How Bay Area farms could give Biden a blueprint for fighting climate change [San Francisco Chronicle]
In one of his first acts in office, President Biden said he wants farmers and ranchers to tell him how to fight climate change. If he wants to hear from agricultural businesses already on the front lines of combating global warming, the Bay Area might be a good place to start. … Implementing these practices can be time-consuming and expensive, and both climate advocates and farmers stress the need for government funding and collaboration among the industry, climate scientists, advocates and public officials — especially since “climate-smart” practices look different on different types and sizes of farms. “As early adopters will tell you, every opportunity has challenges,” Jamie Johansson, president of the California Farm Bureau, wrote in a message to members.
Few fire insurance options left for San Diego County farmers [inewsource/KPBS San Diego]
… What the farmers are experiencing is an unwillingness by California insurers to take on the risk to provide coverage in areas where brush fires are becoming more severe and frequent. Rakov turned to the San Diego County Farm Bureau for help. That sparked a statewide effort to try to get farm property and equipment covered under last-resort policies. … The California Farm Bureau Federation has now taken up the issue, getting regional bureaus across the state to collect examples like Rakov’s. … The federation has been talking with insurance companies and state Sen. Ben Hueso and Senate President Pro Tem Toni Atkins to find ways to clarify that farms are eligible for the last-resort insurance.
https://www.kpbs.org/news/2021/feb/15/few-fire-insurance-san-diego-county-farmers/
Solano assessor: Gaps remain in voter-approved Proposition 19 [Fairfield Daily Republic]
… Solano County Assessor-Recorder Marc Tonnesen said the new law is still a good deal for the vast majority of people involved in such transactions, but not all. … Farm homes and property are an entirely different matter. Tonnesen said he knows that a family farm, in this instance, does not include just the family residence. But there are other issues to be resolved. “And we are working with the (California Farm Bureau Federation) on this,” Tonnesen said.
California to appeal court ruling that overturned bumblebee protections [Bay Area News Group]
California wildlife regulators plan to challenge a recent court ruling that found the state lacks authority to protect insects under the Endangered Species Act. … The California Farm Bureau Federation was one of six agricultural groups that challenged the commission’s consideration to protect the bees. Sunshine Saldivar, the federation’s associate counsel, said listing insects under the state’s Endangered Species Act doesn’t hold up from both a legal and practical standpoint. … “It would create this fear in farmers and ranchers to do their job when they can’t even distinguish a bumblebee’s species,” Saldivar said.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2021/02/16/california-to-appeal-court-ruling-on-bumblebee-protections/
Coronavirus devastates California farm workers [Capitol Weekly]
Back in April, when the lockdown was first beginning, a California Farm Bureau study reported that the agriculture sector had lost more than 2.4 million jobs directly attributable to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, along with the financial hit, farm workers are suffering through increased risk of deadly infection. … Despite the grim numbers, California farms are enduring. “With some minor adjustments, most outside agriculture operations can minimize the person to person contact,” says Ryan Jacobsen the CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, but, he added, “That becomes a much bigger problem when you start to get to processing and harvesting operations.”
https://capitolweekly.net/coronavirus-devastates-california-farm-workers/
Trump sending more California water to farms troubled federal biologists. They were sidelined [Sacramento Bee/The Guardian]
Federal scientists and regulators repeatedly complained they were sidelined by former President Donald Trump’s administration when they warned of risks to wildlife posed by a California water management plan, according to newly unveiled documents. The plan, which was finalized in late 2019, favored the former president’s political allies — farmers upset with environmental protections that kept them from receiving more irrigation water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the hub of California’s water network.
https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/environment/article249212275.html
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