California Democrat Jim Costa in running to lead House Agriculture Committee [Sacramento Bee]
Fresno’s Rep. Jim Costa has thrown his hat in the ring to be the head of the House Agriculture Committee in the next Congress, a position with huge influence over federal policies affecting farmers and food supply in the U.S. The committee’s former chair, Rep. Collin Peterson, D-Minnesota, was ousted in his 2020 election and therefore will not serve in the next Congress. But Democrats will still control the House, so the position of chair is up for grabs. “Chairman Peterson is a friend and mentor and he leaves big shoes to fill,” Costa said in a statement Thursday. “Not only must this Committee address an unstable agricultural economy and a broken international trade system, but we must also feed millions of vulnerable Americans in the throes of a worldwide pandemic. This is a challenge I am ready to accept.”
https://www.sacbee.com/news/california/article247020962.html
In global trade, California will have an ally in a Biden administration [CalMatters]
A majority of Californians are overjoyed at the victory of President-elect Joe Biden and fellow Californian Sen. Kamala Harris as vice president-elect. One thing that is likely to be amplified is the increasing self-reliance that California has found in the domain of international affairs. California found its global voice, and the massive upgrade we will soon see in the White House will only strengthen this increasingly influential actor on the world stage. Gov. Gavin Newsom often refers to California as a nation-state, and he is correct. California is a powerhouse. We have the fifth largest economy in the world ahead of the United Kingdom and France, and Los Angeles County has the 19th largest economy.
Boeing jets, other U.S. goods worth $4 billion face EU tariffs [Wall Street Journal]
The European Union will impose tariffs on $3.99 billion of Boeing Co. jets and other U.S. goods annually as part of a long-running trade dispute, the bloc’s trade chief said Monday. The EU had delayed imposing the tariffs since the World Trade Organization ruled in the bloc’s favor on Oct. 13 preferring not to proceed with tariffs before the U.S. election. Some officials had also suggested waiting until a new U.S. administration was in place in January….The tariffs will come into effect on Tuesday, EU officials said. The measures will include a 15% tariff on imports of all Boeing models, which will account for around 44% of the $4 billion in levies, an EU official said. Other goods, including some agricultural products, processed agricultural products and industrial products, will be hit with a 25% tariff.
On America’s farms, worries about regulation, hope for trade deals under Biden [Wall Street Journal]
Joe Biden’s election as president raises new questions for a U.S. farm sector whipsawed by turbulent years under President Trump. Some farmers said they worry a Democratic White House will mean stricter environmental regulations and other restrictions are on the way after the Trump administration eased rules governing water quality, meatpacking-plant operations, genetically engineered crops and greenhouse-gas emissions. “We have a fear of going backwards,” said Richard Guebert, who raises corn, wheat and soybeans near Ellis Grove, Ill., and serves as president of the Illinois Farm Bureau, a trade group.
Grand theft pomegranate: Valuable commodity scooped up from farms [Bakersfield Californian]
With at least three recent large-scale thefts of commercial pomegranates in Kern County at an estimated value of $20,000, grand theft of the fruit has been an issue both locally and statewide for a variety of reasons. In October, the Kern County Sheriff’s Office’s Rural Crime Investigation Unit made two unrelated arrests in the grand theft of pomegranates that totaled $10,000 to $15,000 in value, according to the unit’s senior deputy, Tanner Miller. On Tuesday, a man was arrested just north of the Kings County line after being found with about $6,000 worth of pomegranates in his truck bed, suspected to be stolen from a nearby Kern County farm….Agricultural commodity theft has been a chronic problem for California farms and ranches, according to Dave Kranz, director of publications and media relations at the California Farm Bureau Federation. He said pomegranate theft falls in line with issues that have plagued almonds, pistachios, walnuts, avocados and even cattle. “In some cases, people steal crops for their personal use; often, the crops are stolen to be sold illegally on roadsides, at flea markets,” Kranz said.
Housing for the Harvest program expands to Imperial County [Imperial Valley Press]
As the region’s agriculture production shifts to fall and winter crops, Imperial County has joined a growing list of counties that are participating in a state program to assist farmworkers who test positive for COVID-19. The addition of Imperial and Yolo counties brings to 12 the number of California counties participating in the Housing for the Harvest program. The program announced by Gov. Gavin Newsom in July to provide temporary hotel housing options for farm and food processing employees to self-isolate if they are COVID-19 positive and do not require hospitalization, or have been exposed and cannot properly self-isolate at home. “Housing for the Harvest is an essential tool to help protect the health of our agricultural workers, their families and local communities, as well as the food supply we all rely on,” said California Department of Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “CDFA is very pleased to welcome Yolo and Imperial counties to this effort, and we look forward to expanding the program with additional local partners across the state.”
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