California
Dairy Industry Headline News

A news service of Western United Dairymen
1315 K Street, Modesto, CA 95354 (209) 527-6453.
Visit us at
www.westernuniteddairymen.com
Edited
by Mark Looker Story to share?
Contact Mark here
Thursday, May 23, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Calif.
dairymen hang whey value hopes on state Senate - - In an attempt to
capture more of the whey value in their milk, California dairymen hope the
state Senate will give them better results than the Assembly. Supporters say
a bill aimed at reducing the price disparity California producers receive
for their milk sold to cheese manufacturers and similar milk going into
cheese vats in federal milk marketing orders is being watered down in the
Assembly. But the Assembly is moving the bill along, giving dairymen hope
they can get some meaningful language in the legislation in the Senate, said
Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen.
<more> May 23, 2013 Capital Press
Republican win
shaves Democratic supermajority in Senate - -
The Democratic supermajority in
the state Senate thinned a bit Tuesday when Republican farmer Andy Vidak
captured more than 50 percent of a special election vote to win in a heavily
Democratic San Joaquin Valley district. Vidak had nearly 52 percent of the
votes in the low-turnout election early today, with some provisional and
mail ballots yet to be counted. His opponent, Democrat Leticia Perez, a Kern
County supervisor, conceded shortly after midnight on Wednesday morning. The
election was called when Democratic Sen. Michael Rubio unexpectedly resigned
early this year to become an executive in Chevron Corp. It was conducted in
the 16th Senate District, which no longer exists, because Rubio was elected
from that district in 2010. Vidak will have to seek re-election in the new
14th Senate District, which was created by an independent redistricting
commission.
<more> May 23, 2013 Sacramento Bee
California bill to establish task force to tackle metal thefts - - State lawmakers want to crack down on the chronic problem of metal theft by setting up a task force to help local law enforcement and district attorneys catch and prosecute thieves. Under a California Farm Bureau Federation-sponsored bill carried by Assemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, the panel created as part of the Board of State and Community Corrections would eventually provide grants to local agencies to focus on metal theft and recycling crimes. As it's proposed now, the task force wouldn't receive state funding but would seek federal grants and industry contributions to achieve its goals, said Noelle Cremers, the CFBF's director of natural resources and commodities. <more> May 23, 2013 Capital Press
Immigration
Overhaul Wins Panel’s Backing in the Senate
- - The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday approved a broad overhaul of
the nation’s immigration laws on a bipartisan vote, sending the most
significant immigration policy changes in decades to the full Senate, where
the debate is expected to begin next month. The 13-to-5 vote came as the
committee reached a deal on one of the final snags threatening the
legislation — and agreed to hold off on a particularly politically charged
amendment, which would have added protections for same-sex couples.
<more> May 23, 20123 NY Times
House feels the heat on immigration reform -
- Committee approval of a sweeping Senate immigration overhaul has put
pressure on the House, where Speaker John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and top
leaders have been pushing a bipartisan group of lawmakers to produce its own
bill. House veterans fear that momentum this week in the Senate could leave
them behind, all but forcing the lower chamber into considering the Senate
bill before their effort has a chance to come to fruition. On Wednesday, the
House group was stalemated as the eight lawmakers faced a self-imposed,
end-of-the-week deadline to resolve disagreements over healthcare provisions
in their bill.
<more> May 22, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Conservative economists endorse immigration
reform bill - - More than 100 conservative economists will call on
Congress to approve an immigration overhaul, highlighting the potential
economic benefits. The letter by the American Action Forum, to be released
Thursday, is the latest volley from conservative economic thinkers, who have
been divided on the immigration overhaul legislation making its way through
the Senate.
<more> May 23, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Schumer
introduces pilot 'Dairy Block Grant Program' - -
As an amendment to the Farm Bill
now being considered on the Senate floor, New York Sen. Chuck Schumer is
pushing for a dairy block grant concept to be tested in a $5 million pilot
that would be similar to the popular specialty crops grant program. This
would help dairy farmers to access technical expertise related to
productivity, profitability, and environmental stewardship. This would
particularly cater to smaller dairy farmers who don’t have the resources to
independently hire outside consultants for these needs. If created, the
pilot program would allow states to submit an application to the U.S.
Department of Agriculture (USDA) to receive funding that could then provide
technical assistance to individual dairy farmers. This block grant program
could allow farmers to bring in animal nutritionists to customize cow
feeding programs or specialists on housing and breeding, which would help
boost milk production. These grants could also be used to bring in
consultants on nutrient management to aid farmers in efforts to meet
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requirements or an individual who can
help farmers write and execute business plans.
<more> May 23, 2013 WBNG News
Senate
rejects farm bill amendments aimed at changing cuts to food stamps - -
The Senate rejected two amendments to the farm bill Tuesday that would have
changed the $4 billion-worth of cuts to food stamps. Sen. Pat Roberts
(R-Kan.) introduced an amendment that would have cut at least an additional
$12 billion for the supplemental food assistance program (SNAP), also known
as food stamps. His amendment failed on a 40-58 vote. “My goal is simple to
restore integrity to the supplemental food assistance program,” Roberts said
ahead of the vote.
<more> May 21, 2013 The Hill
White
House urges Senate to cut crop insurance in farm bill - - The U.S.
Senate should cut crop insurance subsidies, the most expensive part of the
farm safety net, by $1 billion a year before it passes the new farm bill,
the White House said on Monday. The five-year farm bill would cost about
$500 billion, with three-fourths of the money going to food stamps for the
poor. Senators could vote on the bill within a week. The House was expected
to debate its version in June. Both bills cut traditional subsidies by
substantial amounts and put much of the savings into an expansion of
federally subsidized crop insurance. They also cut conservation and food
stamps. The House would make the biggest food stamp cuts in a generation,
$20 billion, compared to $4 billion in the Senate.
<more> May 21, 2013 Reuters
Nutrition group weighs in on aspartame in milk:
It's not needed - - The petition from the International Dairy Foods
Association and the National Milk Producers Federation to allow aspartame
and other “safe and suitable” sweeteners in milk and 17 other dairy products
has left a sour taste in the mouths of consumers across the country.
However, as the debate rages on, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AOND)
is taking a stance against the petition. Aspartame in milk is unnecessary,
they say.
<more> May 22, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
USDA issues final COOL rule - - USDA has issued the final rule for mandatory Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) of beef, pork, lamb, chicken, goat meat, wild and farm-raised fish and shellfish, perishable agricultural commodities, peanuts, pecans, ginseng and macadamia nuts. The latest rule amends the regulations for muscle cut covered commodities derived from animals slaughtered in the United States. Labels will be required to specify the production steps of birth, raising and slaughter of the animal from which the meat is derived. In addition, the rule eliminates the allowance for commingling of muscle cuts from different origins. The cost of implementing the requirements will be incurred by the primary packers and processors of the meat and retailers subject to COOL requirements. <more> May 23, 2013 Brownfield Ag News

Pricing/Commodity News
April Dairy Cow Culling Up - - The United
States Department of Agriculture reported this afternoon that April dairy
cow culling totaled 268,000 head, up 12% over April 2012. April culling was
slightly less than March, however, down 6,000 head, or 2%. The per day kill
was down even more, since there was one more business/working day in April
than in March (assuming slaughter plants operated on Good Friday).
Year-to-date, culling is up 52,000 head, or 2.5%.
<more> May 23, 2013 Dairy Today
Ethanol industry may rebound this year - - Until last week, only 15% of the corn crop in Iowa (the leading corn growing state in the nation) had been planted. Then came a week of good weather. Iowa farmers responded by launching an invasion of farm machinery into their fertile fields. As of Sunday, 71% of the corn crop had been planted according to The Associated Press. The same scene played out in all of the key grain states to the extent that the U.S. Department of Agriculture said in its weekly crop progress update that 71% of the corn crop had been sown in those states as well. This figure isn't far off from the 79% average farmers planted by this time over the past five years. State by state, the numbers are impressive. In addition to the 71% of corn planted in Iowa, 75% of this year's seed has been sown in Illinois, along with 70% of the crop in Missouri, Kansas, and Minnesota. <more> May 22, 2013 MSN.com
Environmental
News
Senate rejects
GMO labeling amendment --
The Senate on Thursday overwhelmingly rejected an amendment that would allow
states to require labeling of genetically modified foods. Sen. Bernie
Sanders, I-Vt, said his amendment was an attempt to clarify that states can
require the labels, as several legislatures have moved toward putting such
laws into place. Both the Vermont House and Connecticut Senate voted this
month to make food companies declare genetically modified ingredients on
their packages. The Senate rejected the amendment on a 71-27 vote during
debate on a wide-ranging, 5-year farm bill that includes generous supports
for crops like corn and soybeans that often are genetically modified
varieties. Senators from farm states that use a lot of genetically modified
crops strongly opposed the amendment, saying the issue should be left up to
the federal government and that labels could raise costs for consumers.
<more> May 23, 2013 AP
Minimizing groundwater
nitrates with proper fertigation - - As many of California’s growers
face expected tighter regulations on nitrates in groundwater, Fresno State
University unrolled a series of ambitious seminars on water use efficiency,
concentrating in the first workshop on fertigation and how to minimize the
amount of nitrates entering the groundwater. The seminar opened with an
outline of the serious health threats posed by nitrates in the drinking
supply of the San Joaquin Valley. It concluded with some tips on how to
target the root zone of plants with needed water – and accompanying nitrogen
– and how to avoid going past that root zone, how to protect water sources
and how to prevent backflow and spills of fertilizer.
<more> May 22, 2013 Western Farm Press
$500
million cap-and-trade loan to state hits wall of opposition - - Gov.
Jerry Brown's proposal to shift $500 million in cap-and-trade fees levied on
business for greenhouse emissions into the state budget ran into bipartisan
opposition Tuesday. The two Democrats and one Republican on a Senate budget
subcommittee denounced Brown's plan, which was included in a revision of his
state budget last week. The $500 million loan to the general fund is
designed to partially offset the Brown administration's forecast that
revenues will dip below earlier projections in the 2013-14 fiscal year by
$1.8 billion, but members of the committee said it made little sense since
the same budget proposes to repay some of the state's "wall of debt," which
is mostly money owed to schools.
<more> May 21, 2013 Capitol Alert
California's third carbon auction raises $280 million - - California's
third carbon-allowance auction raised more than $280 million as polluters
bid for the right to emit greenhouse gases, state officials said today. The
California Air Resources Board released results of its third carbon auction,
which was held last Thursday. Carbon credits that let polluters emit
greenhouse gases this year sold for $14 a ton. Allowances for 2016 sold for
the minimum $10.71 a ton. The state-run auctions are an essential piece of
the California cap and trade market, which is designed to reduce carbon
emissions. More than 400 big industrial polluters are required to cap their
emissions at certain levels. If they exceed the cap, they have to buy
credits, either from the state or from other market participants.
<more> May 21, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Scientists visit Fresno to discuss San Joaquin Valley water woes - - The Valley's water issues were part of the prestigious Geological Society's first meeting here in decades, said Robert Merrill, an emeritus professor of geology at Fresno State. The three-day meeting, which ended Wednesday, attracted scientists from as far away as China, Japan and Turkey. The gathering was arranged with the help of John Wakabayashi, a Fresno State geology professor. <more> May 22, 2013 Fresno Bee
Stories Of Interest
Chocolate milk a top post-workout food - - A new list from AskMen.com
shows the top 10 best foods to eat after working out. Chocolate milk tops
this list, and another dairy item is also suggested. Chocolate milk,
especially those that have been fortified with protein such as Rockin’
Refuel, provides gym-goers with 48 grams of carbohydrates and 20 grams of
whey protein – the perfect ratio for workout recovery. “Although making your
own recovery drink is preferred by some guys, the convenience of having an
all-in-one sports recovery drink handy after your workout simply can't be
beat,” the article says. At No. 4, AskMen also suggests cereal with skim
milk.
<more> May 21, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Another reason for adults to drink milk - -
Dairy products play a key role in developing countries, and a new study
shows that in India milk trumps tea as a tool to stave off obesity and keep
waistlines trim. The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE,
looked at the Body Mass Index, waist circumference and dietary habits of
more than 6,000 men and women living in India. Researchers concluded that
men and women who consumed at least one portion of “plain” milk daily were
less likely to have a high waist circumference than those who didn’t.
<more> May 21, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
The Future Of Food Partnership Deepens Commitment
To Alleviate Hunger Through Increased Focus On Nutrition - - Food
security – specifically, domestic hunger – is a major issue affecting one in
six Americans today, including more than one in five children. National
Dairy Council, Feeding America and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics
formed the Future of Food Partnership in June 2012 to help solve this
problem by improving domestic food and nutrition security. The Future of
Food partnership is focused on increasing the availability of nutritious,
safe and affordable foods across the country through innovative efforts to
help alleviate hunger. In the next month, the partnership will award the
first ever nutrition initiative grants of $10,000 each to 10 food banks
within the Feeding America network. These grants are designated to support
nutrition education and increased access to dairy products and other
in-demand nutrient-rich foods.
<more> May 23, 2013 PerishableNews.com
Old MacDonald had a crowdfunded farm - - More than anything, Rebecca Bloomfield wants her own organic farm. To accomplish this though, in a social media age — without much capital — she has to be something else first: a crowdfunding guru. Just as she taught herself to grow organic food, she's also taught herself how to organically raise money for her future farm in Ontario, Canada, via crowdfunding — soliciting donations over social media with a video she hopes will tug on heartstrings and wallets alike. Even future farmers are turning to crowdfunding for cash. Just like other small-business owners who don't want to — or can't — take out a bank loan, there are new options for the social-media savvy. <more> May 22, 2013 USA Today

Meetings of Interest to CA Dairy Industry
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Ag air quality conference at UC Davis June 27-28 - - An agricultural air quality conference jointly sponsored by UC Davis and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District will be held June 27-28 at the UC Davis conference center. The conference’s major focus will be on discussing a “risk-based” strategy proposed by the SJVAPCD as an alternative to the current federal/state air quality regulatory framework. The SJVAPCD is also currently one of only two areas in the nation (South Coast AQMD being the other) classified as “extreme” non-attainment for ozone. Sessions include: * The Scientific Foundation for a Risk-Based Approach to Particulate Controls. * Development of the Risk-Based Approach to Air Quality Policy and Public Health. * - Evolution Towards Low-Risk Pesticides. * Applying the Approach to Policies - Potential Applications & Research Gaps. *Policy Efficacy of the RB/MP Approach: Opportunities and Constraints. Optional Tours include * Bovine Bubbles. * Anaerobic BioMass Digester. * Olive Oil Center & Tasting Registration information is available at https://sites.google.com/site/ucdavisaqaq/home May 6, 2013 UC Davis Notice
California Dairy Families: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow's Generations
Visit our Video Channel .Watch WUD members talk about how they meet the environmental challenges facing the California dairy industry. Hear about their pride in their farming heritage and the contributions they make to their communities. Also visit the California Milk Advisory Board's website which features many WUD dairy families talking about the rewards and heartaches of dairy farming.
Commodity Price Information
Other Dairy News Sources
Dairy Producer Blogs That We Like

Subscribe Have a friend who would like California Dairy Industry Headline News delivered each day directly to their email in-box? Email Mark Looker at marklooker@yahoo.com and request their email address be added to the mailing list.
Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Pricing/Commodity News
Hearing on milk
prices highlights lack of agreement -
- Dairy farmer organizations and processors have not yet reached an
agreement on how to update the state's milk pricing formula and, more
specifically, on how to establish a whey value that would be satisfactory to
both sides. During a hearing held by the California Department of Food and
Agriculture in Sacramento Monday, dairy farmer groups and dairy cooperatives
stuck by a proposal they have introduced through Assembly Bill 31, to
establish a milk pricing formula for dry whey that would bring California
prices closer in line with what's paid to dairy farmers under the federal
milk marketing order. CDFA called the hearing to consider temporary changes
to all classes of milk, after receiving a request from leaders of the
Assembly Agriculture Committee, which held a hearing earlier this month to
consider AB 31.
<more>
May 21, 2013 Ag Alert
Dairy
farmers renew price hike push - - Dairy farmers Monday urged the state
yet again to boost minimum prices they get from processors. Western United
Dairymen, based in Modesto, and allied groups asked the California
Department of Food and Agriculture to increase the price for milk that is
made into cheese. They said dairy farmers continue to go out of business
because of a mismatch between milk prices and production costs, especially
that of feed corn.
<more> May 20, 2013 Modesto Bee
Producers want cheese makers to pay their fair share into pool - - Dairy producers wanting the California Department of Food and Agriculture to raise minimum prices for milk going to cheese makers took a different tack in their argument at a CDFA hearing on Monday. Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross called the hearing to consider extending emergency price relief on all classes of milk put into effect after a Dec. 21 hearing. Producers have been largely unsuccessful in petitioning CDFA for the past three years to increase the value of dry whey in the Class 4b pricing formula, contending the 4b price has lagged the Class III price for milk going into cheese vats in federal orders by as much as $2 per hundredweight. <more> May 21, 2013 Capital Press
WUD
testifies in favor of raising Class 4b price - - The California
Department of Food & Agriculture hosted a hearing, May 20, to consider
temporary adjustments to the state's minimum milk pricing formulas. Western
United Dairymen CEO Michael Marsh requested a temporary 13.8¢/lb. increase
in the Class 4b milk solids-not-fat price – used in the state's Class 4b
formula – during the hearing. To read the entire testimony, please click
here. “The impact of our proposed change would result in an approximate
50¢(/cwt.) increase in the overbase price, Marsh said. “While this is not
enough to recoup the immense losses incurred in the recent past, it will not
only help bridge the gap between cost of production and milk revenues, it
will provide a much-needed closer relationship between Class III and Class
4b prices. The temporary increase proposed for Class 4b is to get to what
the producer side of the industry has been advocating for almost three
years: a fair pool value from cheese making revenues.” WUD is the largest
dairy producer trade association in California, representing approximately
900 of the state's dairy families.<more>
May 21, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Cropp:
Dairy Situation and Outlook - - Milk production is likely to increase in
the last half of 2013, but strong exports should support prices, according
to the latest Dairy Situation and Outlook from Bob Cropp, professor emeritus
with the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Milk prices are much improved over
a year ago. With cheese prices averaging higher in May than April, and
steady dry whey prices, the May 2013 Class III price will be near
$18.60/cwt., compared to $17.59/cwt. for April and $15.23/cwt. for May a
year ago. Cheese prices should improve by mid-summer and fall pushing the
Class III price above $19.00/cwt., August through October. If milk
production improves by fall as now anticipated, the Class III price will
fall, but should stay above $18/cwt. for the remainder of the year, and
should not fall below $18 until the first quarter of 2014.
<more> May 21, 2013 Dairy Business
April
milk production up 0.3 percent - - Milk production in the top 23 dairy
states rose by 0.3 percent in April compared to the same month a year
earlier, according to the “Milk Production” report released by the USDA on
Monday. Across all 50 states, milk production increased by 0.2 percent. Once
again the Upper Midwest states posted healthy gains, with Wisconsin up 1.3
percent, Minnesota up 1.8 percent and Michigan up 1.3 percent. California,
the country’s No. 1 milk-producing state, reported yet another decline this
month, dropping 0.2 percent. The report is slightly bullish as total milk
production ended slightly greater than expectations, says Dave Kurzawski,
dairy analyst with FCStone in Chicago.
<more> May 20, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
CWT accepts nine export requests - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted nine requests for export assistance from Bongards Creameries, Dairy Farmers of America and Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) to sell 3.016 million pounds of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered May through September 2013. Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 56.826 million pounds of cheese, 51.727 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 31 countries on six continents. May 21, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
State/Federal
News and Politics
Farmers hope immigration bill yields more foreign ag workers - - Walk
the aisles of any neighborhood grocery store today and you’re as likely to
find tomatoes picked in Sinaloa, Mexico, as Central California or oranges
from Sao Paulo, Brazil, as Bradenton, Fla. Farmers across the country warn
that shoppers will find even more imported food on their store shelves if
Congress fails to pass immigration legislation that would guarantee them
enough workers to milk their cows and harvest their fruits and vegetables.
“The bottom line is people need to decide whether they’d rather import their
labor or import their food,” said Randall Patterson, a China Grove, N.C.,
farmer who grows strawberries, cucumbers and watermelons among his crops.
<more> May 21, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Special CA Senate election results tonight - - The special election to
fill the California Senate Seat left vacant by the resignation of Michael
Rubio is being held today. Election results will be available after 8 p.m.
at the Secretary of State's website
http://vote.sos.ca.gov/returns/state-senate/district/16/
Conservatives, tea party leaders seek to block immigration bill - - Top
conservative leaders, along with tea party activists from across the nation,
have crafted a letter of opposition to the Senate’s bipartisan immigration
overhaul. The open letter to the Senate, which will be released Tuesday,
marks the first large-scale attempt to halt the bill as it gains momentum
with a key Senate committee vote expected this week. Those signing the
letter include influential conservative commentators – Erick Ericksen, Laura
Ingraham, Mark Levin and Michele Malkin – as well as tea party leaders and
talk radio hosts from around the country.
<more> May 20, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Veteran Senator Emerges as Player on Immigration Overhaul - - As
proponents of a new immigration overhaul cast about for a Republican ally to
help give their bill an extra boost, they have focused on a 79-year-old
lawmaker with new hipster glasses (from Costco), black Nike sneakers (for
his bad arches) and, perhaps most important, a deep and complicated
relationship with immigration policy: Senator Orrin G. Hatch of Utah.
Members of the bipartisan group of eight senators who drafted an overhaul of
the nation’s immigration laws see Mr. Hatch as a potentially influential
partner. He was an original co-sponsor of the Dream Act for younger
immigrants and has shown a willingness to embrace other immigration
legislation as well. Though he ran to the right during a primary challenge
in the 2012 election, they believe he might be brought back into the fold
now that he is safely ensconced in his seventh Senate term.
<more> May 20, 2013 The New York Times
Senate
votes to make small cut to food stamps in farm bill - - The Senate has
voted to keep a $400 million annual cut — or roughly a half of 1 percent —
to the food stamp program in a farm bill it is considering this week. Food
stamps now cost almost $80 billion annually. The chamber rejected by a 58-40
vote an amendment by Republican Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas to expand the
cuts to $3.5 billion a year. Senators also rejected, 70-26, an amendment by
Democratic Sen. Kristen Gillibrand of New York to eliminate the cuts
entirely.
<more> May 21, 2013 AP
Egg
bill chances dimming in Congress - - Federal standards for the welfare
of egg-laying hens suffered a defeat when they failed to make it into the
farm bill legislation voted out of the agriculture committees in the U.S.
House and Senate. The full Senate was debating its version of the farm bill
this week. Attempts at floor amendments likely will fail but the standards
could come back to life when the farm bill reaches the joint House-Senate
conference committee, said Bradley Miller, national director of the Humane
Farming Association in San Francisco and an opponent of the federal
standards.
<more> May 21, 2013 Capital Press
Beginning Farmers, Ranchers to Discuss Career Opportunities with the State Board on June 4- - The California Department of Food and Agriculture will discuss opportunities for beginning farmers and ranchers at its upcoming meeting on June 4th in Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street - Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. California is home to a number of non-profit programs aimed at developing the next generation of farmers and ranchers. From returning veterans to aspiring farm workers and even consumers looking for new career opportunities – programs are in place to encourage the first steps in entering a farming career. The upcoming meeting is an opportunity for recent graduates of farm training programs to discuss their experiences with the board and offer suggestions to encourage more individuals to become farmers. <more> May 21, 2013 CDFA news release
Environmental
News
Gov. Brown
orders streamlining of water transfers
- - Gov. Jerry Brown has issued an executive order he says will help
California's agriculture industry by streamlining the approval process for
water transfers in the state. The order, issued on Monday, directs state
water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers
of water and water rights.
<more> May 21, 2013 AP
Gov. Brown Issues Executive Order to Streamline Approvals for Water Transfers to Protect California’s Farms - - With near record-low precipitation in California this year, Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today (May 20) issued an Executive Order to streamline approvals for voluntary water transfers to assist California’s agricultural industry. “Agriculture is vital to the health of California’s economy, and this order ensures we’re doing what’s necessary to cope with a very dry year,” said Governor Brown. The Governor’s Executive Order directs the State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) and the Department of Water Resources (DWR) to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water and water rights consistent with current law. Under the order, DWR will coordinate State Water Project operations to alleviate critical impacts to San Joaquin Valley agriculture. <more> May 21, 2013 CDFA news release
Stories Of Interest
Tech Talk: Take
social mobile - - Dino
Giacomazzi on the importance of dairy producers using social media: "Social
media is about telling how you care for animals and manage natural
resources. Your story is the true story of agriculture—not the one being
told by PETA."
<more> May 21, 2013 DairyToday
Bovine
respiratory disease assessment tool on horizon at UC Davis - -
Developing and validating a standardized scoring system for bovine
respiratory disease tops the priority list for a team of veterinarians and
scientists at the University of California – Davis, School of Veterinary
Medicine and the Department of Animal Science. The research team, with the
assistance of dairy managers and staff, are knee-deep in a project that
targets prevention, diagnosis and treatment of bovine respiratory disease in
dairy calves. It is being funded by University of California, Agriculture
and Natural Resources and is a subsidiary of a large USDA project titled
“Integrated program for reducing bovine respiratory disease complex in beef
and dairy cattle.”
<more> May 17, 2013 Progressive Dairyman
High
crop prices entice farmers to expand planting into old golf courses,
wildlife preserves - - Clark Kelly plans to spend a lot of time on the
links this spring. The Illinois farmer is plowing the Hend-Co-Hills Golf
Course near tiny Biggsville into a cornfield. He’s not the only one turning
over soil in unlikely places. Across the Midwest, farmers are planting crops
on almost any scrap of available land to take advantage of consistently high
corn and soybean prices. Growers are knocking down old barns, tearing out
fencerows and digging up land that had once been preserved for wildlife.
Some are even suspected of tearing into pioneer cemeteries.
<more> May 20, 2013 AP
Paramount Citrus, Sun Pacific end long 'Cuties' partnership - - Paramount Citrus, one of the state's leading suppliers of fruit sold under the Cuties brand, is changing the name of its easy-peeling fruit. The company announced Monday that it is ending its nearly decade-long partnership this summer with fellow citrus grower Sun Pacific in Exeter. As part of the breakup, Sun Pacific has acquired the Cuties trademark for an undisclosed sum. The dissolution should come as no surprise to those in the citrus industry. Paramount and Sun Pacific are the two largest growers of mandarin and clementine varieties in the state. Along with Fowler Packing, the trio has invested millions in developing the market for the Cuties brand. Paramount and Fowler Packing alone grow, process and market more than 60% of the nation's mandarin crop. <more> May 20, 2013 Fresno Bee
Monday, May 20, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
WUD testifies in favor of raising Class 4b price - - Western United Dairymen CEO Michael Marsh today testified in Sacramento in favor of a temporary price increase on the Class 4b formula for Class 4b milk solids-not-fat - - thirteen and eight tenth cents ($0.138) per pound. Marsh in his testimony at the CDFA hearing said, “The impact of our proposed change would result in an approximate 50 cent increase in the overbase price. While this is not enough to recoup the immense losses incurred in the recent past, it will not only help bridge the gap between cost of production and milk revenues; it will provide a much needed closer relationship between Class III and Class 4b prices. The temporary increase proposed for Class 4b is to get to what the producer side of the industry has been advocating for almost three years: a fair pool value from cheese making revenues.” To read WUD’s entire testimony, please click here. May 20, 2013 WUD News
WUD Board supports moving Farm Bill - - The
Western United Dairymen Board of Directors at its meeting Friday unanimously
supported a motion to move the Farm Bill forward. The Board again directed
staff to continue work on a dairy title that will benefit California dairy
families.
The Board also noted that included in the House version of the Farm Bill
passed out of committee was a revised version of an amendment offered by
Representative Steve King (R-Iowa) that had been offered in Committee
mark-up last summer. Rep. King’s original amendment offered last summer
would have jeopardized California’s ability to enforce its higher
nutritional standards for fluid milk. The Board appreciated that Rep. King
had reached out to WUD to resolve the negative impact his original amendment
would have had on California dairy families.The Senate version of the Farm
Bill is scheduled for debate on the Senate floor on Monday, May 20. House
leadership plans for the Farm Bill to be on its floor for debate next month.
Following passage from each chamber, the differing versions will move to a
conference committee to be reconciled. No date has been set for conference.
May 17, 2013 WUD Friday Update
State dairymen
seek bigger share of whey windfall
- - California dairy
farmers and cheese processors are fighting again over milk prices. It's not
Grade A, homogenized, pasteurized milk that's at issue in the state Capitol.
Rather, agriculture lobbyists are focused on the price of whey, a milk
byproduct probably best known to consumers who've read the Mother Goose
nursery rhyme about little Miss Muffet eating her "curds and whey." Once
thrown away as waste, whey has become a valuable commodity, left over from
processing cheese and then used in hundreds of foods, including baby formula
and protein powder. Whey has become a profit center for cheese makers that
invest in processing equipment. Financially distressed dairy owners want a
bigger share of the whey windfall. They're asking lawmakers to overhaul the
California Department of Food and Agriculture's complex milk-pricing
formula.
<more> May 20, 2013 LA Times
Senate
Farm Bill introduced on Senate floor - - The Senate farm bill was
introduced on the Senate floor today and Ag Committee Chairwoman Debbie
Stabenow touched on each part of the bill, including what is likely to
become the most controversial topic — food stamp cuts — when the Senate and
House bills come together. Stabenow says the Senate farm bill continues to
build on the integrity that’s already there by cracking down on food
stamp/nutrition program abuses and misuse,” And we made sure our changes
would not remove one single needy family. It’s not about hurting folks,
about making sure that there is not abuse – and that’s what we address.”
<more> May 20, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Disagreement over milk supply management continues - - Proponents of the
Dairy Security Act, included last week in farm bills passed by the House and
Senate ag committees, say they are pleased the proposal remained intact. But
opponents of the milk supply management portion of the bill anticipate a
different outcome when the House bill is debated on the floor and say they
have a good chance of prevailing when the farm bill goes to conference
committee, said Jerry Slominski, the International Dairy Foods Association's
senior vice president for legislative and economic affairs. Dairymen and
processors seem united on the bills' proposal to create insurance to protect
dairymen's margin between the price of their milk and feed costs. However,
milk supply management has remained controversial, with processors staunchly
opposed to it.
<more> May 20, 2013 Capital Press
State
Senate campaigns head into the final stretch - - After all the
advertisements, fliers, phone calls and door knocks, the 16th state Senate
District special election comes down to Tuesday. The math is simple: Because
of expected low turnout, whoever can do a better job of getting the party
faithful to turn out is going to win. That’s the consensus of experts
watching the race play out since Michael Rubio’s resignation opened the seat
in late February and set off a scramble for candidates. The Republican Party
threw its weight behind Hanford farmer Andy Vidak. The Democratic Party
lined up behind newly-elected Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez. Toss in
Democrats Francisco Ramirez and Paulina Miranda and Peace and Freedom Party
candidate Mohammad Arif, and you have a five-way rumble for a seat that will
be up for re-election in 2014.
<more> May 18, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Nutrition and dairy face major farm bill fight - - After offered
amendments and heated debates on dairy and nutrition programs, the House
Agriculture Committee passed a new, $940 billion farm bill 36-10 on a
largely partisan vote. Democrats, deeply unhappy with some $20 billion in
cuts to food stamps (the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) proposed
by Republicans, weren’t persuaded after nine hours of back-and-forth –
including frequent quoting of Bible verses and theologically-based arguments
from both sides – to vote for the bill. The scrum also included Democrats
railing against the nutrition program cuts while funding for recent wars and
foreign nation-building has reached into the trillions of dollars.
<more> May 20, 2013 Delta Farm Press
Agriculture amendment breaks some eggs - - Pigs, chickens, the U.S.
Constitution — and a dose of olive oil — all got thrown together in a House
farm bill markup that took a remarkable turn from the barnyard to the
judicial bench late Wednesday night. “I’m one of these country lawyers,
which is no lawyer at all,” Rep. Jim Costa (D-Calif.) was candid to say at
the outset. But that didn’t stop him or most of the House Agriculture
Committee from plunging into an hour-long debate on the constitutional fine
points of the interstate commerce clause and state laws excluding eggs or
meat that don’t meet local production standards. Well “fine points” may be a
stretch. “Let’s be honest folks. You can dress the pig up anyway you want
but at the end of the day it’s a pig,” said Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.),
offering his legal analysis as a trained veterinarian. Before the dust
settled, the committee had adopted a far-reaching amendment that infuriated
animal welfare groups, delighted the pork and beef lobbies and broke more
than a few eggs.
<more> May 17, 2013 Politico
Larger
Union That Enforces Immigration Opposes Bill - - A labor union
representing 12,000 federal officers who issue immigration documents will
join forces on Monday with the union representing deportation agents to
publicly oppose a bill overhauling the immigration system that is making its
way through the Senate, arguing that the legislation would weaken public
safety. The two unions represent a total of 20,000 employees in the
Department of Homeland Security who would play a central role in carrying
out the ambitious legislation, either by reviewing applications from
millions of immigrants who could gain new legal status through the bill or
by expelling illegal immigrants who did not qualify.
<more> May 20, 2013 The New York Times
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Study: Chocolate Milk, Soda Among Foods That May Have More Calories Than Reported - - Do your kids love chocolate milk? It may have more calories on average than you thought. Same goes for soda. Until now, the only way to find out what people in the United States eat and how many calories they consume has been government data, which can lag behind the rapidly expanding and changing food marketplace. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill are trying to change that by creating a gargantuan map of what foods Americans are buying and eating. <more> May 20, 2013 CBS News

Pricing/Commodity News
Milk
production up a little in April - - Milk production in the U.S. in April
totaled 17.27 billion pounds up 0.2 percent from April of 2012. This is the
first year-over-year increase since January. Milk production in the 23 major
dairy sates was 16.1 billion pounds up 0.3 percent from a year ago. Of the
23 major milk producing states, 13 saw an increase in production compared to
last April, 3 were unchanged and 7 saw a decline. Cow numbers and production
per cow are not available due to sequester budget cuts. California milk
production in April totaled 3.626 billion pounds down 0.2 percent from
April. Wisconsin production increased 1.3 percent to 2.31 billion pounds in
April. New York saw a 1.7 percent increase to 1.13 billion pounds, Idaho
production increased 0.5 percent to 1.11 billion pounds and Pennsylvania
held steady with a year ago at 904 million pounds. May 20, 2013
Brownfield Ag News
U.S.
Corn Crop Seen Reaching Record Even With Slow Planting - - Corn
production in the U.S., the world’s largest grower, may reach a record this
year on yield gains even after wet weather curbed planting to the slowest
pace in three decades, the U.S. Grains Council said. With normal rainfall,
the trendline yield may reach 163 bushels an acre, pushing the harvest to
the highest ever, Kevin Roepke, manager for global trade, said in an
interview today. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates output will
rise to an all-time high of 359.2 metric million tons, assuming average
yield rebounds to 158 bushels from 123.4 bushels last year, when the crop
suffered from the worst drought since the 1930s. Corn futures are headed for
the first monthly gain in four after the USDA said that about 28 percent of
the crop was planted as of May 12. That’s the slowest pace for the 19th week
of the year since at least 1980, USDA data show.
<more> May 20, 2013 Bloomberg
Corn
Planting Now 71% Complete - - Farmers planted an astounding 43% of the
nation’s corn crop during the week ending May 19, getting nearly
three-quarters of intended acreage planted. After being woefully behind
schedule through mid-May, farmers are now only eight percentage points
behind the 5-year average pace. “Corn and spring wheat planting were higher
than trade expectations at 71% and 67%, respectively, while soybean planting
at 24% came in as expected,” said Rice Dairy senior feedgrains analyst Jerry
Gidel. “The northern states’ and Iowa’s progress were a big surprise.”
<more> May 20, 2013 Feedstuffs
Danone looks to milk China demand surge - - Danone has struck two deals with the China Mengniu Dairy Company in a bid to take advantage of surging demand for internationally-branded milk and yogurt. The French dairy giant, which owns the Activia yogurt brand, hopes the joint ventures with Hong-Kong listed Mengniu will help it gain wider distribution across China, where a series of food safety scares have prompted consumers to hunt for trustworthy dairy products. <more> May 20, 2013 CNN Money
Environmental
News
Delta
plan a concern for local officials - - A new plan for the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta aims to protect the future of the major waterway, but it
does little to relieve the concerns of local government officials. It's been
two years since the Delta Stewardship Council began the process of approving
the Delta Plan. On Thursday, the council of seven unanimously adopted the
plan and also certified the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report
and regulations that will implement the policies of the Delta Plan. "The
plan works to guide the actions of state and local government agencies in a
common direction," said Phil Isenberg, the council's chair and former
Sacramento mayor, during a press conference. "For the next 100 years, every
Californian has to conserve water all the time."
<more> May 18, 2013 Vacaville Reporter
Farm
waste may demand return of biofuels - - Imagine a world where leftover
corn, wheat and wood chips could power your car. That's the aim of
cellulosic ethanol, a budding sector of the renewable fuel industry that
finds itself struggling to reassert itself in a world of renewed popularity
for oil and gas. The process aims to transform agriculture waste, most of
which would normally be discarded, into a renewable source of fuel. The
process is heralded by ethanol advocates as a way to revive interest in a
sector whose profile has declined recently. With the U.S. producing more
natural gas and shale—and with critics questioning the wisdom of using food
to power cars—enthusiasm for biofuels has fallen.
<more> May 19, 2013 NBC News
Germany: At trade talks, U.S., E.U. ready for fight on genetically modified crops - - Many Europeans see American farming and its reliance on genetically modified crops as more Frankenstein than Farmer in the Dell. Now, the opposition here to U.S. agricultural practices is threatening to become a major battle in discussions starting next month that could sweep away trade barriers between the United States and Europe. Many here worry that a trade pact would ease regulations that have made it difficult for genetically modified crops and products to reach European shores. Genetically modified crops are broadly unpopular in Europe, and farmers and environmentalists fear that if trade restrictions are lowered, both genetically modified seeds and U.S.-grown genetically modified products would quickly take over European farmland and grocery stores. <more> May 17, 2013 Washington Post Germany
Stories Of Interest
Does
farming make you fat? - - Is your job making you fat? For transportation
workers, that answer is a resounding "yes," but for farmers, the answer is
"maybe.” New data from the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which took
into account a random sample of 138,438 employees aged 18 or over, found
that one in four farming, fishing or forestry workers are obese. “This group
performs best on two of the top predictors of obesity -- healthy eating and
exercise, which is likely due to the physical nature of their work,” Gallup
concluded. Gallup also named "farming, fishing or forestry" as the best
occupation for exercising at least 30 minutes daily and eating healthy
through the day. However, safety remains an issue.
<more> May 17, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Laton
sisters grow agricultural roots at family's alfalfa farm - - Sisters
Hannah and Holly Johnson didn't plan on being farmers, at least not now.
More than a year ago, Hannah was consumed with her marketing career and
Holly was fulfilling some wanderlust, traveling across the country in her
Chevy truck. But life threw them a curve and the Johnsons' lives veered in a
new direction when they relocated to Laton to care for their ailing
84-year-old father and his 50-acre alfalfa farm. The fact that neither knew
anything about growing alfalfa -- or even had an inkling that they would add
"farm fresh egg producers" to their résumés -- didn't faze them.
<more> May 19, 2013 Fresno Bee
Modesto area grass-fed beef making inroads in industry - - Seth Nitschke runs cattle on grassland in Mariposa County, far from the Midwestern feedlots he used to frequent. He is part of the grass-fed beef movement, keeping the cattle on pasture all their lives rather than sending them to distant feedlots to be fattened on grain before slaughter. The meat costs more for consumers, but Nitschke said it's well worth it. "Grass-fed beef is like a good cabernet," he said, "which means it has a good, strong flavor and finishes well." The niche is only 3 percent of the beef industry, which relies heavily on feedlots to produce meat at high volume and affordable prices. <more> May 19, 2013 Modesto Bee
Friday, May 17, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Senate panel focuses on enforcement in
immigration bill - - Senators kept the bipartisan immigration bill
largely unchanged Thursday after dispatching dozens of proposed amendments
even as they punted many of the thorniest issues to next week. The day's
session at the Senate Judiciary Committee revolved largely around the
elusive issue of enforcement: how to prevent immigrants from remaining in
this country after having entered illegally or overstaying their visas. Sen.
Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of the eight authors of the sweeping bill,
argued that a strict employment verification system would be among the best
tools for clamping down on illegal immigration.
<more> May 16, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Bipartisan U.S. House Group Produces Tentative
Immigration Plan - - A bipartisan group of U.S. House members has
reached a tentative agreement on a comprehensive revision of the U.S.
immigration system, according to three lawmakers, as a Senate committee
proceeds with its own plan. “We have an agreement in principle,” Texas
Republican John Carter said as House members left a negotiating session
yesterday in Washington, while withholding details. Lawmakers will begin
drafting legislation to be introduced in early June. The House measure will
differ “in a lot of areas” from the Senate’s proposal, Florida Republican
Representative Mario Diaz-Balart told reporters. He said the deal was the
first step in “a very difficult process.” Kentucky Democrat John Yarmuth
also told reporters there was a tentative agreement.
<more> May 17, 2013 Bloomberg
Illegal immigrants would be harder to deport
under Assembly bill - - A California lawmaker is making a renewed push
to limit the detention and deportation of immigrants who are in the country
illegally after his legislation was vetoed last year by Gov. Jerry Brown.
The bill, authored by Assemblyman Tom Ammiano (D-San Francisco), was
approved by the Assembly with a 44-22 vote on Thursday. It now goes to the
state Senate. The measure (AB 4) would limit local law enforcement from
working with federal authorities to detain illegal immigrants except in
cases involving a serious or violent crime.
<more> May 16, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Farm bill clash centered on retooled insurance
program for dairy farmers - - With the overdue farm bill festering again
in Congress, Republicans and Democrats have resumed clashing over whether
the government should regulate the milk supply by penalizing farmers who
produce too much. Farmers will need to enroll in that supply management
program if they wish to participate in a retooled margin insurance program,
included in House and Senate versions of the bill approved this week by each
chamber’s agriculture committee. The Senate version calls for roughly $23
billion in cuts to farm and nutrition programs over the next decade, while
the House bill calls for cuts of about $40 billion. The margin insurance
program for dairy farmers was part of the farm bill that failed in 2012 amid
election-year politics; though it passed in the Senate, it never made it to
a full vote in the House. Resuming the debate this summer, lawmakers will
seek to get a final bill approved by Sept. 30, when an extension of the 2008
farm bill expires.
<more> May 17, 2013 Watertown Daily Times
Brown's revised budget gives CDFA slight increase
- - The $96.4 billion revised budget proposal that Gov. Jerry Brown
unveiled May 14 increases spending for the California Department of Food and
Agriculture after several years of cuts. The governor's proposed $61.9
million general fund allocation to CDFA is unchanged from the rosy fiscal
outlook he presented in January, and the ledger sets aside $2.5 million for
research to combat the Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening. "That comes
through assessment dollars on a larger citrus crop than was expected,"
agency spokesman Jay Van Rein said. The proposal for fiscal 2013-2014
represents a slight increase for CDFA from the $60.3 million the department
received for the current fiscal year. The agency's overall budget for
2013-2014 is projected at $215.2 million, up slightly from the January
ledger.
<more> May 17, 2013 Capital Press
Unmanned aircraft could be a good thing in
agriculture - - A number of states have introduced legislation and three
have passed bills prohibiting the use of unmanned aircraft in their states.
But there are proponents who say unmanned aircraft could be used for all
sorts of good including agriculture. Gretchen West is executive director of
the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International, a non-profit
trade association with 7,500 members from around the globe. She says the
unmanned aircraft technology started decades ago and has been developed
mainly for the military but we are now seeing a shift into the civil market,
law enforcement, federal agencies and such. West says they would like to see
the technology move into the commercial market and believes agriculture will
be a big use.
<more> May 17, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Judge to hear lawsuit over high-speed rail bonds - - State officials on Thursday agreed to drop a request to consolidate all lawsuits challenging California's use of voter-approved high-speed rail bonds, allowing a trial seeking to stop their sale to begin later this month. Opponents of the $68 billion bullet train project and attorneys for the California High-Speed Rail Authority submitted their agreement to a Sacramento County Superior Court judge. That allows Judge Michael P. Kenny to begin hearing arguments May 31 in a lawsuit filed in 2011 by Kings County. The county claims the current high-speed rail plans do not comply with the requirements voters approved in 2008, when they passed Proposition 1A to sell nearly $10 billion in bonds for the project. <more> May 16, 2013 AP

Pricing/Commodity News
Lee Mielke - Will farm bill's dairy title help dairy farmers? - - The farm bill took center stage on Capitol Hill this week and resulted in a war of words. The Senate Agriculture Committee marked up its version on Tuesday and included the controversial Dairy Security Act. The action drew praise from the National Milk Producers Federation, author of much of DSA's contents. "We commend the members of the Senate Agriculture Committee for approving a farm bill to transform dairy policy, while making necessary improvements in other farm and nutrition programs," NMPF CEO and president Jerry Kozak, said. The DSA provides "the best combination of effective risk management for dairy farmers, while minimizing program costs to the taxpayer." <more> May 17, 2013 Capital Press
Environmental
News
Court clears the way for genetically modified
alfalfa - - Roundup Ready Alfalfa, a genetically modified type of
alfalfa that is not affected by the herbicide Roundup, is not a “pest plant”
and thus cannot be banned by the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service,
the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals says. The Plant Protection Act does
not regulate the type of harms that the organic farmers and environmental
groups complained of, the appellate court says. The concerns included the
possibility that Roundup Ready Alfalfa will cross-pollinate with and alter
the genetic structure of conventional alfalfa plants. The farmers and
environmental group say such contamination will harm the multi-billion
dollar organic food industry.
<more> May 17, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Delta management plan OK'd - - fficials on
Thursday approved a broad plan to govern the Delta through the end of the
century, despite objections from environmentalists, Delta residents and
Stockton officials. The Delta Stewardship Council approved its plan
unanimously, as well as an accompanying environmental impact statement,
after three years of deliberation. The most controversial issue in the
Delta, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed $14 billion twin tunnels, will be added
to the plan approved Thursday if the tunnels are eventually approved by
wildlife agencies.
<more> May 17, 2013 Stockton Record
Council Adopts final Delta Plan - - After eight drafts, almost 100 public meetings, and nearly 10,000 individual comments, the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC) Thursday (May 16) adopted a comprehensive management plan for the Delta. The Council also certified the final Programmatic Environmental Impact Report (PEIR), and adopted regulations that will implement the policies of the Delta Plan. The Delta Plan is California’s plan for the Delta and is intended to be a single enforceable blueprint that requires and encourages sustainable actions now, and lays a strong foundation for future projects and programs that will improve statewide water supply reliability, provide a vibrant and healthy ecosystem, and preserve, protect and enhance the rural, agricultural and recreational characteristics of the Delta. The Plan will eventually include the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) when the BDCP is completed and successfully permitted. <more> May 16, 2013 Delta Stewardship Council press release
Stories Of Interest
Behind the tradition: Indy 500 milkmen ready to deliver - - The iconic Indianapolis 500 is about a week away, and as the buzz surrounding the popular event grows louder, two Indiana dairymen and the winner’s bottle of ice, cold milk are ready for their close-up. WXIN News in Indianapolis, Ind., featured dairy farmers Ken Hoeing and Duane Hill who will continue the Indy 500 tradition of delivering a pint of milk to the winning driver. <more> May 16, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Thursday, May 16, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
House immigration group announces 'agreement in
principle' - - A bipartisan group of House negotiators said Thursday it
has reached an “agreement in principle” on comprehensive immigration reform
legislation. “We have an agreement in principle,” Rep. John Carter (R-Texas)
said as he and five other members of the group emerged from a two-hour
meeting late Thursday afternoon. Democrats confirmed the deal, and lawmakers
said they would meet again next week to put the finishing touches on the
legislative text. Carter had said he hoped to formally introduce legislation
by the first week of June, before the Senate passes the bipartisan Gang of
Eight bill that is now moving through committee.
<more> May 16, 2013 The Hill
Will Immigration Reform Help Immigrant Farm
Workers? - - Farm jobs. The pay is usually low and the work is grueling.
That's why no one should be surprised by a study released on Wednesday
looking at immigration and agriculture in North Carolina. The upshot: Almost
no U.S.-born workers are taking farm jobs in that state. And even during the
recession, native workers weren't more likely to seek employment in
agriculture. That means that growers need an easy-to-use guest worker
program that will give them access to immigrant guest workers with too much
expense or red tape. That's the recommendation of the report, which was
drafted by two pro-immigration reform groups, the Partnership for a New
American Economy and the Center for Global Development.
<more> May 15, 2013 ABC news
House Panel OKs Farm Bill With Food Stamp Cuts
- - The House Agriculture Committee on Wednesday approved a sweeping
farm bill that would trim the $80 billion-a-year food stamp program. The
panel rebuffed Democratic efforts to keep the food stamp program whole, as
debate on the farm bill turned into a theological discourse on helping the
poor. The House bill would cut about $2.5 billion a year — or a little more
than 3 percent — from the domestic food aid program, which is used by 1 in 7
Americans. The committee rejected a Democratic amendment to strike the cuts
27-17, keeping them in the bill.
<more> May 16, 2013 AP
Deep divide in Congress over domestic food aid -
- The House and Senate Agriculture Committees have laid the groundwork this
week for reducing the size of the federal food stamp program, approving farm
bills that would shrink the food aid and alter the way people qualify for
it. The two chambers are far apart on how much the $80 billion-a-year
program should be cut, however - reflecting a deep ideological and at times
emotional divide on the role of government in helping the poor. Resolving
those differences will be key to passage of the massive five-year farm bill
that lawmakers are attempting to push through for the third year in a row.
The far-reaching bill costs almost $100 billion annually over five years and
would set policy for farm subsidies, rural programs and food aid.
<more> May 15, 2013 AP
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Senate approves Boxer's water bill - - In a rare display of bipartisanship on major legislation, the U.S. Senate passed Sen. Barbara Boxer's water resources bill Wednesday. The $12.5 billion bill, which includes a long-sought authorization for levee improvements in Sacramento, drew overwhelming support from Democrats and Republicans. The vote was 83-14. "This type of a bill is not easy to get through. Every state has its own needs," Boxer said. "We were able to meet the needs of the entire country." <more> May 16, 2013 Sacramento Bee

