Some California farmworkers haven’t had masks during wildfires. State investigating [Fresno Bee/CalMatters]
Availability of N95 masks for farmworkers looked as hazy as the orange sky in California this week. … The disconnect between worker and industry groups may be political — industry groups want to be known as good actors, while worker groups want more resources. But both sides admit the state program lacks a robust mechanism to track where each single-use air filtering device ends up. … In Fresno County, ag groups like the Fresno County Farm Bureau set up over a dozen distribution days, where growers and contractors were able to pick up masks, according to CEO Ryan Jacobsen.
https://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/article245477960.html
Access to PPEs, labor force among local agriculture’s needs, panel tells congressman [Santa Maria Times]
A lack of access to COVID-19 personal protective equipment and an adequate labor force are among the greatest needs of Central Coast farmers and growers, according to a panel of agriculture industry representatives. … Another issue, panelists said, is a lack of access to N-95 face masks for COVID-19 protection at reasonable prices. “We don’t have enough, and the ones we can get are very expensive,” said Brent Burchett, executive director of the San Luis Obispo County Farm Bureau. “Supplies here on the Central Coast are about depleted.” Teri Bontrager, executive director of the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, agreed. “They are very cost-prohibitive,” Bontrager said, adding the Farm Bureau has been getting a lot of calls from small farmers for help in obtaining masks.
Opinion: Kings County Farm Bureau: Preparing for harvest season [Hanford Sentinel]
… This week, a grower came to the Farm Bureau office looking for N-95 respirators for his employees. At 9 a.m., he walked into the office covered from head to toe in dust and looking as though he had already worked a 10-hour day. Not only was he there to pick up PPE for his full-time workforce, but he was also concerned for the harvest crew scheduled to work for him later in the week. While the job in front of him was harvesting a crop, his immediate concern was for the heath and well-being of his employees and the outside seasonal labor crew coming to work the harvest. This was no isolated incident.
California wine grape growers face unknown impact of smoke taint [Stockton Record]
… The impact wildfires will have on California’s $43.6 billion wine industry remains to be seen. But at this point, there are more questions than answers. … Closer to the wildfires, in Napa, Johnnie White with Piňa Vineyard Management and president of the Napa County Farm Bureau said smoke last Tuesday and Wednesday from the August Complex Fire to the north in Mendocino County, the largest in state history, was thick enough to turn day into night. … White, whose company farms 1,000 acres for 70 clients, said he’s spoken with some winemakers who don’t plan to make a vintage this year, while others are determined to make the best of it.
Are climate change or poor forest management worsening California fires? Yes [San Francisco Chronicle]
… Tree problems and a changing environment are not the only explanations for the fiery crisis, but they are an important part of the equation — and one that will continue to challenge the state in the months and years ahead. … UC Berkeley professor Scott Stephens saw some of it coming. … To better contain the risk of mega-fires going forward, Stephens thinks California will need to drastically expand its prescribed burning — and sustain the practice in perpetuity. … The state and federal governments have inked a new partnership through which they will aim to treat 1 million acres of California forests annually, with intentional burns making up a key component of the regimen.
Californian investigation, COVID cases spur bill requiring employers disclose workplace outbreaks [Salinas Californian]
Gov. Gavin Newsom could arm California’s vast agricultural workforce and local public health officers with more information about workplace coronavirus outbreaks under a bill that’s on his desk. The “Right to Know” bill, AB 685, by Assemblymember Elouise Gómez Reyes, a Democrat from San Bernardino, would require California employers to notify their employees of COVID-19 cases, as well as alert county public health departments. … A monthlong investigation by CalMatters and The Salinas Californian uncovered reports of six outbreaks at seven companies that employ guest workers in four counties, sickening more than 350 workers. In many cases, both guest workers and county officials were kept in the dark.
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