April 18, 2022
FARM BUREAU THIS WEEK
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In This Edition:
Calendar
Meetings This Week
County
State
Labor & Employment
US
Classifieds
Other News
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April 29-May 1 Home & Garden Show
May 11 Ag in the Classroom's Farm Day
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Apr 18 7:30am Taxpayers Assn Online
Apr 19 9:00am Board of Supervisors Agenda
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Lake levels as of Apr 6-7
Stumpy Meadows Percent full 100%
Folsom Reservoir Percent full 62%
Union Valley Reservoir Percent full 86%
Loon Lake Percent full 59%
Ice House Percent full 82%
Lake Aloha Percent full 81%
Caples Lake Percent full 89%
Echo Lake Percent full 24%
Silver Lake Percent full 56%
Sly Park Percent Full 81%
American River Flow 803.2 cfs (down from 809.6)
xx% indicates - reduction xx% indicates - increase xx% unchanged
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Agricultural Employment
Legislative committees are beginning to move bills of interest to California agricultural employers:
• AB 1751, by Assembly Insurance Committee Chair Tom Daly (D - Anaheim) extends the rebuttable presumption of work - relatedness of instances of COVID - 19 for workers compensation purposes originally created by SB 1159 (2020) until January 1, 2025. Farm Bureau and other organizations concerned about the possible impact of COVID - 19 claims on employers’ workers compensation costs oppose AB 1751 unless it is amended to shorten this extension to January 1, 2024. AB 1751 was approved by Assembly Insurance on a 10-1 vote on March 30 and re-referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
Legislation to require employers to mandate vaccination for all employees with no testing option to avoid vaccination (AB 1993, Wicks, D - Oakland) was scheduled hearing on March 30 and withdrawn at Wicks’ request. Wicks’ office released the following statement after withdrawing AB 1993 from consideration: “We are now in a new and welcome chapter in this pandemic, with the virus receding for the moment. This provides for us the opportunity to work more collaboratively with labor and employers to address concerns raised by the bill. That is why we have decided to put AB 1993 on pause, and allow space for these conversations to continue and progress.”
The Assembly Labor & Employment Committee approved four Farm Bureau- opposed bills on March 30:
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AB 2095 by Labor & Employment Committee Chair Ash Kalra (D - San Jose) is a retread of failed legislation Farm Bureau has previously opposed that requires reporting of compensation data correlated with various demographic factors like sex and race for the employer’s entire U.S. workforce to the Department of Industrial Relations for certification by the state as “high - road employers.” Such certifications and the data to support them will be public information, exposing employers to litigation by employment trial lawyers since the data will not include factors that might lead to differences in compensation like experience and location. The Labor & Employment Committee passed AB 2095 4-2 and re-referred it to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
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AB 2182 (Wicks) expands the anti-discrimination and reasonable accommodation protections of the Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA) to cover those with a new and very broadly defined category, people with “family responsibilities.” Farm Bureau and other employer representatives oppose AB 2182 over concerns about new discrimination litigation. Assembly Labor & Employment approved AB 2182 4-2 and referred it to the Assembly Judiciary Committee.
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AB 2243 (Garcia, D - El Centro) requires Cal/OSHA to submit proposed revisions to the Heat Illness Prevention Standard and the Wildfire Smoke Standard that would create new “ultra-high heat” procedures; require mandatory use of respirators when the Air Quality Index exceeds 200 but removes any requirement that poor air quality be associated with a wildfire; requires the agency to submit regulatory proposals to provide “additional protections for piece-rate workers;” and requires the agency to submit proposed revisions to the Heat Illness and Wildfire Smoke standards that are already well-defined, readily understood by agricultural employers and employees and Cal/OSHA. Farm Bureau opposes on the grounds that such changes to the Heat Illness and Wildfire Smoke regulations are best handled through the petition rulemaking process already provided for in the Labor Code and administered by the Cal/OSHA Standards Board; no such proposals have been submitted through that process. Labor & Employment approved AB 2243 4 - 2 and re - referred it to the Assembly Appropriations Committee.