Pricing/Commodity News
New Zealand - Milk Powder Auction Prices Rise to
Second-Highest on Record - - Whole milk powder auction prices rose to
the second-highest on record as New Zealand’s most widespread drought in at
least 30 years curbs supply. Powder for July delivery rose 2.8 percent,
according to a trade-weighted index on the Fonterra Cooperative Group
Ltd.’sGlobalDairyTrade website. The near-term contract for New Zealand
product rose to $6,151 a metric ton. The record was $6,283 on April 16.
Prices have surged 93 percent this year as a drought declared across the
entire North Island including Waikato province, the country’s biggest milk
producer, curbed milk collection. The nation may receive near-normal
rainfall through July, the National Institute of Water and Atmospheric
Research said last week.
<more> May 15, 2013 Bloomberg
First Quarter Volumes of U.S. Dairy Exports
Recover from Soft Q4 - - U.S. dairy exports improved in the first
quarter of 2013 after lagging in the second half of 2012. Pricing
relationships began to improve for U.S. suppliers in February as product
availability from Oceania was constrained by drought. U.S. export volumes of
dry ingredients (milk powder, whey products, lactose), cheese and butterfat
topped 412,000 tons in Q1, up 11.3% from the fourth quarter of 2012, and up
1.6% from a year ago.
<more> May 16, 2013 Dairy Today
Cold spring stunts upper Midwest hay crop - -
A hay shortage is looming for producers in the Upper Midwest after a cold
spring hit the region’s alfalfa crop hard. Dairy farmers, in particular, are
affected by this "winter-kill," according to Fox 11 News in Wisconsin. The
degree of this year’s winter-kill may mean there won’t be enough hay from
alfalfa to go around, forcing livestock producers to replace it with other
grains.
<more> May 15, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Prices for Farmland Show Moderation - - The rise in prices for agricultural land slowed somewhat to start the year in parts of the U.S. Farm Belt, new reports showed, signaling a boom in land values might be moderating as commodity prices cool and incomes for farmers are expected to weaken. The Kansas City Federal Reserve Bank said in a report Wednesday that prices for nonirrigated farmland in its region rose 3.4% in the first quarter from the fourth quarter of 2012. That was much slower than the 7.7% quarter-to-quarter increase recorded for the same region a year earlier. <more> May 15, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Environmental
News
Brown taps cap-and-trade money - - Gov.
Brown’s rewritten budget borrows $500 million from California’s
cap-and-trade auctions and diverts the money for use in other state programs
– a move that drew immediate fire from clean-air advocates. The
administration said the $500 million represents a one-time loan and will be
paid back, with interest. Tapping the money was proper, the administration
said, because the state needs more time to set up programs to coordinate the
investments of the auction proceeds and nobody can predict how much the
auctions will raise in the future. The agencies need “further time to design
and develop their programs to ensure that when the programs receive funds
they will further the purposes of (the law) and maximize long term
greenhouse gas reductions,” the administration wrote in paperwork
accompanying the revised budget, which was released Tuesday. The budget,
which must be approved by the Legislature, reflects income tax revenue
collected by the April 15 deadline.
<more> May 16, 2013 Capitol Weekly
California short on key state water workers,
officials say - - California officials say the state cannot retain
enough trained workers to efficiently run and maintain its complex water
delivery system, a problem that has consequences for cities and farms
statewide. State pay for some key jobs, they say, has fallen so far behind
the industry's standard that the Department of Water Resources serves as a
farm system for private utilities and other government entities. The problem
costs taxpayers extra tens of millions of dollars each year to move water
around the state, officials say, because facilities aren't managed
efficiently.
<more> May 16, 2013 Sacramento Bee
Delta Plan to be adopted today - - With the
Delta Stewardship Council expected to adopt the final “Delta Plan” at its
May 16-17 meeting in Sacramento, the Natural Resources Defense Council and
the Golden Gate Salmon Association say a new analysis shows that the prized
Central Valley salmon fishery is “limping along” at only 20 percent of the
population goal required by state and federal law. The Delta Plan recommends
improved efficiency, more storage, the development of other local water
supplies, protection of Delta farmlands and communities, and the improvement
of Delta levees. It will also incorporate as state law the yet to be
completed Bay Delta Conservation Plan. That plan, urged on by Gov. Jerry
Brown, is expected to call for construction of massive 35 mile long twin
tunnels buried 150 feet beneath the heart of the Delta to siphon water out
of the Sacramento River before it can flow naturally into the Delta.
<more> May 16, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Water group blasts Delta Plan - - The “Delta
Plan,” to be adopted Thursday as state law by the Delta Stewardship
Commission, is fatally flawed, says a nonprofit water group based in Santa
Barbara. “We find the Final Delta Plan utterly deficient. It is nothing more
than a continuation of the policy that has systematically destroyed the
largest estuary on the west coast of the continental United States and
instigated the state’s water wars,” says the California Water Impact
Network. “As such, it is not a solution to our water crisis, but a
disastrous adherence to the status quo.” The group notes that the Delta Plan
ignores simple arithmetic: that the amount of water pledged to various users
exceeds by five times the amount of water normally available from the
combined Sacramento, Trinity and San Joaquin river basins.
<more> May 16, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Dry farming draws interest of small growers in Central Valley - - A centuries-old farming technique called dry farming - once the order of the day in the Central Valley - is once again drawing the interest of some of the region's farmers. The technique is as simple as it is risky. Dry farming relies solely on rainwater to keep crops growing throughout a dry season. Used for centuries in the Mediterranean region to grow crops like olives and grapes, the technique is not for the faint of heart. A year such as this, with a dry winter, can devastate crop output and put an onerous dent in a farmer's wallet. <more> May 16, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Stories Of Interest
PETA's "Got zits?" billboard breaks out in Milwaukee - - I have a strange fascination with PETA. I’m not even a vegetarian, and I find many of their practices completely ridiculous, and yet, they have my attention. Their latest stunt is no exception. The hardcore animal rights organization launched a national billboard campaign last week in Kansas City and it went up in Milwaukee this week. The "Got zits?" billboard was prompted by a recent study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that claims there is a connection between acne and dairy products. Hence, the billboard shows a teen with a pimple-covered face, a milk mustache and the words, "Got zits? Studies Show: Milk and Cheese Trigger Acne. Ditch Dairy." <more> May 15, 2013 OnMilwaukee.com
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
House
Agriculture panel keeps farm bill dairy program opposed by Boehner
- - The House Agriculture
Committee on Wednesday began a marathon markup of its $940 billion 2013 farm
bill by voting to keep a dairy supply program opposed by Speaker John
Boehner (R-Ohio). Boehner and other House leaders last year kept a farm bill
from coming to the House floor in part over the program’s inclusion. Boehner
referred to the complex dairy supply management program in the bill as
“Soviet-style.” An amendment to gut the dairy program, sponsored by Rep. Bob
Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Rep. David Scott (D-Ga.), was defeated on a 20-26
vote. The program is crucial to committee ranking member Collin Peterson (D-Minn.),
however, and his block of rural Democrats that will be needed to pass any
farm bill. Peterson noted Wednesday that Boehner has been lobbying members
to change the dairy program — a sign he could be preparing for a floor
fight, unlike last year. <more>
May 15, 2013 The Hill
House
Ag Committee defeats Goodlatte-Scott amendment - - The Goodlatte-Scott
amendment was the first amendment defeated when the House Ag Committee
started markup of its version of the 2013 Farm Bill, May 15, according to
Bob Gray, with the Northeast Dairy Farmers Cooperative. U.S. Rep. Goodlatte
(R-Va.) and Scott (D-Ga.) joined in offering the amendment, which would have
stripped the Market Stabilization provision from the Dairy Security Act.
Following spirited debate and a roll call vote, Goodlatte/Scott went down to
defeat, 26-20. The amendment would have removed Subtitle D Part I (Dairy
Producer Margin Protection and Dairy Market Stabilization Programs) and
replaced it with a stand-alone "Dairy Producer Margin Insurance
Program." Six Republicans on the Committee joined 20 Democrats to vote
against the amendment.
<more> May 15, 2013 DairyBusiness Update
NMPF
pleased with vote - - The head of the National Milk Producers Federation
(NMPF) praised the House Ag Committee vote in support of the Dairy Security
Act (DSA). “The committee’s decision to once again reject an amendment by
Reps. Bob Goodlatte and David Scott that would have undermined the House
Farm Bill’s dairy safety net is gratifying to the thousands of dairy farmers
across the country who support the DSA,” said Jerry Kozak, NMPF CEO and
president. “Dairy farmers have labored for four years to develop the reforms
contained in the DSA. We have worked with leaders of both the House and
Senate Agriculture Committees to construct a new safety net that offers
dairy farmers more effective protection than current policy,” Kozak said.
“We appreciate the fact that House Agriculture Committee members are
concerned with fashioning the best dairy policy possible, and we are
heartened by their decision today to back the DSA. The House committee has
now twice rejected the Goodlatte-Scott effort to undermine establishment of
a workable national dairy policy.”
<more> May 15, 2013 DairyBusiness Update
IDFA &
DBA: Disappointed, not finished - - The defeat of the Goodlatte/Scott
Amendment was a stinging defeat for the International Dairy Foods
Association (IDFA). However, Jerry Slominski, IDFA senior vice president for
legislative and economic affairs, said he expects the Goodlatte-Scott
measure to resurface when the Ag Committee’s farm bill proposal comes to the
floor of the full House. “IDFA is very encouraged by the growing support for
the bipartisan, compromise Goodlatte-Scott approach to dairy policy,
particularly from important dairy states like Wisconsin, New York and
Pennsylvania,” Slominski said. “The House vote was much closer than last
year, and the amendment is clearly gaining momentum as it heads to the House
floor.” The amendment was supported by an overwhelming majority of the
Republicans on the committee, including Rep. Rick Crawford (R-Ark.), the
chair of the subcommittee with jurisdiction over dairy programs.
<more> May 15, 2013 DairyBusiness Update
Jerry Brown pushes for 'smooth and rapid' path to
citizenship - - Gov. Jerry Brown called Monday for a "smooth and rapid"
path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, telling U.S. Sen. Dianne
Feinstein in a letter that he is working to find state money that may be
used to implement potential changes to the nation's immigration system,
including employment requirements and assistance learning English. "In order
to avoid dire consequences for our state, comprehensive immigration reform
must occur this year and the resulting path to citizenship must be smooth
and rapid," Brown said in a letter to Feinstein ahead of a Senate Judiciary
Committee hearing today on a bipartisan immigration bill. The Democratic
governor said California and the nation "are choosing to accept the
undocumented workers who have entered our country illegally because neither
industry nor the workers themselves were ever given any viable option to
fill our labor demands legally."
<more> May 14, 2013 Capitol Alert
Dianne Feinstein wins vote to ban drones within
three miles of border - - As the Senate Judiciary plowed through dozens
of amendments to its giant immigration overhaul, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.,
won a vote to limit the Border Patrol’s use of drones to within three miles
of the Mexican border. Feinstein said drone technology is growing “beyond
our ability to manage how they are used,” citing privacy concerns,
especially in California, where she said “you have millions of people”
living close to the border in San Diego and El Centro. Feinstein also
aligned with the committee’s conservative Republicans to push for biometric
identifiers such as fingerprints or iris scans on visa documents. These
would track entries and exits primarily from airports to help prevent visa
overstays. People who enter the country legally through airports and then
overstay their visas constitute a large portion of the illegal immigrant
population.
<more> May 15, 2013 San Francisco Chronicle
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Kings County fights for its lawsuit against high-speed rail - - Kings County opponents of high-speed rail are battling the project's leadership to avoid merging the county's lawsuit into a case on the issuance of bonds to build tracks through the San Joaquin Valley. Hanford farmer John Tos, Hanford homeowner Aaron Fukuda and the Kings County Board of Supervisors have a court date coming up in Sacramento on May 31 for the lawsuit they filed against the California High- Speed Rail Authority in 2011. That lawsuit alleges the high-speed rail project, as currently proposed, violates the requirements of Proposition 1A, the $9.9 billion bond measure approved by California voters in 2008. <more> May 14, 2013 Fresno Bee

Pricing/Commodity News
Milk pricing could go federal under Valadao bill -
- Dairy operators wanting to bypass California’s milk pricing system and
switch to a federal milk marketing order would get their chance under a bill
sponsored by Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford. Valadao’s bill, introduced in
March with support from Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno; Rep. Jeff Denham,
R-Turlock; and Rep. Doug LaMalfa, R-Richvale, was included last week in the
proposed 2013 Farm Bill package. The bill would give dairy operators the
option of petitioning the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture to abandon
California’s regional pricing scheme and join the federal milk marketing
order, a move local dairy owners say would raise prices. They say California
is $1.50-$2 per hundredweight below prices in surrounding states.
<more> May 14, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Global Dairy Trade prices decline again - -
Global Dairy Trade auction at Fonterra on Wednesday saw prices decline for
the second consecutive sale. Overall prices declined 2.1 percent from the
May 1st sale. Rennet Casein was the only product to see an increase over the
last sale, up 3.7 percent. Anhydrous milk fat slipped 0.2 percent, whole
milk powder was 1.7 percent lower, skim milk powder declined 2.8 percent,
butter milk powder fell 5.1 percent and butter dropped 12.4 percent. There
were no sales of cheddar cheese, milk protein concentrates or lactose.
<more> May 15, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Corn at $4 or $10: Plan Ahead for Both- by Patrick Patton, Stewart-Peterson Inc. - - If April showers (and snow) bring more uncertainty about 2013 crops, what does uncertainty bring? For dairy producers, it can be ongoing uneasiness or a set of strategies that cover your feed needs no matter what the markets do. We’re still preparing our clients for a potentially wide price range for 2013 corn and soybeans. Corn could be $4 or $10 in 2013, and soybeans could be $269/ton or $476/ton in 2013. "Oh, that’s helpful," you might say. You might like a little bit narrower price range to use in your planning. <more> May 13, 2013 Dairy Today
Environmental
News
Water allocation from Millerton cut again - dry
spell cited - - Continued dry conditions have caused the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation to reduce the allocation of water to east San Joaquin Valley
farmers from 50% to 45%. The adjustment was announced Tuesday and affects
high priority water use for about 15,000 farmers in the Friant Water
Authority. The first 800,000 acre-feet of San Joaquin River runoff is
high-priority. It is more expensive and more crucial to keeping crops alive
than the lower-priority water, which often is used to recharge underground
water levels for wells.
<more> May 14, 2013 Fresno Bee
Turlock Irrigation District board approves increase in water allowed to farmers - - Farmers in the Turlock Irrigation District got a small boost Tuesday in the amount of water available this year. The district board voted 3-2 to raise the cap to 34 vertical inches per acre, up from the 30 inches approved in February amid concern about low rainfall and snowpack numbers. The level still is much less than the 48 inches per acre — four acre-feet — that farmers typically can get when water is adequate. <more> May 14, 2013 Modesto Bee
Stories Of Interest
Cal Poly Announces New Duties for Two Administrators
- - Dave Wehner, dean of Cal Poly’s College of Agriculture, Food and
Environmental Sciences (CAFES) since 2002, will become the university’s
interim vice president for strategic initiatives, the university announced
Wednesday. Andrew Thulin, currently head of Cal Poly’s Animal Sciences
Department, will serve as interim CAFES dean. A national search for a
permanent successor as dean will be held near the end of these interim
appointments, which are expected to last for approximately 12 to 18 months.
The appointments are effective July 1. “Thanks to Cal Poly’s past success,
we have significant new opportunities to partner with donors and others in
the private sector on some potentially key initiatives,” Cal Poly President
Jeffrey D. Armstrong said. “We need to make good decisions about what fits
within our mission, what is fundable, and what we can successfully
implement.
<more> May 15, 2013 Cal Poly press release
Monsters love milk, too - - Mike and Sully, the stars of Disney’s “Monsters, Inc.” and upcoming “Monsters University” movies, are sporting a new look for the latest ‘got milk?’ campaign – milk mustaches. The campaign draws on the two furry stars as they go back to their college days. For the popular duo, milk doesn’t only encourage learning in the classroom but also fuels a day of "scaring." The new ad is being released in advance of the “Monsters University” release on June 21 says, “Scare up some protein. Monster days start with milk at breakfast.” <more> May 14, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Farm bill
passes Senate Ag Committee virtually unscathed
- - The Senate Agriculture Committee powered through its approval of its
farm bill mark, approving the measure by a 15-5 vote and setting up for a
more heated debate on the commodity and nutrition titles when the full
Senate takes up the bill as soon as June. Senate Agriculture Committee
chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D., Mich.) allowed for discussion within her
committee, but in the end, very few amendments were passed during the nearly
3 hour mark-up. As expected, the greatest concerns lied in the inclusion of
target price supports to appease southern interests and the new ranking
member Sen. Thad Cochran (R., Miss.) and nutrition funding, with discussion
that the cuts are too much, and others suggesting the cuts should go deeper.
<more> May 14, 2013 Feedstuffs
Dairy
Security Act Part of Senate Mark-Up - - Praise for Senate Agriculture
Committee action this morning on the Farm Bill came rolling in from
advocates of the Dairy Security Act (DSA), which includes both dairy margin
insurance and a market stabilization program. Inclusion of DSA in the Senate
version is no surprise, since it was included in last year’s farm bill
efforts. "We also urge members of the House Agriculture Committee, during
their markup of the farm bill tomorrow, to approve the Dairy Security Act
and oppose an effort by Rep. Bob Goodlatte that aims to weaken the bill’s
protection of dairy farmers," says Jerry Kozak, President and CEO of the
National Milk Producers Federation. "The Dairy Security Act is the best
approach to providing milk producers an effective safety net, while avoiding
a scenario that Goodlatte’s amendment could cause where dairy margins are
low for long periods, hurting farmers and taxpayers alike."
<more> May 14, 2013 Dairy Today
Senate Ag Committee marks up farm bill; retains
DSA - - The U.S. Senate Ag Committee marked up its version of the 2013
Farm Bill Tuesday, including language from the Dairy Security Act in the
proposal. The House Ag Committee is scheduled to mark up its version of the
farm bill on Wednesday. “We commend the members of the Senate Agriculture
Committee for approving a farm bill to transform dairy policy, while making
necessary improvements in other farm and nutrition programs,” said Jerry
Kozak, CEO and president of the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF).
“The dairy title of the committee’s bill contains the long-awaited reforms
offered by the Dairy Security Act, which provides the best combination of
effective risk management for dairy farmers, while minimizing program costs
to the taxpayer.”
<more> May 14, 2013 Dairy Business
IDFA: Opposition to Dairy Supply Management
mounts - - As the House and Senate Agriculture Committees prepare to
write a new farm bill this week, the list of organizations opposed to a
proposed dairy program continues to grow. Nearly 150 organizations and
businesses across the food chain, from farmers and food manufacturers to
food retailers and consumers, have signed letters to members of Congress
urging them to oppose the “Dairy Market Stabilization Program” (DMSP). This
program is designed to raise milk prices by establishing federal regulations
to periodically limit the U.S. milk supply when farms are growing. The DMSP
is a controversial proposal that is part of the Dairy Security Act, a bill
sponsored by Representative Collin Peterson (D-MN) that is included in
drafts of the next Farm Bill. Both the Senate and House Agriculture
Committees will consider the draft bills this week.
<more> May 14, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
House farm bill has
plenty for California growers - - The House bill, for instance, would
allow California dairy producers to petition the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for entrance into the federal milk marketing order system. If
the producers filed that petition, approval by two-thirds of the producers
in a vote would be required. Marketing orders, among other things, establish
the pricing formula that determines how much milk processors pay for the
milk they use. California operates under its own system, and California
producers have complained about being paid less than producers in other
states, who are part of the federal marketing order system. “It’s time dairy
producers, farmers and ranchers in every state have a say in the dairy
pricing system,” Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, said last week.
<more> May 14, 2013 McClatchy
House
immigration group at impasse
- - The House’s bipartisan
immigration group is at a crippling impasse, and top aides and lawmakers are
unsure if they’ll ever come to the agreement they’ve sought for four years,
according to multiple sources with direct knowledge of the discussions. With
the Senate advancing its own bill his week, the House group’s problems are
multifaceted and help explain the long delay in releasing legislation. The
most polarizing disagreement is over a so-called “trigger” that would
eliminate the legalization process for 11 million illegal immigrants if an
employment verification program — called E-Verify — is not in place in five
years. Most Democrats consider that trigger too harsh, but Republicans
insist on it.
<more> May 14, 2013 Politco
Gang of 8 looks to defend guest worker plan -
- The Senate Gang of Eight has largely controlled the Senate Judiciary
Committee’s immigration markup, and the group’s next step: shielding a
painstakingly negotiated agreement for a new guest worker program. This
week, the gang will have to fend off amendments from both the right and left
to fiddle with the program, either to appease businesses or insert stronger
protections for labor. Much as they did with border security measures last
week, the four members of the gang on the Judiciary Committee, who brokered
the immigration deal will aim to band together and defeat changes that could
prove fatal to the overall bill.
<more> May 13, 2013 Politico
New I-9 form
for employers released - -
By Anthony P. Raimondo - -
All employers in the United States must use the new I-9 form for all new
hires beginning in May 2013. Employers are not required to complete new
forms for employees who are already working, but must use the new form for
all new hires. To download the instructions for employment eligbility
verification,
please click here. The form
makes mostly cosmetic changes, but does require some additional information
that was not required on the previous form. Most significant, the list of
acceptable documents for employment eligibility verification has not
changed. There is also a
new Handbook for Employers (M-274) that answers common I-9 questions.
Critical steps to I-9 compliance are as follows: Take your time! Many
employers rush through the form and do not fill it out completely or
correctly. Make sure you have read the instructions, and understand how to
fill out the form. Make sure you give the employee a copy of the
instructions when you give them a copy of the form – it is required by law.
<more> May 13, 2013 WUD News
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Somatic Cell Count in DHI Herds Averaged 200,000
in 2012 - - Each year, test-day data from all herds enrolled in Dairy
Herd Improvement (DHI) somatic cell count (SCC) testing in the United States
are examined to assess milk quality on a national basis. During 2012, the
SCC in DHI herds averaged 200,000 cells/ml. This compares to 217,000 in
2011; 228,000 in 2010; 233,000 in 2009; 262,000 in 2008; and 276,000 in
2007. National average test-day herd SCC has declined every year since 2005,
and every year except one since 2001.
<more> May 14, 2013 Dairy Today
Immigration advocates ask Obama to suspend some deportations - - Immigration advocates called on President Obama on Monday to suspend deportations of undocumented workers who would qualify for legal status under a comprehensive immigration bill being debate in the Senate. With an estimated 1,100 illegal immigrants per day being deported from the United States, the advocates said Obama has a moral obligation to stop breaking up families when lawmakers are considering legislation that would allow most of the nation’s 11 million undocumented immigrants to apply for legal status. “The president is not and cannot be a bystander in the process,” said Pablo Alvarado, executive director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network. “This is the moment for him to intervene.” <more> May 13, 2013 The Washington Post

Pricing/Commodity News
Corn planting races to 28 percent - - Farmers
took advantage of the break in wet spring weather in a rush to plant crops
before the next round of rain. The USDA’s latest Crop Progress report showed
that 28 percent of the nation’s corn has been planted, compared to 12
percent last week. This is lower than the five-year average of 65 percent
and significantly behind last year’s speedy pace of 85 percent. All
reporting states made progress from last week -- thanks to a window to dry
weather.
<more> May 13, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
CWT assists with 933,000 lbs. of cheese export sales - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted four requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold) and Foremost Farms to sell 932,556 lbs. of cheddar cheese to customers in Asia and North Africa. The product will be delivered May through October 2013. So far in 2013, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 53.810 million lbs. of cheese, 51.727 million lbs. of butter, 44,092 lbs. of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 lbs. of whole milk powder to 31 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.626 billion lbs. of milk on a milkfat basis. That is more than USDA’s projected increase in milk marketings for all of 2013. May 14, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
USDA Announces Conservation Reserve Program
Sign-Up - - Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today reminded farmers
and ranchers that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will conduct a
four-week Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) general sign-up beginning May
20 and ending on June 14. Vilsack also announced the restart of sign-up for
continuous CRP, including the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program,
State Acres for Wildlife Enhancement Initiative, the Highly Erodible Land
Initiative, the Grassland Restoration Initiative, the Pollinator Habitat
Initiative and other related initiatives. Sign-up for continuous CRP began
on May 13 and will continue through Sept. 30, 2013.
<more> May 14, 2013 USDA press release
Reclamation cuts water allocation for Friant Division - - After reviewing the manual snow survey data from the California Department of Water Resources that was provided the week of May 6, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation is cutting Friant Division allocations. The Friant Division Class 1 water supply allocation is being decreased from 50 percent to 45 percent. Class 2 water remains at 0 percent. The first 800,000 acre-feet of water supply is considered Class 1 and the next 1.4 million acre-feet is considered Class 2. The latest information on upstream operations, canal demand schedules, and the San Joaquin River Restoration Program flow release schedule have also been incorporated into the change in allocation. <more> May 14, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Stories Of Interest
Bright Harvest: Local farms bursting with ripening fruits - - The hot valley sun has started beaming down on area farms, ripening fruits such as blueberries, cherries, apricots and strawberries. Through fall, fresh and locally produced fruits will fill farm stands and markets. Fruit harvested in Merced County brings in a gross return of $132 million, according to the county agricultural department's latest annual crop report. That's nowhere near the more than $1.1 billion provided by the county's top farm commodity, dairy, but agricultural officials say such crops are an important part of the area's economic landscape. <more> May 13, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
Monday, May 13, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California
Dairy Leaders Class XII selected - -
A new year for Western United
Dairymen’s highly regarded California Dairy Leaders program is underway with
the selection recently of the members of Class XII. This year’s group
includes five women and one man. This will be the twelfth year for the
nationally recognized leadership development program designed to provide an
in-depth study of the major issues faced by California dairy families.
California Dairy Leaders Class XII members are: * Elysha Bergwerff,
Bergwerff Farms Inc., Escalon. * Melissa Lema, Western United
Dairymen, Sacramento. * Deanna Martin, USDA Farm Service Agency,
Stockton. * Katherine Nissen, Nissen Dairy Inc., Escalon. * Paul
van Puijenbroek, De Snayer Dairy, Lodi. * Cristina Vieira, A & C
Vieira Dairy, Turlock. The first session of the year will be held May 28-30
in South San Francisco for an introduction to leadership by Dr. Neil Koenig,
a hands-on media training workshop, social media overview and industry
leaders discussing their roles in dairy promotion, advertising, marketing,
and research. Subsequent sessions will cover: state regulatory processes and
legislative advocacy on location in Sacramento; the California pricing
system and how it relates to national dairy pricing; and the gamut of
environmental issues facing the state’s dairy farmers. The highlight of each
year’s program is a trip to Washington, DC, for a quick immersion in federal
legislative processes. All sessions will cover the main topics and relate
them to customers and communities beyond the farm gate. The mission of the
California Dairy Leaders program is to develop informed producers who will
provide the next generation of leadership in organizations such as Western
United Dairymen. The California Dairy Leaders Program would like to
acknowledge the financial assistance and support of this program by the
Professional Dairy Producers Foundation. For more information on PDPF, go to
www.dairyfoundation.org. May
10, 2013 WUD Friday Update
New I-9 form
for employers released - -
By Anthony P. Raimondo - -
All employers in the United States must use the new I-9 form for all new
hires beginning in May 2013. Employers are not required to complete new
forms for employees who are already working, but must use the new form for
all new hires. To download the instructions for employment eligbility
verification,
please click here. The form
makes mostly cosmetic changes, but does require some additional information
that was not required on the previous form. Most significant, the list of
acceptable documents for employment eligibility verification has not
changed. There is also a
new Handbook for Employers (M-274) that answers common I-9 questions.
Critical steps to I-9 compliance are as follows: Take your time! Many
employers rush through the form and do not fill it out completely or
correctly. Make sure you have read the instructions, and understand how to
fill out the form. Make sure you give the employee a copy of the
instructions when you give them a copy of the form – it is required by law.
<more> May 13, 2013 WUD News
Immigrant raid rumor fuels fear in Central Calif - - The rumor spread
like wildfire via phone calls, text messages and social media postings and
has persisted now for more than three weeks: Immigration agents are rounding
up unauthorized workers in Central California farming communities. In
Madera, Dinuba, Reedley and parts of Fresno, streets emptied out, soccer
games were cancelled and usually bustling businesses saw few customers. Area
farmers say their employees are scared, with some not coming to work.
Children are missing school. The disruption has become so widespread and
unrelenting that local law enforcement and business leaders took the unusual
step of holding a news conference Friday to try to reassure the community
that no raids have occurred.
<more> May 11, 2013 San Francisco Chronicle
Valley
farm-labor shortage boosts wages for workers - - Fears of a potential
farm labor shortage have caused San Joaquin Valley growers to boost wages to
as much as $10 an hour this year to attract and keep workers for the harvest
season. With the farm-labor pool already tight and crops ready to be picked,
growers are scrambling to secure their supply of workers. "It is getting
very competitive out there and employers are having to offer incentives to
find the labor they need," said Oscar Ramos, a grape farmer and
Kingsburg-based farm-labor contractor. "And one of those incentives is
higher wages."
<more> May 10, 2013 Fresno Bee
Debate
over amnesty looms over efforts to reform immigration laws - - In 1986,
lawmakers decided the problem of illegal immigration had to be dealt with.
More than 3 million people were living in the United States after crossing
the border illegally or overstaying their visas. A new law signed by
President Ronald Reagan gave legal status and a path to citizenship to most
of those unauthorized residents — helping many secure a slice of the
American dream but also giving fuel to critics who sought to turn "amnesty"
into a pejorative. Less than 30 years later, the number of immigrants living
in the country illegally is thought to have nearly quadrupled, and the
freighted baggage of amnesty looms over new efforts to reform the nation's
immigration laws. With four times as many people potentially eligible,
today's mass legalization would occur on a much larger scale.
<more> May 12, 2013 Los Angeles Times
NMPF
Praises Dairy Provisions in House Agriculture Committee Farm Bill - -
“The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) is pleased that the Farm Bill
unveiled today by the House Agriculture Committee contains dairy program
reform provisions based on the Dairy Security Act (DSA). These are the same
provisions that were included in last year’s bill that the committee
approved. The DSA updates the badly frayed dairy safety net, and it enjoys
strong support among dairy farmers nationwide. “In addition to providing
dairy farmers an effective safety net, the DSA is fiscally responsible. The
alternative to the DSA, expected to be offered by Reps. Goodlatte and Scott,
is unfortunately not fiscally responsible and could return us to the bad old
days of huge price-depressing dairy surpluses. Goodlatte-Scott would
guarantee cheap milk for processors while dulling market signals to farmers
through margin insurance payments. If milk prices fall sharply or feed costs
soar – both common occurrences in recent years – government costs of the
dairy program could spiral out of control.
<more> May 10, 2013 NMPF press release
Are
dairy producers trying to sneak artificial sweeteners into our milk? - -
The dairy lobby is trying to pollute our milk! According to an ad campaign
now appearing on city buses in Washington, D.C., milk producers would like
to make the pure mammary secretions of industrial cattle into “an
artificially sweetened junk food.” The industry has petitioned the FDA for a
change in the “standards of identity” for milk and 17 other dairy products,
and if milk producers get their way, they’ll be allowed to dose our children
on the sly with deadly aspartame. Or so the ads suggest.
<more> May 13, 2013 Slate
Obama’s Calorie Display Rules Delayed by Grocer Blowback - - The
lobbyist for grocers including Kroger Co. (KR) and Safeway Inc. (SWY) is
calling on President Barack Obama to curtail a U.S. health law provision
that mandates the companies display the calorie content of all their foods.
The Food Marketing Institute, an Arlington, Virginia-based trade group, said
Obama should step in before the Food and Drug Administration puts the new
rules into effect, intervening as he has with other provisions of the
Affordable Care Act that carry unintended consequences.
<more> May 9, 2013 Bloomberg
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update

Pricing/Commodity News
Little
change expected in milk prices - - Only minimal shifts were reported in
milk price estimates for 2013 in the USDA’s latest "World Agricultural
Supply and Demand Estimates" report. The report, released on Friday, showed
that Class III milk prices are expected to average $17.80 to $18.30 per
hundredweight this year, compared to last month’s estimate of $17.85 to
$18.35. Prices for both Class IV and All Milk are raised slightly. “The
Class III price is lowered as lower whey prices more than offset greater
cheese prices. Class IV is up reflecting higher prices for butter and nonfat
dry milk,” the report said. The expected corn price shows a significant
downward adjustment from last month. The range is now projected to be $4.30
to $5.10 per bushel, down sharply from the record $6.70 to $7.10 for
2012-2013. May 10, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
U.S. Expects Record Corn Crop - - Corn futures prices fell after the U.S. government forecast a record harvest this autumn and said domestic supplies would more than double by next year. In a monthly crop report Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected that U.S. corn stockpiles would climb to 2 billion bushels next summer, slightly higher than analysts had expected and up from an expected 759 million bushels this summer. The government's forecast would mark the highest level of late-summer corn stockpiles in the U.S. since 2005. The USDA predicted that this fall's corn harvest would total 14.1 billion bushels, a 31% increase over last year, when the worst U.S. drought in decades withered crops across the Farm Belt. The government's projected corn harvest would break the current record of 13.1 billion bushels set in 2009. <more> May 12, 2013 Wall Street Journal
Environmental
News
Fracking issue brings Senate foes together - - Partisan political
operatives for Republican Andy Vidak and Democrat Leticia Perez are keen to
paint each one in a bad light. But the two leading candidates in the 16th
state Senate District race are in virtual lock step on at least one issue:
They both think fracking is a good thing. Fracking is the drilling practice
of injecting pressurized water and chemicals into the ground to break up
rock to free the oil and natural gas trapped inside. It’s been around for
decades, but it’s come into the spotlight recently because new horizontal
drilling methods and deeper drilling technologies are promising to bring
fracking into more widespread use.
<more> May 9, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Environmental Review to Delay Two Engineered Crops - - Genetically
engineered crops that could sharply increase the use of two powerful
herbicides are now unlikely to reach the market until at least 2015 because
the Department of Agriculture has decided to subject the crops to more
stringent environmental reviews than it had originally intended. The
department said on Friday that it had made the decision after determining
that approval of the crops “may significantly affect the quality of the
human environment.” The crops in question are Dow Chemical’s corn and
soybeans that would be resistant to the herbicide 2,4-D and Monsanto’s
dicamba-resistant cotton and soybeans.
<more> May 10, 2013 The New York Times
Delta
Plan, years in making, nears vote - - When it comes to the Delta, all
you hear about these days are tunnels. But a much broader plan to be voted
on this week will govern the estuary long after most of us are dead. After
three years, tens of thousands of public comments and tens of millions of
dollars spent, the Delta Stewardship Council is poised to adopt a new vision
for the estuary - one that is supposed to balance the state's water needs
with the fragile environment while also protecting the Delta as a unique
place. The legally enforceable Delta Plan could determine where we live, how
our cities grow, the health of our farm-based economy and the very nature of
the landscape around us.
<more> May 13, 2013 Stockton Record
20,210
pages in sneak peek of Delta tunnel plan's EIR - - A comprehensive
environmental review of Gov. Jerry Brown's twin tunnels project was released
Friday. And if any electronic document can make a "thud" when it hits your
computer, this one did. The review is 20,210 pages long. It will offer the
most specific details yet about the project, how it will be built and how it
will impact Delta residents. "This is a work in progress," Department of
Water Resources Director Mark Cowin said in a prepared statement. "Releasing
these documents early, before the start of a formal public comment period,
will help us assess impacts. "We will modify the plan wherever possible to
minimize disruption, dislocation, and any negative impact to Delta
residents."
<more> May 11, 2013 Stockton Record
Steinberg 'trial balloon': New legislation to govern Delta tunnels? - -
California's Senate leader has floated a controversial idea to resolve
mistrust threatening Gov. Jerry Brown's plan for two giant water diversion
tunnels in the Delta: legislation to govern the tunnel operations. Senate
President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, floated the idea in a
speech Wednesday at a conference held by the Association of California Water
Agencies in Sacramento. He said that perhaps a long-delayed water bond, now
targeted for the 2014 ballot, could include language to "operationalize the
rules of the game" for the tunnels. He also suggested amending the state
constitution to achieve the same effect.
<more> May 10, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Boxer seeks Sacramento levee funding in water bill - - In contrast to contentious debates over issues such as guns, immigration and the federal budget, a bill to address critical water infrastructure – including flood protection for Sacramento – looked like it might have an easier time getting through a divided U.S. Senate. The Water Resources Development Act, co-sponsored by Sens. Barbara Boxer, a California Democrat, and David Vitter, a Louisiana Republican, would authorize funding for Army Corps of Engineers projects, including dams and levees, ports and inland waterways, and coastal protection and restoration. <more> May 12, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Stories Of Interest
Sonoma
County Farm Uses Social Media to Cut Food Waste and Increase Profits - -
Agriculture may be one of the biggest economic drivers in California, but
the latest farm census from the USDA found that, among the state’s small
farms, more than half do not turn a profit. One family farm in Sonoma County
is using social media to try to change that and reduce food waste at the
same time. That farm is Bloomfield Farms in Petaluma. On a recent Sunday
evening, after employees had returned from a weekend selling at Bay Area
farmers markets, general manager Nick Papadopoulos headed over to one of the
barns. He walked into the cooler only to find two pallets of produce that
had come back unsold. Papadopoulos headed back to his shipping
container-turned-office, opened up his laptop and updated the farm’s
Facebook status. “I’m going to put breaking
Joe Joe Charles' wish comes true in Waterloo, Ill. - - Plenty of people flee cities and suburbia for a whiff of fresh country air, but the people who tend to crave it aren't typically 5-years-old. Then again, most 5-year-olds haven't spent more than 120 days of their little life locked away from it in a hospital. "He was diagnosed at 2-years-old with Neuroblastoma," explained Angela Charles, Joseph's mom. So when Make-A-Wish came calling, it was a silver lining that Joe Joe's parents knew would include shades of green because he's always had a tender spot for tractors. "When I heard he wanted to be a farmer, I was like are you kidding me? I would have picked Disney World or Justin Bieber in a second," said Linda Mathews, a woman who led the charge in making Joe Joe's wish come true. <more> May 3, 2013 KSDK news
Friday, May 10, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
House Committee
on Agriculture releases new farm bill draft
- - The House Agriculture
Committee released a new farm bill draft today, with a preliminary score of
$39.7 billion in savings over ten years. The language in the Federal
Agriculture Reform and Risk Management Act (FARRM) is largely similar to the
bill passed through committee last year, with larger cuts in the nutrition
title and minor changes in farm safety net programs. In 2012, the House
Agriculture Committee passed a farm bill with $35 billion in savings, which
the Congressional Budget Office later scored about $10 billion lower. The
areas of most significant savings in the draft bill released today include
$20.5 billion from the Nutrition Title, $6.9 billion from the Conservation
Title and $13.8 billion from the Commodity Title and Crop Insurance Title
combined.
<more> May 10, 2013 AgriPulse
House GOP rolls out new farm bill - -
Republicans rolled out their newly drafted House farm bill Friday, claiming
nearly $40 billion in savings over the next decade — much of it from food
stamps but also reflecting a major rewrite of commodity programs for
producers. The release followed on the heels of Senate Democrats unveiling
their own farm bill Thursday evening and sets the stage for back-to-back
markups next Tuesday and Wednesday in the Senate and House Agriculture
committees.
<more> May 10, 2013 Politico
Immigration bill survives first day of debate in
Senate committee - - After eight hours of debate, the bipartisan Senate
immigration bill emerged mostly intact Thursday, despite Republican-led
efforts to make substantial alterations in the first of what is certain to
be many long committee meetings to work through the 844-page proposal.
Senators on the Judiciary Committee spent most of the day on a question that
has baffled immigration reformers: how to determine when the border with
Mexico would be declared secure. The answer is crucial, because only then
would the legalization process start for the estimated 11 million people in
this country illegally.
<more> May 9, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Big test for immigration bill brings hope to
backers - - Senators who back a sweeping immigration law said Thursday
they were heartened by the first big test of the proposal in which members
of both parties were allowed to make changes to the bill. The Democratic-led
Senate Judiciary Committee adopted eight amendments offered by Republicans
and 13 from Democrats. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., said some of the
Republican amendments have helped strengthen the bill and should encourage
more GOP members of Congress to consider voting for it.
<more> May 9, 2013 USA Today
NMPF Welcomes Senate Agriculture Committee Farm
Bill Draft - - “We are pleased that the dairy title of the Farm Bill
released today by the Senate Agriculture Committee contains the Dairy
Security Act (DSA), just as it was included in last year’s Senate Farm Bill.
The DSA is the best approach for providing a cost-effective safety net for
dairy farmers, and we commend Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Ranking
Member Thad Cochran (R-MS) for their efforts to pass the DSA into law. The
DSA provides the right combination of effective risk management for dairy
farmers while minimizing program costs to the taxpayer. “NMPF is part of a
coalition of more than 50 state and national farm groups that have been
working since 2009 on replacing outdated dairy programs that don’t work,
with a new safety net that reflects that realities of dairy farming in the
21st century. Dairy farmers throughout the U.S. support the proposal that
the Agriculture Committee will be reviewing next week, and urge members of
the committee – and their counterparts in the House Agriculture Committee,
which will also review the DSA next week – to pass this critical
legislation.” May 9, 2013 NMPF press release
Flat screen TV tops June 3 WUD golf tourney
raffle prizes - - A flat screen television donated by WUD Board
President Tom Barcellos is one of the top raffle prizes to be awarded at
the 11th annual North Valley Fed-PAC
Golf
Tournament Monday, June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course. All proceeds from
the popular event will benefit Western United Dairymen's federal political
action committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon
shotgun start. The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes
will be presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen
television! The cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart,
practice balls, lunch, tee prizes, refreshments and dinner. A registration
form can be downloaded
by clicking here and will be mailed to members next week. May 10,
2013 WUD Friday Update
Katie Couric gets cozy with daughters in ‘got
milk?’ ad - - Just in time for Mother’s Day, talk show host Katie Couric
was treated to a special breakfast in bed that included a milk mustache.
Couric and her daughters joined together for the got milk? advertisement,
which featured Couric and her daughters sharing a bed while sporting the
famed milk mustaches. According to USA Today, Couric was originally asked to
be part of the campaign when her daughters were younger. After putting it
off, she felt that now was the time.
<more> May 9, 2013 Dairy Herd Network

Pricing/Commodity News
WASDE Report Forecasts Record U.S. Milk
Production in 2014 - - U.S. milk production for 2014 will reach a record
high as lower feed costs and relatively strong milk prices support higher
output on the nation’s dairy farms, according to the World Agricultural
Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report released today by USDA. U.S.
dairies are projected to produce a record 204.6 billion pounds of milk next
year, the WASDE report noted. That’s up from the 201.8 billion pounds
expected for this year. The 2014 estimate is also sharply higher than 2012’s
200.3 billion-pound milk production, and 2011’s 196.2 billion-pound output.
<more> May 10, 2013 Dairy Today
California June Class 1 prices up - -
California’s June Class 1 milk price is $20.84/cwt. for the North and
$21.12/cwt. for the South, up $1.45 and $1.46, respectively, from May. The
June 2013 prices are $4.03 and $4.04 more than June 2012, respectively, and
they're the highest since December 2012. Through the first six months of
2013, Class 1 prices averaged $19.85/cwt. for the North, up from $17.83/cwt.
(+$2.02) for the same period a year ago. The South average, at $20.13/cwt.,
is up from $18.10/cwt. (+$2.03) a year ago. The federal order June Class I
base price will be announced May 22. May 10, 2013 Dairy Business Update
May 1 hay stocks at record low - - All hay stored on U.S. farms on May 1 totaled 14.2 million tons, down 34% from a year ago and the lowest May 1 stocks level on record. Based on estimates contained in USDA’s May 10 Crop Production report, hay disappearance from Dec. 1, 2012-May 1, 2013 totaled 62.4 million tons, compared with 69.3 million tons for the same period a year earlier. Among individual states, record-low May 1 hay stocks levels were established in Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Vermont and Wisconsin. With the exception of California, Colorado, Georgia, Louisiana, Maryland, New Jersey, Rhode Island and South Carolina, hay stocks as a percent of production decreased from last year nationwide. Last year’s historic drought led to a substantial decrease in hay production, and therefore beginning stocks for many states. In many areas, the limited availability of native feedstuffs forced producers to feed their grazing beef herds earlier than normal. Additionally, a cold, wet spring has limited pasture growth causing prolonged dependence on supplemental roughage and feedstuffs in portions of the Midwest. May 10, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
Governor Girds for Battle Over Delta Fix - -
“I’m gonna do everything humanly possible to get it done.” That was Governor
Jerry Brown’s vow to the state’s water managers on Wednesday, asking for
both their patience and their support. He was referring, of course, to his
ambitious proposal for tunnels to bypass the environmentally beleaguered
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, switching yard for the biggest portion of
California’s water supply. “We’re gonna have a reliable water supply. We’re
gonna build a big project. We’ve got the federal government moving along
with us,” declared the Governor. The last remark may have been partially a
reference to the agreement his administration signed Wednesday with federal
agencies to set a formal deadline of October 1, for release of a draft
version of the long-awaited Bay Delta Conservation Plan.
<more> May 9, 2013 KQED
Senate water bill could see smooth sailing in
Senate, despite critics - - Amid sharply partisan exchanges over guns,
immigration and the federal budget, the debate that began in the Senate this
week over a water resources bill seems relatively tame. This is the same
Senate where it usually requires 60 votes to get anything done. And while
Senate Democrats and Republicans praised each other for their work on the
Water Resources Development Act, the bill also must pass the House of
Representatives, where bipartisan agreement is even harder to achieve.
<more> May 10, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
State posts environmental evaluation of Bay Delta
Conservation Plan’s draft - - An evaluation has been posted on the
Internet to give the public a preliminary view of Gov. Jerry Brown’s efforts
to build mammoth twin tunnels stretching 35 miles beneath the heart of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The draft is written by ICF International
(NASDAQ: ICFI) of Fairfax, Va., which is described as a management,
technology, and policy consulting firm. If built as touted, the twin tunnels
would suck water out of the Sacramento River before it could flow naturally
into and through the Delta.
<more> May 10, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
ACID looks at selling water to San Joaquin Valley
farmers - - A statewide drought could pay off for the
Anderson-Cottonwood Irrigation District. A group representing agricultural
irrigation districts in the San Joaquin Valley has offered to buy water from
the district, which would enable the district to raise $475,000 from selling
the water this summer. But some customers say the district is likely to face
turbulence Wednesday when the board of directors considers the issue.
<more> May 9, 2013 The Record Searchlight
Drought marches to the West - - Rain and snow
over the past several weeks have helped beat the drought into remission
across much of the Corn Belt, but as 48 percent of the country remains in
moderate or worse drought, more states brace for another year of drought. In
the thirsty heartland, in particular, some states are split between
improving and worsening drought. According to the latest Drought Monitor
report, 23 percent of Kansas and 9 percent of Oklahoma remains under
exceptional drought. The spread of this drought in both states has been
doused with welcomed rain and even been eliminated in some eastern counties.
<more> May 9, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Agricultural pioneers battling water scarcity - - It takes more than a few lakes full of water to simply grow what we eat, and another sea-full to process it before we put into our mouths. So, it’s no surprise that entrepreneurs and agricultural pioneers are eager to find new ways to feed the world’s growing appetite at the same time that scarcity of water and costs for its use are growing. It explains why many with ties to California’s water industry gathered in Clovis this week for a two day conference with the theme “How Water Efficient Technologies Will Secure Our Future Food Supply.” <more> May 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
Cal Poly Dairy Tech Expert Receives American
Dairy Products Institute Award of Merit - - Phil Tong, director of the
Dairy Products Technology Center at Cal Poly, was recognized with the Award
of Merit from the American Dairy Products Institute (ADPI). The award was
established to recognize those who have made a significant difference in the
processed dairy products industry. This is the 21st time the award has been
presented and the first time it has been given to an individual whose
principal body of work has been at an academic institution. “I have been
fortunate to have worked with so many dedicated colleagues and students at
Cal Poly,” said Tong, “and many other individuals from other universities,
companies and dairy industry organizations over the years. Without the
financial support we have received from our nation’s dairy producer
organizations and dairy processors, the work would never have been possible.
So this award really is a reflection of a team effort and common goals for
the university and the dairy industry.” For more information on the Dairy
Products Technology Center, go to
www.dptc.calpoly.edu . May 10, 2013 Cal Poly press release
Thursday, May 9, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Group of Conservatives Backs Action on
Immigration - - More than two dozen conservative leaders have signed on
to a statement supporting action to overhaul the nation's immigration laws
and calling legislation pending in the Senate an "important starting point."
In a statement being released Thursday, the officials say: "Simply opposing
immigration reform should not be the conservative response to this problem.
We believe conservatives should be leading the way on this issue by
supporting legislation that upholds conservative principles."
<more> May 9, 2013 AP
Immigration reform divides Republicans - -
The immigration reform bill crafted by a bipartisan group of senators has
deeply split the Republican minority even as lawmakers prepare to take the
first votes on the proposal Thursday. Alabama's Republican Sen. Jeff
Sessions, a conservative former prosecutor with a courtly drawl, has emerged
as the leading opponent of the bill. He is aiming at his GOP colleagues with
unusual zeal, and calls out the architects of the bill as, essentially,
dishonest.
<more> May 8, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Study: Valley could gain from immigration reform
- - A new study by the University of Southern California showed that
roughly eight percent of Central Valley residents are undocumented
immigrants, a population that could help boost the region's economy given a
swift path to citizenship. The study, conducted by USC's Center for the
Study of Immigrant Integration (CSII), estimates California to account for
23 percent of the nation's undocumented immigrants at roughly 2.6 million.
Under a new proposal presented last month by eight U.S. senators led by John
McCain (R-Arizona) and Chuck Schumer (D-New York), those living here
illegally would be offered a 13-year path to citizenship.
<more> May 8, 2013 The Business Journal
NMPF: Senate Ag Committee retains DSA in farm
bill draft - - The Senate Ag Committee’s draft version of a new farm
bill includes Dairy Security Act language, according to the National Milk
Producers Federation (NMPF). “We are pleased that the dairy title of the
Farm Bill released today by the Senate Agriculture Committee contains the
Dairy Security Act (DSA), just as it was included in last year’s Senate Farm
Bill,” said Jerry Kozak, NMPF president and CEO. “The DSA is the best
approach for providing a cost-effective safety net for dairy farmers, and we
commend Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) and Ranking Member Thad Cochran
(R-Miss.) for their efforts to pass the DSA into law. The DSA provides the
right combination of effective risk management for dairy farmers while
minimizing program costs to the taxpayer.”
<more> May 9, 2013 DairyBusiness Today
USDA Announces Farm Payments Scheduled to Resume
- - The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency (FSA)
Administrator Juan M. Garcia announced today that farm payments, which had
been temporarily suspended due to sequestration, are scheduled to resume
today, May 8. This includes payments for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue
Assistance Payments Program (SURE), the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program
(NAP) and the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). Producers should be
advised that program sign-up periods currently underway have the following
enrollment deadlines: 2013 Average Crop Revenue Election (ACRE) Program –
June 3rd; 2011 SURE – June 7; and the 2013 Direct and Counter-Cyclical
Program – August 2nd. Producers should contact their local Farm Service
Agency office as soon as possible for appointments to enroll in these
programs before the deadlines. May 8, 2013 USDA press release
USDA Announces Final Call for 2012 Census of
Agriculture - - With the window to respond to the 2012 Census of
Agriculture officially closing on May 31, the U.S. USDA is urging California
farmers and ranchers not to miss this opportunity to be counted and help
determine the future of farming in America. USDA has already received more
than 2 million completed Census forms. The Census of Agriculture, conducted
only once every five years, is the only source of consistent and
comprehensive agricultural data for every state and county in the nation.
Farmers and ranchers can also return their forms by mail or online by
visiting a secure website,
www.agcensus.usda.gov Federal law requires a response from
everyone who receives the Census form and requires NASS to keep all
individual information confidential. For more information about the Census,
including helpful tips on completing your Census form, visit
www.agcensus.usda.gov
or call 1-888-4AG-STAT (1-888-424-7828). May 9, 2013 USDA press release
Another TV station takes on HSUS deception - - WZTV Fox 17 in Nashville, Tenn., reports that the Dickson County Humane Society receives no money from the Humane Society of the United States, despite desperate need. According to WZTV, the Dickson County Humane Society, located west of Nashville, occupies two make-shift buildings that are falling apart and the roof is leaking. The National HSUS, meanwhile, is flush with cash. <more> May 8, 2013 Dairy Herd Network

