Environmental Information for the
California Almond Industry

Almond Industry Headline Environmental News  Feb. 9, 2009

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Air Quality

  • Greenhouse gas scoping plan passed  - - The California Air Resources Board (ARB), in mid-December, passed the scoping plan for reducing emissions that contribute to global warming. The scope is likely to lead to significant price increases for any business or individual who relies on fossil-fuel–derived power. The scoping plan provides a road map for ARB to comply with AB32, the first state legislation to address climate change, which calls for a reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 to 1990 levels. <more> Feb. 2009 California Almonds

Environmental Stewardship

  • Diverse Group Releases First-of-its-Kind Report Measuring Agriculture Sustainability - - A first-of-its-kind report released today creates a framework for measuring agriculture sustainability. Developed to inform long-term continuous improvements in agriculture production, the initial findings indicate crop production is already making progress toward reducing its environmental footprint. The Environmental Resource Indicators report was released at the American Farm Bureau Federation annual meeting by Field to Market, the Keystone Alliance for Sustainable Agriculture.  Field to Market is a diverse alliance representing the many links in the food chain, including grower organizations, agribusinesses, food companies and conservation organizations. As demand continues to rise and pressures on natural resources increase, the Alliance views the report as the first step in a long-term effort to quantify and improve the environmental, socio-economic and health impacts of agriculture production. The report evaluated national-scale metrics over the past two decades for land use, water use, energy use, soil loss, and climate impact in corn, soy, cotton and wheat production. In 2007, these crops comprised nearly 70 percent of the 305 million acres of U.S. cropland. <more> Jan. 13, 2009 Beef Magazine

Water

  • More with less? - - CALIFORNIA ALMONDS concludes its series on recent studies likely to play a role in future water policy and infrastructure decisions with a look at perhaps the most controversial study related to agricultural water use and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. A study released in September 2008 by the Pacific Institute of Oakland, a think-tank emphasizing environmental issues, focuses on reducing agricultural water usage in California. <more> Feb. 2009 California Almonds

Crop Protection

  • USDA opposes new limits on common soil fumigants - - The USDA believes new restrictions on common soil fumigants proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency are overly burdensome for farmers. The EPA should change its proposed rules for metam sodium, methyl bromide, dazomet and chloropicrin, USDA Secretary Ed Shafer said in a letter to the agency. Buffer zones for fumigant applications and other mitigation measures proposed in the EPA rule are flawed because they disregard on-the-ground circumstances, according to the letter, which was made public Dec. 22. "They may or may not actually achieve the desirable level of performance; they may be redundant, overprotective or underprotective; and they provide no incentive for the regulated community to improve the technology so that it is more protective and cost-effective," Shafer wrote. <more> Jan. 8, 2009 Capital Press   
     

General Industry News

  • Challenges face almond farmers and beekeepers - - A reduction in almond prices, limited water availability, increased production costs and the declining health of bees may all influence what happens during this year's almond bloom, impacting both almond growers and beekeepers. Speaking at the Almond Board of California annual meeting last month, board member Dan Cummings warned his audience that this spring could be "dicey" for almond growers and beekeepers alike. "Bees are competing for almond growers' money the same as water, fertilizer, fuel and all of our other inputs, at a time when the price of almonds has dropped. So we will be rationalizing where we go with our bees," said Cummings, who farms almonds in Chico and is co-owner of a full-service beekeeping operation. "We will be fallowing some other crops to direct water to almonds and perhaps abandoning almond orchards." <more> Jan. 28, 2009 Ag Alert   
     

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