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AB 2693 (Reyes, D - Colton) extends the requirement to report COVID - 19 outbreaks until January 2025. Farm Bureau opposes on grounds that such reporting is no longer necessary; AB 2693 passed Labor & Employment 4 - 2 and was re- referred to Assembly Appropriations.
On April 4, the Senate Labor, Public Employment and Retirement Committee approved Farm Bureau - opposed SB 1162 (Limon, D - Santa Barbara) 4 - 1 and re - referred it to Senate Judiciary Committee. SB 1162 requires collection and dissemination of overly - broad and vague compensation information and requires employers to furnish “pay scales” to potential job candidates reducing employers’ flexibility in setting compensation.
On April 5, Cal/OSHA released draft language likely to be adopted by the Cal/OSHA Standards Board at its April 21 meeting to readopt the COVID - 19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) originally adopted in November 2020, readopted in June 2021, and readopted for the second time permitted by the Administrative Procedures Act in December 2021. The Governor’s February 28, 2022, executive order extended the life of the second readoption, allowed the Standards Board to readopt the ETS for a third time, and extends its life to December 31, 2022. The draft 3rd readoption eliminates requirements for surface disinfection and cleansing, deletes references to “fully vaccinated” to distinguish among employees; requires employers to furnish N95 respirators on demand to employees regardless of vaccination status, and ties quarantine and workplace exclusion requirements to guidance issued by the California Department of Public Health.
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Forestry and Wildfire
The Wildfire and Forest Resilience Task Force issued a Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial Fire to expand the use of prescribed fire and cultural burning to build forest and community resilience statewide – efforts critical to forest management and wildfire mitigation. By expanding the use of beneficial fire, the state can utilize smart burning tactics on brush and other fuels to help both prevent the start of fires and mitigate the spread of wildfires.
Based on a collaborative effort of the state’s leading fire experts and managers, the Strategic Plan sets a target of expanding beneficial fire to 400,000 acres annually by 2025, a shared goal between state, federal, tribal, and local entities – part of an overall goal to treat 1 million acres annually in California by 2025. The state invested $1.5 billion in wildfire resilience in 2021 alone, including significant support for prescribed fire and cultural burning.
Some notable comments: “We know that returning good fire to the ground is one of our best tools in the fight against catastrophic wildfire and climate change,” said Task Force Co- Chair and California Secretary for Natural Resources Wade Crowfoot. “This Strategic Plan includes the key steps we need to take over the next few years to build capacity, return to a culture of beneficial fire, and invest in our future.” And from the federal government:
“This plan is vital to improve the health and resilience of the state’s forests, reduce wildfire risk of vulnerable communities, and increase stewardship by Native American fire practitioners,” added Task Force Co- Chair and U.S. Forest Service Regional Forester Jennifer Eberlien.
The key elements of the Strategic Plan include:
- Launching an online prescribed fire permitting system to streamline the review and approval of prescribed fire projects;
- Establishing the state’s new Prescribed Fire Claims Fund to reduce liability for private burners;
- Beginning a statewide program to enable tribes and cultural fire practitioners to revitalize cultural burning practices;
- A prescribed fire training center to grow, train, and diversify the state’s prescribed fire workforce;
- An interagency beneficial fire tracking system;
- Pilot projects to undertake larger landscape - scale burns; and
- A comprehensive review of the state’s smoke management programs to facilitate prescribed fire while protecting public health. The Action Plan will be funded by a proposed $1.2 billion additional investment in forest health for fiscal years 2022- 23 and 2023- 24.
Related legislation supported by California Farm Bureau includes Senator Dodd’s SB 926, which passed from the Senate Government Organization Committee with bipartisan support on April 6, 2022. The bill moves to Senate Appropriations with a recommendation it be placed on the Consent Calendar, meaning the bill likely will not face any opposition or members voting against the bill and it should move onto the Assembly.
