Assembly and Senate but omit key provisions desired by Republicans. Those include authorization for new dams and a bond to pay for various water improvements around the state.  Here are some proposals contained in the legislative package: <more> Aug. 18, 2009 San Diego Union-Tribune
 

Report: California has enough water, if it’s used wisely - - A new report Tuesday argues that California has enough water supply right now to avoid drought-like conditions, if it were properly managed. “California has already developed enough water supplies to satisfy our needs into the foreseeable future by utilizing existing infrastructure and existing cost effective technologies,” says the report by a group calling itself the Environmental Water Caucus. “Water efficient technologies and approaches … can save or reduce water consumption in urban areas by as much as 5 million acre feet a year by 2030 compared with current trends – enough water to support a population growth of 29,000,000 people,” the report says. That would be more than current population projections for the next 40 years. <more> Aug. 11, 2009 Central Valley Business Times
 

New plan to solve state’s water problems - - A package of proposed laws to solve California’s chronic water shortages is being put forth by the Democratic majority in the state Legislature. A series of public hearings to review and adopt legislation to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and create a more reliable water supply for California starts Aug. 18 at 9 a.m. in Room 4202 in the State Capitol. “Twenty five million Californians -- two thirds of our state -- rely on the Delta for their water supply, so it is vital we ensure the Delta’s reliability and quality,” says Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Baldwin Vista. “The legislature will be conducting a thorough and open process to review all the issues involved in protecting the Delta and the water it provides, in restoring this priceless estuary and in following up on the recommendations of the governor’s non-partisan Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force,” she says.  <more> Aug. 5, 2009 Central Valley Business Times  
 

Lawmakers prepare to bring water to a boil – again - - Another in a string of proposed legislative fixes to California's broken water delivery system was unveiled today, drawing immediate criticism from a coalition of environmental and fishing interests. The proposals from Democrats include creating an appointed oversight commission with unprecedented authority over water issues in the fragile Sacramento Delta.  One piece would authorize unspecified fees from those who draw water out of the delta to help pay for various programs. Other provisions in the measures include mandatory conservation of 20 percent for cities and incentives for urban and agriculture to conserve, specifically giving those saving water priority for existing grants. <more> Aug. 5, 2009 San Diego Union    
 

Lobbyist harbors water-fix doubts - - To hear Phil Isenberg tell it, California lawmakers stand as much chance of solving the state's water issues as they do its fiscal ones. Isenberg, a Sacramento lobbyist and water-policy expert, chairs the Delta Vision Foundation, a group formed early this year by members of the dissolved Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force. "If history is any guide, governors and legislators are going to be unable to solve issues of water" in California, Isenberg said. Which doesn't mean he has lost hope. With the state's budget difficulties at least temporarily resolved, the legislature can finally turn its attention to water policy, an issue described by many lawmakers as the state's most urgent priority. <more> July 30, 2009 Capital Press
 

Editorial: Water study has reality drought - - Our view: It's easy to solve the state's water problems — if you don't have to deal with reality. There's another one of those studies out that seems to be written to support a pre-drawn conclusion, no matter what kind of mental contortions are required to pull it off. The Oakland-based Pacific Institute took a look at the state's water shortage and concluded, basically, that it's all the farmers' fault. The report, peculiarly titled "Sustaining California Agriculture in an Uncertain Future," claims to have been undertaken to help California's poor suffering farmers. How does it propose to do that? By taking their water away. <more> July 30, 2009 Chico Enterprise-Record
 

Study: Central Valley can be saved from current water crisis - - A strong and healthy California agricultural sector can flourish despite diminishing water supply and future uncertainty from climate change, if new steps are taken to significantly increase the efficiency of water use in California fields, says new research released Wednesday by the Pacific Institute.  It says the foundations are already in place with the farmers, ranchers and irrigation districts that have already made water-use efficiency improvements. But the report says there is still tremendous untapped potential – in millions of acre-feet – if policy and water management changes are made. “These are management scenarios and management practices and technologies that some farmers are using, but that more could be using,” says Heather Cooley, senior research associate at the Pacific Institute and co-author of the report. <more> July 22, 2009 Central Valley Business Times
 

Water politics ripple through Capitol - - After months of budget wrangling, lawmakers are preparing to make water policy a central focus of the final month of this year’s legislative session.  How does the state get more water from the north to the south while protecting the delta east of San Francisco, the vast, fragile estuary through which most of California’s water flows? Can it do both? Can lawmakers satisfy farmers, environmentalists and water districts?  Apparently, they’re going to try. In the background looms the possibility of a 2010 bond package or a system of fees to help finance the projects. And there is a growing sense among Capitol players that Gov. Schwarzenegger wants to build a canal - and dams- for his political legacy. <more> July 30, 2009 Capitol Weekly
 

Unusual process sends state water bills to committee - - In an unusual move, the state Legislature is opting to address delta water policy through a little-used conference committee approach. The Assembly and the Senate took the first steps last week to pull existing legislation related to water issues into a group of five bills and refocus them on the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Existing language was stripped from the bills and placeholder language inserted to indicate future intention. The Assembly amended three Senate bills and the Senate amended two Assembly bills, all of which were then directed to the new conference committee. Legislative staff said creating a conference committee to address issues related to delta water policy will allow for a "full, extended and open public process" to consider delta water issues. <more> July 23, 2009 Ag Alert  
  

Sacramento area is Delta's top pesticide source, study finds - - Urban Sacramento is the leading source of pesticide contamination disrupting the Delta aquatic environment, according to new research on pollution in the estuary. The study, led by UC Berkeley toxicologist Donald Weston, found enough pyrethroid pesticides in the American River to kill tiny shrimp – among the first links in the aquatic food chain. Those pesticides likely reached the river from urban storm drains, which collect runoff from the Sacramento area's 1.4 million residents. For five years, biologists have hunted for the cause of a collapse in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem, a water supply for 23 million Californians. Nine fish species are declining, from tiny Delta smelt to giant green sturgeon. <more> July 16, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Delta drilling planned for canal - - State water officials plan to drill into Delta river bottoms starting next month as they explore possible intake sites for a peripheral canal. The drilling is further evidence that the canal is no longer just a concept on paper as officials move toward on-the-ground analyses and surveys. The California Department of Water Resources said it needs data about channel soils to help plan where a canal should begin, as well as identify locations for tunnels, siphons and barriers. The drilling also explores infrastructure for "through-Delta conveyance," that is, the concept that some water will continue to flow through the estuary toward the export pumps near Tracy. <more> July 16, 2009 Stockton Record
 

Group sues feds over smelt decision - - The Family Farm Alliance has sued the federal government over its handling of pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It's the first time in the alliance's two-decade history that the organization has litigated. The organization, which represents farm-water interests in 17 western states, sued the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service on July 10, saying the agency lacks scientific backing for its order last year to cut Delta pumping. The cuts were ordered in a biological opinion issued in December. They reduced pumping to protect the Delta smelt, which are often sucked into the massive state and federal pumps situated in the south Delta. FFA's complaint says the feds have repeatedly failed to divulge the full scientific data supporting the order. The agency skipped the pier-review process required by the National Environmental Policy Act, FFA charges. <more> July 16, 2009 Capital Press 
 

Study shows urban insecticide use lead to Delta fish decline - - A researcher at the University of California-Berkeley has traced the vast majority of pyrethroids in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to urban sources. Pyrethroids are found in off-the-shelf insecticides. They have replaced organophosphate-based products in recent years due to human health concerns. Their expanded use has roughly coincided with the decline of various fish species in the Delta - referred to by researchers as "POD," pelagic organism decline.  That circumstance spurred the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board to commission a study by Berkeley professor Donald Weston. <more> July 16, 2009 Capital Press
 

Despair flows as fields go dry and unemployment rises -- Water built the semi-arid San Joaquin Valley into an agricultural powerhouse. Drought and irrigation battles now threaten to turn huge swaths of it into a dust bowl. Farmers have idled half a million acres of once-productive ground and are laying off legions of farmhands. That's sending joblessness soaring in a region already plagued by chronic poverty. Water scarcity looms as a major challenge to California's $37-billion agricultural industry, which has long relied on imported water to bloom. The consequences of closing the spigot are already evident here in rural Fresno County, about 230 miles north of Los Angeles. Lost farm revenue will top $900 million in the San Joaquin Valley this year, said UC Davis economist Richard Howitt, who estimates that water woes will cost the recession-battered region an additional 30,000 jobs in 2009. <more> July 6, 2009 LA Times  
 

Water officials fear Calif. Aqueduct could sink - - Fearing the main canal carrying drinking water to millions of Southern Californians is sinking again, water officials are monitoring the effects of incessant agricultural pumping from the aquifer that runs under the aqueduct.  Their concern is that the canal, which has sunk six feet in places during California dry spells, will buckle enough to slow delivery of water to parched points south and force costly repairs. "We have spotty data saying it's active again," said engineering geologist Al Steele, of the state Department of Water Resources.  On June 1, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California and other users of state water signed a $255,000, two-year contract with the U.S. Geological Survey to monitor by satellite the California Aqueduct along a vulnerable 70-mile stretch west of here, between Los Banos and Kettleman City.  "It doesn't mean that all-of-the sudden you're out of water, but you do have to spend a ton of money to fix it," said Roger Patterson, assistant general manager of the MWD, which delivers 1.7 billion gallons a day to 19 million people. <more> July 6, 2009 AP
 

Delta gates proposal builds support, but environmental impact remains murky - - A plan to build gates across two Delta channels has strong support from state and federal leaders, though little is known about how the project would affect the environment. The so-called "two gates" project would build moveable gates across Old River and Connection Slough in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The channels bracket Bacon Island in the heart of the estuary. They are key passages for water and aquatic life moving between San Francisco Bay and the south Delta, where powerful state and federal water export pumps divert water to the San Joaquin Valley and Southern California.  Water officials argue that blocking those channels at key times could prevent threatened Delta smelt from being sucked to their deaths in the pumps. This might allow water diversions to continue even when smelt migrate into the central Delta in winter. Pumping is often reduced now to protect fish, contributing to statewide water shortages. <more> July 6, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Divisive Delta canal now on the fast track - - Chuck Baker grows pears on land his family has worked since 1851 and has a farmer's sensitivity to the plagues of modern agriculture — pesticide regulations, the intrusive hand of federal regulators, the threat to private property posed by wetlands restoration — and, most of all, the need for water. So, he sympathizes with San Joaquin Valley farmers who are short of water this year, but he also has little patience for the argument being trumpeted by valley politicians: that the problems confronted by valley farmers can be reduced to the simple equation of "fish versus farmers." "I don't think we'd be in this situation if they paid any attention to their own rules," Baker said. "They're the ones that ruined the fish. Not me, not me who's been irrigating the same piece of land for 150 years."  The "they" Baker was referring to was not so much his kindred farmers, but the state and federal agencies that ship them Delta water. Those agencies, he said, created the ecological crisis by taking more water out of the Delta than they should have. <more> July 6, 2009 Contra Costa Times
 

Assembly, Senate pass water bills - - California's legislature has advanced 10 bills that address the aspects of Delta management laid out last year by a governor-appointed task force. Former members of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force have described 16 bills as relevant to all or parts of the group's recommendations. Six of them passed the Senate last week, while four more passed the Assembly. They address such subjects as water conservation and recycling, Delta governance and efficiency of urban water use. The task force completed its final strategic plan on management of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in October of last year. <more> June 11, 2009 Capital Press   
 

New rules to restore salmon, steelhead will likely cost billions - - Salmon and steelhead must be restored above Folsom Lake and other major reservoirs in California to prevent extinction, federal wildlife officials announced Thursday as part of new rules that will likely boost water bills across the state. The new rules by the National Marine Fisheries Service mark the largest single rulemaking action ever in the United States to restore fish access above habitat-blocking dams, according to the environmental group American Rivers. The goal is to protect Central Valley steelhead, winter- and spring-run salmon, and green sturgeon, all protected by the Endangered Species Act. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation will be required to restore fish populations above Nimbus and Folsom dams on the American River, Shasta Dam on the Sacramento River, and New Melones Dam on the Stanislaus River. Doing so is likely to cost billions of dollars, which will be paid for by charging higher bills to customers that use this water, which includes farms and cities from Red Bluff to San Diego. <more> June 4, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

NOAA Biological Opinion Finds California Water Projects Jeopardize Listed Species- - The National Oceanic  and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) released its final biological opinion today that finds the water pumping operations in California ’s Central Valley by the federal Bureau of Reclamation jeopardize the continued existence of several threatened and endangered species under the jurisdiction of NOAA’s Fisheries Service. The bureau has provisionally accepted NOAA’s recommended changes to its water pumping operations, and said it will begin to implement its near-term elements as it carefully evaluates the overall opinion. Federal biologists and hydrologists concluded that current water pumping operations in the Federal Central Valley Project and the California State Water Project should be changed to ensure survival of winter and spring-run Chinook salmon, Central Valley steelhead, the southern population of North American green sturgeon and Southern Resident killer whales, which rely on Chinook salmon runs for food. <more> June 4, 2009 NOAA Press Release  
 

Sacramento pursuing water bond despite hard times - - Water bonds have always been a tough sell even in the best of fiscal times. Now a cash drought and a public sour on politicians make that job all that much more difficult. Nevertheless, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and lawmakers still plan deep budget cuts – perhaps totaling $24 billion – while pursuing a costly water bond at the same time. Schwarzenegger has endorsed raising more than $10 billion through a water bond that could go before voters next year. Of that, $3 billion would be set aside for reservoirs. Environmental restoration, water quality and conservation programs also would be in line for funding. Four competing bond proposals have been introduced. Moreover, Schwarzenegger will insist that all major elements of legislative action on water come to his desk as a package before he signs any bond, his aides said. In addition to the bond, the governor wants the package to include plans for a canal to deliver water north-to-south and set policy for statewide conservation by cities and farms, his aides said. Also, the governor is looking to create an oversight council that would enforce a blueprint for how the state plans to restore the troubled Sacramento delta, the hub of California's drinking water supply. <more> May 26, 209 San Diego Union   
 

Growers abandoning some orchards due to lack of water - - The impact of water shortages in federal districts is hitting home, graphically illustrated in orchards abandoned because growers do not have enough water to sustain the trees. Federal districts such as the Del Puerto Water District along the Interstate 5 corridor in western Stanislaus and Merced counties recently received a tiny bit of welcome news with the announcement that their water allocation would be increased from zero to 10 percent of a normal year – but growers say it won’t be enough to alleviate the crisis. Indeed, the West Side has seen growers simply abandon producing orchards, deciding which will be left to die and which they will attempt to nurture with the limited amount of water they have available. Farmers who never before have walked away from orchards are doing just that. Older, lower-producing orchards are typically those being let go. <more> May 24, 2009 West Side Index  
 

Water tricks save almond crop - - When almond orchards are going through droughts like the one this year in California, there are some tricks that farmers can use to get by. So asserts Terry Prichard, a water management specialist for the University of California-Davis' land, air and water resources department. Drip or underground irrigation, tree moisture monitoring and the use of heat-repelling kaolinite clay on trees are among the water-saving tools that can carry almond crops through at least one parched summer, Prichard said. <more> May 21, 2009 Capital Press
 

Suit questions smelt protection. No commercial activity threatening fish, plaintiffs argue - - The Pacific Legal Foundation sued the federal government on Thursday, challenging its authority to protect the Delta smelt under the federal Endangered Species Act. The Delta smelt is a tiny fish that exists only in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Its protected status under the ESA has contributed to Delta pumping reductions, which have placed added pressure on San Joaquin Valley farmers suffering from drought conditions. "One question that we think has not been adequately addressed is the actual authority of FWS to put these restrictions into place," said PLF attorney Damien Schiff. The fish exists within a single state and carries no commercial value, the plaintiffs argue. No particular commercial activity is threatening the smelt's survival, and the fish has no normal impact on commerce, they argue. <more> May 21, 2009 Capital Press
 

State water deliveries raised to 40 percent - - California’s Department of Water Resources (DWR) has increased this year’s State Water Project (SWP) delivery allocation from 30 percent to 40 percent. Long-term SWP contractors will see an increase from 1,249,913 acre-feet to 1,666,550 acre-feet. Wednesday’s announcement increasing deliveries is the final allocation report for the year. “Early May snow and rain improved the water supply situation enough to allow this modest expansion,” said DWR Director Lester A. Snow. “However, this small increase in SWP deliveries does not mean California has overcome the effects of three consecutive dry years. In fact, 2007 to 2009 will likely rank in the top 10 driest three-year periods in the last century. Gov. Schwarzenegger’s statewide drought declaration remains in effect and all Californians must heed his call to reduce their water use.” Subsequently, DWR is encouraging its contractors to put increased supplies in storage and pursue conservation measures wherever possible. SWP contractors requested their maximum allocation this year of 4,166,376 acre-feet. Even with a boost to 40 percent, they will receive only slightly more than a third of that amount and must rely on dry water year contingency plans to meet their needs. <more> May 21, 2009 Western Farm Press

Rising Calls to Regulate California Groundwater - - For the third year in a row, Mark Watte plans to rely on the aquifer beneath his family farm for three-quarters of the water he needs to keep his cotton, corn and alfalfa growing, his young pistachio trees healthy and his 900 dairy cows cool. That is 50 percent more than he used to take, because the water that once flowed to the farm from snow in the Sierra Nevada has been reduced by a long dry spell and diversions to benefit endangered fish. Since 2006 the surface of the aquifer, in the Kaweah subbasin of the San Joaquin basin, has dropped 50 feet as farmers pumped deeper, Mr. Watte says. Some of his pumps no longer reach far enough to bring any water to the surface. If he lived in almost any other state in the arid Southwest, Mr. Watte could be required to report his withdrawals of groundwater or even reduce them. But to California’s farmers and developers, that is anathema. “I don’t want the government to come in and dictate to us, ‘This is all the water you can use on your own land,’ ” said Mr. Watte, 57. “We would resist that to our dying day.” <more> May 14, 2009 NY Times
 

As California water wars heat up, GOP congressmen say there's no real shortage - - As the politics of water grow more intense on Capitol Hill, Republican Rep. Tom McClintock is skeptical that there's really a shortage in California, even though the governor has declared a drought emergency. "Don't forget we have the most water-rich region in the state," said McClintock, a newcomer on the House Natural Resources Committee, who represents California's 4th Congressional District. "And yet our communities are in … drought alerts, not because of a shortage of water, but because of water that the environmental regulations allow us to use." It is becoming a common refrain for some Republicans in Washington: California's drought is human-made and could be resolved easily if government focused more on people, less on smelt. <more> April 24, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Proposed bill to remove limits on striped bass pitting fishermen against farmers - - Striped bass have been swimming in the Delta since they were introduced in California in the 1870s. They've become a staple in the local fishing economy. Aggressive and weighing up to 60 pounds, they are one of fishermen's favorite catches — not only to reel in, but to eat as well. But some people don't see striped bass in a favorable light, arguing that they are an invasive non-native fish that preys on native endangered species, like Delta smelt, salmon and steelhead. Assemblywoman Jean Fuller (R-Bakersfield) has proposed bill 1253, a piece of legislation that would remove regulations on striped bass. It would allow them to be caught in unlimited numbers and also cut any funding that goes to help grow the striped bass population. It would also be illegal to transport striped bass into California. The bill is sponsored by the Modesto Irrigation District. Bill 1253 is scheduled to go before the Assembly Water Parks and Wildlife Committee on April 28. <more> April 24, 2009 Lodi News Sentinel
 

Farmer’s side: Striped bass bill a fair compromise for fishermen and farmers - - The dirt under Brian Blackwell’s Bakersfield pistachio trees is dry. Light in color and thirsty, the soil doesn’t get all the water it needs. In fact, it only gets a third of what is needed to grow a full, mature crop of pistachios, according to Blackwell, the owner of Blackwell Farming Company who is also a farm manager responsible for about 6,000 acres of crops in Southern California. In 2007 and ‘08, tightened restrictions decreased the amount of water that can be pumped out of the Delta in order to increase populations of endangered fish. Now Blackwell is struggling to find enough water to help his crops grow. “I don’t know if the pistachios will bloom or what the effect will be on this year’s crop or next year’s crop,” he said. “We are out trying to buy any water we can. There are hundreds of farmers that are trying to find any water we can.” Blackwell says he is searching everywhere he can to buy up extra water to quench his farms. He’s also looking to legislation to help solve the issue. He supports Assembly Bill 1253, proposed legislation to eliminate restrictions on striped bass in California. <more> April 24, 2009 Lodi News-Sentinel  
 

Panel: Wastewater ammonia 'likely' alters Delta - - A panel of independent scientists has affirmed in a new report that ammonia from urban wastewater is a "likely" contributor to environmental shifts in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. But the panel, assembled by the CalFed Bay Delta Authority, says more research is needed to determine where ammonia fits among numerous threats to the estuary. The Bee reported last year on emerging research suggesting that ammonia from treated urban sewage, discharged continuously into Central Valley rivers, may disrupt the Delta food chain. The Sacramento metro area's wastewater, treated by the Sacramento Regional County Sanitation District, is the largest source of ammonia in the Delta. But the research has been hotly disputed by the sanitation district and others. So CalFed agreed to host an independent review of existing science. That review, released last week, raises more questions than it answers. But significantly, the four scientists on the panel conclude the subject merits further study as a potentially significant factor in the degradation of Delta. <more> April 24, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Lawmakers fish for water fixes. Dropping ESA protections would not add much for growers - - As some lawmakers hold up the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's endangered fish as a symbol of the farmer's struggle with environmental rules, others are bypassing the notion to focus on long-term fixes to the state's distribution system. Farm interests, many Central Valley business organizations and their Congressional representatives have called for suspension of Delta irrigation pumping restrictions now protecting the Delta smelt under the federal Endangered Species Act to help ease drought impacts. They also favor improvements to the infrastructure. Others in government, sympathetic to the farmers' plight, say the long-term fixes are the only viable solution to the state's water woes. Two factors likely influence that approach. First, the idea of lifting Endangered Species Act restrictions from the Delta is widely expected to go nowhere in Congress. That's a reality blamed on Democratic lawmakers resisting any challenge to environmental laws. But it combines with another reality: lifting ESA rules from the Delta wouldn't improve water availability by much. <more> April 23, 2009 Capital Press   
 

Water news improves. Contractors south of the Delta to get some water -- For the first time this year, farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are being promised some federal water. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's updated forecast on Tuesday, April 21, foresees between 10 percent and 15 percent of normal deliveries of agricultural water to Central Valley Project contractors south of the Delta. Growers north of the Delta will get 15 percent of its normal allotments. Wildlife reserves and water rights holders will get their full allocations throughout the state, while cities will get 65 percent in most scenarios. "This is probably as good as it's going to get," said Pete Lucero, a Bureau of Reclamation spokesman in Sacramento. "However, we're hopeful that May will bring improved numbers that may allow us to increase our allocations a little bit. It probably won't be too much more based on the fact that we don't see any major precipitation or snowfall coming." <more> April 23, 2009 Capital Press
 

State launches campaign to conserve water -- With California in the grip of a three-year drought, state officials Tuesday announced a multimillion-dollar media campaign that will ask residents to save water in every way possible. Billboards, radio and TV ads will implore Californians to take shorter showers, turn off the faucet, check for plumbing leaks, wash only full laundry loads, cut back on lawn watering and use a broom instead of a hose to clean up. "Simple actions really do make a difference when it comes to water conservation in this state," said Secretary for Natural Resources Mike Chrisman. The effort comes as Valley cities are considering their own efforts to increase conservation in a region where water shortages are taking a toll on an already fragile economy. <more> April 22, 2009 Fresno Bee   
 

Westlands growers to get some water instead of zero - - Above-average precipitation in March has increased water supplies to growers in the Westlands Water District from zero to 10%, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced Tuesday.  News of the bureau's increased allocation provided little relief to growers in Westlands, who receive water from northern rivers through canals belonging to the federally operated Central Valley Project. "I don't anticipate this is going to change anyone's decision to fallow acres, or to increase the lettuce acreage in the fall," said Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for Westlands. "But what this will alleviate is some of the pressure from ground-water pumping." <more> April 22, 2009 Fresno Bee   
 

Federal water deliveries may reach 15 percent - - For the first time this year, farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta are being promised some federal water. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's updated forecast on Tuesday, April 21, foresees between 10 percent and 15 percent of normal deliveries of agricultural water to Central Valley Project contractors south of the Delta. Growers north of the delta will get 15 percent of its normal allotments. Wildlife reserves and water rights holders will get their full allocations throughout the state, while cities will get 65 percent in most scenarios. <more> April 22, 2009 Capital Press
 

New coalition emerges in state water debate- - Dozens of public water agencies -- including some who were foes in California’s historic battles over water -- are coming together to push their common interests. In some cases, those include protecting traditional water rights and advocating for such hot-button projects as reservoirs, environmental safeguards, improved levees, even a canal along the edge of the Delta east of San Francisco, to name just a few.  By its own count, the Public Water Coalition, loosely formed last fall, includes more than 300 water suppliers, state and federal public districts, contractors and others.  The new group – it’s so new that some even in the water and environmental communities have not heard of it -- includes “the largest water management regions of California, whose public water agencies serve the vast majority of the state’s population and most of its irrigated lands,” according to the coalition’s official position paper, which was released Feb. 18.  The coalition reflects the frustration of water agencies who see their problems of supply, conveyance and storage mounting.  <more> April 16, 2009 Capitol Weekly  
 

Rally whets Valley water fight - - The massive four-day March for Water ended Friday as thousands converged near the San Luis Reservoir. When it was done, most agreed the fight -- and the fighting -- had just begun. The idea was to rally the nation behind saving the Valley's water-starved farming industry. Whether that happened remains to be seen, but one thing was clear: Lots of folks paid attention. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Visalia, took advantage of the spotlight to call on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to resign, faulting him for not doing enough to end the Valley's water woes.  But the rally Friday was intended for a much broader audience, and it caught the attention of major media outlets. <more> April 17, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

California water deliveries creeping up -- State water managers are for the second time in a month upping the amount of water they say they will deliver to Central and Southern California this year. The State Water Project, which supplies about a third of Southern California's water, today increased allocations from 20% to 30% of contractor requests. The final allocation decision will be made in May. <more> April 17, 2009 LA Times  
 

$260 million pledged for water projects -- U.S. Interior Secretary Ken Salazar came to California on Wednesday to announce $260 million in federal funding for water projects -- but little of that money will help the Valley, local officials said.  "There is absolutely nothing in there that would benefit us," said Sarah Woolf, a spokeswoman for Westlands Water District. The California money comes from a $1 billion chunk of the federal stimulus package targeted for water projects nationwide.  Valley farm-water agencies had hoped that some of the money would go for fish screens in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that would allow for more pumping southward. Officials also wanted money for a pipeline to move water between Valley districts, Woolf said.  Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, called the proposals "very disappointing." <more> April 16, 2009 Fresno Bee   
 

Rep. Devin Nunes to Schwarzenegger: Resign - -Rep. Devin Nunes, a Tulare Republican, called on Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to resign Friday - not over taxes, but water. Nunes said he was none too thrilled by Schwarzenegger's speech Friday at the San Luis Reservoir outside Los Banos at a California March for Water rally. The governor spoke about his efforts to seek permanent solutions to the state's water problems, including new dams and a conveyance that can transfer water around the Delta without harming endangered species. Schwarzenegger led chants of "We need water! We need water!" He told the crowd he has been working on the problems for the last five years to "create a water infrastructure that is for 38 million people rather than 18 million people." But Nunes said he wanted to hear the governor promise to seek a federal waiver of the Endangered Species Act so Delta water pumps can transfer their full capacity of water to the San Joaquin Valley now. Environmental restrictions and drought conditions have curtailed water deliveries this year, and unemployment has approached 40 percent in some farming towns like Mendota. <more> April 17, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

House panel considers ways to cope with California drought - – The California drought drew partisan finger-pointing but also helping hands at a congressional hearing convened Tuesday to figure out what could happen next. One San Joaquin Valley Republican blamed water shortages on "radical environmentalists and their Democratic patrons." One top Democrat, in turn, cast Republicans as hypocrites for seeking federal funds from an economic stimulus bill they opposed. For a time, the only common ground appeared to be the seriousness of California's third consecutive year of drought. "It's the (Hurricane) Katrina of California," Rep. Dennis Cardoza, D-Merced, told the House Natural Resources Committee. San Luis Reservoir in western Merced County is at only 49 percent of capacity. Shasta Reservoir, the largest federal reservoir in Northern California, is at 61 percent of capacity. Farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta have been told to expect no federal irrigation water this year. Although Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger already has declared a state of emergency, the House committee met Tuesday to consider potential federal actions. The several-hour hearing combined theater with potentially useful political pressure. <more> April 1, 2009 Sacramento Bee
 

