They grow the nation’s food, but they can’t drink the water [New York Times]
Water is a currency in California, and the low-income farmworkers who pick the Central Valley’s crops know it better than anyone. They labor in the region’s endless orchards, made possible by sophisticated irrigation systems, but at home their faucets spew toxic water tainted by arsenic and fertilizer chemicals….Many factors have led to the groundwater contamination reflected in the state’s data, but public health experts say the region’s agriculture industry has played an outsize role….It is exceedingly difficult to say with certainty whether any illness is directly tied to specific environmental factors, including contaminated water.
‘It’s not ideal’: May rains present high risk of damage to wine grapes [Santa Rosa Press Democrat]
May showers have put a damper across North Coast vineyards, wetting them at an inopportune time when they’re nearly blooming and raising the risk of damaged wine grapes and a smaller 2019 yield for certain varieties. Because of the pelting rains and accompanying windy conditions, chardonnay and pinot noir grapes have the greatest chance to suffer from shatter, the term used by vintners when a grapevine’s delicate flowers don’t pollinate and develop into grapes….The full extent of the crop damage won’t be known for a few weeks until fruit set — when the small flowers are fertilized and transformed into tiny grapes.
https://www.pressdemocrat.com/business/9610980-181/rain-and-windy-weather-causing
California strawberry growers lose thousands of berries to recent rains [Santa Cruz Sentinel]
Strawberry fields for now, not forever, are losing good berries because of recent rains. Dane Scurich, president of Scurich Berry Farms Inc. and a Driscoll’s strawberry and blackberry grower, said he expects to start cleaning up the damage from the weather in the next day or so, but can knock growers out of production for four to five days depending on the climate….Carolyn O’Donnell, communications director at the Strawberry California Commission, said because strawberries are grown outdoors, growers expect weather-related damage to happen….She said strawberries bloom throughout the season, unlike one-time blooming fruits such as apples and peaches, so a shorter supply doesn’t have a major effect.
U.S. garlic growers profit from trade war as most farmers struggle [Reuters]
Unlike millions of other U.S. farmers, garlic growers are profiting from the trade war with China and have cheered President Donald Trump’s latest economic attack accordingly. Sales of California-grown garlic are now increasing after decades of losing ground to cheaper Chinese imports. Sales are poised to get even better as Chinese garlic faces even higher tariffs, with no end to the trade war in sight….While many farmers are suffering through the trade war because they relied heavily on imports to China, U.S. garlic growers benefit because they rely overwhelmingly on domestic sales.
Tulare County supervisors to support water over high-speed rail [Visalia Times-Delta]
Tulare County Supervisors will vote to approve a letter of support for proposed legislation that will bring up to $3.5 billion for water infrastructure improvements. The money comes at a cost to California’s biggest undertaking — high-speed rail. Introduced by Congressman Kevin McCarthy (R-Bakersfield), H.R. 1600, the Repurposing Assets to Increase Long-term Water Availability and Yield (RAILWAY) Act, would divert recovered federal money from the California High-Speed Rail project to water infrastructure projects in California and the west….Supervisors will vote at Tuesday’s board meeting to formally support the legislation.
Editorial: Trump continues petty flame war against California, but fire season is coming [Sacramento Bee]
…President Trump’s rhetorical arson not only hurts California, but may help torch what’s left of his support in GOP-held congressional districts, such as the state’s 1st Congressional District, represented by Rep. Doug LaMalfa (R-Oroville), where the Paradise fire happened….Victims of California’s devastating infernos deserve better than nitpicky bookkeeping and petty spats. The Forest Service and the Trump Administration must honor their promises and let the CFAA run its course until 2020, when the American people can decide whether they want to continue the Trump administration’s flame war on California.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/editorials/article230630869.html
