Less rice, more nuts: These charts show how California’s top crops are changing [San Francisco Chronicle]
California’s top crops have changed as drought strains the state’s water resources and farmers’ ability to access them. But that does not necessarily mean farmers are choosing crops that consume less water. Drought pushes farmers to shift their scarce water resources to crops with higher payoffs, such as nuts and vegetables, said Daniel Sumner, an agricultural economics professor at the UC Agricultural Issues Center — a trend particularly noticeable this year with its uniquely severe drought. A study Sumner co-authored using the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s survey data and The Chronicle’s analysis of the same data show California farmers are increasingly planting fewer acres of field crops, such as rice, wheat and cotton, and more tree nuts, such as almonds, pistachios and walnuts, which bring in more revenue per acre. Though federal data on crop acreage is often limited in providing a complete picture of all the farming that goes on in California and across the country, Sumner said it accurately reflects the broad trends of field crops’ decline.
US companies announce plans for gene-edited strawberries [The Associated Press]
An Idaho company that successfully brought genetically modified potatoes to the market announced an agreement Thursday to help a California-based plant breeding company grow strawberries they say will stay fresh longer and have a longer growing season. J.R. Simplot Company and Plant Sciences Inc., both privately-held companies, said they expect to launch the first commercially available, gene-edited strawberries within a few years. U.S. growers produced $2.2 billion in strawberries in 2020, mostly in California, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. But consumers discarded an estimated 35% of the crop due to spoilage. Simplot and Plant Sciences officials said genetically modified strawberries will help reduce waste, and make them available to consumers much of the year. The strawberries will contain genes from only strawberries, selecting desirable traits that have been cultivated over decades. Doug Cole, director of Marketing and Biotech Affairs at Simplot said the company submitted information to the Agriculture Department that determined the gene editing being used on strawberries replicates a natural process and doesn’t need regulatory approval before the strawberries are brought to the market. The company is also using that gene editing technique on potatoes.
Meatpacking plants were big COVID spreaders, USDA says. What it means for Fresno area [Fresno Bee]
A recent report from the USDA confirms what many have been saying for months — meatpacking factories were a “major catalyst” to the spread of COVID-19 during the early months of the global pandemic. The changes in safety policies and protocols in meatpacking plants during the pandemic likely led to decreased COVID-19 spread, the report concludes. While it’s the first industry-wide analysis of its kind from the USDA, some labor voices said the report doesn’t go far enough to explore the role of health and safety policies in curbing the spread of COVID-19. While none of the top 25 outbreaks in small, meatpacking-dependent counties listed in the report were based in California, the central San Joaquin Valley is home to a high concentration of beef and poultry slaughterhouse and processing plant facilities. Edward Flores of the UC Merced Community and Labor Center says the report remains instructive for California researchers and policymakers that make decisions on worker safety. While none of the top 25 outbreaks in small, meatpacking-dependent counties listed in the report were based in California, the central San Joaquin Valley is home to a high concentration of beef and poultry slaughterhouse and processing plant facilities.
https://amp.fresnobee.com/news/coronavirus/article255215961.html
Is Foster Farms looking for a potential sale? Here’s what the California-based company said [Modesto Bee]
Livingston-based Foster Farms, which also has a processing plant in Fresno, is considering selling the family-owned business, according to a report from Bloomberg. Asked for comment on Wednesday, officials from the poultry-producer did not deny the claims in the business news source’s reporting, but released a statement. “Foster Farms has and will continue to evaluate strategic partnerships — with customers, suppliers and other partners,” the statement said. “We are confident in our strategic plan, and will determine if partnerships further enhance our competitive position. Foster Farms is committed to keeping our employees, customers and community informed if any significant developments occur.” The company is working with an adviser as it solicits takeover interest from bidders including private equity firms, Bloomberg reported. Demand for poultry products has spurred some consolidation in the industry, the news source says.
https://www.modbee.com/news/california/article255328266.html
Water levels jump back up in West after long drought [ABC News]
A weekend storm that brought extreme atmospheric river and historic rain to Northern California has raised water levels in several water bodies, namely Lake Tahoe, Lake Oroville and Yosemite Falls. Yosemite Falls, which was announced to be “dry” last week by the Yosemite National Park, is back in action with flowing water after receiving at least 5 inches of rainfall from the weekend storm. Webcam footage from the park shows that the falls have water flowing through them again. Following suit, water levels at Lakes Tahoe and Oroville in California have also risen as a result of the historic rainfall. The water level at Lake Tahoe rose above its natural rim at 6,223 feet after having fallen to approximately 6,222.88 feet. Water levels at Lake Oroville currently stand at 656.01 feet above mean sea level after this weekend’s storm. Over the summer the lake reached a historic low amid exceptional drought causing the state’s Department of Water Resources to take a hydroelectric plant offline.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/water-levels-jump-back-west-long-drought/story?id=80789701
Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office files civil case against vintner Hugh Reimers for environmental damage [Santa Rosa Press-Democrat]
Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch has sued vintner Hugh Reimers and his business over environmental damage her office says was caused by improperly clearing land near Cloverdale to build a vineyard in late 2017. The prosecutor cited two specific causes of action in the case that was first filed in July by Deputy District Attorney Caroline Fowler against Reimers and his business, Krasilsa Pacific Farms: water pollution and stream bed alteration; and unfair business competition. The civil complaint was the result of an investigation that was led by the North Coast Regional Water Quality Board and the Sonoma County Department of Agriculture. The water board found in 2019 that Krasilsa Pacific violated the California Water Code and the federal Clean Water Act for clearing and grading 140 acres. The board concluded that the work on a section of the farm’s more than 2,000-acre property was done without applying or obtaining the necessary permits required by the county to operate a vineyard. The water board is in settlement negotiations with Reimers and Krasilsa over a cleanup and abatement order it issued over specific water code violations, said spokesman Josh Curtis. “If we cannot come to mutually acceptable terms, the regional water board will consider all its enforcement tools as options in resolving this matter to the benefit of our community and the people of California,” Curtis said in an email.