Congressmen want more water for California farmers - - Displaying a bowl of minnows and pictures of unemployed farm workers and their families, California congressmen pleaded with their colleagues Tuesday to make an emergency exception to the federal Endangered Species Act. The lawmakers said efforts to protect a 3-inch-long fish, the delta smelt, have led to court-ordered reductions in the amount of water pumped to some farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, leading to fallowed fields and skyrocketing unemployment. They said even as a drought enters its third year, there is enough water in California to share with the valley's thousands of farms. Their proposal would increase the diversion of water for those farms. In 2007, a federal judge ordered federal and state water authorities to reduce the amount of water they pump through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in a bid to protect the delta smelt. The finger-length fish is considered a bellwether for the health of the delta, the heart of California's water-delivery system. Speaking before the House Natural Resources Committee, several of the state's lawmakers discounted the drought as the reason for the San Joaquin Valley's lack of water. <more> April 1, 2009 AP  
 

Salinity effort matures with funding - - While it was expected to be a formality, the approval of $1.2 million this week for a Central Valley salinity-control effort had some holding their breath. "We were still a little nervous," said Daniel Cozad, a consultant who serves as executive director of the Central Valley Salinity Coalition. That's because the plans of the group, which counts some 70 representatives across a wide variety of interests, has formulated big plans during the past two years. The salinity coalition is a management body, formed in July, to administer the efforts surrounding the CV-SALTS initiative, a broad effort by a range of stakeholders to write rules that will control salt buildup in Central Valley soils. On Tuesday, the state Water Resources Control Board approved its funding, which goes through the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. <more> March 27, 2009 Capital Press
 

Despair as California's Central Valley dries up - - "Now we know how the Indians felt," sighed Jim Diedrich, a farmer who said he was betrayed by the government as California's Central Valley reels from a serious drought. Diedrich, whose family has farmed in the western US state since 1882, bitterly surveyed their 640-acre (260-hectare) stretch of land. What would usually be a tomato field has now been reduced to a dusty expanse dotted with weeds. "We've got zero water this year," explained Diedrich, 66, who has spent 50 years working the land. Like many other farmers in California, he had to leave idle most of his land in Firebaugh, 145 miles (230 kilometers) southeast of San Francisco. Gone are the 50,000 tons of tomatoes he would have sold for four million dollars. <more> March 18, 2009 AFP
 

Drought survival strategies for California almond producers - - By Bob Curtis, Senior Manager, Production Research, Almond Board of California - - UC research funded by the Almond Board of California has helped and will continue to help the industry cope with water shortages and drought. Employing regulated deficit irrigation strategies, growers facing restricted water supplies last year were able to produce a crop with no loss in yields. These strategies are summarized in the UC Drought Management Web site: http://www.ucmanagedrought.ucdavis.edu/  . Specific almond information is under the links – crop irrigation strategies – almonds: http://www.ucmanagedrought.ucdavis.edu/Almonds.cfm.   Last year many growers were able to successfully employ a “moderate water stress” strategy outlined in this Web site during the period their water supplies were most restricted, which was June, July and August. This moderate deficit strategy employs deficit irrigation amounting to 50 percent of normal from mid-June to harvest, and meeting normal demand before and after this period. This strategy results in an overall water savings of about 30 percent compared to meeting full season-long evapo-transpiration (ET) demand. Furthermore, this strategy does not have an appreciable impact on current or subsequent yield. Another variation covered in the drought management Web site is simply to apply a uniform deficit rate of 70 percent of full crop water use across the growing season. <more> March 11, 2009 Western Farm Press   
 

Delta cutbacks put Valley farm town on edge - - In the San Joaquin Valley, the most productive farmland on earth, panic is more abundant than the crops that usually blanket the ground. Drought and environmental concerns have led to severe cuts in irrigation water deliveries from Northern California over the past year, and unemployment in this town of 10,000 is approaching 40 percent. Mendota may be proud to call itself the Cantaloupe Capital of the World, but with California in danger of a third year of drought and more water cuts planned, people wonder if they'll get enough rice and beans to scrape by. It took volunteers at the Westside Youth Center's monthly food giveaway less than three hours, not the normal two days, to distribute a record 750 boxes of a few days' worth of groceries. Much of the debate over how much water to pump out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta for thirsty farms to the south has focused on the fish endangered by deteriorating conditions in the estuary. But thousands of people here and in other little San Joaquin Valley towns are worried about the human toll: They fear that without water, they won't be called back to work as the growing season heats up. <more> March 2, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

A tiny town in the Central Valley prepares for 'Armageddon' - -Shawn Coburn is barreling down a country road in his white Ford F-150 pickup, talking about how California's water crisis darkly reminds him of a scene from a movie aptly named "Armageddon." "Billy Bob Thornton tells Bruce Willis that a huge asteroid is approaching Earth,'' says Coburn, 40. ”Willis asks Thornton who will get hurt, and Thornton tells him that he just doesn't get it — that everyone will be dead, that the game is over.'' The disaster coming this spring and summer is no movie, and nothing menacing is falling from the sky. It's about what's not falling from the sky — rain. After three years of below-average rain and snowfall, coupled with new pumping restrictions to protect endangered fish, California's farmers are running out of water. The devastating impact has trickled down to dozens of small Central Valley farming communities. This is the story about one of those towns: Firebaugh. <more> March 2, 2009 San Jose Mercury News    
 

Water bonds back atop the agenda- - With the budget passed, the water wars are back. Focus is returning to California's seemingly perennial struggle to find a solution to its water woes. On Friday, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued a formal drought proclamation, a move to raise awareness of the state's water shortage. Last Thursday, Sen. Dave Cogdill, a Modesto Republican, introduced a water bond bill (SB 371) after similar efforts stalled last year. Sen. Dean Florez, the No. 2 Democrat in the house, introduced a counter measure (SB 301). Even the federal government is getting involved. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack created the Federal Drought Action Team to work with the state last week. <more> March 2, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

Latino group enters California's water wars -- A new army has joined California's water wars. A group called the Latino Water Coalition is pushing for state-financed dams and canals, joining white farmers and big water districts. The coalition -- mostly comprising Latino business and civic leaders -- is targeting the Legislature's Latino caucus in hopes the lawmakers will break with other Democrats who oppose dams for environmental reasons. It's a mostly personal appeal. "We're able to connect because these are individuals who, for the most part, understand the culture," said Firebaugh City Manager Jose Ramirez, a Democrat and coalition member. "They speak our language." <more> Feb. 28, 2009 Modesto Bee
 

Lawmakers seek billions to expand, improve California's water supply - - With California's budget crisis resolved for the moment, state lawmakers Thursday turned their attention to another emergency: a three-year drought that has left key reservoirs at 35% of capacity. Legislators stepped forward with plans to ask voters to borrow as much as $15 billion for projects to expand and improve the state's water supply. "This is the session to aggressively solve California's water challenges," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) said Thursday. He added, however, that the state should spend some of the $7 billion in bonds previously approved for water projects before going back to voters for money needed to complete the work. The issue has renewed urgency after the California Department of Water Resources last week said it may be unable to provide more than 15% of the water sought by contractors such as the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies water districts throughout the Los Angeles area. <more> Feb. 27, 2009 LA Times  
 

Likelihood of no water alarms CVP farmers - - News that California farmers and ranchers will likely receive no water from the federal Central Valley Project this year has farmers scrambling to find alternative supplies and preparing to leave hundreds of thousands of acres of land idle. The priority now, farmers say, is to keep orchards and vineyards alive, but some say things are so bad they've already uprooted permanent plantings. At the same time the devastating federal water allocation was announced last Friday, officials with the State Water Project said, based on recent storms, they'll stick by a 15 percent water allocation, at least for now. But the CVP's initial allocation for agricultural service contractors north and south of the delta is zero, due to critically dry conditions. The allocation could increase to 10 percent for agriculture if forecast runoff levels reach average. Settlement or exchange contractors can expect 75 percent allocations if conditions remain dry, but 100 percent under average runoff amounts. But the CVP's initial allocation for agricultural service contractors north and south of the delta is zero, due to critically dry conditions. The allocation could increase to 10 percent for agriculture if forecast runoff levels reach average. Settlement or exchange contractors can expect 75 percent allocations if conditions remain dry, but 100 percent under average runoff amounts. <more> Feb. 25, 2009 Ag Alert
 

Water group shapes rules. Irrigation runoff management one of ag’s ‘most important issues’ - - Members of a state-organized workgroup met in Rancho Cordova Tuesday to begin hashing out permanent rules for the monitoring, restriction and enforcement of the discharge of irrigation water. The group - the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program Stakeholder Advisory Workgroup - is advising the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board on the shaping of a long-term plan. The board falls under the state Environmental Protection Agency. The meeting brought the group's first discussions of program proposals. A handful were offered, mostly in generalized form. The next step involves fleshing out their details sufficiently to withstand a California Environmental Quality Act review. A common theme involved maintaining separate programs for ground and surface water. Another involved the notion that localities should be assigned tailored requirements based on their respective water-quality levels and challenges. <more> Feb. 20, 2009 Capital Press  
 

Recent California storms won't stop water cutbacks - - It may be difficult to imagine a drought after California has been pelted with nearly two weeks of almost steady rainfall, particularly in the northern parts of the state. But the drought remains and water cutbacks loom because of it. After weeks of planning, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is set to hold a series of press conferences Friday, Feb. 20, to announce the details of this year's water cutbacks to Central Valley Project contractors. The dearth of rain earlier in the winter prompted bureau officials in January to warn farmers they can again expect to receive less water than normal. Bureau spokeswoman Sheri Harral said Tuesday, Feb. 17, that cutbacks will likely exceed those of last year, when Central Valley farmers received only 40 percent of normal deliveries. <more> Feb. 17, 2009 Capital Press  

California farmers struggle with impending drought - - Farmer Lax Iyers is standing on the side of a country road that splits his almond orchard into two different worlds — one abloom, the other in danger of choking in a cloud of dust. The trees on his left appear sickly because they depend on water from hundreds of miles away, delivered by the Central Valley Project — the increasingly scarce "federal water.'' The trees on his right are healthy trees that get all the water they need, because they rely on a local irrigation district that enjoys water rights stemming from when Franklin D. Roosevelt was president. Within months, the trees that rely on the federal water — an investment of hundreds of thousands of dollars — could be dead. Never since the Central Valley Project was authorized in 1935 have California's farmers been so worried about the lack of water. Three years of too little rain combined with pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta have created a nightmare scenario: The federal government might soon cut off the state's largest supply of agricultural water — the first time in California history. <more> Feb. 6, 2009 San Jose Mercury News  
 

Water-related job losses could total 40,000-plus, UC estimates - - As prospects for growing many of the state's traditional food crops dry up, the State Board of Food and Agriculture heard sobering reports from farmers, officials, researchers and community leaders on the current water outlook. "We had a 35 percent water allocation to State Water Project contractors last year, but there's a high degree of uncertainty for this year," Lester Snow, state Department of Water Resources director, told the board during a meeting last week in Sacramento. He warned that the project is having a hard time holding on to a 15 percent allocation for 2009. "We're going to fight like hell to get through this drought," he said. "But, if we don't fix the system, we're just going to be back here (in a crisis) every time there's a vagary in the weather pattern or a new species is listed (under the Endangered Species Act)." <more> Jan. 29, 2009 Ag Alert
 

Commentary: Widely publicized water-conservation report drew incorrect conclusions - - By Charles Burt, Peter Canessa, Larry Schwankl and David Zoldoske - - In September 2008, the Pacific Institute, a nonpartisan research institute, released a report entitled "More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California—A Special Focus on the Delta," authored by Heather Cooley, Juliet Christian-Smith and Peter H. Gleick. This report received much publicity due to its content. The Pacific Institute paper contained many suggestions regarding changes to public policies and law. However, the report also made assertions regarding potential water conservation by agriculture. This conservation would purportedly come from one or more of four "scenarios," including "Smart Irrigation Scheduling" (potentially 3.45 million acre-feet/year conserved); "Modest Crop Shifting" (potentially 1.23 MAF conserved); "Advanced Irrigation Management" (potentially 1.2 MAF conserved); and "Efficient Irrigation Technology" (potentially 0.6 MAF conserved). It is our opinion that the Pacific Institute paper directly draws incorrect conclusions, or infers incorrect conclusions, based on significant errors in its underlying assumptions. <more> Jan. 28, 2009 Ag Alert

Federal draft report: Delta system imperils fish - - Salmon, steelhead and sturgeon in the Central Valley are being driven to extinction by Delta pumping systems and upstream reservoir operations, according to a draft federal report. The National Marine Fisheries Service has not yet released the report, but it was discussed at a meeting of scientists in Sacramento on Thursday. The impacts are so significant that the agency is also studying whether killer whales in the ocean could be imperiled by declining Central Valley salmon, their primary prey. The grave findings suggest that California's efforts to serve thirsty farms and cities while sustaining healthy fisheries will only get more difficult. A final version of the report, called a biological opinion, is expected by March 2. The Endangered Species Act empowers the fisheries service to impose new rules on state and federal water systems to protect the fish. <more> Jan. 9, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

Beekeepers hope dry weather won't dampen almond pollination - - Beekeepers attending an industry conference in Fresno said Wednesday that they hope that the region's uncertain water supply doesn't affect almond pollination, which starts next month. "If they get less water, they [farmers] may not pollinate some groves," said Ken Haff, a North Dakota beekeeper. Reduced pollination could be damaging for beekeepers who rely on the almond crop to start their season. Worries of a third year of drought in California have been stoked recently by reports of a La Niña starting to appear on the equator in the Pacific Ocean. The vast stretch of cool water alters global storm patterns, and meteorologists say the phenomenon helped create a record dry spell last March and April. Haff was among the more than 300 beekeepers and industry representatives from across the nation gathering at the Radisson Hotel this week for the American Honey Producers Association's 40th annual convention. <more> Jan. 8, 2009 Fresno Bee
 

2009 pivotal year for California water issues - - Water has always been an important concern in agriculture. According to Jim Beck, Kern County Water Agency general manager, in 2009 California water issues will be more important than ever. “I can’t emphasize enough that we really are at a turning point for California water,” Beck said. “I think we are currently enduring the worst crisis that water users have ever faced and how we face this crisis over the next two to three years will not only shape agriculture but the whole state’s economy.”  According to Beck, water users are facing a three-front battle and should be preparing for what could be one of the worst water years in the past 30 years. His goal for the meeting is to help arm growers and others in the ag industry with information they can use to combat some of these problems. <more> Jan. 8, 2009 Western Farm Press

Delta canal plan likely to land in court, experts agree - - The Schwarzenegger administration's plan to fast-track construction of a water canal around the Delta leans on an old interpretation of state water law from a bygone era. Valid or not, supporters and critics agree the plan is more likely to fast-track its way into court. "The simplest thing to predict is that somebody will sue to block this on any number of potential grounds," said Gregory Weber, an expert on water law at McGeorge School of Law. "My guess is that it will be years before these matters are resolved and any construction actually were to take place."  On Friday, a committee of administration officials released a long-awaited plan to improve water supply and habitat in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Its most controversial element: By 2011, start building a giant canal to divert the Sacramento River around the estuary. <more> Jan. 6, 2009 Sacramento Bee  
 

Panel urges building of delta canal -- A panel of state leaders is calling for California to begin building a canal to divert water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta by 2011, without approval from lawmakers or voters. The final report released late Friday by the Delta Vision Committee, made up of five state Cabinet secretaries, thrusts the controversial canal into the top tier of California political battles. The canal would divert a portion of the Sacramento River around the delta in order to protect a freshwater supply serving 25 million Californians from earthquakes, floods and sea level rise. It is a modern-day version of the peripheral canal rejected by voters in 1982. Natural Resources Secretary Mike Chrisman, chairman of the committee, asserts that the state has the authority under existing laws to build the canal. The price tag is at least $15 billion, and many water agencies that would benefit have said they would pay the bill. <more> Jan. 3, 2009 Fresno Bee  
 

Can lasers help California farmers conserve water? - - Students are experimenting with laser devices to help in times of drought.- -  Seventy-six years after the invention of the modern sprinkler helped revolutionize farming, a professor of environmental engineering is pointing a laser beam across an alfalfa crop in Southern California's Imperial Valley, looking for a better way to conserve the millions of gallons of water sprayed each year on thirsty crops. Jan Kleissl and a handful of his students at UC San Diego have rigged up a contraption called a large aperture scintillometer to study exactly how much irrigation water is lost to evaporation and the peak times that water disappears. The hope is to give farmers a more accurate, up-to-date reading of how efficiently their crops are using water than current technology allows. "What's new about our approach is the monitoring side of it," Kleissl said by phone from his office. "We're trying to improve on that." <more> Jan. 3, 2009 LA Times  
 

Only snow-deep, Sierra survey is cause for drought concern - - Water managers liked what they got at Christmas -- a cold, wet storm that dropped snow in the Sierra Nevada. But that gift from the sky will have to be repeated several times over if California is to avoid a third-straight year of drought. "It's going to take an above- average year to get us out of the hole," said Walt Ward, assistant general manager for water operations at the Modesto Irrigation District. The Sierra snowpack was 76 percent of average Tuesday, compared with 60 percent a year ago, the California Department of Water Resources reported. The drought concern varies around the state, depending on reservoir storage, water rights and other factors. <more> Jan. 2, 2009 Modesto Bee  
 

Leaders must take bold action to secure safe water supply for all - - By Gabriele Ludwig, Sr. Manager Global Technical and Regulatory Affairs, Almond Board of California - - An estimated 250,000 acres of almonds, fully one-third of the state’s planted acreage, have been affected by recent lawsuits related to the endangered Delta smelt and winter-run salmon in the Sacramento River. With reservoirs statewide reportedly at only about one-third of capacity and additional demands for urban and environmental surface water allocations on the horizon, even a normal rainfall year in 2009 and beyond will not alleviate the current crisis. The water woes affecting all users in California will only be alleviated by long-term vision and bold action by water officials and politicians in the state. These are near-term issues that require long-term solutions, willing leadership and significant investment to protect both ecological and human uses for water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. Three studies released over the past several months have put plenty of ideas on the table for solving the state’s water crisis. All three studies, with their attendant proposals, are sure to play a role in how water policy and infrastructure is developed over the next several years. <more> Dec. 15, 2008 Western Farm Press
 

Panel to offer a vision for Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta - - By New Year's Eve, a panel of state Cabinet secretaries called the Delta Vision Committee will send the governor and Legislature a plan to replumb and restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of California's freshwater delivery system. It will be one of the most ambitious infrastructure and habitat restoration projects ever proposed in America. The delta provides drinking water to 25 million Californians and irrigates 3 million acres of farmland via diversion pumps near Tracy. But these diversions have contributed to a broad ecosystem collapse in the delta, including nine fish species in steep decline. As a result, water deliveries to the Bay Area and Southern California have been curtailed. <more> Dec. 14, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

The Delta debate: Resurrecting the canal - - California as we know it today was built largely on this fantasy: That arid cities in the south could indefinitely satisfy the thirst of a growing population by importing water from the north.  The fantasy endured for a while, buoyed by water diversions from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas, it drains 40 percent of California, transporting vital snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada across the state. Recent events have revealed the truth: California is reaching the limit of its water supplies, and the economy and the environment are suffering for it.  The future offers even harsher realities: Global warming is drying up the snowpack and natural disasters could shatter the Delta. Now, the state's water planners are proposing the most sweeping landscape change in America, resurrecting an audacious notion for re-plumbing this state ¨C a controversial idea that many thought died long ago. <more> Dec. 14, 2008 Sacramento Bee  To view an interactive map, join in a forum on the Delta and see other features from this Bee series on the Delta, please click here.
 

Betancourt Off Water Board - - Paul Betancourt was not reappointed to serve a second term on the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board by the governor’s office, according to a report in Watershed Coalition News, published by Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship. According to several reports, Betancourt, an almond and cotton grower from Kerman, was not reappointed due to an eligibility rule restricting income to less than 10% from an entity regulated by the Regional Water Board. Betancourt apparently violated the rule because his almond processor holds a construction permit with the Regional Water Board.  Several candidates for the agriculture representative position are being encouraged by several watershed coalitions to apply for the position set to be vacant by December 1.  Dec. 12, 2008 Watershed Coalition News
 

Pressure mounting on smelt study. Feinstein wants to ease economic impact on state - - Political pressure is bearing down on a major study due Monday that could permanently restrict water exports from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect imperiled fish. The study, called a biological opinion, is being prepared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service under a federal court order to protect the threatened delta smelt. The translucent, finger-length fish has long symbolized environmental conflict in the delta, a source of drinking water for two-thirds of all Californians. The forthcoming study sets new operating rules for state and federal pumping systems in the delta. <more> Dec. 12, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

Group wants chemical-filled farmland retired - -  The giant state and federal pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that funnel water to 25 million Californians should be shut down until certain Central Valley farmers retire hundreds of thousands of acres of chemical-laden farmland, according to a lawsuit filed today by a state water watchdog. Irrigating agricultural land in the western San Joaquin Valley tainted with selenium, mercury, boron and other toxic substances constitutes an unreasonable use of a public resource protected by state laws and has contributed to the sharp decline of endangered fish species, said the California Water Impact Network. "We think there is a simple solution to California's water problems - to retire all of the drainage-impaired lands in the Central Valley. A second is water conservation - agriculture uses 80 percent of the developed surface water," said Carolee Krieger, president and founder C-WIN. <more> Dec. 2, 2008 SF Chronicle
 

Survey demonstrates efficiency in farm water deliveries - - A new survey of farm water districts debunks criticism that water is flowing unmeasured to California farms.  Improved measurement systems are used on more than 87 percent of the irrigated acreage from surveyed districts, resulting in very efficient management and delivery of farm water. The survey was conducted by the Agricultural Water Management Council, a non-profit organization that works toward increasing agricultural water management efficiency in California.  The survey results represent more than 3 million irrigated acres, or more than one-third of all irrigated acreage in the state. “These numbers prove that farm water districts have embraced new technology in order to best manage their water supplies and deliveries,” said AWMC Executive Director Mike Wade. “Efficient Water Management---irrigation district achievements” is a 62-page report available on the Council’s website at www.agwatercouncil.org and being distributed this week in Long Beach at the Association of California Water Agencies’ fall conference. “Before automation, many districts were opening and closing delivery gates by hand,” explained Wade.  “As a result, more water might have been delivered than ordered by the farmer.  It could also result in operational spill or water that could be lost from the system operated by the district. Automation has enabled district personnel to remotely monitor and control the settings of gates, valves or pumps from a central location.  Now, operational spills are practically non-existent and farmers are getting the amount of water ordered.” Dec. 2, 2008 AWMC Press Release
 

Supporters of delta smelt lose legal bid to cancel water deals - - A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request by environmentalists that could have slowed the flow of water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to agricultural interests to the south. The 92-page ruling by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger is the latest in a case involving the tiny delta smelt, which environmentalists say is facing extinction largely because of reduced water coming into the delta, and from increased pumping. The environmentalists wanted Wanger to cancel long-term contracts for more than a dozen west-side water districts that get water from the delta. But Wanger's ruling said that it would be pointless to renegotiate the contracts to help the smelt, because the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation already has the ability to stop water deliveries to the affected districts to satisfy requirements of the Endangered Species Act. <more> Nov. 20, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

California officials reduce pumping in Delta -  - California fish and wildlife managers approved major new restrictions on water pumped from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to protect a native fish, triggering protests from farmers and cities reeling already from water shortages. The Fish and Game Commission voted 3-0 Friday to enact emergency regulations to scale back water pumping for 90 days starting on Dec. 1 to safeguard the longfin smelt, considered a bellwether species for the estuary. "Clearly as a society we haven't erred on the side of the fish in the past, we've erred on the side of the water supply," said Commissioner Michael Sutton. "We have to come down on the side of the fish. If we don't take care of these ecosystems, they're not going to yield us the services for much longer." The latest round of pumping cutbacks will slash state and federal water deliveries by up to 1.1 million acre feet, bringing California's total water supply to slightly more than half of what it would be in an average year. <more> Nov. 17, 2008 AP
 

State cuts water deliveries to second lowest level ever - -  - An already grim forecast for water deliveries to California farms and orchards turned gloomier Oct. 30 as the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) http://www.water.ca.gov/  announced it will deliver just 15 percent of the amount that local water agencies request every year. The announcement reflects the low carryover storage levels in the state’s major reservoirs, ongoing drought conditions and court ordered restrictions on water deliveries from the Delta. This marks the second lowest projection since the first State Water Project deliveries were made in 1962. The State Water Project delivers water to approximately 750,000 acres of farmland and more than 25 million residents. In past years there has been the possibility that water deliveries could be increased if there is a wet winter, said a DWR spokesman, noting that in 2006 water agencies received their full allotment due in part to heavy rains and a thick Sierra snowpack. But last year a federal court limited water pumping out of the delta to protect the threatened Deltas smelt. "We are anticipating drastically reduced water supplies, regardless of weather conditions," Laura King Moon, assistant general manager of the State Water Contractors http://www.swc.org/ said in a statement. Mike Wade of the Farm Coalition said, “If California’s legislative leaders do not act now, the announced cutback of water from the State Water Project will become an every-year event regardless if we are in a drought or not. Hard decisions must be made to add more water storage to our state and to increase a water delivery system that simply can no longer do the job. The initial announcement by DWR emphasizes the importance of increasing our water use efficiency and conserving water, something farmers have been doing for years.  But conservation is only one piece of the puzzle in solving our future water problems.  We must have more storage and an improved delivery system.” DWR has historically made this important announcement at the end of November, complying with the long-term water supply contracts requiring a Dec. 1 announcement.  This announcement comes slightly earlier to help local water agencies better prepare for 2009. A notice to SWP contractors appears on DWR’s State Water Project Analysis Office Web site at: http://www.swpao.water.ca.gov/notices/ Oct. 31, 2008
 

California cuts water deliveries to cities, farms - - The state said Thursday it would cut water deliveries to their second lowest level ever, prompting warnings of water rationing for cities and less planting by farmers. The Department of Water Resources announced it will deliver just 15 percent of the amount that local water agencies throughout California request every year. That marks the second lowest projection since the first State Water Project deliveries were made in 1962. It could force farmers in the Central Valley to fallow fields and cities from the San Francisco Bay area to San Diego to impose mandatory water rationing. The state's reservoirs are low after two years of dry weather and court-ordered restrictions on water pumping out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. This year, water agencies received just 35 percent of the water they requested. <more> Oct. 30, 2008 AP
 

Legislative report calls for water changes. Groundwater supply not sustainable, needs permitting - - The state Legislature's top analyst has released a report on California's water supply that could add new life to two perennial issues - regulating groundwater supplies and rewriting the state's water-rights laws. The Legislative Analyst report notes that California is one of just two Western states - the other is Texas - that does not have a state-run groundwater permitting law. The report also suggested that lawmakers revise the legal definition of "reasonable use" when it comes to water rights. Neither proposal sits well with the farming and ranching community. Staffers who deal with water legislation acknowledge that the proposals make sense from a broad view, but they shook their collective heads at the potential legislative war that would ensue should lawmakers take on the issues seriously when they convene in Sacramento this January. "This'd go over real well with the aggies," one staffer said, recounting a multi-year row over a bill by state Sen. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, that would only assess groundwater levels, not regulate its use. <more> Oct. 30, 2008 Capital Press
 

Water fight swirls. Settlement debate muddies San Joaquin River restoration - - Differing - and passionate - views about the historic San Joaquin River settlement have bubbled to the surface Friant water leaders viewed the settlement, signed by 22 irrigation districts, as a way to put a stop to the district being on the short end of judicial decisions over water. Now, some Friant leaders and farmers are looking at the upcoming debate over legislation to implement the settlement as the end of their chance to fight for their water. The settlement signed in September 2006 was to have ended an 18-year fight over San Joaquin River water. Some of the water stored in Millerton Lake northeast of Fresno and diverted to more than 1 million acres of farmland was sought by environmental groups to restore a salmon run downstream. Between 247,000 and 500,000 acre feet, depending on water supplies, are expected to be sent downstream, annually. Interim flows are scheduled to start in 2009. As legislation awaits action in Washington, D.C., next month, conversations among water leaders, farmers and congressmen on both sides of the issue have reached a boiling point. <more> Oct. 24, 2008 Capital Press
 

