The government has earmarked billions to help farmers. There will be winners and losers. [NBC News]
… On Tuesday, the Department of Agriculture announced the details of the largest slice yet, a $19 billion bailout called the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program. … Behind the scenes, members of Congress and lobbyists for interest groups have been vying for their say on how the money is spent. … Not everyone will be happy with Tuesday’s announcement; some commodities named as needing help — from catfish to craft beer, chicken to sod — are not eligible for direct payments in USDA’s initial list. “Farmers, just like everybody else, are frustrated by watching markets disappear, watching the economy spiral,” Veronica Nigh, an economist at the American Farm Bureau Federation, said. “They’re aware USDA doesn’t have enough money at their discretion to make them whole.”
Trump urges farmers to sign up for coronavirus relief [KGPE TV, Fresno]
The pandemic is hitting different forms of local agriculture in different ways, and $16 billion in federal coronavirus relief money is nearly ready for distribution to farmers and ranchers. Annie AcMoody, Director of Economic Analysis for Western United Dairies says dairies are especially hard-hit. … Fresno County Farm Bureau CEO Ryan Jacobson says other significant commodities like almonds and wine have also suffered dramatic pricing shifts.
Trump floats halt to U.S. cattle imports as pandemic hurts ranchers [Reuters]
President Donald Trump said on Tuesday the United States should consider terminating trade deals under which it imports cattle as he looks to help U.S. ranchers hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. The United States imports cattle from Mexico and Canada to supplement domestic supplies at lower prices and to slaughter in American plants run by companies like Tyson Foods Inc and JBS USA [JBS.UL]. Bans could reignite trade disputes. … Mexico’s beef industry expects exports to the United States to grow by double digits this year after the pandemic hobbled American meat plants.
Team of doctors visits farmworkers in Ventura County on site amid coronavirus pandemic [KABC TV, Los Angeles]
… Instead of telling the workers to go see a doctor, doctors go to workers. On an earlier visit at Chris Sayer’s ranch, a worker reported suspicious symptoms. “They actually pulled out their kit and suited up with their gowns, gloves and face shields and they were able to perform a test on him, right then and there. We had results back within 24 hours and thankfully it was negative,” Sayer said. … One of the largest clusters COVID-19 cases in California erupted at a Santa Paula packing plant. The company shut down for deep cleaning when the first case was detected, but 34 others would later test positive. Sweeping safety measures are now in place.
https://abc7.com/farmers-coronavirus-farm-workers-california/6197641/
Nut of the future? [Comstock’s magazine]
… Whereas almond trees and grapevines will die if deprived of irrigation for a year or less in a dry place like the San Joaquin Valley, pistachios can survive for years with almost no water. … Around the Central Valley, as far north as Colusa but mostly south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, pistachio production is rapidly accelerating. … Playing into the shift toward pistachios is the state’s restrictions on pumping groundwater that will soon take effect. … This surge in production has the environmentally conscious on guard. In the past 20 years, as nut acreage has increased, demand for water has stiffened.
https://www.comstocksmag.com/longreads/nut-future
Sharpshooter insects’ sexy vibrations spell trouble in the vineyard [KQED, San Francisco]
Entomologist Rodrigo Krugner has spent days on end listening to insects’ intimate conversations. … Krugner studies the mating calls of sap-sucking insects called sharpshooters at the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research facility in Parlier, near Fresno. … He has found a way to turn sharpshooters’ sexual habits against them to dissuade them from reproducing. … Krugner’s mating-disruption electromagnetic shaker, which he developed using glassy-winged sharpshooters as his model, is still in the prototype phase and hasn’t been adopted by growers yet. But he sees a lot of potential.