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Gas Tax Relief
The drama continues around Assembly member Kiley’s AB 1638. Last week, the bill was amended during the Assembly Transportation Committee hearing in a real time maneuver by Assembly Democrats rarely seen. AB 1638 was effectively gutted and replaced with an approach to provide gas tax relief to consumers through a fund directly paid into by gas suppliers. The bill passed from Assembly Transportation on a 9 - 4 partisan line vote, with Republicans opposing a Republican bill and Democrats supporting. Now on the Assembly floor, for two consecutive days leading into the legislation spring recess, Assembly member James Gallagher, the lower house’s Republican minority leader, has withdrawn unanimous co(permission) of all those Members present, absent any objection, debate, or vote on the adoption of the committee amendments for two consecutive days. Clearly, the legislative and political maneuvering around the cost of gasoline and California’s gas tax is far from resolved.
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Land Use
A bill by Assemblymember Jim Patterson, AB 1773, passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee and will now be heard in the Assembly Local Government Committee following recess. This bill would appropriate $40 million for subvention funding for counties with lands enrolled in the Williamson Act. The bill was co- authored by Democrats and Republicans and passed out of committee unanimously.
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Marketing
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has announced a vacancy on the Shell Egg Advisory Committee, which is responsible for making recommendations to the Secretary on quality standards for shell eggs, uniformity of inspection, adjustment of fees for administration and enforcement, and the annual budget. The vacancy is for one alternate industry member for a term to expire March 16, 2025. Individuals interested should send a brief resume by April 18, 2022 to: Ms. Penny Arana / Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch 1220 N Street / Sacramento, California 95814 penny.arana@cdfa.ca.gov.
A Farm Bureau supported bill, AB 2153 (Joaquin Arambula, D - Fresno), passed the Assembly Human Services today. This bill would expand the existing EBT Fruit and Vegetable Pilot Program to allow CalFresh recipients to receive additional funds for purchasing California grown fruit and vegetables at certified farmers’ markets and retail locations. The bill will now be heard in the Assembly Agriculture Committee.
AB2500 (Joaquin Arambula, D - Fresno) would establish a Farm to Hospital Grant Program at the Department of Food and Agriculture. This program would provide funds to state and non - profit hospitals to purchase California - grown agricultural products and fund infrastructure improvements in hospital kitchens to prepare more agricultural product. The bill passed the Assembly Agriculture Committee, and the bill will now be heard in the Assembly Health Committee. Farm Bureau supports this bill.
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Pesticides
The Assembly Environmental Safety and Toxic Materials Committee heard a Farm Bureau opposed bill AB 2146 (Rebecca Bauer - Kahan, D - San Ramon) last week. This bill would prohibit the use of neonicotinoids for all users in California, with an exemption for agricultural purposes and under an emergency use declared by the Director of the Department of Pesticide Regulation. The bill will now be referred to the Assembly Appropriations Committee to be heard after the Legislative recess.
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Rural Broadband
Two bills have been recently amended that take different approaches to increase access to affordable broadband in communities that are often overlooked by internet service providers.
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Assembly member Eduardo Garcia amended his AB 2751 this week. The bill sits in the Assembly Communications and Conveyance Committee and as amended, would require the Department of Technology to establish and implement a Net Equality Program. The program would only allow for the state to contract with an internet service provider (ISP) that offers affordable home internet plans, as identified by the California Public Utilities Commission. Because the state cannot regulate broadband directly, ISPs can create an affordable home internet plan voluntarily. AB 2751 would create minimum performance and maximum monthly costs ($40) for the plans. If the bill makes it into law, it could be a useful incentive to encourage the largest ISPs that conduct business in California and seek to do business with the state to make sure that all communities have access to broadband.
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While the state is prohibited from directly regulating broadband providers, it is permitted to regulate video cable television providers (cable TV) under authority granted by the federal government. Last year, Senator Caballero’s SB 28 amended the statute that governs how cable TV providers are regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission for the first time in over fifteen years. Recognizing that the previously mentioned ISPs and cable TV networks are often one and the same, Assembly member Chris Holden has now jumped through the window that Senator Caballero opened with AB 2748: The Digital Equity in Video Franchising Act of 2022. The bill completely guts existing law, replacing it with a modern video franchising framework that acknowledges that while broadband is outside the scope of state regulations, the real work reality is such that the same network delivering cable TV also provides home internet to the vast majority of Californians. Together, the two bills use different approaches to increase broadband network development, and pricing to make it accessible and affordable in the communities still lacking service – namely rural, lower income census tracts.