Commentary: Delta Vision report points to need for comprehensive water solution - - By Chris Scheuring, managing counsel of the California Farm Bureau Federation Natural Resources and Environmental Division - - It could be the most complicated, difficult policy decision facing California today: Figure out what to do in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Recommendations on how to attack the delta's environmental problems will have everything to do with the water supplies for thousands of family farmers and ranchers and for millions of California residents. So it's no wonder that the recommendations of the Delta Vision Blue Ribbon Task Force made such a splash when they were released last Friday. The task force worked for nearly two years and wrote a detailed, comprehensive plan that can be boiled down to its essence in a few words:  There's no "silver bullet" that will solve all the delta's problems; we have to consider anything and everything. <more> Oct. 24, 2008 Ag Alert
 

Task Force report: Build peripheral canal - - Momentum is growing to construct a peripheral canal around the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, but doing so could jeopardize the century-old farming traditional in the estuary. A task force appointed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger voted 6-0 last week to recommend that the state build the canal in conjunction with the existing method of moving fresh water through the delta toward the giant pumps near Tracy. On Friday, Oct. 17, the Delta Blue Ribbon Task Force issued its findings, codified in a report that required five drafts to complete. Its chief recommendation is to hold the environmental health of the estuary as a co-equal to the needs of the farmers and citizens who rely on water from the pumps. <more> Oct. 23, 2008 Capital Press
 

Judge declines to reduce pumping of delta water for salmon - - A federal judge on Tuesday denied a request by environmental groups to reduce delta pumping and take other measures at two major California reservoirs to help the state's endangered salmon population. In an 11-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Oliver W. Wanger didn't outright reject the requests, but said a hearing would be necessary if environmental groups wanted to pursue the proposals. Environmentalists aren't sure whether they will seek a hearing because an updated opinion on how to manage the salmon is due in March, said Michael Sherwood, an attorney for the environmental group Earthjustice. They will discuss the matter today. <more> Oct. 22, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

Judge: Delta salmon 'unquestionably in jeopardy' - - A federal judge ruled Tuesday that California's canal water systems are placing wild salmon "unquestionably in jeopardy," but stopped short of issuing court-order limits on pumping in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.  Environmental groups had sought the temporary pumping limits to guard three species of migrating salmon in the delta until a new fish protection plan is due in March. But U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger declined to do so, after the state Department of Water Resources said last month it would voluntarily reduce pumping to protect the juvenile fish. "Upon initial glance, the department believes that the judge handed down a responsible ruling," said spokesman Ted Thomas. <more> Oct. 22, 2008 AP

California faces deeper drought in 2009 - - After a summer in which drought conditions and court rulings combined to cause fallowing of fields and abandonment of crops, San Joaquin Valley water managers say there's little reason for optimism in the new water year. The new state water year began Oct. 1, but officials have warned it will take several good water years to replenish California's shriveled supply. The federal Central Valley Project is carrying over about 3.9 million acre-feet of water, 35 percent of system capacity, into 2009. The 15-year carry-over average, however, is 6.7 million acre-feet. Carry-over storage in CVP facilities represents the combined amount of water remaining at the end of the water year in Shasta, Trinity, Folsom and New Melones reservoirs and the federal share of the joint federal/state San Luis Reservoir. <more> Oct. 20, 2008 Central Valley Business Times
 

My View: Delta Vision: Facing facts about California water - - By Phil Isenberg - - Let's start with some facts: The water supply in California is static; it is not growing. Individual use of water has moderated slightly in California in recent years, but more people, businesses and farms means more water is required. We do not appear to be taking conservation seriously. The Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta ecosystem is in serious decline, as is the complex water delivery system that runs through the Delta. Improving the Delta ecosystem is a legally required condition of improving the water delivery system in California.The current system of governing water in California – letting more than 220 government agencies, federal, state and local, independently operate in the Delta – just does not work and needs to be changed. <more> Oct. 16, 2008 Sacramento Bee
 

Panel: Quenching California's thirst requires a canal - and more - - Independently, neither water users nor environmental groups have the full solution to meeting the water demands of a thirsty and growing California, a governor-appointed panel concluded Friday. But together they might. The state's Delta Vision Task Force ended nearly two years of study Friday by declaring that, with a finite supply of water at its disposal, California must do more of everything to meet its water needs. That includes building some type of canal to divert fresh water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the task force concluded – this state's most controversial water proposal for two generations. It also includes more dams, aggressive statewide conservation and unflinching enforcement of existing water laws to protect the environment. The plan's central theme is that water supply and a healthy environment should be co-equal goals. <more> Oct. 18, 2008 Sacramento Bee
 

Time to stand up for water rights and the right to farm - - By Aaron Kiess, Executive Director, California Alfalfa and Forage Association - - If you’ve never written or called your state legislators, it’s time to let them know you oppose the Pacific Institute’s “More With Less” report. CAFA and other organizations have been on the offensive since the report was released on Sept. 9. “More With Less” stands for more regulations, an erosion of water rights, less water, and less freedom to make crop selections. The report claims growers can grow more with less water and should shift to “high value” tree and vegetable crops. The Institute wants courts and regulators to “apply California’s water-rights laws more rationally to ensure water is being used reasonably and beneficially.” Another recommendation: “Redesigning misguided federal and state subsidies that encourage wasteful use of water.”  The report (available at www.pacinst.org) is a blueprint for the Sacramento/San Joaquin Delta, but it should concern all regions in California. If implemented, it would set a dangerous precedent. CAFA’s letter below, sent to the California Department of Food & Agriculture, provides key points to use when writing or e-mailing state legislators. <more> Oct. 10, 2008 Western Farm Press
 

Fresno Bee Editorial: Time for a new water ethic - - Water is always in short supply in California and the Valley, even when it's raining cats and dogs -- which doesn't happen often. That shortage is likely to get worse for a number of reasons. It's time for Fresno and its residents to get serious about using less water. The installation and use of water meters will help, when it's finally completed in about five years, but we need to start now to find other ways to reduce our use of water. The pressure on our water supply will come from several sources. Global climate change may reduce annual snowfall, which means less water will be available -- absent massive efforts to capture and store it -- in the summer months, when consumption skyrockets. <more> Sept. 30, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

Modesto Bee Op-Ed: Study subtly aimed at getting more water for environment - - By James O'Banion, chairman of the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority - - The Pacific Institute study detailing agricultural water use in California ignores some very important facts and reaches misleading conclusions that appear to be aimed at something other than maximizing the beneficial use of water by farmers. California farmers are already growing more food and fiber with less water, and they're getting even better at it. The problem with relying on water exported from the Sacramento- San Joaquin Delta is simple -- reliability. It won't matter what crop choice or irrigation system is used if the allocation of delta water to farmers is reduced to zero. <more> Sept. 25, 2008 Modesto Bee
 

Guest Comment: Activist water report runs aground - - by Mike Wade executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition - - A Bay Area advocacy group claims in a recent report to know how to increase California's water supply by up to 3.4 million acre feet. They contend that if farmers would change which crops they plant, adopt new technology and change their irrigation practices then we would all live much happier with a more secured water supply. After reading the report by the Pacific Institute, it becomes obvious that the authors really don't understand the decision-making process that a farmer goes through in determining which crop to plant and when to spend money in on-farm investments. The report has a bright side to it by including recommendations for financial assistance to help farmers increase their water use efficiency practices. But the positives do not outweigh the negatives in this report. <more> Sept. 25, 2008 Capital Press
 

Study: saving water profitable. Farmers say efficiency doesn’t address existing storage problems - - California farmers can grow more food more profitably if they switch to water-saving crops and change their irrigation practices in response to the state's ongoing drought, according to a study released Monday, Sept 8, but farmers are disputing some of the findings. A report issued by the Oakland-based Pacific Institute says farmers in the Central Valley could save enough water to fill up to 20 new reservoirs by making several changes to curb wasted water. California agriculture groups say there are some good things in the report, but they have also been critical of some of its findings.  About a quarter of the state's water-intensive crops like rice, cotton, corn, wheat and alfalfa should give way to fruit and nut trees and row crops like tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers and melons that can be more selectively irrigated, according to the report. <more> Sept. 18, 2008 AP
 

Smelt again at center of water conflict. Environmentalists want 3 dozen contracts canceled or reworked- - Environmentalists want the federal government to cancel or renegotiate more than three dozen long-term water contracts in the Central Valley because they say they were drawn up using flawed data. If the request is approved by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger, agricultural users both north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta say it would likely mean less water for them. Some say the environmentalists' request has the potential to turn the state's intricately woven water world upside down. That's because some Sacramento River users say that if there's no federal contract, they should be able to reassert their longtime state water rights -- a claim that could devastate the Westlands Water District and even hurt the Friant Water Users Authority and other San Joaquin River water users. <more> Sept. 12, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

Assembly Democrats prevail on water bill - - In a heated debate Thursday, Assembly Republicans and Democrats agreed that California needs more reliable water supplies. But Republicans voted against spending $820 million from voter-approved water bonds because, they said, Democrats had not consulted them and too much of the money was dedicated to studies instead of construction. "I'm studied out," said Assemblyman Joel Anderson (R-San Diego). "What my constituents want is brick and mortar." But the dominant Democrats overrode Republicans' objections and passed a bill to spend $820 million from four water bonds. <more> Aug. 29, 2008 LA Times
 

Feds: Common pesticides jeopardize salmon survival -- Three pesticides commonly used on farms and orchards throughout the West are jeopardizing the survival of Pacific salmon, the federal agency in charge of saving the fish from extinction has found. Under the settlement of a lawsuit brought by anti-pesticide groups and salmon fishermen, NOAA Fisheries has issued a draft biological opinion that found the way chlorpyrifos, diazinon and malathion are being used now, they get into salmon streams at levels high enough to kill salmon protected by the Endangered Species Act. The chemicals interfere with salmon's sense of smell, making it harder for them to avoid predators, find food, and even find their native spawning streams. Banned from many household uses, tens of millions of pounds of the chemicals are still used throughout the range of Pacific salmon on a wide range of fruits, vegetables, forage crops, cotton, fence posts and livestock to control mosquitoes, flies, termites, boll weevils and other pests, according to NOAA Fisheries. <more> Aug. 14, 2008 Capital Press
 

Thirsty orchards' plight in Central Valley - - Standing on a ridge between a sluggish water canal and a swath of spindly, gray almond trees, farmer Jim Jasper has a good view of California's water crisis. Drought forced one of Jasper's friends to abandon these trees. The adjacent canal's flow has been reduced by more than one-third to protect an endangered fish. To offset the loss, Jasper has leased the land beneath the dying trees to use its water on his own 2,500 acres of almond trees, some of them "babies." Being a farmer in drought-prone California always has been a struggle. But 2008 is turning into one for the history books. This year, natural and man-made water shortages will cost the agriculture industry more than $160 million, not to mention the reduced plantings for next year and the ripple effect through banks, farming equipment businesses and consumers who could pay even higher prices for food. <more> July 11, 2008 SF Chronicle
 

Valley growers, UC advisers discuss almonds, pests, water. - - With the Panoche Hills wrapped in haze not far away, the almond orchard near Firebaugh offered welcome respite from the sun this week as 60 growers and pest-control advisers exchanged information on challenges they face. They gathered at that orchard and another near Mendota to talk of ways to minimize spraying and still kill pests, how to avoid damage that can come when winds whistle through the trees and the proper use of a sometimes-scarce resource -- water. Almond Pest Management Alliance sponsored the field day, which drew some of the top pest and almond experts with the University of California. <more> June 28, 2008 Fresno Bee
 

UC developing Web site for drought water management in almonds - - A number of critical issues are at play concerning the short- and long-term availability of water for the California almond industry. The most pressing of these is the recent Delta smelt decision that will impact about 216,000 acres of almonds served by the Central Valley Project and the State Water Project. In response, irrigation and water experts in the UC Division of Ag and Natural Resources are developing a Web site for drought water management in almonds and other crops. UC researchers, farm advisors and Extension specialists have developed extensive information over the years on water management practices during periods of reduced water availability. The Web site will compile this information, and in particular, will focus on drought management and irrigation. <more> March 21, 2008 Western Farm Press
 

Valley workshops set on future of irrigated lands program -- A series of workshops will be held throughout the Central Valley later this month and in early April to discuss the future of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program. The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board is conducting the workshops to gather comments on the program elements and environmental information that should be considered in the development of a long-term program. The meetings will be held in Sacramento March 26; Modesto April 1; Tulare April 2 and Durham April 8. "The irrigated land program will very likely be changed to include groundwater and that is a very significant change which growers should be aware of," said Gabriele Ludwig, the Almond Board of California’s senior manager for technical and regulatory affairs. "These workshops will discuss how groundwater monitoring might be implemented and it is important for growers to attend and voice their opinions on how such a monitoring program should be developed. Thus, this program will affect every almond grower in the Central Valley.” <more> March 18, 2008 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Almond growers warned about runoff potential. Pesticides found in water; sprays blamed - - Growers were warned about dormant spray applications and the potential for runoff into surface water at a regional almond meeting here last week, but the damage had already been done. Tests of Merced River water near Ballico found pesticides - likely from an almond grove dormant spray application - according to Perry Klassen of the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition. Melissa Cregan, deputy agricultural commissioner for Madera County, told growers attending the meeting that state regulations are now in place to keep pesticide runoff from polluting streams and rivers in the San Joaquin Valley. Next year, she warned, there would be enforcement and penalties for allowing pesticide runoff to leave property. <more> Feb. 11, 2008 Capital Press
 

Farmers urged to keep water pollutant-free. Coalition says action is needed now to avoid more costly measures later. - - They know when you are seeping. They know if you foul a lake. They know if you've been bad or green. So be green for the water's sake. "They" in this case are Regional Water Board officials -- and maybe even some state assembly types -- who are worried about an influx of farming-related pollutants into local water sources. At the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition's annual meeting Wednesday, Merced County farmers were warned they need to step up their clean-water efforts or expect future restrictions and costs. <more> Dec. 19, 2007 Merced Sun-Star

Water Quality Goals - - The Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program, previously known as the Conditional Ag Waivers Program for Irrigated Lands, turned four years old this summer and water quality sampling has revealed a number of problems in key almond growing regions. As more becomes known about water quality runoff issues near almond orchards, growers are implementing strategies that can help reduce the impact of almond production on surface water quality. <more> December 2007 California Almonds Newsletter

Water leader: '08 supplies grim. Smelt protections will leave parts of state 35 percent drier - - A Nov. 13 water seminar presented by the Almond Board of California left no doubt about the grim outlook for agricultural water supplies should the 2008 rainfall season be a repeat of 2007. "There are 216,000 acres of almonds south of the delta that rely on water deliveries. Chances are it will be tough next year unless you can find water to buy," said seminar speaker Mike Wade. Wade, executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition, presented a statewide picture of surface farm water supplies. "Storage has fallen drastically since January. We have the lowest overall storage since 2001. Without a wet winter, 2008 will be a tough year," Wade said. <more> Nov. 27, 2006 Capital Press
 

Ag, water leaders at Almond Board  water forum discuss how to keep taps flowing - - The prospect of a dry 2008 is just one of the threats facing farmers in the San Joaquin Valley, experts said at a Modesto forum Tuesday. Another threat is legal -- a possible reduction in West Side water deliveries so more can be used to sustain fish. And another threat is seismic -- the chance that an earthquake could shatter the delta levees that keep seawater from mixing with the state's main fresh supply. "It seems like we move from crisis to crisis over there on the West Side," said Bill Harrison, general manager of the Del Puerto Water District, which irrigates about 40,000 acres in that area. The forum, held by the Almond Board of California, drew about 100 people to the State Theatre. It dealt not just with the water needs of almonds, the second-highest-grossing farm product in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, but with the state's agriculture overall. <more> Nov. 14, 2007 Modesto Bee
 

East San Joaquin Water Coalition meetings set for December - - Three meetings of the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition are scheduled to be held in December. The meeting dates and locations are:
Tuesday, Dec. 11, 10a.m. -12 p.m. Madera County Farm Bureau, 1102 S. Pine St., Madera. RSVP to (559) 674-8871.
Wednesday, Dec. 12, 10a.m. -12 p.m. Plus Sponsored Lunch. Merced County Ag Commissioner's Office, 2139 Wardrobe Ave., Merced. RSVP to (209) 522-7278.
Tuesday, Dec. 18, 10 a.m. -12 p.m. Plus Sponsored Lunch. Stanislaus County Ag Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Suite B, Modesto. RSVP to (209) 522-7278. Oct. 31, 2007 ESJWC Notice
 

Almond Board of California Hosts Water Availability Seminar Nov. 13 in Modesto - - The Almond Board of California on Nov. 13 in Modesto is hosting a panel of experts to discuss water availability issues facing the Central Valley.  Recent court decisions related to protecting the endangered Delta Smelt in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and restoring salmon to the San Joaquin River—coupled with drought and population growth in California—are putting unprecedented strain on the future availability of agricultural surface water. This seminar will provide an opportunity for growers to learn from the experts just how these water challenges will affect California agriculture and the almond industry in particular. Speakers for this event will include: * Mike Wade, Executive Director, CA. Farm Water Coalition, presenting the statewide perspective on the water issues;* Todd Manley, Director, Government Relations Northern California Water Association, discussing the Sacramento Valley perspective; * Bill Harrison, General Manager, Del Puerto Water District, presenting the North San Joaquin Valley perspective; * Jim Beck, General Manager, Kern County Water Agency, discussing the issues affecting water availability for the South San Joaquin Valley. The seminar will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 13, 2007 from 1-4 p.m. at the State Theatre of Modesto, 1307 J Street.  If you are interested in understanding how water issues affect you, please R.S.V.P. your interest in attending by e-mailing Debye Hunter at dhunter@almondboard.com or by calling her at 209.343.3230.  Please respond by Nov.  1, 2007.  The Almond Board of California administers a grower-enacted Federal Marketing Order under the supervision of the United States Department of Agriculture.  Established in 1950, the Board’s charge is to promote the best quality almonds, California’s largest tree nut crop.  For more information on the Almond Board of California or almonds, visit www.AlmondsAreIn.com. Oct. 24, 2007 Almond Board of California Press Release

 

Less Pesticide Runoff From Almonds with Vegetation - -  A new study in dormant almonds set for this winter intends to verify what is strongly suggested by University of California and industry research: resident vegetation during winter decreases storm runoff of dormant season insecticides, according to the latest newsletter published by the Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES). <more> Oct. 5, 2007 CURES Newsletter
 

Ludwig Selected to CURES Board - - The Almond Board of California's Gabriele Ludwig has been selected to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES). CURES is a non-profit organization founded in 1997 to support educational efforts focusing on the proper and judicious use of pest control products. The group’s mission includes education and implementation of practical measures in the field and home to reduce the impact of inputs on water quality. The Almond Board has been a long-time supporter of CURES and its activities. October 2007 California Almonds Newsletter

 

Farmers don't have 'waiver' to 'pollute freely'. Water policies in the Valley mean tight regulation - - When Record columnist Michael Fitzgerald wrote in August about the Regional Water Quality Control Board letting agriculture "pollute" the water, I chalked it up to someone who didn't have enough information. His Sept. 9 column about the Irrigated Lands Program ("Pollution law soft on ag industry") showed he is misinformed and trying to sway public opinion with conjecture and innuendo. California agriculture is under a program that regulates discharge of water from irrigated land. It doesn't have "a waiver from laws" and isn't able to "pollute freely." <more> Sept. 28, 2007 Stockton Record
 

Farmers, Residents Debate Valley Water Pollution Regulations -- Small-town residents sick of finding chemicals in their wells and farmers wary of costly new regulations crowded a meeting hall Thursday in Clovis to give water regulators an earful on their attempt to monitor pollution streaming from farms. Growers argued they've spent more than $9 million dollars and much effort to comply with the four-year-old Irrigated Lands Program, which asked them to monitor runoff from their land that potentially carried chemicals or animals waste into rivers. But rural residents who rely on groundwater said the program doesn't go far enough. The monitoring needs to expand to include the water that sinks from farm fields into the ground, leaving their drinking water with unhealthy levels of chemicals, they said. <more> Sept. 14, 2007 AP
 

Watershed Coalition newsletter available on-line - - The  Summer 2007 Issue of Watershed Coalition News (WCN), a publication developed by the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) with a grant from the Almond Board of California, is now available on-line at http://www.curesworks.org/newsletter.asp. The goal of the project is to link growers to the watershed coalitions. The PDF version is a combined North and South Valley issue. Aug. 14, 2007 CURES Press Release
 

Water board gets report on water-monitoring program - - Coalition groups representing 21,000 Central Valley farmers reported to the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board Thursday that progress is being made to analyze and enhance water quality under a three-year-old Irrigated Lands Program. The regional board was presented water-monitoring data collected by nine coalitions in four geographic zones in the Central Valley. Monitoring of rivers, streams, creeks and sloughs from Redding to Bakersfield was mandated by the board in 2003 in lieu of imposing waste discharge permits on individual landowners. Margie Read, a senior environmental scientist for the regional board, presented the first region-wide results in a series of zone maps, charts and tables. The report includes some 96,000 data points that were collected during the three years of monitoring. Read said the data provide a baseline for water quality conditions. <more> Aug. 8, 2007 Capital Press
 

Social networks influence growers' water-quality management -- Growers are most likely to trust their county's agricultural commissioner, Farm Bureau and UC Cooperative Extension office for information about water-quality management, according to a peer-reviewed study published in the July-September 2007 issue of the University of California’s California Agriculture journal. Mark Lubell, UC Davis associate professor, and Allan Fulton, UC Cooperative Extension advisor, surveyed more than 1,200 growers in the Sacramento River Valley about how they make production decisions regarding water-quality management. The surveyed growers had the lowest levels of trust in the U.S. and California environmental protection agencies, and the state water board. The survey also found that Sacramento River Valley orchard growers need an average of nine contacts with a "diffusion network" of peers, private advocacy groups and public agencies before they will adopt a new best management practice (BMP) to protect water quality. The authors define a diffusion network as a social system for communicating information about agricultural practices, through both formal and informal connections and interactions <more> July 20, 2007 UC ANR News
 

Burn Ban for Almond Orchard Removal in SJV Takes Effect this June - - Almond growers in the San Joaquin Valley as of June 1, 2007 will no longer be able to burn removed orchards as part of a ban on open agricultural burning being phased in by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. Growers will still have until June 2010 to obtain permits to burn prunings from surface harvested crops such as almonds. The June deadline on orchard removal burning marks the third phase of the gradual elimination of open burning in the San Joaquin Valley to manage agricultural products, including prunings.  “This process has been going on for several years but this is the first phase-out deadline to affect almonds directly,” said Gabriele Ludwig, Senior Manager, Global Technical & Regulatory Affairs with the Almond Board of California. <more> April 15, 2007 Almond Newsletter
 

Regulators See First-Hand Environmentally Friendly Almond Farming and Processing Practices - - Regulators from state and federal agencies that establish and enforce environmental laws in agriculture spent a beautiful mid-bloom day in March at the facilities of Travaille and Phippen Inc. in Manteca for the Almond Board’s third annual Environmental Stewardship Tour. The tour gave regulators, along with media, researchers and other invited guests, a first-hand look at the steps almond growers and handlers are taking to address air quality, water quality, endangered species, pesticide use and other environmental issues. <more> April 15, 2007 Almond Board Newsletter
 

Manteca Almond Grower Showcases Environmentally Friendly Farming for Regulators - - Dave Phippen of Travaille and Phippen Inc. in Manteca is proud to welcome regulators to his almond orchard. Phippen, an almond grower and chairman of the Almond Board of California, has good news to share about the integrated pest management and sustainable farming, harvesting and hulling/shelling practices underway at Travaille and Phippen. Phippen in March hosted some 20 regulators from various local, state and federal agencies during the Almond Board of California’s 3^rd Annual Environmental Stewardship Tour to showcase what he and other almond growers are doing to address air quality, water quality, endangered species, pesticide use and other environmental issues. Phippen said the operation has been practicing Integrated Pest Management for more than a decade, relying on monitoring and sampling, biological control and orchard sanitation to control pests with reduced reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides. <more> April 15, 2007 San Joaquin County Farm Bureau Newspaper
 

Watershed Coalition newsletter now available - - The latest edition of the Watershed Coalition News is now available from the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES.) Developed by CURES with funding from the Almond Board of California, the project’s goal is to link growers to the watershed coalitions. The Winter/Spring 2007 edition features stories about the boost in watershed coalition memberships; the new scrutiny facing those applying for membership after the Dec. 31, 2006 deadline; a UC Davis study that says high E. Coli levels in many Central valley waterways may be coming from human sources; ongoing surveys to document grower use of Best Management Practices; and new methods to determine orchard sprayer coverage. The newsletter can be download as a PDF file at the CURES wesbite www.curesworks.org/newsletter.asp  April 13, 2007 CURES Press Release
 

Reducing off-site movement of pyrethroids not difficult - - Sampling of various agricultural water bodies in 17 Central Valley counties by University of California researchers has shown

 that roughly one-quarter to one-third of the sites have toxic levels of pesticides or other substances. Using Hyalella azteca, a small amphipod commonly used to text toxicity, Donald Weston, 

adjunct professor, University of California, Berkeley, determined that pyrethroids were largely responsible for presence of toxicity among the 127 sites. <more> 

April 6, 2007 Western Farm Press 

Buzz grows on bee deaths. Keepers tell House panel about crisis in Valley, elsewhere. - - Gene Brandi is losing his six-legged livestock, and lawmakers want to know why. A Los Banos-based commercial beekeeper, Brandi normally manages about 2,000 colonies. On Thursday, Brandi told a House panel about 40% of his colonies died over the winter -- by far, his worst loss in three decades of business. "Even though my loss is substantial, other beekeepers throughout the country have suffered much greater losses," Brandi testified. <more> March 30, 2007 Fresno Bee
 

Almond Board’s Environmental Tour Educates Regulators - - The Almond Board of California’s (ABC) spring environmental stewardship tour opened the eyes for  Sacramento’s water, air, and pesticide regulators to the challenges and positive solutions in the industry. Hosting the one-day event in early March was Dave Phippen, chairman of the ABC board of directors and co-owner of Travaille and Phippen, growers, packer and shippers of almonds in Manteca, Calif. The tour was part of Almond Board’s implementation of a five-year plan (2003-2008) “to be the healthiest specialty crop in the world” benefiting the consumer, the environment, and the industry.  Joining Phippen in the tour was his son-in-law Nick Gatzman, one of the operation’s farm managers. Both led attendees through their orchards and processing facility and outlined ways they are reducing their impact on the environment. PNP Nut Grower & PCA magazine Feb 16, 2007   Click here to download PDF file  Click here to view as HTML page
 

Budding Prospects. Pathogen worries can make it tough for green farmers - - Almond growers aim to keep their customers healthy by keeping salmonella and other germs out of the orchards. Many try to do this by excluding rodents and other creatures that can track germs onto the orchard floor, where the nuts lie after being shaken from the trees. But many growers also like to maintain at least some ecological diversity on their farms. They might do this with grassy cover crops between the trees, or hedgerows at the orchard's edges. Trouble is, these mini-habitats could nurture the very animals that growers want to keep out so the crop doesn't become tainted. "Human pathogens are unfortunately carried by these birds and squirrels and so forth," said Merle Jacobs, associate director for industry relations at the Almond Board of California, during an orchard tour near Ripon last week. "There's always a balance: Are you mitigating one problem and adding to another problem?" <more> March 10, 2007 Modesto Bee
 

Bee shortage won't hurt almond crop, say experts - - The almond industry has faced cold and rain and a shrinking bee supply during this year's bloom, but it appears to be making it through just fine — so far. Enough blossoms likely are being pollinated to assure an adequate nut harvest in late summer and fall, the Almond Board of California reported this week. That verdict was based on a survey of orchards by a task force for the Modesto-based group. "Their expert opinion was that we would have enough bees to complete the pollination of our almond crop," said Marsha Venable, spokeswoman for the board. The bloom started in mid-February and likely will fade out next week. The emerging nuts still could get hit by spring storms, but for now the board is confident, Venable said. <more> March 10, 2007 Modesto Bee
 

Almond tour highlights stewardship. Growers want to have ‘the healthiest specialty crop in the world - - ’Mummified nut removal, cover crops and specialized shredding equipment, all examples of farming practices that help the environment, were highlights of the annual Environmental Stewardship tour by the Almond Board of California. Members of federal, state and local regulatory agencies as well as other growers were on hand to learn farming and processing practices aimed at making almonds "the healthiest specialty crop in the world." The tour was hosted by Dave Phippen, chairman of the Almond Board of California, at the Travaille and Phippen plant. Under a canopy of almond blooms, Nick Gatzman, who leads the pest control and cultural operations for Phippen's almond orchards, spoke emphatically about their goal of reducing pesticide use. "The most cost-effective control is orchard sanitation," Gatzman stressed. <more> March 9, 2007 Capital Press
 

Miticide choices fortunately plentiful - - Tree nut growers in California have been blessed with a rapidly expanding arsenal of miticides over the past few years, according to David Haviland, Kern County University of California Cooperative Extension Farm Advisor. “All of a sudden, we’ve added eight new products to our portfolio in only the past two years,” he told attendees at a Bayer CropScience sponsored Tree and Vine conference held this winter. “I sincerely hope the days of monitoring and treating if and when you hit a threshold are back.” <more> March 7, 2007 Western Farm Press
 

Bad biz for bees. Almond growers, beekeepers stung by disappearance, death rate of insect. - - In this high-tech age of tractors steered by Global Positioning System, some things in agriculture come down to what Bryan Beekman held in his hand. Bees. The insects are needed desperately for production of almonds and many other crops. A simple act of nature -- pollination by these critters -- is the key to a third of the world's food production. But disaster lurks in bee country. The insects are dying -- or disappearing -- in droves. Many of Beekman's pollinators, for example, are dead. And nobody knows what happened to half of the 100 million bees owned by David Bradshaw of Fresno. They simply vanished. <more> March 7, 2007 Fresno Bee
 

Time is ripe to support sustainable food system.  Keynote speaker at California Farm Conference appeals for support to develop sustainable food system by 2030 - - Small-scale farmers who are adept at growing healthy food, can help urban consumers reconnect to their agrarian roots and develop a network of supporters for a sustainable food system in California by 2030. Michael Dimock, executive director of Roots for Change, an alliance of California-based foundations, today delivered that message to more than 300 participants at the 2007 California Farm Conference in Monterey. Launched in 2002, the program promotes social goals such as food choices that lead to more healthy eating, environmental benefits, and economic goals to create new revenue streams on farms through tourism, on-farm energy production and direct farm-to-consumer marketing. <more> March 6, 2007
 

Almond growers raising environmental consciousness - - It was too blustery to be buzzing about Dave Phippen's almond orchard on Friday - only one bee could be found pollinating the white blossoms. There was plenty of sweet talk, though, about farmers' efforts to aid the environment. For the third time, the Almond Board of California hosted a tour promoting the crop and the way it is grown. <more> March 3, 2007 Stockton Record
 

Nominations open for IPM Innovator Award - - Science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke once said, "Every revolutionary idea seems to evoke three stages of reaction ... (1) It's completely impossible. (2) It's possible, but it's not worth doing. (3) I said itwas a good idea all along." If least-toxic pest management once seemed impossible, it's becoming the preferred strategy on the farm and in our urban environment. The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is now taking nominations for its 14th annual IPM Innovator Awards. IPM - - integrated pest management - - uses nature-based solutions that offer the least risk to people and their environment. For more information on how to nominate an individual or organization for an IPM Innovator Award, go to www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/ipminov/innovatr.htm . Or contact DPR staffer Bob Elliott, 916 324 4156, belliott@cdpr.ca.gov March 4, 2007 DPR Press Release
 

Pesticide illness cases rise in 2005, new toll-free line established -- The number of pesticide-related illnesses in California rose in 2005, and a new service announced today by the state Department of Pesticide Regulation will make it easier for people to file pesticide complaints. DPR officials announced today in a department news release that 911 individual cases of pesticide illness were reported in 2005, up from 828 cases the prior year. Of the 911 cases in 2005, 647 cases -- or 71% -- were in agricultural settings. DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam said that pesticide drift has been one of the major sources of injuries and illnesses in the agricultural sector, as the 2005 DPR data show. Half of the total cases related to agriculture in 2005 were related to one mishap from a farm fumigation in Salinas. <more> March 1, 2007 Capital Press
 

Sustainable agriculture meetings set for Valley - - A series of meetings to discuss the objective of developing sustainable food and farming systems in California by the year 2030 will be held in the San Joaquin valley in February and March. Roots of Change (ROC) and co-host Great Valley Center are holding the meetings to discuss “Our Common Vision: A Bright Future for Healthy Communities, Farms, & Food in California."  