Pricing/Commodity News
MILC payments to restart - - USDA’s Farm
Service Agency (FSA) administrator Juan Garcia announced farm payments,
which had been temporarily suspended due to sequestration, are scheduled to
resume. This includes payments for the 2011 Supplemental Revenue Assistance
Payments Program (SURE), the Noninsured Crop Assistance Program (NAP) and
the Milk Income Loss Contract Program (MILC). On March 4, FSA began a
temporary suspension of FSA program payments in order to assess the impact
of sequestration and determine the least-disruptive process possible for
carrying out required cuts. <more>
May 9, 2013 DairyBusiness Update
Bill Gates: Ag Productivity Is Key to Reducing World Poverty - - Investing in agriculture is essential if the fight against world poverty is to succeed, according to Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who spoke at an International Agriculture and Food Security Briefing sponsored by Farmers Feeding the World, a Farm Journal Foundation Initiative, and the Senate Hunger Caucus. "It’s been proven that of all the interventions to reduce poverty, improving agricultural productivity is the best. All the other different economic activity—yes it trickles down. But nothing as efficiently as in agriculture," Gates said to a packed conference room in the U.S. Senate office building. <more> May 9, 2013 Ag Web
Environmental
News
Water bond supporters push storage - - The
California water bond is back on the agenda, and with it the tantalizing
possibility of more water storage for San Joaquin Valley farmers. You might
be forgiven for not remembering the massive $11.1 billion legislative
package that cleared the state Legislature in 2009 in what was hailed as a
bipartisan triumph. It was slated to go on the ballot for voter approval in
2010, but then the economy crashed. It was delayed until 2012, but the
economy was still in the tank, so it was delayed again. Now, it’s slated to
go on the ballot in November 2014 — and it faces the same problem of voter
skepticism. A recent poll had only 40 percent of voters approving it at its
current size. So it’s back to the drawing board in the Legislature, which is
likely to cut it down by $2 billion-$3 billion.
<more> May 8, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Twin tunnels formal plan 5 months away - -
The state and federal governments announced Wednesday that a formal draft of
the Delta twin tunnels plan will be finished by Oct. 1. Portions of the plan
have already been released, but these are merely previews to the formal
plan, which will be subject to public comment and, most likely, litigation.
Officials had previously hoped to have the plan by July. Last month, Gov.
Jerry Brown wrote to new U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell, asking
that the work be expedited. Water agencies have been pressing the state to
move forward, but federal scientists still have concerns whether the project
will help fish as advertised.
<more> May 9, 2013 Stockton Record
Controversial Delta plan due by Oct. 1 - - What could be the next major battle in California’s unending water wars is scheduled for Oct. 1. That’s the formal deadline adopted by the Brown and Obama administrations to release of the draft Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP) and accompanying environmental documents for public review and comment. Already the battle lines are being drawn. “One calamitous storm or natural disaster — driven by climate change — could jeopardize the entire Delta, destroy its ecosystem and cut off water to 25 million Californians,” warns Gov. Jerry Brown, speaking in support of the BDCP plan, the centerpiece of which is a plan to build water tunnels beneath the Delta. <more> May 8, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Dairy steals the spotlight in Al Roker broadcast
- - Al Roker – celebrity meteorologist, television star and dairy
farmer? Weather may have brought Roker to the Hatcher Family Dairy in
College Grove, Tenn., but it was dairy farming that stole the show. The
dairy was the first stop for Roker’s new “Wake up with Al” television
series, and the Hatcher family put the host to work. From the milking parlor
to calf feeding, Roker may soon take a new gig as a dairy farmer. “I never
thought I would be driving a tractor. Life is pretty good here at the farm.”
<more> May 8, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
UC Davis named number-one ag school in the world
- - The University of California, Davis, is No. 1 in the world for
teaching and research in the area of agriculture and forestry, according to
rankings released today by QS World University Rankings. This is the first
year that the organization — which provides annual rankings in 29 other
subject areas — has produced rankings in agriculture and forestry. “We are
thrilled and excited by this evaluation, and it is gratifying to see that
the ranking data validate the breadth and depth of our agricultural
programs, which represent a variety of disciplines,” said Mary Delany,
interim dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
<more> May 9, 2013 CDFA Planting Seeds blog
Wal-Mart Invests $16.3 Million in China Food
Safety - - Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is investing 100 million yuan ($16.3
million) to strengthen food-safety management in the retailer's China-based
stores, as Chinese officials crack down on violations in response to public
outrage over a string of food scandals. The Bentonville, Ark., retailer
plans over the next three years to use the investment to expand food
inspection, supply-chain management and supplier training, it said in a
statement. Mobile food-safety labs, which Wal-Mart has been pilot testing
for the past six months in China, will be expanded to run third-party
food-quality tests at 70 stores across China's southern Guangdong province,
up from 33 stores, the statement said.
<more> May 9, 2013 Wal l Street Journal
June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course.
Marsh, noting the recent sharpening of his skills to the likes of Aussie,
Adam Scott, and Tiger Woods, said that competitors may need to card a
hole-in-one if they hope to pocket his cash. All proceeds from the popular
event will benefit Western United Dairymen’s federal political action
committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon shotgun start.
The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes will be
presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen television. The
cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart, practice balls,
lunch, tee prizes, refreshments.
Wednesday, May 8, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Lawmakers plan to start drafting farm bill next week - - Congress will
begin writing a new, $500 billion farm law next week, the head of the Senate
Agriculture Committee said on Tuesday, even as calls mounted for deeper cuts
in farm subsidies and food stamp spending. The Senate panel has scheduled a
bill-drafting session for May 14. Its House of Representatives counterpart,
unofficially, aims to start writing its version on May 15. The bills are
expected to boost crop support rates, expand the crop insurance program,
reduce the scope of land-idling programs and cut spending on food aid to the
poor.
<more> May 7, 2013 Reuters
Gillibrand optimistic on farm bill authorization - - Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is predicting New York farmers will like the changes
contained in a five-year farm bill Congress could approve later this year.
The Senate approved a farm bill a year ago that included many measures
favored by New York farm groups, but it was never signed into law because of
inaction by the Republican-controlled House of Representatives.
<more> May 7, 2013 USA Today
Republicans question security in immigration bill - - Republican
senators criticized border security provisions in a new immigration bill
Tuesday, arguing that the landmark legislation can't pass Congress unless
the measures are strengthened. "If in fact the American people can't trust
that the border is controlled you're not going to be able to pass this
bill," said Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, top Republican on the Senate
Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee. "You're going to have
to do a lot more on border control." Sens. Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Ron
Johnson, R-Wis., voiced similar concerns at a committee hearing to examine
border security provisions of the bill, which is to face its first votes on
Thursday before a different panel, the Judiciary Committee. Amendments are
expected to be offered during the Judiciary session to boost the border
provisions of the bill, which was introduced last month by four Democratic
and four Republican senators.
<more> May 7, 2013 AP
California has 2.6 million illegal immigrants, USC study finds - -
California has 2.6 million residents who are in the country illegally and
thus would be heavily impacted by any immigration reform legislation, a
massive new study by the USC Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration
concludes. The state's undocumented population is about a quarter of the
nation's, and about 72 percent comes from Mexico. The study also found that
California's illegal immigrants have $31.5 billion in income but
individually earn less than half of U.S.-born workers, even though 74
percent of working-age immigrants are in the labor force.
<more> May 7, 2013 Fresno Bee
Dan
Walters: Immigration reform has big stakes in California - - Some form
of legalization would have mixed impacts on California, the report
indicates. While it would free up now-illegal residents to improve their
educations and job skills, leading to higher incomes and paying more taxes,
it could also make them eligible for more social and health services. They
are here, they're going to be here, they play integral roles in the economy
and the larger society, and no matter how the reform debate turns out,
California must acknowledge the reality and deal with it forthrightly.
<more> May 8, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
More
than 50 Dairy Organizations Urge Passage of Dairy Security Act - - More
than 50 state and national dairy organizations, including the National Milk
Producers Federation (NMPF), sent a joint letter today to members of the
House Agriculture Committee, urging that panel to include the Dairy Security
Act (DSA) in upcoming Farm Bill. The House Ag panel is expected to begin
drafting a Farm Bill next Wednesday. The letter, which can be found online,
said that dairy producers need "a financially-sound risk management program
to help farmers better manage margin volatility," noting that the economic
conditions that led to the development of the DSA after the dairy depression
in 2009 – low milk prices and high feed costs generating terrible margins –
were experienced again by America’s dairy farmers last year, when feed costs
soared to record levels as milk prices dropped.
<more> May 8, 2013 Dairy Today
Tennessee TV station looks into HSUS - - You've seen the ads tugging at your heart strings. Abused animals that need your help. The Humane Society of the U.S. asks you to donate to help those animals. While the National Humane Society does help animals through legislation and rescue efforts, in a state that euthanized 7000 last year, you might be surprised to learn there's little help where some say it's needed most. A dozen dogs left in the filth of hoarding. "Hoarding is a major, major problem all across Tennessee and one of the biggest reasons is we don't have enough animal shelters to handle the numbers of dogs there are," says HSUS Tennessee Director Leighann McCollum. Shelters, the backbone of our animal rescue team. "The hardest part is truly the fundraising effort," says Ex-Director of the Humane Society of Dickson County Billy Higgins. <more> April 30, 2013 WZTV FOX 17 news

Pricing/Commodity News
Cheese
market 'uncertain' - - Cash cheese held steady on the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange on Wednesday after blocks declined a nickel on Tuesday.
Butter slipped another three-quarter cent and Grade A nonfat dry milk lost 3
cents. Ag Market News says retail sales are uncertain for cheese right now,
that 23-cent barrel-to-block spread last week prompted buyers to hold-off,
fully expecting the margin to narrow but how? Would barrels go up or blocks
go down. The spread has now narrowed to 13 cents but that still is wider
than it should be and indications are buyers are still holding-off.
<more> May 8, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Snapshot: January’s U.S. Milk Mailbox Prices - - In January 2013,
mailbox milk prices for selected reporting areas in Federal milk orders
averaged $20.18 per cwt., reports the California Department of Food and
Agriculture in its May 2013 "California Dairy Review." That January average
is down $1.32 from the December 2012 average, and up $0.88 from the January
2012 average.
<more> May 8, 2013 Dairy Today
MILC Payments Restart - - The software used to make Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) payments was taken offline March 1 as the sequester effectively halted the payment process, according to the United States Department of Agriculture. But as of today, May 8, County FSA offices are again authorized to begin making payments under the program. <more> May 8, 2013 Dairy Today
Tillamook creamery sues Cargill in enzyme dispute - - The Tillamook
County Creamery Association has filed a lawsuit against one of its suppliers
over an allegedly faulty cheese ingredient. The cooperative claims that in
2011, Cargill sold it 200 gallons of defective rennet, a set of enzymes that
cause milk to coagulate into solids and liquids. "As a result, the cheese
produced from use of defendant Cargill's rennet did not meet quality
specifications and could not be sold as aged white cheddar cheese," the
complaint said. The creamery claims to have produced more than 900,000
pounds of cheese with the defective rennet. The lawsuit seeks at least $2.5
million in compensation, claiming Cargill breached its contract and other
allegations. May 8, 2013 Capital Press
Pacific Ethanol pumps a profit - - Pacific Ethanol Inc. (NASDAQ: PEIX) of Sacramento say it had gross profit was $800,000 for the first quarter of 2013, compared to a gross loss of $7.5 million in the first quarter of 2012. The $8.3 million increase is attributable to improved commodity margins, it says. Net sales were $225.5 million for the first quarter of 2013, compared to $197.7 million for the first quarter of 2012. The increase in net sales is primarily attributable to a higher average price per gallon of ethanol sold. The average price per gallon of ethanol sold was $2.60 for the first quarter of 2013, compared to $2.34 in the first quarter of 2012. <more> May 8, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Environmental
News
Leopold Conservation Award winner shares honor with the agricultural
industry - - The timeworn water tower that stands in front of the
Giacomazzi Dairy in Kings County is a hallmark of the farm’s endurance. It
proclaims, “Since 1893.” Dino Giacomazzi, the fourth generation to run the
operation, said cows have been producing milk and the land producing feed
every single day of the ensuing 120 years. In order to maintain the family
business in times of mounting environmental pressures and tightening
economics, Giacomazzi became a leader in developing completely new
production paradigms for dairy industry feed production in the San Joaquin
Valley. Last year, he received the prestigious Leopold Conservation Award
for California, and last week he hosted a luncheon at his rural Kings County
dairy to raise awareness of efforts being made around the San Joaquin Valley
to boost agricultural sustainability.
<more> May 8, 2013 UC Agriculture & Natural Resources blog
Take
that ‘carbon footprint’ down another shoe size - - Last month, the U.S.
Department of Agriculure renewed support for dairy producers to become more
environmentally sustainable. Now, some of these resources are being directed
to one Upper Midwest university. According to the Wisconsin State Journal,
the University of Wisconsin-Madison will receive $9.9 million from the USDA
over the next five years to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint by
finding climate solutions. “We’re going to do everything we can at the USDA
to equip our farmers and producers to be able to deal with whatever the
challenges may be,” U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack is quoted as
saying.
<more> May 7, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Stanislaus County farmers asked to sign up for pollutant monitoring program
- - The Stanislaus County Farm Bureau will put in extra hours to help
farmers sign up for a program that could save them money on water
monitoring. Monday is the deadline to join the East San Joaquin Water
Quality Coalition, which monitors pollutants from irrigated land in
Stanislaus, Merced and Madera counties east of the San Joaquin River.
<more> May 7, 2013 Modesto Bee
Oakdale Irrigation District to sell more water to Westlands - - The
Oakdale Irrigation District board agreed Tuesday to sell more water to
drought-wracked farms west of Fresno, as long as its customers are not left
short. The board voted 5-0 to sell up to 40,000 acre-feet from the
Stanislaus River to the Westlands Water District, which is dealing with
severe cutbacks in federal deliveries. The price is $175 per acre-foot, up
from the $100 discussed earlier and far more than what OID farmers pay.
<more> May 7, 2013 Modesto Bee
Water Sales Net $4M - - South San Joaquin Irrigation District has what much of California wants - - water. Many urban water agencies and rural irrigation districts in the Golden State are clamoring for more water on the heels of this week’s announcement that the Sierra snowpack is only at 17 percent of normal levels. The Sierra snowpack is essentially the state’s largest water reservoir covering almost 40 percent of California’s needs. “The phone has been ringing off the hook,” noted SSJID General Manager Jeff Shields. Interest in SSJID water has been coming from cities, regional water districts in urban areas, irrigation districts, underground water banks, and large scale farming operations The SSJID board has already approved the transfer of 40,000 acre feet of water to the Bureau of Reclamation and the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority. <more> May 7, 2013 The Escalon Times
What
We Talk About When We Talk About the Central Valley - - By Willy
Blackmore, food editor, TakePart - - Two essays published in the same
week offered very different takes on one of America’s most important
agricultural regions. The valley may be sinking, but Klikenborg’s dire
assertion that “Every scenario for the future of the valley must begin with
what is now a biological desert, a place where only a handful of species are
allowed to thrive,” feels overstated. The produce farms here are diverse, as
are the approaches to agriculture—conventional, organic, biodynamic. Asking
if we’re doing right by our arable land is a question worth asking, but
suggesting, as Klinkeborg seems to, that this key farming region is nearly
post-apocalyptic, is to go far beyond oversimplifying the debate. The
Central Valley undeniably has its problems, but I don’t want to have the
experience, like Didion did with her floods and without her showers, of what
it’s like when the fields run completely dry.
<more> May 7, 2013 Takepart.com
Vegans
accused of bullying agriculture students online - - Some agriculture
students at a Northern California high school are complaining about being
bullied on Instagram and other social networks by students who are vegans.
“[One student] keeps posting about goats and sheep and pigs and dead
pictures and them being slaughtered,” said agriculture student Katie Velon,
who attends Elk Grove High School near Sacramento. The online allegations
also include angry words for the school's agriculture program, saying it
“leads to the slaughtering of animals.” Other messages describe how animals
are drained of blood while their hearts are still beating. But the
agriculture students say they’re proud of what they do and of what they’re
learning.
<more> May 7, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Wake
up with Al (and some cows) in Tennessee - - Al was tasked with more than
just the weather this morning, taking on new tasks like milking and feeding
cows, bottling milk, and placating some hungry sheep. It was the first stop
on his new "Wake Up With Al" series that will take him on the road and into
viewers' homes. Al was working way, way off-site in College Grove, Tennessee
at the Hatcher Family Farm, where he went all "Green Acres" and got to work
in the creamery, tweeting several pictures of his new side gig as a dairy
farmer. There, he met some livestock with familiar names, like "Al" and
"Matt."
<more> May 8, 2013 TODAY Show
A
growing commodity: Female-run farms on the rise - - The changing economy
and Americans’ newfound interest in local, organic and artisanal foods are
driving a revival of farming in this country, and the ranks of new farmers
include more women than ever. The number of female farmers has been on the
rise for more than a decade, and experts expect that new census figures from
the USDA this year will show even larger numbers of women turning to
agriculture for a career. Beth Holtzman, outreach education coordinator at
the Women’s Agriculture Network at the University of Vermont, said changes
in the way we count farmers and consumer food trends are contributing to
those statistics.
<more> April 26, 2013 Dansville Online
China
- Mengniu to Buy Modern Dairy Stake to Control Milk Quality - - China
Mengniu Dairy Co. (2319), the country’s largest dairy producer, agreed to
buy 26.9 percent of China Modern Dairy Holdings Ltd. (1117) for HK$3.18
billion ($409 million) to gain greater control of milk supplies amid food
safety concerns in the country. Mengniu Dairy will pay HK$2.45 a share for
the Modern Dairy stake, the company said in a filing to Hong Kong’s stock
exchange today. That’s 12 percent less than the stock’s closing price
yesterday. The two sellers were companies controlled byKKR & Co. (KKR) and
CDH China Fund III LP, according to the statement.
<more> May 8, 2013 Bloomberg
June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course.
Marsh, noting the recent sharpening of his skills to the likes of Aussie,
Adam Scott, and Tiger Woods, said that competitors may need to card a
hole-in-one if they hope to pocket his cash. All proceeds from the popular
event will benefit Western United Dairymen’s federal political action
committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon shotgun start.
The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes will be
presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen television. The
cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart, practice balls,
lunch, tee prizes, refreshments.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Assembly panel considers bill on milk pricing - - A bill that would have established a formula for determining the whey value in the California milk pricing system to bring prices closer to those paid under the federal milk marketing order has been amended, to allow California dairy farmers and processors to work on an agreement. The Assembly Agriculture Committee voted unanimously last week to keep Assembly Bill 31 moving, so the parties could continue to work on agreed-upon language before the end of the month, the deadline for moving a bill out of its house of origin. Nearly 100 supporters of the bill attended the hearing to urge passage of AB 31 in its original form, but committee members expressed concern about moving the bill forward without a resolution from producers and processors. <more> May 7, 2013 Ag Alert

Pricing/Commodity News
2012 dairy slaughter second biggest on books - - Little or no profits in the milk-production sector in the second half of 2012 and strong cull prices drove dairy cow slaughter to the highest level in 26 years. At 3.1 million in 2012, it was the second highest slaughter on record, said Tiffany Hora, statistician with USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service. Last year's dairy cow slaughter was eclipsed only by the 1986 slaughter, which was 3.6 million and fueled by a federal whole-herd dairy buyout. <more> May 7, 2013 Capital Press
Environmental
News
Water worries intensify as dry year turns drier - - It's going to be a long, hot summer—that's a given in California's interior valleys. What isn't known, farmers say, is how well billions of dollars' worth of food crops will weather the heat amid severe irrigation water cutbacks. The season's final survey of the Sierra Nevada snowpack, conducted last week, found only 17 percent of average levels. At the same time, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation reported its water transfer pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta were operating at about 20 percent of capacity, due to the dry conditions combined with restrictions intended to protect fish species. San Luis Reservoir, a summer supply pool for both the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, stood only about 50 percent full. <more> May 7, 2013 Ag Alert
2nd Global Cheese Technology Forum to be held October 2013 in Reno - - Cheese and whey production in the US West and its place in the global economy will be the theme for this year’s Global Cheese Technology Forum (GCTF) being held October 22-23, 2013 at the Peppermill Resort in Reno, NV. The conference is being organized collaboratively by the Dairy Products Technology Center (DPTC) at California Polytechnic State University, the Western Dairy Center at Utah State University and The American Dairy Products Institute. It is designed to be a forum for discussion of topics of importance to industry leaders in the western USA and anyone with an interest in technology and the global cheese and whey industry. Topics will include subjects such as Cheese & Whey Challenges, Keeping Plants and Products Clean, Cheese Technology, Meeting Workforce Needs, Innovations in Whey Processing and Global Insights. A full agenda is available on the GCTF website at http://www.globalcheesetechnologyforum.org. For the latest information and to register, visit the conference website: http://www.globalcheesetechnologyforum.org. Questions can be directed to Laurie Jacobson at (805) 305-5056 or ljacobso@calpoly.edu. May 6, 2013 Cal Poly press release
Monday, May 6, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
AB 31
passage forces stakeholders to continue working together --
Assemblymember Richard Pan’s (D-Sacramento) AB 31, which casts a safety net
for California’s dairy farmers, brought nearly 100 dairy farmers to the
State Capitol on Wednesday for a hearing in the Assembly Agriculture
Committee. Many of the dairy farmers in attendance have farms going back
five and six generations. All of them said the same thing—California dairy
farmers no longer talk about growth, they talk about survival. “My dairy
farm is surviving because I have generations of equity,” said Turlock
dairyman and former WUD president Ray Souza. “However, even for those of us
who have been in the dairy business for generations, the last five years
have been the toughest.” The committee voted 6-0 to approve the bill. The
bill’s original language has been removed. That language would have set the
California Class 4b dry whey factor at no less than 80% of the federal order
Class III whey factor. In its place is “intent” language that the Chair said
was intended to get the issues addressed by new policies developed jointly
by dairy producers, processors, and the California Department of Food and
Agriculture as well as the CDFA Dairy Future Task Force. Western United CEO
Michael Marsh was generally upbeat after the hearing, expressing hope that
the bill will bring processors to the table. “What this is going to do is
allow the bill to move. The challenge is the cheese processors have refused
to negotiate with us for over 10 years, despite our repeated attempts to
dialogue. The cheesemakers have to negotiate with us in good faith;
hopefully they heard the Chair’s direction loud and clear.” he said.
<more> May 3, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Dairymen disappointed with watered-down whey bill - - A bill in the
California Assembly addressing state pricing for milk used to manufacture
cheese is still afloat, but supporters say the Ag Committee stripped it of
any meaningful reform. The revised bill passed unanimously in the Assembly
Ag Committee May 1. While the bill passed, it wasn't the same bill dairymen
supported, said Rob Vandenheuvel, manager of Milk Producers Council. The
original bill, AB 31, introduced by Assemblyman Richard Pan, would have
mandated the whey value in California's 4b pricing to be no less than 80
percent of that value in Class III pricing in federal milk marketing orders.
The disparity between the two values has meant about $2 per hundredweight of
milk less for California's dairymen compared with dairymen in federal
orders.
<more> May 6, 2013 Capital Press
California Ag Committee Punts on Milk Pricing Bill - - California dairy
farmers received some good news and some bad news from their state Assembly
Ag committee last week, says Rob Vandenheuvel, general manager of the
California Milk Producers Council. The Ag Committee unanimously passed AB
31, which deals with the state’s milk pricing regulation (good news). But it
stripped out any language requiring California’s Department of Food and
Agriculture (CDFA) to align the state’s regulated cheese price with Federal
Milk Market Order prices. Instead, the Ag Committee included a list of
"Legislative Intent" language, which would give CDFA "temporary authority"
to consider emergency price adjustments.
<more> May 6, 2013 Dairy Today
House will pass
farm bill, Rep. Lucas predicts
- - The House will pass a
five-year farm bill this summer, House Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank
Lucas (R-Okla.) predicted Monday. Lucas’ comments come after House Majority
Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Friday told his conference through a memo that
the House will take up a farm bill. “Of course I have very pleased that the
Majority Leader would list that as one of the items we would do this
summer," Lucas told The Hill in an interview. "That was one of the things I
was never able to secure a year ago.” Lucas produced a farm bill last year,
but it never made it to the House floor. Given Cantor's support, he said
2013 would be different.
<more> May 6, 2013 The Hill.com
Senate
Democrats embrace farm bill in battle to retain their majority - -
Senate Democrats are moving to farm legislation that they think could
bolster several red-state incumbents who are seeking reelection in 2014.
Last year, the Senate passed a five-year farm bill 64 to 35 only to see it
die in the House because conservatives opposed the funding levels for food
stamps. Democrats believe the failure of the farm bill helped them retain
the majority in the 2012 election, and are hoping for a repeat as they enter
the 2014 election cycle. “There is no question that the House refusal to
take up farm bill helped Democrats retain the Senate,” said one senior
Senate Democratic aide. "Democrats see an opportunity to make headway in red
states and rural America."
<more> May 4, 2013 The Hill
Could
immigration bill set off another backlash? - - As a Senate committee
prepares to begin voting this week on far-reaching immigration legislation,
advocates are watching warily to see whether relatively tame opposition
balloons into the kind of fierce resistance that killed Congress' last
attempt to overhaul the system. Last time around, in 2007, angry calls
overwhelmed the Senate switchboard and lawmakers endured raging town hall
meetings and threats from incensed constituents. The legislation ultimately
collapsed on the Senate floor. "I've been through this battle, and it's
ugly," said former Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., who supported the bill. "My
phones were jammed for three weeks and I got three death threats, one of
which I turned over to the FBI. So it's rough business."
<more> May 6, 2013 AP
Union
battle heats up at local Marquez plant - - The fight is on. Marquez
Brothers International, with a cheese plant in Hanford, has faced down
market challenges to dominate the Hispanic dairy product industry. But while
many food processors in the region have already faced worker efforts to
unionize, Marquez has never had a union drive. Until August last year, that
is, when workers at the Hanford plant voted to join the Teamsters Local 517,
based in Visalia. It’s been acrimony and conflict ever since. Contract
negotiations are at an impasse, with the Teamsters accusing the company of
stalling and the company accusing the Teamsters of using strong-arm tactics.
Many employees have been caught in the middle of the fray.
<more> May 4, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Egg Bill Goes
Way of Humpty Dumpty and Takes a Fall - -
Backlash from livestock groups
and fellow senators has likely prompted Senate Agriculture Committee
Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., to put the egg bill back in the carton.
The egg bill is language struck from an agreement reached by the United Egg
Producers and the Humane Society of the United States that would establish a
national standard for confinement of egg-laying hens. The bill would
supersede state standards for cages, some of which have come from HSUS-led
voter initiatives. Stabenow is a co-sponsor of the legislation in the
Senate, along with Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine. But the egg bill has had critics since UEP and HSUS struck their
agreement in 2011. Other livestock and poultry groups have been appalled at
the idea of Congress and the federal government implementing a national
standard for livestock or poultry.
<more> May 6, 2013 Progressive Farmer
Bill would
create 'Made in California' label -
- A "Made in USA" label has long
been seen as an advantage in marketing a product. Now there are in-state
manufacturers that want to see the adoption of an official label that
declares Made in California. State Sen. Ellen M. Corbett (D-San Leandro) has
introduced legislation
SB 12 to require Go-Biz, the governor's business development office, to
come up with a plan — including the new label — to promote
California-manufactured products. The bill, now before the Senate
Appropriations Committee, would enhance California's reputation for making
environmentally safe and energy efficient products, Corbett said.
<more> May 6, 2013 LA Times
USDA
Announces Final Call for 2012 Census of Agriculture - - The last day to
respond to the 2012 Census of Agriculture is May 31 and the US Department of
Agrilculture (USDA) wants farmers and ranchers to respond. More than 2
million forms have been submitted thus far. "Our nation needs your help to
ensure that decisions about U.S. agriculture accurately represent you, your
communities, and your industry," said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack.
"For every 158 people in America there is one farm. I urge you to take
action today and respond to the Census - your country is counting on the
information to help ensure a continued supply of food, fiber and fuel for
generations to come."
<more> May 6, 2013 KOMU-TV
Feinstein denies husband's ties to rail bidder - - California Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s husband has no financial ties to the lowest-bidding partnership to design and build the first segment of the state’s $68 billion high-speed rail system, an aide said. The California High Speed Rail Authority has tentatively selected a team spearheaded by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to build the 29-mile segment from Madera to Fresno in the San Joaquin Valley. The partnership submitted the lowest bid at $985 million. Feinstein’s husband, the multimillionaire Richard Blum, once had financial ties to Tutor. But the Democratic senator’s office said neither Blum nor his firm maintain any affiliation or financial investment in Tutor Perini, or any other derivation of the company. <more> May 3, 2013 U-T San Diego

Pricing/Commodity News
March
dairy export values jump - - The value of U.S. dairy product exports
jumped in March, nearly hitting $500 million and just below the May 2012
record. It marked the 24th time in the past 25 months exports topped $400
million, and the second-highest monthly total ever. At $498 million, exports
were up 15% from February 2013’s total of $434 million, and up 3% from the
March 2012 total of $484 million. At $293 million, the value of March 2013
imports was up 23% from February 2013, and up about 14% from March 2012. The
March dairy trade surplus was $205 million. Fiscal year 2013 (FY ’13,
October 2012 through March 2013) exports total $2.601 billion, down about 1%
from the same period in record-setting FY ’12. FY ’13 imports total $1.698
billion, up about 7% from the same period in FY ’12. The FY ’13 dairy trade
surplus stands at $903 million. At $91 million, March 2013 cheese imports
were up 8% from February 2013 and up7% from March 2012. FY ’13 cheese
imports total $608 million, up 8% from the same period in FY ’12. May 6,
2013 Dairy Business Update
March
U.S. alfalfa exports a record - - U.S. alfalfa exports set a monthly
volume record in March 2013, at 189,553 metric tons. It was the sixth
consecutive month above 150,000 metric tons, according to USDA’s Foreign Ag
Service. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) was the top market, at 69,394 metric
tons; followed by China, at 49,175 metric tons; and Japan, at 42,455 metric
tons. U.S. exports of other hay totaled 156,465 metric tons in March, the
seventh consecutive month above 150,000 metric tons. Japan, South Korea and
UAE were again the top three markets. May 6, 2013 Dairy Business Update
U.S. corn planting remains well behind average - - Producers did make some progress last week, but nationally, the U.S. corn planting pace remains considerably slower than average. As of Sunday, 12% of the crop is planted, compared to 5% a week ago, 69% a year ago, and the five year average of 47%, with 10 of the 18 top producing states at or below the national average. 3% of corn has emerged, compared to 29% last year and 15% on average. <more> May 6, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Ag air
quality conference at UC Davis June 27-28 - - An agricultural air
quality conference jointly sponsored by UC Davis and the San Joaquin Valley
Air Pollution Control District will be held June 27-28 at the UC Davis
conference center. The conference’s major focus will be on discussing a
“risk-based” strategy proposed by the SJVAPCD as an alternative to the
current federal/state air quality regulatory framework. The SJVAPCD is also
currently one of only two areas in the nation (South Coast AQMD being the
other) classified as “extreme” non-attainment for ozone. Sessions include: *
The Scientific Foundation for a Risk-Based Approach to Particulate Controls.
* Development of the Risk-Based Approach to Air Quality Policy and Public
Health. * - Evolution Towards Low-Risk Pesticides. * Applying the Approach
to Policies - Potential Applications & Research Gaps. *Policy Efficacy of
the RB/MP Approach: Opportunities and Constraints. Optional Tours include *
Bovine Bubbles. * Anaerobic BioMass Digester. * Olive Oil Center & Tasting
Registration information is available at https://sites.google.com/site/ucdavisaqaq/home
May 6, 2013 UC Davis Notice
Fish
vs. Farmer Fight for Water a “Balancing Act” - - Farmers say a State
Water Resources Control Board proposal to send vast quantities of water down
local rivers, reducing available irrigation water, will destroy the Central
Valley's economy. But the needs of farmers must be balanced against those of
fishermen and the environment, Water Board officials told a large crowd at a
Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder meeting Wednesday. More than 70
people attended the meeting, held at the Stanislaus County Agricultural
Center. Many were farmers, who spoke of the potential impacts to their
livelihood should proposed changes proceed.
<more> May 5, 2013 Turlock City News
Boxer:
Water resources bill crucial to Bay Area and California - - A bill aimed
at ramping up water projects nationwide is vital to the economic health of
the Bay Area and all of California, Sen. Barbara Boxer told maritime
business and government leaders Friday. The Water Resources Development Act,
Senate Bill 601, reauthorizes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to deal with
water issues ranging from harbor restoration to flood prevention. It cleared
the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works -- of which Boxer, D-Calif.,
is chairwoman -- in March with bipartisan support. And the full Senate is
expected to vote on it next week.
<more> May 3, 2013 San Jose Mercury News
Dry
winter could lead to a cruel summer for Valley growers - - A dry winter
forced farmers in the Westlands Water District to run their wells far more
last summer than they usually would. The underground water table dropped a
staggering 48 feet. After another dry winter in California, Westlands
farmers this summer will pump even more water, probably enough to fill 80%
of Millerton Lake. Even so, many thousands of farmland acres will be left to
grow tumbleweeds, and some crops already planted will wither.
<more> May 5, 2013 Fresno Bee
Oakdale Irrigation District water sale to grow? - - The Oakdale Irrigation District board Tuesday will consider increasing the amount of water it is selling this year to drought-stressed areas to the south. The Westlands Water District, one of the largest of the suppliers hit by sharp cutbacks in federal water deliveries, is seeking water beyond what the OID sold this spring. The price would be the same — $100 per acre-foot, far more than the OID's farmers pay. <more> May 5, 2013 Modesto Bee
China’s Dairy industry moves to rebrand amid crisis - - China's dairy
industry is attempting to rebrand itself due to plummeting consumer
confidence and competition from foreign brands. Chinese consumers have been
purchasing increasing amounts of milk powder from foreign countries due to
decreased confidence in domestic brands caused by a 2008 food safety
scandal. Several countries, including Australia, New Zealand and Germany,
have introduced quota measures to cope with China's growing demand for milk
powder, the Shanghai Securities News reported. Dairy industry expert Wang
Dingmian attributed the increased foreign purchases to lower prices and
weakened confidence in the domestic dairy industry.
<more> May 6, 2013 China Daily
‘Plumped’ poultry fight advances - - The battle over "plumped" poultry —
fresh chicken and turkey injected with saltwater and other substances — has
moved to the state Capitol. The California Poultry Federation, based in
Modesto, is backing a bill that would forbid these products in public
schools and state-owned buildings. The bill is a strike at out-of-state
producers that make substantial use of plumping. Some California poultry has
added salt and other ingredients in marinades, but the federation points out
that they are not plumped.
<more> May 3, 2013 Modesto Bee
Dying
bees raise alarm for humans - - To say the honeybee is under attack
worldwide is not an alarmist pronouncement. It is the terrible truth, and as
far as I can tell, few people outside our nation's multibillion-dollar
agricultural realm have a really good understanding of the staggering
importance of that pronouncement and what it could portend for our food
supply and the environment. Basically, this is a tale with profound
implications far beyond the honey you put on your biscuit at breakfast: The
health woes of the honeybee are an indicator of stresses we have placed on
our environment – with the bees being much like the canary in the mine.
<more> May 5, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
June 3, at Diablo Grande Golf Course.
Marsh, noting the recent sharpening of his skills to the likes of Aussie,
Adam Scott, and Tiger Woods, said that competitors may need to card a
hole-in-one if they hope to pocket his cash. All proceeds from the popular
event will benefit Western United Dairymen’s federal political action
committee. The four-person scramble gets underway with a noon shotgun start.
The day culminates with a dinner at which awards and prizes will be
presented. The grand prize for the raffle is a flat screen television. The
cost is $150 per player and includes green fees, golf cart, practice balls,
lunch, tee prizes, refreshments.
Friday, May 3, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California
dairy producers win support in whey struggle
- - May Day was a good day for
California dairy producers – and an unusually crowded one for members of the
State Assembly’s Ag Committee. At a May 1 public meeting to gather input and
hear public comments on Assembly Bill 31, which would more closely align the
value of whey in the state’s Class 4b (cheese) pricing formula with Class
III (cheese) whey values in Federal Milk Marketing Orders (FMMOs), the
meeting room was jammed with an estimated 100 dairy farm supporters of the
measure. Another 100 or so had to wait outside. After brief formal
presentations were given to the six-member panel from invited parties
representing both sides of the issue, approximately 50 other people took
turns at the microphone to voice their support. Afterward, committee members
voted 6-0 in favor of the measure. Although it is a purely symbolic
endorsement that has no legal power, it does keep the bill moving forward to
be considered by the full Assembly.
<more> May 3, 2013 Hoards Dairyman
California ‘whey factor’ bill has ‘intent’, not
policy - - The California Assembly Ag Committee approved an amended AB
31 on a 6-0 vote, May 1. However, the form of the bill that left room 126 of
the Capitol contained “intent” rather than policy. And, whether the vote is
judged as a decision akin to Solomon, or just the proverbial “kicking the
can down the road” could play out over the next three weeks. Removed was the
original language, introduced last December by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan
(D-Sacramento), that would have set the California Class 4b “dry whey
factor” at no less than 80% of the federal order Class III "dry whey
factor." Also removed was a whey factor exemption on the first 3 million
lbs. of milk purchased by cheese plants per month, designed to protect small
cheese processors – unable to capture revenues from whey – from higher milk
procurement/processing costs. In its place, committee chair Susan Eggman
(D-Stockton) inserted language intended to get dairy producers, processors,
the state's Dairy Future’s Task Force and the California Department of Food
& Agriculture (CDFA) to come up with new policy to address the Class 4b dry
whey factor and processor exemption.
<more> May 3, 2013 Dairy Business
Dairies must
invest to meet new consumer demands - -
By David
Ahlem vice president of dairy procurement and policy for Hilmar Cheese Co. -
- California's dairy
community is at a crossroads. The dairy industry is well positioned to take
advantage of growing global demand for milk and milk proteins. To capture
this opportunity, industry and economic experts have urged California to
reform its highly regulated milk pricing system. For decades, California's
Milk Marketing Order (MMO) system has artificially sustained a way of doing
business that is otherwise unsustainable. It has discouraged the innovation
and investment that would make the industry more competitive in the free
market. Under this system, the value created from the sale of the finished
products is pooled and redistributed to all dairy farmers. This system has
allowed large dairy-farmer-owned cooperatives, which control more than 80%
of the state's milk, to reap the rewards from investments made by others. As
a result, these entities have not made investments to remain competitive
with the changing demand for milk and dairy products. Instead of focusing on
consumer demand, the MMO system has created an industry dependent on
artificial price-setting and revenue redistribution instead of what the
market dictates.
<more> May 3, 2013 Fresno Bee
Milk-pricing
system is harming California's dairies - -
By Cathleen Galgiani, Chair,
Senate Agriculture Committee - - California is esteemed for many things,
but few are as iconic as our "Happy Cows." Few are as treasured as the
"grown and produced in California" labels that proudly represent the family
farms that helped shape our state's cultural and economic foundations.
Unfortunately, a tangle of antiquated price-setting methods is putting dairy
farms, small and large, in peril. The rules governing the milk price paid to
dairy farmers allow cheese companies to pay dramatically less for milk in
California than in other states, which threatens the existence of hundreds
of California's local, family-run dairies. Nearly 400 dairy farms already
have closed in California in the past five years. Last year alone saw 105
family dairies shuttered. Meanwhile, California's remaining 1,500 dairies
are fighting for survival, strapped with soaring feed costs and shackled by
an unfair pricing structure within the state's milk marketing order.
<more> May 3, 2013 Fresno Bee
Sen. Rubio says new immigration bill needs
stronger border provisions to pass Senate - - Florida Republican Sen.
Marco Rubio says a new immigration bill he helped write needs stronger
border security provisions or it will fail in the House and may even have
trouble getting through the Senate. Rubio, who is the chief emissary to
conservatives on the contentious legislation, said in a radio interview and
in an opinion piece being published in Friday’s Wall Street Journal that
he’s been hearing concerns in recent days that more work is needed to boost
the bill’s language on the border and he said he’s committed to trying to
make those changes. In his Wall Street Journal piece, Rubio cited “triggers”
in the bill that aim to make new citizenship provisions contingent on border
security accomplishments.
<more> May 3, 2013 AP
Immigration reforms important to Tulare County
farmers, farmworkers - - In a peach grove north of Traver, a group of
men work to remove some of the undeveloped fruit from the trees so other
fruit on the branches will grow bigger by the time the trees are ready to be
harvested. Most of the men are from Mexico, several of whom came into the
U.S. illegally to find farm jobs here. It’s hard work, made harder and more
dangerous by the risks and costs the men incurred crossing the U.S.-Mexico
border. But across the country, work is under way to change that, as the
U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee issued earlier this year its lengthy reform
bill.
<more> May 3, 2013 Visalia Times Delta
Proposal for Changes in Food Aid Sets Off
Infighting in Congress - - A proposal by the Obama administration to
overhaul the international food aid program has set off a jurisdictional
fight among members of several House and Senate committees, threatening to
derail the most significant change to the program since it was created
nearly 60 years ago. The $1.4 billion annual program provides emergency food
supplies to disaster-stricken regions across the globe. The United States
provides over half of the world’s food aid.
<more> May 2, 2013 The New York Times
Obama nominates Froman as new U.S. trade representative - - President Obama announced the nomination of Mike Froman as U.S. trade representative today. Froman held a post as White House chief international economic affairs advisor since Obama took office in 2009. During his announcement in the White House Rose Garden Thursday morning, Obama said Froman “has established himself as one of the world’s foremost experts on our global economy.” <more> May 2, 2013 Agri-Pulse