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Water
The California Department of Food and Agriculture has selected 11 organizations to receive $5 million in funding through a new competitive grant program, the Water Efficiency Technical Assistance (WETA) program. WETA allocates funds to support technical assistance for water efficiency and nutrient management for California farmers and ranchers. Supported activities include providing on - farm pump and irrigation system evaluations and recommendations, providing pump efficiency testing, and delivering training in irrigation efficiency and nutrient management. The full list of awardees can be found here.
Farm Bureau has discovered a two - page “Drought Well Drilling Requirements Fact Sheet” to help understand requirements in Governor Newsom’s Executive Order N-7-22 issued last week.
The Fact Sheet clarifies that local well permitting agencies retain permitting and enforcement authority, however they must consult with the local Groundwater Sustainability Agency to verify the permit will not adversely impact the Groundwater Sustainability Plan adopted. Additionally, the local well permitting agency must determine the new or replacement well will not interfere with existing nearby wells. Farm Bureau sent a copy of the Fact Sheet to each county Farm Bureau in an email this week.
A measure that would take a comprehensive approach to addressing California’s chronic water shortage passed out of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee last week 13 - 0 with two members absent. As previously reported AB 2078 (Heath Flora, R - Ripon) would expand the Department of Water Resources Atmospheric Rivers research, mitigation, and climate forecasting program (AR Program) to include forecast - informed reservoir operations (FIRO) and integrate FIRO into the department’s water supply operations and flood and hazard risk mitigation efforts. The bill would also advance the department’s atmospheric river forecast capabilities and include refined climate projections for various environmental conditions. Farm Bureau is in support.
A measure to implement a recommendation in a recent report by the Planning and Conservation League (PCL) passed out of the Assembly Water, Parks and Wildlife Committee this week 9 - 4 with Assembly members Dahle, Nguyen, Salas, and Smith voting No. AB 2639 (Bill Quirk, D - Hayward) is one of several bills introduced to implement the PCL/water law professors’ recommendations contained in a recent report entitled, “Updating California Water Laws to Address Drought and Climate Change.” Farm Bureau opposes the measure unless amended to soften the date and remove the water rights moratorium language.
SB 880 (John Laird, D - Santa Cruz) passed out of the Senate Appropriations Committee this week 6 - 0 with one member absent. As previously reported, SB 880 would extend indefinitely the January 1, 2023, sunset of existing law authorizing those who divert 100 acre feet of water or more per year to be considered qualified to install and maintain their water diversion measurement devices if they take a course taught by the University of California Cooperative Extension and pass a proficiency test. Farm Bureau supports.
A measure that would provide the State Water Resources Control Board with authority to allow water diverters options to use remote sensing methodology to measure water diversion and use amounts passed out of the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee this week 8 - 0. SB 832 (Bill Dodd, D - Napa) took technical amendments in Committee to correct drafting errors. With these amendments Farm Bureau supports.
A measure that would dissolve the State Water Resources Control Board was amended in the Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee last week. SB 1219 (Melissa Hurtado, D - Sanger) as introduced would have dissolved the State Water Board as of January 1, 2025, and designate the Department of Water Resources as the successor. As amended this week, the measure would require the Secretary of the Natural Resources Agency and the Secretary of Cal/EPA to convene a committee to develop and submit recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature for modernizing California water laws and regulations, and state and local water agencies. Farm Bureau is closely monitoring SB 1219, but has not taken a position.
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Cal/OSHA Releases Draft of COVID-19 ETS 3rd Readoption: On April 6, Cal/OSHA released draft language for the 3rd readoption of the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) originally adopted in November 2020, readopted in June 2021, and readopted for the second time permitted by the Administrative Procedures Act in December 2021.