The Fresno meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 1- 4p.m. at the Ramada University, Room Shaw A, 324 East Shaw Ave.     

The Modesto meeting will be held Thursday, March 1, from 1 -4 p.m. at the Red Lion Hotel, Vineyard Room, 1612 Sisk Road. 

The Chico meeting will be held Monday, March 12, from 1-4 p.m. at CSU Chico, Bidwell Park Room. 

The Davis meeting will be held Tuesday, March 13, at the UC Davis Buehler Alumni & Visitors Center, AGR Room. 

The meetings will discuss proposed initiatives to achieve a sustainable food system, how to help shape plans and implementation of projects, and ROC’s role and proposed services and requests for grant proposals. For more details, visit www.ROCFund.org. To register for the meetings, contact Nicole Mason at Nicole@rocfund.org, or call 415) 391-0545. More information about ROC can be found on its website www.ROCFund.org Feb. 16, 2007

New pesticide regulations loom in 2008 . VOC, spray drift seminar at World Ag Expo - - New state pesticide regulations loom next year to control smog-producing emissions from farms, but officials hope new technology, research and strategic alliances can minimize the impact of growers. At a seminar at the 2007 World Ag Expo in Tulare Wednesday, farmers were advised that new regulations on volatile organic compounds, which mix with nitrogen oxides and sunlight to create smog, will be finalized late this year, according to Jerry Campbell, assistant director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. "We expect to have VOC regulations on the books by December 31st of this year, with regulations to go into effect in 2008," Campbell said. "We hope to have a draft of the regulations in March and hearings on the VOC package during the summer and hopefully finalized by the end of the year." <more> Feb. 15, 2007 Capital Press
 

Migrant bees key to state's crops. Rising demand drives up prices as supply of insect labor dwindles. - - In sheer numbers, it's the biggest migration of workers in the world. This month, nearly three-quarters of all the nation's commercial honeybees will be in California's ever-expanding almond orchards to do the work that only a bee can do: gather pollen from the blossom of one tree and drop it in the blossom of another. Drawn by the rocketing prices now offered by almond farmers, beekeepers from as far away as Florida are hauling more than 2,200 tractor-trailer loads of hive boxes into the state. That's at least 10 billion bees. <more> Feb. 12, 2007 Sacramento Bee
 

Plight of the Bees. Growers worry as pollinators decline - - This time of year, John Cox usually has 300 bee colonies ready for duty in almond orchards about to pop into bloom. This year, he has 35. The rest of the colonies failed to live through the winter, for reasons that elude him and many of the other beekeepers across the nation. "It's somewhat depressing to try to keep overcoming all the odds," said Cox, who raises bees near Stevinson as a sideline to his job with a food-processing company. Concern about the bee supply has been growing for several years among nut and fruit growers who depend on the insects for pollination. The concern has become acute this year, with beekeepers in several states reporting major losses. Nowhere does this matter more than in the almond orchards of the Central Valley. They grow 80 percent of the world's supply of the nuts and use two-thirds of the commercial bee colonies in the nation each February. "It's the single most important time of the year for us in terms of determining the crop," said Chris Heintz, who manages pollination research for the Almond Board of California, based in Modesto. <more> Feb. 10, 2007 Modesto Bee
 

DPR moving closer to VOC air quality rules - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) has taken the next step in its initiative to reduce the amount of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are released into the air from pesticides. Late last summer, DPR proposed to cancel the registrations of 27 pesticide products that were on the agency’s hit list because the registrants had failed to comply with DPR orders to submit plans to reduce VOC emissions from their liquid products to a 20 percent level, or to justify their exemption from that DPR goal. “Some of these were voluntary cancellations,” says Bob Ehn, with R3 Ag Consulting LLC, a Clovis-based firm that provides research, registration and regulatory services to the crop protection chemical industry. “None of these are major-use products and in total, the agricultural chemical industry stepped up and provided DPR with the needed information. It’s not time to panic yet,” he added. <more> Jan. 24, 2007 Western Farm Press  
 

Felony counts dropped in pesticide case. No-contest to misdemeanor for nut company, manager - - A criminal case against a Ripon-based almond grower fell apart Thursday, when prosecutors dropped all charges related to the alleged methyl bromide poisoning of a laborer. Golden West Nuts Inc. and ranch Manager John Becerra pleaded no contest to one misdemeanor charge, for failing to notify Stanislaus County's agricultural commissioner before using a controlled pesticide. Several other charges were dismissed, and a defense attorney said his toxicologist concluded that the laborer had not been poisoned. Company President Jon Hoff seemed pleased by the outcome but troubled by the legal system. He had been charged with two felonies and three misdemeanors stemming from his company's alleged failure to provide safety equipment and training in the use of pesticides. "We have not been able to figure out why we have been put in this position," Hoff said after the charges he faced were dismissed. <more> Jan. 19, 2007 Modesto Bee
 

State Department of Pesticide Regulation gets $3 million budget increase. California regulators plan to use money for enforcement, safety and programs on less-toxic alternatives. - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation is using a $3 million boost in its budget to increase enforcement, pay for programs for less toxic alternatives and push pesticide safety. Mary-Ann Warmerdam, the department's director, is also aiming to reduce major pesticide illness incidents to zero. While Warmerdam acknowledged it's a lofty goal — the state averages about 50 such incidents a year — she said it is a necessary one. "Anything less than zero major incidents is not doing right by our obligation," Warmerdam said. "These are the incidents that affect people, in particular farmworkers." <more> Jan. 12, 2007 Fresno Bee
 

EPA Authorizes Critical Uses of Methyl Bromide for 2007 - - In accordance with the Clean Air Act and Montreal Protocol, EPA has issued final methyl bromide production and import critical use exemptions for 2007. EPA also authorized uses that qualify for the 2007 critical use exemption. The exemptions for continued production and import of methyl bromide will honor the U.S. commitment to obtain methyl bromide for American farmers, in a manner consistent with the Montreal Protocol, while protecting the ozone layer. <more> Dec. 12, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition annual meetings set for next week - -  The East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is holding its second annual meetings next week to review 2006 monitoring results and water quality problems likely associated with agriculture.  Topics Include: • Surprising results of a coalition-funded E.coli study designed to identify sources of numerous detections of the bacteria in local waterways. • Information on new requirements of coalition members. • Information on management practices to mitigate farm runoff found in local waterways. Meeting Locations:

• Tuesday; December 12; 1-3 pm, Merced County Agricultural Commissioners office, 2139 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced

• Wednesday, December 13, 10 am -12 pm; Stanislaus Agricultural Center, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, (lunch provided to those who RSVP: 209-522-7278)

• Thursday, December 14, 10 am -12 pm; Madera County Farm Bureau, 1102 S. Pine Street, Madera, (lunch provided to those who RSVP: 559-674-8871) Dec.7, 2006 ESJWCQC Press Release
 

Grassley continues fight against EPA rule on agriculture dust - - Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, is continuing his efforts to block the Environmental Protection Agency from regulating agriculture dust — this time offering an amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations bill. “This is about the future. The rule is setting a bad precedent for agriculture,” Grassley said in a statement. The amendment, introduced Tuesday, has been endorsed by 13 of the nation’s largest agriculture groups. In October, Grassley hosted EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson at farm in Perry to watch a soybean field harvested so he could see how the process stirs up dust. A steady rain prevented the demonstration, but the senator said it didn’t wash away concerns that the dust proposal could lead to lawsuits against farmers. <more> Dec. 6, 2006 AP
 

New study: Public-private partnerships providing ag environmental solutions. Almond Board partnerships hailed as successful models. - - Partnerships between researchers, extension agents and growers that encourage greater participation and a cooperative learning environment are providing real-world solutions to many of the environmental issues facing California farmers, according to a recent study. The study by a leading university agro-environmental researcher points to the Almond Pest Management Alliance as a primary example of the success of such public/private partnerships. Study author Keith Douglass Warner of the Environmental Studies Institute at Santa Clara University said many of these partnerships, such as the Biologically Integrated Farming Systems and Pest Management Alliance projects, have helped successfully integrate alternatives to widely used traditional pesticides into mainstream farming systems by promoting a high level of grower participation and support. Titled “Integrated Farming Systems and Pollution Prevention Initiatives Stimulate Co-Learning Extension Strategies,” the study reports that the growth and success of these programs reflects a shift from the cooperative extension’s early model of “technology transfer” to an emphasis on participatory co-learning and decision-making support. <more> Dec. 3, 2006 Almond Board of California Press release  
 

Farmers seek less-toxic pesticides to control mold, mildew - - California's wet growing season in 2005 contributed to higher pesticide use as farmers applied more fungicides, especially sulfur, to stifle mold and mildew. But state officials pointed to declining use of several highly toxic chemicals at the same time. Mary-Ann Warmerdam, who leads the Department of Pesticide Regulation, said California continues to encourage alternatives to harmful chemical applications. "While last year's weather presented challenging conditions for growers, we see a growing reliance on sustainable pest management," she said earlier this month. And San Joaquin County is among the leaders of that trend, with Lodi-area grape growers supporting a third-party auditing program that certifies producers who employ sustainable farming practices. <more> Nov. 30, 2006 Stockton Record
 

Almond industry poised to market 1.5 billion-pound crop - - A 45 percent increase in the supply of a commodity from the largest crop ever recorded over a short, four-year time span would be cause for concern for most California commodities. However, almonds are not like any other California commodity. California almond growers have gathered record and near-record crops the past five years coupled with receiving record and near-record prices. With 100,000 acres of non-bearing orchards to add to the current inventory of 580,000 acres that basically produced the five-year of records, the industry is expected to reach 1.5 billon pounds of production in just four years. However, according to a report from the USDA NASS California field office given at the recent 25th annual Agribusiness Management Conference in Fresno there is a “wide array of positive and democratic indicators” that provide assurance that California growers will profitably market the 1.5 billion crop with relative ease. <more> Nov. 30, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

Growers Can Make Money if They Use UC Integrated Pest Management Year-Round Program for Crops - - The California Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is offering $125 per acre to growers to use the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program's year-round IPM programs for their crops. In the 2002 Farm Bill, NRCS was tasked to promote adoption of new pest management practices and IPM programs to reduce environmental problems associated with pest management. The program resulted in the establishment of a Pest Management Standard, incorporation of pest management goals into funded NRCS conservation plans, training and certification of NRCS staff in pest management, and identification of pest management practices that would improve environmental quality. To be eligible for NRCS' Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), a crop must have a complete year-round program available on UC IPM's Web site at www.ipm.ucdavis.edu (Under "How to Manage Pests", click the link for "Agriculture and floriculture" and then choose your crop). Currently, programs are available for almonds, cotton, grapes, nectarines, peaches, plums, and prunes. <more> Nov. 17, 2006 UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program
 

Guthion phase out for almonds detailed by EPA - - The U.S. EPA has  issued its final decision to phase out the remaining 10 uses of the organophosphate insecticide azinphos-methyl (AZM, known by its trade name Guthion, over the next few years. The EPA decision means that almond growers will be able to continue the use of Guthion for a total of three more growing seasons, explained Gabriele Ludwig, senior manager of global technical and regulatory affairs for the Almond Board of California. Guthion’s use on almonds will be canceled by October 2009. Originally, EPA had proposed canceling the nut uses for Guthion in September 2007. In return for extending the use, EPA is requiring several additional measures to protect waterways, farmworker housing and other residential sites and reduce applicator exposures. Use in almonds is now limited to June, July and August. Additionally, there must be a 300 or 500 foot buffer to waterways depending in which county the orchard is located, a 60-foot buffer for all residential or occupied structures (excluding farm structures) and applicators must use an enclosed cab.
For additional information about the AZM phase out: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/azm/phaseout_fs.htm

-- The agency's AZM reregistration web page: http://www.epa.gov/oppsrrd1/op/azm.htm

-- AZM docket number EPA-HQ-OPP-2005-0061: http://www.regulations.gov

DPR reports pesticide use data; highly toxic categories down again -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today reported a statewide decline in the use of several highly toxic chemicals in 2005, including fumigants and other pesticides of regulatory concern. DPR tentative statistics for 2005 show 194 million pounds applied for all commercial uses, compared to 180 million pounds in 2004. Half of the increase was attributed to sulfur, a natural compound used by organic and conventional growers to combat mold and mildew. Wet weather was a factor for many growers in 2005. At the same time, use of many higher risk chemicals declined, both in pounds applied and acres treated, while use of some reduced-risk compounds increased dramatically. <more> Nov. 15, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Report shows greater farmer acceptance of reduced-risk pesticides - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today announced details of its Pesticide Use Report for 2005, which showed a statewide decline in the use of several highly toxic chemicals and greater farmer adoption of sustainable pest management tools. The report indicates pesticides applied for all commercial uses in 2005 totaled 194 million pounds, up from 180 million pounds a year earlier, but a major reason for the increase was the need for sulfur to control mold and mildew in winegrapes, which suffered from a cool, wet spring. DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam said 2005 saw a decline in many highly toxic pesticides and greater use of reduced-risk pesticides. "DPR continues to put strong emphasis on reducing pesticide risks and use whenever possible," Warmerdam said in a news release. "While last year's weather presented challenging conditions for growers, we see a growing reliance on sustainable pest management." <more> Nov. 15, 2006 Capital Press
 

Environmental Issues Panel at Almond Board Conference Dec 7th in Modesto - -  The Almond Board of California is including a California Environmental Issues Panel Discussion on Thursday, Dec. 7 at its annual conference in Modesto. The issues to be addressed range from air and water quality to consumer expectations of farming practices. Panelists and environmental topics include:
• Senator Jeff Denham - As the Chairman of the Senate Agriculture Committee, having jurisdiction over bills relating to agriculture and water supply management, the Senator will offer an overview of current California environmental legislation.  
• Jim Wells - The principle of the consulting firm Environmental Solutions LLC based in Sacramento, Jim will offer a general introduction to air quality issues including volatile organic compounds (VOC’s) and the changes growers can anticipate.
• Caroline Silveira  -  The Grocery Manufacturer Association’s Director of State Affairs for the Western Region of the United States, Caroline will discuss how environmental issues influence consumer buying decisions and steps being taken to educate consumers.
 Parry Klassen, Director for the Center for Urban and Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) program, as well as one of the Irrigated Land Coalitions will provide more detail on the landscape of water quality regulations. <more> Nov. 3, 2006 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

U.S. Methyl Bromide Stockpile Under Scrutiny at World Ozone Meeting in India - - President George W. Bush's administration is seeking world permission to produce thousands of tons of a pesticide, methyl bromide, that an international treaty banned nearly two years ago, even though U.S. companies already have huge stockpiles of the chemical. Methyl bromide has been used for decades by farmers to help grow plump, sweet strawberries, robust peppers and other crops, but it also depletes the Earth's protective ozone layer. The United States and other countries signed a 1987 treaty promising to end its use by 2005. Americans failed to meet the Montreal Protocol deadline and since have been getting annual exemptions allowing methyl bromide's continued use on certain crops in specific states. Other nations have sought far smaller exemptions. The latest exemption requests are being considered this week at an international meeting in New Delhi, India. <more> Nov. 3, 2006 AP

Workshop covers crop runoff. Reedley event Nov. 16 offers information to protect water quality. - - A workshop highlighting practical on-farm practices to reduce water quality impacts of runoff from orchard and vineyard crops will be held at 10 a.m. Nov. 16 at Moonlight Packing Corp., 17719 E. Huntsman Ave., Reedley. Fresh fruit and nut producers, crop consultants and commercial applicators can attend the free workshop, "Management Practices to Keep Farm Inputs out of Farm Drainage and Irrigation Runoff," which includes lunch. The workshop will provide information on ways farmers of permanent crops can protect water from farm drainage, sediment and agricultural chemical runoff. <more> Nov. 1, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

Sustainable ag promoted in farm tour. Groups push for more farm bill conservation funds - - Escalon diversified farmer John Lagier is the face behind a national campaign to elevate the interests of sustainable agriculture in the 2007 Farm Bill. This week Lagier hosted a group of farmers and sustainable agricultural groups, including the National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture, in a tour of his 120-acre ranch southeast of Stockton. The tour was organized by the California Coalition for Food and Farming. <more> Oct. 20, 2006 Capital Press
 

Almond Industry Hosts Seminar as Bee Business Faces New Challenges - – As the almond industry harvests what is anticipated to be the second largest crop on record, some industry members took time off to plan ahead for bloom, examining the role of the honey bee in producing the state’s largest exported crop. The Almond Board of California (ABC) recently hosted a Honey Bee Seminar, bringing together almond industry members, government officials, pollination researchers and beekeepers to discuss new challenges as well as familiar issues facing the bee and almond industries as we head into the 2007 almond bloom.  Dan Cummings, Almond Board member and grower, said, “Almond growers and beekeepers are uniquely dependent upon each other, our trees need healthy bees and so the almond industry must take a proactive role in problem solving bee pest issues.” <more> Oct. 16, 2006 Almond Board Press Release
 

Growers, beekeepers abuzz over pest. Will there be enough bees to pollinate almond trees? - - Every February, a massive labor force gets to work in the almond orchards of California. Honey bees — billions upon billions of them — fly among the trees, spreading pollen so the winter blossoms can turn into mature nuts by late summer. This biological marvel has helped make almonds the No. 2 farm product in the Northern San Joaquin Valley, after milk. But the approach of another winter has renewed concerns that the bee supply, provided by commercial beekeepers across the nation, might fall short of the demand. "There appears to be a good possibility of a tight supply," said Orin Johnson, a Hughson-area beekeeper, at a meeting held in Modesto on Thursday by the Almond Board of California. A key problem is the varroa mite, which invades hives and drinks the bees' blood. Experts say the mites have cut bee numbers by as much as 60 percent in some hives and have become resistant to pesticides. <more> Oct. 8, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

As Farmers Reap More Almonds, Thieves Do, Too - - For Scott Phippen, a third-generation almond man, the hole in his fence was the first sign of trouble. And sure enough, a quick once-over confirmed the worst: two of Mr. Phippen’s trucks were missing. But the thieves were not after vehicles. They were after almonds. And at Mr. Phippen’s farm here in the Central Valley, they had hit the mother lode: 88,000 pounds of the nuts, with a street value of some $260,000. “You don’t just put that in your garage,” Mr. Phippen, 52, said with a smile. “You don’t move that at the local flea market.”  Mr. Phippen had become just another victim of what farmers and the authorities say is a rash of almond heists, with the latest reported last Sunday, when a truck containing more than 40,000 pounds was stolen from a shipping yard in Fresno. <more> Oct. 8, 2006 NY Times

Almond Grower Looks Long-Term with His Orchard Growing Practices - - Matt Billings, a fourth-generation almond farmer based in Delano, Calif., takes a long view of his vertical almond operation. The father of two young children, Billings said sustainable farming will help ensure the health and production of his land and orchard for future generations. “For us, the goal is to not use such heavy inputs that you ruin the soil, tree or orchard for short-term gains,” he said. “Especially with a permanent crop. If you have an orchard in the ground, you are committed for 25 to 30 years, so you have sustainability built in from the beginning.”  The key to successful sustainable farming, he said, is more footwork in the orchard, carefully monitoring pest and disease pressures and staying on top of irrigation and nutrient status on a block-by-block—and even tree-by-tree—basis. Billings never sprays on the calendar, and makes decisions about irrigation, fertility and other inputs with consideration for variety, soil type, petiole samples, trap counts, yield potential and orchard conditions. <more> October  2006 California Almonds Newsletter
 

Almond Industry Explores the Definition of Sustainable Agriculture - - This past year, the Environmental Stewardship Campaign has explored the concept of “sustainability,” a term growing in popularity and use by regulators, academia, granting and funding sources, the media and the consuming public. The use of the term sustainability and sustainable almond growing practices was the topic of professionally moderated focus groups with almond growers, handlers, PCAs and UC farm advisors in Chico, Modesto, Fresno and Tulare. The first—and perhaps most remarkable—finding of the focus groups was that not a single participant opposed the idea of developing a definition for sustainable almond growing. In essence, defining and pursuing efforts in sustainability was not a controversial issue among these industry members.  “From my perspective as someone who has studied several commodities, I found this alone surprising and encouraging,” said the focus group facilitator, Dr. Keith Douglass Warner, Director of the Faith, Ethics & Vocation Project at Santa Clara University’s Environmental Studies Institute.  <more>  October 2006 California Almonds Newsletter
 

Regulators Show Interest in Sustainability at International Conference - - State and federal regulators were well represented at the International Conference on the Future of Agriculture in Sacramento, illustrating intensifying interest in the dominant themes of stewardship and sustainability. DPR’s chief Mary Ann Warmerdam emphasized, “Governor Schwarzenegger wants clean water, air, and soils and no excuses.  He wants environmental improvement with economic growth within the concept of sustainability.”     “The bottom line is, assessment of sustainability could become a tool for development of agricultural policy,” said Gabriele Ludwig, senior manager of global technical and regulatory affairs for the Almond Board of California. “This is the direction regulators are going.” <more> October 2006 California Almonds Newsletter  
 

When is it “Conservation” and when is it “Sustainable”? - - Those involved in sustainability and conservation efforts seem to use the words interchangeably.  In fact, conservation and sustainable are two different terms, says Dr. Keith Douglass Warner, Director of the Faith, Ethics & Vocation Project at Santa Clara University’s Environmental Studies Institute.  Warner should know. He’s got the book on the subject due to be published in November 2006, Agroecology in Action, MIT Press.   “Conservation focuses on individual resources like air and water, while sustainability is a broader concept, a goal or vision,” said Warner, who also happens to be a Franciscan Friar. “Where conservation is about certain individual practices, sustainability is a collective effort, a mechanism to coordinate actions. It involves the behavior of institutions and assumes organizational strength.” What does the almond industry need to do?  The Friar has an answer:  “That same organizational strength that brought farmers together for marketing purposes is now needed to survive the pressures of farming in California.” October 2006 California Almonds Newsletter
 

ABC Funds Environmental Research - - The Almond Board of California’s Environmental Stewardship Committee is funding a number of ongoing research projects for 2006-07 to address environmental issues related to almond production and orchard management. For a closer look at some of these projects,  click here. October 2006 California Almonds Newsletter
 

Water Board Sets Deadline for Joining Watershed Coalitions - - In a 5-2 vote, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board earlier this summer agreed to extend the Irrigated Lands Program for five years and added a deadline for landowners to join regional watershed coalitions or face requirements to get individual waste discharge permits. The Water Board has also ordered names of individual coalition members to be turned in to the Water Board annually beginning in October 2006. Coalitions must provide the lists and maps indicating properties covered by coalitions, according to Parry Klassen, executive Director of the Coalition for Urban/Rural Stewardship (CURES).  <more>  October 2006 California Almonds Newsletter
 

Bee worries plague almond growers. Pollination costs soar as demand for colonies increases - - Their critical 2007 pollination season is still months away, but California almond growers are already fretting about a potential shortage of healthy bees. Concerns were aired at the Almond Board of California's Annual Honey Bee Seminar in Modesto this week. In the audience were almond growers, beekeepers, bee brokers, county agricultural commissioners and officials from California Department of Food and Agriculture, USDA and the University of California. Chico almond grower Dan Cummings, chairman of the board's bee task force, said with "literally hundreds of thousand of acres" of almond orchards coming into bearing in the next few years, bee demand is soaring. "About 60 percent or a little more of European honeybees that are transportable in the United States come to California for almond pollination," Cummings said. "The total number of colonies that are required in California for almond pollination is going to go up substantially in the next five years." <more> Oct. 6, 2006 Capital Press
 

Most Widely Used Organic Pesticide Bt Requires Help To Kill - - The world's most widely used organic insecticide, a plucky bacterium known as Bacillus thuringiensis or Bt for short, requires the assistance of other microbes to perform its insect-slaying work, a new study has found. Writing in the Sept. 26 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), a team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison reports that without the help of the native bacteria that colonize the insect gut, Bt is unable to perform its lethal work. The startling new insight into the workings of one of the most important and environmentally friendly weapons in the human arsenal against insect pests has significant implications not only for the control of insects in agriculture, forestry and human health, but for understanding microbial disease in humans and other animals. <more> Sept. 27, 2006 ScienceDaily.com
 

Spinach scare shakes up almond growers - - Upward of 300 billion almonds will rain to the ground in the harvest now under way in the Central Valley. And if all goes according to plan, none of those nuts will make anyone sick. The prospect of a food-safety scare always hovers over the valley's farmers and food processors. They see what is happening in the Salinas area, the source of raw spinach believed to have sickened more than 100 people with E. coli bacteria, killing one. "It doesn't take much for the market to turn on you," said Doug Wells, an almond grower near Livingston. "In order to protect our commodity and our marketplace, we have to make sure we have a safe product." <more> Sept. 20, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

