Coronavirus to slow U.S. meat production for months, CEO says [Wall Street Journal]
The coronavirus will likely hamper U.S. meat production for months, as new safety measures and reduced staffing slow plant operations, said the head of the biggest U.S. beef producer. JBS USA Holdings Inc., which slaughters 23% of the country’s cattle and produces nearly one-fifth of its pork, is revamping plant operations to space workers farther apart while about 10% of its workforce has been sent home because of their higher risk from Covid-19, Chief Executive Andre Nogueira said.
Fresno adds new relief for small farms and businesses, also renters hurt by coronavirus [Fresno Bee]
The Fresno City Council approved $4 million on Thursday in relief programs for businesses, renters and small farms affected by the coronavirus pandemic. … It designated $500,000 for small farms. … While the council has previously approved money for business, Thursday’s legislation was the first to specifically benefit small farms, which fell through the cracks of the previous funding. “It’s a win-win,” Councilmember Esmeralda Soria said. “We help our farmers and the produce they have will go back into the community.”
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article242748916.html
Napa ag employers worry about financial impact of expanded workers’ compensation benefits [Napa Valley Register]
An executive order issued last week by Gov. Gavin Newsom meant to protect essential workers could threaten the viability of the very businesses they work for, business groups say. … Napa’s agricultural employers feel particularly burdened by the order, according to Napa County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Klobas, who said the order has been a topic of heated discussion among the bureau’s membership base. … That burden will likely come in the form of hikes in insurance premiums, according to Peter Nissen, whose Napa-based vineyard management company has operated in the North Bay for more than 40 years.
For farmers of wine grapes, the pandemic sows doubts [New York Times]
… The Covid-19 pandemic has jolted the American wine industry across the board, affecting each element — from production to distribution, sales and consumption — all the way back to the source, the farmers who grow the grapes. For many growers, the year has been thrown into turmoil. … Farmers are used to uncertainty. Bad weather, pests and blights are all to be expected and can often be taken in stride. But the pandemic poses a different sort of problem, for which they have no experience.
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/14/dining/drinks/wine-farmers-coronavirus.html
California cherry growers ‘have to be optimistic’ weekend rain doesn’t ruin harvest [KXTV, Sacramento]
… This weekend, a series of cold, wet storms will bring much-needed rain and snow to drought regions in Northern and Central California. But that rain isn’t great for every one. Rain is a cherry’s worst enemy. Any damage and they are unmarketable. When the rains came a year ago, more than half of the area’s cherries were ruined. … Bruce Blodgett, Executive Director of the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation, said the cherry survival could be “absolutely devastating” with rain coming late in the harvest season.
Agency cites ‘staggering’ cost of reining in US wild horses [Associated Press]
Federal land managers say it will take two decades and cost more than $1 billion over the first six years alone to slash wild horse populations to sustainable levels necessary to protect U.S. rangeland. The Bureau of Land Management’s latest plans envision capturing 200,000 mustangs over the next two decades. It also wants to build corrals to hold thousands more than current capacity and adopt regulations allowing the permanent sterilization of horses roaming federal lands for the first time. … Nevada Farm Bureau Executive Vice President Doug Busselman said accelerated roundups and sterilizations are long overdue.
Trump administration eases rules limiting truck driver hours [Associated Press]
The Trump administration eased rules Thursday that limit working hours for truck drivers, and the changes brought immediate protests from labor and safety groups. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration extended the maximum working day for short-haul drivers from 12 hours to 14 hours and expanded how far they can drive in a day. … The current limit of 11 hours of driving time in a work day was unchanged. … The changes are scheduled to take effect in September.