Pricing/Commodity News
Cheese up, butter down on the CME - - Cash
cheese up, butter and nonfat dry milk down at the close on the Chicago
Mercantile Exchange on Friday. The powder market finally reacting to
Wednesday’s Global Dairy Trade auction which saw the first overall decline
in prices since December 4th.
<more> May 3, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Lee Mielke: Political wrangling over milk
continues - - Legislation recently introduced in the House by Reps. Bob
Goodlatte, R-Va., and David Scott, D-Ga., got another thumbs ups, this time
from dairy producers in Pennsylvania, New York, and Ohio, members of the
Dairy Policy Action Coalition. A DPAC press release said the bill would
"offer dairy farmers a new milk insurance package almost identical to the
Dairy Security Act included in failed farm bill attempts but without a
controversial milk supply management program. Called the Dairy Market
Stabilization program, the proposal would have tied margin insurance
protection, desperately needed by dairy farmers, to government-mandated
limits on milk production through new regulations."
<more> May 3, 2013 Capital Press
Zen-Noh Hay ramps up its game - - A major hay
exporter is shaking up the industry in the Pacific Northwest by paying
growers for hay within two days of delivery and opening a mammoth hay
storage facility. Zen-Noh Hay Inc. hosted about 250 hay growers, brokers,
transportation providers, community leaders and dignitaries from Japan at a
prime-rib dinner and grand reopening of its Port of Pasco plant on May 2.
Hitomi Narikiyo, president and CEO of Zen-Noh -- Japan's National Federation
of Agricultural Cooperative Associations -- and John Williams, president and
CEO of Zen-Noh Hay and Zen-Noh Grain, spoke before guests toured the
facility. Port of Pasco commissioners and Pasco Mayor Matt Watkins joined
Narikiyo and Williams in a ceremonial ribbon-cutting of two new buildings
totaling 345,150 square feet and costing almost $4.6 million.
<more> May 3, 2013 Capital Press
CDFA issues call for May 20 hearing on milk prices - - The CDFA has issued a call for a public hearing Monday, May 20 to consider temporary amendments to the Stabilization and Marketing Plans for Market Milk for the Northern California and Southern California Marketing Areas (Plans). The hearing will be held on May 20 at 8 a.m. in the Department Auditorium, 1220 N Street, Sacramento. The hearing will consider proposed amendments to the Class 1, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b prices. Specific proposals that would amend the provisions contained in Article III, Section 300, paragraph (H) of the Plans will be open for consideration at the hearing. The hearing notice can be downloaded by clicking here. May 1, 2013 CDFA Notice
Environmental
News
Bad news: Calif. snowpack 17 percent of normal
- - The man in charge of surveying California's snowpack to measure the
amount of water that will flow into storage reservoirs over the next few
months had bad news Thursday. "I'm finding nothing. Seriously, there is no
snow on the course at all," said Frank Gehrke, chief surveyor for the
Department of Water Resources. The survey showed the water content of what
little snowpack does remain at 17 percent of normal, an ominous situation
for a state that depends on a steady stream of snowmelt to replenish
reservoirs throughout the summer. For nearly a century the state has been
taking snow measurements at select areas across the Sierra Nevada in an
attempt to gauge how much water will be available for farmers and city
dwellers.
<more> May 2, 2013 AP
California Water Supply To Be Drawn From Storage
To Meet Demand - - The final California snow survey is bad news for the
millions of residents and farmers who rely on the snowpack for their water.
The reading was just 17 percent of normal following one of the driest
winters on record, California Department of Water Resources (DWR) officials
announced Thursday. DWR projects it will only be able to deliver 35 percent
of requested amounts from the State Water Project to the 29 agencies that
purchase the water. The last time the allocation was that low was in 2008.
Collectively, the agencies supply a third of the water used in households
and on farms across California as the snowpack melts into streams,
reservoirs and aquifers.
<more> May 3, 2013 KPBS
Merced Irrigation District's irrigation sale off
to slow start - - Heading into a likely bone-dry growing season,
irrigation officials are offering a new program for farmers who are willing
to pay for extra water. Farmers have placed orders for only about half of
the available supply, but irrigation officials said the pilot program has
been "extremely successful" and will continue into the future. "It's still
open," said Merced Irrigation District General Manager John Sweigard. "If
more people inquire, we'll do everything we can to meet their needs."
<more> May 3, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
PG&E provides $450K grant for Fresno State - - Pacific Gas and Electric Co. on Thursday presented a $450,000 grant to Fresno State farm operations for demonstration projects involving new water and energy management technologies. The demonstrations will take place at the university’s new Agriculture-Water-Energy Center. The presentation took place during the 2013 Bluetech Valley Conference on how water efficient technologies will secure future food supplies. Robert Calrson, head of PG&E’s energy solutions and service, made the presentation that will help ag students and farmers throughout the area in learning better water and energy management techniques. <more> May 2, 2013 The Business Journal
Study Finds No Single Cause of Honeybee Deaths
- - The devastation of American honeybee colonies is the result of a complex
stew of factors, including pesticides, parasites, poor nutrition and a lack
of genetic diversity, according to a comprehensive federal study published
on Thursday. The problems affect pollination of American agricultural
products worth tens of billions of dollars a year. The report does not place
more weight on one factor over another, and recommends a range of actions
and further research. Honeybees are used to pollinate hundreds of crops,
from almonds to strawberries to soybeans. Since 2006, millions of bees have
been dying in a phenomenon known as colony collapse disorder. The cause or
causes have been the subject of much study and speculation.
<more> May 2, 2013 The New York Times
Almond crop projection for 2013 announced - -
The federal government today projected the California almond crop at an even
2 billion pounds this year, just shy of the record harvest of 2.03 billion
pounds in 2011. The estimate, announced at the Modesto headquarters of the
Almond Board of California, is based on a telephone survey of 305 growers.
The harvest, which will start in August, will help growers meet the growing
demand for almonds around the world. California accounts for about 75
percent of the supply. The 2013 projection is up 6 percent from the 2012
harvest of 1.89 billion pounds. Almonds are second only to milk for gross
income among farm products in the Northern San Joaquin Valley.
<more> May 2, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
A day in the strawberry fields seems like forever
- - A bout 30 minutes into my job as a picker, the strawberry fairy left
her first gift. On one of the beds of berries that seemed to stretch forever
into the Santa Maria marine layer, Elvia Lopez had laid a little bundle of
picked fruit. She and the other three dozen Mexican immigrants in the field
were bent at an almost 90-degree angle, using two hands to pack strawberries
into plastic containers that they pushed along on ungainly one-wheeled
carts. They moved forward, relentlessly, ever bent, following a hulking
machine with a conveyor belt that spirited away their fruit. But Lopez, a
31-year-old immigrant from Baja California, knew I was falling behind. And
she responded with an act of kindness. Like the other women, Lopez wore a
cap, several layers of clothing and a bandanna over her face to protect her
from dust — and, she said, to keep her complexion nice.
<more> May 3, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Kellogg profit falls on higher costs but company
stands by full-year outlook - - Kellogg has a plan to get adults to eat
more cereal: pile on the nutrients. The Battle Creek, Mich.-based company
says it’s introducing Raisin Bran with omega-3 and a multigrain version of
Special K later this month as it works to boost struggling cereal sales in
North America. Such offerings are intended to appeal specifically to
higher-income people and baby boomers, CEO John Bryant said in a conference
call with analysts. Overall cereal sales have lagged in the U.S. for years
as Americans increasingly reach for foods that are easier to eat on the go.
But Bryant noted that the category is very fragmented and that particular
groups are dragging down results.
<more> May 2, 2013 AP
Drones Hit New Turf: U.S. Farmland - - Farmers are starting to investigate the use of drones for a decidedly nonmilitary purpose: monitoring crops and spraying pesticides. As the spring growing season unfolds, universities already are working with agricultural groups to experiment with different types of unmanned aircraft outfitted with sensors and other technologies to measure and protect crop health. Oregon State University plans to use the unmanned vehicles to monitor the school's potato crop and those of a commercial potato grower. Both crops, located near Hermiston, Ore., are expected to sprout in coming weeks. The university last month ran its first test-flight. <more> May 1, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Thursday, May 2, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California
lawmakers seek consensus on whey pricing
- - An Assembly panel unanimously approved a watered-down whey pricing bill
May 1 and asked producers and processors to come to the bargaining table to
reach solutions. An overflow gathering of dairymen from around the state
listened nervously as the Agriculture Committee considered Assembly Bill 31,
which seeks to bring California's pricing formula for milk going to cheese
vats more in line with producers' operating costs. However, language
mandating that California whey bring at least 80 percent of the price for
similar milk nationwide was gutted from the bill late April 30 as committee
chairwoman Susan Talamantes Eggman and others expressed hope that producers
and processors would come up with a formula they agree on. The deadline to
move policy proposals to the Senate is May 21, giving proponents about three
weeks to develop new bill language. Western United CEO Michael Marsh was
generally upbeat after the hearing, expressing hope the bill will bring
processors to the table. "The challenge is the cheese processors have
refused to negotiate with us," he said. "What this is going to do is allow
the bill to move."
<more> May 2, 2013 Capital Press
Oil
and soda taxes advance in California Legislature - - Two controversial
tax measures advanced Wednesday in the California Legislature — a
penny-per-ounce levy on soda and a charge on oil pumped from the ground in
the state. The Senate Health Committee members approved a bill by state Sen.
Bill Monning (D-Carmel) that would charge the tax on sweetened beverages,
including sodas, in hopes of reducing obesity among young people. The $1.7
billion that would be raised would go to a Children’s Health Promotion Fund
to support a statewide program to prevent obesity in children. Monning said
the tax in SB 622 would also reduce consumption of high-calorie drinks by
children.
<more> May 1, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Milk
regulators reject lowering somatic cell threshold - - The National
Conference of Interstate Milk Shipments - a group of state regulators
overseeing milk safety rules - has again rejected a proposal to lower the
maximum level of somatic cell counts in milk. National Milk Producers
Federation had again proposed lowering that count from 750,000 cells per
millimeter of milk to 400,000 cells. Somatic cell counts measure the number
of white blood cells in the milk produced by a cow to fight infection,
primarily mastitis. When levels approach 1 million, there is a higher
likelihood of having elevated levels of bacteria in the milk.
<more> May 2, 2013 Capital Press
Michael Carvahlo: Fate of valley dairy farmers in balance - - May is
shaping up to be a crucial month for California's dairy farmers. After
numerous delays, committees on both sides of Capitol Hill are planning to
reconsider a multiyear farm bill that could determine if dairy farmers in
our area survive or fail. The nation's consumers also have a stake in this
effort. If Washington doesn't pass a farm bill this year, consumers could
again face the possibility of government-induced high milk prices in 2013.
This so-called dairy cliff was delayed, but not done away with, at the start
of this year.
<more> May 1, 2013 Modesto Bee
Most
Americans remain in the dark on immigration bill - - For all the
attention given so far to efforts in Congress to overhaul the nation’s
immigration laws, nearly four in 10 Americans say they don’t know enough
about it to have an opinion, and fewer than one-quarter could correctly
answer a couple of basic questions about it, a new poll shows. The survey,
by the Pew Research Center, underscores an important fact in the immigration
debate – most of the public has not yet tuned in. A bipartisan proposal
negotiated by eight senators has gathered considerable strength, and Senate
debate is scheduled to start next week, but because so many Americans remain
unengaged, predictions about the bill’s fate almost certainly remain
premature.
<more> May 1, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Poll:
Citizenship support slips - - Support for a pathway to citizenship for
illegal immigrants has declined from last month, a new poll found. Fifty-two
percent of Americans backing granting illegal immigrants a pathway to
citizenship, compared with the 59 percent who supported such action in an
April 4 poll, according to a Quinnipiac University survey released Thursday.
Eleven percent think they should stay but not be granted citizenship, and 30
percent think they should not be able to stay. The rest were unsure or
didn’t answer. Among Republicans, 36 percent think they should be allowed to
stay and eventually apply for citizenship; 15 percent think they should stay
but not be granted citizenship; and 42 percent think they shouldn’t be able
to stay. Among Democrats, 69 percent think they should stay and be granted
citizenship; 8 percent think they should stay but not be granted
citizenship; and 18 percent think they shouldn’t stay. The rest are
undecided or didn’t answer.
<more> May 2, 2013 Politico
Obama
to Pitch Immigration Overhaul in Mexico - - President Barack Obama is
headed to Mexico with a domestic ambition at the top of his travel agenda.
To sell his immigration overhaul back home, he needs a growing economy in
Mexico and a Mexican president willing to help him secure the border. Obama
was to fly to Mexico City on Thursday to meet with President Enrique Pena
Nieto, eager to promote Mexico’s economic success and the neighboring
country’s place as the second largest export market for U.S. goods and
services.
<more> May 2, 2013 AP
Fierce lobbying counters White House push for food aid reform - - A White House plan to modernize the major U.S. food aid program, by donating cash rather than American-grown food, is in trouble after fierce lobbying by farm groups, food processors, shippers and others who set out to sink the idea months before it was unveiled in President Barack Obama's fiscal 2014 budget. The administration, which needs congressional approval to make the changes, is discovering that only a few lawmakers are prepared to publicly support the effort to send cash abroad to make the distribution of aid faster and more efficient. <more> May 1, 2013 Reuters

Pricing/Commodity News
CDFA
issues call for May 20 hearing on milk prices - - The CDFA has issued
a call for a public hearing Monday, May 20 to consider temporary
amendments to the Stabilization and Marketing Plans for Market Milk for the
Northern California and Southern California Marketing Areas (Plans). The
hearing will be held on May 20 at 8 a.m. in the Department Auditorium, 1220
N Street, Sacramento. The hearing will consider proposed amendments to the
Class 1, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b prices. Specific proposals that would amend the
provisions contained in Article III, Section 300, paragraph (H) of the Plans
will be open for consideration at the hearing. The hearing notice can be
downloaded
by clicking here. May 1, 2013 CDFA Notice
Milk Powder
Auction Prices Decline for First Time This Year -
- Whole milk powder fell for the
first time this year amid signs that New Zealand’s most widespread drought
in at least 30 years may ease, according to Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd.
Powder for July delivery declined 4.8 percent, according to a trade-weighted
index on the company’s GlobalDairyTrade website. It was the first fall since
Dec. 18. The near-term contract for New Zealand product fell to $6,001 a
metric ton from a record $6,283 on April 16. Prices have surged 89 percent
since Jan. 2 as a drought declared across the entire North Island including
Waikato province, the country’s biggest milk producer, curbed milk
collection. The nation may receive near-normal rainfall through June, the
National Institute of Water and Atmospheric Research said last month.
<more> May 2, 2013 Bloomberg
Crop
forecaster reduces U.S. corn outlook by 30 million bushels - - Crop
forecaster Lanworth on Wednesday trimmed its estimate of U.S. corn
production due to wet weather that will likely cut planted acreage this
spring. Lanworth said it expected the harvest of the 2013/14 corn crop to be
13.90 billion bushels, down from its previous estimate of 13.93 billion.
"Recent cool and wet weather continues to delay planting and lowers likely
corn planted area by 1 percent to 96.2 million acres," the forecaster said
in a research note. "The wet weather also raises Lanworth's median corn
yield outlook slightly, offsetting the acreage losses."
<more> May 1, 2013 Reuters
Cheese production down slightly in March - - Total cheese production in the U.S. in March was 954 million pounds down 0.2 percent compared to a year ago. Italian type cheese production was up 1.3 percent at 416 million pounds and American-type cheese production increased 1.4 percent to 384 million pounds. A 10.7 percent decline in Swiss along with lower production in a few other specialty varieties more than offset the increases. Wisconsin cheese production totaled 249.646 million pounds in March up 2.7 percent from a year ago. California total cheese production in March was 194.3 million pounds down 2.4 percent from March of 2012. <more> May 2, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Bill
to change California's environmental review law advances - - A bill that
would make changes to California's landmark environmental review law moved
forward in the state Senate Wednesday, as Democrats rejected a GOP-backed
proposal as "too broad and comprehensive a change." Senate President Pro Tem
Darrell Steinberg defended his Senate Bill 731, which passed the Senate
Environmental Quality Committee Wednesday, as an attempt to cut down on
project delays the business community has long blamed on the California
Environmental Quality Act without undermining the environmental protections
the 1970 law provides. He acknowledged that the current bill is a work in
progress.
<more> May 1, 2013 Capitol Alert
Bill would let
MID count Exchequer Dam power as 'green' -
- Under newly proposed
legislation, the Merced Irrigation District could see an easing of
green-energy requirements, a move officials say would benefit local
ratepayers' pocketbooks. Under California law, power utilities have to
provide 33 percent of their energy from renewable sources by the end of
2020. Power providers also must hit benchmarks of 20 percent renewable
energy by 2014 and 25 percent by 2017. As only about 5 percent of the
district's energy comes from green power, meeting those requirements likely
will mean significant rate hikes for consumers, said General Manager John
Sweigard.
<more> May 2, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
River
flows not only way to aid salmon, state says - - State water officials
said Wednesday that their plan to aid salmon could involve more than simply
boosting river flows at the expense of farmers. They said streambed
improvements and other options could be part of the effort to build back
salmon numbers on the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced rivers. "We are
actively looking at nonflow measures that can be taken," said Dorene D'Adamo
of Turlock, who was appointed in March to the State Water Resources Control
Board. About 75 people turned out at the Stanislaus County Agricultural
Center to hear about the plan. Of most concern to farmers is a tentative
proposal to increase the February-through-June flows on all three rivers to
35 percent of the natural conditions before they were diverted.
<more> May 1, 2013 Modesto Bee
Air
district's annual report cites progress, challenges - - The San Joaquin
Valley Air Pollution Control District has always had a difficult story to
tell. Each year district officials assert that significant progress has been
made in improving the valley's air quality. And each year, Bakersfield is
listed among cities with the worst air in the nation.
<more> April 30, 2013 Bakersfield Californian
Earth's greenhouse gas levels approach 400-ppm milestone - - The ratio
of carbon dioxide in Earth’s atmosphere is flirting with 400 parts per
million, a level last seen about 2.5 million to 5 million years ago,
according to the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. The
Institution this week launched a daily Keeling curve update, showing the
saw-toothed upward diagonal of rising carbon dioxide levels since the late
1950s.
<more> May 1, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Conservation Stewardship Program Funding Available - - The Natural Resources Conservation Service's Conservation Stewardship Program will provide $175 million in funding for up to 12.6 million additional acres of enrollment, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Wednesday. The CSP offers producers payments in return for maintaining a high level of conservation on their land and who agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. Improvements to meet requirements can include intensive rotational grazing, intercropping and wildlife friendly fencing. "It's about conservation activities on the entire operation focusing on multiple resource concerns," Vilsack explained. Though applications are accepted all year, those interested in CSP should submit applications to their local NRCS office by May 31 to be eligible for this year's funding. <more> May 1, 2013 California Farmer
Salma
Hayek: Milk part of 'perfect' breakfast - - For actress Salma Hayek,
there’s little that is more important than starting the day with a healthy
breakfast. And to meet the nutritional needs of her family, she turns to
milk – the “perfect protein.” “I think it’s crucial to have a breakfast that
is going to make you think clear and have energy throughout the day,” Hayek
said in a behind-the-scenes look at her latest ‘got milk?’ campaign photo
shoot.
<more> May 1, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Ethanol Plant Faces Wrecking Ball - - When the New Energy Corp. ethanol
plant in South Bend, Ind., was idled by its bankruptcy filing last November,
people nearby hoped a buyer would restart operations, and not just for its
90 jobs. The plant had sucked six million gallons of water a day from the
surrounding swamplands, and without its pumps, water pooled in nearby
basements. But the winning $2.5 million bid at the bankruptcy auction came
from buyers who plan to sell the plant for scrap. The South Bend facility
was the country's first major ethanol plant when it opened in 1984, and now
it could be the first to get dismantled after filing for bankruptcy. Several
other small towns in the Midwest could face a similar scenario as the
ethanol industry begins to emerge from one of the toughest markets in its
three-decade history.
<more> April 30, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Egg industry lawyer: HSUS 'caved' on legislation - - The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) “caved” on federal legislation regulating cage size, Joe Miller, general counsel at Rose Acre Farms, said yesterday at the annual Animal Agriculture Alliance Stakeholders Summit in Arlington, Va. Rose Acre Farms, the second-largest egg producer in the nation, is also a member of the United Egg Producers (UEP), which reached a cage size agreement with HSUS last year. <more> May 2, 2013 Agri-Pulse

Meetings of Interest to CA Dairy Industry
Farm bill focus at Western agriculture conference in Davis May 14 - - Agricultural leaders and economists will discuss the new Farm Bill and its impacts on agriculture in the West May 14 at an all-day conference at the UC Davis Conference Center. Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture and former U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture chief of staff, and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, will share their insights on what the Farm Bill is likely to mean for agriculture in the western states. “The Farm Bill affects every California commodity,” said Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center and conference coordinator. “Growers, lenders, agribusiness executives, policy advisors, agricultural leaders, university professionals, students and everyone who values comprehensive and objective information about the upcoming Farm Bill and U.S. farm policy are invited to participate in the conversation.” <more> April 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
California Dairy Families: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow's Generations
Visit our Video Channel .Watch WUD members talk about how they meet the environmental challenges facing the California dairy industry. Hear about their pride in their farming heritage and the contributions they make to their communities. Also visit the California Milk Advisory Board's website which features many WUD dairy families talking about the rewards and heartaches of dairy farming.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
AB 31 approved
unanimously by Assembly Ag Committee - -
Assembly Bill 31 was approved by
the Assembly Agriculture Committee today on a 6-0 vote. The committee heard
from nearly 50 people who spoke in support of the bill as California dairy
families stepped to the microphone to express their support for the bill
authored by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento) and sponsored by
Western United Dairymen. The bill would more closely align the whey value in
the California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. Other bill supporters include California Dairies, Inc.,
Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of America, Milk Producers Council, California
Dairy Campaign, California Grain and Feed Association and California Cotton
Ginners and Growers Association. May 1, 2013 WUD News
CDFA issues call for May 20 hearing on milk prices - - The CDFA today issued a call for a public hearing Monday, May 20 to consider temporary amendments to the Stabilization and Marketing Plans for Market Milk for the Northern California and Southern California Marketing Areas (Plans). The hearing will be held on May 20 at 8 a.m. in the Department Auditorium, 1220 N Street, Sacramento. The hearing will consider proposed amendments to the Class 1, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b prices. Specific proposals that would amend the provisions contained in Article III, Section 300, paragraph (H) of the Plans will be open for consideration at the hearing. The hearing notice can be downloaded by clicking here. May 1, 2013 CDFA Notice
Ferndale dairy producer selected as regional winner in national “Farm Mom”
contest - -
Mary Ann Bansen, a Western United Dairymen member from Ferndale, has been
named Monsanto’s 2013 America’s Farmers Mom of the Year regional winner for
the Southwest. One of five regional winners, Bansen was selected by judges
from American Agri-Women and Monsanto in recognition of the contributions
she makes to her family, farm, community and the agricultural industry.
Along with the four other regional winners, Bansen’s nomination will be
featured on www.AmericasFarmers.com through May 11, where online voting will
determine the national winner. Ballots can be cast at
http://www.americasfarmers.com/farmmom/vote.aspx
Mary Ann and her husband, Pete, are owners and operators of Bancrest Dairy,
a pasture-based dairy farm that has been in the Bansen family for almost 100
years.
<more> May 1, 2013 Monsanto press release
Vidak
looks to move from farm to Senate - - Andy Vidak wears a cowboy hat,
farms cherry orchards near Hanford and runs a lettuce cooling operation in
Fresno County. Now the longtime San Joaquin Valley farmer is taking on a
very different challenge — running to represent Kings County in the 16th
state Senate District. Vidak may never have held public office, but he’s
been a well-known persona on the political scene ever since he ran against —
and almost beat — Democrat Jim Costa in the 2010 20th Congressional District
election.
<more> April 29, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
State
Board Revisits Water Transfers, High-Speed Rail, and Ag Labor at May 7
Meeting - - The California State Board of Food and Agriculture
will revisit several key agricultural policy issues on Tuesday, May 7th in
Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the
California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street - Main
Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. The agenda includes an in-depth discussion
on agricultural water transfers, specifically focusing on how the permitting
process can allow for the timely movement of water. On high-speed rail, the
board will revisit the California High-Speed Rail Authority’s outreach and
public engagement efforts with agricultural interests concerning route
alignment and mitigation. In addressing agricultural labor, the board will
be updated on the current status of federal immigration reform from farm and
labor leaders. The agenda concludes with a discussion on the California
Agricultural Vision - a policy framework which addresses opportunities for
California’s future.
<more> May 1, 2013 CDFA news release
USDA
expands SNAP access at farmers markets - - The U.S. Department of
Agriculture on Monday announced a $4 million plan to increase the use of
federal food credits at farmers markets. The initiative will expand wireless
access to qualified retailers that do not already accept payments through
the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, also known as SNAP, which
provides financial assistance to help people with little to no income
purchase food. Congress’s 2012 spending plan authorized the $4 million to
help markets buy or lease wireless point-of-sale equipment to connect
sellers with SNAP. The funding will be available through Sept. 30.
<more> April 30, 2013 Washington Post
Schwarzenegger lends muscle to immigration discussion - - Arnold
Schwarzenegger uses his own improbable rise from bodybuilder to action hero
to California governor as an argument for immigration reform. As a teenager
in his native Austria, Schwarzenegger saw the United States as the only
place he could achieve his outsized dreams. The 11 million immigrants now in
the country illegally are not so different from his younger self, he told an
audience Tuesday at the USC think tank that bears his name. "These are all
very hardworking people. They have a dream. They want to make their dream a
reality," he said. Then, Schwarzenegger turned the stage over to two U.S.
senators at the epicenter of the immigration debate in Washington. The
conversation turned to the practical matter of vote-getting.
<more> April 30, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Bills to protect California immigrant workers introduced - - Now, as an advocate for victims of human trafficking, Angela is backing legislation, SB516, that would make it illegal for California employers to hire foreign workers who are brought to the U.S. by labor contractors not registered with the state. Contractors would also be prohibited from charging fees to workers for recruitment -- and would be required to disclose the terms and conditions of employment. The bill is part of a two-bill package touted Tuesday by Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, aimed at protecting immigrant workers. <more> May 1, 2013 San Jose Mercury News

Pricing/Commodity News
Dairy
profitability shows some improvement in April - - It’s nothing to shout
about, but the USDA’s milk-feed ratio did move in a positive direction in
April. According to the USDA’s “Agricultural Prices” report released on
Tuesday, the preliminary milk-feed ratio for April is 1.56, up from 1.48 in
March. This marks an upward swing after four straight months of decline.
The all-milk price used in calculating the ratio also rose, climbing from
$19.10 per hundredweight in March to $19.30 in April.
<more> April 30, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Cull cow prices lower, but still strong - - Estimated U.S. April 2013 cull cow prices (beef and dairy combined) averaged $81.70/cwt., down $1.20/cwt. from March’s revised estimate, and $3.80/cwt. less than April 2012. Current trend: April’s price decline follows four consecutive monthly increases. May 1, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
Science, values
join forces as dairy groups mark continued commitment to air research
- - Dairy farmers have long understood their important responsibility to
steward the land and natural resources such as air and water. Conservation,
preservation, re-use and recycling are fundamental values among farm
families, many of whom have operated sustainably on the same land for
generations. While these values are an essential foundation, good dairy farm
management decisions also depend on having reliable information. That’s why
dairy organizations from across the western U.S. gathered this month in
Boise, Idaho to continue their years-long push for improved science and
management strategies for dairies. Held every two years since 2005, the
Western States Dairy Air Quality Symposium has become a tradition in which
dairy leaders, the nation’s leading scientific researchers, and regulators
discuss the latest research and opportunities.
<more> May 1, 2013 Dairy CARES Newsletter
California
Fracking Moratorium Clears Key Committee in Assembly
- - A California Assembly panel approved a moratorium on hydraulic
fracturing by oil and natural-gas producers until the most populous U.S.
state assesses health and environmental concerns. The bill by Adrin
Nazarian, a Los Angeles Democrat, is opposed by the oil industry through the
Western States Petroleum Association, which says hydraulic fracturing has
been used safely for more than 60 years. Democrats on the Natural Resources
Committee approved the measure 5-3 on a party-line vote late yesterday.
Democrats control the Legislature. Nazarian’s bill would require the
secretaries of the California Natural Resources Agency and the California
Environmental Protection Agency to lead a study to determine whether
fracking can be done without risk.
<more> May 1, 2013 Bloomberg News
As 'Fracking'
Debate Heats Up, Weighing Risks Key to Possible Monterey Shale Boom
- - Could California be on the
verge of a new gold rush? That’s the finding of a new study from USC about
the potential economic impact of oil that lies deep beneath the Central
Valley, known as the Monterey Shale. But extracting that oil isn’t easy, and
it would require the use of a number of advanced techniques, including
hydraulic fracturing. And that’s attracted concerns from environmental
groups and state regulators. Valley Public Radio’s Joe Moore reports on some
recent developments in the fracking debate.
<more> May 1, 2013 Valley Public Radio
San Joaquin
Valley farmers lag as nitrogen program signup deadline looms
- - With a deadline less than
two weeks away, officials say hundreds of regional farmers have not signed
up for the state's mandatory "nitrogen budgeting" program aimed at improving
groundwater quality. "There's people saying, 'I'm tired of this, and I don't
want the water board involved with my operation, and I'm going to chance
it,' " said Amanda Carvajal, executive director with the Merced County Farm
Bureau. However, that's not a position endorsed by local farm bureaus. "They
will ultimately have to get in," Carvajal said. "It's a no-choice operation.
At some point, we have to work together on this."
<more> May 1, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
Where
Might Funding For Safe Drinking Water Flow From? - - For the past 35
years, Sandra Garcia has picked grapes, plums and peppers on San Joaquin
Valley farms. But when she returns to her home in the small, Tulare County
community of Poplar, she’s reminded of agriculture’s impact on her drinking
water. She can’t drink it because it contains unhealthy levels of nitrates.
And she can’t cook with it, because boiling water can concentrate the
nitrate level. It’s a serious health issue for infants and pregnant women.
Garcia is among more than 250,000 people in the Tulare Lake Basin and the
Salinas Valley who are at risk for nitrate contamination of their drinking
water. That’s according to a UC Davis report that was submitted to the
legislature last year. The report also found that agriculture fertilizers
and animal waste applied to cropland were the source of an estimated 96
percent of nitrate pollution in groundwater in these areas.
<more> May 1, 2013 Valley Public Radio
Conservation Stewardship Program Applications Due by May 31 - -
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that the Natural Resources
Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) will provide
nearly $175 million in funding for up to 12.6 million additional acres of
enrollment this year. “The Conservation Stewardship Program is different
than other USDA financial assistance programs,” said Vilsack. “CSP offers
payments to producers who maintain a high level of conservation on their
land and agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. It’s about
conservation activities on the entire operation focusing on multiple
resource concerns.”
<more> May 1, 2013 NRCS press release
Washington dairies ask for dismissal of manure lawsuits - - Five dairies
in Washington's Yakima Valley have filed a motion to dismiss lawsuits
against them brought by the Community Association for Restoration of the
Environment and the Center for Food Safety. Plaintiffs allege that manure is
a solid waste and when applied on land or stored is leaching nitrates and
contaminating groundwater in violation of the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act. The plaintiffs want manure classified as a solid waste and
dairies treated as open dumps, such as municipal landfills, and regulated
under that law, said the dairies' attorney, Hugh O'Riordan, of Givens and
Pursley.
<more> May 1, 2013 Capital Press
Dan
Walters: Maneuvers accelerate on California water plan - - Earlier this
week, Gov. Jerry Brown's point man on the highly controversial proposal to
bore tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta found himself in
political hot water. Gerald Meral, a veteran environmentalist who served in
Brown's first governorship, was quoted as saying during a private meeting
that the project, known formally as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, "is not
about, and has never been about, saving the Delta. The Delta cannot be
saved."
<more> May 1, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Delta
water protection bill moving through Legislature - - A proposal that
would force the Department of Water Resources to prove that its water
projects would actually result in reducing dependence of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin Delta before going ahead with them is moving slowly through the
state Legislature. The Senate Committee on Natural Resources and Water has
voted 7-2 to approve Senate Bill 449, authored by state Sen. Cathleen
Galgiani, D-Stockton, which, if it were to make it into law, would prohibit
the DWR from allocating state funds for water projects that are unable to
demonstrate that they are reducing their dependence on the Delta.
<more> April 29, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Mounting criticism for Bay Delta water diversion plan - - Opposition to
the Bay Delta Conservation Plan appears to be growing among elected
officials, with Woodland's representative in the state Senate calling it
"worse and worse." "I think there's some very serious problems with the BDCP,
and they're just becoming worse and worse," said state Sen. Lois Wolk,
D-Davis. "There isn't a day or a week that goes by when there isn't a
serious concern raised about either the fisheries, the cost, the
construction, the process, the exclusion of the Delta counties from
participation. These concerns just keep growing and growing. And they're
never responded to." The remarks came after last Friday's statement, signed
by Wolk and eight other state legislators from Northern California including
Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, D-Davis, condemning the project as a water grab
and calling for it to be halted immediately.
<more> May 1, 2013 Daily Democrat
Top House lawmakers want better look at pesticide effects -- Two House committee chairmen called for a return to the drawing board yesterday after the release of a report saying federal agencies should use “a common scientific approach” in determining the possible effects pesticides could pose to endangered or threatened species. The report, “Assessing Risks to Endangered and Threatened Species from Pesticides,” was issued by the National Academy of Science’s National Research Council (NRC) and found that EPA, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) should use risk assessment approaches that address problem formulation, exposure analysis, effects analysis, and risk characterization. <more> May 1, 2013 Agri-Pulse
California
Farmer magazine ends its run
- - California Farmer, a 160-year-old agriculture magazine that took on
lending institutions during the 1980s farm financial crisis, delved into the
state's water controversies and even devoted one cover to marijuana
production, published its last issue this month and has closed its Bay Area
doors. Penton Media, the company that publishes California Farmer, said the
magazine wasn't as profitable as its other publications. The company plans
to fold coverage of the state's agriculture news into its Western Farm Press
publication, which is distributed throughout the West, said spokesman Chris
Meyer. Nonetheless, California ranchers, farmers and agriculture
policymakers say the demise of California Farmer is a loss to the state.
<more> May 1, 2013 SF Chronicle
The
Milk Man: A day in the life(style) of a key player in Wisconsin's dairy
industry - - With a few smooth movements, Dave Pribek backed the long,
silver trailer of his milk truck to within a few feet of the milk house
Wednesday afternoon on a Brussels-area farm. His only audience, a lone cow
watching from behind a metal gate. That scene plays out — with some
variation — an average of 20 times a day for the Kewaunee County-based milk
truck driver and business owner. Around the state and the nation, milk
haulers like Dale and Dave Pribek — owners of Pribek Trucking in West
Kewaunee — serve as the link between farm and processing plant, and
ultimately consumers. It’s a largely unsung job, but one that plays an
enormous role in one of Wisconsin’s most-important industries.
<more> April 21, 2013 Green Bay Press Gazette
Hummus
Is Conquering America - - Prodded by the largest U.S. hummus maker,
farmers in the heart of tobacco country are trying to grow chickpeas, an
improbable move that reflects booming demand for hummus. Sabra Dipping Co.,
a joint venture of PepsiCo Inc. PEP -0.32% and Israel's Strauss Group Ltd.,
wants to cultivate a commercial crop in Virginia to reduce its dependence on
the legume's main U.S. growing region—the Pacific Northwest—and to identify
new chickpea varieties for its dips and spreads. For Sabra, which makes
hummus at a plant near Richmond, Va., a secondary source of supplies could
help protect the company if a chickpea shortage occurred because of crop
failures in Washington or Idaho.
<more> April 30, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
World Dairy Expo names new GM - - World Dairy Expo named Scott Bentley as the new general manager, effective June 3. In his new role, Bentley will lead World Dairy Expo staff in the strategic planning and implementation of the largest dairy-focused event in the world. Most recently, Bentley served as global supply manager at ABS Global, DeForest, Wis.. He previously held positions as global dairy product manager, district sales manager and in dairy sire acquisition. Prior to that, Bentley was field service manager at the American Jersey Cattle Association. “Center of the Dairy Universe” is the theme for World Dairy Expo 2013, Oct. 1-5, in Madison, Wis. Visit www.worlddairyexpo.com for the latest schedule details, or follow Facebook at http://facebook.com/worlddairyexpo . May 1, 2013 Dairy Business Update

Meetings of Interest to CA Dairy Industry
Farm bill focus at Western agriculture conference in Davis May 14 - - Agricultural leaders and economists will discuss the new Farm Bill and its impacts on agriculture in the West May 14 at an all-day conference at the UC Davis Conference Center. Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture and former U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture chief of staff, and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, will share their insights on what the Farm Bill is likely to mean for agriculture in the western states. “The Farm Bill affects every California commodity,” said Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center and conference coordinator. “Growers, lenders, agribusiness executives, policy advisors, agricultural leaders, university professionals, students and everyone who values comprehensive and objective information about the upcoming Farm Bill and U.S. farm policy are invited to participate in the conversation.” <more> April 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
California Dairy Families: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow's Generations
Visit our Video Channel .Watch WUD members talk about how they meet the environmental challenges facing the California dairy industry. Hear about their pride in their farming heritage and the contributions they make to their communities. Also visit the California Milk Advisory Board's website which features many WUD dairy families talking about the rewards and heartaches of dairy farming.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
AB 31
committee hearing can be heard on-line - - The state Assembly
Agriculture Committee hearing tomorrow on Assembly Bill 31 can be listed to
online. The committee meets in the Capitol at 1:30 p.m. to listen to
testimony on the bill. The legislation
sponsored by WUD and authored by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento)
is the first item on the agenda, scheduled to begin at 1:30 p.m. To listen
to the hearing, go to the Assembly Daily File at
http://assembly.ca.gov/dailyfile and scroll down the page to find the
Agriculture Committee listing and click on “listen to this hearing.”
Stakes Are High
in May 1 Hearing on California Dairy Pricing Proposal
- - The stakes could hardly be
higher for the two main sectors of California’s dairy industry. The state’s
dairy producers and processors each say their very survival is at stake if
AB31, the proposed legislation to change the state’s pricing system, doesn’t
go their way. "This is the most important dairy legislation before the
legislature since the inception of milk pooling in 1967," says Tom Barcellos,
president of Western United Dairymen (WUD), which sponsored the bill. "If
passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to [dairy producers] are fair
and competitive." Processor interests, however, say the bill would ruin the
ability of the state’s cheese-makers to compete nationally or globally while
giving farmers false hopes for the future.
<more> April 30, 2013 Dairy Today
Local
supporters of dairy bill heading to Sacramento - - At the age of 66, Ed
Fletcher figured he would put in another few years running the dairy his
family built southeast of Tulare and then retire. But after nearly five
years of dairies getting low prices for their milk, the continued reluctance
of state officials to take action and ongoing debts totaling about $1
million, Fletcher and his brother, Rob, decided to get out of the business.
Earlier this month, the brothers sold off 650 heifers, and on April 15, they
sold their remaining 798 milking cows to a neighboring dairy, which now is
renting the Fletcher Dairy to house those cows and milk them. For his part,
Fletcher said that if AB 31 had been enacted into law in California a year
ago, it might have helped him stay afloat long enough for the milk market to
improve, and he might have stayed in business. But the legislation is coming
too late for him.
<more> April 30, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
Utah
prosecutor dismisses suddenly high-profile ‘ag gag’ case - - One day
after the case made headlines, Draper prosecutors have dismissed a
misdemeanor against an animal-welfare activist who filmed a Utah
slaughterhouse. Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped the case against Amy Meyer,
who had faced a class B misdemeanor for agricultural-operation interference.
Prosecutors filed the charge in Draper’s justice court Feb. 19 after Meyer
used her cellphone to film the Dale T. Smith and Sons Meat Packing Co. 11
days earlier. The case was the first to be prosecuted under Utah’s "ag gag"
law, which passed the state Legislature in 2012. Under the law, it became
illegal to film an agricultural operation while trespassing or entering the
premises on false pretenses.<more>
April 30, 2013 Salt Lake Tribune
Border Patrol struggles to measure what it can't see - - Kathy Gomez estimates that U.S. Border Patrol agents catch 75% of the migrants who try to run through the strawberry fields at her farm near the border with Tijuana. Farther east, Miguel Diaz thinks the number hits 90% at his junkyard near the base of Otay Mountain. But in the San Diego backcountry, rancher Bob Maupin says that, of the migrants who skirt his 250 acres, only 10% get arrested. Across the Southwest, the rate at which the Border Patrol stops illegal crossings has long been the stuff of coffee shop speculation. In Washington, an effort to make those numbers precise is about to become the thread on which the fate of millions will hang. <more> April 29, 2013 Los Angeles Times

Pricing/Commodity News
Corn Prices Surge on Planting Fears - - Corn
prices jumped 6.2%, their biggest percentage gain in nearly 10 months, amid
fears that cold, wet weather in the Midwest would delay planting of this
year's crop. Corn prices hit a one-month high as weather forecasts Monday
projected rainfall in coming days in major corn-growing states such as Iowa
and Illinois. The planting delays are sparking concerns that this year's
corn crop could be smaller than expected. Later planting makes corn plants
more vulnerable to damage from summer heat during the crop's main growth
stage.
<more> April 29, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
New Zealand - Fonterra Pilot Program to Give
Farmers Milk Price Certainty - - Fonterra, the New Zealand-based dairy
giant, is piloting a new "Guaranteed Milk Price" (GMP) scheme that will
provide farmers with the opportunity to have more certainty in their milk
price. The pilot will mean farmers can choose to lock in a milk price
announced at the beginning of a season for up to 75 per cent of their milk
supply. Fonterra’s Managing Director of Group Optimisation and Supply Chain,
Ian Palliser says the past few years have confirmed that volatility in
commodity prices is here to stay.
<more> April 30, 2013 Dairy Today
March MILC: 75.5¢/cwt. - - With the April 30 USDA Ag Prices report providing the final feed cost adjuster, USDA announced a March 2013 Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC) payment of 75.456¢/cwt. MILC payments were about 52¢/cwt. in February and about 12¢/cwt. in January. April 30, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
Board
hears concerns about water proposal - - Proposed water quality
regulations raise concerns for southern San Joaquin Valley farmers and
communities that depend on both surface and groundwater supplies. A Fresno
workshop to explain the new rules for wastewater discharge from irrigated
lands drew about 75 people from local agriculture and valley communities.
During opening remarks, members of the Central Valley Regional Water Quality
Control Board said the workshop aimed to explain the proposed rules, which
they said are intended to sustain agriculture—not make it go away—by
protecting water quality for the future. The regulatory proposal, however,
has been challenged in court by environmental groups, and Sacramento
Superior Court Judge Timothy Frawley has issued a tentative ruling that may
put the new regulations on hold. Although not binding or final, the
tentative ruling found the environmental impact report that underpins the
proposed monitoring program "inadequate" and calls for a new report to be
prepared and circulated for public comment.
<more> April 30, 2013 Ag Alert
The consensus seems to be: Let somebody else fix
the delta - - Confidential surveys of water officials, water users and
others involved with the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta offer some telling
insight on why the delta is stuck in a perpetual quagmire. When it comes to
fixing the hub of California’s water system, most parties would prefer it if
someone else made the sacrifices. The surveys, conducted last year by the
nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California and discussed in a new
institute report, found that there was general agreement with scientists
about the nature of the problems that have pushed several of the delta’s
native fish species to the brink of extinction: altered and diminished water
flows, water pollution, loss of fish and wildlife habitat, invasive species
and fishery management.
<more> April 29, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Scientists' thoughts on tunnels revealed - -
Many Delta scientists agree that restoring habitat for fish and establishing
more natural river flows are crucial to fixing the estuary, but some are
reserving judgment on Gov. Jerry Brown's proposed twin tunnels, a survey
being released today finds. Almost one-quarter of the 122 scientists who
participated in the confidential survey declined to offer an opinion on the
tunnels, the Public Policy Institute of California said. These scientists
are well-versed in the Delta, having written peer-reviewed studies about the
estuary. The survey was taken last summer. Since then, more specifics have
been released about the tunnels and how they would be operated.
<more> April 30, 2013 Stockton Record
California officials split on how to divvy up
$500 million in clean-energy funds - - The fight over Proposition 39
didn't end at the ballot box. Six months after voters overwhelmingly
approved a change in the corporate tax code that's expected to net the state
an additional $1 billion in revenue for five years, lawmakers are wrangling
over how to spend an estimated $500 million a year the measure earmarks for
energy efficiency projects. The ongoing debate, which pits Gov. Jerry Brown
against legislators and the initiative's deep-pocketed supporters, involves
what types of projects should get priority for funding and what the criteria
for receiving grant or loan money should be.
<more> April 30, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - - The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a description of the process and information the Water Board will use to inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For more information about the Watershed Group click here: https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject or contact Chester Anderson at: chester@eaststanrcd.org or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013 Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
Drink up: USDA study finds that stink bug odor
compounds in cattle feed don’t transfer to milk - - Scientists with the
U.S. Agriculture Department have some tasty news for milk drinkers. They say
dairy cows that were given feed contaminated with brown marmorated stink
bugs produced milk with no detectable stink bug odor. Researchers found no
detectable odor in milk from cows that either ate stink bugs or had stink
bug odor compounds placed into their stomachs.
<more> April 29, 2013 AP
National Dairy Board nominees sought - - For
nominating forms and information, visit
www.ams.usda.gov/dairy. April
30, 2013 Dairy Business Update
California bullet train groundbreaking faces new obstacles - - California's bullet train agency is facing a series of new regulatory and political problems that could jeopardize its July construction kickoff, which already has been delayed more than six months. The new challenges are coming from a private railroad that controls a key right of way, a legislative committee delving into contracting issues and a powerful federal agency asserting authority over the project. The rail agency is beginning to make purchase offers for land around Fresno and says it still plans to start building this summer. <more> April 29, 2013 Los Angeles Times

Meetings of Interest to CA Dairy Industry
Farm bill focus at Western agriculture conference in Davis May 14 - - Agricultural leaders and economists will discuss the new Farm Bill and its impacts on agriculture in the West May 14 at an all-day conference at the UC Davis Conference Center. Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of Food and Agriculture and former U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture chief of staff, and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of Agriculture, will share their insights on what the Farm Bill is likely to mean for agriculture in the western states. “The Farm Bill affects every California commodity,” said Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center and conference coordinator. “Growers, lenders, agribusiness executives, policy advisors, agricultural leaders, university professionals, students and everyone who values comprehensive and objective information about the upcoming Farm Bill and U.S. farm policy are invited to participate in the conversation.” <more> April 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
California Dairy Families: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow's Generations
Visit our Video Channel .Watch WUD members talk about how they meet the environmental challenges facing the California dairy industry. Hear about their pride in their farming heritage and the contributions they make to their communities. Also visit the California Milk Advisory Board's website which features many WUD dairy families talking about the rewards and heartaches of dairy farming.
Monday April 29, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Pro-AB
31 video airing on You Tube - - The Yes on AB 31 effort has posted a
video featuring past WUD President Ray Souza, a Turlock dairyman,
as
he discusses the importance of protecting the legacy of California dairymen
and women. To view the video,
please click here. “If we lose the Pan bill (AB31) we will just continue
the cycle of losing dairy farms,” says Souza in the three-minute video. AB
31 recognizes that California is the only state that doesn’t pay the dairy
farmer for the whey they produce. Consequently California dairy farmers are
paid less than their counterparts in any other state. AB 31 will bring
balance back to the marketplace. Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)
points out, “I don’t think any of us want to live in a California where we
no longer have family dairy farms.” April 23, 2013 WUD News
Cathleen Galgiani: California cows may be happy;
producers are not - - California is esteemed for many things, but few
are as iconic as our "Happy Cows." Few are as treasured as the "grown and
produced in California" labels that proudly represent the family farms that
helped shape our state's cultural and economic foundations. Unfortunately, a
tangle of antiquated price-setting methods is putting dairy farms small and
large in peril. The rules governing the cost paid to farmers for milk allow
cheese companies to pay dramatically less for milk in California than in
other states and threaten the existence of hundreds of California's local,
family-run dairies. Nearly 400 dairy farms have closed in California in the
past five years. Last year alone saw 105 family dairies shuttered.
<more> April 28, 2013 Stockton Record
California dairymen urge support for whey value
bill - - With a hearing on increasing the whey value in California' milk
pricing formula set for May 1 in the California Assembly, dairy groups have
been urging producers to contact Ag Committee members to rally support. The
bill, AB 31, would require the dry whey value for 4b milk, used to
manufacture cheese, be no less than 80 of its value in Class III pricing in
federal orders. The issue has been at the forefront since January 2010,
gaining heat as the spread between Class III and Class 4b widened and
California dairyman have been struggling to stay afloat. California's 4b
price has been about $2 per hundredweight lower than the Class III price for
more than two years for a total loss of $800 million since 2010, according
to the dairy organizations. Both Western United Dairymen and Milk Producers
Council have been urging dairymen to call and fax Assembly members, saying
the legislation is critical to ensure the survival of California's remaining
dairy producers.
<more> April 29, 2013 Capital Press
UFW
opposes House immigration bills - - Immigration bills introduced by
House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte are under attack from the
United Farm Workers of America as a rollback to the old Bracero program at
the expense of farmworker protections. Goodlatte, R-Va., introduced an
agricultural guestworker bill and an E-verify bill -- House Resolutions 1773
and 1772 -- on April 26, saying he favors handling immigration in parts to
get them right rather than collectively in a comprehensive bill. The
E-verify bill would replace the current I-9 employment eligibility system
with electronic eligibility verification phased in over time. Agricultural
workers would be subject to an E-verify check within 24 months of enactment.
<more> April 29, 2013 Capital Press
Alternative “Dairy Freedom Act” introduced -
- Virginia Republican Congressman Bob Goodlatte and Georgia Democratic
Congressman David Scott have introduced their alternative dairy plan for the
next farm bill. The Dairy Freedom Act has the same margin insurance concept
as the Dairy Security Act but without the supply management provision. The
Goodlatte Scott plan offers free margin insurance protection for producers
for up to 4 million pounds of milk production, above that producers would
pay a premium for the additional coverage dependent upon the dollar value of
the margin between the all-milk price and feed costs. The Dairy Security Act
provides margin insurance but does give the government the ability to put a
lid on milk production if prices get too low.
<more> April 29, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Another missed opportunity to improve milk
quality - - The bureaucrats punted again.For the seventh time in 16
years, the National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) has
turned down a request to upgrade the standard for somatic cell count. The
NCIMS, made up of state regulators who oversee milk-safety rules, last week
turned down a request from the National Milk Producers Federation to lower
the SCC legal limit from 750,000 cells/mL to 400,000, starting in 2015. In
previous years, similar proposals by the NMPF or the National Mastitis
Council also were voted down. One possible explanation: The regulators who
make up NCIMS are primarily responsible for milk safety and somatic cell
count is not a milk-safety issue.
<more> April 26, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
State Senate District 16 candidates adjust for
low-turnout contest - - It's been a little more than two months since
Bakersfield Democrat Michael Rubio abruptly resigned his 16th District state
Senate seat, and already voters are casting ballots to pick his replacement.
With the election wrapping up on May 21, there is no time, political experts
say, for candidates to woo voters from other parties or chase those who
rarely vote. Rather, in what is widely expected to be a low-turnout election
held far outside the normal campaign season, candidates need to keep it
simple by motivating like-minded voters and then making sure they cast
ballots.
<more> April 28, 2013 Fresno Bee
Democrats Land Buzzy Recruit in Another Obama-GOP House District - - House Democrats have landed a recruit to run against Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif., in the Central Valley's 10th Congressional District. Farmer and beekeeper Michael Eggman announced Tuesday that he will seek the seat, which was one of 17 in the country to split its votes between a Republican congressman and President Obama in 2012. And Eggman said in a telephone interview that he will have support from Washington. "I've been in contact with them and they're supportive of my campaign," Eggman said of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. A DCCC spokesperson said the committee was excited about his candidacy. Eggman grew up in Turlock, Calif. and said he lived in the Washington area for a time during and after college, but not in a political capacity -- he worked in marketing and sales for a bank and a health insurance company. He returned to California 10 years ago after his mother died to help run the family farm. <more> April 29, 2013 National Journal