On The Job: Reaping what he knows. Farm adviser's expertise helps growers - - Like a doctor making house calls, Roger Duncan travels from orchard to orchard examining and diagnosing sick trees. He identifies the disease attacking the tree and advises farmers how to breathe life back into their ailing crops. But there are occasions when Duncan is unable to pinpoint the problem, and his role switches from adviser to researcher. "Sometimes we find new diseases or insects, and I'm unable to offer a good solution because we don't yet know the answer," Duncan said. "It might take a few years to realize how a disease is working." It can be the most vexing part of his job as a farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension in Stanislaus County. <more> Sept. 19, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

U.S. Has Been Stockpiling Banned Pesticide Methyl Bromide - - The United States has stockpiled millions of pounds of methyl bromide, a pesticide that depletes the ozone layer, according to newly public documents — information that could create a stir during international negotiations next month, when the Bush administration seeks permission to produce more. Methyl bromide has been banned for almost two years under the United Nations' Montreal Protocol. Under that pact — designed to stop the thinning of the ozone layer, which shields the planet from harmful ultraviolet radiation — the United States is granted annual exemptions to use the chemical at farms that grow California strawberries, Florida tomatoes and other crops deemed "critical." The new Environmental Protection Agency data, which show that the stockpile is big enough to provide those farmers more than a year's supply, are likely to put the Bush administration in the position of defending the size of the U.S. reserve while seeking approval for chemical companies to manufacture more. <more> Sept. 15, 2006 LA Times
 

Almonds may take belated heat wave hit. Temperatures killed many bees needed in pollination - - The bee industry took a heavy hit in the historic July heat wave, a beekeeper said Thursday, and that could mean trouble when almonds and other trees start to bloom next year. The heat wave, which topped 110 degrees three days in a row in Modesto at its worst, killed at least 19 people in Stanislaus County and 110 statewide. The toll to bees — vital to pollinating almonds and several other major crops in the Northern San Joaquin Valley — was among the dire stories to come out of a meeting on the heat's impact on farmers. Dennis Gudgel, agricultural commissioner for Stanislaus County, said he is concerned that the bee supply will fall short when blossoms need to be pollinated in late winter and spring. The supply already was tight because of a mite that infests hives. <more> Sept. 15, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Almond orchard pesticide felony case will go to trial - - Criminal charges against the owner of Golden West Nuts Inc. of Ripon and two employees will stand, and the case will go to trial Feb. 5, a Stanislaus County Superior Court judge said Thursday. Defense attorneys argued that an indictment against owner Jon Hoff, ranch manager John Becerra and foreman Everardo Ruiz should be thrown out because prosecutors did not properly instruct a grand jury. Judge Loretta Murphy Begen dismissed a few allegations in the charges, but said a jury must rule on the overall charges. The case involves a laborer who was sickened by methyl bromide while he fumigated tree holes in an Oakdale almond orchard. The toxic pesticide may be used only under controlled circumstances. <more> Sept. 15, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Almond theft: Tough cases for growers to crack - - With the almond harvest well under way in the Central Valley, growers and sheriff's deputies are renewing their efforts to combat the increasing problem of stolen almonds. The farmers and officers are working together to develop information that may lead to suspects as well as prevent further thefts. The ACTION (Agricultural Crime Technology Information and Operations Network) Project recently reported that during the 2005-06 crop year, more than $1.3 million worth of almonds were stolen from growers and shippers in the San Joaquin Valley. <more> Sept. 13, 2006 Ag Alert
 

New dormant orchard spray regulations in effect  - -   Orchard growers in California have new regulations to follow when applying most types of dormant sprays. More than two years in the making, the new rules from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation went into effect on Aug. 17. Driving the new regulations is the long recognized problem of dormant sprays being washed from orchards during winter rains. Runoff from two insecticides used in dormant sprays, diazinon and chlorpyrifos, prompted adoption of Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs) for the Sacramento, Feather and San Joaquin Rivers.  The new label restrictions apply to all organophosphate, pyrethroid and carbamate insecticides. Exempt are dormant oil only applications or biocontrol agents such as spinosad or Bt or if the orchard is in a “hydrologically isolated site.” This site is “any treated area that does not produce runoff capable of entering any irrigation or drainage ditch, canal, or other body of water.” <more> Sept. 8, 2006 Watershed Coalition News
 

EPA Methyl Bromide Inventory Data Shows Downward Trend - - Today EPA released data showing a steady decline in the aggregate methyl bromide inventory held by companies in the United States since 2003, when the Agency began collecting such information. The data includes, in aggregate form, the inventory held by approximately 35 companies in the United States from 2003 to 2005. The methyl bromide inventory data shows a continued decrease – approximately 16,422 metric tons in 2003, 12,994 metric tons in 2004, and 9,974 metric tons in 2005 - and demonstrates that the United States is managing its domestic inventory appropriately, said EPA. <more> Sept. 8, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

California pesticide regulators announce data call-in on pyrethroids - - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today ordered a data call-in from more than 120 pesticide makers and sellers to help DPR assess pesticide impact on waterways and to protect the environment. The data call-in targets pyrethroids, a class of insecticides originally derived from the chrysanthemum flower, and DPR's action is based on studies that show they may accumulate in stream sediment and are toxic to aquatic invertebrates. Pyrethoids do not pose any immediate health concerns for people or drinking water. DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam said the action will require detailed scientific data on 608 products from 123 registrants with deadlines that range from six months to two years, depending upon the complexity of work. The data call-in will serve two purposes. "First, we must take all appropriate steps to protect the environment," Warmerdam said in a news release. "While these products pose no direct threat to people, their impact on aquatic ecology must be assessed so that we can take appropriate actions under state and federal clean water law." <more> Sept. 1, 2006 Capital Press
 

’06 California almond harvest begins - - California’s 6,000 almond growers are moving into high gear gathering the state’s fourth 1-billion-pound crop in the past five years. And everyone is all smiles with harvest time prices of $2.45 cents per pound for Nonpareil and $1.90 for California varieties. Between 70 million and 80 million pounds of this year’s crop will be hulled and shelled through one of the five hulling/shelling plants operated by Central California Almond Growers Association (CCAGA) in Kerman, Calif. and Sanger, California. CCCAGA is the largest huller/sheller in the world and will process $200 million worth of almonds by Thanksgiving. The association is opening this season with a new state-of-the-art $9.5 million huller/sheller in Kerman to handle a large portion of the crop delivered by the association’s 453 members harvested from 50,000 acres or orchards in a service area stretching from Pixley, Calif. to Chowchilla, Calif. in the Central San Joaquin Valley. <more> Aug. 31, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

Judge Strikes Down Pesticide Usage Rule - - A federal judge on Thursday rejected a Bush administration decision to weaken rules governing pesticide use, saying the change lacked scientific justification. It was the second time in recent years that U.S. District Judge John C. Coughenour chastised federal agencies for failing to follow the Endangered Species Act in licensing pesticides for sale. <more> Aug. 25, 2006 AP
 

USDA sets listening sessions on cooperative conservation - - --The Secretaries of Agriculture, Interior, Commerce, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality today announced the dates and locations of the next set of listening sessions on cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships. The listening sessions will give citizens an opportunity to exchange ideas on incentives, partnership programs, and regulations that can improve results and promote cooperative conservation and environmental partnerships. <more> Aug. 22, 2006 USDA Press Release
 

Conference peers into future of ag - - Leaders from around the nation convened in Sacramento for three days to explore the future of agriculture in an international conference focusing on science, stewardship and sustainability. The hope was to bring some of the best and brightest in agriculture together with their equals in the environmental world to advance stewardship and develop practical management solutions for an industry that has been the focus on increasing regulation. Optimism was in the air Aug. 7 as industry leaders gave an overview of the environmental challenges and opportunities in farming. "By putting good minds together we can come up with effective solutions," said Dwayne Buxton, western regional director for the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service. Buxton said changes to the global economy and rapid urbanization present challenges to the agricultural industry and finding solutions to such issues was the name of the game this week in Sacramento. While various government, private and industry groups have set out on the path to promote better sustainability, more work needs to be done, said Richard Rominger, a Winters farmer and former USDA undersecretary. "We pride ourselves in California and the U.S. of being out in front, but in some cases other countries ... have surpassed us," Rominger said. He adding that the industry could benefit by creating more critical alliances and partnerships. Sustainability means "finding solutions where everyone wins," he said. <more> Aug. 17, 2006 Capital Press
 

VOC Issue Comes to the Forefront. New air quality regulations could impact price and availability of many popular almond compounds - - California pesticide regulators are aggressively pushing to reduce smog-forming emissions from pesticides, called volatile organic compounds, or VOCs. This move is likely to change how and to what degree several major pesticides and fumigants are used in almond orchards and other crops. The state Department of Pesticide Regulation in June announced it is initiating an intensive program to meet federal and court-ordered mandates to reduce VOCs from pesticides in some of the state's smoggiest areas. The announcement made clear that the decade-old VOC issue is becoming a priority in the air quality regulatory arena, with potential implications for almond growers in the very near term. "This is the first time pesticides are being regulated as air pollutants," said Gabriele Ludwig, senior manager, of global technical and regulatory affairs for the Almond Board of California. "This could impact 10 to 15 compounds widely used in almond orchards." <more> July 2006 Newsletter Almond Board of California
 

How VOCs came to the forefront - - As with other environmental issues, there are several often confusing, and sometimes conflicting, regulatory and judicial circumstances placing increased emphasis on the reduction of VOCs from pesticides. The San Joaquin Valley is currently operating under a 1994 State Implementation Plan developed by the California Air Resources Board to bring the region into compliance with federal clean air standards for ozone. That State Implementation Plan, or SIP, required a 12-percent reduction in pesticide VOCs by 1999 in the San Joaquin Valley. Unfortunately, Ludwig said, the basis for how those baseline VOC levels were calculated changed in the process and DPR found itself out of compliance with the requirements of the SIP in the last 2 years. <more> July 2006 Newsletter Almond Board of California
 

EPA announces phase out of Guthion on almonds by 2007 - - U.S. EPA announced June 9 a proposal to phase out all uses of azinphos-methyl (AZM), an OP insecticide known by its trade name Guthion, which has been under regulatory scrutiny for several years. Use on almonds, Brussels sprouts, pistachios, walnuts, and nursery stock is to be phased out in 2007 and other remaining uses are to be phased out in 2010. During the phase out, EPA is proposing additional restrictions, including reduced annual application rates, additional worker monitoring, and larger buffer zones to help minimize ecological risks. Guthion is highly valued by almond growers for control of Navel Orangeworm (NOW), one of the most serious pests in almonds. NOW causes direct damage to the mature nuts. Damaged nuts are locations where the mold, Aspergillus, can gain a foothold and produce aflatoxins.  <more> July 2006 Newsletter Almond Board of California
 

Central Valley residents air pesticide complaints at workshop - - The problem of pesticides' role in air pollution may be scientifically complex, but that doesn't mean it doesn't hit home emotionally for Central Valley residents, if a Monday night forum on the issue is a good measure. Representatives of the state Department of Pesticide Regulation heard from farmworkers complaining of chronic pain from agricultural overspray, those who blame pesticide companies for the problem and a grower who defended his industry at a Pesticide Air Initiative Workshop in Parlier. The purpose was to get public comment about the department's strategy to cut the part pesticides, particularly fumigants, play in producing the Valley's serious air pollution problem. <more> Aug. 16, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

USDA ag air quality task force meets Aug. 30 - - The USDA’s  Agricultural Air Quality Task Force will hold a meeting Aug. 30-31 in Harrisburg, Pa. to discuss current issues facing agriculture and the potential impacts to air quality from agricultural operations. The meeting will be held at the Harrisburg Hilton Hotel, One North Second Street, Harrisburg, Pa. It is open to the public and USDA will allow each speaker up to five minutes for an oral presentation. Written comments also will be accepted. "This task force has worked tirelessly to raise awareness of the importance of air quality issues," said Merlyn Carlson, USDA's Deputy Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment. "Task force members are very interested in hearing from the public about air quality issues and innovative solutions to address them." <more> Aug. 16, 2006 USDA Press Release
 

Almond Industry Works to Meet Water Quality Regulations - -  The recent decision to extend the Conditional Ag Waivers for Irrigated Lands program for five years will allow almond growers and other irrigators to continue seeking cooperative solutions to water quality concerns as they arise, according to the Almond Board of California. The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board voted in July to extend the Irrigated Lands Program for five years. It added a deadline for landowners to join regional watershed coalitions or face requirements to get individual waste discharge permits. Landowners who discharge irrigation water have until the end of 2006 to sign up for a coalition in their watershed area or face the costlier alternative. <more> Aug. 7, 2006 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

EPA Gives Green Light to One Group of Pesticides, Bans Another - - After a decade-long review, the Environmental Protection Agency has decided to allow continued use of 31 popular but controversial agricultural pesticides, concluding cumulative exposure does not pose a health risk. Although the potential danger of the chemicals, known as organophosphates, has been assessed individually over the years -- and in some cases their uses curtailed -- this was the first time the EPA examined the chemicals' risk as a group. Seventeen organophosphates have been taken off the market during the 10-year review period. But diazonin and chlorpyrifos as well as 29 others may still be used in agriculture, said the EPA. <more> Aug. 7, 2006 AP
 

DPR’s Environmental Justice advisory group meets Aug. 24 - - The California Department of Pesticide regulation has created a Web page on its Environmental Justice planning efforts www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/envjust/planning.htm. DPR encourage interested parties to submit comments on discussions and recommendations. Working drafts of documents will be posted, along with agendas and minutes for meetings of the informal workgroup providing DPR recommendations on EJ strategic and implementation planning. The next meeting of the EJ planning advisory workgroup will be from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 24, Room 133, Department of Food and Agriculture building, 1220 N Street, Sacramento. The public is invited to attend. An agenda for the meeting will be posted on the EJ Web page the week of Aug. 14.  Aug. 4, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Demand and Price Rise for Organic Almonds - - It’s the plaintive cry heard from the crunchiest food cooperative to the most profit-hungry corporation: Got almonds? Specifically, any organic ones? Jesse Schwartz, president of the tiny nut and nut butter operation called Living Tree Community Foods in Berkeley, Calif., says he has his sources but he’s not sharing them, especially not with a newspaper reporter. And they’ve given up the search entirely at Newman’s Own Organics, the organic branch of the Newman’s Own food line. “The reason we never put organic almonds in our chocolate, which we would love to do, is just that there aren’t a lot of organic almonds around,” said Peter Meehan, who runs the company with Nell Newman, daughter of the actor Paul Newman. In the last year, organic almond prices have more than doubled, to the highest that people in the business can remember. <more> Aug. 2, 2006 NY Times
 

EPA Says U.S. Pesticide Safety Highest in the World - - Americans today can be confident that pesticides used in the United States meet the highest health and safety standards in the world, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. On Aug. 3, 2006, EPA is expected to complete a 10-year review of 231 food use pesticides that resulted in changes to how these chemicals are regulated in this country.  "EPA's groundbreaking effort is being welcomed at dinner tables across the nation. The Bush Administration is ensuring pesticides used to grow the fruits, vegetables and other foods families are serving meet the highest protective standards in the world," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "This 10-year review enables farmers to grow a bountiful, healthy food supply for generations of American families." <more> Aug. 1, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

Air board workshops set on proposed diesel emission rules - - A proposal to expand state regulation of agricultural stationary engines will be the focus of public meetings in Colusa, Durham and Sacramento next week. The California Air Resources Board will go over the proposed regulations, similar to those already adopted in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast air districts, at meetings on July 26 and 27. The regulations are intended to reduce emissions for the estimated 9,000 to 11,000 in-use ag engines operating throughout California on agricultural operations. The state Air Resources Board puts emissions from stationary irrigations pump engines, alone, at 700 tons to 800 tons of diesel particulate matter and 10,000 tons to 12,000 tons of oxides of nitrogen. <more> July 25, 2006 Ag Alert
 

Almond growers ripe for boost in processing. Expansion in Kerman has environmentally friendly impacts - - Already the largest sheller and huller of almonds in the world, the Central California Almond Growers Association is poised to expand. The move will nearly double the pace at which almonds can be processed. The addition of a third huller-sheller operation at the association's plant seven miles south Kerman will have some significant environmentally friendly impacts when it starts in mid-August to separate hulls and shells from nut meat, said Don McKinney, a Madera grower and the association's chairman of the board. Those impacts include: It will mean less stockpiling of almonds before they go through the plant's machinery. The new plant should virtually eliminate the need to truck almonds from Kerman to the Sanger processing plant, a round trip of 75 miles. It will reduce truck traffic traveling through metropolitan Fresno. The proximity of the Kerman site to the Panoche Creek Packing Co. will also reduce truck miles. <more> July 21, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

DPR sets workshops on air quality, updates pesticide cancellations - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will hold three public workshops in August to hear comments on DPR's air quality initiative. Workshops will be held in: 
* Oxnard, 6 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 8, at the Marriott Courtyard, 600E. Esplanade Drive, Oxnard. 
* Sacramento, 2 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 10, at Cal/EPA Headquarters, 1001 I St., Sacramento. 
* Parlier, 6 p.m. Monday, Aug. 14, at the Kearney Agricultural Research Center in Fresno County. 
DPR launched its air quality initiative in May to reduce volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in pesticides that contribute to smog. DPR has committed to VOC reductions that will meet state air quality standards-- and set a national standard for pesticides - by 2008. <more> July 18, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Q&A: Pombo pushes habitat bill. Law is unfair to landowners, ineffective for animals, he says - - U.S. Rep. Richard Pombo, the Tracy Republican who heads the House Resources Committee, stirs conflict with almost every major initiative he launches, from offshore drilling to Indian gambling. Few members of Congress have as much influence over the nation's environmental laws as Pombo. And no topic has been more contentious than his legislation to overhaul the Endangered Species Act. The House approved Pombo's sweeping rewrite of the 1973 law on a 229-193 vote in September. Environmentalists widely denounced it as a disturbing retreat from habitat protection and a paperwork nightmare for agencies seeking to revive the country's 1,268 threatened and endangered plants and animals, 186 of which are in California. In the Senate, even Republicans greeted Pombo's bill with a measure of skepticism. The Bush administration, while supporting it, is worried about the cost of Pombo's plan to compensate landowners for restrictions on property use. In an interview, Pombo discussed why he thinks the act President Nixon signed into law needs an overhaul and how his bill would work. <more> July 17, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Household Pesticides Scrutinized. State agency may curtail use of pyrethroids after discovering runoff is killing aquatic life. - - Alarmed that popular insecticides that end up in urban streams are killing tiny aquatic creatures, California's pesticide agency is conducting a review that is likely to lead to restrictions on many products used on lawns and gardens. The chemicals, pyrethroids, are man-made versions of natural compounds in chrysanthemum flowers. Their use has skyrocketed in the past few years as U.S. consumers and exterminators search for less-toxic alternatives for dangerous insecticides already banned. But last fall, a UC Berkeley scientist reported that pyrethroids are polluting streams in Northern California suburbs, wiping out crustaceans and insects vital to ecosystems.  Mary-Ann Warmerdam, director of the state Department of Pesticide Regulation, said Thursday that notices will be sent next month to manufacturers of about 600 pyrethroid products informing them that the state is reevaluating their use. That kicks off a process that will probably culminate in new regulations, and perhaps bans of some products in California. <more> July 14, 2006 LA Times
 

Ozone town halls set for San Joaquin Valley - - The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is hosting six town halls July 26-28 to discuss reaching new federal health-based standards for ozone. Town Hall Meeting schedule is: July 26 1 to 4 pm, Bakersfield, Air District offices, 7 to 10 pm, Delano, Cesar Chavez High School; July 27 1 to 4 pm, Fresno, Air District offices, 7 to 10 pm, Huron, Huron Middle School; July 28 9 am to 12 noon, Modesto, Air District offices, 2:30 to 5:30 pm, Stockton, San Joaquin COG offices. An informational flier and a discussion paper with background information are available at: http://www.valleyair.org/Town_Hall/Town_Hall_Meetings.htm July 13, 2006 SJVAPCD Press Release

1.05 billion-pound almond crop forecast. Good weather, greater acreage combine to put projection near record - - About a dozen almond handlers gathered in a Modesto conference room Thursday and waited for the federal government to spill a secret. They were there to hear an updated projection on California's 2006 almond crop, a number kept under wraps until the stroke of noon so no one would get an unfair advantage in the market. The estimate — 1.05 billion pounds, close to the record 1.09 billion in 2002 — was not a surprise, given the good weather since late spring. A little suspense hung in the air nonetheless, because fluctuations in the almond supply can affect prices and the willingness of candy-makers and other customers to keep buying the nuts. Thus, the handlers had their cell phones to their ears, ready to pass on the projection to distant colleagues as soon as a federal official revealed it at the Almond Board of California headquarters. Afterward, they said the projection was about what they expected. "This might cause (prices) to firm up a bit," said Conrad de la Torre, general manager of The Almond Co., a Chowchilla processor. "At least we know where we are headed." <more> July 7, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Objective forecast: 1.050 billion pounds - - The July 6, 2006 objective almond forecast for the 2006-2007 crop year is 1.050 billion meat pounds, according to the USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service – California Field Office (NASS/CFO).  This forecast is based on 580,000 bearing acres. Doug Flohr and Jennie Peterson of NASS said the forecast is up 3 percent from the May 10, 2006 subjective forecast of 1.020 billion pounds and up 15 percent from this year’s crop to date of 911 million pounds as of May 31, 2006.   The official announcement was made today at the Modesto office of the Almond Board of California, which funds the forecast. <more> July 6, 2006 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Atrazine declared “safe” following 12 year EPA study - - A 12-year review of nearly 1,000 studies has determined the popular herbicide atrazine is safe. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) says there is a “reasonable certainty that no harm will result” to infants, children or other consumers from possible exposure to atrazine. Atrazine is one of the more commonly used protection products. It not only saved farmers up to $37 an acre in broadleaf weed control costs and yield losses in corn last year, it is the herbicide of choice for farmers who practice environmentally-friendly no-till planting. <more> June 30, 2006 Brownfield Ag News
 

Irrigation Waiver Program Enforcement Letters Sent to Hundreds - - More than 350 owners of irrigated lands in the Central Valley received registered letters from the Water Board in April asking how they intend to comply with the Irrigated Lands Program. Known as a “California Water Code 13267 Letter,” the communications ask landowners to file a “Technical Report” within 30 days so the water board can determine if the landowner is a discharger under the Water Code, according to the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship’s spring newsletter. The letters were mailed to landowners in nine counties in the Central Valley including Kern, Kings, Tulare, Madera, Merced, Colusa, Yolo, Solano and Glenn counties. Sources for the landowner names included county tax assessor records and coalition non-responder or membership lists. The entire newsletter can be downloaded by clicking here.  June 28, 2006 CURES
 

Watershed Coalition newsletter published - - The  Spring 2006 Issue of Watershed Coalition News (WCN), a publication developed by the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) with a grant from the Almond Board of California, is now available. The goal of the project is to link growers to the watershed coalitions throughout the San Joaquin and Sacramento valleys. WCN is published quarterly and made available as a PDF file (combined version) or a 4 page, 2-color hard copy newsletter (either North or South Valley). PDF versions are available at http://www.curesworks.org/newsletter.asp. June 27,2006. 
 

Water board cracks down on farmers - - Water-quality enforcers acted Thursday to ensure the state will be able to identify farmers who discharge water into Central Valley streams, saying a network of voluntary coalitions were not adequately reporting membership or pollution data. “We do not know which farmer is and is not in the program," said the board's Assistant Executive Director Ken Landau. "It is a major drain on staff time, and it severely hampers our enforcement efforts." Consequently, on Thursday, the water board set a Dec. 31 deadline for enrollment in coalitions, and these groups, in turn, will have to identify members annually. Farm groups decried the water board's decision, saying that it will alienate those growers who have made a good-faith effort to comply with the program and make it even more difficult to bring polluters to task. <more> June 23, 2006 Sacramento Bee
 

Water runoff program gains five more years - - Water officials extended a controversial farm water monitoring program Thursday after pleas from Valley residents who say their water's too dirty to drink. In doing so, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board acknowledged the program may be headed back to court. Some experts believe farm runoff is the Central Valley's biggest source of water pollution, as waters seeped in pesticides, animal feces and sediment drain into waterways, the Delta and underground basins. A 2001 state law made farmers subject to the Clean Water Act. But the board's so-called waiver program lets farmers avoid strict wastewater discharge requirements and monitor their own runoff by joining special coalitions. After a slow start, the board extended the program for five years Thursday over the objection of environmentalists who say the waiver program isn't doing any good. <more> June 22, 2006 Stockton Record
 

Ag contributes to air cleanup - - A two-pronged effort by state regulators to reduce smog from agricultural sources should make the San Joaquin Valley a healthier place to live. With the help of growers and manufacturers, the effort should significantly reduce one of the top sources of smog-forming compounds in the San Joaquin Valley one of the smoggiest air basins in the nation. The state Department of Pesticide Regulation is targeting fumigants -- gases injected into the ground to kill pests -- and volatile organic compounds in chemicals used on the soil or on plants to kill pests and weeds. <more> June 22, 2006 Bakersfield Californian editorial
 

EPA targets Guthion for phase-out - - Fruit and nut growers are among those slated to lose a highly effective pesticide – azinphos-methyl – in a proposed phase-out of the chemical. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency proposal also includes longer restricted entry intervals for workers when phosmet is used. Growers will also be hit with additional restrictions during the phase-out period, which for almonds ends in 2007 and for other crops in 2010. While azinphos-methyl, which Bayer markets as Guthion, has not been shown to pose a dietary risk to consumers, it does pose potential risks to farmworkers, pesticide applicators, water quality and aquatic ecosystems, says EPA <more> June 16, 2006 Capital Press
 

That Nutty Jackrabbit.  Ripon manufacturer makes unique specialty equipment for walnut, almond harvests - - Jackrabbits dart through almond and walnut orchards as growers work to bring in the crops each year. They aren't a nuisance. Far from it. They are pieces of nut-harvesting equipment made by Jackrabbit Inc. at its plant just south of downtown Ripon. The company, founded by Earl Anderson in a Modesto garage in 1982, has become a major supplier to nut growers in the Central Valley and elsewhere. Anderson, the company president, said his machines are designed to move quickly, an advantage for growers hoping to finish the harvest before autumn rain. A 335-cubic-foot cart can be filled in five or six minutes, he said. "It used to be you could do a load of nuts an hour - that was high speed," he said. "The harvesters have gotten faster over time." <more> June 12, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

EPA Proposes Phaseout of Pesticide Azinphos-Methyl and Longer Restricted  Entry Intervals for Phosmet - - To increase protection for farm workers and the environment, EPA is proposing to phase out the remaining uses of azinphos-methyl (AZM).  Use on almonds, Brussels sprouts, pistachios, walnuts, and nursery stock will be phased out by 2007, and use on apples, blueberries, cherries, parsley, and pears by 2010.  During the phaseout, EPA is proposing additional restrictions, including reduced annual application rates, additional worker monitoring, and larger buffer zones to help minimize risks.  The Agency expects growers of these crops to successfully adopt and transition to the available safer alternatives.  All other uses of this pesticide have been voluntarily cancelled by the manufacturer.  <more> June 9, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

First ’06 almond crop estimate 1.02 billion pounds - - If realized, it will be the fourth billion pound crop in the past five years and maybe one of the most welcomed billion-pound crops. In a bit of a surprise, the initial forecast for the 2006 California almond crop is 1.02 billion pounds. It was surprising because an early frost damaged early blooming varieties and the spring was one of the wettest and coldest in recent years, prompting growers to spray fungicides repeatedly to protect the crop. However, growers reported some of the most aggressive bee pollination in many seasons and bee supplies were more than adequate. Earlier growers were concerned there would not be enough bees to pollinate the crop, but record hive rental prices enticed more out-of-state beekeepers to bring more hives into the state. <more> June 6, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

Air monitoring results start for rural Parlier - - A state pesticide air sampling program focusing on Parlier is expected to announce Friday that the first three months of the program, from January through March, found no airborne levels that are of any human health concern. The monitoring program was triggered by grassroots efforts and complaints that the state Department of Pesticide Regulation should do more to protect public health, notably among farm workers and residents who live in areas that may be vulnerable to pesticide drift. DPR issued a brief note today stating that pesticide levels were within those considered safe. <more> June 2, 2006 Capital Press
 

