Panetta Preserving Family Farms Act could keep rich ranch land within families [Salinas Californian]
… Joined by Jackie Walorski (R-IN-02), Panetta’s act would increase the amount of farmland that can be valued for family farming operations and decrease the amount of farmland that must be valued for development purposes when someone inherits the property. … “Land values are increasing as domestic food supplies are recognized as critical during the pandemic, and no more so than here in the Salinas Valley, the Salad Bowl of the World,” stated Norm Groot Monterey County Farm Bureau executive director. … “Revising the estate tax for agriculture would be a significant benefit for tens of thousands of California family farmers and ranchers, and for the millions of people who depend on them for jobs, food and farm products,” said California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson.
San Diego’s soaring water rates have avocado, other growers eyeing break with county [San Diego Union-Tribune]
… Water managers in the agricultural regions of Fallbrook and Rainbow are now engaged in an unprecedented effort to secure cheaper water for farmers, as well as businesses and homeowners. They’re attempting to cut ties with the region’s wholesaler, the San Diego County Water Authority, which they say has invested in ill-advised projects that have needlessly driven up the cost of water. … It’s not just avocado growers being hit hard, said Hannah Gbeh, executive director of the San Diego County Farm Bureau. … However, Gbeh isn’t sure yet how she feels about Fallbrook and Rainbow abandoning the water authority.
https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/environment/story/2021-04-10/san-diego-water-rates
There’s just not enough water in Klamath Basin this year [Klamath Falls Herald and News]
Twenty years ago, the Bureau of Reclamation announced the lowest-ever allocation to the Klamath Project. Next week, they’re poised to do it again. Three irrigation district presidents and the president of the Klamath Water Users Association penned a letter to the Klamath Basin community Thursday, calling the current situation “eerily similar to 2001.” They wrote that they expect little to no water to be diverted from Upper Klamath Lake for irrigation this year. … Klamath Project irrigators, expecting to get less than a tenth of their normal allocation, are preparing to seek federal assistance for drought relief.
Opinion: Gov. Gavin Newsom and the State Water Resources Control Board must adopt a comprehensive, science-based plan to restore San Francisco Bay [San Francisco Chronicle]
San Francisco Bay’s life support systems are unraveling quickly, and a wealth of science indicates that unsustainable water diversions are driving this estuary’s demise. … For years, required updates to the state’s water quality requirements have been held hostage to one voluntary proposal after another; drought planning has also taken a back seat to discussions of voluntary agreements. … California doesn’t need endless talk about illusory deals. It’s time for the State Water Resources Control Board to adopt a comprehensive plan to restore San Francisco Bay.
Catalytic converter theft spreads to local orchards [Bakersfield Californian]
If work crews weren’t out in September checking the wind machines in his orchards, local citrus grower Matt Fisher might not have spotted the problem until it was too late. Thieves had ripped open six of the 20-foot-tall blowers — put there to bring down warmer air when freezing temperatures threaten to ruin the crop — and cut out the catalytic converter inside each one. … Growers who by necessity place equipment in sprawling, remote properties are having to do more and more to protect it. Some are hardening their installations with heavy-duty locks and custom cages that cost thousands of dollars to build.
Opinion: Today’s breakfast is brought to you by pollinators and farmers [Modesto Bee]
… The California Pollinator Coalition was launched Wednesday by leaders in agriculture, government and conservation. They aim to protect the creatures from pesticide spraying, habitat loss and other threats. … This is a coalition dedicated to building trust between what has often been seen as conflicting sides – farmers and conservationists. By concentrating on mutual goals, we see an opportunity to deliver both healthy food and a healthy environment. … It won’t be an easy lift, but it’s a great step forward, the kind that breeds long-term success.
https://www.modbee.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/community-columns/article250551744.html
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