Coronavirus: Farmworker safety hotline set up; county has four more Covid-19 deaths [Monterey Herald]
Touted as the first of its kind in the state, the Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has set up an around-the-clock confidential hotline for farmworkers and their families to report safety issues as the twin threats of COVID-19 and wildfire smoke challenge the “essential” labor force. Activated last week, the new farmworker safety hotline comes as the county continues to see the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have a disproportionate impact on the local agricultural industry and Latinos in general, who represent a large percentage of the workforce.
7 ways the pandemic has changed how we shop for food [New York Times]
… For the first time in a generation, Americans began spending more money at the supermarket than at places where someone else made the food. Grocers saw eight years of projected sales growth packed into one month. … Although kitchen fatigue is setting in for many, a new set of kitchen habits have been set. “People are moving on to more complex cooking, and we don’t see that going away,” said Rodney McMullen, the chairman and chief executive of Kroger. … He and others in the business say the Covid-driven return to the kitchen could change grocery shopping forever.
‘You can’t manage it’: Agriculture undersecretary takes heat during North State visit [Redding Record Searchlight]
As California burns, the U.S. undersecretary of agriculture got an earful of criticism Tuesday about how the nation’s forests are being managed. As part of his visit to the North State on Tuesday to learn more about the fires, U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary Jim Hubbard had a listening session in Red Bluff with about 20 ranchers, loggers and others who contract with the U.S. Forest Service. … LaMalfa said he hopes Hubbard can take what he heard from the group Tuesday and find solutions that lead to forests safer from large, destructive wildfires.
Bay Area farm loses 100,000 bay trees in fire — but it’s not the end for this spice company [San Francisco Chronicle]
… Paul Attard and his family, of Napa Mountain Spice Co., sell certified organic bay leaves to Spice Islands and other companies. … Due to the fire, Attard estimates the company will lose $1 million in sales, including of the bay leaf wreaths they normally sell during the holidays. California laurel trees, though, are uniquely prepared to survive fires, and it won’t be too long before the 42-year-old company can return to harvesting. … The family wasn’t so sure of their survival the last time this happened, in September 1988.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/food/article/Bay-Area-farm-loses-100-000-bay-trees-in-fire-15551171.php
Nation’s largest solar farm approved for Tulare County [Foothills Sun Gazette, Exeter]
… Environmental documents say the rural area is surrounded by agricultural uses including dry-land grain, irrigated crops, and grazing lands and scattered residential buildings. … The Tulare County Farm Bureau did submit a letter reminding the board of the law’s intent to preserve farm land and not to create solar farms, but ultimately agreed the project would give landowners with sparse access to irrigation water options to make their lands profitable. “We hope this is approved and affords the owners the opportunity to invest in farming in other more suitable regions,” Farm Bureau executive director Tricia Stever-Blattler wrote. “We remain vigilant to protect the Act’s original intent.”
Opinion: Join Napa County Farm Bureau campaign to defeat Proposition 15 [Napa Valley Register]
… Voters should be aware: Creating a new split-roll tax with Proposition 15 would result in the largest property tax increase in state history—and would likely mean the end for more multigenerational Napa county ag businesses. … Backers of Proposition 15 have tried to claim it exempts agriculture. But make no mistake: Agriculture is not exempt. … Proposition 15 and its proposed property tax increases would not only make California agriculture less competitive — it would make our agricultural businesses less viable.