Pricing/Commodity News
Cheese
production up 2.8% in April - -
Cheese production in the U.S. in
April 10.9 billion pounds up 2.8 percent compared to April of 2012.
Italian-type cheese production was 1.1 percent higher than a year ago at
4.63 billion pounds while American-type cheese production was up 3.1 percent
at 4.36 billion pounds. Butter production in April totaled 1.86 billion
pounds up 2.8 percent from April of last year. Other dairy product
production in April (compared to a year ago):* Nonfat dry milk 1.76 billion
pounds (+17.7%) * Skim milk powders 381 million pounds (-14.7%) * Dry whey
999 million pounds (-1.1%) * Lactose 1.03 billion pounds (+2.6%) * Whey
protein concentrate 441 million pounds (+2.4%) * Regular ice cream 899
million gallons (+1.2%) * Lowfat ice cream 467 million gallons (+12.3%) *
Sherbet 46 million gallons (+1.4%) * Frozen yogurt 74 million gallons (+18%)
Individual state production numbers are not being collected
due to the budget sequester. April 29, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
U.S. Dairy Exports Increase in Early 2013 - -
U.S. dairy exports continued to improve in February, posting their highest
levels since second quarter of 2012, says the U.S. Dairy Export Council.
Overall volumes were up for the second straight month -- 8% higher vs.
January on a daily-average basis, USDEC says in the April 23 edition of its
"Global Dairy Market Outlook" newsletter. Value rose for the fourth straight
month, and 9% above January. Pricing relationships were more favorable for
U.S. suppliers in February, and anticipated tight supply from competing
exporters has buyers looking to the U. S., says USDEC. Nonfat dry milk/skim
milk powder (NDM/SMP), cheese, butterfat, lactose and fluid milk volumes all
are trending higher.
<more> April 29, 2013 Dairy Today
February fluid sales down - - February 2013
packaged fluid milk sales totaled 4.12 billion lbs., down 4.4% from February
2012, according to last week’s Dairy Market News. However, sales were not
adjusted for calendar composition or Leap Year considerations, as in
previous reports. Calculated on a daily basis, February 20313 fluid sales
were down about 0.9% from a year earlier. February sales of conventional
products, at 3.96 billion lbs., were down 4.4% (unadjusted for Leap Year);
organic products, at 165 million lbs., were down 6.2%. Organic represented
about 4.0% of total sales for the month. January-February 2013 total
packaged fluid milk sales, at 8.69 billion lbs., were down 2.9% from the
same period a year earlier (unadjusted for Leap Year). Year-to-date sales of
conventional products, at 8.34 billion lbs., were down 2.8%; organic
products, at 354 million lbs., were down 3.9%. Organic represented about
4.1% of total sales. April 29, 2013 Dairy Business Update
CWT assists with 2 million lbs. of cheese and
butter export sales - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted
eight requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America,
Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Michigan Milk Producers Association,
Swiss Valley Farms and Upstate Niagara Cooperative (O-AT-KA) to sell 925,942
lbs. of cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese and 1.102 million lbs. of butter to
customers in Asia and North Africa. The product will be delivered May
through October 2013. So far in 2013, CWT has assisted member cooperatives
in selling 50.982 million lbs. of cheese, 51.727 million lbs. of butter,
44,092 lbs. of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 lbs. of whole milk powder to
31 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.599
billion lbs. of milk on a milkfat basis. That is more than USDA’s projected
increase in milk marketings for all of 2013. April 29, 2013 Dairy
Business Update
5% of U.S. corn planted - - USDA reports
producers made very little corn planting progress last week due to continued
wet, cold weather in many key growing areas. As of Sunday, 5% of the U.S.
corn crop is planted, compared to 4% a week ago, 49% a year ago, and the
five year average of 31%. All of the 18 major U.S. corn producing states are
behind their respective average paces, with 11 at 5% or less, including 7 at
1% or less. That slow planting pace is also having an impact on emergence –
2% of corn has emerged, compared to 14% last year at this time and 6% on
average.
<more> April 29, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Food prices increase in 2013 not as severe as first forecast: USDA - - U.S. food prices are seen rising about 3 percent this year, less than previously forecast, as increases in meat, dairy and cereal and bakery products are not as sharp as initially predicted, according to the government. The U.S. Agriculture Department revised the increase in food prices to 2.5 percent to 3.5 percent from an earlier forecast of between 3 and 4 percent. The lion’s share of the jump is expected in the first half of 2013, especially for most animal-based food products due to higher feed prices. For most food categories not directly affected by the 2012 drought, however, inflation is expected to be at or even below normal levels, USDA said. <more> April 26, 2013 Des Moines Register
Environmental
News
Congressional
Democrats demand resignation of state resources official
- - Five Congressional Democrats
have demanded the resignation of a top official in Gov. Jerry Brown's
administration for comments the official allegedly made about the future of
the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. The controversy surrounds Jerry
Meral, deputy director of the state Natural Resources Agency, who allegedly
told officials that Brown's water plan was never about saving the delta and
that in fact the delta could not be saved. That contradicts statements made
by Brown who has said his plan would include measures to restore the delta,
the confluence of the two rivers and the San Francisco Bay, which serves as
the primary source of drinking water for most of the state's residents.
<more> April 29, 2013 LA Times
California judge dismisses Endangered Species Act
lawsuit - - A U.S. District Court judge in California has ruled that two
environmental activist groups did not prove the EPA awarded federal
registrations for a host of crop protection chemicals that put endangered
species at risk in a lawsuit they filed in 2011. In granting a motion to
dismiss the groups’ “Mega” lawsuit, Judge Joseph C. Spero said the
plaintiffs – the Center for Biological Diversity and the Pesticide Action
Network North America – had not alleged specific government actions
sufficient for the lawsuit to proceed. The judge gave the plaintiffs 30 days
to file an amended complaint or 60 days to appeal the ruling to the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals. Jeff Miller, a conservation advocate for the
Center for Biological Diversity, said the two organizations were weighing
their options but had not decided on a response.
<more> April 29, 2013 Delta Farm Press
A possible new way to manage water and snow in
thirsty California - - Even with about 150 people taking samples across
the state and the help of satellites and sensors buried in the ground, it’s
a highly uncertain way to gauge much of the water supply for a thirsty
state, where every drop is precious and expensive to move. According to one
study, the predictions are off by 18 percent at least half the time. That
could change dramatically if an experiment in snowpack measurement underway
this month proves promising.
<more> April 28, 2013 The Washington Post
Sen. Boxer finds herself at odds with
environmentalists - - Barbara Boxer has long been one of the Senate's
environmental champions, racking up perfect scores for each of the last five
years on the League of Conservation Voters' report card on key votes. But
the Californian now finds herself on the opposite side of an issue from her
usual environmental allies and some of her fellow Democrats.
Environmentalists are upset because she is pushing legislation that would
impose deadlines for environmental reviews of water projects, a move they
see as "tilting the scales" toward rushed approvals.
<more> April 28, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Delta tunnel project to radically change
Sacramento County landscape - - Wilson and his neighbors are in the
cross hairs of the Bay Delta Conservation Plan, Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal
to solve decades of California water conflict. The plan calls for two giant
water diversion tunnels served by three intakes and a vast web of additional
infrastructure. The plan has been in the works for seven years as a way to
resolve long-standing tensions between statewide water demand and stress on
the Delta. The estuary helps meet the water needs of 25 million people and 3
million acres of farmland, primarily south of the Delta. The tunnels are
intended to make that freshwater demand less harmful to imperiled fish. The
plan also calls for 100,000 acres of habitat restoration. But the
megaproject is giving rise to life-altering questions for people who live in
the Delta, a mosaic of 70 islands and 1,000 miles of waterways that is the
largest estuary on the West Coast of the Americas.
<more> April 28, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - - The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a description of the process and information the Water Board will use to inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For more information about the Watershed Group click here: https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject or contact Chester Anderson at: chester@eaststanrcd.org or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013 Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
New demand for milk rekindles old controversy
- - Albany lawmakers have trumpeted that boosting milk production is needed
to meet demands for the state’s Greek yogurt boom. But educators say an
artificial growth hormone some farmers inject into cows to do that, rBST, is
getting a negative reception among consumers who spot labels on milk when
they grocery shop, a trend that has created a challenging environment for
farmers who wish to use it. Most of today’s dairy processors and bottlers
tout “rBST-free” labels on milk jugs and cartons or labels with the message
“Our farmers pledge not to use artificial growth hormones.” But research has
not determined any chemical difference between rBST — recombinant bovine
somatotropin — and the naturally occurring version of the protein hormone
present in all cows, bovine somatotropin, said Michael E. Van Amburgh,
professor of animal science at Cornell University, Ithaca.
<more> April 28, 2013 Watertown Daily Times
Scientists to Engineer Hornless Dairy Cows -
- A herd of cows blandly chewing their cud in a grassy field seems like an
unlikely source of danger, but the pastoral scene apparently has a dark
side, so scientists are now trying to genetically engineer some hornless
dairy cows. According to the Daily Mail, removing the horns from dairy cows
would cut back on the risk of injury to farmers and other animals. Farmers
currently burn off the horn buds of baby cows to prevent horns from
developing, but the process is unpleasant and painful for the animals.
Farmers were previously able to get rid of the horns on some varieties of
beef cattle through selective breeding, but have been unable to do the same
for dairy cows without affecting the milk supply. Instead, scientists are
going to take a crack at it.
<more> April 28, 2013 The Daily Meal
Hanford West rail route takes center stage -
- In their battle against high-speed rail, Kings County opponents have put
most of the attention on the proposed alignment swinging east of Hanford
through orchards, farms, homes and dairies. But now that the California
High-Speed Rail Authority is recommending the Hanford West alignment between
Hanford and Armona, a whole new crop of opponents is rising up. The word
“crop” is no accident. Many are farmers who have in some cases farmed ground
for decades, watching walnut trees mature year after year, planting trees
and otherwise enjoying the quite rural life. Now they’re in a uproar over
the Authority’s eventual plans to slice tracks through their property.
<more> April 27, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Michael Pollan: Genetically Modified Foods Offer
Consumers “Nothing” - - Few Americans were aware of the dangers of
industrial farming and processed food before Michael Pollan published his
best-selling books “In Defense of Food” and the “Omnivore’s Dilemma.” A hero
to the locavore and organic movements, Pollan has never shied away from
expressing his opinions on what to eat, where to eat and the proper way to
raise and harvest what we eat. In his new book “Cooked," Pollan urges more
Americans to home-cook their meals. Cooking, he says, will lower obesity
rates and re-connect individuals with “the material world.” Eating the right
foods are as important as eating foods that are not genetically modified,
Pollan argues in the accompanying clip. Genetically modified organisms (GMOs)
are “plants or animals created through the gene splicing techniques of
biotechnology, or genetic engineering,” according to The Non-GMO Project, a
nonprofit organization that tests food products for GMOs.
<more> April 29, 2013 Yahoo Finance
Judge hits Fresno-based raisin marketing group - - The future of the California Raisin Marketing Board may be in jeopardy after a Sacramento County Superior Court judge ruled that the organization was not created legally. Judge Raymond Cadei's decision was hailed by lawyers representing a group of dissident growers and packers who have been trying to dismantle the board for several years. They challenged the California Department of Food and Agriculture, claiming the board did not meet the appropriate requirements when it formed 15 years ago. The Fresno-based board is responsible for promoting California raisins through advertising and marketing campaigns. But some farmers have complained about paying for marketing that they don't agree with. <more> April 27, 2013 The Fresno Bee
Friday, April 26, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Pro-AB
31 video airing on You Tube - - The Yes on AB 31 effort has posted a
video featuring past WUD President Ray Souza, a Turlock dairyman,
as
he discusses the importance of protecting the legacy of California dairymen
and women. To view the video,
please click here. “If we lose the Pan bill (AB31) we will just continue
the cycle of losing dairy farms,” says Souza in the three-minute video. AB
31 recognizes that California is the only state that doesn’t pay the dairy
farmer for the whey they produce. Consequently California dairy farmers are
paid less than their counterparts in any other state. AB 31 will bring
balance back to the marketplace. Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)
points out, “I don’t think any of us want to live in a California where we
no longer have family dairy farms.” April 23, 2013 WUD News
Will fight over new bill spill California's milk? - - California's happy cows are divided over a new bill that would change the price of milk. Dr. Richard Pan, a Sacramento Democrat, has introduced Assembly Bill 31, which would force the state’s Secretary of Food and Agriculture to set milk prices based on the Legislature’s direction. The secretary has unilateral power under existing law to set milk prices based on economic factors. Dairy interests have disputed the bill’s impact. The Dairy Institute of California claims the proposal will hurt the state’s vaunted cheese industry by artificially raising prices. The group is worried about losing money to Wisconsin, another state with a large cheese industry. But the Western United Dairymen, a Modesto dairy group, wants the bill passed to help improve economic conditions for California’s milk producers. They say cheese producers should share some wealth to help the state’s strapped dairies. <more> April 25, 2013 Sacramento Business Journal
Dairy Bill AB31
up for Debate - - The California
Assembly Ag Committee is set to debate on Wednesday May 1, Assembly Bill 31,
a proposal that supporters say would make California dairies more
competitive. Assemblyman Richard Pan, a Democrat representing the
Sacramento/Lodi area, said the legislation will give Ag Secretary Karen Ross
the authority to change a flawed dairy cost structure that allows cheese
makers to pay far less for milk in California than in other states. Gary
Conover, director of government relations for Western United Dairymen, which
is sponsoring the bill, discussed the bill with AgNet West radio network.
<more> April 25, 2013 AgNet West Radio
Goodlatte
introduces bills to bolster farm worker program -
- House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., today introduced
two bills that aim to provide a “workable” temporary agricultural guest
worker program and to ensure that the nation’s farm workers are documented.
The Agricultural Guestworker “AG” Act (H.R. 1773), with six Republican
co-sponsors, seeks to remove barriers and excessive paperwork farmers face
in hiring foreign workers while seeking to protect farmers from abusive
litigation. “Today’s introduction of the AG Act is one piece that brings us
closer to solving the immigration puzzle,” Goodlatte said. “While it is
important that we reform our immigration system as a whole, we must look at
each of the individual issues within the larger system to ensure that we get
immigration reform right.”
<more> April 26, 2013 Agri-Pulse
NMPF Reaction to Introduction of Goodlatte-Scott
Dairy Freedom Act - - “Goodlatte and Scott’s misnamed Dairy Freedom Act
is nothing more than an unacceptable attempt by dairy processors to assure
themselves access to a sea of taxpayer-subsidized cheap milk. Congress
rejected this approach last year, and should do so again this year. What
processors claim is a compromise is nothing more than a costly ruse that
will hurt farmers and taxpayers alike.
<more> April 26, 2013 NMPF press release
House Panel Set to Offer Several Immigration
Bills - - The House Judiciary Committee announced Thursday that it would
introduce a series of bills beginning this week to overhaul the nation’s
immigration system. The move was designed to keep the committee in the
middle of the debate over the issue, which is now percolating on Capitol
Hill, and to press a bipartisan group in the House that has been working in
private on its own broad legislation. Representative Robert W. Goodlatte,
Republican of Virginia and the chairman of the committee, said the first of
several proposals in the coming weeks would create a guest worker program
for agriculture and require employers to use an electronic verification
system to check the immigration status of employees.
<more> April 25, 2013 The New York Times
High-speed rail agency changed bidding standards - - When the California High-Speed Rail Authority put the first stretch of its statewide train system out for bids last year, the agency set a high technical standard for five contracting teams courting the more than $1 billion construction contract. In March 2012, the authority's board decreed that even if all five teams submitted bids, only the three most "technically competitive" firms could compete based on cost to build the 29-mile segment in Madera and Fresno counties. The teams with the lowest technical scores would be dropped and their price envelopes returned unopened. That rule, however, didn't stick. In August -- months before contractors submitted bids -- the authority's executive staff quietly altered the process without formal action by the board. <more> April 25, 2013 Fresno Bee

Pricing/Commodity News
Hay outlook hangs on weather, milk price - -
Whether livestock and dairy producers will see relief from high hay prices
is going to depend on the weather, but the current outlook suggests they
won't soon get the break they're seeking. Parts of seven western states have
had limited rainfall, and alfalfa production as a whole is likely to be
down, said hay expert Seth Hoyt, publisher of the Hoyt Report. "I don't see
the market dropping any further than it already has on new crop alfalfa hay
in California and a few new crop contracts in other parts of the West," he
said.
<more> April 23, 2013 Capital Press
Heavy rains eased drought across nation’s
heartland, but muddy fields mean planting delays - - As spring rains
soaked the central United States and helped conquer the historic drought, a
new problem has sprouted: The fields have turned to mud. The weekly drought
monitor report, released Thursday by National Drought Mitigation Center in
Lincoln, Neb., showed the heavy rains that also caused some flooding in the
last week brought drought relief to the upper Midwest, western Corn Belt and
central portions of the Plains. Farmers may be thankful the land is no
longer parched, but it’s too wet to plant in corn country and freezing
temperatures and lingering snow have ruined the winter wheat crop.
<more> April 25, 2013 AP
China’s demand for milk sees it become New Zealand’s top export market for first time - - China’s thirst for quality milk has seen it become New Zealand’s top export market for the first time. Neighboring Australia had long been New Zealand’s biggest market. But figures released Friday by Statistics New Zealand show that in the first quarter of 2013, exports to China were up 32 percent from a year earlier to 2.3 billion New Zealand dollars ($2 billion). Meanwhile, exports to Australia were down 7 percent to NZ$2.2 billion. <more> April 25, 2013 AP
Environmental
News
Valley groundwater rule draws fire from both
sides - - A far-reaching plan by the state to protect a large part of
the San Joaquin Valley's groundwater drew criticism from farmers who say it
is too costly and from environmentalists who say it doesn't go far enough.
About 75 people representing growers, community members and agriculture
leaders voiced their concerns Thursday during a workshop held by the Central
Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board in downtown Fresno. The proposed
rules that have been in the works for years would create a system for
monitoring groundwater and controlling discharges of contaminants such as
fertilizers and pesticides. The rules cover 850,000 acres of farmland in the
broad Tulare Lake Basin, the nation's richest farming region.
<more> April 25, 2013 Fresno Bee
Governor urges fast review of Delta tunnels -
- Gov. Jerry Brown wants federal officials to expedite review of the
controversial Bay Delta Conservation Plan, his proposal to build two giant
water diversion tunnels in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. In a letter to
the U.S. secretaries of Interior and Commerce, Brown called on the agencies
to release an environmental impact statement and Federal Register notice on
the project this summer. The intent is to ensure this process coincides with
his own administration's plan to release a state-level environmental impact
report and associated planning documents.
<more> April 25, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Don Curlee: Victim mentality hinders water use
- - Folks living north of Sacramento, some of them farmers, occasionally
accuse farmers and others living further south of stealing their water.
Hogwash! It is not unusual for those in the San Francisco Bay Area and
neighboring communities to join the chorus of victim mentality as well. The
volume can be overwhelming.
<more> April 25, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Machado to step down as Delta panel chief - -
Former state Sen. Michael Machado is stepping down as chief of the Delta
Protection Commission, apparently ending two decades of involvement in state
government. Much of that time was spent defending the Delta and attempting
to untangle California's complicated water problems. Most recently,
Machado's commission wrote a plan for the Delta touting its rich
agriculture, recreation and tourism benefits. The plan called for
strengthening Delta levees as an alternative to building Gov. Jerry Brown's
twin tunnels.
<more> April 26, 2013 Stockton Record
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - - The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a description of the process and information the Water Board will use to inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For more information about the Watershed Group click here: https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject or contact Chester Anderson at: chester@eaststanrcd.org or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013 Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
Yvonne Holt: Dairy farming is incredibly
complicated - - I have been very appreciative of all of the field trips
organized by my agriculture instructors for their classes. It has been
eye-opening to learn what I did not know. These field trips ranged from
vegetable farms to fruit orchards to beef ranches to pig farms to processing
and packaging plants. The scope of machines, products, pieces and parts just
to produce and package food is staggering. It's not just as simple as a cow
producing milk. The cow needs to be housed and fed daily. The barns need to
be cleaned regularly. Bedding needs to be removed and replaced. Clean
drinking water needs to be provided. Cow food is not as simple as a field of
grass. We may wish grass could be the only source of nutrition for a milking
cow, but the soil here in the Central Valley does not contain all the needed
minerals and nutrients for optimum cow health, hence the various ingredients
mixed into cow feed.
<more> April 25, 2013 The Modesto Bee
Central Valley seen as friendly to business - - The Central Valley area was rated the third-best region in California for friendliness to small business based on a survey of small business owners by Thumbtack.com. The Central Valley trailed only the Bay Area and the Central Coast regions. The state received an overall “D” grade , up from an “F” in 2012. California’s highest grade was a “C+” for its small business training and networking programs. Within California, more than a third of small businesses rated obtaining and keeping health insurance as “very difficult.” “Given the enormous size and importance of California’s economy, it is particularly important that state and local officials listen to the concerns of the state’s small business owners and provide them with an environment conducive to growth and success,” said Sander Daniels, co-founder of Thumbtack.com. April 25, 2013 The Hanford Sentinel
Thursday, April 25, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Pro-AB
31 video airing on You Tube - - The Yes on AB 31 effort has posted a
video featuring past WUD President Ray Souza, a Turlock dairyman,
as
he discusses the importance of protecting the legacy of California dairymen
and women. To view the video,
please click here. “If we lose the Pan bill (AB31) we will just continue
the cycle of losing dairy farms,” says Souza in the three-minute video. AB
31 recognizes that California is the only state that doesn’t pay the dairy
farmer for the whey they produce. Consequently California dairy farmers are
paid less than their counterparts in any other state. AB 31 will bring
balance back to the marketplace. Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)
points out, “I don’t think any of us want to live in a California where we
no longer have family dairy farms.” April 23, 2013 WUD News
AB 31
would aid dairy farmers and cost consumers nothing - - By Michael
Marsh, CEO, Western United Dairymen - - Three hundred eighty-seven
family businesses have shut their doors in the past five years. The
employees were laid off, the equipment sold and what once were hubs of
frenetic commerce are now overgrown with weeds. These closed family
businesses were California dairy farms. A solution ensuring the survival of
the remaining 1,500 California family dairies will cost consumers nothing.
Milk prices in California and outside our state are regulated. The reasons
for these regulated prices are similar. Government intervention was
requested by farmers to stem abusive business practices employed against
them by milk processors. Plants need to prosper. Farmers need to prosper,
too. Keeping dairy affordable is important to California consumers. AB 31
ensures that affordability.
<more> April 25, 2013 Bakersfield Californian
California’s pricing system is killing its dairies - - The greatest
milk-producing machine the U.S. dairy industry has ever seen is breaking
down. Doomsday feed prices and apocalyptic milk price volatility in 2009
exposed a fatal flaw in the “California style” business model of growing no
feed. They also triggered a landslide of debt that buried many of the
state’s producers and turned survival into a daily struggle. It transformed
their financing world as well. Today, monthly profitability is more critical
than most California producers could have ever imagined. Every penny per
hundredweight and per ton matters. And yet, the state’s complex milk pricing
system that fueled meteoric growth for 40 years not only isn’t helping
producers, but some say it is killing them.
<more> April 25, 2013 Hoard’s Dairyman
Dairy
Security Act alternative again introduced - - Congressman Bob Goodlatte
(R., Va.) and Congressman David Scott (D., Ga.) again introduced the Dairy
Freedom Act as an alternative to the Dairy Security Act, one of the most
controversial components of the farm bill in the House. “The Dairy Freedom
Act represents a true compromise on dairy policy. We all agree on the need
to reform and improve our current dairy policies – and our bill would do
just that. The Dairy Freedom Act would provide producers with a viable
safety net, without supply management or new administrative fees for dairy
farmers," the two said in a statement. <more>
April 25, 2013 Feedstuffs
Senate
ag chairman now sets farm bill mark up for May - -Senate Agriculture
Committee Chairman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., said today that she plans to
hold a markup of a new farm bill in May, and Senate Majority Leader Harry
Reid, D-Nev., signaled that he intends to bring it to the Senate floor that
same month. Stabenow told the Senate Rural Democratic Summit that she
intends to hold a markup in May, but she did not give a specific date.
Earlier Stabenow told senators she intended to hold a markup in April, but
that has not happened. Congress is scheduled to take a week-long recess
starting Friday. The House Agriculture Committee has scheduled a markup on
May 15.
<more> April 25, 2013 Capital Press
Outcomes at National Conference on Interstate Milk Shipments Disappointing
to NMPF - - For the second time in two years, state public health and
agriculture department officials participating in the National Conference on
Interstate Milk Shipments (NCIMS) turned down a proposal to reduce the
maximum allowable level of somatic cell counts in milk. A lower level of
somatic cells indicates higher quality milk. At its meeting in Indianapolis
this week, the NCIMS voting delegates – a group of state regulators
overseeing milk safety rules – considered a proposal sponsored by the
National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) to reduce the maximum threshold of
allowable somatic cells in milk at the farm level from the current 750,000
cells/mL, down to 400,000, starting in 2015. But on a close vote, the
delegates rejected the proposal, meaning that the status quo threshold of
750,000 will remain for domestic milk production – putting the U.S. “behind
the curve when it comes to milk quality standards,” according to Jerry Kozak,
NMPF President & CEO.
<more> April 25, 2013 NMPF press release
Astronaut Jose
Hernandez still undecided about taking on GOP Rep. Jeff Denham again
- - In 2012, GOP Rep. Jeff
Denham, R-Turlock, was the only incumbent Republican on the Democratic
target list t0 survive. But the challengers are starting to line up in this
Stanislaus and San Joaquin County district as local farmer and beekeeper
Michael Eggman announced he was running this week. Mike Barkley, a Democrat
who ran in 2012,also plans to run again. Still on the sidelines:
Democrat Jose Hernandez — whose inspirational story of growing up in the
fields and becoming an astronaut drew national attention? He told The
Chronicle Wednesday that he “hasn’t decided yet. “I’m just not there yet,”
Hernandez said from Mexico, where he was on an engineering consulting
business trip. He expects to make a decision “by late summer or early fall.”
<more> April 25, 2013 SF Chronicle
State
Sen. Cannella’s stances may woo Latinos - - Republicans fearful of
political blowback if they support national immigration reform could learn
from state Sen. Anthony Cannella - an antiabortion, evangelical Christian
Republican who represents a Central California district where 45 percent of
the voters are Latino. Cannella, a former mayor of Ceres (Stanislaus
County), backed a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants and
tougher border enforcement before those issues became popular nationally. He
also supports a measure before the Legislature that would allow some
undocumented immigrants to get a driver's license. In 2011, he was the only
California Republican to support the state's version of the Dream Act -
before President Obama announced he would allow some rights for undocumented
immigrants whose parents brought them into the country when they were
children.
<more> April 25, 2013 SF Chronicle
Driver's license bill for unauthorized immigrants moves forward - - A
bill to allow unauthorized immigrants in California to apply for drivers
licenses is winding its way through the state Assembly after passage in the
transportation committee this week. The bill, by Assemblyman Luis Alejo,
D-Salinas, is now before the Assembly Appropriations Committee. It was
approved by the Assembly Transportation Committee Monday. AB 60, The Safe
and Responsible Act, would allow the Department of Motor Vehicles to grant
licenses to qualified applicants who provide an Individual Taxpayer
Identification number.
<more> April 24, 2013 U-T San Diego
Boxer,
DeFazio Introduce Bill to Require Labeling of Genetically Engineered Foods
- - U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR)
today introduced the Genetically Engineered Food Right-to-Know Act,
bipartisan legislation that would require the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) to clearly label genetically engineered (GE) foods so that consumers
can make informed choices about what they eat. “Americans have the right to
know what is in the food they eat so they can make the best choices for
their families,” Senator Boxer said. “This legislation is supported by a
broad coalition of consumer groups, businesses, farmers, fishermen and
parents who all agree that consumers deserve more – not less – information
about the food they buy.”
<more> April 24, 2013 Press Release of U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer
USDEC
Testifies On TPP Trade Agreement - - The U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC)
testified before the Senate Finance Committee yesterday regarding its
support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement negotiations
and the need for a positive dairy outcome in those trade discussions. "USDEC
supports these negotiations, as it has all the recent agreements that have
helped expand our increasingly export-dependent sector," said USDEC
President Tom Suber, who was one of four witnesses to testify at the hearing
on the challenges and opportunities of the TPP. "Today, we are pleased that
the pieces are in place that this agreement, properly negotiated, could
deliver large and lasting benefits across U.S. dairy sector. It is important
to recognize, however, that if the Administration brings back an unfair
result, the U.S. dairy industry will have no choice but to oppose
Congressional approval of this agreement."
<more> April 25, 2013 Ag Web
Guilty Verdict In Chowchilla Dairy Murder - - Two separate Madera County juries have convicted two men of first-degree murder and attempted murder for a January 2008 double shooting at a Chowchilla dairy. Jesus Reynoso Flores, 25, and Jose Antonio Flores-Ventura, 27, both of Chowchilla, face life in prison without the possibility of parole when they are sentenced in June, the Madera County District Attorney announced on Tuesday. Evidence presented in the trial showed that on Jan. 19 2008 both men went to the Coelho Dairy in Chowchilla to rob the milkers following their payday, the DA's office said. <more> April 23, 2013 KMPH news

Pricing/Commodity News
Undersupplied
Dairy Market Takes Off -
- Milk powder prices are up more than 50% since early March, and butterfat
and whey prices have posted double-digit increases. The dairy market
situation and psychology has shifted dramatically in just the last six
weeks, as the widely reported New Zealand drought sent Oceania prices
rallying to record highs, reports the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC).
Writing this week in USDEC’s “Global Dairy Market Outlook” newsletter,
staffers Alan Levitt, Marc Beck and Brad Gehrke say milk powder prices are
up more than 50% since the beginning of March, and butterfat and whey prices
have posted double-digit increases. Rising Oceania prices have pulled U.S.
and European prices higher as well.
<more> April 25,2013 TheGlobalDairy.com
March
Culling Slows Slightly--or Has It? - - Dairy farmers sent 4,000 fewer
dairy cows to slaughter in March compared to year earlier levels, the United
States Department of Agriculture announced this afternoon. Keep in mind,
though, there was one more business day in March 2012 compared to March
2013. On that basis, about 400 head/day more cows were marketed in March
this year. Culling on a daily basis was also running about 100 head more in
March 2013 than February 2013. Year-to-date, some 27,000 more cows have been
slaughtered than in 2012. That’s about a 3.4% increase. April 25, 2013
Dairy Today
CWT:
Strong Q1 results spur call for increased support - - The 2013
Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) Export Assistance program got off to a
strong start in the first quarter (Q1) of 2013, according to CWT chief
operating officer Tim Tillison. As a result, CWT leaders are asking member
co-ops to double the financial support they provide to help export U.S.
dairy products. According to a summary in a quarterly Export Assistance
Update, CWT received 513 requests from 10 member cooperatives during Q1
2013. Of those, CWT counter offers were accepted on 280. The 176 accepted
cheese offers will result in 47.1 million lbs. of cheddar, Gouda and
Monterey Jack cheese exports to 20 different countries on six continents
through September 2013. This is a 28% increase over the 2012 Q1 accepted
cheese bids.
<more> April 25, 2013 Dairy Business
Opinion: Delivering 'Big Ethanol' a reality check on RINs - - The adverse impacts of the Renewable Fuel Standard on consumers, a range of industries and the environment are becoming increasingly apparent to lawmakers and Americans across the nation. In response, the corn ethanol lobby is shouting propaganda in an attempt to divert attention from its faulty information and brittle arguments. But it is time for Big Ethanol to have a reality check. <more> April 25, 2013 Politico
Environmental
News
USDA
renews sustainability efforts with dairy industry - - “Significant
resources” will be committed to helping dairy producers become more
environmentally sustainable over the next several years, now that the U.S.
Department of Agriculture has renewed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
with the dairy industry. Since signing the first MOU in December 2009,
nearly 180 awards have been made to help finance anaerobic digesters.
Additionally, during this period, USDA awarded approximately 140 REAP loans
and grants to help dairy farmers develop other types of renewable energy and
energy-efficiency systems. Also, the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation
Service has provided $257 million in funding since 2009 that has helped more
than 6,000 dairy farmers plan and implement conservation practices.
<more> April 24, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - - The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a description of the process and information the Water Board will use to inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center, Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For more information about the Watershed Group click here: https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject or contact Chester Anderson at: chester@eaststanrcd.org or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013 Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
Is
dairy farming really one of the worst jobs in America? - - No one ever
said that being a dairy farmer was easy, but according to a new job rankings
report from CareerCast.com, it’s one of the worst jobs in the country.
Ranked No. 195 of 200, dairy farming sits firmly among the worst jobs in
America. “A dairy farmer provides a necessary service to food consumers,”
the report said. “But the work is especially challenging. Larger farms
streamline production, which forces smaller farms out of business and
results in an anticipated 8% decline in the profession by 2020.”
<more> April 24, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
All
you can't eat, pigs will - - With a satisfied grin, farmer Bob Combs
watches the big truck slowly dump its greasy load, a Niagara Falls of
yesterday's kitchen leftovers that sends off a sickening spray as it
splashes into a metal bin. The greenish-brown concoction — with hot dogs,
corn, bright-orange carrots and bits of lobster bubbling to its surface — is
ready to start a new culinary chapter. Just 24 hours earlier, these food
scraps, albeit in decidedly more appetizing form, were served up to
customers at lavish all-you-can-eat buffets on and off the Strip. Now a new,
less finicky clientele awaits: 2,500 pigs on Combs' hog farm, a ramshackle
spread of pens just 10 miles from the resort city's gleaming hotel
restaurants. A nose-insulting stench permeates the air.
<more> April 18, 2013 Los Angeles Times
California FFA elects new leaders - - Nipomo High School student Riley Nilsen was elected state FFA president on the closing day of the annual state FFA leadership conference. Serving with Nilsen will be Valerie Canas of Santa Maria, state FFA vice president; Gabrielle Franke, Galt, state FFA secretary; Gage Willey, East Nicolaus, state FFA treasurer; Sheldon Overson, McArthur, state FFA reporter and Hunter Berry, San Jacinto, state FFA sentinel. California's Star Farmer for 2013 is Roy Yates from the Lodi-Central FFA chapter. This award recognizes the top agriculture program as well as leadership skills. Yates maintains a cow-calf operation. Matthew VanderPoel from the Tulare FFA chapter is the California Star In Ag Placement, an award that recognizes excellence in a work setting. VanderPoel works on his family's 1,200 cow dairy operation. <more> April 25, 2013 Capital Press
Wednesday, April 24, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Pro-AB
31 video airing on You Tube - - The Yes on AB 31 effort has posted a
video featuring past WUD President Ray Souza, a Turlock dairyman,
as
he discusses the importance of protecting the legacy of California dairymen
and women. To view the video,
please click here. “If we lose the Pan bill (AB31) we will just continue
the cycle of losing dairy farms,” says Souza in the three-minute video. AB
31 recognizes that California is the only state that doesn’t pay the dairy
farmer for the whey they produce. Consequently California dairy farmers are
paid less than their counterparts in any other state. AB 31 will bring
balance back to the marketplace. Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)
points out, “I don’t think any of us want to live in a California where we
no longer have family dairy farms.” April 23, 2013 WUD News
Assembly Agriculture Committee set to debate Assembly Bill 31 - -
California is on course to losing 100 dairies each year. Assemblyman Richard
Pan (D-Sacramento) has proposed new legislation to remedy an unfair
cost-setting scheme that threatens to force hundreds of California’s local,
family-run dairies to shut down. Assembly Bill 31 will allow the state
Agriculture Secretary to change a flawed dairy cost structure that now
allows cheese makers to pay far less for milk in California than in other
states. “This legislation will fix an unfair set of rules that allows cheese
producers to enjoy comfortable profits while dairy farmers risk losing
everything,” said Gary Conover, Director of Government Relations for Western
United Dairymen. “AB31 will level the playing field for dairy farmers,
protect California’s spot as the nation’s top milk producer, and preserve
our rich history of supporting family-run farms.”
<more> April 24, 2013 YESAB31 press release
Bill
is Tougher on Crossings - - The Senate immigration bill introduced last
week calls for tripling the number of criminal prosecutions of migrants who
illegally enter the U.S. along the busiest border area, but the court that
handles cases there already has an overloaded docket and a chronic shortage
of resources. Before 2005, migrants apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol were
returned to their country or processed through civil immigration courts. As
part of George W. Bush's strategy to get tough on border policy, he launched
a program dubbed Operation Streamline mandating that those arrested for
unlawful entry would be prosecuted in criminal court and, if convicted, face
a prison sentence. First-time crossers face criminal misdemeanor charges,
punishable with up to 180 days in prison; repeat offenders face felony
charges and longer sentences.
<more> April 23, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Antibiotics Report Ignores Food Safety Facts - - A recent Environmental Working Group (EWG) report blames antibiotic use in food animals for the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria. This report overlooks important data and the facts about food safety. Consumers can remain confident that strict government regulations and industry practices ensure the safe and precise use of antibiotics to protect public health. The EWG report is an interpretation of the 2011 Retail Meat Annual Report of the National Antimicrobial Resistance Monitoring System (NARMS), a joint project of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). In releasing these data, the FDA warned that the data were not comprehensive enough to show trends in resistance. <more> April 24, 2013 Dairy Today

Pricing/Commodity News
CWT Assists with 2.2 Million Pounds of Export Sales - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 9 requests for export assistance from Darigold, Foremost Farms, and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell 965,625 pounds (438 metric tons) of Cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese, and 1.257 million pounds (570 metric tons) of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered May through October 2013. Year-to-date CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 50.056 million pounds of cheese, 50.625 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of AMF, and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 30 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.567 billion pounds of milk on a milkfat basis. That is more than USDA’s projected increase in milk marketings for all of 2013. <more> April 24, 2013 Dairy Today
Environmental
News
USDA
and Dairy Producers Renew Agreement to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
Increase Sustainability of Dairy Production - - Agriculture Secretary
Vilsack today renewed a historic agreement with U.S. dairy producers to
accelerate the adoption of innovative waste-to-energy projects and energy
efficiency improvements on U.S. dairy farms, both of which help producers
diversify revenues and reduce utility expenses on their operations.. The
pact extends a Memorandum of Understanding signed in Copenhagen, Denmark, in
2009. "Through this renewed commitment, USDA and the Innovation Center for
U.S. Dairy will continue research that helps dairy farmers improve the
sustainability of their operations," Vilsack said. The Secretary signed the
agreement this afternoon at the White House and was joined by
representatives of the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy and Dairy
Management, including Thomas P. Gallagher, CEO of the center. One objective
of the MOU is to increase the construction of anaerobic digesters and
explore innovative ways to use products previously considered waste streams
from dairy production, processing and handling.
<more> April 24, 2013 USDA press release
Valley
Flunks Air Test - - One major air pollutant got better and one got
worse, but both are still worthy of an "F" grade in the eyes of the American
Lung Association. The association's annual State of the Air report, released
today, shows considerable improvement for San Joaquin County in the number
of days considered hazardous for summertime ozone pollution. Tiny
particulate matter, however - a serious health hazard during the wintertime
wood-burning season - got worse. The report considers the years 2009 through
2011.
<more> April 24, 2013 Stockton Record
Turlock council passes a right-to-farm ordinance - - The City Council
passed one ordinance but failed an accompanying resolution, both of which
were presented as a condition of its recently settled lawsuit brought by an
environmental group. The lawsuit, filed by the Davis-based California Clean
Energy Committee in October over the city's general plan, was settled this
month. As one of the agreements, the council has to consider — although not
necessarily pass — a right-to-farm ordinance and a measure requiring
developers to conduct energy-efficiency reviews. The council passed the
right-to-farm ordinance by a 4-1 vote, with Councilwoman Amy Bublak
dissenting. But the members voted against a resolution requiring developers
to conduct energy-efficiency studies for all structures greater than 50,000
square feet.
<more> April 24, 2013 Modesto Bee
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - -
The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down
the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda
Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder
group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s
Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin
River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water
Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation
districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and
Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a
description of the process and information the Water Board will use to
inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in
the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water
Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be
by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs
Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The
meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center,
Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River
Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and
the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For
more information about the Watershed Group click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject
or contact Chester Anderson at:
chester@eaststanrcd.org
or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013
Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
Groundwater
regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - -
The East San Joaquin Water
Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus
three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting
irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending
each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new
requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of
groundwater to the existing surface water program, the Central Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the
Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into
groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either
through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft
individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as
June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at
www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations
are: * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm
Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each
venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day.
<more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
Cattle
Waste Feeds New Profits for NY Dairy Farmer - - Doug Young is betting
$1.8 million that he can make money from the waste produced by his
1,800-dairy-cow farm near Union Springs, New York. That’s the price tag for
a “digester,” which converts cattle waste into fertilizer, enables the sale
of carbon credits and yields energy he can sell back to the grid. Those
products should bring in about $800,000 in annual profit opportunities
through new revenue streams. The fertilizer alone will cut costs growing the
more than 3,000 acres of corn, alfalfa and wheat he uses to feed his herd,
the 56-year-old farmer said in an interview. Young, with other dairy
farmers, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture today will renew a pledge
made in 2009 to promote environmentally friendly -- and money-making --
practices.
<more> April 24, 2013 Bloomberg
Texas-Oklahoma water war could impact much of West - - A water fight erupted inside the Supreme Court Tuesday, and the justices had a hard time choosing sides. On one side was Texas, accused of trying to divert water from Oklahoma under terms of a four-state compact that entitled each state up to 25% of a stretch of the Red River's bounty. On the other was Oklahoma, asserting that Texas can get the water from within its borders or elsewhere. The battle is being watched closely by other states with interstate compacts similar to the one the two states share with Arkansas and Louisiana. There are more than two dozen compacts nationwide, mostly in the West, and at least nine with similar provisions. <more> April 23, 2013 USA Today
Study: chicken, ground beef are riskiest meats - - An analysis of more than 33,000 cases of foodborne illness shows that ground beef and chicken have caused more hospitalizations than other meats. The report by the Center for Science in Public Interest says chicken nuggets, ham and sausage pose the lowest risk of foodborne illness. The group used government data on 1,700 outbreaks over 12 years to analyze salmonella, E. coli, listeria and other pathogens that were definitively linked to a certain meat. <more> April 23, 2013 AP
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol.
Western Milling is coordinating a bus to take interested dairy producers to the hearing. The bus will be leaving from the Visalia Holiday Inn (9000 W. Airport Drive) at 8 a.m. on May 1. Please call DeAnna Fitzgerald at (559) 302-1078 to reserve your seat.
Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Pro-AB
31 video airing on You Tube - - The Yes on AB 31 effort has posted a
video featuring past WUD President Ray Souza, a Turlock dairyman,
as
he discusses the importance of protecting the legacy of California dairymen
and women. To view the video,
please click here. “If we lose the Pan bill (AB31) we will just continue
the cycle of losing dairy farms,” says Souza in the three-minute video. AB
31 recognizes that California is the only state that doesn’t pay the dairy
farmer for the whey they produce. Consequently California dairy farmers are
paid less than their counterparts in any other state. AB 31 will bring
balance back to the marketplace. Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento)
points out, “I don’t think any of us want to live in a California where we
no longer have family dairy farms.” April 23, 2013 WUD News
Dairy
bill draws controversy - - A dairy bill in the state Assembly that would
raise milk prices is highlighting a fight between producers and processors.
The bill, currently in the Assembly Agriculture Committee, is being strongly
supported by dairy operators who have seen months of losses due to drought
and high feed costs. Producers say the price they are paid is being
undervalued because it doesn’t include the value of whey, a cheese byproduct
that was once thrown away but is now manufactured into a wide variety of
protein-based consumer products. AB 31, sponsored by Western United
Dairymen, would raise the whey component of the price to reflect prices paid
to other states under the federal milk marketing order. “We just can’t
survive anymore with our current pricing system, and AB 31 brings our prices
into closer alignment with the prices in other states,” said Hanford dairy
farmer Dino Giacomazzi.
<more> April 23, 2015 Hanford Sentinel
Assembly Ag chair’s brother to challenge Rep. Denham - - A beekeeper who
is the younger brother of a Democratic state legislator has announced plans
to run against GOP Rep. Jeff Denham in a Central Valley swing seat next
year. Turlock Democrat Michael Eggman, whose sister is Stockton
Assemblywoman Susan Eggman, chairman of the Assembly Agriculture Committee,
has managed finances for his family's Turlock farm for 10 years. In a news
release about his candidacy, he emphasized his longtime ties to communities
in the 10th Congressional District and his experience as a farmer. "Farmers,
small businesses and our Valley families are hurting and we are really
disgusted about the inability of our elected leaders to work together on the
issues facing us," he said in a statement. "I'm not a politician, I'm a
small family farmer so people will know where I stand and can trust that
I'll put our communities first."
<more> April 23, 2013 Sacramento Bee
Jim
Dickrell: Immigration Reform’s Bare-Knuckle Brawl - - It would be easy
to get caught up in irrational exuberance surrounding the Senate’s "Gang of
Eight" immigration reform that was announced last week. "Immigration reform
has entered the promised land, with dairy at the top of the list," says one
prominent immigration attorney, who will remain unnamed on the chance that
things turn sour. The announcement, despite months and years of debate in
Congress and the country, is really just the beginning salvo. Don’t get me
wrong. The Senate package is a huge win for U.S. dairy farmers. "Dairy will
be the single biggest winner in agriculture," says Craig Regelbrugge,
co-chairman of the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform. But there’s
still a long, hard road to go.
<more> April 19, 2013 Dairy Today
Republican lawmakers show their division on immigration reform - - The
divide within the Republican Party over immigration reform was on full view
Monday, as top party leaders made a case for overhauling the laws even as
conservative senators argued that the Boston bombings showed the need to go
slow. Momentum appeared to be on the side of the reformers. They have
amassed an unusually robust alliance of business, labor and faith leaders
that on Monday included the head of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops,
New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who said "now is the time" to fix the
immigration system.
<more> April 22, 2013 The Los Angeles Times
Immigration plan's ag jobs provisions considered in D.C. - - A proposal
by Sen. Dianne Feinstein to legalize up to 1.1 million undocumented
farmworkers got its first hearing on Capitol Hill on Monday as a Senate
committee spent the day examining various aspects of a sweeping
immigration-reform bill. Feinstein, a California Democrat, wrote the
farmworker provision in the 844-page bill along with Sen. Michael Bennet, D-Colo.,
and Republican Sens. Orrin Hatch of Utah and Marco Rubio of Florida. Bennet
and Rubio are members of the “Gang of Eight” — four Democratic and four GOP
senators — which wrote the overall bill unveiled last week. The Senate
Judiciary Committee, where Feinstein is a senior member, is the first
congressional panel to study the entire bill. Monday marked the second of at
least three hearings by that panel; the third hearing is today. The
committee has to approve the bill before it can advance.
<more> April 23, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
Four Senators
Who Could Derail the Immigration Deal - -
With one hearing down, another in
full swing Monday and one more to go, the Senate Judiciary Committee is the
first crucible for a comprehensive immigration overhaul bill. And in that
cauldron will be the heat-bringing Republicans who likely will do everything
in their power to stop the legislation from passing, trying to puncture
holes in a delicate agreement forged by a bipartisan group of eight
senators. Only two of the four “gang of eight” Republicans serve on the
Judiciary panel, and Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Jeff Flake, R-Ariz.,
are far outnumbered by GOP detractors on the committee. So who will have
the harshest words about the bill in the hearings and expected May markup?
These guys Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala. and Sen. Charles E. Grassley, R-Iowa.
<more> April 23, 2013 Roll Call
Import
workers or food, U.S. farm bloc says of immigration debate - - The
United States will become more reliant than ever on imported food if it does
not pass immigration reforms to assure there are enough workers to harvest
fruit and vegetable crops and milk cows, a farm coalition told senators on
Monday. The Agriculture Workforce Coalition pointed to estimates that
thousands of U.S. farms could go out of business, slashing farm income by as
much as $9 billion a year without an adequate labor supply. Some 60 to 70
percent of the estimated 2 million hired workers on U.S. farms are
undocumented laborers. Growers say they are unable to hire enough American
workers or guest workers from overseas to perform what is often
back-breaking work.
<more> April 22, 2013 Reuters
Rail settlement includes farmland mitigation plan - - Now that county Farm Bureaus in Madera and Merced counties have reached a settlement with the California High-Speed Rail Authority regarding the Merced-to-Fresno section of the project, those affected say they expect property appraisals to come next. Madera County Farm Bureau President Tom Coleman said he expects the rail authority will soon start sending appraisers out to properties to conduct land valuations. "Our biggest concern is that the authority follows through with what it has committed to, and that is to provide mitigators or facilitators," Coleman said. "As a result of this settlement, (the rail authority) is supposed to now have people available to consult with the landowners, both prior to and after an appraisal, to help walk them through the process and be an advocate. This is not something that happens every day and landowners are concerned that they get all of the information that they should." <more> April 23, 2013 Ag Alert