The language as written by Cal/OSHA is likely to be adopted by the Cal/OSHA Standards Board at its April 21 meeting. Governor Newsom’s February 28, 2022 executive order extended the life of the second readoption to May 6, authorized the Standards Board to readopt the ETS for a third time, and extends the life of the 3rd readoption to December 31, 2022.
You can find more information, including links to the Cal/OSHA Standards Board's ETS regulation page and CDPH's April 6 return-to-work guidance at COVID-19 News & Resources on FELS' webpage.
Warmer Weather In California: The past week in California has seen significantly warmer weather throughout interior areas of the state. While conditions will moderate in most places in the upcoming week, warmer weather will return, and with it the need to be mindful of the Heat Illness Prevention (HIP) standard. Key requirements of the HIP include:
Acclimatization: In the Springtime, most employees are not yet acclimated to warmer temperatures. Careful monitoring of employees who are unacclimated to warmer temperatures is a key requirement of the HIP Standard.
Water: The HIP standard requires provision of enough fresh water to allow employees to drink a quart per hour throughout the work shift.
Shade: The HIP standard requires provision of shade on-demand at all times, and shade must be present at all times when the temperature exceeds 80 degrees F.
Farm Labor Survey: Farm Bureau Needs Your Feedback! FELS’ parent organization, California Farm Bureau, is conducting an important survey with research partners at the University of California, Davis and Arizona State University and would appreciate your input. We expect the survey to take about 10 minutes to complete. The purpose of this survey is to collect information about how farmers are adapting to reduced farm worker availability, how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted farming operations (including costs), and the extent to which labor-saving technologies are helping mitigate problems stemming from labor shortages.
The results from the survey will be used for a statistical study and will be used to inform farmers, community leaders, policy makers, and other interested parties about how these issues are impacting the agricultural sector in California. Your responses will remain anonymous, confidential, and will be grouped together with everyone else’s for the statistical analysis. Your identity will never be recorded or revealed. The findings of the study will be made available to the public.
Here is a link to the online survey. The quality of this study depends on your involvement, and we hope you will take a few minutes to respond. Please feel free to click to get started.
UPCOMING FELS TRAININGS & WEBINARS
April 29, 2022 (webinar): California’s Newest (and Vaguest) Employer Mandate: What Will California Privacy Rights Act Require You to Do to Safeguard Employee’s Data: The CPRA significantly amends the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA) by broadening businesses' obligations under the CCPA and creating the California Privacy Protection Agency, the first statewide privacy regulatory agency, to enforce the CCPA. California employers with more than $25 million in annual gross revenue need to be prepared to comply with the new requirements by January 1, 2023. Seth Mehrten of FELS Group Legal Services Program partner firm Barsamian & Moody explains the new requirements and how to best prepare for compliance in the lead-up to the law's effective date.
May 25, 2022 (webinar): ALRB Do's and Don'ts: An Overview of the Agricultural Labor Relations Act and the Agricultural Labor Relations Board: Rights to protected concerted activity and other rights protected by the Agricultural Labor Relations Act (ALRA) apply to employees even in non-union workplaces. Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) chair Victoria Hassid will offer insight into the Board's enforcement of these rights.
April 13, May 10 and June 7, 2022 (in-person training): Mandatory Produce Safety Training: The Food Safety Training Partnership, a cooperative effort of California Farm Bureau, Farm Employers Labor Service, and the Safe Food Alliance, is offering produce safety training required by the federal Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). Trainings will be offered in-person in Santa Rosa, Escondido and Salinas. The $35 training fee is substantially supported by a grant from the California Department of Food and Agriculture.
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USDA To Compensate Drought-Stricken Ranchers for Above Normal Costs to Haul Livestock to Forage
Due to the persistent drought conditions in the West, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering additional relief through the Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-raised Fish Program (ELAP) to help ranchers cover above normal costs of hauling livestock to forage or other grazing acres. This policy enhancement complements previously announced ELAP compensation for hauling feed to livestock. ELAP livestock and feed hauling assistance is retroactive for 2021 and will be available for losses in 2022 and subsequent years.
