Why milk’s best sales in a decade won’t save struggling dairy farmers [Wall Street Journal]
… Sales of cow’s milk at supermarkets in the U.S. have risen 2% by volume this year from the comparable period last year, and more than 7% since the beginning of March, according to Nielsen, reversing 10 years of declines. Overall, though, domestic demand for dairy has dropped, as restaurants and hotels that purchase nearly a third of U.S. dairy products have closed because of the pandemic, and exports are expected to suffer. … That means milk’s most promising year in a decade won’t be enough to stop the long decline in the fortunes of some farmers that produced it, farmers and analysts said.
State fairgrounds find themselves in ‘survival mode’ [San Diego Union-Tribune]
Fairgrounds across California are in the same dire financial straits. … Some say they may be forced to close, including the 22nd District Agricultural Association in Del Mar. … A survey by the fairs association showed that 40 percent of agricultural districts will be out of money by December, Cummings said. … “It’s very important to help educate the public about the connections between agriculture and everyday life,” said Farm Bureau Executive Director Hannah Gbey. “We hope to see that continue.”
Central Valley water districts take aim at each other’s groundwater plans [Bakersfield Californian]
There is no tougher playground than California’s water world. Just take a look at the zingers flying back and forth between water districts on one another’s groundwater sustainability plans posted on the state Department of Water Resources’ website. … The plans are required under the state’s Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which mandates overdrafted basins come into balance by 2040. A torrent of letters on the lengthy and complex plans were posted in the days before the public comment period ended last week.
IID and farmer Michael Abatti square off over the Imperial Valley’s water [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
… The litigation centers on control over and access to water within the service area of IID, which holds valuable water rights in trust. The district released its Equitable Distribution Plan in 2013 that sought to lay out how different users would be apportioned water, especially if continued drought conditions forced caps on usage. Farmer Michael Abatti saw the plan as a threat to irrigators’ water access and quickly took IID to court in what has emerged as a knock-down, drag-out fight through the legal system across Southern California.
PG&E braces for a hard fire season, and blackouts, amid coronavirus pandemic [San Francisco Chronicle]
… PG&E has been trying to shore up its vast network of power lines that traverse 70,000 square miles from Bakersfield to Eureka. But none of that work will prevent the company from taking the controversial step of turning off electricity to prevent more fires during dry windstorms this year. After weathering intense criticism during last year’s fire-prevention blackouts, PG&E says it is working to make this year’s power shut-offs shorter and affect fewer people. But the company does not plan to hold back entirely on shutting down parts of its grid.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/PG-E-braces-for-a-hard-fire-season-and-15337346.php
California’s gas tax is going up again. Amid coronavirus, some say now is not the time [Los Angeles Times]
California’s gas tax is set to increase July 1, but some lawmakers are calling for a freeze on the higher levy, citing the financial burden of the coronavirus-spawned recession on millions of the state’s residents. … A group of Republican lawmakers says this is the wrong time to raise taxes on Californians. … Delaying or canceling the gas tax increase would require a vote of the Legislature, and Democrats who control the state Senate and Assembly say they have no plans to take that action.
Floyd Zaiger, prolific fruit breeder who brought new flavors to our lives, dies at 94 [Los Angeles Times]
Fruit breeders, who make crosses, plant experimental seedlings and evaluate them, generally labor in obscurity, but Floyd Zaiger, the most prolific and arguably the world’s greatest fruit breeder, was a high-profile exception. Over six decades he and his family developed 420 fruit and nut varieties patented in the United States — by far the greatest number of any fruit breeder — and introduced Pluots, firm but sweet white-fleshed peaches and nectarines, and fruit crosses such as Peacotums previously thought to be impossible. Zaiger died June 2 at his home in Modesto. He was 94.
https://www.latimes.com/obituaries/story/2020-06-12/floyd-zaiger-fruit-breeder-dies