Pricing/Commodity News
Market
Watch Diary: Reasons for Dairy Demand Growth - - By Jerry Dryer,
Dairy Today Contributor - - Critics frequently charge me with
cheerleading—writing while under the influence of too much optimism about
the dairy foods business. I readily plead guilty. That’s right. I’m guilty
of hanging out with optimists—i.e. capitalists investing in what they see as
the bright future of the dairy business. And now, in the court of public
opinion I’d like to name numerous accomplices—other folks who are optimistic
about the future of the dairy business. First, a name we all know: Chobani,
as in Greek yogurt. The company was in such a rush to capitalize on
opportunities in the marketplace that it built a brand new plant from the
ground up in 12 months. Located in Idaho, the plant is meant to augment the
supply already being produced at the company’s recently enlarged New York
plant.
<more> April 23, 2013 Dairy Today
Dairy
Enters a ‘Bull-Oriented’ Market - - University of Wisconsin dairy
economists predict a recovery period for dairies. Despite the slow arrival
of spring in the Midwest and the nation's large supply of milk, the dairy
outlook is optimistic, say the University of Wisconsin’s Bob Cropp and Mark
Stephenson. The two dairy economists, speaking in their monthly "Dairy
Situation and Outlook" podcast, say softening corn prices, rising prices for
dairy products and strong export demand point to a "bull-oriented" market.
"The second half of the year ought to be a recovery period" for dairies,
Stephenson says.
<more> April 23, 2013 Dairy Today
Study
examines types of fluid milk purchases in changing economies - - Many
studies have shown the elasticity of milk prices and consumer purchasing
decisions: In general, when retail milk prices go up, consumption goes down.
A new report from USDA’s Economic Research Service (ERS) evaluates fluid
milk purchasing decisions during the peak of the most recent recession,
2007-2009. The study found the relationship between retail prices and
household incomes impacted the type of fluid products purchased, but had
less impact on stifling overall volume. This study, by USDA Economic
Research Service (ERS) researchers Diansheng Dong and Hayden Stewart,
examined household purchases of fluid milk products in response to declining
personal incomes and higher retail price changes. It focused on types of
fluid milk based on three levels of fat content, two package sizes, and
organic vs. conventional milk.
<more> April 23, 2013 Dairy Business
2012
Dairy Cow Culling Up 6.4% - - The United States Department of
Agriculture reports this week that 187,000 more cows were sent to slaughter
through federally-inspected plants in 2012 than 2011, a 6.4% increase. But
the numbers come as little surprise, given strong cull cow prices and
drought-fueled feed prices.
<more> April 23, 2013 Dairy Today
Leading lender to Modesto farmers sees earnings rise - - American
AgCredit, a leading lender to farmers in the Modesto area and beyond,
reported $107.3 million in earnings last year. The figure was 16 percent
more than 2011 and resulted in $45 million in dividends to the
member-borrowers who own the association. The dividends, which topped $34.8
million in 2011, amounted to 1 percent of the members' loan balances. In
effect, they saved 1 percentage point in interest on what they borrowed.
<more> April 22, 2013 Modesto Bee
Crop insurance indemnities nearly $17 billion in 2012 - - Crop insurance indemnities have risen to a record $17 billion for 2012 crop year, the U.S. Agriculture Department said in its latest report issued on Monday. The figure, which was up more than $700 million from the prior week, pushed the total for 2012 to $16.99 billion. The number is higher than 2011 when a series of natural disasters ranging from a freeze in Florida to drought in Texas prompted insurance companies to pay out a record $10.8 billion to farmers, short of the $12 billion they collected in premiums. <more> April 22, 2013 Des Moines Register
Environmental
News
River runoff proposal subject of May 1 meeting in Modesto - -
The State Water Resource Control Board’s proposal to send more water down
the San Joaquin River to protect fish and wildlife will be on the agenda
Wednesday May 1 in Modesto when the Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder
group meets. State Water Board staff will describe the Water Board’s
Bay-Delta planning process and the recent proposal to modify San Joaquin
River flow objectives to protect fish and wildlife. The Bay-Delta Water
Quality Control Plan in its draft form would require regional irrigation
districts to leave 35 percent of mountain runoff in the Merced, Tuolumne and
Stanislaus rivers from February to June. The presentation will include a
description of the process and information the Water Board will use to
inform its decisions. The Water Board is interested in speaking to people in
the region who have an interest in, and could be affected by, the Water
Board’s future actions regarding the flow proposal. The presentation will be
by Les Grober, Assistant Deputy Director, Hearings and Special Programs
Branch, Division of Water Rights, State Water Resources Control Board. The
meeting is set for 3 to 5 p.m. at the Stanislaus County Agricultural Center,
Rooms D & E, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto. The Middle San Joaquin River
Watershed includes the Lower Merced, Lower Tuolumne, Lower Stanislaus and
the San Joaquin River from the Merced River to the Stanislaus River. . For
more information about the Watershed Group click here:
https://sites.google.com/site/eaststanrcd/watershedproject
or contact Chester Anderson at:
chester@eaststanrcd.org
or (209) 581-7558. April 23, 2013
Middle San Joaquin Watershed Stakeholder notice
Tulare
County farmers' water cut even more - - The tough water year Gamdur Gill
was expecting is getting worse. Gill, who grows almonds and grapes on his
farms south of Earlimart, heard the news last week that spring and summer
water allotments for him and other farmers who get their water from the
Friant-Kern Canal were being cut — again. Back in February, the U.S Bureau
of Reclamation announced that Friant-Kern customers would get water equal to
to just 40 percent of their normal allotments for the year because of the
Valley’s unusually dry winter and a spring that also is starting out dry.
<more> April 23, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
Valley's West Side water shortages get screen time in Modesto - - A
documentary about water shortages on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley
will be shown Friday evening at Modesto Junior College. "The Fight for
Water: A Farm Worker Struggle" tells of 2009 cutbacks because of drought and
fish protections. It was made by Juan Carlos Oseguera of Newman and features
actor-comedian Paul Rodriguez, who helped organized a march. The screening
will be at 6:30 p.m. in Forum 110 on the MJC East Campus. Admission is free.
Oseguera, an MJC graduate, will answer questions afterward. The screening is
sponsored by MEChA, or Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán. April
21, 2013 Modesto Bee
Groundwater regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - - The East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of groundwater to the existing surface water program, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations are: * Tuesday, April 23, Madera County Farm Bureau * Wednesday, April 24, Merced County Farm Bureau * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day. <more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
Officer delivers milk amid Boston manhunt - - Last week’s manhunt for a
suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing forced officials to shut down parts
of Boston, keeping residents inside their homes until the lockdown was
lifted. Amidst the frantic and desperate search, there was a moment of
compassion. The photo shows a Brookline police officer carrying two gallons
of milk to a local family with young children who found themselves stranded
without milk amid the lockdown.
<more> April 22, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Lawyer says federal inspection found no issues at New Mexico horse slaughterhouse - - About 5 miles from this southeastern New Mexico town’s famed UFO museum, tucked between dairy farms, is a nondescript metal building that could be home to any number of small agricultural businesses. But Valley Meat Co. is no longer just another agricultural business. It’s a former cattle slaughterhouse whose kill floor has been redesigned for horses to be led in one at a time, secured in a huge metal chute, shot in the head, then processed into meat for shipment overseas. It’s also ground zero for an emotional, national debate over a return to domestic horse slaughter that has divided horse rescue and animal humane groups, ranchers, politicians and Indian tribes. <more> April 23, 2013 AP
Monday, April 22, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Fears
of terrorism threaten immigration bill - - A top Republican senator,
citing the Boston bombings, warned Friday against rushing ahead with a
reform of the country's immigration laws, as concerns about terrorism
appeared to revive conservative opposition to the proposal. “Given the
events of this week, it’s important for us to understand the gaps and
loopholes in our immigration system,” Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) said at
a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “While we don’t yet know the
immigration status of the people who have terrorized the communities in
Massachusetts, when we find out, it will help shed light on the weaknesses
of our system. How can individuals evade authorities and plan such attacks
on our soil? How can we beef up security checks on people who wish to enter
the U.S.? How do we ensure that people who wish to do us harm are not
eligible for benefits under the immigration laws, including this new bill
before us?”
<more> April 19, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Advocates of immigration reform fight back against push for delay - -
The Senate’s leading supporters of overhauling the nation’s immigration
system sought Sunday to blunt a conservative effort to slow the pace of
debate over their bill, saying the Boston Marathon bombings are a reason to
move quickly to make changes. “What happened in Boston and international
terrorism I think should urge us to act quicker, not slower,” said Sen.
Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), a member of a bipartisan group of eight senators
who last week introduced a bill that would rewrite U.S. immigration laws,
including for the estimated 11 million illegal immigrants.
<more> April 21, 2013 The Washington Post
Vidak
has only one path to victory - - The 16th Senate District race will
likely be decided one month from today. If Kings County Republican Andy
Vidak wins outright with more than 50 percent of the vote, he will deliver
the California Democratic Party an embarrassing setback. But if Vidak
doesn't win in May, he doesn't win at all.
<more> April 20, 2013 The Bakersfield Californian
Cochran Brings Southern Perspective to Senate Agriculture Committee - - Mississippi’s Thad Cochran, the new ranking Republican on the Senate Agriculture Committee, could be the wild card among the congressional players involved in writing a farm bill that could have a chance of being signed into law this year. He took the top GOP seat at the start of the 113th Congress after asserting his seniority on the panel to move Pat Roberts of Kansas out of the spot. The change means not only new leadership but also a regional shift in power that is likely to alter the Senate farm bill’s direction. <more> April 20, 2013 Roll Call

Pricing/Commodity News
USDA,
Dairy Industry Still Arguing Over Changes In Milk Pricing - - The push
for change continues among dairymen wanting to do away with what they say is
an "antiquated" milk-pricing system that has long limited their profits. But
disagreements within the industry continue to prevent what many say truly
needs to be done; throwing out the existing four-class milk system. Talks of
a new pricing system have been under way for about five years or more, and
this month, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Sen. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, have stressed the need for the next farm bill to include a change
in how prices are set.
<more> April 21, 2013 The Greeley Tribune
Milk production down nationally - - Nationally, 16.4 billion pounds of milk was produced in the 23 major dairy states, down a slight 0.1 percent from March 2012, but 11 percent more than last month (which only had 28 days on the calendar). California continues to have the highest total production with about 3.67 billion pounds. Kansas has the greatest increase in year-to-year output as that state produced 251 million pounds of milk in March, up five percent from the same month last year. Due to sequestration, USDA data is not providing figures on the number of cows on state dairy farms. Last month, Wisconsin was milking about 1.27 million head of dairy cattle during the month, with total production averaging 1,700 pounds per cow for the month. The national per-cow average was 1,772 pounds per animal, according to last month's report. April 22, 2013 USDA Notice
Environmental
News
Court ruling
muddies farmers' Fresno meeting on protecting groundwater - -
The state was poised for one last
workshop this week with anxious farmers about landmark groundwater rules
covering a $15 billion swath of California agriculture. Now a tentative
court ruling jeopardizes the state's environmental studies on the
contentious rules, and maybe the rules themselves. Farm leaders want to hold
off the workshop and keep negotiating on the rules in the new state order as
they have for years. But the workshop still is scheduled to convene at 8:30
a.m. Thursday in the Radisson Hotel, 2233 Ventura St. in downtown Fresno.
The Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board wants to explain the
rules and have a further dialogue with farmers.
<more> April 22, 2013 Fresno Bee
EPA
says California failed to spend safe drinking-water funds - - A federal
official announced Friday that California hasn't spent $455 million of safe
drinking-water funds -- a fraction of which would fix many small-town water
problems in the San Joaquin Valley. The state could lose some of these
federal funds if the problem isn't addressed, according to the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. The federal money is sorely needed in the
Valley where contamination threatens the drinking water of 250,000 people in
rural towns. But residents often face years of delay to get through the
state bureaucracy for funding. The EPA has spent years unsuccessfully trying
to get the state to document expenditures of the money provided by the
federal Safe Drinking Water Act, said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA regional
administrator.
<more> April 19, 2013 Fresno Bee
Politics and policy collide in fight over water - - Phil Isenberg is a
former state lawmaker, mayor of Sacramento and big-time lobbyist -- someone
who’s been in a lot of political street fights but whose latest battle may
be his biggest. The 50-year veteran of California politics heads the Delta
Stewardship Council and he is now the guy with his hand on the future of the
state’s water system. Isenberg, 74, says the question of what to do with
California’s water in the Delta “has been debated for 55 years and that
nothing stops Californians from arguing about water.” The inference is that
the arguments might go on forever.
<more> April 19, 2013 Capitol Weekly
Washington State fines first dairy under manure law - - The state has
fined a Lower Valley dairy for applying manure to an empty field without
crops that would otherwise absorb the nitrates and prevent them from seeping
into the groundwater. In what’s said to be the first such action under a
2009 law, the Department of Agriculture issued a $250 civil penalty last
month against Jacob Veldhuis after citizen complaints brought inspectors to
the property earlier this year. Veldhuis has since paid his fine and fixed
the problem, said Ginny Prest, program manager for dairy nutrient management
program.
<more> April 17, 2013 Yakima Herald-Republic
Valley's West Side water shortages get screen time in Modesto - - A
documentary about water shortages on the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley
will be shown Friday evening at Modesto Junior College. "The Fight for
Water: A Farm Worker Struggle" tells of 2009 cutbacks because of drought and
fish protections. It was made by Juan Carlos Oseguera of Newman and features
actor-comedian Paul Rodriguez, who helped organized a march. The screening
will be at 6:30 p.m. in Forum 110 on the MJC East Campus. Admission is free.
Oseguera, an MJC graduate, will answer questions afterward. The screening is
sponsored by MEChA, or Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán. April
21, 2013 Modesto Bee
Agencies seek to bolster water supplies in SJ Valley - - A federal
agency is looking for ways to augment water supplies south of the
Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where farmers have been grappling with a
devastating lack of water. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced it is
taking advantage of water banking and transfer opportunities to add to
users' supplies after further cutting allocations in the San Joaquin Valley
last month. The bureau has been working with the California Department of
Water Resources on measures to improve water availability, such as
additional groundwater pumping and a pact to receive about 24,000 acre-feet
from the Yuba River.
<more> April 22, 2013 Capital Press
Farm
Beat: Nature, farming a delicate balance - - Farmers have a complicated
relationship with soil, water and other resources. They use them to make a
profit, and yet they need to sustain them so they can produce crops in
future years. The 43 years since the first Earth Day have not brought a mass
conversion to organic farming. That's still a tiny part of the business. But
farmers I know have no problem using practices that, while not organic, can
arguably be called sustainable. They monitor pest levels and spray only when
truly needed. They apply fertilizer at the times in the growing season when
it would do the crop the most good.
<more> April 19, 2013 Modesto Bee
Groundwater regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - - The East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of groundwater to the existing surface water program, the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations are: * Tuesday, April 23, Madera County Farm Bureau * Wednesday, April 24, Merced County Farm Bureau * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day. <more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
Smile! Dairy keeps teeth healthy - - The key to a healthy smile may include more than just brushing and flossing. According to Health Magazine, it may also include a glass of milk or piece of cheese. In an article featured on Yahoo!, Health Magazine pointed the best and worst foods for your dental health. Among the best choices was dairy. Dairy is a primary dietary source of calcium, which is good for teeth. And calcium is the key ingredient in the mineral hydroxyapatite, which strengthens tooth enamel as well as bones. <more> April 22, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Friday, April 19, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Frank Lucas to move on farm bill - - House
Agriculture Committee Chairman Frank Lucas (R-Okla.) said Thursday that he
will move ahead a farm bill markup May 15 despite pressure from the
Republican leadership to take more time first and consider tougher changes
in the food stamp program to win over conservative votes. Lucas told
POLITICO that he was fully prepared to hold listening sessions first with
the Republican whip’s office over the next month. But he wants to keep to
his schedule and produce a bipartisan bill together with his ranking
Democrat, Minnesota Rep. Collin Peterson. “They suggested I take a little
more time,” Lucas said of a meeting Thursday with Majority Leader Eric
Cantor (R-Va.) and his top staff. “I said I wanted to go May 15 but would be
happy to hold the listening sessions to hear what my colleagues think.”
<more> April 18, 2013 Politico
Ag leaders optimistic about immigration deal -
- For Manuel Cunha, president of Fresno-based Nisei Farmers League, the
tentative farmworker immigration agreement reached in the U.S. Senate last
week is a huge step forward. But it’s a fragile one. For more than 10 years,
Cunha and other San Joaquin Valley agricultural leaders have pushed without
success for comprehensive immigration reform that would include a guest
worker program and a shot at citizenship for the thousands of undocumented
agricultural workers in Kings County. The last good chance it had of passing
was early in the first term of President George W. Bush in 2001, Cunha said.
<more> April 17, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Boston bombings shadow immigration bill - -
The Boston Marathon bombings cast a shadow Friday over the start of debate
on legislation to remake the U.S. immigration system, as some Republicans
argued that the role of two immigrant suspects raised questions about gaps
in the system. There was no suggestion that the two suspects, brothers who
had lived in Dagestan neighboring Chechnya in southern Russia, had entered
the U.S. illegally. And authors of a sweeping new immigration bill, which
got its first hearing Friday before the Senate Judiciary Committee, argued
that their legislation would improve U.S. national security because the
estimated 11 million people now living here illegally would have to come
forward and undergo background checks. Still, a number of Republicans seized
on the events in Boston to raise questions about the existing immigration
system and the changes proposed in the new bill.
<more> April 19, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Next in immigration debate: Sorting through the
specifics - - Now that the behemoth immigration bill pitched by the
so-called Gang of Eight has been filed, activists – and their lawyers – on
both sides of the issue have been poring over the 844-page document and
uncovering concerns they want addressed. Immigrant advocates worry about a
thorny path to citizenship, difficult triggers that might block thousands of
people from legalization, the elimination of diversity visas and the lack of
same-sex benefits. Those on the other side worry about promises to secure
the border that might not be kept, triggers that may not be enforced and
increased competition for jobs.
<more> April 18, 2013 he Sacramento Bee
Valley farmers reach key settlement with bullet
train agency - - A group representing Central Valley farmers said
Thursday it reached a settlement with the California High-Speed Rail
Authority in a lawsuit that was one of the biggest obstacles to the state's
$68 billion bullet train project. If a judge accepts the agreement, it would
be a significant victory for Gov. Jerry Brown and other supporters of what
would be the nation's first high-speed rail system.
<more> April 18, 2013 AP
Food poisonings up from raw milk, poultry bacteria - - Bacteria commonly linked to raw milk and poultry is causing more and more food poisonings, health officials said Thursday. Cases of campylobacter grew by 14 percent over the last five years, a government study found. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report was based on foodborne infections in only 10 states — about 15 percent of the American population. But it is seen as a good indicator of food poisoning trends — the CDC refers to it as "the nation's annual food safety report card." <more> April 18, 2013 The Wall Street Journal

Pricing/Commodity News
March Milk Production Down 0.3% - - USDA
released its abridged milk production estimate for March this afternoon,
noting that production was down 0.3% from a year ago (and down 0.1% in the
23 major dairy producing states). Because of sequestration funding cutbacks,
USDA is not surveying dairy farms and does not have milk cow number or
production data. The milk production data is based largely on Federal Milk
Marketing Order statistics and state statistics. California production was
down 3.3% in March from year earlier.
<more> April 19, 2013 Dairy Today
Analysts: Dairy proposals comparable - -
Authors of a new analysis comparing the Dairy Security Act and the Goodlatte-Scott
amendment say neither proposal trumps the other and both would offer
effective protection against catastrophic loss. But dairy groups lobbying
for their preferred proposal to overhaul federal dairy policy contend the
analysis demonstrates the advantages of their bill and the shortcomings of
the other. Both proposals offer subsidized margin insurance for income over
feed costs, and the industry is generally supportive of that concept. The
difference, and the sticking point, is that DSA contains a voluntary
milk-supply-management plan, called the Dairy Market Stabilization Program,
and the G-S amendment does not.
<more> April 19, 2013 Capital Press
NY says it's No. 1 in yogurt output, tops Calif.
- - New York says it's now the cream on top of the country's yogurt
production. State statistics show New York producers churned out 692 million
pounds of yogurt last year to take the top spot. California was No. 2 after
producing 587 million pounds. New York yogurt plants have nearly tripled
production in the last five years — the same span that saw milk production
rise by 1 billion pounds to over 13 billion, making it the nation's fourth
largest milk producer.
<more> April 18, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Lee Mielke: Trade, policy and immigration reform
impact dairy industry - - The USDA's latest Livestock, Dairy, and
Poultry Outlook lowered its 2012-13 corn price forecasts slightly from March
to $6.65-$7.15 per bushel. Higher world grain production and lower estimated
U.S. domestic feed use were given as the reason. Soybean meal was also
lowered slightly from last month to $415-$435 a ton. The lower price for
concentrate feeds along with a slightly higher expected all milk price will
improve producer margins somewhat, the Outlook said, but not enough to boost
herd size. Herd size was projected at 9.195 million head, for 2013,
unchanged from March's forecast and below 2012. Output per cow was lowered
in April to 21,945 pounds, based on lower February milk per cow data.
<more> April 19, 2013 Capital Press
APHIS gets petition from Monsanto on genetically
engineered alfalfa - - USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
(APHIS) today released a notice that it has received a petition from the
Monsanto Company and Forage Genetics International seeking a determination
of non-regulated status of alfalfa designated as event KK179, which has been
genetically engineered to express reduced levels of guaiacyl lignin (G
lignin). This reduction in G lignin leads to reduced accumulation of total
lignin in alfalfa forage, the principal feed product derived from alfalfa,
APHIS said. The petition states that this alfalfa event is unlikely to pose
a plant pest risk and, therefore, should not be a regulated article under
APHIS’ regulations. APHIS said the petition has been submitted in accordance
with regulations concerning the introduction of certain genetically
engineered organisms and products.
<more> April 19, 2013 Agri-Pulse
Cattle on feed down 5% - - Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in U.S. feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head on April 1, 5% less than a year earlier. March placements totaled 1.90 million head (1.82 million net), up 6% from a year earlier. March fed cattle marketings totaled 1.77 million, down 8%. April 19, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
Modesto Irrigation District to consider proposed
merger with Turlock Irrigation District - - The intriguing idea of
merging the Modesto and Turlock irrigation districts is resurfacing, this
time with the MID board chairman's support. "I think it could save us in the
long run," Nick Blom said Thursday. "We are duplicating a lot of
administrative stuff (and other functions). Maybe if we work together, it
could be done more efficiently." Blom's counterpart at TID, Michael Frantz,
said he's willing to take a look, but would go along only if consolidating
would help TID customers.
<more> April 18, 2013 Modesto Bee
Looming Merced River water fight will test Rep.
McClintock's political sway - - A politically difficult bill allowing
the expansion of Lake McClure will now test whether Rep. Tom McClintock has
learned how to move the levers of California water. As chair of the House
water and power subcommittee, McClintock, R-Elk Grove, can showcase his
favorite issues. He did so Thursday, presenting to another House panel his
legislation allowing potential expansion of Lake McClure by the Merced
Irrigation District. But as he enters into his second term as panel
chairman, and his fourth decade in political life, the 56-year-old
McClintock remains largely unproven in his ability to pass a congressional
bill into law. The Lake McClure legislation offers another shot, albeit one
with definite challenges that face the broader California congressional
delegation anytime water arises.
<more> April 18, 2013 Fresno Bee
Groundwater regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - - The East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of groundwater to the existing surface water program, the Cemtral Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations are: * Tuesday, April 23, Madera County Farm Bureau * Wednesday, April 24, Merced County Farm Bureau * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day. <more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
Tragic Plant Explosion Highlights Importance of
Fertilizer Safety - - The Fertilizer Institute Thursday responded to the
deadly April 17 explosion of the West Fertilizer Company plant in West,
Texas, providing background on the agricultural fertilizers believed to be
involved in the blast. Ford West, TFI president, said the group's thoughts
and prayers are with those in West, Texas, and his group would monitor the
situation and update facts as needed. TFI noted that it is a member of the
Transportation Community Awareness and Emergency Response program, which
supports training for emergency responders in 27 states, including Texas.
The group explained that nitrogen fertilizers, such as anhydrous ammonia,
require specific standards for handling, application and storage.
<more> April 19, 2013 California Farmer
California high-speed rail bidding rules were changed - - State high-speed rail officials acknowledged Thursday that they changed their rules for selecting a builder for the bullet train's first phase in the Central Valley, a shift that subsequently made it possible for a consortium led by Sylmar-based Tutor Perini to be ranked as the top candidate despite receiving the lowest technical rating. The California High-Speed Rail Authority announced last week that the Tutor Perini-Zachry-Parsons joint venture was the top-rated contender among five bidders seeking to build the initial 29 miles of track between Madera and Fresno. While it offered the lowest price at $985.1 million, the Tutor Perini team's technical score ranked last. Ferrovial and Acciona, two Spanish firms with significant high-speed rail experience, had the highest technical mark but bid almost $1.4 billion. The rail agency board is expected to select a contractor in the coming months after additional negotiations. <more> April 18, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Thursday, April 18, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California
farmworkers may win fast track to legal residency -
- As many as 400,000 California undocumented farmworkers may get a fast
track to legal status under a potential landmark accord between the
agricultural industry and the United Farm Workers union. The agreement,
hashed out with key guidance from U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D- Calif.,
stands to be a major component in sweeping immigration legislation
introduced Wednesday in the Senate. The potential symbolism of the deal was
underscored Wednesday as ag industry leaders and a longtime adversary – the
UFW – praised the plan in a joint press conference in Washington, D.C. The
deal would allow undocumented people who worked steadily in agriculture in
recent years to receive a "blue card" legal work permit while speeding up
prospects of achieving permanent legal residency. It would also establish a
new agricultural guest worker program with wage protections.
<more> April 18, 2013 Sacramento Bee
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Visalia Milk
Co-Op Poised For Expansion
- - Is there too much milk
or not enough? Not enough going to the right market says Visalia-based
California Dairies Inc CEO Andre Mikhalevsky. ”Right now we can process only
60% of our members milk.” That means 40% goes to fluid milk where the
profits are not that high with little room for expansion, he says.
Instead,“the best return for our members is to dry the milk and ship it for
export” says Mikhalevsky.”We can make a lot more money.” Top destination –
China where they need a boat load of baby formula.
<more> April 18, 2013 Sierra2thesea.com
Turlock dairywoman donates $1 million to UC
Merced - - Successful businesswoman Margo Souza, 74, can think of a
million reasons to go to college. Now, she's turning those reasons into
action by donating $1 million to UC Merced. The money will be used to
establish a leadership center in Souza's name inside UC Merced's office of
student life. It was a college degree that opened doors for Souza, a Turlock
native who spent 24 years as a nurse and 30 years in the dairy industry.
Souza made a name for herself as the president and chief executive officer
of Turlock's Circle H Dairy Ranch Inc., finding success in a key Central
Valley industry typically dominated by men. The pioneering dairywoman said
helping students find their voice through leadership training is something
that's very close to her heart.
<more> April 17, 2013 The Modesto Bee
Senate Immigration Bill Would Benefit Dairies
- - The U.S. dairy industry would benefit from the landmark agreement known
as the "Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization
Act" introduced in the U.S. Senate April 17, industry sources say. "Dairy
will be the single biggest winner in agriculture" because the bill offers
provisions for a year-round flow of workers and allows employers to keep
their existing workforce, says Craig Regelbrugge, co-chairman of the
Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform. Among the features in the
844-page proposal is a provision that establishes a "blue card" that allows
experienced agricultural workers to remain in the U.S.
<more> April 18, 2013 Dairy Today
Dairy groups back Senate immigration reform bill
- - A bill to reform immigration policy introduced in the Senate
Wednesday is being backed by dairymen. The bill provides three things Idaho
Dairymen's Association has pushed for all along, said Charlie Garrison, a
D.C. lobbyist for IDA, Western United Dairymen and other dairy groups. The
dairymen's first priority in immigration issues is legalization of the
current workforce, and the proposed legislation provides that, he said. It
also provides for year-round labor and a guestworker program for future
needs, he said. The House has not introduced immigration reform, he said,
but is working on legislation that reflects the needs of agriculture and
more specifically dairy producers.
<more> April 18, 2013 Capital Press
Pelosi hopeful
immigration reform will pass by August
- - House Minority Leader Pelosi
said Congress should be able to get a comprehensive package over the finish
line before the August recess. Pelosi said she expects the House bill to be
"very much like" the Senate proposal. She was also quick to note that
Democrats aren't happy with every provision of the Senate package, but
suggested her caucus could rally behind such a bill in the name of
bipartisan compromise. "Don't get me wrong. It's not a bill that I would
have written. It's not something that all of our members are quick to
embrace because it is a compromise," Pelosi said. "And as a compromise, it's
the boldest common denominator, the best that we can do, and it's very
good."
<more> April 18, 2013 The Hill
Democrats look to Bakersfield school trustee for
Valadao challenge - - Local and national Democrats think a Bakersfield
City School District member might make the perfect challenger for first-term
congressman David Valadao, a Hanford Republican. Andrae Gonzales is
currently the board’s president pro tem. Democrats call him an
“up-and-comer.” Even Bakersfield Republican political consultant Stan Harper
calls him “viable” and “bright.” The question is: Can he unseat Valadao in
the 21st Congressional District? Democrats are still unhappy that they
failed to even put up a fight for the seat last November. They hold a
15-percentage-point registration advantage in the district over the rival
Republicans, but Valadao thumped Fresno Democrat John Hernandez, 58% to 42%.
<more>
April 17, 2013 Fresno Bee Newsroom Blog
Calif. Reacts as 'Gang of 8' Files Immigration
Bill - - On Wednesday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers known as the
"Gang of Eight" formally filed an 844-page immigration bill on the U.S.
Senate floor. California has much at stake in the outcome, and not just
because the state is home to many of the estimated 11 million people living
in the U.S. illegally. The bill includes a 13-year pathway to citizenship,
new visa programs for low-skilled and high-skilled workers, tweaks to
family-based visas and a greater emphasis on employment and education
skills.
<more> April 17, 2013 The California Report
Conservatives See a Turning Tide on Immigration - - Hours after a bipartisan group of eight senators introduced a sweeping overhaul of the nation’s immigration system, conservative radio talk show hosts took over two floors of a Capitol Hill hotel on Wednesday and denounced the proposal on the country’s drive-time airwaves as nothing more than a reward for lawbreakers. On a Florida station, WFTL, the host Joyce Kaufman called it “pure amnesty.” Jim Sharpe, a talk show host on KFYI in Phoenix, promised that “Arizonans are still not taking this sitting down.” On Denny Schaffer’s show in New Orleans, callers demanded deportations. “I see nothing wrong with putting them on a bus and shipping them back to wherever they came from,” a caller named Alan told Mr. Schaffer. “The law’s the law.” But even some of the talk show hosts most vehemently opposed to illegal immigration said they were worried that times have changed. <more> April 17, 2013 The New York Times

Pricing/Commodity News
Mixed week for dairy markets - - Dairy Market News notes last week’s increase in the average weekly price for cash cheese barrels and blocks was the largest weekly increase since September 24th. Some wondered if the pace was too fast and that the market had topped-out…barrels declined on Tuesday on news cheese makers had all the milk they wanted last week and even got some below Class price. But that has changed, the cash price moved higher on Wednesday and held steady on Thursday. Processors say extra milk is harder to find this week plus there is considerable discussion about drought ending New Zealand’s milk production year early. And while the overall average price increased less than one percent at the Global Dairy Trade auction on Tuesday, skim milk powder was the only product to decline, everything else was steady or higher. April 18, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Air-quality solutions despite the activists -
- After being sued by an environmental group five years ago, the issue of
air quality became front-and-center at DeRuyter Brothers Dairy in Outlook,
Wash. So, when a voluntary monitoring program began in the area, DeRuyter
was one of 12 farms that signed up. “It worked out really well,” Genny
DeRuyter told those attending the Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium on
Wednesday. “I was startled when I finally got my report card (from the
people who came out to the farm to evaluate best-management practices
related to air quality),” she said. “We had a score in the mid-90s - that’s
a passing grade of ‘A.’” The DeRuyters appreciated knowing they were doing
the right thing after being caught off guard by the activist lawsuit ? a
suit that was later dropped.
<more> April 17, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Friant water allocation cut - - After
reviewing the manual snow survey data from the California Department of
Water Resources that was provided the week of April 8, the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation has determined that because of persistent dry conditions, an
additional 5 percent reduction to the Friant Division allocation is
necessary. In consultation with the Friant Division contractors and in
consideration of the San Joaquin River Restoration Program release schedule,
the bureau decreased Friant Division Class 1 water supply allocation from 55
percent to 50 percent. Class 2 water remains at 0 percent. Friant Division
includes Friant Dam, 17 miles northeast of downtown Fresno, and Friant-Kern
Canal that stretches 127 miles through Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties.
<more> April 17, 2013 The Business Journal
Jerry Brown starts push to revamp California's environmental law - - As Gov. Jerry Brown toured China over the last week, he repeatedly contrasted that nation's speedy construction of modern transportation systems and other key public works with what he characterized as a lack of vision back home. A pillar of his plan to let the "bulldozers roll" on big projects in California has been an overhaul of the state's landmark environmental law, which can tangle development in litigation for years. Yet before he even boarded his return flight, the governor said he was giving up on any substantial revision this year of the 40-year-old law, which he says stands in the way of progress. <more> April 17, 2013 The Los Angeles Times
NIAA Opposes "Humane Education;” Supports Animal
Welfare - - Domesticated animals deserve respect and care. That’s animal
welfare—and a priority of the National Institute for Animal Agriculture, an
organization comprised of livestock, equine, poultry and aquaculture
producers, producer organizations, veterinarians, extension personnel,
academicians, scientists, Federal and state regulatory agencies and allied
industry. Jim Fraley, Livestock Program Director for Illinois Farm Bureau
and co-chair of NIAA’s Animal Care Council, stresses that animal welfare and
animal rights, however, are not the same. Significant discussion was devoted
to this topic during NIAA’s annual conference in Louisville, Ky., April
15-17. In the end, NIAA’s membership agreed on two key items: 1) NIAA
believes in animal welfare and does not believe in animal rights; and 2)
Today’s children and future generations should understand the importance of
animal welfare and not confuse animal welfare with animal rights. During its
annual conference, NIAA members adopted a position that public schools
should not stir confusion regarding the difference between animal welfare
and animal rights by allowing extremist animal rights groups to present
their views which can be erroneously perceived as facts. Concern about what
public schools should or should not allow regarding animal welfare and
animal rights education arose when NIAA members learned about a California
school system that allowed a movie involving animals to be shown and
followed up the movie with a discussion focusing on how cruel it is to eat
fish. “Those of us in animal agriculture do not believe that extremist
animal rights groups should be allowed to dictate information children are
exposed to—or will be exposed to—at our public schools regarding animal
welfare,” Fraley states. April 18, 2013 NIAA press release
The future of food - - The students filed into our living room and took their places at our big table, all of them sustainable agriculture majors at Unity College in Maine. Some had long dreadlocks, and all were casually dressed, with women slightly outnumbering the men. Groups like this often visit our household to talk about small-scale farming, and this time I asked them a question that is often asked of my husband and me: “Why do so many young people today want to farm?” Not all of our visitors did, as it turned out, but most intended to work somewhere in “the food system” and were passionately involved in agriculture as a branch of knowledge. Many said they had been initially drawn to the subject by their mistrust of the nation’s food supply and a desire to be independent from it. “There is no more important work than feeding people,” one said. “It’s meaningful work.” <more> April 17, 2013 The Washington Post
Wednesday, April 17, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Agriculture Workforce Coalition praises immigration plan - - A
collection of farm groups known as the Agriculture Workforce Coalition, of
which Western United Dairymen is a founding member, today voiced
their support for the immigration reform package introduced by a bipartisan
group of Senators Tuesday. National Milk Producers Federation president and
CEO Jerry Kozak says there are four key items essential to dairy producers:
* Establishing a blue card for experienced agricultural workers. This
provides a means for farmers to keep their existing workforce, including
those who may not be legally documented. Dairy farmers should not lose
experienced, loyal employees as part of this effort. * Creating a new visa
system for future workers that is easy to use and affordable. Current
efforts won’t be worth it if the resulting product is too cumbersome,
costly, and confusing for farmers to use.* Assuring the future flow of new
workers so that as the economy and jobs shift and evolve. Dairy farmers must
have a means to recruit and hire new dairy workers for a long period of
time. * Eliminating the seasonality element of any ag visa program such as
H2A, which prevented U.S. dairy farmers from using it. Dairy farmers need
relief from having to demonstrate the seasonal or temporary nature of
employment.
<more> April 17, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
All Farmers Would Use E-Verify Under Immigration
Bill - - Under the framework released Tuesday for the potential Senate
immigration bill, all farmers who hire would have to use the E-Verify
employment system within four years to check on prospective employees.
Details in the framework highlight the path to legalization of an estimated
11million people now living in the country illegally. For everything to
work, the bill would create a metric for defining whether the country has a
secure southern border to go along with a $3 billion border security program
to upgrade surveillance, additional Border Patrol agents and drones to
operate along the border and federal lands.
<more> April 16, 2013 DTN Ag Policy Blog
NMPF Praises Senate Agreement on Immigration
Reform - - As a bipartisan group of Senators introduced legislation this
morning dealing with comprehensive immigration reform, members of the
Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC) held a press conference Wednesday
highlighting the crucial stake American agriculture, including dairy
farming, has in the debate. The National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF),
which is a founding member of the AWC, has made fixing the broken
immigration system one of its highest priorities over the past decade.
NMPF’s President & CEO Jerry Kozak told press conference attendees that
"what we’re working with lawmakers to do is not merely fixing a broken
system, but scrapping an old set of unworkable rules and replacing it with
something better."
<more> April 17, 2013 Ag Web
Immigration bill filed in Senate; opponents hope
to use delays to kill it - - A bipartisan group of lawmakers formally
filed an 844-page immigration bill on the Senate floor early Wednesday,
setting the stage for months of public debate over the proposal. Leading
Capitol Hill opponents of the proposal to overhaul the nation’s immigration
system are coalescing around a strategy to kill the bill by delaying the
legislative process as long as possible, providing time to offer “poison
pill” amendments aimed at breaking apart the fragile bipartisan group that
developed the plan, according to lawmakers and legislative aides.
<more> April 17, 2013 Washington Post
Senate
immigration bill looks promising despite some unease - - Complete
satisfaction with the Senate's bipartisan immigration proposal was hard to
find Tuesday as details of the bill became known, but despite reservations,
a growing consensus was developing in favor of the proposal as the best
chance in a generation to achieve comprehensive immigration reform.
Republicans, in particular, largely held their fire on the issue, as the
party's elected officials warmed to the prospect of getting more resources
for border security in exchange for a path to legal status for the 11
million immigrants living in the U.S. without legal authorization. President
Obama, after meeting at the White House with two of the bill's top
architects, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) and Sen. Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.),
pledged to "do whatever it takes" to achieve an immigration overhaul.
<more> April 17, 2013 LA Times
Eight
Potholes for 'Gang of Eight' Immigration Bill - - The “gang of eight”
senators rolling out a bipartisan immigration overhaul this week are gearing
up for the battle to formally be joined at the Senate Judiciary Committee
and ultimately on the floor this summer. The senators are expressing
optimism that a bill resembling their package will ultimately become law,
and President Barack Obama reiterated on Tuesday his commitment to getting a
deal passed. “If we fail this time, I don’t know when anybody would take
this up. I mean, I said last time this was the last best chance in a decade.
This may be the last chance forever,” gang of eight Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C.,
said Tuesday. Here are just eight of the potholes that lie ahead for the
immigration bill:
<more> April 17, 2013 Roll Call
How the immigration
deal got made - - The meeting was supposed to be a half-hour update for
immigration reform proponents — but they weren’t about to let the Democratic
senators get off that easily. The advocates were furious that Democrats
might cave to Republican demands to make the pathway to citizenship
contingent upon border security benchmarks, including the sign off of
governors from southwestern states. They felt locked out of the process. And
now, they had no idea what the negotiators were trading away just weeks
before the Gang of Eight’s immigration bill was slated to be publicly
released. The intense back-channel talks between members, staffers and
outside groups have produced the most sweeping immigration bill in six
years. The legislation comes after weeks of tense member-level meetings —
often with powerful special interests they had to keep at bay in order to
craft a fragile, bipartisan coalition. The deal required painful
compromises, suffered near breakdowns and endured cooling-off periods,
including when the group walked away from the negotiating table for part of
the Easter recess before re-engaging in the horse trading.
<more> April 17, 2013 Politico
California bill
to thwart animal investigations is killed -
- A bill that would have limited undercover farm animal abuse investigations
has been pulled by its author amid stiff and growing opposition. Jim
Patterson, R-Fresno, had carried the bill for the California Cattlemen's
Association, which said it sought to quickly end abuse. Patterson pulled the
bill Wednesday just three hours before it was to be voted on by the Assembly
Agriculture Committee. Patterson's bill would have required anyone
collecting evidence of abuse to turn it over to law enforcement within 48
hours, which animal advocates say does not allow enough time to show a
pattern of illegal activity under federal humane handling and food safety
laws.
<more> April 17, 2013 AP
California
Animal Welfare Bill Creates Controversy, Critics Call It 'Ag-Gag'
- - A number of states have
recently passed laws that seek to restrict journalists and animal rights
activists from filming inhumane practices inside slaughterhouses. These
so-called “Ag-gag” laws have drawn harsh criticism from animal welfare
groups. Now, a new bill from a Fresno lawmaker that aims to mandate the
swift reporting of animal abuse has some crying foul. Valley Public Radio’s
Ezra Romero reports.
<more> April 17, 2013 KVPR
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Over 30,000 comments on artificial sweeteners in
chocolate milk - - A proposal to put artificial sweeteners in chocolate
milk has generated controversy. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration
reports that it has received more than 30,000 comments on the issue to date.
“Based on these comments, we’re seeing a fair amount of confusion about what
the labeling change would actually mean,” says Mary Poos, deputy director of
FDA’s Office of Nutrition, Labeling and Dietary Supplements. Much of
confusion has to do with labeling and whether non-nutritive or artificial
sweeteners would be included on the label.
<more> April 16, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
USDA Starts New Program to Track Farm Animals - - The federal government has launched a new livestock identification program to help agriculture officials to quickly track livestock in cases of disease. It is the U.S. Department of Agriculture's second attempt at implementing such a system, which officials say is critical to maintaining the security of the nation's food supply. An earlier, voluntary program failed because of widespread opposition among farmers and ranchers who described it as a costly hassle that didn't help control disease. <more> April 17, 2013 AP

Pricing/Commodity News
New White Paper Demonstrates Advantages of Dairy
Security Act Over Alternative Approach Offering Only Margin Insurance -
- A new analysis released today by a group of university economists
demonstrates that the Dairy Security Act (DSA) – the farm bill proposal
advocated by the National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF) – provides the
most effective economic safety net for farmers. The DSA provides
catastrophic risk insurance, helps enhance farmer revenue, and does so in a
way that minimizes government outlays. That assessment was generated by the
Midwest Program on Dairy Markets and Policy, a team of six economists who
specialize in farm bill analysis. It includes doctoral student John Newton
(in the photo) and Dr. Cameron Thraen of Ohio State University; Dr. Marin
Bozic of the University of Minnesota; Drs. Mark Stephenson and Brian Gould
of the University of Wisconsin; and Dr. Christopher Wolf of Michigan State
University.
<more> April 16, 2013 NMPF press release
IDFA: Goodlatte-Scott ‘more responsible’ - - A new study, “Goodlatte-Scott vs. the Dairy Security Act: Shared Potential, Shared Concerns and Open Questions,” shows consumers and taxpayers will bear the brunt of “bad” dairy policy, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA). The study compares the short-term impacts for dairy farmers of two major dairy safety-net programs currently being considered by Congress: the Dairy Security Act (DSA) as proposed by Rep. Collin Peterson (D-Minn.) and an alternative proposal sponsored by Reps. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and David Scott (D-Ga.). It concludes that both approaches are “effective in providing catastrophic risk insurance” for stable and growing dairy farms. <more> April 17, 2013 IDFA press release
Environmental
News
New
burn fee by Bay Area Air Quality Management District - - A new $98 fee
for an open burn permit will be required by the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District effective July 1, 2013. Open burning is generally
prohibited in the BAAQM with the exception of 17types of fires which are
regulated under the Open Burning regulation. Each regulated fire type may
only be conducted during its permissive burn period. More information on the
regulations concerning open burning can be found at
http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Compliance-and-Enforcement/Open-Burning.aspx
April 16, 2013 BAAQM Notice
Second group
sues to stop California's cap and trade carbon auction
- - A second group filed suit today challenging California's cap and trade
carbon auction, calling it a giant tax that wasn't properly approved by the
Legislature. The lawsuit was filed by the Pacific Legal Foundation, a
conservative organization based in Sacramento, on behalf of a group of
businesses. An affiliate of the California Chamber of Commerce filed a
similar lawsuit last fall, as the carbon program was getting underway. "The
'cap and trade' auction program is a new state tax that will generate
billions of dollars of revenues for the state on the backs of California
taxpayers. Because it was not passed by at least a two-thirds majority vote
of the Legislature, it is unconstitutional. Case closed," said Pacific Legal
staff attorney Ted Hadzi-Antich in a prepared statement.
<more> April 17, 2013 Sacramento Bee
Westlands offers plan to retire 24,000 acres for solar power - - The Westlands Water District is forging ahead with efforts to plan a solar energy park on thousands of acres of poor farmland in Kings County. The water district is partnering with Westside Holdings LLC to prepare a detailed environmental impact report and master plan for the proposed 24,000-acre Westlands Solar Park. The environmental work sets the stage for private solar companies to build individual projects to generate electricity on farmland the district has earmarked for retirement because of poor drainage and high levels of salt in the groundwater and the soil. <more> April 16, 2013 Fresno Bee
Groundwater
regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - -
The East San Joaquin Water
Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus
three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting
irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending
each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new
requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of
groundwater to the existing surface water program, the Cemtral Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the
Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into
groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either
through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft
individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as
June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at
www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations
are: * Tuesday, April 23, Madera County Farm Bureau * Wednesday, April 24,
Merced County Farm Bureau * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm
Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each
venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day.
<more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
‘The Fight for
Water: A Farm Worker Struggle’ documentary to screen at Modesto Junior
College on April 26 - -
"The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle," an 80-minute film documentary
that depicts the human drama of 2009 California Water Crisis, will be having
a "Special Presentation" screening at Modesto Junior College on April 26
at 6:30 pm in the East Forum Building 110. The filmmaker Juan Carlos
Oseguera will be in attendance for a Q & A after the film. He holds a film
degree from San Francisco State University and is also an alumni of MJC.
M.E.Ch.A of MJC will be hosting the event. Admission is free. The film
highlights the human impact a federal ruling had on a farm working
community, in the West Side of the San Joaquin Valley, when its water supply
was shut off and the unity they staged in order to fight for their water. Oseguera,
who happened to reside in the impacted part of the valley, set out to film
this event and document their struggle in 2009 as a historical account not
to be repeated again. Actor/comedian Paul Rodriguez, who helped organize a
water march, is featured in the film as well. The film screening is made
possible through the support of the Associated Students of MJC and Power
Services, Inc. For questions about the film screening, contact M.E.Ch.A
member Carlos Falcon at (209) 614-4689. For information about the film,
visit the film's official website at
www.thefightforwaterfilm.com.
The film will also screen at CSU Fresno on May 2 at 5 pm in the
University Center 200. For information about that screening, contact Dr.
Cristina Herrera at
cherrera@csufresno.edu. April 17, 2013 Fight for water press
release
Colorado River tops 2013 endangered waterways list - - Drought and demand are pushing the Colorado River beyond its limits - with the needs of more than 40 million people in seven Western states projected to outstrip dwindling supply over the next 50 years, according to an endangered rivers list released Wednesday. The annual top-10 list by Washington, D.C.-based American Rivers points to a three-year federal Bureau of Reclamation study that warned last December that the river won't always be able to serve all the residents, businesses, ranchers, Native Americans and farmers who rely upon it. Already, the Colorado River is drained of nearly every drop by the time it reaches Mexico, American Rivers spokeswoman Amy Kober said. <more> April 17, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Ice Cream’s Identity Crisis - - Back then, we
knew something was up if our mother returned from ShopRite with a
half-gallon of Breyers ice cream. It meant that another 8-year-old first
communicant had feigned an understanding of transubstantiation. It meant
that someone was celebrating her first birthday, or that someone had seen
his last. Most of all, it meant a reprieve from the cheaper fake version of
ice cream that usually defiled our freezer, a store-brand ice milk that
tasted like nothing so much as frozen sadness. Ice milk represented dessert
as punishment. But in certain working-class homes, the Breyers brand lent a
momentary class that lasted as long as room temperature would allow, in part
because it was “All Natural.”
<more> April 15, 2013 The New York Times
Builder contends low bid for high-speed rail in
Valley realistic - - The contractors who joined up to submit the low bid
to build California's first stretch of high-speed rail line in the central
San Joaquin Valley have plenty of experience on large -- and expensive --
U.S. and international public works projects. The bid of $985.1 million from
Tutor Perini Corp. of Sylmar, Zachry Construction of Texas and
Pasadena-based Parsons Corp. was well below the $1.2 billion to $1.8 billion
forecast by California High-Speed Rail Authority engineers for the first
28-mile segment from Madera through Fresno. The Tutor Perini/Zachry/Parsons
bid was about $100 million below the next lowest proposal -- so low, in
fact, that it prompted fears of a lowball bid with the potential for change
orders that could drive up the final pricetag for the project.
<more> April 16, 2013 Fresno Bee
Organics sprout money for local companies - - As popularity of organic produce grows, so do support businesses like organic nutrients, herbicide, fungicide and liquid fertilizer providers. Organic chemical formulations are considered vital in getting the most out of organically certified farmland and the products that are grown. The words organic and chemicals would not seem to jive, but it all depends on the chemical and its purity that makes it not only safe for the soil, but an improvement for many soils. That is in contrast to synthetic products that could be harmful to beneficial insects and bacteria. Organic chemicals are naturally occurring, but must still be tested for contaminants. And as with all farm chemicals, application of organic chemicals must be done strictly according to directions. <more> April 16, 2013 The Business Journal
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Senators unveil immigration reform bill - - A group of Democratic and
Republican senators on Tuesday unveiled long-awaited landmark legislation to
remove the threat of deportation for millions of illegal immigrants and give
them an opportunity to eventually become U.S. citizens. Under the proposal,
undocumented immigrants who came to the United States before December 31,
2011, and had stayed in the country continuously could apply for
"provisional" legal status as soon as six months after the bill is signed by
the president. But beyond that, they would have to wait a decade or more for
full citizenship which would entitle them to federal benefits, while the
government works on further securing U.S. borders and enforcing the new
immigration law.
<more> April 16, 2013 Reuters
Immigration bill would be largest such effort ever attempted - - After
months of negotiations, a bipartisan group of eight senators is poised to
offer a sweeping bill to rewrite the nation's immigration laws this week,
taking advantage of a changed political alignment that, for the first time
in nearly a generation, appears to have opened the way for comprehensive
legislation. The bill would chart a 13-year path to citizenship for most of
the 11 million people in this country without proper legal status, spend
billions of dollars more on border security, create new legal guest worker
programs for low-income jobs and farm labor, require new verification
measures for most companies hiring new workers and significantly expand
overall immigration to the U.S. for the next decade, according to an outline
obtained by The Times' Washington bureau. The legalization program would
amount to the largest such effort any nation has attempted, affecting more
than three times as many people as the Reagan-era immigration reform law.
<more> April 15, 2013 Los Angeles Times
FDA
tries to quell public uproar over milk label petition - - After
receiving a torrent of negative comments, the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is clarifying the intent of a comment request by the agency on a
petition regarding artificially sweetened milk. In February, the FDA
released a notice explaining a petition asking to end a requirement to have
“low calorie” or “reduced calorie” labels prominently displayed on milk
products that contain artificial sweeteners. The milk industry claims the
labels could have the unintended effect of discouraging children from trying
healthier milk products. The petition from International Dairy Foods
Association (IDFA) and the National Milk Producers Federation are asking to
nix the notification on the front of the package, and instead require that
the artificial sweeteners only remain listed on a products’ ingredients
list.
<more> April 15, 2013 The Hill
Chinese markets are a work in progress for California agribusiness - -
As a dinner cruise carried Gov. Jerry Brown and a group of businesspeople,
friends and campaign donors down the Huangpu River this past weekend,
Michael Rue, a rice farmer from Marysville, sipped from his wine glass and
saw in the Shanghai skyline a potentially lucrative market for his grain.
Rue and representatives of California's berry, beef and dairy industries
have been engaged for the past week in China in a campaign to expand their
access to a growing market. Yet as Brown winds down his weeklong trade
mission - speaking enthusiastically in city after city about
California-Chinese trade - the work of Rue and a small, agriculture-based
subgroup of Brown's party suggests how difficult certain elements of the
relationship remain.
<more> April 16, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe Expected to Sign Raw Milk Bill - - His office
in Little Rock is putting out the word that Gov. Mike Beebe will sign House
Bill (HB) 1536, allowing the “incidental sale” of raw milk in Arkansas. The
Arkansas raw milk bill, once thought to be dead, was resurrected for two
quick floor votes that by Thursday had put it on Beebee’s desk for
signature. Until now, Arkansas banned sales of raw milk in the state. It
only allow farms to sell up to 100 gallons of unpasteurized goat’s milk each
month. HB 1536 is patterned after existing state law in that it allows only
on-farm sales of up to 500 gallons of raw milk each month. These are
referred to as “incidental sales.” Under HB 1536, “whole milk” is defined as
an unpasteurized product produced on an Arkansas farm. The bill dictates
that the “whole milk” should come from “healthy cows, properly fed and kept”
that produce a proper mix of butterfat and non-fat solids.
<more> April 12, 2013 Food Safety News