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AMS' Farmers Market Promotion Program & LocalFood Promotion Program Grants Program Webinar
The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), Fresno State Office of Community & Economic Development (OCED), and USDA Office of Partnerships & Public Engagement (OPPE) are partnering to host an AMS’ Local Ag Marketing Program Grants Overview webinar on Tuesday, April 19 from 11 a.m. to Noon PST. The USDA session will have a particular focus on the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) and the Local Food Promotion Program (LFPP). FMPP supports direct to consumer markets like farmers markets and CSAs and the LFPP supports indirect to consumer markets like food hubs and value-added product incubators. The grant programs benefit agricultural systems in collaboration with states, municipalities, tribal governments, universities, and agricultural businesses. The programs are designed to support the economic development for communities and commodities by funding projects that enhance the marketability and competitiveness of U.S. agricultural products.
To register, visit:
We look forward to you joining us for this webinar. Please feel free to share this invitation with others who may be interested in joining.
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American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment Grant Program -Webinar Recording Now Available
Thank you for your interest in the American Rescue Plan Technical Assistance Investment (ARPTAI) Program. The APRTAI homepage is now live.
Below are a few important links to provide detailed information about the program, purpose, priorities, types of applications accepted, the award process and more.
If you have any additional questions please feel free to reach out to Sydney Turner, USDA NIFA Program Specialist, by email at sydney.turner@usda.gov.
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El Dorado County https://www.governmentjobs.com/careers/edcgov
Placerville City https://www.cityofplacerville.org/jobs
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El Dorado Ag In The Classroom has opportunities on several committees: Program, Finance, Development, and Marketing. If you have interest in serving as a volunteer on one of these please send an email here.
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Is there a story you'd like to share with our members? Let us know at admin@edcfb.com
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Ukraine War Drives Food Prices to Record High
Global food prices hit a new record high in March, the United Nations said Friday, as the war in Ukraine threatens food shortages in some of the world’s poorest countries and deeper inflation challenges for Western food manufacturers. The war has disrupted Ukraine’s prodigious exports of wheat, sunflower oil and other produce, and impacted food exports from Russia, upending a part of the world that has become increasingly important to feeding a growing global population. The absence of produce from the region is also lifting the prices of commodities produced elsewhere as countries and companies seek alternatives to their usual supplies. Higher grain prices in particular also threaten a knock-on impact on beef and other meat as producers rely heavily on grain to feed livestock and poultry. The higher costs mean some of the largest food companies in the U.S. will likely continue to raise prices on consumers for products from cereal to deli meat, analysts say. The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization said Friday that its Food Prices Index—a measure of the most commonly traded food commodities—rose 12.7% to hit 159.3 points last month, up from a previous high of 141.4 in February. The March reading is the highest since the index was developed in 1990.
Richest Agriculture Family’s Fortunes Jump as Food Prices Surge
Rising food prices and turbulent global commodities markets are fueling a surge in wealth for the billionaire family behind America’s largest closely held company. Three more members of the Cargill family -- siblings James Cargill, Austen Cargill and Marianne Liebmann -- have joined the ranks of the world’s 500 richest people thanks to their stakes in Minnesota-based food processor Cargill Inc. Each has a net worth of $5.3 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, up 20% this year. Big food companies have been beneficiaries of the shortages and volatility. Agricultural trading house Louis Dreyfus Co. said in March that profit surged 82% last year on grain price fluctuations and strong margins in oilseeds. The valuations of some the largest publicly traded food companies are rising fast, with Illinois-based Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. up more than 25% since Russia invaded in late February.
