California Farm Bureau President Jamie Johansson today applauded President Joe Biden for signing the bipartisan Ocean Shipping Reform Act into law. Passed by the House of Representatives on Monday by a vote of 369-42, the measure seeks to address export backlogs and supply chain disruptions that have severely impacted agriculture. “Today’s signing by President Biden […]
Arriving in Washington, D.C., amid concerns over global conflict, the pandemic and inflation, the California Farm Bureau board of directors met with members of Congress, federal agencies and others on pressing issues affecting agriculture. Discussions focused on themes including the California drought, trade challenges and immigration and farm workforce issues. “This drought is even more […]
With farmers across California already facing severe cuts in irrigation supplies, state officials are now imposing additional aggressive conservation measures for urban consumers and local water agencies across the state. Emergency regulations, adopted May 24 by the California State Water Resources Control Board, are now targeting California cities and communities and the state’s nonagricultural landscapes. […]
With 60% of the state now in extreme drought conditions, state officials are warning water-right holders that they should expect more curtailments during peak irrigation season in June and July. In a statement last week, the state Division of Water Rights said “curtailments are expected to increase progressively through the spring and summer and continue […]
For decades, scientists have poked deep holes a few miles apart across the California landscape, seeking to better understand the characteristics of the state’s 515 groundwater basins in hopes of better managing and protecting them. Now, California water officials are deploying a new technology—and some new-age, aerial surveillance—to monitor groundwater supplies and aquifer health. The […]
Facing a third year of drought, leadership from county Farm Bureaus, spanning all regions of California, gathered in Sacramento last week to engage with state water officials about all things water. A changing climate, shrinking snowpack, water rights, aging infrastructure, groundwater regulations and solutions to the state’s water crisis were among the topics discussed at […]
It was cold the morning of December 29, 2021. It certainly wasn’t the coldest Christmas week the South Valley has seen, with light rains falling on and off that day. The chill could have been much worse, and for Tulare dairywoman Janie DeRaadt, it was. It’s a day that will be frozen in time for […]
As ongoing port congestion and persistent shipping obstacles continue to block movement of California agricultural goods, farmers and exporters face bulging warehouses and dwindling cash flow that threaten to sink some businesses. Tree nuts, fresh produce, dairy products and other California farm commodities struggle to find rides on vessels and containers in which to ship […]
Illegal dumping on private lands in rural communities is an issue that has plagued farmers and ranchers for many years. Old mattresses, sofas, appliances, tires and household garbage are routinely discarded along roadways, causing an unsightly mess and bringing added costs to farmers or the county to clean the mess or haul it to a […]
As California dairy farmers face increasing pressure to reduce the impact their cows have on the warming planet, scientists and people in the business say tools are available to do just that. But getting more farms to use them will require investment and other incentives to achieve specific targets. “Climate neutrality is definitely within reach. […]