Pesticide report renews debate on health risks [Bakersfield Californian]
A new report showing greater use of pesticides in Kern and other Central Valley counties has rekindled a discussion about whether enough is being done to protect local communities from health risks presented by certain agricultural practices. … A leader at the California Farm Bureau said Tuesday the report clearly shows the state is succeeding in reducing the use of carcinogens, fumigants and other hazardous materials. Administrator Jim Houston said the increase in total volume of pesticides applied is a result of lower toxicity levels requiring application in larger volumes. … John Moore III, president of the Kern County Farm Bureau, said the group’s members have every incentive to handle pesticides safely as members of the community.
Farm jobs mysteriously disappear during pandemic [The Sun-Gazette, Exeter]
… Normally ag industries are what carry Tulare County’s economy through downturns thanks to its hard assets of land, mature plantings and equipment, but a quick glance at unemployment numbers last month show farms have lost more jobs than any other industry during the pandemic accounting for more than half of the unemployment in the county. … Tricia Stever Blattler, executive director of Tulare County Farm Bureau, said there have been farm labor shortages for years with fewer people working longer hours on each crew, which can lead to fruit being left on trees. … “Farmers will tell you that the higher labor costs are a factor in all this and more use of labor-saving devices will continue the trend,” Stever Blattler said
https://thesungazette.com/article/news/2021/01/27/farm-jobs-mysteriously-disappear-during-pandemic/
Fresno County health officials still focused on vaccinating farmworkers [KFSN TV, Fresno]
Farmworkers in Fresno County are already starting to get their doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, and health officials are working to get more vaccinated. They’ve kicked off their food and agriculture initiative in hopes of getting the vaccine to the most vulnerable. “We’re testing models to see how to get vaccines to our food and ag population,” says Fresno County Health Division Manager Joe Prado. “We have a big effort with Foster Farms next week and plan to vaccinate 1,000 individuals.” Prado, who’s leading Fresno County’s vaccination efforts, says they received about 8,000 vaccines this week.
https://abc30.com/fresno-county-health-vaccine-farmworkers/10046561/
How America’s food system could change under Biden [New York Times]
The transition memos from the left flank of American agriculture began piling up almost as soon as Joseph R. Biden Jr.’s presidential win was clear. … Tom Vilsack, who was agriculture secretary in the Obama administration and is likely to be confirmed by the Senate for another turn, said in an interview on Friday that he has already sketched out his agenda. … Topping the list is protecting Agriculture Department employees and people who process the nation’s food from the virus … Hunger relief is a pressing issue, as are two of his boss’s other priorities: promoting social justice and fighting climate change.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/26/dining/usda-food-policy-biden.html?searchResultPosition=2
Feds plan to update guidance for Klamath Project operations [Klamath Falls Herald & News]
Outgoing Interior Secretary David Bernhardt sent a parting gift to some irrigators in the Upper Klamath Basin earlier this month, issuing new guidance surrounding the Bureau of Reclamation’s operation of the Klamath Project. … The report found that, while some of Reclamation’s actions associated with storing water in Upper Klamath Lake and moving it around the Klamath Project do require ESA consultation, the agency can’t do so at the expense of water deliveries to Project irrigators.
CE+P announces grower program [Imperial Valley Press]
… California Ethanol + Power Chief Executive Officer David Rubinstein said Monday it is seeking formal commitments from local farmers to grow the first 20,000 acres of sugarcane feedstock for Sugar Valley Energy, the new 160-acre energy campus planned within the 5,000-acre Keystone Industrial Complex near Brawley. … “Imperial County Farm Bureau is excited to see this project come to fruition,” said Executive Director Brea Mohamed. “The Sugar Valley Growers program will offer an additional planting option for about 10 percent of our county’s acreage and give our farmers new opportunities.”
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