Major thunderstorm sweeps through Fresno, warning issued for rain, hail [KFSN TV, Fresno]
… The National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm warning for Central California, which remains in effect until 3:30 pm. … In various parts of the Valley, hail pounded orchards, damaging sensitive crops. “The ground was just blanketed in white and that white this time of year can be very, very troubling, particularly for grapevine growers and anyone with tree crops,” says Ryan Jacobson, the CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. Jacobson says it could be several weeks before farmers can assess the damage.
https://abc30.com/weather-central-california/10404746/
My turn? SLO County pushes forward with a COVID-19 vaccine lottery system and a pilot program for inoculating farmworkers [New Times SLO]
… In late February, the vaccine task force approved a plan drafted by the SLO County Farm Bureau to begin vaccinating farmworkers in mid-March—the date is dependent on vaccine availability. … Brent Burchett, executive director for the SLO County Farm Bureau, said that compassionate multilingual outreach was a goal of the SLO County Farmworker Task Force that formed in November 2020. As a member of the task force, Burchett’s first course of action was educating and helping farmers with regulations and coronavirus testing to ensure the safety of their workers.
Editorial: ‘Hero pay’ initiatives are well-intentioned but misguided. Let’s try other things first. [Palm Springs Desert Sun]
… To be sure, grocery and drugstore workers, as well as farmworkers, risk contracting COVID-19 on the job. … But not all businesses in this realm have seen revenues surge in the past year. As growers in Coachella have pointed out, produce prices have dropped as restaurants have been largely shuttered and demand is down. … City councils have approved these measures rashly without considering the possible negative impacts. … Spending other people’s money is easy; crafting effective policy that is fair and wise is much harder.
Biofuel project proposed in McFarland would bury carbon from ag waste, produce alternative to diesel [Bakersfield Californian]
An Iowa technology company has proposed a first-of-its-kind bioenergy project in McFarland that’s expected to help cut a significant source of local air pollution while also reducing diesel emissions, burying carbon and employing about 50 local residents. The project spearheaded by Iowa-based technology company Frontline BioEnergy proposes to “gasify” about 300,000 tons per year of nut shells and other local ag waste and turn it into natural gas equivalent to 21 million gallons of gasoline.
Selma woman indicted on crop insurance fraud charges totaling nearly $800,000, feds say [Fresno Bee]
… According to court documents, from at least November 2013 through September 2016, Sihota controlled her family’s farms in Fresno and Tulare counties that produced table grapes, plums and other crops. … The indictment said throughout the period, Sihota and others caused her family’s farms to obtain federally backed crop insurance policies through the U.S. Department of Agriculture Risk Management Agency’s Federal Crop Insurance Program. “They then submitted fraudulent insurance claims for crop losses due to excessive heat, rain, and other reasons that did not actually occur,” the indictment says.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/crime/article249848783.html
Opinion: Countering Dem relief package, GOP proposes a huge giveaway to the rich [Los Angeles Times]
… I’ve written about the estate tax many times in the past, mainly because it’s a hobby horse that the GOP never seems to unsaddle. … That brings us to the assertion that the estate tax burdens family businesses and farms; advocates of repeal would have you think that the tax virtually threatens them with extinction. This is almost entirely mythical. According to IRS statistics, only 750 of the 6,329 estates filing tax returns listed farm assets among their holdings. About two-thirds of those were tax-exempt, leaving 269 owing any tax at all on farmland.
https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2021-03-10/gop-estate-tax-reform-lies
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