Opinion: Fresno woman feels saddened, disoriented as she witnesses the removal of raisin vineyards [Fresno Bee]
Valley Voices: Raisins have been produced in the Fresno area for almost 150 years. We used to be the “Raisin Capital of the World.” Now, our local vineyards are being razed at an alarming rate. . Our old identity has run its course. All I hear is a death rattle. Viticulture isn’t easy. The price of farm labor is high. So is the cost of electricity to pump water and fertilizer to support the land. To ease these burdens, some farmers have gravitated toward drip irrigation or mechanized picking. But even with these cost-saving measures, producing raisins hardly pencils out when you’re not getting a good price for your product. Many raisin farmers have transitioned to new crops. Others have abandoned tangled rows altogether until they decide what to do next. Anyone associated with the raisin industry has been pressed into some kind of corner.
Farms, fish on dry California-Oregon border see scant water
More than 1,000 farmers and ranchers who draw water from a 257-mile-long (407-kilometer) river that flows from the Upper Klamath Lake to the Pacific Ocean will have access to roughly one-seventh the amount they could get in a wetter year, a federal agency announced Monday. Downstream salmon will receive about half the water they’d get if the reservoir was full. It's the third year in a row that severe drought has impacted farmers, fish and tribes in a region where there's not enough water to satisfy competing demands. Across the American West, a 22-year megadrought deepened so much last year that the region is now in the driest spell in at least 1,200 years — a worst-case climate change scenario playing out in real time, a study found last month. Irrigators reacted with shock and anger to the news and said they weren’t sure they could survive another growing season without adequate water supplies. The amount of water available is less than 15% of what the farmers need, said Ben DuVal, president of the Klamath Water Users Association, who operates a farm in Tulelake, California.
PG&E reaches $55 million deal to end criminal investigations in six fire-torn counties
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. struck deals worth upward of $55 million with six counties devastated by wildfires on Monday, agreements that place the utility under five years of independent oversight and end the threat of criminal convictions for starting the 2019 Kincade Fire and last year’s million-acre Dixie Fire in the Sierra Nevada. One agreement halts PG&E’s criminal trial in Sonoma County, where prosecutors had accused the company of recklessly allowing an abandoned transmission line to dangle from a tower in a fire-prone area. The other ends criminal inquiries by prosecutors in Butte, Lassen, Plumas, Shasta and Tehama counties, who were investigating PG&E’s management of the tree that fell onto its power lines as well as the 10 hours it took to find the first flames of the Dixie Fire. Instead, the company agreed to give millions of dollars to local health clinics, educational programs and nonprofits, and to hire more employees in those counties. PG&E is barred from recovering any costs associated with the settlements through rate increases.
Great Plains could see its most significant drought in a decade
This summer, the Plains could be at risk for another extreme drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 70 percent of the Southern Plains region is currently in a severe drought or worse (D2+). This is up from just 7 percent six months ago. As a result, farmers have abandoned a large amount of winter wheat, affecting both supplies in the country as well as potential exports. Winter wheat conditions for the country are the poorest they have been in the last 20 years for the beginning of April. In the Plains, the amount of winter wheat in good to excellent condition is a mere 30 percent (down from 53 percent last year), and the amount in poor to very poor conditions is 36 percent, up 20 percentage points from last year.
EPA will allow more ethanol in gas this summer in bid to tame prices
The Biden administration plans to temporarily allow high-ethanol content gasoline to be sold in the hot summer months in a bid to tame high fuel prices at the pump, according to senior administration officials. The decision will allow gasoline with 15% ethanol to be sold between June 1 and Sept. 15. Normally only a 10% ethanol blend can be sold during that time period to reduce smog caused by the 15% blend’s higher volatility. Oil-industry officials have questioned whether such moves would lower prices. Higher ethanol blending can sometimes raise prices on refiners. Corn prices, like oil, have also seen sharp increases this year because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Environmental Protection Agency will cite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in issuing an emergency exemption to allow fuel with 15% ethanol to be sold over the summer, the officials said. They announced the action ahead of Mr. Biden’s visit to an ethanol plant in Iowa on Tuesday.