Growers group is bullish on almonds - - Inspired by the changing economic landscape, a group of Mid-Valley farmers got together to meet a demand that almost exists. They call themselves Cortina Hulling & Shelling, LLC. In a few years, fields where tomatoes once grew will yield protein-rich almonds. Thanks in part to a successful health-food marketing campaign, demand and thus prices for almonds are booming. There has been a 5.8 percent increase in almond consumption over the last 20 years. Growers are following the cash and investing in trees, said Daryl Brun, a field supervisor for Blue Diamond Growers, a cooperative made up of almond farmers. <more> June 2, 2006 Yuba City  Appeal Democrat

State reveals plan to reduce air pollutants. Announcement follows appeal of court order to do so - - The state Department of Pesticide Regulation is promoting its new initiative to improve air quality just days after California appealed a federal court order telling it to cut down on smog-forming pollutants from pesticides in the San Joaquin Valley and elsewhere. The department announced the plan Tuesday, saying it would reduce a key component of smog that evaporates from chemicals used to fumigate insects and pathogens. Fumigants make up a fourth of the pesticides used in California every year. Yet on Friday, the state appealed an April order by U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton that California was violating the Clean Air Act and required it to reduce volatile organic compound emissions from fumigants and other pesticides by 20 percent of 1991 levels by Jan. 1, 2008. The suit was brought by five citizen groups from the San Joaquin Valley and Ventura County. <more> May 31, 2006 SF Chronicle
 

One nutty pest. Leaffooted plant bug strikes almonds and pistachios. - - A flying brown bug with a long, piercing snout is giving central San Joaquin Valley nut growers fits. The leaffooted plant bug has been found from Kern to Butte counties, with damage ranging from insignificant to severe, said University of California farm advisers who have been helping growers battle the bug. "This can be a major pest for almonds and pistachios," said Mark Freeman, a UC farm adviser in Fresno. "And just a few bugs can cause severe damage. They don't just hit one nut; they hit hundreds." Freeman said he knows of one farmer who lost a third of his almond crop to the inch-long bug. He said dollar losses on what had been expected to be a bumper crop could escalate into the thousands. <more> May 31, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

State to Target Pesticide Pollution. Officials are seeking the reformulation of hundreds of products and plan stricter rules on soil fumigants to cut smog-causing emissions. - - State officials are mounting a major initiative to clean up California's smoggy farm regions with new regulations and policies that will target hundreds of pesticides. The Department of Pesticide Regulation - long criticized for failing to act as air quality deteriorated in the San Joaquin Valley - has developed a strategy to eliminate tons of smog-forming gases that waft daily from fields treated with fumigants and other agricultural chemicals. The agency has asked manufacturers to begin reformulating more than 700 insecticides, herbicides and other pest-killing chemicals, and it plans to impose stricter rules next year on the use of soil fumigants, which are highly polluting gases that by weight account for about one-quarter of all pesticide applied on California crops. The state initiative would establish the only air pollution standards for pesticides in the nation. The aim is to begin cleaning up emissions soon, reducing air pollution from pesticides at least 20% by 2008. <more> May 30, 2006 LA Times
 

DPR announces air quality initiative, pledges to meet goals -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today launched a comprehensive pesticide initiative to improve air quality statewide. The initiative -- which targets air toxins and smog-producing chemicals from pesticide emissions -- will achieve state air quality goals by 2008 and set a national standard. "For years, there have been complaints that we dragged our feet as air quality declined," said DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam. "That is history. This Administration is committed to cleaning up our air, and DPR will do its part to achieve that goal. The challenges are difficult, but if government and industry work together, we will help our environment, enhance our economy, and create a model pesticide air program for the nation." <more> May 30, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

International conference on ag’s future set for Sacramento Aug. 7-9 - - A conference on environmental issues in agriculture and strategies for addressing those issues through the integration of science, technology and policy will be held in Sacramento Aug. 7-9. Registration is underway for the "International Conference on The Future of Agriculture: Science, Stewardship, and Sustainability", to be held at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento. The agenda includes discussion of success stories in the areas of air quality, water quality, waste management, and  environmental stewardship and a look at how to exchange knowledge on best management practices and technical solutions for farming challenges.  The conference is sponsored by the US EPA ORD Hazardous Substance Technical Liaisons Program, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the Midwest Hazardous Substance Research Center--Kansas State University, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, USDA ARS, and California EPA. Complete information can be found at http://www.dce.ksu.edu/dce/conf/ag&environment/ May 25, 2006 CalEPA Press Release
 

100,000 acres of almonds moving into production. Experts predict the California almond crop will reach 1.5 billion pounds annually with a few years. - - There have been 100,000 acres of new almond orchards planted in California within the past three years, according to the California field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. These new orchards can easily produce 300 million pounds more annually of almonds when they reach maturity. These orchards will be added to the estimated 580,000 bearing acreage inventory now in the ground that have proven to easily produce more than 1 billion pounds annually. <more> May 22, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

Ag burning rule up for discussion June 5 - - Potential changes to the air quality rules governing burning of agricultural waste will be discussed at a scoping meeting to be held June 5 at the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District’s office. The meeting will be video-conferenced to the district’s Modesto and Fresno offices. The regulations, known formally as Rule 4103 (Open Burning), are required under state legislation SB 705 signed by Gov. Davis in 2003. The scoping session will deal with the prohibition on burning orchard removals which is scheduled to be enforced as of June 1, 2007. District staff will present preliminary information on alternatives to burning ag waste. Farm groups are being asked to provide technical feasibility and compliance information that may be used in developing the draft rule. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at the Fresno office, 1990 E. Gettysburg Ave.   Documents associated with this meeting can be downloaded from the District's website at http://www.valleyair.org/Workshops/public_workshops_idx.htm May 18, 2006 Air District Press Release
 

Kern growers go nuts - - Kern County almond producers have finally squashed grapes to become the Golden Empire's top agricultural commodity. According to the county Department of Agriculture and Measurement Standards' 2005 crop report, which will be presented to the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, increased acreage and high prices launched almond value into the stratosphere, bringing in $594 million last year to displace grapes ($537 million) and take the No. 1 position. <more> May 13, 2006 Bakersfield Californian
 

Agriculture works to clear air on volatile organic compounds regulations. - - It’s been an environmental murmur in the agricultural industry for almost two decades now, but the ramifications could soon be seismic if the issue of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from pesticide emissions are not given due diligence. VOCs contribute to the formation of ground level ozone and are regulated under the federal Clean Air Act. “VOC emissions are essentially the next step for pesticide regulation,” says Paul Buttner, manager of environmental affairs for the California Rice Commission. “We’ve long assessed pesticides for impacts on water quality and wildlife. Air is the new frontier. Future VOC regulation will likely elevate pesticides to more of an even par with other pollutants.” Many pollutant sources contribute to VOC emissions, including vehicular traffic, oil and gas production, dairy waste and many more. In the grand scheme of air quality, VOC emissions from pesticides are only a minor contributor, estimated to account for less than 3 percent of the VOC emissions inventory in California, according to the California Air Resources Board (ARB). However, in certain agricultural areas such as the San Joaquin Valley and the Sacramento Valley, pesticide VOC emissions are estimated to account for as much as 10 percent of the inventory. <more> May 11, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

Mounds of almonds.  Subjective forecast is 1.02 billion pounds - - Despite weather worries early in the year, the state's almond crop will likely bounce back to 1 billion pounds, a federal agency reported Wednesday. Industry people were concerned that the harvest would fall short for a second straight year because of cold and rainy conditions during and after the late-winter bloom. But plenty of nuts have emerged on the branches, and the August-November harvest looks to be a strong one, the National Agricultural Statistics Service said in its initial report for 2006. "It started off a little scary, but it's made a nice recovery," said Doug Flohr, a statistician for the agency, during a briefing at the Almond Board of California offices in Modesto. The report, known as the "subjective" estimate, was based on a telephone survey of 368 growers, representing 24 percent of the acreage. The "objective" estimate, based on the agency's own inspection of the orchards, will be released in late June. <more> May 11, 2006 Modesto Bee  
 

Demand for farmland grows. Investors are increasingly sinking their money into Valley ag real estate. - - Farmland in the central San Joaquin Valley is in strong demand, often by buyers who have little interest in the crops. As a result, the value of agricultural real estate in the Valley rose last year, according to appraisers who compiled the 2006 Trends in Agricultural Land and Lease Values report. In many cases, investors are more interested in the land than in the crops, with the possible exception of almonds, which are expanding in acreage and value. Investors are buying farm ground using 1031 exchanges, which enable people who sell property to invest in other real estate tax free. <more> May 11, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

EPA releases National Strategy for Agriculture - - The U.S. EPA today released its National Strategy for Agriculture to initiate a closer partnership with agriculture in fulfilling the agency's mission of protecting human health and the environment. "President Bush understands that agriculture is a vital part of our nation's economy and a vital partner in protecting our nation's environment," said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. "By working together on our shared challenges, EPA and the farming community can do what's good for agriculture, good for our environment, and good for the American people." EPA intends to use communication, collaboration and innovation to strengthen its relationship with the agricultural community. The agency considers agriculture a producer of solutions to environmental problems. <more> May 8, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

EPA Drops Plan to Approve Methyl Bromide Substitute - - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has withdrawn its plan to approve a highly toxic fumigant for strawberries and other high-value crops after California officials, labor unions, environmentalists and others objected that nearby residents and farmworkers could be in danger. The new pesticide, methyl iodide, is designed to replace methyl bromide, which is banned under an international treaty because it damages the Earth's ozone layer. Strawberry growers, concentrated mostly in Ventura and Santa Cruz counties, have been searching for nearly 15 years for a fumigant to replace methyl bromide, which they have been phasing out but are still using under exemptions granted by the United Nations. Facing criticism that it was substituting one dangerous chemical for another, the EPA decided not to register methyl iodide, also known as iodomethane. It will reevaluate the pesticide next year. <more> April 27, 2006 LA Times

Regulators get up-close and personal view of environmental stewardship at Hunter Farms - - Scott Hunter believes actions speak louder than words when it comes to farming commercial almonds in an environmentally friendly way. Hunter talks often about the importance of environmental stewardship as former chairman of the Almond Board of California’s board of directors. But he also takes steps at Hunter Farms to “walk the talk” of environmentally friendly farming in his commercial almond operation in Livingston, Calif. Virtually every aspect of his farming operation has been recrafted with an eye toward reducing impacts to air and water quality and improving pesticide use efficiency. <more> April 2006 Environmental Stewardship Newsletter
 

Ag Waiver requirements to increase this summer - - The next phase of the Conditional Ag Waiver for Irrigated Lands program begins this summer, and could have significant long-term impacts on the availability and regulations for many commonly used crop protection products in almonds. Under Phase II of the Conditional Ag Waivers program, watershed coalitions this summer will expand their toxicity sampling procedures to screen for more than 50 commonly used pesticides. The expanded sampling requirement could raise coalition dues as much as 50 percent for almond growers and other farmer members. <more> April 2006 Environmental Stewardship Newsletter
 

Methyl bromide on its way out. Supplies will become critically tight, perhaps sooner than growers think - - Almond growers are working on borrowed time when it comes to fumigating new orchards and should be prepared perhaps within two years to live without Methyl Bromide as a pre-plant soil treatment. Methyl bromide has been on the chopping block under the international Montreal Protocol since 1996. Because the process has dragged in and out of the news for nearly 10 years, growers may have developed “methyl bromide fatigue” when it comes to worrying about the loss of this important fumigant, says Gabriele Ludwig, the Almond Board’s senior manager for technical and regulatory affairs. However, she says, growers need to take notice and realize there is only a limited amount of time Methyl Bromide will be available for both pre-plant and post-harvest treatment. <more> April 2006 Environmental Stewardship Newsletter
 

DPR proposes nearly 100 pesticide cancellations -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today proposed cancellation of nearly 100 pesticide products because registrants failed to provide data to protect the state’s air quality. DPR took action based on a reevaluation notice sent to registrants -- manufacturers and sellers -- on February 16, 2005. The notice required registrants to submit data on volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in their products by the end of last year. VOCs contribute to ground-level ozone, an air pollutant harmful to humans and plant life. DPR is working to reduce VOCs in pesticides to meet state air quality goals. <more> April 25, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Activists sue over dust rule. Environmentalists say the EPA approved a weak, redundant measure to control farm pollution. - - Activists sued the federal government this week over a San Joaquin Valley dust control rule, saying powerful farm lobbies swayed the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to approve a weak measure. Earthjustice filed the suit on Wednesday against EPA in the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco. EPA officials, who approved the farm dust rule in February, declined to comment on the case. <more> April 21, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

Draft requirements for ag diesel engines posted by CARB - - The California Air Resources Board (CARB) has posted a public workshop agenda and draft regulatory requirements for in-use stationary diesel engines used in agriculture at http://www.arb.ca.gov/diesel/ag/inuseag.htm.  At the same website, you will find a public workshop notice providing information about the April 26 (Modesto) April 27 (Sacramento) workshop arrangements and about CARB's intention to amend the Airborne Toxic Control Measure for Stationary Compression Ignition Engines to add emission standards and other requirements for in-use stationary agricultural engines.  April 19, 2006 CARB Press Release
 

Sustainable farming award nominations sought for California farmers - - For the first time, the Leopold Conservation Award will be presented in 2006 to a California landowner who demonstrates responsible stewardship and management of natural resources. Nominations of California farmers and ranchers are sought for the $10,000 prize. The deadline is July 14, 2006. “We’re proud to bring the Leopold Conservation Award to California in partnership with Sustainable Conservation and the California Farm Bureau Federation to honor the voluntary conservation work of private landowners in the Golden State,” said Dr. Brent Haglund, President of Sand County Foundation, the award’s sponsor. “California has extraordinary natural resources, a strong and diverse agricultural sector, and untold opportunities for effective conservation.” <more> April 19, 2006 Sand County Foundation press release
 

Scientists Scramble to Find Alternatives to Banned Pesticide - - Since the 1940s, methyl bromide has served farmers well as a stunningly lethal fumigant, killing off pests such as fungi, weeds, insects and rodents. But amid requirements that farmers stop using it, University of Georgia students are joining an international effort to find an earth-friendly alternative. Alex Cisnos, a plant pathologist, and other researchers at the university's Coastal Plain Experiment Station in south Georgia have been testing an alternative fumigant, metam-sodium, in a one-quarter acre test plot of vegetables, including tomatoes and squash. <more> March 31, 2006 AP
 

Schwarzenegger names new CalEPA undersecretary - - Gov. Schwarzenegger has named Dan Skopec, undersecretary of the California Environmental Protection Agency. He replaces Jim Branham who left in October 2005 to become the first Executive Officer of the Sierra Nevada Conservancy. Skopec, 34, has served as deputy cabinet secretary in the Office of the Governor since 2003, handling energy, environment, and resources issues for the Governor and is a member of the Governor’s Climate Action Team. Skopec served as staff director of the U.S. House of Representatives Government Reform Subcommittee on Energy Policy, Natural Resources and Regulatory Affairs. Prior to that, he served as Congressman Doug Ose's legislative director. His appointment does not require Senate confirmation. March 30, 2006 Gov. Schwarzenegger Press Release
 

MJC panel Thursday examines Kennedy environmental book - - Modesto Junior College will present a Panel Discussion on Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.'s book “Crimes Against Nature” on Thursday, March 23 at 7 p.m., in Forum 110 on East Campus, located at 435 College Avenue in Modesto.  Panelists who represent a variety of political, social and economic points of view will discuss and debate the major issues raised by Kennedy’s book. Dr. Gabriella Ludwig, Senior Manager of Global, Technical & Regulatory Affairs at the Almond Board of California, will be one of the panelists.  The event is free and open to the public. In his book, Crimes Against Nature, Kennedy, criticizes many of the current policies and actions of President George W. Bush and his administration as being detrimental to the environment.  <more> March 22, 2006 MJC Press Release
 

Pesticide case stands against nut firm. Prosecutor must add details to indictment - - A case against the owner and two employees of Golden West Nuts Inc. of Ripon will stand, a judge said Wednesday, but a prosecutor must add more detail to an indictment that lays out six criminal charges. The case involves a laborer who was sickened by methyl bromide while he fumigated tree holes in an Oakdale almond orchard. The toxic pesticide may be used only under controlled circumstances. Arturo Becerra became sick after a hose on a gas mask broke and methyl bromide was splashed on his face. He spent a week in the hospital and has ongoing stomach ailments. His brother, his immediate supervisor and the president of the company now stand accused. Defense attorneys argued that an indictment handed down by a grand jury on Nov. 16 should be dismissed because prosecutors did not specify the facts on which they will rely to prove the alleged violations. <more> March 9, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Trees' impact varies - -The tree is a beloved symbol of environmental health, but when it comes to combating pollution, not all trees are equal. Just as some provide better shade than others, some types apparently are superior at filtering particulates from the air. In the Central Valley, where particulates are a wintertime scourge, evergreens are considered more useful than trees that drop their leaves in fall. Pines and deodar cedars, with their abundant needles, are favorites of Tom Cahill, a University of California, Davis, atmospheric physicist who has studied particle pollution around the world. Deodars especially are suited for the dry summer climate of Sacramento, he said: "They have a low water requirement, a lot of surface area and are very pretty." <more> March 9, 2006 Sacramento Bee
 

March 31 deadline for IPM Innovator nominations - - The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will honor IPM Innovators for the 13th year this fall. Nominations will be accepted until March 31. See www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/ipminov/innovatr.htm for DPR contact information
 

Anxious for almonds. Late rains may hurt pollination, yield - - Almond growers are waiting to see whether the past month's weather — an uneasy mix of sun, frost and rain — will take a bite out of the 2006 crop. Wet weather could keep bees from efficiently pollinating almond orchards that already have endured spells of cold and rain over the past month, in between unseasonably warm days. Ron Fisher of Fisher Nut Co. in Modesto said it's too early to say how the weather will affect this year's crop. The blossoms have to survive the elements in February and March if they are to develop into nuts that mature in the heat of summer. "We will know a lot more at the end of April — what was pollinated and what the trees can hold," Fisher said. <more> March 7, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Almond Environmental Stewardship Tour showcases industry's commitment to environmentally responsible production methods - - More than 20 members of state, federal and regional environmental regulatory agencies recently toured Hunter Farms in Livingston to see the latest innovations and technologies almond growers are using in their adoption of environmentally friendly farming practices. From shredded and composted orchard prunings to high-tech spray technology, almond grower Scott Hunter displayed the innovative approaches he is using to meet mounting regulations while maintaining a productive and profitable orchard system. Hunter, chairman of the Almond Board of California, joined other grower members of the Almond Board's Environmental Committee at the Almond Board of California's Environmental Stewardship Tour to give regulators, in some cases, their first in-person look at the orchards they regulate. <more> March 3, 2006 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

EPA Publishes Final Water Quality Criteria for Diazinon - - The EPA made available on February 23rd the final recommended aquatic life ambient water quality criteria for diazinon. This pesticide is traditionally used throughout the US to control insects in agricultural areas, households, and urban settings. While it became unlawful to sell diazinon for residential uses in the US after December 2004, it is still lawful to use diazinon properly for non-residential or agricultural uses. Mobile and moderately persistent in the environment, diazinon is frequently found in wastewater treatment plant effluent and storm water runoff in urban and agricultural areas. For more information, visit EPA's web site at http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/criteria/diazinon/."This is an important addition to the Clean Water Act toolbox," said Benjamin H. Grumbles, Assistant Administrator for Water. "EPA's scientifically-based criteria for pesticides, such as diazinon, and for organic chemicals, such as nonylphenol, help states and tribes set standards to protect watersheds, fish, and wildlife." March 6, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

Pesticides found in most U.S. rivers -- Most of the nation's rivers and streams - and the fish in them - are contaminated with pesticides linked to cancer, birth defects and neurological disorders, but not at levels that can harm humans. Pesticides were found in almost all U.S. rivers and streams between 1992 and 2001, says a study released Friday by the U.S. Geological Survey, although most drinking water supplies haven't been affected. "While the use of pesticides has resulted in a wide range of benefits to control weeds, insects and other pests, including increased food production and reduction of insect-borne disease, their use also raises questions about possible effects on the environment, including water quality," said Robert Hirsch, the USGS associate director for water. <more> March 4, 2006 AP
 

Fewer bees, high pollination fees hurt farmers, crops - - With all the sophisticated technology today's farmers use, little honeybees remain crucial, pollinating billions of dollars of fruit, vegetable and nut crops each year while collecting food for their hives. But the number of honeybees and managed beehives is down so much that production of pollinated plants has fallen by about a third in the last two years from the usual $15 billion per year. "I've heard people complaining about bee shortages all over the country," said Kevin Hackett, head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's research program for bees and pollination. He said 15 years ago, "there were twice as many hives as there are now." <more> March 4, 2006 AP
 

Stopping to smell the blossoms - - Silva Esajian is getting ready for some unexpected visitors. In the tiny shop at the edge of her family's orchard, she and an employee quickly arrange gift sets of nuts and dried fruits as the snow-white petals of almond trees dance in the breeze outside. The 20-acre almond farm she bought in August with her husband, Edward, is a stop on the Fresno County Blossom Trail, which brings busloads of visitors during the blooming season from February to April. "It's my first Blossom Trail," she said. "We're going to stay open longer. We're getting a lot of city people who are fascinated by the trees because they look like they go for miles." The 90-mile trail through peach, plum, apple, orange and nut orchards shows off the picturesque side of the San Joaquin Valley's staple industry: agriculture. But the colorful treetops set against the majestic peaks of the Sierra Nevada are part of a changing landscape. Already the trail has been altered several times since its 1988 inception to accommodate the region's growing population. <more> March 1, 2006 AP
 

Farmers Tout Pollution Strides -- Worries about winter frost have been keeping almond growers awake at night, but there are plenty of other concerns on farmers' minds year-round. For example, how to take good care of the earth while still turning a profit. That was the topic of the Almond Board of California's Environmental Stewardship Spring Tour at Hunter Farms in Livingston on Friday. The event brought growers together with representatives from state, federal and regional environmental agencies to showcase the latest innovations in environmentally friendly farming. As farmers face an ever-growing list of regulations designed to limit impacts on air and water quality, the Almond Board has responded by forming an environmental committee to fund research and programs that help growers practice cleaner farming. <more> Feb. 25, 2006 Merced Sun-Star
 

Bloomin' Uncertainty. Almond farmers worrying about the weird weather - - Bill McKinney sliced through an almond blossom with a penknife to see how it was faring in this rather strange February. "There's the kernel in there," the Modesto-area grower said. "It's nice and green. That's still a viable bloom. When you find one that's frost-damaged, it's black in there." McKinney and other growers are waiting to see how the 2006 almond crop will be affected by this month's unusual weather. One week it was in the 70s, prompting some trees to blossom early. Then a cold snap hit, knocking many of the blooms — potential nuts — off the branches. It's nice again this week, but another storm is heading in. "Right now, every farmer in the almond business is sweating the rains coming up next week," grower Will Hunter said. He hosted McKinney and other industry people at his farm south of Livingston on Friday, in an event sponsored by the Almond Board of California. The main aim was to show regulators and reporters what growers are doing to control air and water pollution. New harvesting equipment, for example, kicks up far less dust than conventional models. Autumn prunings increasingly are chipped into mulch rather than burned. <more> Feb. 25, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Agencies run afoul of air regulations. Rules were needed to reduce pollutants in farm pesticides - - California violated the Clean Air Act when it decided nine years ago that no regulations were necessary to cut smog-forming compounds in farm and commercial pesticides, a federal judge has ruled. U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton's decision means that lawyers for environmental groups and the state will meet to discuss possible remedies for the pollution. Lawyers for both groups have been ordered to file briefs in 20 days. "The bottom line is that the state should have had regulations in place to have a 20 percent reduction of these emissions in five basins by this year," said plaintiffs' attorney Brent Newell of the Center on Race, Poverty & the Environment. Karlton said the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, the Air Resources Board and the California Environmental Protection Agency violated the Clean Air Act in 1997 when they decided new rules weren't needed to reduce pollutants from pesticides. <more> Feb. 24, 2006 AP
 

State Pesticide Dept. proposes new rules to better protect workers -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation will propose new rules this year to provide workers with more information about pesticides in the fields. The regulations will provide California agricultural workers with protection that goes beyond any other state or federal guidelines. DPR’s Worker Notification Regulations culminate several years of investigation and analysis by the Department’s health and safety experts, who also consulted with industry and worker advocates. The proposed rules will: • Require pesticide applicators to notify the grower before and after a chemical is used, and re-notify if the scheduled application date changes; • Require the grower to manage his property as if the application could occur anytime within a 24-hour time window, and • Require hired contractors and growers to assure prior notification for any employees who walk within one-quarter mile of a treated field. <more> Feb. 23, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Ripon almond family farmers in tune with industry changes  - - As a member of the Almond Board, Dave Phippen  is perhaps more in tune than the average farmer to industry changes. He is the third generation running a successful family farm. Phippen owns and runs the almond farm on the outskirts of Ripon  with his brother, Scott Phippen and cousin, Bud Travaille. “I think a big change in the almond industry has been worker safety,” Dave said. “We’re much more aware of crop protection chemicals (CPCs) and we’re using less harsh chemicals.” Not only are they changing the kinds of CPCs (more commonly known as pesticides), they are also using much less than they used to. In order to have the same harvest success with less chemicals, they are using integrated pest management to monitor for harmful insects before farmers will spray for them. Increased worker safety is not the only new change. There has also been an increase in awareness of food safety on both the production and consumer ends. From the grower’s perspective, says Dave, food safety starts in the orchard. <more> Feb. 21, 2006 Manteca Bulletin
 

Cold snap may hurt almonds - - While tonight's frost warning is not unusual this time of year, temperatures in Merced County are abnormally cold, according to meteorologist Jeff Myers. Myers, with the Hanford office of the National Weather Service, said temperatures in the 20s are not typical for this area in late February, especially the low of 26 degrees on Monday morning. "I wouldn't say it's normal to get all the way down to 26," he said. "That's pretty cold. Normal temperatures in Merced hover around 40 for the minimum." Myers said there is a cold air mass covering a large part of the San Joaquin Valley. "Clear skies, light winds and the cold air mass allow (the temperature) to drop really low at night," he said. The cold temperatures make it easier for frost to form, which kills almond blossoms, and reduces the number of almonds produced. <more> Feb. 21, 2006 Merced Sun-Star
 

Fumigant Could Pose Health Risk. The EPA is expected to approve replacement of an ozone-depleting pesticide with methyl iodide, which the state calls a carcinogen. - - Fourteen years ago, as chemicals gobbled up the Earth's ozone layer, an international treaty ordered a phaseout of a popular pesticide for strawberries and other high-value crops. Now, U.S. officials are poised to replace it with a new pesticide — one that is highly toxic and has been declared a cancer-causing chemical by the state of California. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to approve a new fumigant, methyl iodide, as it eliminates methyl bromide, which damages the ozone layer. With few options for killing diseases and insects in soil, the EPA is faced with a decision that could exchange one toxic hazard for another. California — particularly Ventura and Santa Cruz counties — and Florida have the most at stake. California is the leading producer of strawberries, valued at more than $1 billion a year, and strawberry growers alone could use 3 million pounds of methyl iodide annually to replace methyl bromide. Fumigants, used to sterilize soil before planting, are considered particularly risky among the hundreds of agricultural pesticides in use today. Because methyl iodide is a gas, it can evaporate from soil and drift into nearby areas. <more> Feb. 20, 2006 LA Times
 

Hot February cooling down - - Spring does not officially begin until March 20, but California had a taste of it earlier this month when temperatures reached record highs. The Weather Service recorded record highs for Feb. 7 through 10. It was as hot as 80 degrees on Feb. 8, nearly 30 degrees above the February norm, Goldstein said. By the time the temperature dropped to a typical 54 on Wednesday night, acres of almond blossoms had already unfurled their pale petals to the warm sun. Now many growers are hoping winter ends without another frost, which could damage blossoms and potentially lead to low crop yields. With threats of frost and rain looming, all growers can do is wait and see how their crop will fair, said Franz Niederholzer, farm adviser for the University of California Cooperative Extension. Some trees may have already been damaged by the temperature swing. “It's hard to imagine that there are businesses out there where your entire annual salary can be frozen out, but that is the potential in the almond business,” iederholzer said. <more> Feb. 18, 2006 Marysville Appeal-Democrat
 