Pricing/Commodity News
Have
we found the top in cash cheese? - - Cash cheese barrels declined a
penny on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Tuesday while blocks held
steady. Cash butter, nonfat dry milk and Class III futures were higher. The
biweekly Global Dairy Trade auction in New Zealand on Tuesday saw the
overall average price increase just 0.6 percent, that is the smallest
increase since last December and substantially less than 14.2 percent
increase on April 2nd.
<more> April 16, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Regional changes in hay production already happening - - Harvested hay
acreage has changed in recent years, and it goes beyond the drought impacts
of the past two years. Lingering winter weather this year is exaggerating
the impacts of limited forage supplies for beef producers. Drought in 2011
and 2012 reduced U.S. hay production and increased hay demand, leaving the
country with very limited forage supplies at this time. On December 1,
stocks of all hay were down nearly 28% from a 2001-2010 average prior to the
drought.
<more> April 16, 2013 Beef Today
CWT assists with 4.2 million lbs. of cheese and butter export sales - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted 28 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association and United Dairymen of Arizona to sell 1.984 million lbs. of cheddar cheese and 2.222 million lbs. of butter to customers in Asia, the Middle East and North Africa. The product will be delivered April through September 2013. So far in 2013, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 49.090 million lbs. of cheese, 49.368 million lbs. of butter, 44,092 lbs. of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 lbs. of whole milk powder to 30 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.531 billion lbs. of milk on a milkfat basis. That is equal to more than 90% of USDA’s projected increase in milk marketings for all of 2013. April 16, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
New
burn fee by Bay Area Air Quality Management District - - A new $98 fee
for an open burn permit will be required by the Bay Area Air Quality
Management District effective July 1, 2013. Open burning is generally
prohibited in the BAAQM with the exception of 17types of fires which are
regulated under the Open Burning regulation. Each regulated fire type may
only be conducted during its permissive burn period. More information on the
regulations concerning open burning can be found at
http://www.baaqmd.gov/Divisions/Compliance-and-Enforcement/Open-Burning.aspx
April 16, 2013 BAAQM Notice
Groundwater
regulation informational meetings set for Modesto, Merced and Madera - -
The East San Joaquin Water
Quality Coalition (ESJWQC) is co-hosting with local county Farm Bureaus
three informational meetings on the new groundwater regulations impacting
irrigated agriculture in the northern San Joaquin Valley region. Attending
each meeting will be Regional Water Board staff who will describe new
requirements adopted by the agency on December 7, 2012. With the addition of
groundwater to the existing surface water program, the San Joaquin Valley
Regional Water Quality Control Board now considers any irrigated crop in the
Central Valley to have potential to discharge nitrogen fertilizer into
groundwater aquifers. All growers need coverage for those discharges either
through a coalition or individual permit with the Water Board. A draft
individual permit was recently released and could be adopted as early as
June 2013. The adopted regulations and related documents can be seen at
www.esjcoalition.org/generalOrder.asp The meeting dates and locations
are: * Tuesday, April 23, Madera County Farm Bureau * Wednesday, April 24,
Merced County Farm Bureau * Thursday, April 25, Stanislaus County Farm
Bureau. Coalition staff will be available from 9 am to 4 pm daily at each
venue with formal one-hour presentations at 10 am and 1 pm each day.
<more> April 16, 2013 ESJWQC press release
Federal agencies still have concerns about Delta tunnels - - Federal wildlife agencies still have serious concerns about how two giant water diversion tunnels proposed in the Delta may harm imperiled species such as salmon and Delta smelt. In comment letters made public Thursday, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and National Marine Fisheries Service praised Gov. Jerry Brown's administration for making progress on many concerns they raised in so-called "red flag letters" released last year. But the agencies also said the Bay Delta Conservation Plan still presents a number of major concerns, some of which they labeled "critical." <more> April 15, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Grown Up Grilled Cheese: California Dairy Offers a Sandwich Trio for National Grilled Cheese Month - - April is National Grilled Cheese Month and the cheese experts at the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) are celebrating the cult-like devotion to this classic favorite by offering three inventive and delicious ways to serve it up. The classic grilled cheese sandwich has been continuously reinvented in the last century to include an increasing variety of ingredients like prosciutto, bacon, truffle oil and even tomato marmalade. However, the starring ingredient in any grilled cheese sandwich is, of course, the cheese. Cheese options are endless and offer a simple way to create a signature sandwich. California, the number one dairy state, offers a wide variety of cheeses available nationally under the Real California Cheese seal, ranging from Monterey Jack and smoked Gouda to aged Cheddar and queso quesadilla, all of which are ideal for creating the perfect sandwich. <more> April 16, 2013 California Milk Advisory Board press release
April 22 town hall seeks input on new UC Davis Ag Dean selection - - UC Davis is holding a town hall meeting April 22 at the Kearney Ag Center in Parlier to gather comments from the farming community on characteristics most important for the University to consider in recruiting and screening candidates for the position of Dean of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences for UC Davis. The event is co-hosted by CDFA Secretary Karen Ross and John Harris of Harris Ranch. The town hall will be held from 10-30 a.m. to 12:30 pm at the Kearney Agricultural Research & Extension Center, 9240 S Riverbend Avenue, Parlier. Light refreshments will be served. RSVP to UCDTownHall@storbeckpimentel.com. Further information is available from Linda Fairfield at (530) 752-3954. April 15, 2013 UC Davis notice
National Ag
Science Center farm to table dinner June 6 --
The National Ag Science Center’s
Second Annual Farm to Table Dinner will be held June 6 at Four Seasons
Farms, 1600 California Avenue, in Modesto. A multi-course dinner,
accompanied by local wines, will be served with local, farm fresh
ingredients artistically prepared by the chefs of Greens Market. Tickets are
$60 per person. The deadline to purchase tickets is May 24. For more
information email The National Ag Science Center at
events@agsciencecenter.org
or call 209-521-2902. April 16, 2013 National Ag Science Center notice
6th Annual ‘TASTES Seminars’ Appeal to Teachers Statewide - - The National Ag Science Center will host its annual Teacher Agricultural Science Technology Education Seminars (TASTES) for educators interested in incorporating agriculture and science into the classroom. This series of one-day seminars will provide teachers with affordable, standards based science experiences which can easily fit into grade level lesson plans. Teachers will receive transportation, lunch and hands-on resources and materials to for the classroom. The events take place on June 3-5 from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Stanislaus Culinary Arts Institute in Oakdale. The series will conclude with a “Farm To Table” Fundraiser Dinner at Four Seasons Farms in Modesto on June 6 from 6:00 PM — 8:30 PM. The cost of attending the seminars ranges from one day participation for $25 to two days for $40, or three days for $55. Those who participate in at least two days can receive Fresno State University credit. For more information and to register visit www.agsciencecenter.org. Questions? Call (209) 521-2902 or email Admin@agsciencecenter.org. Registration deadline is May 13. April 16, 2013National Ag Science Center notice
Monday, April 15, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Accord
reached on farmworkers for immigration bill - - Agreement was reached
late Friday between farm labor unions and growers on one of the last major
components of a sweeping immigration bill being drafted in the Senate — a
deal that would set the terms of wages, visas and working conditions for
migrant agriculture workers. The accord, struck after weeks of touch-and-go
talks between representatives of industry leaders and workers and brokered
by Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), would establish a new "blue card" for
migrant workers already in this country without legal permission, and allow
up to 336,000 visas for farmworkers. The three-part package is hugely
important for California's agriculture industry.
<more> April 12, 2013 Los Angeles Times
WUD praises
agreement on immigration reform - -
Western United Dairymen today
welcomed an agreement on immigration reform reached by the Agriculture
Workforce Coalition (AWC), the United Farm Workers (UFW) and key Senators engaged
in the process. WUD is a founding member of the AWC, an organization working toward a
viable solution for America’s farmers and ranchers to have access to a legal
workforce now and in the future. "The framework and objectives of this
agreement represent a major step toward ensuring that," said WUD CEO Michael
Marsh. “The coalition is committed to including an agricultural guest
worker program and supporting the general framework negotiated in any final
immigration reform package,” explained Marsh. As members of Congress begin
the process of drafting legislative language, we look forward to working
with them to ensure that the bill details reflect the goals and intent of
this framework agreement.” Marsh praised Sen. Dianne Feinstein for her many
years of work on immigration reform. “Senator Feinstein has been a tireless
advocate on behalf of California’s dairy families in trying to find a
comprehensive solution,” said Marsh. He also thanked Senators Marco Rubio,
Orrin Hatch and Michael Bennet for helping to foster this agreement between
agriculture employers and farm workers. April 12, 2013 WUD press release
Farm,
labor groups reach key immigration reform agreement - - Dairy and
agricultural organizations are praising an agreement on immigration reform
reached by the Agriculture Workforce Coalition (AWC), the United Farm
Workers (UFW) and key Senators engaged in the process. The framework and
objectives of the agreement represent a positive step toward providing
America’s dairy farmers access to a legal workforce now and in the future,
according to Jerry Kozak, president and CEO of the the National Milk
Producers Federation (NMPF). NMPF is a member of AWC. Michael Marsh, CEO of
Western United Dairymen (WUD), a founding member of AWC, praised U.S. Sens.
Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Orin Hatch (R-Utah), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and
Michael Bennet (D-Colo.) for helping foster the agreement. Rubio and Bennet
are members of the Senate “Gang of 8,” a bipartisan group working on
immigration reform. Other members of the group include Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.)
, John McCain (R-Ariz.), Richard Durbin (D-Ill.), Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.),
Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.).
<more> April 15, 2013 Dairy Business
Washington Week Ahead: Immigration package arriving soon - - As
lawmakers presumably pay their taxes today, agriculture stakeholders will be
closely watching this week for the introduction of a comprehensive
immigration reform package that looks to reshape the farm worker program. An
apparent agreement between a group of senators, labor unions and farm groups
includes a plan to replace the current H-2A program, and to provide a path
to legal status for undocumented farm workers. The new program would set a
formula by which wages for the workers would increase each year with a cap
and a floor. It would set a cap of 112,000 3-year visas each year.
<more> April 15, 2013 Agri-Pulse
Focus
on Dairy Farmers in Immigration Debate - - When the letter arrived at
Jeff True’s dairy farm here in western New York, it was, he recalled, “like
getting sucker punched right in the gut.” A federal audit had found that 12
of his 14 workers were immigrants who had provided Mr. True with false work
documents, the letter said. The immigration authorities ordered him to
dismiss those workers. Mr. True, whose family has been dairy farming for two
centuries, scrambled around the clock with his relatives to milk their 1,100
cows, hire and train new workers and keep the farm in business. Most of his
workers are immigrants from Latin America, and he now dreads that he could
receive another letter at any moment. “My biggest fear is my labor is not
going to be here tomorrow,” he said. “Most of us live in fear of that every
day.”
<more> April 12, 2013 New York Times
ACTION ALERT! WUD members urged to contact Ag Committee in support of AB
31 - - Western United Dairymen President Tom Barcellos is
calling on WUD
members to contact members of the Assembly Agriculture Committee and urge
passage of AB 31which would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The legislation sponsored by WUD and authored by
Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan (D- Sacramento) will be heard by the committee
on Wednesday May 1 at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. Other bill
supporters include California Dairies, Inc., Land O' Lakes, Dairy Farmers of
America, Milk Producers Council, California Dairy Campaign, California Grain
and Feed Association and
California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association.
“Now is the time
for our members to speak up and ask the committee members to support this
very important legislation,” said Barcellos. “This is the most important
dairy legislation before the legislature since the inception of milk pooling
in 1967. If passed, this bill will ensure that prices paid to us are fair
and competitive.” WUD members can download a copy of a sample support letter
by clicking here. The letter provides a template for members to use but
they are urged to customize the letter before faxing it to the committee
members. Letters should be faxed to the Committee Chair Assemblymember Susan
Eggman as well as all of the other committee members. <more>
April 12, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Orange County
Register Editorial: California dairies in distress - -
Many dairy farmers in California
are suffering, and some are moving from the state. "At the World Ag Expo, a
behemoth trade show held last month in Tulare County, nine states had
recruitment booths on the ground's Dairy Center," the Los Angeles Times
reported. The number of dairy cows in the state has dropped "from a peak of
1.88 million in 2008 to 1.82 million in 2012." California still leads the
country in milk production, at an estimated 3.2 million pounds in February,
according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Wisconsin is second, at 2.3
million pounds. There are several
reasons for dairy departures, which have been going on for two decades,
Rachel Kaldor told us; she's executive director of the Dairy Institute of
California. Especially in the Chino basin, northeast of Orange County, she
said, "Dairy farmers have been exiting for quite a few years." Although some
have moved within the state, especially to Kern County, others have left
California.
<more> April 15, 2013 Orange County Register
Visalia milk co-op poised for expansion - - Is there too much milk or
not enough? Not enough going to the right market, says Visalia-based
California Dairies Inc. CEO Andre Mikhalevsky. “Right now we can process
only 60 percent of our members’ milk.” That means 40 percent goes to fluid
milk where the profits are not that high with little room for expansion, he
says. Instead,“the best return for our members is to dry the milk and ship
it for export,” says Mikhalevsky. “We can make a lot more money.” Top
destination: China, where they need a boat load of baby formula. Agreeing
with this view is CDI board member John Moons who runs a dairy just a few
miles west of Highway 99. “With the leadership of Mr. Mikhalevsky, we’re
going to take our co-op to the next level.”
<more> April 12, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
Fresno
County shields dairy industry from high inspection fees - - Fresno
County leaders lent a hand to the struggling dairy industry last week,
agreeing to help cover the rising cost of local milk inspections. Higher
inspection costs, driven in part by a new state surcharge for dairy
oversight, are prompting some counties to raise inspection fees for milk
producers to more closely reflect expenses. Fresno County health officials
had requested the Board of Supervisors boost inspection fees by nearly 50%.
But Fresno County supervisors settled on an 18% fee hike at Tuesday's board
meeting, deciding it was worth kicking in county funds to prevent any more
harm to dairy farmers. "We soon won't have to do any inspections because we
won't have any dairies," said Supervisor Judy Case, noting that higher fees
could have been the final straw for an industry that has taken several
blows.
<more> April 13, 2013 Fresno Bee
Vidak
aiming for first-round knockout in Senate race - - The Andy Vidak-Leticia
Perez matchup in the 16th state Senate District race is starting to get
interesting. Vidak released a poll conducted by a Republican polling firm
this week showing him getting 45 percent of the vote, compared to 21 percent
for Perez. Vidak, a Hanford cherry farmer, gained notoriety for barely
losing to Jim Costa in the 20th Congressional District 2010 general
election. Perez is an up-and-coming politician from Bakersfield who in 2012
became the first Latina ever elected to the Kern County Board of
Supervisors. The primary election is May 21 in the district that includes
all of Kings and parts of Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties.
<more> April 12, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Sweeteners in Milk Lead to Label Fight - - The U.S. dairy industry is clashing with several consumer groups over an unusual request that regulators allow low-calorie chocolate milk to be sold without declaring prominently on the label that it is reduced-calorie. Dairy-industry groups submitted a petition to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to drop special labeling requirements for chocolate, vanilla and other flavored milks that contain artificial sweeteners such as aspartame. Currently, those products must say "reduced calorie" or "less sugar" on the front of the packaging. Otherwise, they can't be called milk. Many companies, from soft-drink to potato-chip makers, promote low-calorie products to target a growing market of weight-conscious consumers. But the dairy industry says it wants to avoid having to make such claims because they are a turnoff for kids and require very specific reductions in sugar or calorie content. The industry wants flexibility to use its own formulas and simply disclose sugar substitutes in the ingredients. <more> April 14, 2013 Wall Street Journal

Pricing/Commodity News
USDA Predicts Higher
Milk Prices for 2013 - - USDA raised its estimates for 2013 dairy
prices, boosting the All-Milk price to nearly $20 per cwt. in its April 10
World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates (WASDE) report. Lower
forecasted milk production and improved domestic product demand led USDA to
raise the projected 2013 All-Milk price to $19.45-$19.95 per cwt. That’s up
from the $19.00-$19.60 estimated in the March WASDE report. Class III price
projections rose to $17.85-$18.35 per cwt., up about 30 cents per cwt. <more>
April 15, 2013 Dairy Today
2% of
U.S. corn crop planted - - USDA’s first national corn planting update of
2013 shows the pace well behind the five year average. As of Sunday, 2% of
the U.S. corn crop is planted, compared to 16% a year ago and the five year
average of 7% with nine of the top 18 growing states yet to have even 1% of
the crop planted. North Carolina and Texas are the only major corn states to
be at or ahead of their respective averages.
<more> April 15, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Global dairy markets to remain strong into the summer - - Global dairy markets are set to remain strong into the summer but UK farmers may not see the full benefits because of the way the domestic market operates, according to a leading market analyst. Patty Clayton, a senior analyst at DairyCo, said the market is currently characterised by strong demand and tight supplies, with little prospect of any immediate change. Ms Clayton told an NFU dairy producer representative summit, in Warwickshire, that continued growth in China is driving global demand, with imports of milk products up 30per cent in the last quarter of 2012 and a staggering 68 per cent, year on year, in January. <more> April 15, 2013 farmersguardian.com
Environmental
News
Tulare
Lake Basin waste discharge workshop April 25 in Fresno - - The Central
Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board will hold a workshop to discuss
the Tulare Lake Basin area waste discharge requirements (WDRs) being
developed for discharges from irrigated lands. This is an opportunity to
learn what the draft regulations look like and to comment on them. The
workshop will be held April 25 at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center,
2233 Ventura Street, Fresno. More information is available on the Board’s
website
by clicking here.. April 15, 2013 Water Board Notice
Dan
Walters: Senate committee makes rational decision about electricity - -
One committee of one legislative house recently did something rarely seen in
the California Capitol. It made a rational decision about electricity. The
Legislature has decreed that by 2020, California's private and public
utilities must acquire a third of their juice from "renewable" sources such
as solar, wind and geothermal. the definition of "renewable" excludes
hydroelectric, except for very small installations. Why? Stripped of all the
weasel words, it's because the environmental groups that press the
Legislature don't like dams on rivers – a purely ideological reason that has
nothing to do with greenhouse gases. And that's why the 8-1 vote of the
Senate Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee for Senate Bill 591 is
so noteworthy. The measure by Sen. Anthony Cannella, R-Ceres, would allow
the Merced Irrigation District to sell power from its New Exchequer Dam on
the Merced River, built in 1967, to its customers.
<more> April 15, 2015 Sacramento Bee
Federal scientists say revised Delta plan is improved - - Federal
scientists reported "significant improvement" this week in the latest
slimmed-down version of Gov. Jerry Brown's twin tunnels plan but also warned
that the plan could still harm some of the same fish species it is supposed
to protect. The scientists' comments demonstrate that despite efforts to
move the Bay Delta Conservation Plan forward at a rapid clip, a great deal
of work remains to be done. After all, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
and National Marine Fisheries Service - along with the state Department of
Fish and Wildlife - must eventually sign off on the tunnels if they are to
be built at all.
<more> April 13, 2013 Stockton Record
Young salmon finding their way in San Joaquin River - - Donald Portz performs surgery in a parking lot at Lost Lake near Friant Dam. Within minutes, his patients are awake and taking the swim of their lives in the San Joaquin River. Portz is a federal fisheries biologist, one of many scientists and engineers working on an epic project -- reviving California's second-longest river and rebuilding the nation's southern-most salmon runs. Sometimes, that means standing next to a pickup near the river and surgically inserting tiny transmitters, or tags, into resilient juvenile salmon. "We might lose one fish in a thousand," Portz said. "With these tags, we will be able to track these fish all their lives." <more> April 15, 2013 Fresno Bee
Monday
Q&A: O'Brien's Modesto cheesemonger - - Josiah "Joe" Baird is Modesto's
minister of cheese. From his perch near the entrance of the Dale Road
location of O'Brien's Market, the friendly and popular cheesemonger preaches
the gospel of bries, bleus, cheddars and all things moldy and aged. Baird's
altar is an impressive array of imported and domestic cheeses — some of
which cost more than $30 a pound, pricier than filet mignon. Shoppers are
educated through Baird's encyclopedic knowledge of hundreds of varieties of
cheese — a repertoire acquired through years in the business. He's traveled
with distributors in Europe — the world's cheese capital — and has worked
closer to home with local cheesemakers to help develop and market their
products. Baird has worked hard, and he's achieved a degree of local fame
among foodies who love fine cheese. We asked him to answer a few questions
about cheese in general and his job and expertise in particular.
<more> April 14, 2013 Modesto Bee
Documentary showcases rescue of chickens from Turlock-area farm - - The plight of some 50,000 chickens left to starve at a Stanislaus County egg farm more than a year ago and the rescue of the surviving hens is chronicled in the new documentary "Turlock." Released in February, a year after the discovery of the widespread neglect at A&L Poultry west of Turlock, the documentary was filmed for Animal Place. The farm animal sanctuary and animal rights activist group from Grass Valley organized the rescue and wanted to document the incident and successful rescue of more than 4,000 hens. More than 40,000 chickens died — a third because of starvation, the rest euthanized because they were in poor condition. <more> April 13, 2013 Modesto Bee
Friday, April 12, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Senators reach deal on farm workers - - Senators writing a landmark
immigration bill broke a logjam between farmworker unions and growers
Thursday, reaching a tentative agreement on future agricultural visas and
pay scales for foreign farmworkers, according to people familiar with the
negotiations. Labor unions and agricultural industry leaders had been stuck
for three weeks on how to legally bring foreign labor into the United States
to pick crops and tend livestock at competitive wages. The issue, which is
critical to California and other major farming states, became a major
stumbling block in bipartisan efforts to craft a comprehensive immigration
bill.
<more> April 11, 2013 Los Angeles Times
WUD praises
agreement on immigration reform - -
Western United Dairymen today
welcomed an agreement on immigration reform reached by the Agriculture
Workforce Coalition (AWC), the United Farm Workers (UFW) and key Senators engaged
in the process. WUD is a founding member of the AWC, an organization working toward a
viable solution for America’s farmers and ranchers to have access to a legal
workforce now and in the future. "The framework and objectives of this
agreement represent a major step toward ensuring that," said WUD CEO Michael
Marsh. “The coalition is committed to including an agricultural guest
worker program and supporting the general framework negotiated in any final
immigration reform package,” explained Marsh. As members of Congress begin
the process of drafting legislative language, we look forward to working
with them to ensure that the bill details reflect the goals and intent of
this framework agreement.” Marsh praised Sen. Dianne Feinstein for her many
years of work on immigration reform. “Senator Feinstein has been a tireless
advocate on behalf of California’s dairy families in trying to find a
comprehensive solution,” said Marsh. He also thanked Senators Marco Rubio,
Orrin Hatch and Michael Bennet for helping to foster this agreement between
agriculture employers and farm workers. April 12, 2013 WUD press release
RFS Reform Act
proposal would eliminate biofuels mandate
- - Legislation was
proposed Wednesday by four U.S. Congressmen that would ease what they
believe are the impacts of the ethanol mandate “and protect consumers,
energy producers, livestock producers, food manufacturers, retailers and the
U.S. economy.” The Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act, introduced by Reps.
Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), Jim Costa (D-Calif.), Steve Womack (R-Ark.) and Peter
Welch (D-Vt.), would eliminate the biofuels mandate, beginning in 2014, and
rescind the requirements of blending up to 15 percent ethanol into the fuel
supply. The proposal would prohibit corn-based ethanol from being used to
meet the RFS, and reduce the total size of the RFS by 42 percent over the
next nine years. A coalition of 13 food groups expressed support for the
proposed legislation which they believe will protect food makers and
consumers from unnecessary food price increases.
<more> April 12, 2013 Cattlenetwork
USDEC
and NMPF commend U.S. decision to welcome Japan into TPP talks - - The
U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC) and National Milk Producers Federation (NMPF)
applaud the United States’ decision to welcome Japan into Trans-Pacific
Partnership (TPP) free trade negotiations. “Japan greatly enhances the
potential value of the TPP to U.S. dairy producers and processors,” says
Jaime Castaneda, senior vice president for strategic initiatives and trade
policy, USDEC and NMPF. “Japan is the third-largest economy in the world and
already a major dairy importer. Reducing excessive tariffs and removing
non-tariff barriers to trade will significantly increase U.S. dairy export
opportunities, which helps drive overall U.S. dairy industry growth.”
<more> April 12, 2013 NMPF news release
Worker
safety stressed as valley awaits summer's heat - - The state is
reminding farmers and other outdoor employers of rules to protect workers
from heat. The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health plans
meetings in the Modesto area and elsewhere to prepare for the warm months
ahead. The rules are not just for heat waves. The requirement for a shaded
rest area, for example, kicks in when the temperature reaches 85 degrees.
<more> April 11, 2013 Modesto Bee
Farmer
says his strawberry harvest depends on immigration bill - - On Thursday
lawmakers reached a bipartisan breakthrough on immigration reform. Four
Republican and four Democratic senators agreed on elements of a bill that
would put illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship. It would also create
visas for migrant farm workers -- a deal that can't come soon enough for
California farmers. It's peak season for Southern California strawberries.
The weather is perfect and so is the ripe, red fruit. But as Edgar Terry
surveys his Ventura County fields, he sees red ink. Terry, a farmer, says he
is going to have to throw a lot of his crop away.
<more> April 11, 2013 CBS News
Bypassing Boswell - - The proposed high-speed rail route that swings eastward around Corcoran would avoid major impacts to downtown Corcoran and J.G. Boswell Co. facilities, but it’s not sitting too well with three sisters whose country homes would be taken out. Charlene Hook, Darlene Rodriguez and Karen Allen thought they were living the ideal rural life. The three live within a half mile of each other near canals and fields east of Corcoran. They can see each other from their front yards. But then came the April 4 recommendation from California High-Speed Rail Authority staff that the Authority pick a route bypassing Corcoran on the east side on a line that will cut through the three sisters’ homes. <more> April 11, 2013 Hanford Sentinel

