Dairy, asparagus farms in San Joaquin County hit hard by coronavirus [KCRA TV, Sacramento]
… The first major crop to grow this season, asparagus, has already been stunted by the coronavirus. … Farms like Klein Family Farms are feeling the impact of the coronavirus too. The Stockton farm is the main asparagus grower in San Joaquin County. … Owner Jeff Klein decided to stop production before it even began. … The impact is not just being felt by seasonal harvests, but year-round production like dairy farms too. … Because of supply chain issues, Raudabaugh said some local dairies are dumping their milk. She said job cuts could come next.
https://www.kcra.com/article/rancho-cordova-distillery-starts-selling-hand-sanitizer/32081306
Dairy farmers adjust to dip in demand after schools, restaurants shut down [KTXL TV, Sacramento]
California is the nation’s largest milk producer but with the coronavirus pandemic impacting agriculture across the country, the price and supply of dairy products, including milk, eggs and cheese, is being hit hard. Bruce Blodgett with the San Joaquin County Farm Bureau told FOX40 Tuesday that despite the number of people buying up milk and other dairy products in stores, it’s not enough to offset the loss of sales from school and restaurant closures.
Farmers still open for business and busy keeping up with demand amid COVID-19 [KRCR TV, Redding]
Farmers say they are still open for business and busy keeping up with the demand amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Ali and Seth Duivenvoorden are the co-owners of Duivenvoorden Farms. They sell milk to local retailers and also customers who come pick up the milk on a weekly basis at their farm. They say since the start of the coronavirus, they’ve been trying to keep up with the demand for milk. Their products have been selling out at the grocery store and they’ve seen an increase in people coming to their farm to pick it up.
Coronavirus claims an unexpected victim: Florida vegetables [Associated Press]
… Thousands of acres of fruits and vegetables grown in Florida are being plowed over or left to rot because farmers can’t sell to restaurants, theme parks or schools nationwide that have closed because of the coronavirus. Other states are having the same issues — agriculture officials say leafy greens in California are being hit especially hard, and dairy farmers in Vermont and Wisconsin say they have had to dump a surplus of milk intended for restaurants. … While some of the crops are meant for grocery stores, many farmers cater solely to the so-called food service market — restaurants, schools and theme parks — hit hard as cities and states have ordered people to stay home and avoid others.
Lawmakers, White House vow to quickly provide more small-business loans [Wall Street Journal]
The Trump administration and top lawmakers said they hope to move within days to approve hundreds of billions of dollars in new funding for small-business loans, citing widespread demand for assistance from firms hit by shutdowns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Heavy requests for the previously approved $350 billion in loans are pushing Republican and Democratic lawmakers to consider augmenting the Paycheck Protection Program less than a week after it started accepting loan applications.
Judge urged to close gates on federal water grab in California delta [Courthouse News Service]
… The pumps supplying the federal government’s massive water project have been dialed up in recent days. The feds have gulped past previous limits, taking nearly three times the amount of water previously allowed even as another miserably dry rainy season wraps up in California. … But after nearly two hours of oral argument, the environmentalists hoping to prevent juvenile Chinook salmon and steelhead from being vacuumed up on their journey to sea could not sway a federal judge to temporarily slow the feds’ pumping.
https://www.courthousenews.com/judge-urged-to-close-gates-on-federal-water-grab-in-california-delta/