USDA bee lab teams pursue Varroa mite controls - - Essential oils show promise in killing the parasitic Varroa mites that devastate crop-pollinating honeybees, but a successful delivery system for them has yet to be found, according to USDA scientists at the Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson. <more> Feb. 16, 2005 Western Farm Press
 

Cold snap threatens blooming almonds - - Almond growers were preparing Wednesday for a predicted overnight freeze that threatened emerging blooms on trees throughout the Northern San Joaquin Valley. Late Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service in Sacramento issued a freeze warning that included the Northern San Joaquin Valley. "We've got what appears to be a good bloom cycle in the works," said Chris Heintz, director of production research for the Almond Board of California. "A freeze during the bloom (cycle) is never a happy time for almond growers." The freeze was expected to produce record-low temperatures from Redding to Modesto. As of midnight, the temperature in Modesto had dipped to 43. <more> Feb. 16, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

DPR poll finds strong enforcement in key counties -- An informal survey of pesticide enforcement actions by County Agricultural Commissioners showed proposed fines nearly doubled from 2004 to 2005, the Department of Pesticide Regulation reported today. DPR polled a dozen key counties -- most in the Central Valley – that account for more than three-quarters of the pesticide pounds applied annually. The survey found almost $180,000 in pesticide fines proposed during calendar 2005, compared to about $90,000 in 2004. <more> Feb. 14, 2006 DPR Press Release
 

Almond blossoms vulnerable as temperatures rise - - Faced with a shortage of cold winter weather, the buds in many of California's almond orchards are starting to swell and an occasional blossom is opening up-a sign that pollination season is right around the corner. In the Central Valley's Merced County, Ballico almond grower Dave Passadori said his trees are just days away from bloom. <more> Feb. 13, 2006 Ag Alert
 

Beehive thefts on the rise, possibly hurting almond industry. In past two weeks, 89 hives have been stolen in Merced County - - Spring is in the air, fruit and nut trees are in bloom, and the Merced County Sheriff's Department Rural Crime Task Force is facing a seasonal problem -- the theft of beehives. To the almond industry, one of the top commodities in Merced County, the bee is a necessity for the trees to bear nuts, said sheriff's Detective Frank Swiggart. If it wasn't for the tiny buzzing bees gathering the nectar and pollen from each bloom and thus spreading the pollen from tree to tree, there would be no nuts to harvest. The need for pollination is so great that California beekeepers cannot support the need for bee pollination, and out-of-state beekeepers are brokered to help meet the demand, Swiggart said.And the beehive thieves are already at work, Swiggart said.The theft of 89 beehives in three separate thefts over the past two weeks have already cost farmers close to $20,000. <more> Feb. 11, 2006 Merced Sun-Star
 

Bee-ting the heat. Unseasonably warm weather could sting the Valley's crops, residents. - - The almond trees are blooming, the bees are buzzing, the days are unseasonably balmy and much is right with the world of agriculture in the central San Joaquin Valley. But not everything. Bad things can happen when higher than normal temperatures cause fruit, nuts or even the bees to arrive early, before all threat of frost is over. An extended bloom period may increase disease pressures for some trees. <more> Feb. 9, 2006 Fresno Bee  
 

Benefits of almond brush shredding cited - - Shredding of pruning brush has high promise as an alternative to burning and a way to improve soil microbes and water penetration in California almonds, but debris picked up with nuts raises issues in processing, says a Madera County farm advisor. Brent Holtz has been investigating shredding or chipping of brush instead of burning the piles of the material near orchards. He spoke about his findings at the Almond Board of California's recent 33rd Almond Industry Conference in Modesto and said he believes a sustainable alternative to burning can be found. <more> Feb. 6, 2006 Western Farm Press
 

EPA Authorizes Critical Uses of Methyl Bromide for 2006 - - In accordance with the Clean Air Act and Montreal Protocol, EPA finalized a rule exempting methyl bromide production and import for 2006 critical uses.  EPA also authorized those uses that will qualify for the 2006 critical use exemption.  The exemptions for continued production and import of methyl bromide will honor the U.S. commitment to obtain methyl bromide for American farmers, in a manner consistent with the Montreal Protocol, while protecting the ozone layer. This action is authorizing 8,081,753 kilograms of methyl bromide for approved critical uses during 2006.  This amount totals 32 percent of U.S. 1991 baseline consumption levels, and amounts to approximately 90 percent of the U.S. request for 2006.  <more> Feb. 2, 2006 EPA Press Release
 

Bees arriving for almond bloom - - In advance of the county's annual almond "bloom," the delivery of beehives to aid pollination in almond orchards has begun. Bee and honey supplier Mike Tolmachoff said there are not enough bees to pollinate California orchards. With his most recent acquisition of hives from Washington state, 400 to 500 hives per truck load, Tolmachoff spent time assessing and culling the new arrivals to pick out the weaker bees.  <more> Feb. 2, 2006 Madera Tribune
 

No longer bugged by his job. Fresno County insect fighter Richard Coviello retires from the UC Cooperative Extension. - - Growing up around critters on his Fresno family farm, Richard Coviello took naturally to an appreciation of bugs years before he tackled battling insect pests for more than three decades in Fresno County. For 35 years, Coviello has pitted his pest-fighting prowess against legions of insects that plague farms in the nation's No.1 agricultural county. Last month, he retired as the county's entomology farm adviser with University of California Cooperative Extension. But he's still in the process of clearing out his cluttered roll-top desk where he sat when he wasn't in the field meeting with growers, pest-control advisers or others on the front line of insect-control efforts. "I'm going to continue checking pheromone traps in tree fruit and almond orchards, collect data and send out e-mails — at least for another year," Coviello said. "I enjoy doing it. It gets me out of the house." <more> Feb. 1, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

Air monitoring project to track airborne pesticides in Parlier- - With crop dusters buzzing the skies above, spray rigs stalking the fields and the occasional pesticide drift that hospitalizes scores of people, airborne chemicals are a fact of life in the little farm towns of the San Joaquin Valley. But no one knows what chemicals linger in the notoriously polluted air and whether long-term exposure could lead to increased rates of asthma, cancer or neurological problems. To find out, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation started a novel yearlong air monitoring program this month that will gauge levels of 40 airborne chemicals for the first time. <more> Jan. 31, 2006 AP
 

State chooses Parlier for pesticide tests - - Parlier will be the first city in the state where pesticide use will be monitored to identify health risks, particularly to children. If the analysis shows a significant health concern, state officials could take action including rewriting use policies, forcing changes to pesticide labeling or outlawing certain chemicals statewide. A community forum will be held Saturday to explain the testing procedures to residents of the southeast Fresno County community. <more> Jan. 27, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

Valley's pesticide use increases. Fresno County remains state's largest user in 2004, report says. - - Pesticide use increased in most areas of the central San Joaquin Valley during 2004 as farmers applied a mixture of conventional and less toxic methods of controlling pests, disease and weeds. A state report released Tuesday showed that Fresno County remained the No. 1 user of pesticides in the state, applying 29.4 million pounds of chemicals in 2004, up 7.9% from the previous year. Pesticide use rose 12.7% in Kings County and 13.1% in Tulare County but fell by 1.1% in Madera County. Statewide, pesticide use rose about 3%, up from 175 million pounds in 2003 to 180 million pounds in 2004, according to the California Department of Pesticide Regulation's annual report. <more> Jan. 25, 2006 Fresno Bee
 

Dept of Pesticide Regulation releases 2004 pesticide use data; more nature-friendly chemicals gain favor -- The California Department of Pesticide Regulation today reported a small increase in pounds of pesticides applied in 2004, but that included a dramatic rise in the use of some nature-friendly chemicals. Commercial pesticide use increased from 175 million pounds in 2003 to 180 million pounds in 2004, an increase of less than 3 percent. More than half of the five million pound increase in 2004 could be linked to two chemicals that qualify for organic agriculture --  sulfur and mineral oils. In addition, "A dramatic increase occurred in the use  of some newer, reduced-risk pesticides," said DPR analysts. Meanwhile, use of several classes of highly-toxic chemicals declined, both in pounds applied and acres treated. <more> Jan. 24, 2006 DPR Press Release

Farmers sweat winter's lack of chill hours - - Tehama County almond and walnut grower Bruce Lindauer's farming operation weathered the New Year's rainstorms pretty well, but still he said he worries about his nut crop. "I'm really getting concerned about our chilling hours on our tree commodities, because it has been too warm through December and into January," said Lindauer, who is president of Tehama County Farm Bureau. "This is supposed to be prime time for chilling hours to meet the dormancy requirement of the trees, and it is not happening. "This could be a problem that affects all of the tree commodities--almonds, walnuts, prunes, pistachios, pears, peaches. With this 60-degree weather in December and January, as a grower I'm getting worried." <more> Jan. 23, 2006 Ag Alert
 

CDFA Secretary Kawamura applauds environmental stewardship in central valley speech - - CDFA Secretary A.G. Kawamura called for more recognition for agricultural producers who practice environmental stewardship during the keynote address today at the Energy and Clean Air Business Exposition in Bakersfield.  "Environmental stewardship provides a wide variety of public benefits, and agriculture has a key role to play as responsible environmental stewards," said Secretary Kawamura. "We see it with agriculture's contributions in meeting federal air quality standards for particulate matter. We also see it in the tremendous opportunity for agricultural production of biofuels, including dairy methane, ethanol and biodiesel. They provide clean, renewable fuels and are also a bridge to Governor Schwarzenegger's Hydrogen Highway. Government agencies must work together to assist agriculture as it continues to make the journey to the Hydrogen Highway." <more> Jan. 20, 2006 CDFA Press Release
 

New research points to plants, trees as source for methane - - Cows burp it, pipelines and landfills leak it, and vast amounts lie frozen beneath the ocean floor. Methane is ubiquitous — as fuel for heating and cooking and as a source of concern for atmospheric scientists. Molecule for molecule, methane packs thousands of times more punch as a "greenhouse gas" than carbon dioxide does. Until now, scientists tracking debits and credits in the globe's methane "budget" figured they had a pretty good handle on where the gas comes from — mostly from microbes breaking down organic material in places where oxygen is relatively scarce. Enter Frank Keppler. Working with colleagues from Northern Ireland and the Netherlands, Dr. Keppler has discovered that plants may give off significant amounts of methane just by growing. And the amount they give off appears to rise with temperature. The results have stunned many researchers because no one expected methane to form biologically out in the open air, where oxygen abounds. <more> Jan. 20, 2006 Christian Science Monitor
 

Groups gasping over air proposal. New EPA standard would exempt rural areas' farms, mining - - People in the Central Valley might breathe dirtier air if a proposed rule ends federal dust monitoring in rural areas, local air officials said Wednesday. The Bush administration proposal, through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, would establish a new dust standard and provide a national exemption for farming and mining in rural areas. The EPA proposal, announced Tuesday, would stop federal monitoring for larger particle pollution in rural places, said officials. The move could mean some loss of federal muscle — financial sanctions — in enforcing dust cleanup in the San Joaquin Valley, one of the nation's worst areas for air quality. For the valley, sanctions include the temporary loss of $2 billion in federal road-building money for missing cleanup deadlines. Jaime Holt, a spokeswoman for the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District, said the agency learned of the Bush administration's plan late Tuesday. While the district still is investigating the proposal, Holt pointed out Wednesday that the dust plan — if adopted — would set different standards for rural and urban areas. <more> Jan. 19, 2006 Modesto Bee
 

Curbs on Dust in the West Targeted. The EPA wants to drop the clean-air rules for rural areas. An official with the air quality district for Owens Valley calls it 'outrageous.' - - Bush administration officials are moving to strip significant clean-air protections from broad areas of California and other Western states, saying that rural areas should no longer have to meet federal rules for windblown clouds of dust, and that mining and farming operations also should be exempt. The proposed rules were published in the Federal Register on Tuesday by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. They would become final later this year after a public comment period. In contrast to rural areas, the proposal would toughen rules on so-called coarse particulates in urban areas, including parts of Southern California. In Riverside and San Bernardino counties, dust from roads and construction sites has been a major contributor to smog. That part of the proposal has not been a subject of major controversy. <more> Jan. 18, 2006 LA Times
 

Fresno County entomologist retires from the University of California - - The University of California Cooperative Extension entomology farm advisor for Fresno County, Richard Coviello, has retired after devoting 35 years to the study of Fresno County agricultural pests. During retirement, Coviello, who was honored with emeritus status by the vice president of UC’s Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, also plans to maintain a monitoring program he established for tree fruit and almond pests. “It’s interesting and fun,” Coviello said. “It gets me out in the field. I stay abreast of what’s going on. And the growers and pest control advisers seem to really appreciate it.” <more> Jan. 17, 2006 UCCE Press Release
 

Less is more for Bakersfield grower. California Department of Pesticide Regulation honors Almond grower Thomas Vetsch with an IPM Award - - A Kern County almond grower’s mission of environmental stewardship paid off when he was honored by the state of California for his innovative integrated pest management techniques. “Thomas Vetsch is an example of an increasing number of almond growers who are striving to improve reduced risk farming practices while maintaining a productive and healthy environment for future generations,” said Chris Heintz, director of production research and environment for the Almond Board of California. His accomplishments caught the attention of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, which honored him with an IPM Innovator Award. Vetsch was praised for using predatory mites, spraying low-risk pesticides and seasonal monitoring for pests and beneficial insects. <more> Jan. 13, 2006 Capital Press
 

Changes for almonds - - Environmentally friendly farming practices and maximizing production can go hand in hand, says a Kern County almond grower who has been honored by the state of California for his innovative integrated pest management techniques. Thomas Vetsch, owner of Bakersfield-based Vetsch Farms, decided more than seven years ago to convert 160 acres of his conventionally farmed almond orchard to practices that reduce reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides and routine fungicides. <more> Dec. 26, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

DPR collects $1.6 million in unpaid environmental fees, penalties -- The Department of Pesticide Regulation today reported $1.6 million in payments and penalties for unregistered pesticide sales and unpaid environmental fees during fiscal 2004-05. "It is absolutely critical to establish a level playing field in the marketplace," said DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam. "Law-abiding businesses face unfair competition if others sell unregistered products or fail to pay environmental fees in full. And every dollar unpaid is a dollar denied to regulatory programs that protect the public." <more> Dec.30, 2005 DPR Press Release
 

In Winters, you can have an almond tree of your very own - - You don't need an almond ranch to enjoy your very own crop of nuts. You can harvest your own almonds on your own tree and, best of all, you can get someone else to do all the work. The most strenuous thing you'll have to do to get this crop of your own is write a check. And, you might not even have to do that. Although the sons of Jacqueline and Tony Avellar disagree about whose idea it first was to lease out their almond trees one at a time, it was their parents who made the idea a reality. Tony says he put his toe in the tree-leasing water on eBay at first, offering a tree's worth of almonds for a mere $25. “My son said, ‘You're crazy! You have to get at least $50,” Tony says. Rather than continuing with the eBay angle, Tony decided his own Web site would be a better venue for his trees, and started offering them online at www.myalmondtree.com for $75 each. <more> Dec. 30, 2005 Davis Enterprise
 

Almond Board of California Honors Outgoing Production Research and Environmental Director Chris Heintz - - The California almond industry encompassed 428,000 acres producing 507 million pounds of almonds annually when Chris Heintz began her job in 1996 as Director of Production Research at the Almond Board of California. Fast forward to 2005 with acreage nearing 600,000 acres with bin-busting production of over a billion pounds. The numbers may have changed but the challenges and the rewards of the job have not, says Heintz, who is stepping down from a full-time position at the Board as 2005 draws to a close. <more> Dec. 22, 2005 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Environmental stewardship, maximizing production can go hand-in-hand, says IPM award winning almond grower - -  Environmentally friendly production practices and maximizing production can go hand-in-hand says a Kern Country almond grower who has been honored by the state of California for his innovative integrated pest management (IPM) techniques. Thomas Vetsch, owner of Bakersfield-based Vetsch Farms, decided more than seven years ago to convert 160 acres of his conventionally farmed almond orchard to practices that reduce reliance on broad-spectrum insecticides and routine fungicides. With financial support from the Almond Board of California’s Pest Management Alliance project and the scientific expertise of the University of California Cooperative Extension, Vetsch has virtually eliminated the use of synthetic pesticides to manage key pests in the orchard, reducing overall inputs while increasing yields throughout the orchard. The practices he has developed on his Kern County orchard have been so successful he has converted all four ranches at Vetsch Farms of California to sustainable, IPM-based farming. <more> Dec. 21, 2005 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

CDFA sets pilot bee certification plan - - To hasten inspections of out-of-state shipments of honeybees vital for pollination of the state's almond crop in 2006, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has adopted a voluntary, pilot certification plan. Revealed at a recent seminar by the Almond Board of California (ABC) at Modesto, the plan is a modification of the effort to exclude entry of bee colonies contaminated with red imported fire ants (RIFA) and noxious weeds at California border stations. <more> Dec. 19, 2005 Western Farm Press
 

Industry Abuzz: Oils fight bee mites. Nut growers find hope in new method - - A whiff of thyme, or maybe cloves or cinnamon, might keep a type of mite from undermining the almond industry. Researchers, speaking at last week's annual conference of the Almond Board of California, said oils extracted from certain herbs show promise against varroa mites. These pests can get into bee colonies that pollinate almond orchards, drink the bees' blood and shorten their lives. Researchers said the intensely flavored oils, injected into the colonies in a solution or other form, are showing promise.  "It will change the taste of the bees' blood, and the mites will say they don't like it," said Gordon Wardell, an entomologist at the federal Carl Hayden Bee Research Center in Tucson, Ariz. <more> Dec. 18, 2005 Modesto Bee

Pollinators given a passport to ride - - Pollinators coming into California to work in the almond orchards are getting a stamp on their passports that could make travel across the border a little easier. The California Department of Food and Agriculture has launched a pilot project that would allow out-of-state beekeepers to certify their bees free from the red imported fire ant and other pests before they leave their state of origin. Beekeepers that participate in the program could then find bee passage across state lines much smoother — and almond growers could get their essential pollinators in a more timely fashion. <more> Nov. 17, 2005 Capital Press
 

It's 'the best of times' for state's almond growers - - The almond industry's winning streak is headed for a fourth year, leaders of Blue Diamond Growers said Wednesday. The cooperative's per-pound payments to growers for the 2004 crop were up 43 percent over 2003, and the just completed 2005 harvest could bring an even bigger increase, said Doug Youngdahl, president and chief executive officer. "Currently, the California almond industry is cycling through the best of times," he told about 1,000 growers at their annual meeting at Modesto Centre Plaza. "We have witnessed the three largest crops in California history, each commanding higher prices." <more> Nov. 17, 2005 Modesto Bee

Nut growers join with French firms. Clovis-based alliance will market in Europe. - -  Three companies — one in Versailles, France, and two in the Valley — are joining forces to grow, process and market millions of pounds of almonds and pistachios, along with other nuts and dried fruit, in Europe. The strategic alliance, called Cap Cal, will have its headquarters in Clovis, which is also the headquarters for Meridian Nut Growers, a grower-owned sales and marketing company. Others joining the alliance are Channel Island Trading of Delano and Cap Industries, based in Versailles. <more> Nov. 9, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

Almond Dust Busters: Challenges of harvest dust met on several fronts. Orchard dust management practices paying off.  Almond Board-funded research looks for further improvements - - Dust at harvest time is an unavoidable fact as almond orchards are harvested on more than 500,000 bearing acres throughout the bowl-shaped San Joaquin Valley plagued with air pollution. Almond growers are doing their part through conservation management practices which have earned high marks from air quality officials. However, the industry is not sitting back on its laurels as the Almond Board of California is using assessment dollars to help fund research that is looking at various growing practices and machinery that may help further minimize the air quality problems associated with dust. <more> Nov. 8, 2005 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Pilot program aims to ease bee shortage - - The issue of where California growers will find an adequate supply of bees to pollinate the almond crops of the future is a tough nut to crack.  As California almond growers report continual success, more farmers of other commodities convert acreage to almonds. This increased almond acreage, coupled with an already limited supply of bees and the Varroa mite destruction of current healthy beehives, means added complications for growers and beekeepers.  <more> Nov. 7, 2005 Ag Alert
 

Tradition Shredded. Farmers get an option to burning - - Farmers, faced with a ban on burning orchard prunings, can pay people like Bert Walters to shred the stuff instead. The service typically costs $30 to $35 an acre, said Walters, who expects his Turlock-based business to grow as burning is phased out by 2010. But it's an investment farmers will get back quickly, he said, because the shredding machines leave a mulch that enriches the soil. "It will keep working for you year after year after year," Walters told more than 200 people at a demonstration Thursday in a walnut orchard north of Modesto. <more> Nov. 5, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

EPA publishes plan for protecting endangered species from pesticides - - EPA has published a final notice on its enforceable program for the protection of Endangered Species. The Endangered Species Protection Program (ESPP) will address, to the degree possible, endangered species issues within the Agency’s existing processes of registration, re-registration and, in the future, registration review. If geographically specific pesticide use limitations are necessary, EPA will create an Endangered Species Protection Bulletin (Bulletin) that will contain enforceable use limitations for the pesticide. Bulletins will be referenced on the pesticide product label and available on the web at www.epa.gov/espp or by calling 1-800-447-3813. The existing "county bulletins" are not enforceable pesticide use limitations. <more> Nov. 3, 2005 EPA Press Release
 

Orchard Sprayer Calibration Instrument Begins Regional Clinics - - A high tech instrument to assist orchard growers in improving pesticide application efficiency is being showcased at a Nov. 9 grower meeting in Yuba City.  The orchard sprayer calibration instrument is an Austrian-built device purchased by the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) with funding provided by a grant from the State Water Resources Control Board. <more> Nov. 1, 2005 CURES Press Release
 

Almond Industry Committed to Facilitating Increased Bee Supply - - The Almond Board of California (ABC) hosted a “Honey Bees and Red Imported Fire Ants (RIFA) Seminar” bringing together almond industry members, government officials, pollination researchers and beekeepers to find solutions to facilitate the transport of bees to California for almond pollination.  At this October 12, 2005 seminar, the California Department of Food and Agriculture, (CDFA), in response to feedback by beekeepers and the almond industry, launched the idea of a pilot voluntary apiary certification program to minimize the time and complications at border inspections.  Shipments of bees could be inspected and issued RIFA-free certification from a regulatory official in their state of origin prior to departure which would expedite inspections at the California border. <more> Oct. 25, 2005 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Financial Incentives For Almond Growers’ Air Quality Compliance on Tap at Central Valley Workshops, Nov. 1-4 - - Almond growers in the San Joaquin Valley who attend upcoming workshops can learn more about various financial incentives available to assist them in complying with new air quality regulations for agricultural internal combustion engines. <more> Oct. 27, 2005 Almond Board of California Press Release
 

Almond growers rely on pest control advisers for integrated pest management - - Results of a comprehensive survey by the UC Statewide IPM Program and the Almond Pest Management of full-time almond growers in the three primary almond-producing regions of California show that growers rely substantially on pest control advisers (PCAs) for pest management decision-making. The study, published in the October-December 2005 edition of California Agriculture, says independent PCAs communicated more frequently with growers than PCAs who are employed by agricultural product suppliers. Growers who use independent PCAs tend to feel more knowledgeable about integrated pest management (IPM) and report the use of more complex pest-monitoring techniques and control practices. The use of insecticide sprays, however, is independent of the type of PCA employed, and the percentage of growers using them has declined substantially since a 1985 survey.  Almond growers with independent PCAs did not use fewer insecticides than those with supplier-affiliated PCAs, but were more likely to follow IPM advice. The complete article can be found by clicking here. Oct. 27, 2005 California Agriculture

Test device measures dust from almond harvesting - - While the California almond industry pursues various ways to reduce the dust associated with the crop, a group of engineers at the University of California, Davis is testing equipment designed to monitor the amount of particulate matter released during harvesting. One of them, Ken Giles, a professor in the biological and agricultural engineering unit, recently described the experimental device during a regional almond day program at Coalinga. Basically a sensor originally designed to measure power plant smokestack emissions and attached to an almond harvester, the unit uses a pulsing light beam directed across air-flow tubes as the nuts are picked up. <more> Oct. 26, 2005 Almond Board of California Newsletter
 

Diesel Pump replacement. Almond Growers Find Incentive to Replace Polluting Diesel Pumps - - Campos Bros. has revamped several facets of its almond growing operation to reduce particulate matter emissions that hamper air quality.  “We have been steadily making efforts in recent years to reduce our overall emissions,” says Todd Ayerza, purchasing manager for Campos Bros. Two years ago, the Caruthers, Calif.-based almond grower began shredding rather than burning its fall prunings and last year completed the transition to a 100-percent non-burn operation. In addition, Campos Bros. has continuously updated its harvesting and sweep equipment to take advantage of the latest innovations from equipment manufacturers for reducing dust emission from those two critical operations. The grower for years has also controlled dust on its roads and relied on mowing rather than disking to manage orchard middles. <more> Oct. 26, 2005 Almond Board of California Newsletter 

Doing away with the dust. Machine could clean up harvest - - Out on Blue Gum Avenue on Friday morning, almond harvesting equipment blew a small but dense cloud of dust across the road. Drivers on this route west of Modesto, if they had any sense, slowed and made sure they could get through safely. About a mile farther west, Tony Ringeisen showed off a new machine that he said can greatly reduce the dust. It's a conditioner, which removes dirt and other debris from the almonds after they are shaken from the trees to the ground. "We have a closed-loop air (blower) system, and we do not have a high-velocity discharge," said Ringeisen, sales manager for Exact Harvesting Systems, the Modesto company that designed the equipment. "It's like a street sweeper." Such innovations are emerging to deal with the hazards dust can cause. They include traffic accidents — an Empire woman was killed in a 2002 collision blamed in part on a dust cloud — and air pollution. <more> Oct. 15, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Almond growers seeing dollar signs. Other crops like cotton fall by the wayside as attractive prices push up production - - Starting next year, Mike Young will convert 2,000 acres of the family farm into two crops that won't bear any fruit for years. Over the last 75 years Young's family has grown cotton, tomatoes, carrots and lettuce at Wegis Ranch in the Buttonwillow area. But Young believes his bold move to almonds and pistachios, two crops that won't start producing for three to 10 years, is worth it. "Farming is a gamble," he said. "Hopefully it will give me a significant increase in profits." Young said he can make close to $2,000 more an acre with almonds than cotton at today's prices. <more> Oct. 16, 2005 Bakersfield Californian
 

'Goodbye cotton--hello almonds' - - Nutrition researchers including those affiliated with the National Academy of Sciences have declared almonds "the smart snack." But is it the smartest move for growers to remove acreage of cotton, tomatoes and other traditional crops to plant even more of this popular nut?  Apparently, many farmers believe switching to almonds is smart, judging by the estimated 283,000 new acres of almonds that have been planted throughout the state during the past 10 years. <more> Oct. 12, 2005 Ag Alert
 

Pesticide Case Is Upping the Ante. A poisoning trial pitting two brothers comes as farm activists, regulators seek stricter controls. - - The March 2004 poisoning of a Oakdale farmworker has triggered California's first criminal prosecution in a pesticide-related matter in 14 years. Trial is scheduled to begin next month against Oakdale ranch manager John Becerra — the injured worker's brother — and Jon Hoff, a co-owner of Golden West Nuts, whose offices and processing plant are in nearby Ripon. The case comes as regulators and farmworker advocates press for stricter and more consistent pesticide enforcement. <more> Oct. 10, 2005 Los Angeles Times  
 

Gov. Schwarzenegger signs bill to collect pesticide fees from retailers  -- Governor Schwarzenegger has signed legislation to help the Department of Pesticide Regulation collect its fair share of environmental fees on pesticide sales. "This legislation promotes economic and environmental fairness," said DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam. "All those who sell pesticides in our state should pay their fair share for environmental programs. And we depend on full payment of these fees to protect the health and safety of Californians."  <more> Oct. 7, 2005 DPR Press Release  
 

Water agency denies water waiver enforcement staff cuts. But environmentalist says Bee story halted regulatory reduction.- - Top state water-quality officials say a story in The Bee that said they planned to gut a newly expanded enforcement of polluted farm runoff was based on a misunderstanding. However, the hands-on regulators struggling to implement the first water-quality controls on California's farming empire thought the jobs were being cut. Environmentalists read the order the same way. One said he believes the deep cuts would have materialized but for the Sept. 7 story. The apparent problem was that the State Water Resources Control Board officials had cut farmers too big a break on the cost of enforcing the new rules and had overestimated by a long shot the amount of fees they would collect, the board's administrative services chief disclosed in a memorandum attached to the Aug. 30 order to cut staff. <more> Sept. 29, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