As California gets its final winter rains, drought is setting up a water battle
On a recent day in the San Joaquin Valley, the rain falling outside was cause for celebration for Aaron Fukuda. "For us, water is a mood," Fukuda, president of the Tulare Irrigation District, said over the phone. The state's rainy season typically ends April 1, and for Fukada and his team, who manage water distribution to 230 farms in Tulare County, it's shaping up to be an even more challenging year than the last few. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation recently announced it would deliver less water to farm groups and cities. California is no stranger to this cycle. The state has struggled with water reliability for about a decade, and scientists and state officials have long worried about the chronic overdraft of the groundwater supply because over-pumping during drought causes water levels to drop and wells to go dry at faster rates. But this year is shaping up to promise an even greater tug of war between the agriculture industry and regulators as spring and summer arrive. Fukuda told the NewsHour that while farmers in his county are having to turn to groundwater due to low delivery amounts, there are plans in his irrigation district to cut back on how much can be pumped starting in May.
Editorial: PG&E is escaping wildfire prosecutions by paying a relative pittance. That’s outrageous
PG&E faced dozens of criminal charges, including multiple felony counts, and the possibility of further legal jeopardy for starting two catastrophic wildfires, including the second-largest in California history. Instead, it was afforded an opportunity available to few other recidivist criminals accused of such serious violations of the law: paying its way out of prosecution. The district attorneys of six Northern California counties announced Monday that a settlement with Pacific Gas and Electric Co. would allow it to avoid acknowledging any wrongdoing in the Kincade and Dixie fires. PG&E previously pleaded guilty to 84 counts of involuntary manslaughter in the 2018 Camp Fire, which laid waste to the Butte County town of Paradise and was the deadliest in state history. This settlement, by contrast, conforms to a broader pattern of unearned dispensation for a company that has proved it should not continue to exist in its current form.
Biden’s Ethanol Move Boosts Producers, Worries Meat Companies
The Biden administration’s plan to temporarily allow higher ethanol blends in gasoline is set to boost U.S. ethanol producers like Archer Daniels Midland Co. ADM +0.01% , Green Plains Inc. GPRE 4.10% and Poet LLC, while lifting demand for farmers’ corn, agriculture-industry executives and analysts said. The Biden administration said that increasing use of gasoline with 15% ethanol, known as E15, over the summer months would help lower consumers’ fuel costs, which have climbed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The decision is seen as a win for corn growers and ethanol-producing companies, though some groups said they fear it could further inflate food prices by making grain more expensive. President Biden said the move would support farmers and the farm economy while lowering prices at the pump.
The Fertilizer Shock Might Change Agriculture—for the Better
Since the Russian invasion in Ukraine, fertilizer shipments out of Russia have been severely disrupted, with some domestic producers intentionally holding back supply in response to Western sanctions and many major shipping lines unwilling to touch the product if they could even get it. Shortages in Brazil, the top destination for Russian shipments, as well as in other countries that rely on Russia for supplies, including India and China, could result in smaller harvests and higher crop costs. The Food and Agriculture Organization warned in a report last month that food and feed prices could climb by as much as 22% in the 2022-23 marketing season as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, increasing the risk of malnutrition and even famine.
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2021/2022 Board of Directors
President . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mike Ranalli
Secretary . . . . . . . . . . . . . Maryann Argyres
Treasurer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gordon Helm
Jim Davies
Chuck Bacchi
Bill Prosser
Carolyn Mansfield
Norm Krizl
Staff
Managing Director . . Barb Kildow admin@edcfb.com 530-622-7773 530-620-8292(cell)
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El Dorado County Farm Bureau News is a weekly publication for its members. Dues for membership are $185 for agricultural members, $150 for Business Ag Support, $72 for Associate members and $25 for Collegiate. Non-profit postage paid at Placerville, CA. Postmaster: Send changes to 2460 Headington Road, Placerville, CA 95667 El Dorado County Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products advertised in El Dorado County newsletter, nor does Farm Bureau assume responsibility for statements or expressions of opinion other than in editorials or in articles showing authorship by an officer, director or employee of El Dorado County Farm Bureau or its affiliates.
A private nonprofit organization serving El Dorado County agriculture since 1917.
2460 Headington Road, Placerville, CA 95667
530-622-7773
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