Biden immigration plan: Undocumented farmworkers could apply for green cards immediately [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
Undocumented farmworkers could qualify to apply for green cards immediately under the immigration legislation that President Joe Biden unveiled on his first day in office. … The bill, entitled the U.S. Citizenship Act of 2021, is estimated to benefit about 1 million undocumented farmworkers. … The California Farm Bureau looks forward to reviewing Biden’s proposal. “Immigration legislation must deal fairly with the existing farm workforce and their families, and it should ease the process for people who want to enter the United States legally to work on farms and ranches,” Jamie Johansson, president of the California Farm Bureau, said in a statement.
Civil rights leader Cesar Chávez visible in President Biden’s Oval Office [KNBC TV, Los Angeles]
As President Joe Biden signed executive orders on his first day as Commander-in-Chief, the face of a California civil rights icon who changed the life of farm workers across the nation was visible in the Oval Office. Behind the “Resolute Desk,” a photo of the first family sat on a table, alongside the bust of César Chávez, the Mexican-American who founded the United Farm Workers Union in the 1960s. … The 46th president of the United States has had a close relationship with the farm leader’s family.
Kamala Harris says California’s water crisis is a racial injustice. Will she champion equity? [Fresno Bee]
… During the wave of Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality, she partnered with civil-rights leader Dolores Huerta to co-author “a fight for racial justice,” a call-to-action to address drinking water access and affordability. … The women called for a $1 trillion investment in water infrastructure to meet the country’s needs in the next 25 years, to address disparities remaining after a long history of decisions that failed certain residents. … Old infrastructure is failing to deliver clean water and the pandemic could postpone potential fixes, according to a State Water Board report released Tuesday.
https://www.fresnobee.com/fresnoland/article248643865.html
The 2020 wildfires could cost California’s wine industry $3.7 billion — but it doesn’t have to be that way [San Francisco Chronicle]
… The damage to the state’s wine companies by last year’s fires, according to one industry analyst, may amount to as much as $3.7 billion. That’s taking into account the losses of property, wine inventory, grapes and future sales of the wine that those grapes would have made. … The reason they sought to quantify the damage, Moramarco said, wasn’t just for shock value. Rather, it was to make the point that the stakes for the industry are high — and will continue to mount if it doesn’t invest in more research about how to mitigate the effects of wildfire and smoke on wines in the future.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/wine/article/The-2020-wildfires-may-cost-California-s-wine-15885706.php
Starboard seeks to take control of Corteva board, oust CEO [Wall Street Journal]
Starboard Value LP is seeking to take control of agricultural giant Corteva Inc.’s board and replace its chief executive, according to people familiar with the matter. … Corteva, which was part of DowDuPont before it was spun out of the industrial conglomerate in 2019, is one of the world’s largest sellers of seeds and pesticides, with a market value of $33 billion. … Corteva and other farm suppliers have struggled in recent years. … Reduced income for farmers has made it harder for seed and pesticide suppliers to raise prices.
No dirt? No farm? No problem. The potential for soil-less agriculture is huge [Los Angeles Times]
… This is the potential and the promise of hydroponics (a term that also includes aeroponics and aquaponics systems), the soil-less cultivation of crops in controlled environments. It’s a growing industry — $9.5 billion in sales is expected to nearly double in the next five years — that stems, in part, from concerns about growing enough food to feed a worldwide population expected to hit 10 billion in the next 30 years. … Such controlled-environment agriculture is part of the larger trend of urban farms, recognized last year by the May opening of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Urban Agriculture and Innovative Production.
https://www.latimes.com/food/story/2021-01-21/hydroponics-agriculture-vertical-farming
Ag Today is distributed by the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division to county Farm Bureaus, California Farm Bureau directors and staff, for information purposes only; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. Opinions expressed in stories, commentaries or editorials included in Ag Today do not necessarily represent the views of the California Farm Bureau. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and email address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.