It's harvest time and machinery is out in full force - - The trucks start lining up at Travaille and Phippen Inc. in Manteca at daybreak to deliver trailers to the almond orchards. The growers are anxious to see them arrive, said Dave Phippen. "We have 10 to 15 growers wanting trailers, and we are trying to please them." Travaille and Phippen operates an almond hulling and shelling plant, and also farms 600 acres of almonds, and provides farming services to 5,000 more acres. In other orchards, nut sweepers also are heading out at 8 a.m., to push the fallen nuts into windrows, to be picked up by yet another specialized pickup machine. Fans and chains in the machines separate the nuts from twigs, leaves and dirt — generating clouds of dust. "That's where we get our dirty reputation with our city brethren," Phippen said. Nick Gatzman, a farm manager at Travaille and Phippen and Dave Phippen's son-in-law, said the industry is working on the problem, developing machines that cut the dust by 50 percent. Travaille and Phippen uses no-till techniques to cut down on dust by not breaking up the soil, Gatzman said. <more> Sept, 26, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

DPR Director Mary-Ann Warmerdam: State closely monitors misuse of pesticides -  - A Stanislaus County court is preparing to hear the first criminal case involving farm pesticide violations filed in California in more than a decade. But the major story behind that case — and many others around the state — is yet to be told. Since Gov. Schwarzenegger's administration took office, the state Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) and its local partners have stepped up efforts to protect farmworkers and others threatened by pesticide misuse. As we crack down on violators who do business unfairly, we also support the vast majority of growers and applicators who play by the rules. <more> Sept. 16, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

State cuts pollution enforcers. Staff had just been hired to regulate tainted runoff from irrigated farmland. - - The Schwarzenegger administration is gutting the state's nascent program to regulate the biggest uncontrolled source of water pollution in California - the runoff of pesticides, fertilizers and salt from 10 million acres of irrigated crops. No sooner had the state completed its hiring of enforcers to police drainage from Central Valley farms than top administration officials ordered the staff cut by two-thirds. <more> Sept. 7, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Panel Says No to Gov.'s Appointee. The choice of industry lobbyist Cindy Tuck for chairwoman of the state air quality board had divided business and environmentalists. - -  A key state Senate committee refused Wednesday to confirm Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's choice of industry lobbyist Cindy Tuck to chair the California Air Resources Board, an appointment that had sharply divided business groups and conservationists. On a 3-2, party line vote, including a no vote from Democratic Senate leader Don Perata of Oakland, the Senate Rules Committee rejected Tuck, who was described by supporters and detractors alike as a savvy, personable representative for oil companies and electric power generators on environmental matters. <more> Sept. 1, 2005 Los Angeles Times
 

Leader leaves Delta group. Bill Jennings says he's looking for other ways to defend environment. - - The most ardent and charismatic defender of Central Valley water quality is resigning from the DeltaKeeper organization he launched a decade ago. Bill Jennings is probably the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta's most recognizable figure. His jolly appearance often contrasted with his tenacious work on behalf of fish and rivers, but it made him a perfect icon for the oft-misunderstood region. As DeltaKeeper's boss, he created a powerful grass-roots coalition that tested farm and industry runoff and won dozens of battles to improve water quality. <more> Aug. 31, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

San Joaquin Valley battles state's worst air. Community works to make the mountains visible again and let everyone breathe easier  - - Earlier this month, Pacific Gas and Electric announced it will spend $27.5 million to lure farmers to switch from older diesel pumps -- responsible for 17 percent of the particulate matter in 2003 -- to electric pumps. The company is offering lower rates and paying the lion's share of the cost of extending lines to the new pumps. The utility has already received 480 applications, the first 82 from Campos Brothers Farms in Caruthers. The 13,000-acre farm, which spreads from Fresno County to Madera County, saw converting to electricity as a more cost-effective option in part because of high diesel prices. "This makes it feasible to switch since we won't have to pay for all this out of pocket right now. Of course we're also trying to do our part to reduce emissions for air pollution reasons," said Todd Ayerza, purchasing manager for the farm, which mainly grows almonds. Last year, the farm bought a $250,000 chipper to dispose of annual prunings. Previously, prunings were hauled to the end of the field and burned. <more> Aug. 30, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
 

Lax ag safety may hit wallets. Some say growers are not penalized enough after breaking pesticide rule - - The hose Arturo Becerra used to fumigate an Oakdale almond orchard in March 2004 was kinked and brittle. It broke, spraying him in the face with the toxic gas methyl bromide, according to state regulators. <more> Aug. 28, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Forklifts focus of overhaul. State air board's plan angers growers who seek funding for upgrades - - A single forklift can pollute as much in eight hours as 700 new passenger cars — a fact that has the state air board developing regulations aimed to clean up the heavy equipment. The regulations could affect thousands of gas-powered forklifts throughout California. But forklift dealers and farmers, who generally have older fleets, say the regulations pose an undue burden and state officials are leaving them with few options. <more> Aug. 26, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

Healthy tomato. Central Valley growers look to 'sustainable agriculture' - - Central Valley growers want to make the humble tomato, the main ingredient of ketchup, pizza and spaghetti sauce, into a dominant new player in a growing movement to curb the use of pesticides and fertilizers on U.S. farms. After years of unsteady prices and crop yields, farmers in leading tomato counties such as Fresno, Yolo, San Joaquin and Colusa hope to boost profits and keep consumers happy by dabbling in "sustainable agriculture" - the catch phrase used for the burgeoning movement. <more> Aug. 26, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Farm water runoff management practices highlighted in Runoff Rundown- - The Water Education Foundation has published “Runoff Rundown”, a newsletter highlighting the efforts of various watershed coalitions to comply with the state’s conditional waiver programs. The State Water Board funded the publication which can be downloaded in PDF format by clicking here. Aug. 24, 2005 Water Education Foundation
 

Tiger salamander losing some ground - - Federal officials on Tuesday dramatically reduced the California tiger salamander's critical habitat, highlighting an environmental fight that's about to resurface on Capitol Hill. Pressed from all sides, the Fish and Wildlife Service formally designated 199,109 acres statewide as crucial for the salamander's survival. This is only about half of the 382,666 acres originally proposed, and it includes significant reductions throughout the Central Valley. <more> Aug. 24, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Almond orchards important links in food safety chain - - Two outbreaks in three years of salmonellosis involving California almonds have put the state’s No. 1 agricultural export on notice that constant vigilance by growers, huller/shellers, and handlers is necessary to continue to provide a safe and healthful product. <more> Aug. 12, 2005 Western Farm Press
 

Test device measures dust from almond harvesting - - While the California almond industry pursues various ways to reduce the dust associated with the crop, a group of engineers at the University of California, Davis is testing equipment designed to monitor the amount of particulate matter released during harvesting. <more> Aug. 10, 2005 Western Farm Press
 

Suit challenges management plan for water in state. Environmentalists say approval process violated federal laws. - - A coalition of environmental and fishing groups alleged Tuesday that the federal government chose "political science" over pure science in approving a plan to alter water management in California. The groups, led by the nonprofit Earthjustice, filed suit in federal court in Oakland on Tuesday against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. They claim the Bureau of Reclamation violated the National Environmental Policy Act in approving the water management plan without first conducting an environmental impact study. <more>Aug. 10, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Toxic farm runoff plan fails to protect birds, study warns - - A plan to manage toxic farm runoff in the San Joaquin Valley, where massive bird deformities occurred at Kesterson Wildlife Refuge, would continue to kill and deform birds by draining the water into open ponds, according to a federal report. A 1,500-page draft environmental study on the project, called the San Luis Drain, shows that it could harm or kill hundreds of birds every year by exposing them to toxic selenium. <more> July 23, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Dozens of Chemicals Found in Most Americans' Bodies. The concentration is especially high in children, a national study says. But experts aren't sure what the health effects are. - - In the largest study of chemical exposure ever conducted on human beings, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Thursday that most American children and adults were carrying in their bodies dozens of pesticides and toxic compounds used in consumer products, many of them linked to potential health threats. The report documented bigger doses in children than in adults of many chemicals, including some pyrethroids, which are in virtually every household pesticide, and phthalates, which are found in nail polish and other beauty products as well as in soft plastics. <more> July 22, 2005 Los Angeles Times
 

Air-Way Farms Looks at Harvest Innovations to Reduce Dust. GM Fred Olmstead believes in addressing air quality and other environmental issues “head-on.” - - When Fred Olmstead watches harvested almonds as they transfer from the shuttle cart to the elevator, he is not just looking at the volume of the crop. He’s looking at the volume of dust. Olmstead, general manager of Air-Way Farms Inc., has become fixated on dirt and dust and his voice rises with excitement when he discusses his goal of reducing the amount of air emissions that result from Air-Way Farms’ almond harvesting and other farming operations. <more> July 20, 2005 Almond Board of California newsletter
 

EPA Seeks Comments on Pesticide Review Process- - To ensure that pesticide registrations continue to meet current health and safety standards, EPA is seeking public comment on a proposed approach to review each existing pesticide registration every 15 years. This new registration review program, mandated by the Food Quality Protection Act, will begin in 2006 and make sure that, as the ability to assess risk evolves and as policies and practices change, "older" pesticides will still meet the statutory standard of no unreasonable adverse effects. <more> July 20, 2005 EPA Press Release
 

CAL/EPA announces Environmental Justice Small Grants - - Cal/EPA has established the EJ Small Grants Program to assist eligible community-based, grassroots, non-profit entities, and federally recognized tribal governments to address environmental justice issues. <more> July 20, 2005 CAL/EPA press release
 

UC Agriculture and Natural Resources strives for sustainability - - The University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources (ANR) has formally adopted a strategic direction for its programs aimed at sustainability. "Sustainability means we take action today to ensure that California's agricultural and natural resource systems will be in as good or better condition for subsequent generations -- we don't use up, contaminate or destroy," said Rick Standiford, the UC associate vice president for agriculture and natural resources. "Sustainability looks to the future." <more> July 20, 2005 UC Press Release
 

Water board starts waiver enforcement- - In its first major enforcement action related to Conditional waivers for Irrigated Lands, the Central Valley regional water Quality Control Board is sending certified letters to growers it suspects are not complying with the requirements of the waiver program. <more> July 15, 2005 Summer 2005 issue of Watershed Coalition News
 

State Board adopts waiver fees - - The State Water Resources Control Board has approved a new fee for farmers of irrigated lands in California. The plan includes a three-tier, acreage-based fee schedule with collections expected to begin as soon as September 2005. State officials expect to collect a total of $1.9 million annually. <more> July 15, 2005 Summer 2005 issue of Watershed Coalition News
 

Report on Delta Water Is Faulted. A federal audit says a U.S. fisheries official skipped key steps in determining that additional pumping would not harm fish. - - A U.S. inspector general has found that a federal fisheries official in California skipped several key internal reviews when his office concluded last year that pumping more water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta would not seriously hurt endangered salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service biological opinion reversed draft findings that the proposed increase in delta pumping and other planned changes in the operation of the federal government's massive Central Valley Project would threaten two imperiled fish species: the Sacramento River winter-run chinook salmon and the Central Valley steelhead. <more> July 14, 2005 Los Angeles Times
 

Warmerdam confirmed as director of state Department of Pesticide Regulation - - Mary-Ann Warmerdam, appointed in September 2004 as director of the California Department of Pesticide Regulation, was confirmed last week by the State Senate. DPR has 358 employees with an annual budget of $56.6 million. Warmerdam’s salary  is $123,255.
 

Parlier Pesticide Monitoring Group Meets July 21 - - The Parlier Local Advisory Group (LAG) will meet from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday, July 21, at the University of California (UC) Agricultural Center, Parlier.  The public is invited. The LAG will make recommendations on pesticides to be monitored, monitoring sites and frequency, and other elements of the project. The Parlier LAG was formed to advise the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) on the air monitoring project DPR is conducting in Parlier. Although the LAG is not a decision-making group, its views influence the course of the project.  A copy of the agenda is available at www.cdpr.ca.gov/docs/envjust/pilot_proj/lag/par_lag.htm.
  

Nations Agree to Cuts in Methyl Bromide - - A group of 189 developed nations, including the United States, have agreed to cut use of a pesticide that depletes the ozone layer. The group originally had agreed to phase out use of the pesticide, methyl bromide, by January. The pesticide has been used for decades to sterilize soil and help grow crops such as tomatoes and strawberries, but it also damages the Earth's protective ozone layer. <more> July 5, 2005 Associated Press
 

Crunch time for almonds. Production may zoom by 2010 - - This year's almond crop is likely to be 13 percent short of last year's, according to crop statistician Gary Nelson. But the industry's real challenge is not this year's shortage — it's a projected 50 percent growth in California almond production in the next five years. <more> July 2, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

2005 Almond Forecast Announced - - The June 30, 2005 objective almond forecast for the 2005-2006 crop year is 880 million meat pounds, according to the California Agricultural Statistics Service (CASS).  This forecast is based on 550,000 bearing acres. Gary Nelson of CASS said the forecast is up 3.5 percent from the May 11, 2005 subjective forecast of 850 million meat pounds and down 11.8 percent from this year’s crop to date of 998 million pounds as of May 31, 2005. The official announcement was made today at the Modesto office of the Almond Board of California, which funds the forecast.  The average nut set per tree is 5,461, down 23.8 percent from the 2004 almond crop.  The Nonpareil average nut set of 4,650 represents a 30.3 percent decrease from last year’s set.  The average kernel weight for all varieties sampled was 1.79 grams, up 23.4 percent from last year. To view the CASS press release, click here
 

Methyl bromide phase-out subject of Montreal conference- - The 189 member governments of the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer will decide this week on how best to manage the phase-out of methyl bromide, an effective fumigant and pesticide for strawberries, flowers and other high-value crops that also damages the Earth’s protective ozone shield. <more> June 30, 2005 United Nations press release
 

‘Healthy' try for bigger air board. Senator wants to add environmental experts - -  In the battle against smog and asthma, Sen. Mike Machado, D-Linden, is looking to expand the valley board that is in charge of clean-air policies and chasing after polluters. The proposed bureaucratic shuffle pits public health and environmental advocates against farm and business groups. The board now has 11 members. Critics say they are mostly rural-minded county supervisors and small-town city council members. Machado wants to add more environmentally aggressive members — a public health doctor, and experts in air pollution, urban planning and environmental justice — whom the governor and legislative leaders would appoint. <more> June 30, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Habitat expense far from shrimpy. Economy is out $1 billion if species preclude homes, federal agency estimates - - That's one costly crustacean. In a new report, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service estimates a near $1 billion hit over the next 20 years — mostly from lost opportunities to build houses in the Central Valley — to protect the fairy shrimp and several plant species in the valley and Sierra Nevada foothills. <more> June 30, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Gov. Schwarzenegger Appoints Cindy Tuck Chair of the Air Resources Board  - - Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger today announced the appointment of Cindy Tuck as chair of the Air Resources Board (ARB). "Cindy has dedicated her career to developing solutions to challenging environmental problems in order to protect and improve California's environment. She has worked so Californians for generations to come will have clean air to breathe, water to drink and beautiful landscape to enjoy," said Governor Schwarzenegger. "Her expertise is vital to ensuring California continues to lead the nation in setting air quality standards while at the same time balancing the need to keep our economy strong and thriving. I am confident she will bring diverse interests together to meet our ambitious air quality goals." <more> June 28, 2005 Gov. Schwarzenegger press release
 

A Parched River - - Should Southern Californians be bothered that long stretches of the San Joaquin River, hundreds of miles away, run dry every summer and fall as farmers take all the water to irrigate their crops? Absolutely, if they care about the water they drink. <more> June 28, 2005 Los Angeles Times Editorial
 

Endangered Species Act Faces Broad New Challenges - - More than three decades after the Endangered Species Act gave the federal government tools and a mandate to protect animals, insects and plants threatened with extinction, the landmark law is facing the most intense efforts ever by the White House, Congress, landowners and industry to limit its reach. More than any time in the law's 32-year history, the obligations it imposes on government and, indirectly, on landowners are being challenged in the courts, reworked in the agencies responsible for enforcing it and re-examined in Congress. <more> June 26, 2005 New York Times
 

High Court Rules Against Farmers in Water Dispute. The justices reject a suit from Californians who sought $32 million for water they didn't get. - - Individual farmers may not sue the federal government to enforce water contracts signed by their irrigation districts, the Supreme Court said Thursday in a unanimous ruling that limited landowners' ability to seek compensation for reduced flows. Two dozen farmers from California's Central Valley wanted the federal government to pay them about $32 million as compensation for water they were supposed to get under a federal contract. <more> June 24, 2005 Los Angeles Times
 

Concerns on water dominate hearing -- Western lawmakers are stacking the deck as they push for changes in a perennially controversial environmental law. In a textbook illustration of how Congress builds a case, Mariposa Republican George Radanovich on Wednesday summoned witnesses to discuss the Endangered Species Act. Almost invariably, the witnesses complained about the law's impact on water supplies and their own operations . <more> June 23, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Sustainable farming systems field day at UC Davis June 23 - - UC Davis’ 17-year-old farming comparison project showcases reduced tillage and water quality research Thursday, June 23, 2005 at UCD’s Russell Ranch, seven miles west of main campus. Former Modesto mayor Carol Whiteside, president/founder of the Great Valley Center, is the keynote speaker. 7:30 a.m. sign-in, hay wagons tour research site starting at 8:45 a.m. Whiteside speaks at 11:15 a.m. Grower panel after farm-fresh lunch. On-site registrations accepted. $10 registration fee ($5 for students). PCA/CCA Continuing Education units approved. More information: http://safs.ucdavis.edu/
 

$2 million project to analyze the diminution of delta smelt - - The number of delta smelt and other species in the San Joaquin- Sacramento River Delta has dropped sharply, officials said Monday, and state and federal authorities have set aside $2 million to determine why. The decline in the small fish -- which are at their lowest level ever - - is especially worrisome, scientists said Monday, because they were once among the most common fish in the delta and are a bellwether of the estuary's health. <more> June 21, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
 

Swap engines, reduce rates. Utilities help farmers who switch from diesel. - - State power regulators Thursday approved a utility plan that will make electricity more affordable for farmers who want to ditch their dirty diesel engines. Beginning Aug. 1, Pacific Gas & Electric Co. and Southern California Edison will offer lower rates to farmers who replace their diesel irrigation pump motors with cleaner electric models. PG&E rates will be about 20% lower than what the utility now offers its agricultural customers, and Southern California Edison's rates will be about 12.5% lower. <more> June 17, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

Researchers Examine Pesticide Impact - - University of North Dakota researchers are studying the impact of pesticides on children's ability to learn. Tom Petros, a professor of psychology, said very little is known on the subject, so he and other scientists from the school's Center for Rural Health and the Department of Biology plan to study local school-age children. The effort is being funded by a $100,000 grant from the National Institutes of Environmental Health Sciences. <more> June 16, 2005 Associated Press
 

Climate-Friendly Farming Project Underway - - Reducing greenhouse gases from agriculture is the goal of Climate Friendly Farming, a five-year cooperative project involving the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Washington State University (WSU). Agriculture accounts for 7 percent of all U.S. greenhouse gases. For example, cows release methane while digesting food; applying nitrogen-based fertilizers leads to nitrous oxide emissions; and tilling speeds the breakdown of soil organic matter, releasing carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  <more> June 16, 2005 ARS Press Release
 

California Almond Industry Embraces Reduced Risk Compounds - - No matter how you measure it, the improvements are dramatic.  On a per-acre basis or total used, the California almond industry is reducing the use of chemicals on their crops to create a healthier environment. Trends over the last ten years compiled from the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) pesticide use reports confirm that the almond industry is embracing reduced risk orchard management.  <more> June 14, 2005 Almond Board of California press release
 

Study: Lakes Face Major Pollution - - Farmers' routine application of chemical fertilizers and manure to the land poses a far greater environmental problem to freshwater lakes than previously thought, potentially polluting the water for hundreds of years, according to new research. <more> June 14, 2005 Associated Press
 

Ag Water Quality Publications Translated to Punjabi  - - Efforts to protect Sacramento Valley streams and rivers from farm runoff have led to the translation of several popular farm best management practice (BMP) publications into Punjabi.  The new publications are part of an orchard grower outreach effort coordinated by the Coalition for Urban/Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) and funded through a CALFED Bay-Delta Watershed Program grant. <more> June 13, 2005 CURES press release
 

Water Quality Monitoring in Butte County: Butte growers to get the official word on water discharge rules - - Letters from the State Water Resources Control Board will soon be sent out to landowners in Butte, Sutter and Yuba counties who have not signed up to be a part of a watershed coalition for water quality monitoring. Landowners with irrigated land are now required to join a watershed coalition and contribute to pay for water quality monitoring. This allows farmers to avoid a more costly water discharge permit on an individual basis. <more> June 13 2005 Chico Enterprise
 

Testimony given over reservoir. Congressional subcommittee hearing held in Fresno. - - Four members of Congress came to Fresno Saturday asking one basic question: How many reasons can you name to build a bigger reservoir for snowmelt from the San Joaquin River? <more> June 12, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

EPA policy imperils kids, suit says. Acceptable pesticide level called too high for farm children - -The government's failure to take the vulnerabilities of farmworkers' children into account when setting tolerance levels for pesticide residue on food has endangered hundreds of thousands of children, environmental and labor groups charged in a federal lawsuit Tuesday. <more> June 8, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
 

No burn era: First regulations banning open-air burning of ag waste take effect. - - The first phase of a ban on open-field burning of ag wastes took effect on Wednesday, with fruit and nut growers and producers of certain field crops bearing the brunt of the early stages. It's the latest chapter in a long overdue effort to eliminate an important component of Valley air pollution. <more> June 3, 2005 Fresno Bee Editorial
 

Farmers prepare for burn bans. The first to prohibit burning prunings from some orchard and field crops begins Wednesday. - - Farmers in eight Valley counties are gearing up for the first in a series of agricultural burning bans that takes effect Wednesday, prohibiting using fires to dispose of prunings from a couple dozen orchard crops and about 18 field crops. <more> May 31, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

Parts of Tejon Ranch safe from development. Partners pick 100,000 acres as part of ambitious plan - - Tejon Ranch and its conservation partner, The Trust for Public Land, have figured out which 100,000 acres of the ranch's 270,000 acres will be carved out into a preserve. <more> May 24, 2005 Bakersfield Californian.
 

Environmentally responsible pest management practices in almonds to be highlighted at June 2 Chico meeting - Environmentally responsible pest management practices in almonds will be discussed Thursday, June 2, at a Chico almond grower meeting.  This meeting is sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE), the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR), the Almond Board of California, the Butte County Agriculture Department and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Region 9.   The meeting will be held at G & N Creekside Farms, located on Crouch Avenue, between Stevens Avenue and Cosby Avenue in Chico, California. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. and concludes at 11:30 a.m. <more> May 23, 2005 Almond Board of California press release.
 

Time for a new approach to crop pollination - - The parasitic mite that devastated honey bee colonies across the United States this spring served notice that we are overly reliant upon the honey bee for crop pollination. Beekeepers report the mite infested 40 to 60 percent of managed beehives. Unless we find alternate pollinators to cart around, or another means to pollinate our fields, we risk periodic crop failures due to lack of pollination. And not just of almonds (whose February bloom faced severe honey bee shortages), but of any of the more than 100 insect-pollinated crops grown in the United States as well. <more> May 21, 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
 

Farm drainage plan evokes fears - - A federal plan to drain mineral-laden irrigation water from farms includes a proposal similar to one that caused an environmental disaster more than two decades ago, leading to bird deformities and deaths. Environmentalists fear that leaving the tainted water to accumulate in evaporation ponds, even if it's treated to reduce most of the toxic minerals, could lead to problems similar to what happened in the Kesterson Wildlife Refuge in the 1980s, when entire colonies of birds died and many were born with missing limbs. <more> May 21, 2005 Associate Press  
 

Pesticide no-no list on state Web site - - A state Web site launched this week for farmers can break down to the square mile what pesticides are restricted because of nearby endangered plants and animals. The website by the Department of Pesticide Regulation replaces an unwieldy "phonebook-sized set of documents" used by farmers and county agriculture commissioners, said agency director Mary-Ann Warmerdam. <more> May 21, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Farm Bureau prevails in court ruling on waiver - - A Sacramento County Superior Court judge last week agreed with California Farm Bureau Federation's position that the State Water Resources Control Board and the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (RWQCB) abused their discretion and overstepped their bounds in adopting a waiver for farm-water discharges that violated private property and privacy rights. <more> May 20, 2005 Ag Alert
 

Parlier Group advises DPR on air monitoring project - - The California Department of Pesticide regulation reports that the Parlier Local Advisory Group (LAG) was formed to advise DPR on the pesticide air monitoring project it is conducting in Parlier, in Fresno County. The project is one of several environmental justice pilot projects being sponsored by the California Environmental Protection Agency. Although the LAG is not a decision-making group, its views will influence how DPR conducts its project. For more information on this project, please visit the DPR website.  May 19, 2005. Source: DPR
 

Water project funding is closer. In some cases, House panel OKs more money than Bush sought. - -  From Folsom Dam to San Joaquin River water storage studies, Central Valley projects would receive tens of millions of dollars under a federal funding bill that sailed forward Wednesday. In a crucial step, the powerful House Appropriations Committee approved the annual energy and water bill loaded with Valley projects. In some cases, including work along the Sacramento River, the funding is more than President Bush sought. <more> May 19, 2005 Sacramento Bee
 

Species act draws Pombo, Cardoza fire  - - The courtroom has become a natural habitat for the Yosemite toad and critters like it. Along with the mountain yellow-legged frog, the Yosemite toad is at the center of a lawsuit designed to secure better federal protection for the species. But while the Sierra Nevada amphibians are unique, the lawsuit they have inspired is not. <more> May 18, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Online animal database debuts. State Web site locates endangered species, advises safe pesticides. - - A new online resource that debuted Tuesday for tracking the habitat of endangered species in California is drawing praise from agricultural officials, pest-control advisers and environmentalists. <more> May 18, 2005 Fresno Bee
 

New online tool available for protection of endangered species - - The Department of Pesticide Regulation has created a new,
online resource to help protect endangered species in California. It is the first interactive, public database of its kind in the nation. <more> May 17, 2005 DPR News Release
 

SUBJECTIVE FORECAST IS 850 MILLION POUNDS - - The initial forecast for the 2005 California almond production is 850
million pounds.  This is down 16 percent from last year's revised production of 1.01 billion pounds.  Estimated bearing acreage for 2005
is 550 thousand.  This forecast is based on a telephone survey conducted April 21 - May 4 from a sample of almond growers.  Of the 430
growers sampled, 254 reports were usable.  Acreage from the usable reports accounted for 16 percent of the total bearing acreage. <more> May 11, 2005
 

For Almond Growers, Honeybee Shortage Is a Hard Nut to Crack  - - California almond growers are once again being stung by a shortage of honeybees. A doubling of almond prices since 2001 has spurred farmers to plant new orchards, and "demand is reaching the limit of the bee community to keep up," said Gene Brandi, a Los Banos beekeeper — or apiarist — and former chairman of the National Honey Board. <more> May 7, 2005 Los Angeles Times

Kern County almond field day explores environmentally friendly practices - - Nearly 60 almond growers and pest control advisers gathered in a Kern County almond orchard May 5 to learn how “SmartSpray” technology can be used to more effectively apply pesticides, and how a reduced-risk spray program can lessen potential environmental hazards. The field day was sponsored by the University of California Cooperative Extension, the California Department of Pesticide regulation and the Almond Board of California. <more> May 6, 2005
 

Valley reps again target species act - - Central Valley lawmakers have been more successful at criticizing the Endangered Species Act than they have been at rewriting it. That's where Turlock Irrigation District official Steven Boyd comes in. On Wednesday, amid a renewed congressional campaign, Boyd put an acutely local spotlight on the 32-year-old environmental law. Water districts such as Turlock's, Boyd testified, need relief. <more> May 5, 2005 Modesto Bee
 

Farmers may pay more per acre to aid with cleanup costs. Up to an additional 30 cents would help in treating water pollution -- State water pollution regulators are leaning toward charging farmers 12 cents to 30 cents for each acre they farm -- money that would pay to clean up water pollution caused by farming operations. The State Water Resources Control Board has showed support for a proposal that would raise up to $1.9 million a year to pay for an additional 22 staffers. The extra employees would review water-testing reports, help teach farmers ways to reduce pollution and otherwise aid efforts to enforce pollution rules. <more> May 5, 2005 Stockton Record
 

Mighty mites -- Kim Gallagher is like a general in the battle of good versus