Coachella institutes ‘hero pay’ for farmworkers: ‘Part of the cultural ethos’ [Los Angeles Times]
The city of Coachella late Wednesday passed a mandate for hazard pay for some retail and food workers, including those at grocery stores, restaurants and farms. … Juan Manuel Moran, a United Farm Workers internal organizing coordinator, said farms were already struggling with higher worker pay and may not be able to operate with further wage hikes. Some farms, for example, have been steadily lowering the availability of overtime hours, he said. Hero pay sounds good in theory, he added, but in practice it’s possible that “the worker ends up losing.”
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-02-10/coachella-considers-hero-pay-for-farmworkers
Push to vaccinate Yolo ag workers [Woodland Daily Democrat]
Supervisor Angel Barajas and local residents are arguing that agricultural workers should be placed in a higher priority for the COVID-19 vaccine. Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting began with multiple public comments urging the county to reconsider its vaccination system, which has put an emphasis on health care workers, and those over age 65. … Currently, the Farm Bureau, the Agricultural Commissioner, Yolo County Housing and Community Vaccine Advisory Working Group members are making plans for future vaccination efforts. A survey has been sent out to 492 agriculture entities in order to better understand the population.
https://www.dailydemocrat.com/2021/02/10/push-to-vaccinate-yolo-ag-workers/
Opinion: Is it right to vaccinate cannabis workers before teachers? That’s what California is doing [Los Angeles Times]
… I, too, had trouble understanding why the California Department of Public Health would vault tens of thousands of cannabis workers to the front of the eligibility line when the state’s most vulnerable residents can’t even get vaccinated because of supply shortages. … But as it turns out, there actually is a logical reason for prioritizing some cannabis workers for COVID-19 vaccines. You just may not like it. Jerred Kiloh, president of the L.A.-based United Cannabis Business Assn. and owner of the Higher Path dispensary in Sherman Oaks, summed it up this way: Cannabis is medicine, so cannabis workers are healthcare workers.
Wildfires clobbered California wine grape crop in 2020. Here’s how much was lost [Sacramento Bee]
The worst wildfire season in modern California history resulted in the smallest wine grape crop in years. California’s wine grape crop fell by 13% last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported Wednesday. Experts said smoke damage from wildfires in Sonoma, Napa and Monterey counties were the main reason. … All told, the state’s wine grape crop came in at 3.4 million tons, making it the smallest crop since 2011. … Vineyards are fairly fire-resilient and only a few actually burned. But the thick smoke left tons of grapes unusable.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/fires/article249164530.html
Valley nut harvests kick up dust. Grants to growers can help residents breathe easier [Modesto Bee]
Almond and walnut growers can get grants of up to $150,000 toward harvesting machines that reduce dust in the San Joaquin Valley air. … The nuts are among the highest-grossing crops in Stanislaus County, but the harvests that start in late summer can be dusty. … The amount of dust per acre has fallen sharply in recent years thanks to industry and government efforts. … But dust remains an issue because of increased acreage, especially almonds.
https://www.modbee.com/news/business/agriculture/article249142165.html
Opinion: To counter the worsening drought, California needs healthy soils [CalMatters]
… A potent strategy to improve the state’s water storage capacity involves an ancient technology so ubiquitous that it is often overlooked: soil. The urgency of California’s drought and wildfire risks require that we invest in soil health now. … The ability of carbon-rich soils to store water and be more resilient to drought and extreme weather is well-documented. … Action is needed now to provide farmers, ranchers and other land managers with the support they need.
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