Pricing/Commodity News
Dairy
prices continue to trend higher - - A solid finish to a strong week in
the cash dairy markets on Friday, cheese barrels up a quarter-cent to
$1.755, blocks increased 1.5 cents to $1.8375, butter up a half-cent to
$174, Grade A nonfat dry milk up a penny to $1.78 and Extra Grade gained 2
cents to $1.68. For the week, cash cheese barrels up 6.25 cents, blocks up
7.5 cents, butter increased 3 cents a pound, Grade A nonfat dry milk gained
9.75 cents and Extra Grade is 9 cents higher. Class III futures for April
through July increased an average 13 cents per hundredweight. Since March
28th, cash cheese barrels have increased 15.75 cents and blocks are 14.5
cents higher.
<more> April 11, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Lee
Mielke: Global forecast sees tighter supply, improved U.S. demand - -
The Agriculture Department's latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand
Estimates report lowered its 2013 milk production forecast by 100 million
pounds from last month, to 201.8 billion pounds, due to lower milk per cow
in the first quarter. 2012 milk output totaled 200.3 billion, up from 196.2
billion in 2011. With slightly lower forecast 2013 milk production and
improved domestic product demand, price forecasts for cheese, butter, nonfat
dry milk and whey were raised. As a result Class III and Class IV milk price
forecasts are higher.
<more> April 12, 2013 Capital Press
CNY dairy farmers seeing business boost from Greek yogurt - - After a 10 year decline in the demand for milk, Central New York dairy farmers are seeing a boost in business thanks to the growing popularity of Greek yogurt. Beth Meyer, of the American Dairy Association, says the success of Greek yogurt companies like Chobani has helped turn around the dairy industry in New York State. "Anything that gets more people into the dairy category, more people eating dairy is a great thing for us," Meyer says. <more> April 11, 2013 CNY Central
Environmental
News
Quick
agreement sought on nitrate-groundwater issue - - Several attorneys who
focus on California food and agriculture issues believe there is good reason
for the private and public sectors to work together to quickly find a mutual
solution on the controversial nitrate-groundwater issue. Attorneys with the
Sacramento, Calif. law firm Downey Brand suggest that if the issues are left
to existing regulatory structures and inadequate funding mechanisms that a
failure to reach an early comprehensive answer could lead to significant
short- and long-term consequences for California agriculture. This could
include stricter regulation on cultural practices and costly litigation
borne by agriculture.
<more> April 12, 2013 Western Farm Press
Cattlemen Air Concerns as EPA Nominee Goes Before Senate - - Yesterday
the U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a hearing on the
confirmation of Gina McCarthy, President Obama’s nominee to head the
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) after the departure of former
administrator Lisa Jackson earlier this year. The National Cattlemen’s Beef
Association (NCBA) said it hopes that if McCarthy is confirmed, that she
will work to develop a more positive working relationship with the
agriculture industry.
<more> April 12, 2013 Beef Today
EPA
nominee calls climate change 'one of greatest challenges' - - Combating
climate change is "one of the greatest challenges of our generation,"
according to Gina McCarthy, who has been nominated to head the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. faces negative economic exposure
from rising global temperatures and the EPA has the regulatory duty to
address the problem under the Clean Air Act, said McCarthy, who currently
runs EPA's Office of Air and Radiation. "We're doing it in common sense
steps to ensure the economy can continue to grow," she said during a Senate
confirmation hearing on April 11.
<more> April 12, 2013 Capital Press
Water
issues to be explored at Central Valley conference - - Some of the
nation’s top water technology companies, entrepreneurs, industrial water
users, researchers and professionals are expected for the second annual
BlueTechValley Water Conference, scheduled for May 1-2 at the Clovis
Memorial Building in the Fresno suburb of Clovis. The purpose of the
conference is to provide the opportunity to collectively explore and discuss
new innovations, developments and trends relating to current water issues in
the food industry, with a special focus on fresh produce.
<more> April 12, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Obama Releases 2014 Budget; Proposal Includes Bay-Delta Restoration Funding - - President Obama sent his 2014 budget plan to Congress on Wednesday. The $3.8 trillion proposal would increase funding for the departments of Interior and Energy and reduce budgets for the Army Corps of Engineers and the Environmental Protection Agency. Here’s a brief recap of the numbers. <more> April 10, 2013 Association of California Water Agencies news
Rosa Brothers
hits it big at Fresno food expo with People's Choice Award
- - Getting fresh milk products from local dairies takes three simple
steps. The process starts with the milking cows at the dairy. The milk is
then transported to a near-by creamery for processing and bottling, ending
at consumers’ hands soon after. In Rosa Brothers’ case, the process starts
at the family dairy in Hanford and continues at the south Tulare milk
processing plant. The local effort is getting noticed. Rosa Brothers’ glass
bottled milk products (including strawberry, chocolate and root beer
flavored milk) were selected as the People’s Choice Award of New Products at
the Fresno Expo held last month.
<more> April 12, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
MilkPEP’s new strategy to boost sales - - Most people who work in the
dairy industry are familiar with the iconic “got milk?” milk mustache
campaign, but fewer know that research is the driving force behind MilkPEP’s
approach to program activities ranging from targeting to messaging and
creative execution. Often, the research conducted to guide our consumer
campaign also provides our processors with important and actionable insights
that can help guide product development, inform marketing and drive sales.
In keeping with our mission to positively impact milk consumption at
breakfast, MilkPEP engaged the New York-based ExactCast team to deliver
insights that can jumpstart consumption of milk at breakfast.
<more> April 11, 2013 DairyFoods.com
British Dairy Farmer Creates Pure Milk Vodka - - While U.K. retailers
are rationing baby milk powder and breast milk is being turned into jewelry,
it seems that milk in all forms is proving to be a hot commodity. And now
one British dairy farmer is using the white stuff to make vodka. Jason
Barber has created the world’s first pure milk vodka from a herd of 250
grass-grazed cows at his farm in West Dorset, England, according to the
Daily Mail. The dairy farmer makes his vodka, Black Cow, by separating the
milk into curds and whey. The curds are used to make cheese, and the whey
is fermented into a beer. That milk beer is then distilled and treated with
Barber’s secret blending process to make a distilled spirit, which is then
triple filtered before being bottled.
<more> April 12, 2013 TIME, United Kingdom
Shanghai – an Excellent Market for California Agriculture - - by Karen Ross, California Agriculture Secretary - - For the agricultural sector in particular, we have seen dramatic growth and continuing success. Ag exports to China are increasing impressively – up 25 percent last year in reaching a value of more than $1.7 billion. Almonds increased 41 percent; pistachios were up 27 percent; wine was up 52 percent; walnuts were up 10 percent; citrus increased 17 percent; table grapes were up 20 percent; dairy products were up 54 percent; and raisins were up 65 percent. These are very encouraging gains and an indicator of the importance of working closely with our Chinese partners to understand what consumers are looking for, and to ensure market access. <more> April 12, 2013 CDFA Blog
Thursday, April 11, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Whey value
bill Assembly Ag Committee hearing moved to May 1 - - The Assembly
Agriculture Committee has moved the hearing for AB 31 from April 17 to
Wednesday, May 1. The hearing on AB 31 by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan
(D-Sacramento) will begin at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. The
legislation sponsored by WUD would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. If the bill is approved by the Ag Committee, it will
move to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal review. If
successful, the bill will move on to the Assembly floor for consideration by
the 80-member chamber. In introducing the legislation, Assemblyman Pan said,
“I am proud to partner with dairy farmers to author legislation so new,
innovative uses of whey result in income for dairies so they can remain
competitive and expand the availability of dairy products. We need to ensure
that dairy farmers can be paid for their products at rates that reflect
their costs and the true market value of dairy products so California
dairies can survive and create jobs in California." April 10, 2013 WUD
News
Poll:
Majority backs pathway to citizenship - - A majority of Americans
support a pathway to citizenship for immigrants living in the country
illegally, according to a new poll. A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll
released Wednesday night found that a total of 64 percent of adults either
somewhat favor or strongly favor including a pathway to citizenship in
immigration reform. Among Latinos surveyed in the poll, 55 percent said they
strongly favor a pathway to citizenship, while 27 percent somewhat favor a
pathway to citizenship. Meanwhile the poll found that 35 percent of adults
strongly or somewhat oppose a pathway to citizenship.
<more> April 11, 2013 The Hill
Costa,
Valadao join on renewable fuels reform bill - - On Wednesday, Rep. Jim
Costa, D-Fresno, and Rep. David Valadao, R-Hanford, joined in introducing
legislation to revise the federal government’s renewable fuel standard. The
federal standard is currently a boon for the Midwestern corn ethanol
industry, as nearly 40 percent of the nation’s corn crop goes into ethanol
production. For others, critics say, the current mandate isn’t so good. The
bill, a reprise of one introduced last Congress, eliminates corn-based
ethanol requirements and caps the amount of ethanol that can be blended into
conventional gasoline at 10 percent. The bill is backed a wide array of food
and agricultural organizations, including California Dairies, Inc. and the
California Poultry Federation. “Putting food into our fuel tanks is hurting
dairymen and women, livestock producers, consumers, and businesses across
the nation,” Costa said. “We can’t afford this. It’s time for real,
wholesale change.”
<more>
April 11, 2013 Fresno Bee
Obama
Proposes Cuts to Farm Subsidies - - With farm incomes at near record
levels, the Obama administration is proposing sharp cuts to agriculture
subsidies in the 2014 fiscal year budget plan it unveiled Wednesday. Net
farm income is forecast to increase 13.6% this year to $128.2 billion, the
highest inflation-adjusted amount in 40 years, according to administration.
Its proposal would cut $37.8 billion in farm subsidies over 10 years. Most
of the savings would come from cutting the direct payment subsidy program
that sends checks to farmers regardless of their need for the money. The
administration also said it wants to reduce crop insurance subsidies.
<more> April 10, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
E-Verify Would Gain in Immigration Overhaul - - U.S. companies will have
to embrace a little-known and potentially complex online system to verify
their workers' legality if Congress accepts immigration overhaul legislation
currently under consideration. Some large companies endorse the use of an
electronic status check to fix the nation's broken immigration system.
Others worry about its accuracy and its potential delays. Stephen McNeilly,
owner of Service Proz Inc., said he uses the system, called E-Verify, to
check employees at his various landscaping, maintenance and pest control
businesses in Illinois and Florida. The upside: It is easy to use, he said.
The problem is it can take as much as two months to get a response about a
worker's status, he said.
<more> April 10, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Immigration rally at Capitol as senators race to finish bill - - The
bipartisan group of senators pushing to finish a sweeping immigration bill
met late Wednesday as thousands of advocates gathered outside the Capitol,
many waving American flags, to lend urgency to the effort. The first draft
of the bill is 1,000 pages, but the eight senators have yet to sign off on
all its provisions. Disputes over agricultural workers and border security
that had once appeared resolved remain in flux. “We are closer now than we
have been in 25 years for serious immigration reform,” Sen. Richard J.
Durbin (D-Ill.) said after a briefing over sandwiches and chips with the
Congressional Hispanic Caucus in the House. “This president is behind it.
And there is a strong, growing bipartisan effort in the Senate to support
it. We hope that the House will do the same.”
<more> April 10, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Dairy Leader Program application deadline Friday - - The deadline to apply for Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy Leaders Program is Friday, April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative, marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette, negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are recognized experts in their field. Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year, applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries. Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
NMPF:
Economic Analysis Says Dairy Security Act Works to Increase Dairy Farm
Revenue - - The benefits of adopting the Dairy Security Act (DSA) as
part of the next farm bill will be obvious to farmers and policy makers as
Congress begins assembling new agricultural policy this spring, according to
speakers here at the National Dairy Producers Conference. During a two-hour
long session Monday reviewing the prospects of the Farm Bill in general –
and the outlook for the Dairy Security Act in particular – panelists agreed
that the risk management approach embodied in the Dairy Security Act
provides a cost-effective safety net for farmers. University of Minnesota
economist Marin Bozic who participated in the discussion in Indianapolis,
reported that farmers who enroll in the DSA will find that the program
“works as catastrophic risk insurance. It reduces extreme margin risk, as it
pays you the most when you need it the most.”
<more> April 9, 2013 NMPF news release
February dairy export values - - The value of U.S. dairy product exports
remained steady in February, topping $400 million for 23nd time in the past
24 months. At $434 million, exports were down 2% from the January 2013 total
of $441 million, and virtually unchanged from February 2012’s total of $437
million. At $239 million, the value of February 2013 imports was down 17%
from January 2013, and down about 2% from February 2012. The February dairy
trade surplus was $195 million. Fiscal year 2013 (FY ’13, October 2012
through February 2013) exports total $2.103 billion, down about 2% from the
same period in record-setting FY ’12. FY ’13 imports total $1.405 billion,
up about 5% from the same period in FY ’12. The FY ’13 dairy trade surplus
stands at $698 million. At $85 million, February 2013 cheese imports were up
13% from both January 2013 and February 2012. FY ’13 cheese imports total
$517 million, up 9% from the same period in FY ’12. April 11, 2013 Dairy
Business Update
February U.S. alfalfa exports remain strong - - February 2013 U.S.
alfalfa exports declined slightly from January, but remained above 150,000
metric tons for a fifth consecutive month, according to USDA’s Foreign Ag
Service. February alfalfa hay exports totaled 150,494 metric tons. China
took over as the top monthly importer, with 46,429 metric tons, followed by
the United Arab Emirates (UAE), at 44,962 metric tons; and Japan, at 37,289
metric tons. U.S. exports of other hay totaled 164,036 metric tons in
February, the sixth consecutive month above 150,000 metric tons. Japan,
South Korea and UAE were again the top three markets. April 11, 2013
Dairy Business Update
Fonterra Milk Supply Tumbles on Worst N.Z. Drought in 30 Years - - Milk
supplies in New Zealand, the biggest dairy exporter, dropped for a second
month in March as the country’s most widespread drought in at least three
decades curbed production and boosted prices to a record, according to
Fonterra Cooperative Group Ltd. (FCG) Milk collection slumped 16.3 percent
last month from a year earlier and declined 2.3 percent in February,
Auckland-based Fonterra, the world’s largest dairy shipper, said in a
statement today, without providing details. Collections were 2.8 percent
ahead of a year earlier in the 10 months to March 31 at 1.3 million
kilograms of milk solids, it said. A drought across the entire North Island
may cost NZ$2 billion ($1.7 billion) as the conditions threaten economic
growth, the government estimates.
<more> April 10, 2013 Bloomberg
Milk prices expected to keep inching upward - - Class III milk price estimates for 2013 were up slightly in the latest World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates report from the USDA. The report, released on Wednesday morning, showed that Class III milk prices are expected to to average $17.85 to $18.35 per hundredweight this year, compared to last month’s estimate of $17.55 to $18.15. Class IV and All Milk prices are also expected to rise. <more> April 10, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Environmental
News
California’s Fracking Bonanza May Fall Short of Promise - -
California and oil producers such as Occidental Petroleum Corp. (OXY) may
not be able to realize their dream of hydraulic fracturing generating
billions in revenue from the Monterey shale deposit traversing the state.
Earthquakes in the most-populous U.S. state have left the 1,750-square-mile
formation disjointed and too unpredictable to make drilling economic, even
with improving fracking technology, said Jason Marshall, the California
Conservation Department's chief deputy director. The agency regulates the
industry. “None of the companies that have tried it so far have had
significant success, and it doesn’t appear to be widespread,” Marshall said
by e-mail. “It may take an advancement in technology or methodology to
unlock the oil production potential of the formation.”
<more> April 11, 2013 Bloomberg
Kings
County Supes approve letter criticizing water board - - Kings County
supervisors on Tuesday authorized staff to protest proposed new groundwater
regulations for farmers. The rules, feared by local farmers because of their
potentially high cost, have been proposed by the Central Valley Regional
Water Quality Control Board to prevent agricultural fertilizer from
contaminating groundwater with nitrates. Nitrate contamination has made the
water undrinkable in several disadvantaged San Joaquin Valley communities.
The main source of nitrates in the Valley is agricultural fertilizers that
have been applied for decades, according to a 2012 study by the University
of California, Davis. Supervisor Richard Fagundes, a lifelong farmer,
disputed that finding.
<more> April 10, 2013 The Hanford Sentinel
Brown urges China to cut air pollution - - Less than 48 hours after landing in Beijing, Gov. Jerry Brown appealed to an audience in this heavily polluted city today to step up efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, expanding for a global audience on a case he has made for decades in California. "The problem of dealing with climate is not an optional kind of problem," Brown told about 200 people at Tsinghua University in Beijing. "It's mandatory. There is no escape. … Nature doesn't play games." The speech was the most explicit yet in a series of public events Brown arranged to highlight environmental policies while on a week-long trade mission to China. <more> April 11, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
PETA drones a trophy prize for US hunters - - PETA intends to monitor American hunters with drones. Be careful what you wish for. PETA has announced plans to film U.S. hunters with drones, declaring it "will soon have some impressive new weapons at its disposal to combat those who gun down deer and doves." PETA President Ingrid Newkirk, in full rut, said: "Slob hunters may need to rethink the idea that they can get away with murder, alone out there in the woods with no one watching." Apparently close to buying a CineStar Octocopter, which can fly for approximately 20 minutes with a small camera, PETA plans on sending the drone "over factory farms, popular fishing spots, and other venues where animals routinely suffer and die." Bet on it, American hunters will be waiting on incoming PETA drones and there won't be many return flights. <more> April 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Whey value
bill Assembly Ag Committee hearing moved to May 1 - - The Assembly
Agriculture Committee has moved the hearing for AB 31 from April 17 to
Wednesday, May 1. The hearing on AB 31 by Assemblyman Dr. Richard Pan
(D-Sacramento) will begin at 1:30 p.m. in room 126 at the Capitol. The
legislation sponsored by WUD would more closely align the whey value in the
California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. If the bill is approved by the Ag Committee, it will
move to the Assembly Appropriations Committee for fiscal review. If
successful, the bill will move on to the Assembly floor for consideration by
the 80-member chamber. In introducing the legislation, Assemblyman Pan said,
“I am proud to partner with dairy farmers to author legislation so new,
innovative uses of whey result in income for dairies so they can remain
competitive and expand the availability of dairy products. We need to ensure
that dairy farmers can be paid for their products at rates that reflect
their costs and the true market value of dairy products so California
dairies can survive and create jobs in California." April 10, 2013 WUD
News
Immigration talks bog down over numbers - - Senate negotiations to
overhaul the nation's immigration laws have stumbled over the hiring of half
a million migrant farmworkers each year — an issue that is crucial for
California's vast agricultural industry, which employs more farm labor than
any other state. A dispute over how many visas to issue to foreign
farmworkers, and how much to pay them, looms as the chief remaining obstacle
to completion of a draft bill, the focus of intense negotiations on Capitol
Hill since November's election.
<more> April 9, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Senate’s Gang of Eight to announce immigration deal - - The Senate’s
immigration Gang of Eight plans to announce a deal within a week but a
committee markup is not expected until at least the week of May 6, providing
a long period for debate and changes, Senate aides said Tuesday. Aides said
the legislative proposal could be released as soon as Thursday, but is more
likely to be ready early next week. The schedule outlined by the aides is
meant to satisfy Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), who has said repeatedly that he
wants a full debate and amendment process, to maximize the chances that the
final vote is an overwhelming majority.
<more> April 9, 2013 Politico
Taping
of Farm Cruelty Is Becoming the Crime - - On one covert video, farm
workers illegally burn the ankles of Tennessee walking horses with
chemicals. Another captures workers in Wyoming punching and kicking pigs and
flinging piglets into the air. And at one of the country’s largest egg
suppliers, a video shows hens caged alongside rotting bird corpses, while
workers burn and snap off the beaks of young chicks. Each video — all shot
in the last two years by undercover animal rights activists — drew a swift
response: Federal prosecutors in Tennessee charged the horse trainer and
other workers, who have pleaded guilty, with violating the Horse Protection
Act. Local authorities in Wyoming charged nine farm employees with cruelty
to animals. And the egg supplier, which operates in Iowa and other states,
lost one of its biggest customers, McDonald’s, which said the video played a
part in its decision.
<more> April 6, 2013 The New York Times
Name game: Dairy
faces challenges on several fronts - - In late March, a British court
ruled that Chobani could not market “Greek yogurt” in the United Kingdom
unless the yogurt is actually made in Greece. It’s the latest skirmish over
product naming, origin and identity that has the U.S. dairy industry
embroiled on several fronts. It’s not surprising that the Chobani decision
would occur in a European Union (EU) nation. The EU is mounting an offensive
to restrict U.S. exports of feta, mozzarella, parmesan, Romano and cheddar
cheese due to “geographical indications.” Basically, it’s saying Romano
cheese can only come from Italy, feta cheese from Greece, and so on.
<more> April 9, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Dairy Leader Program application deadline April 12 - - The deadline to apply for Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy Leaders Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative, marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette, negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are recognized experts in their field. Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year, applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries. Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
Projected milk output reduced slightly; stronger prices forecast - -
USDA’s World Ag Supply & Demand Estimates (WASDE) report, released April 10,
reduced projected 2013 milk production estimates by about 100 million lbs.
from a month earlier. 2013 production and marketings were projected at 201.8
billion lbs. and 200.8 billion lbs., respectively. If realized, 2013
production and marketings would be up just 0.7% from 2012. The 2013 increase
was cut largely due to a small reduction in first-quarter milk production
per cow. Cow number estimates were unchanged from a month ago. With slightly
lower forecast 2013 milk production and improved domestic product demand,
price forecasts for cheese, butter, nonfat dry milk and whey were raised. As
a result, the Class III price average was forecast in a range of
$17.85-$18.35/cwt.; with the Class IV price projected in a range of
$18.10-$18.70/cwt. The projected all milk price for 2013 is also higher, at
$19.45-$19.95/cwt.
<more> April 10, 2013 Dairy Business
Corn
Traders Brace for a Long Slump - - The corn market was upended last
month when the U.S. government reported unexpectedly high domestic supplies.
Now many investors are bracing for the prospect that the once-hot commodity
will enter a prolonged period of ample stockpiles and lower prices. Corn
futures tumbled 13% over two days after the U.S. Department of Agriculture
said March 28 that existing corn supplies were much higher than analysts had
forecast. That marked the biggest two-day price drop since at least 1959,
according to the Chicago Board of Trade. The USDA on Wednesday will update
its forecast for how much corn the U.S. will have on hand before this fall's
harvest. Analysts expect the government to raise its estimate by about 30%.
<more> April 9, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
CWT
assists with cheese and butter export sales - - Cooperatives Working
Together (CWT) accepted two requests for export assistance to sell 50,706
lbs. of cheddar cheese and 661,387 lbs. of butter to customers in Asia and
the Middle East. The product will be delivered June through October 2013. So
far in 2013, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 47.106 million
lbs. of cheese, 47.145 million lbs. of butter, 44,092 lbs. of anhydrous milk
fat and 218,258 lbs. of whole milk powder to 30 countries on six continents.
These sales are the equivalent of 1.464 billion lbs. of milk on a milkfat
basis, equal to 90% of USDA’s projected increase in milk marketings for all
of 2013. April 10, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Coverage, Analysis of the April 10 USDA Reports - - See all of the report data, coverage and analysis of the April 10 World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates and Crop Production reports. <more> April 10, 2013 Ag Web
Environmental
News
EPA
release of CAFO info draws fire - - The U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency is asking environmentalists to return confidential data about
feedlots, dairies and other operations, but a cattle industry group says the
request is "too little, too late." The EPA has acknowledged that data about
confined animal feeding operations -- called CAFOs -- was turned over to
environmentalists under a Freedom of Information Act request earlier this
year. In a statement, the EPA said "the majority of the data was already
publicly available through state databases, websites and federal and state
permits, or is required to be released under federal or state law."
<more> April 10, 2013 Capital Press
Brown
visits China, California-Quebec carbon trade deal advances -- As he
brings his message of carbon reduction to top officials in China, Gov. Jerry
Brown moved another step closer to broadening California's carbon-trading
market Tuesday. Before crossing the Pacific, the governor sent a letter to
the state Air Resources Board enabling it to move ahead with plans to link
California's carbon-trading market with one in the Canadian province of
Quebec.
<more> April 9, 2013 Los Angeles Times
LOIS
HENRY: Delta tunnel plans have water districts on edge - - As details of
the governor's plan to run water around the Sacramento-San Joaquin delta
through twin tunnels continue to emerge, water districts in Kern that rely
on that state water are having to make some tough decisions. Some districts,
including Kern Delta Water District, have already opted out of the planning
phase, known as the Bay Delta Conservation Plan (BDCP), after having spent
hundreds of thousands thus far on studies without any guarantee of more
water or even just a certain supply.
<more> April 10, 2013 The Bakersfield California
Klamath irrigators to face delay in water deliveries - - Citing low water levels in Upper Klamath Lake, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation has announced a delay in the start of the irrigation season for Klamath Basin farmers. The length of the delay for starting water deliveries, the bureau said last week, depends on the quantity and timing of inflow into the lake. The bureau said it will release a detailed operations plan for the current water year that extends through next February, once it receives a final biological opinion related to Klamath Project operations from the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service. The final biological opinion is expected to be completed next week. <more> April 10, 2013 Ag Alert
Farm
bill focus at Western agriculture conference in Davis May 14 - -
Agricultural leaders and economists will discuss the new Farm Bill and its
impacts on agriculture in the West May 14 at an all-day conference at the UC
Davis Conference Center. Karen Ross, secretary of California Department of
Food and Agriculture and former U.S. Department of Food and Agriculture
chief of staff, and Katy Coba, director of the Oregon Department of
Agriculture, will share their insights on what the Farm Bill is likely to
mean for agriculture in the western states. “The Farm Bill affects every
California commodity,” said Daniel Sumner, director of the UC Agricultural
Issues Center and conference coordinator. “Growers, lenders, agribusiness
executives, policy advisors, agricultural leaders, university professionals,
students and everyone who values comprehensive and objective information
about the upcoming Farm Bill and U.S. farm policy are invited to participate
in the conversation.”
<more> April 10, 2013 Western Farm Press
California beef coupon promotion underway - - The California Beef
Council (CBC) is partnering with 71 small chain and independent retailers in
California on a beef coupon promotion from April 10-23, 2013. The 71
retailers signed on to participate in the promotion when it was announced in
February. Participating retailers will have $2-off Instant Redeemable
Coupons (IRC) on packages of fresh beef for the two-week promotion period.
In addition to the IRCs, retailers were provided with Quick Response (QR)
code labels to include on beef packages. When scanned with a smartphone, the
QR code links to a grilling video, grilling tips and recipes on the
www.BeefItsWhatsForDinner.com
Web site. The CBC also provided Confident Cooking with Beef brochures and a
retail beef cuts chart poster to display near the meat case to help draw
attention to beef during the promotion period. As part of the partnership,
retailers will provide the CBC with beef movement results for the two-week
promotion as well as the two weeks prior and post-promotion for evaluation
purposes. They will also complete and submit an evaluation form to the CBC
to help gauge the promotion’s effectiveness. April 10, 2013 CBC press
release
Wine sales hit a new high - - U.S. wine sales hit a record 360 million cases in 2012, up 2 percent, with an estimated retail value of $34.6 billion, the Wine Institute reported. California wineries accounted for nearly 58 percent, or 208 million cases, of the domestic wine market, although the state's production was down nearly 4 percent because of supply constraints. Including exports, California wine shipments in 2012 totaled 250 million cases, down from nearly 261 million cases in 2011. <more> April 10, 2013 Stockton Record
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Feinstein:
Tentative deal on immigration ag workers
-- A tentative deal has been reached to resolve a dispute between
agriculture workers and growers that was standing in the way of a sweeping
immigration overhaul bill, a key senator said Tuesday. Sen. Dianne
Feinstein, D-Calif., who's taken the lead on negotiating a resolution,
didn't provide details, and said that growers had yet to sign off on the
agreement. The farm workers union has been at odds with the agriculture
industry over worker wages and how many visas should be offered in a new
program to bring agriculture workers to the U.S. But Feinstein said she's
hoping for resolution in the next day or two. "There's a tentative agreement
on a number of things and we're waiting to see if it can get wrapped up,"
Feinstein said in a brief interview at the Capitol. "I'm very hopeful. The
train is leaving the station. We need a bill."
<more> April 9, 2013 AP
Should
AB 31 become law? Yes: This plan to help California dairy farms will cost
you nothing - - By Michael Marsh, CEO, western United Dairymen - -
Three hundred eighty-seven family businesses have shut their doors in
the past five years. The employees were laid off, the equipment sold and
what once were hubs of frenetic commerce are now overgrown with weeds. These
closed family businesses were California dairy farms. A solution ensuring
the survival of the remaining 1,500 California family dairies will cost
consumers nothing. Milk prices in California and outside our state are
regulated. The reasons for these regulated prices are similar. Government
intervention was requested by farmers to stem abusive business practices
employed against them by milk processors.
<more> April 8, 2013 Modesto Bee
LA
Times Editorial: A spat between dairies and cheese makers puts the focus on
how the state regulates milk - - Although the recession drove many
businesses into bankruptcy, times have been particularly hard for the
state's dairy farmers. Almost 400 California dairies have closed in the last
five years — 105 in 2012 alone — plagued by soaring prices for feed and an
antiquated regulatory system that keeps their prices artificially low, at
least in the farmers' view. The right solution for the long term would be to
scrap the current approach in favor of a market-based one, but there's
little political will to take such a disruptive step. Instead, policymakers
are debating ways to help dairymen at the expense of cheese makers — and
their customers. The government has long meddled with the markets for
agricultural products in an effort to sustain farmers, but its role in dairy
products is extreme. The federal government and numerous states set minimum
prices that milk bottlers and dairy processors — the companies that make
cheese, butter and other products from milk — pay for the raw milk they buy.
Processors can opt out of the federal system, but in California, all buyers
of Grade A milk must pay the minimum price applicable to the category of
product they're making. Cheese makers pay the lowest price, bottlers the
highest.
<more> April 9, 2013 LA Times
CalChamber
calls out 32 "job killer" bills this year - -
The California Chamber of
Commerce is out with its annual list of "job killer" bills today, bestowing
the title on 32 pieces of legislation authored by legislative Democrats.
Measures to raise the minimum wage, increase penalties on polluters, ban
disposable food containers, put a stop to hydraulic fracturing and lower the
vote requirement for tax increases were among those CalChamber has labeled
"job killers." "California policy makers should keep their focus on the
number one issues affecting their constituents - economic recovery and job
creation," said a statement from the group's president Allan Zaremberg, who
is in China this week with Gov. Jerry Brown.
<more> Sacramento Bee April 9, 2013
Dairy Leader Program application deadline April 12 - - The deadline to apply for Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy Leaders Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative, marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette, negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are recognized experts in their field. Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year, applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries. Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
No Clear Winner
in Dairy Bills - -
Analysis of the two competing Farm Bill dairy titles shows no clear economic
winner. Sometimes the Dairy Security Act (DSA), which includes a market
stabilization program, provides more net revenue. Other times, the so-called
Goodlatte/Scott amendment (G/S) which contains no market stabilization
program, provides more. The analysis is presented by Marin Bozic, a
University of Minnesota dairy economist. But the work was done in
collaboration with Michigan State, Ohio State and the University of
Wisconsin. The analysis was based on March 15, 2015 futures prices. The
economists assumed 75% participation in both programs. For a 150-cow dairy,
the returns under DSA range from $59/cow to $82 depending on the level of
supplemental margin insurance selected. Under G/S, they range from $64 to
$98.
<more> April 9, 2013 theglobaldairy.com
Milk Powder
Climbs to Fresh Record as Drought Hits N.Z. Supply
- - Whole milk powder climbed to
a record as New Zealand’s most widespread drought in at least 30 years curbs
supply in the world’s largest exporter, according to Fonterra Cooperative
Group Ltd. Powder for June delivery gained 12.8 percent, according to a
trade-weighted index on the company’s Global Dairy Trade website. The
near-term contract for New Zealand product rose to $5,998 a metric ton. The
previous record was $5,313 on March 19. A drought declared across the entire
North Island including Waikato province, the country’s biggest milk
producer, may cost NZ$2 billion ($1.7 billion) as the dry conditions
threaten economic growth, the government estimates. Growth in milk volumes
will probably be unchanged this year after expanding 6 percent in the six
months through January as the drought hurts production, Fonterra chief
executive officer Theo Spierings said March 27.
<more> April 9, 2013 Dairy Today
Bullish On Dairy - - by Jim Dickrell, editor, Dairy Today - -
There’s no other way to put it: Doug Wilson is bullish on dairy. Wilson is
CEO of Cooperative Resources International (CRI), the holding
company/cooperative of Genex and AgSource. Wilson spoke at CRI’s 20th annual
meeting late last month in Bloomington, Minn. In his report to members,
Wilson doesn’t ignore the hurdles dairy farmers face with feed prices,
globalization and price volatility. But Wilson is convinced U.S.
agriculture—farmers and the businesses that supply them—is poised for a
prosperous future. Global food demand, due to growing populations and rising
incomes—will increase 70% over the next 40 years.
<more> April 9, 2013 Dairy Today
Corn Boom Goes Bust With U.S. Sales in Record Drop - - The record collapse in U.S. corn exports and shrinking domestic demand are leaving more grain in silos, spurring a bear market just eight months after drought drove prices to an all-time high. Stockpiles will be 836 million bushels (21.2 million metric tons) on Aug. 31, or 32 percent more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast last month, according to the average of 35 analyst estimates compiled by Bloomberg. Export sales from the world’s largest grower and shipper fell 54 percent in the year that began Sept. 1, heading for the biggest annual drop in government data that starts in 1960. The USDA says output will rebound as farmers plant the most acres in 77 years. Futures fell 23 percent from their peak in August, joining wheat and soybeans in bear markets as global food costs tracked by the United Nations fell for five consecutive months. <more> April 9, 2013 Bloomberg News
Environmental
News
Fracking bill passes CA Senate committee - - A bill to more tightly
regulate the drilling process called hydraulic fracturing passed the
California Senate Natural Resources and Water Committee on a 6-2 vote
Tuesday. Fracking, as the extraction technique is commonly called, has
become a flash point for environmental advocates as the process has become
more commonplace in recent years. California is in the incipient stages of
regulating fracking -- shooting a mix of chemicals, sand and water deep
underground. Skeptics argue that fracking could endanger public health by
contaminating water public water supplies. Sen. Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills,
the author of Senate Bill 4, called the bill a needed mechanism for holding
the energy industry accountable.
<more> April 9, 2013 Sacramento Bee
Farmers urged
not to put off joining effort to cut nitrates
-- The deadline is fast
approaching for farmers to sign up under the state's groundwater-quality
management program, which requires growers to keep "nitrogen budgets."
Preliminary data suggest that hundreds, if not thousands, of commercial
agricultural landowners have yet to sign up under the program. Farmers in
the Eastern San Joaquin River Watershed who are not registered by May 13
could face fines and penalties, according to officials with the Central
Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board. "We'd be looking at a formal
order telling them they need to get regulatory coverage," said Joe Karkoski,
chief of the Irrigated Lands Regulatory Program for the regional water
board. "Then if they fail to do that, we could issue fines."
<more> April 9, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
Environmental stewardship classes offered in Merced in April 23 and April 30
- - The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program is offering free
classes in environmental stewardship in Merced April 23 and April 30. The
workshops will be held Tuesday, April 23 and Tuesday April 30, from 1 to 4
p.m. at the Merced County Cooperative Extension Classroom, 2145 Wardrobe
Avenue, Merced. The two-part series of classes (three hours each), known as
the Environmental Stewardship Short Course, will be taught by Dr. Deanne
Meyer, livestock waste management specialist at UC Davis. This will be the
only six-hour class offered in water quality by CDQAP this year. Producers
can attend all or part of the Short Course to meet the education
requirements. The classes cover environmental issues, regulatory
requirements and management practices for dairy producers. For producers
interested in certifying their facility, the same person from the dairy
facility must attend all six hours of water quality education.
<more> April 9, 2013 WUD news
Modesto
Irrigation District proposal to raise ag water rates fails
- - A proposal to raise farmers'
water bills by 10 percent failed this morning at the hands of a sharply
divided Modesto Irrigation District board. But farmers could face an even
steeper increase in coming weeks or months. The issue is framed by
contention over a longstanding practice of electricity customers paying
extra to keep irrigation rates artificially low. Board member Larry Byrd, a
rancher, despises the polarizing argument and questions the rationale used
to calculate the perceived subsidy.
<more> April 9, 2013 Modesto Bee
West Side farmers to benefit from water agreement - - In the face of major cuts to their water supply, West Side farmers received good news this week after two irrigation districts agreed to sell Stanislaus River water that will be available to many local farm water districts. Oakdale Irrigation District’s board of directors agreed Tuesday, April 2, to sell up to 40,000 acre-feet of river water to the San Luis and Delta-Mendota Water Authority and the state Department of Water Resources. South San Joaquin Irrigation District’s board agreed to sell the same amount to those agencies on March 26. The agreement will aid the water authority’s 29 agencies in the western San Joaquin Valley and San Benito and Santa Clara counties, including most irrigation districts on the West Side. The extra water comes during a critically dry year when West Side farmers have only been allowed to draw up to 20 percent of their full federal Central Valley Project water allotments from the Delta-Mendota Canal. <more> April 9, 2013 Patterson Irrigator
Pistachio growers' $1.5M gift to fund Fresno State position - - Pistachios will be given more attention at Fresno State thanks to a $1.5 million gift to establish a new faculty position at the university. The grant, given by the California Pistachio Research Board, will create an endowed professorship in pistachio physiology and pomology position in Fresno State's Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology. Specifically, the faculty member, yet to be selected, will be Fresno State's go-to expert when dealing with the molecular and biological components of pistachios and the science of cultivating the crop. <more> April 9, 2013 Fresno Business Journal
Monday, April 8, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Should
AB 31 become law? Yes: This plan to help California dairy farms will cost
you nothing - - By Michael Marsh, CEO, western United Dairymen - -
Three hundred eighty-seven family businesses have shut their doors in
the past five years. The employees were laid off, the equipment sold and
what once were hubs of frenetic commerce are now overgrown with weeds. These
closed family businesses were California dairy farms. A solution ensuring
the survival of the remaining 1,500 California family dairies will cost
consumers nothing. Milk prices in California and outside our state are
regulated. The reasons for these regulated prices are similar. Government
intervention was requested by farmers to stem abusive business practices
employed against them by milk processors.
<more> April 8, 2013 Modesto Bee
Immigration talks between California farm groups hit impasse - - They
met behind closed doors over the past four months in the Capitol Hill office
of California's senior senator, carving out details of what could be a
landmark change for agriculture-based immigration. Now, however, California
growers and farmworkers have hit an impasse, and they are running out of
time to agree on a program that could affect hundreds of thousands of
farmworkers nationwide. "Our window is closing quickly," said Tom Nassif,
president of the Western Growers Association, which temporarily pulled out
of talks with the United Farm Workers after both sides refused to budge on
minimum wages and other regulations for a new temporary visa program. The
stalled talks threaten to leave agriculture out of the comprehensive
immigration bill expected next week from a bipartisan Senate group. But U.S.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-San Francisco, said in an emailed statement Friday
"we are close to a resolution, and it is my intention to wrap this up next
week."
<more> April 6, 2013 San Jose Mercury News
Immigration
Reform: The Coming Fight Over The Low-Skilled Worker Visa
- - At the heart of a
soon-to-be-released bipartisan compromise on immigration reform is a
controversial proposal that would create several new government bureaus and
offices to oversee a new generation of legal, low-skilled immigrants—as many
as 200,000 a year when the program gets up and running. The proposal tries
to address the ultimate cause of illegal immigration: not merely porous
borders or unscrupulous employers, but the immutable fact that jobs here pay
better here than ones back there. When Washington has tried to end illegal
immigration in the past, Congress has ignored that simple labor market
reality. This time, surprisingly, instead of trying to stop the illegal flow
of low-skilled foreign workers to unfilled American jobs by increasing
penalties and enforcement, the bipartisan bloc of Senators proposes to
legalize it, in part.
<more> April 8,2013 Time.com
Immigration proposal could be delayed - - A bipartisan Senate group on
immigration legislation is attempting to craft an agreement so secure that
the eight members will oppose amendments to its core provisions, an
arrangement that could delay the introduction of a bill, people familiar
with the negotiations said. The senators had said they hoped to present
their proposals this week, but Republican members expressed skepticism about
that timetable Sunday. The group continues to negotiate issues related to
new visa programs for agricultural and high-tech workers and has not reached
agreement on a guest-worker program for low-skilled foreign laborers, said
the individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private
deliberations.
<more> April 8, 2013 Washington Post
All about immigration: Green cards? Citizenship? - - This may be the year Congress decides what to do about the millions of immigrants living illegally in the U.S. And this may be the week when a bipartisan group of senators makes public details of the overhaul plan it has been negotiating for months. But what will that be? Why now? And who are all these immigrants, once you get past the big round numbers? Here is a big dose of facts, figures and other information to help understand the current debate over immigration. <more> April 6, 2013 AP
Water
supply forecast drops for Valley's east-side growers - - The dry winter
has forced more farm water cutbacks in the San Joaquin Valley -- this time
for 15,000 east-side growers. The growers, who get water from Millerton
Lake, learned Friday they will get only 55% of their highest-priority water.
In February, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation had forecast 65%. Two weeks ago,
the bureau dropped the west-side allotment from 25% to 20% as federal
officials cope with the second subpar winter in a row. East Valley water
leaders say the allocation cutbacks do not surprise them.
<more> April 5, 2013 Fresno Bee
Relief, resolve greet recommended rail route - - For local residents
opposed to high-speed rail, it’s been an open question about which group of
people would feel the brunt as the California High-Speed Rail Authority
considered two possible routes through Kings County — one west and one east
of Hanford. Turns out it will mostly likely be those living, running
businesses and owning property along the alignment between Hanford and
Armona. That was the route California High-Speed Rail Authority staff
recommended to board members on Thursday, with a final vote expected at the
next board meeting on May 2. That means dairies, farmers and residents along
the potential alignment east of town will be spared. Authority staff said
that possible route has more negative impacts. The route west of Hanford was
selected in part to deliberately avoid dairies, because they are high-value
agricultural operations that are difficult to split up or relocate.
<more> April 5, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Dairy Leader
Program application deadline April 12
- - The deadline to apply for
Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy
Leaders
Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s
dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted
to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative,
marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible
participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the
necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to
commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The
year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth
environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing
and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and
public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their
leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette,
negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are
recognized experts in their field.
Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year,
applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries.
Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given
year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be
submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications
by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded
by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for
further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
Gillibrand, Collins pushing milk-pricing reform bill - - Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., and Susan Collins, R-Maine, plan to introduce a bill on Tuesday to reform the federal milk marketing order system. The bill is part of a comprehensive plan to provide a fair safety net for farmers and improve dairy product inventory reporting and transparency, said Bethany Lesser, Gillibrand's director of communications. But the senators are likely face an uphill battle on federal order reform, due to processor opposition and producer apprehension. <more> April 8, 2013 Capital Press
Environmental
News
Tulare
County farmers expect to depend on well water - - Ron Jacobsma certainly
wasn’t expecting good news during Friday’s Friant Water Authority meeting in
Visalia. That joint meeting of the authority’s Advisory Committee and Policy
and Legislative Committee included an informal announcement by the U.S.
Bureau of Reclamation that the overall allocation of water during the spring
and summer months to the farms and communities getting water from the Friant-Kern
Canal would be about 35 percent of the historical average. That’s down from
the 40 percent allotment the bureau announced in February.
<more> April 6, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
State water tunnel plans call for rerouting of 3 Delta highways for years - - The state of California's proposal to build two massive water diversion tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a major undertaking by itself. But the current plans also call for rerouting and reconfiguring three state highways to handle a decade of heavy construction traffic. Conceptual engineering documents obtained by The Bee illustrate detours on Highway 160 in Sacramento County around each of three huge water intakes proposed for the project, called the Bay Delta Conservation Plan. <more> April 7, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
The Iron Lady's remarkable U.S. legacy - - Margaret Thatcher shaped a generation of liberals and conservatives, tugging the left to the middle and enjoying a civic canonization of sorts on the right. And that’s just in the United States. Thatcher, who succumbed to a stroke Monday at 87, arguably impacted the course of American politics more than any other elected foreign leader in modern times. Along with her comrade-in-arms Ronald Reagan, the former British Prime Minister ushered in a free market consensus in the 1980s and 1990s that liberals eventually concluded had to be accommodated not thwarted. <more> April 8, 2013 Politico

Dairy Meetings
Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise April 16-17 - -
Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
is sponsoring the 2013 Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise on April
16-17. The purpose of this symposium is to have a round-table exchange on
the status of air quality research, demonstration projects, and pending
regulations in the west, and to plan for coordination of research efforts
among states and groups. This symposium brings together researchers,
regulators and policy advocates from universities, USDA, EPA, regional air
regulatory agencies and industry organizations. The hotel reservation
deadline is March 21. Registration is $75 per person. Registration
information is available by contacting Kathi Schiffler at (209) 527-6453 or
kschiffler@westernuniteddairymen.com.
Feb. 22, 2013 WUD
Friday Update
Environmental
stewardship classes offered in Merced in April 23 and April 30 - -
The California Dairy Quality
Assurance Program is offering free classes in environmental stewardship in
Merced April 23 and April 30. The workshops will be held Tuesday, April 23
and Tuesday April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Merced County Cooperative
Extension Classroom, 2145 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced. The two-part series
of classes (three hours each), known as the Environmental Stewardship Short
Course, will be taught by Dr. Deanne Meyer, livestock waste management
specialist at UC Davis. This will be the only six-hour class offered in
water quality by CDQAP this year. Producers can attend all or part of the
Short Course to meet the education requirements. The classes cover
environmental issues, regulatory requirements and management practices for
dairy producers. For producers interested in certifying their facility, the
same person from the dairy facility must attend all six hours of water
quality education.
<more>
March 8, 2013 WUD Friday Update
14th MJC Dairy Springer Heifer Sale April 13- - Modesto Junior College will host its 14th Springer Heifer Sale on Saturday, April 13 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. All the heifers included in the sale were donated by local dairy families who support the growth and development of the MJC dairy program. Students began working with the group of heifers during the fall of 2012; breaking, grooming, and learning about conformation features. Top A.I. Holstein bulls including Planet, Super, Metior, Iota, and Shan along with Jersey bulls Zegion and Attorney, were used as service sires. Of the springers included in the sale, 22 are scheduled to calve the end of October. The primary benefit of the program is to give students a “hands-on” approach to raising heifers. Income from the project funds future heifer programs, scholarships, facility upgrades and many dairy club activities. For more information email hobbyb@mjc.edu
California Dairy Families: Making a Difference Today for Tomorrow's Generations
Visit our Video Channel .Watch WUD members talk about how they meet the environmental challenges facing the California dairy industry. Hear about their pride in their farming heritage and the contributions they make to their communities. Also visit the California Milk Advisory Board's website which features many WUD dairy families talking about the rewards and heartaches of dairy farming.
Friday, April 5, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
WUD President
Barcellos outlines need for whey value bill on FoxBusiness News - -
Western United Dairymen
President
Tom Barcellos spoke to a national TV audience yesterday in an interview on
FoxBusiness News outlining the need for passage of AB 31, (click
here to view the video) which would more closely align the whey value in
the California 4b formula with the regulated minimum price for whey found in
surrounding states. The bill will be heard on April 17 by the Assembly
Agriculture Committee at 1:30 p.m. in Room 126 at the Capitol. The
legislation is authored by Assemblyman Richard Pan (D-Sacramento.) April
5, 2013 FoxBusiness News
Path to Citizenship Divides Congress and, Polls
Show, Confuses Country - - A path to citizenship for the 11 million
immigrants living in the country illegally has become central to the debate
on overhauling the immigration system, but recent polls have indicated that
many Americans are still making up their minds on the issue, with doubts
persisting about what such a path would mean in practice. The debate could
move into high gear next week when a bipartisan group in the Senate is
expected to introduce a broad bill, including proposals to allow immigrants
here illegally to gain legal status and eventually become citizens. A
bipartisan group in the House is also in the final stages of preparing a
comprehensive bill. In six nationwide nonpartisan polls released since
January, at least 70 percent of Americans said they supported options
allowing those immigrants to remain in the country with some form of legal
status. Generally only about one-quarter of those polled said the immigrants
should not be allowed to stay.
<more> April 4, 2013 The New York Times
Plan Eyes Fast Green Cards for Farmworkers -
- Farmworkers in the U.S. illegally could earn a green card in as few as
three years – much sooner than other unauthorized immigrants – under a
bipartisan Senate immigration plan. The proposal would allow agricultural
workers to gain permanent legal status, otherwise known as a green card, in
three to 10 years, depending on how long they commit to working in the farm
industry, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. The Senate
plan allows most other immigrants in the U.S. illegally to qualify permanent
legal status after a decade.
<more> April 5, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Legislation needs deal on visas for farm labor
- - An immigration deal for the farmworkers who harvest the bulk of U.S.
fruits and vegetables poses one of the most-elusive, and -essential,
challenges to an attempt by lawmakers to recast the nation’s immigration
laws. As negotiators near agreement on future visas for lower-skilled and
higher-skilled workers, programs for largely seasonal, lower-paid
agricultural laborers are being negotiated by the American Farm Bureau
Federation, the United Farm Workers and groups representing companies. An
estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants live in the United States.
About 25 percent of the farm work force is unauthorized — that’s more than
300,000 workers without papers — according to a Pew Hispanic Center study in
2009.
<more> April 5, 2013 Bloomberg News
Conservative groups back immigration reform -
- High-profile conservative groups are taking on an unexpected cause:
passing immigration reform. A diverse mix of the Washington consultant class
is cutting TV ads, revving up the grassroots and advising lawmakers on
messaging and strategy in hopes of getting a bill across the finish line
this year. The surprising effort is a new element to the immigration debate
— and one that could influence Republican lawmakers reluctant to support the
cause.
<more> April 5, 2013 Politico
Fresno rail meeting gives Valley opponents a
platform - - More than 200 people crammed their way into Fresno City
Hall on Thursday, making the most of their chance to tell the California
High-Speed Rail Authority how they feel about plans for a statewide
high-speed train system and proposed routes through the San Joaquin Valley.
Board members heard from planners about four options being considered for a
Y-shaped junction in the Chowchilla area, where high-speed rails from the
Bay Area would merge with the main north-south line through the Valley.
<more> April 4, 2013 Fresno Bee
Paul
Martin honored for WUD service at convention - - Paul Martin, former
Western United Dairymen Director of
Environmental
Services, was recognized at WUD’s annual convention for his many years of
service to the association. He was presented by WUD President Tom
Barcellos with a plaque commending his service as director of environmental
services at Western United Dairymen from 2000 to 2012. Martin in September
2012 was appointed by Gov. Brown as deputy director of permit assistance in
the Governor’s
Click
here to view the WUD Convention 2013 photo album.
Office of Business and Economic Development. The agency is tasked with
streamlining services for business leaders and enhancing job creation,
economic development and international trade statewide. He was a field
representative for Western United Dairymen from 1999 to 2000 and owner and
operator of Paul and Jill Martin Dairy from 1976 to 1999. Martin was a
partner at Claude Martin and Son Dairy from 1969 to 1976. He is a member of
the United States Department of Agriculture Agricultural Air Quality Task
Force and serves on the Farm, Ranch and Rural Communities Federal Advisory
Committee of the United States Environmental Protection Agency. April 5,
2013 WUD news
Dairy Leader
Program application deadline April 12
- - The deadline to apply for
Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy
Leaders
Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s
dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted
to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative,
marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible
participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the
necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to
commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The
year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth
environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing
and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and
public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their
leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette,
negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are
recognized experts in their field.
Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year,
applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries.
Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given
year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be
submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications
by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded
by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for
further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
Ethanol’s
Discount to Gasoline Widens Below-Average Inventory - - Ethanol
strengthened against gasoline a day after a U.S. Energy Information
Administration reported record low inventory for this time of year. The
spread tightened 2.63 cents to 47.57 cents a gallon as the Energy
Department’s analytical arm said stockpiles of the fuel last week rose 0.2
percent to 17.5 million barrels, from the lowest level since the week ended
Dec. 9, 2011. Inventories are 22 percent lower than a year ago. “There’s a
lot of demand in the front for prompt product,” said Jim Damask, a manager
at StarFuels Inc. in Jupiter, Florida. “They must be ripping right through
supply.”
<more> April 4, 2013 Bloomberg
Corn, Soybean Prices Continue Downward Spiral
- - Agricultural commodity prices were mixed this week as both corn and
soybean prices were lower, while wheat prices were modestly higher. Spot
corn prices were down just over $.65 per bu. this week, ending the week at
$6.29, their lowest close since last June 2012. Prices continue to react to
last week’s bearish USDA stocks data along with continued weak demand. New
crop December 2013 corn prices were down only $.03 ½ per bu. at $5.38 ½.
<more> April 5, 2013 Ag Web
Lee Mielke: Milk prices have bottomed out for
year - - Farm milk prices slipped for the fifth month in a row but have
likely bottomed out for 2013. The USDA announced the March Federal order
Class III price at $16.93 per hundredweight (cwt.), down 32 cents from
February but $1.21 above March 2012, $1.91 above California's 4b cheese milk
price even with the state's temporary price increase, and equates to $1.46
per gallon. The March Class IV price is $17.75, unchanged from February and
$2.40 above a year ago.
<more> April 5, 2013 Capital Press
Fluid milk sales continue to slip - - There were 4.4 billion pounds of packaged fluid milk products sold in the United States in January, 1.4 percent less than in January of 2012. After adjusting for the calendar, sales were 2.1 percent below a year ago. Total sales of conventional fluid milk products was down 1.4 percent while total sales of organic fluid milk products decreased 1.8 percent compared to January 2012. Sales of organic milk products totaled 189 million pounds in January, down 1.8 percent from a year ago. USDA Ag Market News says organic whole milk sales were up 7.2 percent at 51 million pounds. The national weighted average advertised price of a half-gallon of organic milk was $3.59 last week, down 6 cents from two weeks ago. That is $1.55 above the average price for a half-gallon of conventional milk. The price spread was $2.35 two weeks ago. April 5, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Democrats urge Brown to consider alternative to water project - - A group of nearly two dozen Democrats is challenging Gov. Jerry Brown's proposal to build a massive water project in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. On Thursday, 22 lawmakers from districts throughout the state released a letter urging the Brown administration to consider an alternative to the most ambitious water supply project proposed in California in decades. Brown's still-evolving proposal calls for the construction of two massive tunnels beneath the delta to transport water south, in addition to the restoration of tens of thousands of acres of delta habitat. Opponents, including farmers and a number of conservation groups, argue that the plan could sully irrigation water, endanger fish and rob the ecosystem of needed flows. <more> April 4, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Antibiotics, Farm Animals and You - - Farmers
and ranchers share consumer concerns about antibiotic-resistant bacteria and
are continuously improving herd health practices to minimize risk. About a
third of livestock antibiotics used today are not used at all in human
medicine. And in accordance with the Food and Drug Administration’s Guidance
209 and 213, antibiotics important to human medicine used for growth
purposes will be eliminated from farm use within three years. There is no
proven link to antibiotic treatment failure in humans because of antibiotic
use in animals for consumption — a critical point that is often missed.
<more> April 4, 2013 The New York Times
Protein tops list of nutrition trends - - Protein is more important than ever, which is evident in the latest nutrition trends from the Dairy Council of California. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal found that shoppers are reaching for products that promote protein. See, “When the Box Says 'Protein,' Shoppers Say 'I'll Take It'.” And the trend will likely continue to dominate the dairy consumer, too. “Milk protein is positioned positively as a high-quality protein,” the Dairy Council of California wrote. “The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations recently recommended a new method of measuring protein quality, which showcases dairy’s protein profile even more strongly.” Protein is just one of the hot food trends in 2013. <more> April 4, 2013 Dairy Herd Network

Dairy Meetings
Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise April 16-17 - -
Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
is sponsoring the 2013 Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise on April
16-17. The purpose of this symposium is to have a round-table exchange on
the status of air quality research, demonstration projects, and pending
regulations in the west, and to plan for coordination of research efforts
among states and groups. This symposium brings together researchers,
regulators and policy advocates from universities, USDA, EPA, regional air
regulatory agencies and industry organizations. The hotel reservation
deadline is March 21. Registration is $75 per person. Registration
information is available by contacting Kathi Schiffler at (209) 527-6453 or
kschiffler@westernuniteddairymen.com.
Feb. 22, 2013 WUD
Friday Update
Environmental
stewardship classes offered in Merced in April 23 and April 30 - -
The California Dairy Quality
Assurance Program is offering free classes in environmental stewardship in
Merced April 23 and April 30. The workshops will be held Tuesday, April 23
and Tuesday April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Merced County Cooperative
Extension Classroom, 2145 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced. The two-part series
of classes (three hours each), known as the Environmental Stewardship Short
Course, will be taught by Dr. Deanne Meyer, livestock waste management
specialist at UC Davis. This will be the only six-hour class offered in
water quality by CDQAP this year. Producers can attend all or part of the
Short Course to meet the education requirements. The classes cover
environmental issues, regulatory requirements and management practices for
dairy producers. For producers interested in certifying their facility, the
same person from the dairy facility must attend all six hours of water
quality education.
<more>
March 8, 2013 WUD Friday Update
14th MJC Dairy Springer Heifer Sale April 13- - Modesto Junior College will host its 14th Springer Heifer Sale on Saturday, April 13 from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. All the heifers included in the sale were donated by local dairy families who support the growth and development of the MJC dairy program. Students began working with the group of heifers during the fall of 2012; breaking, grooming, and learning about conformation features. Top A.I. Holstein bulls including Planet, Super, Metior, Iota, and Shan along with Jersey bulls Zegion and Attorney, were used as service sires. Of the springers included in the sale, 22 are scheduled to calve the end of October. The primary benefit of the program is to give students a “hands-on” approach to raising heifers. Income from the project funds future heifer programs, scholarships, facility upgrades and many dairy club activities. For more information email hobbyb@mjc.edu
Thursday, April 4, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
White
House supports accelerated pace on immigration bill - - White House
Press Secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday that the administration would
support an accelerated process in the Senate to vote on a comprehensive
immigration reform bill if a bipartisan proposal is offered this month as
expected. Carney was reacting to reports that Judiciary Committee Chairman
Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) has said he wants to speed up the amendment process,
known as markup, for a bill being drafted by an eight-member group that is
expected to include a path to citizenship for the nation’s 11 million
illegal immigrants. “We’ll leave it to the chairman and other leaders in the
Senate to decide on the process, but the president has made clear that he
believes there is no reason to delay this process, no reason to postpone
it,” Carney said en route to Denver, where Obama was schedule to deliver
remarks on efforts to curb gun violence.
<more> April 3, 2013 The Washington Post
Calif.
bill requires developers to preserve farmland - - A group that promotes
farmland preservation is backing a bill in the Legislature that would force
developers to compensate for their conversions of agricultural land.
Assembly Bill 823 would require builders to match the acres converted from
farmland to development with conservation easements that would preserve
other plots of land in perpetuity. The bill would allow no exemptions for
solar panels or state development projects, nor does it exempt land that was
left fallow because of a lack of water.
<more> April 4, 2013 Capital Press
Dairy
Security Act Would Have Increased Farm Milk Prices More Than $1.00 Per Cwt.
- - Milk prices for Midwest dairy farmers would have been more than $1.00
per cwt. higher last year if the proposed federal Dairy Security Act (DSA)
program had been available to them, a national dairy industry official told
cooperative farm leaders gathered here Wednesday for the Minnesota-Wisconsin
Dairy Policy Conference. Jim Mulhern, Chief Operating Officer for the
National Milk Producers Federation and a Wisconsin native, said a farmer
with 200 cows, who purchased margin coverage at a level of $6.50 per cwt.,
would have received more than $44,000 in additional payments in 2012 under
the Dairy Security Act that is now pending before Congress.
<more> April 4, 2013 Dairy Today
Ryan
Gosling stands up for cows, joins PETA in urging milk producers to stop
dehorning animals - - He’s not milking his fame, but Ryan Gosling is
lending his name to the cause of cows. The 32-year-old actor sent a letter
this week to the National Milk Producers Federation urging the group to
advocate against the industry practice of removing calves’ horns. He asks
that they help stop what he calls a “barbaric practice” by requiring farmers
to breed naturally hornless cattle. The letter was released Wednesday by
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. Gosling has worked with the
group before in its campaign urging KFC to adopt more humane methods of
slaughtering chickens.
<more> April 3, 2013 AP
Despite years of advocacy, some farmworker housing still deplorable - -
The stories that Dario Gutierrez, a native of Mexico City, would hear before
arriving in Oxnard two years ago prompted him to make the dangerous trek to
the United States illegally. People here, he recalls hearing, earn enough to
live comfortably. “Dicen que aquí se barre el dinero en la calle.”—They say
here, people can sweep money off the streets. The saying has prompted flows
of people from Mexico and other parts of Latin America to migrate north for
work in California’s bountiful agriculture industry. They hope for upward
mobility. But the reality for many toiling in the $44.3 billion industry is
different. Poor pay, which characterizes the farmworker labor force, has
left many struggling to find adequate and safe housing.
<more>
April 4, 2013 HealthyCal.org
Dairy Leader
Program application deadline April 12
- - The deadline to apply for
Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy
Leaders
Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s
dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted
to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative,
marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible
participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the
The current Dairy Leader class was recognized at the WUD convention last
week.
Click
here to view the WUD Convention 2013 photo album.
necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to
commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The
year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth
environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing
and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and
public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their
leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette,
negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are
recognized experts in their field.
Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year,
applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries.
Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given
year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be
submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications
by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded
by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for
further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
California’s
Quota Quandary - - As California’s dairy producers consider adopting a
Federal Milk Marketing Order (FMMO), they’ve made one thing clear: They’re
not willing to relinquish their quota entitlements, valued statewide at $1
billion. Quota has been part of California’s state milk pricing system for
more than 40 years. Owning quota entitles producers to as much as $1.70 per
cwt. of additional income. "[Quota] selling prices move with each
transaction made," says Eric Erba, senior vice president with California
Dairies Inc. (CDI). Most recent prices are about $420 per pound, but
typically range from $400 to $500. But how to incorporate quota into
California’s FMMO has raised questions, since no other federal order area
except Virginia, includes a similar pricing entitlement.
<more> April 4, 2013 Dairy Today
NASS
to provide milk production estimates, but not cow numbers, milk per cow
- - Partial monthly U.S. milk production estimates will resume for the
remainder of fiscal year 2013 (FY ’13), USDA’s National Agricultural
Statistics Service (NASS) announced April 3. The monthly Milk Production
report had been suspended to meet budget sequestration requirements. NASS
will not conduct two remaining quarterly milk producer surveys normally
scheduled to obtain the information. Instead, NASS will use only various
sources of administrative data to establish the monthly milk production
estimates. Therefore, dairy cow and milk per cow statistics that were
provided in previous reports will not be available. A scientifically based
statistical survey will be necessary in the longer term, NASS said.
<more> April 4, 2013 Dairy Business
March
base milk prices mixed - - The March base milk prices were mixed, Class
II base comes in at $18.82 per hundredweight, up 33 cents from February and
$2.62 above March of last year. The Class III base is down 32 cents from
February at $16.93 but $1.19 above a year ago. Class IV base for March milk
is $17.75, unchanged from February and $2.40 above a year ago. Component
prices per pound: butterfat $1.7476, protein $2.8204, nonfat solids $1.3395
and other solids at $0.4179. Cash cheese prices continued their push upward
on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange on Thursday. Barrels gained 2 cents,
blocks increased 4.5 cents. There were ten sales, five for barrels and five
for blocks but the market was set by five unfilled bids. Cash butter gained
a nickel and Grade A nonfat dry milk increased 3.25 cents. April 4, 2013
Brownfield Ag News
Corn-Price Drop Won’t Deter Sugar Buys for Ethanol, Vilsack Says - -
Corn’s 25 percent drop from a record reached in August won’t affect possible
purchases of sugar for use in ethanol as the government tries to stem a
sweetener glut, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said. A projected record
corn harvest won’t influence the U.S. Department of Agriculture as it
decides whether to purchase sugar for use in ethanol plants, potentially
increasing a glut of the grain while decreasing sugar inventories, Vilsack
said yesterday in an interview. The agency is required to manage sugar
supplies under federal law, and biofuel use is one tool to prop up prices
that are approaching levels at which the government is required to buy up
inventories, he said.
<more> April 2, 2013 Bloomberg
Analysts predict sustained drop in feed prices, weather willing - - Last week's USDA report showing that more corn will be planted this year and the amount in storage was more than anticipated sent prices tumbling by more than 15 percent in a few days. That was bad news for corn farmers, who had been reaping near-record prices, but it also sent a wave of optimism through the livestock industry, which has struggled with high feed prices. Corn is not only a major ingredient in livestock feed, but it drives the prices of soybeans and other commodities used in feed. At 97.3 million acres, corn planting intentions are a little higher than last year's planted acreage and 6 percent above 2011. If realized, this year's corn acreage will be the largest since 1936, said Darrel Good, ag economist with the University of Illinois. <more> April 4, 2013 Western Farm Press
Environmental
News
Merced
researcher: Cows' diet can hurt soil, groundwater - - When it comes to a
cow's diet, many dairy farmers err on the side of caution, often feeding
their cows more salts and other minerals than are necessary, according to a
report in the Journal of Dairy Science. While ingesting unnecessary minerals
may have little direct effect on cows, inadequate amounts of these essential
nutrients can cause a host of health problems and reduce productivity.
However, the practice of overfeeding salts and other minerals to cows can
negatively affect soil and groundwater quality, according to report author
Alejandro Castillo, a University of California Cooperative Extension
researcher in Merced.
<more> April 3, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
Foes
of governor’s tunnel scheme to hold funeral - - Opponents of Gov. Jerry
Brown's scheme to build giant tunnels that would drain water from the
Sacramento River before it could flow naturally into the Sacramento San
Joaquin Delta say they hope to give away a coffin on Thursday. The intended
recipient is Natural Resources Agency Deputy Director Jerry Meral, the Brown
Administration's leader for the twin tunnel project that opponents say will
drain the Delta and doom salmon and other Pacific fisheries.
<more> April 2, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
Irrigation wastewater may be answer to damaged soils - - What has been the poster child of good intentions gone horribly wrong – the disposal of the selenium-laden water that drains from irrigated field on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley – may finally have an answer. Farmers used to drain irrigation wastewater into Kesterson Reservoir, a series of holding ponds that were part of the San Luis National Wildlife Refuge. But selenium levels in the water became so high that waterfowl were killed by it so the storage facility was closed in 1987. Since then, farmers have been keeping the wastewater — which also contains salt and traces of arsenic, boron, and molybdenum — in evaporation ponds on their own land, which takes around 10 percent of the crop land out of production. <more> April 4, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
14th
MJC Dairy Springer Heifer Sale Oct. 16 - - Modesto Junior College will
host its 14th Springer Heifer Sale on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2013, from 11:00
a.m. – 3:00 p.m. All the heifers included in the sale were donated by local
dairy families who support the growth and development of the MJC dairy
program. Students began working with the group of heifers during the fall of
2012; breaking, grooming, and learning about conformation features. Top A.I.
Holstein bulls including Planet, Super, Metior, Iota, and Shan along with
Jersey bulls Zegion and Attorney, were used as service sires. Of the
springers included in the sale, 22 are scheduled to calve the end of
October. The primary benefit of the program is to give students a “hands-on”
approach to raising heifers. Income from the project funds future heifer
programs, scholarships, facility upgrades and many dairy club activities.
For more information email hobbyb@mjc.edu.
April 4, 2013 MJC Notice
Of
rumps, butts and shanks: Meat industry trying to cut through confusion with
new labels - - Don’t know your pork butts from your rump roasts? It may
be getting a little easier. The American meat industry is rolling out a
refresh of the often confusing 40-year-old system used for naming the
various cuts of beef, pork, lamb and veal. That’s because the system — the
Uniform Retail Meat Identification Standards, or URMIS — was designed more
for the needs of retailers and butchers than for the convenience of harried
shoppers more familiar with Shake ‘n Bake than boneless shank cuts. The
bottom line is that meat counter confusion isn’t good for sales. So after
nearly two years of consumer research, the National Pork Board, the Beef
Checkoff Program and federal agriculture officials have signed off on an
updated labeling system that should hit stores just in time for prime
grilling season.
<more> April 3, 2013 AP
Pizza Hut menu getting cheesier - - "Consumers always want more cheese." That’s what Wiley Bates III, Executive Chef at Pizza Hut, said as his Crazy Cheesy Crust pizza hits stores this week. This newest menu item was specially designed to bring the most cheese to consumer, according to a report featured on a Yahoo! finance blog. Each pizza slice features two edible pockets of a gooey, melted cheese mix of Asiago, Romano, Fontina, Provolone and mozzarella. <more> April 3, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Wednesday, April 3, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Road map to
citizenship has support among small-business owners
- - Business owners often have a
tricky relationship with the idea of giving immigrant workers a path to
citizenship. On the one hand, employers (usually) want to keep their workers
happy and working hard, which often means seeing their families more than
once a year. On the other hand, workers who have citizenship have less
incentive to stay with one employer, and may leave tough, low-paying jobs
for other work, leaving employers in the lurch. “If the guest workers did
become citizens, some of them would probably stay, they enjoy the farm work,
and like working outside,” said Rusty Barr, a farmer featured in a Sunday
story about immigration reform. “But I think the majority would just exit
the agricultural sector and look for other employment.” Various proposals
being discussed in Congress would lead to some sort of amnesty for
immigrants currently in the United States, and a path to citizenship for
guest workers who have come to work in the U.S. for a certain period of
time. But there are some signs that more and more business owners and
conservatives are coming around to the idea of a path to citizenship for
immigrants.
<more> April 3, 2013 LA Times
WUD
spells out key immigration reform principles at Modesto meeting - -
Former Western United Dairymen President Ray Souza, a Turlock
dairyman,
spelled out WUD’s support for key immigration reform proposals before a
packed house at an immigration forum yesterday in Modesto. Souza was invited
to speak at the listening session hosted by Congregations Building
Communities, Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) and special guest Congressman
Trey Gowdy, Chair of the House Immigration Subcommittee. WUD is a founding
member of the Agricultural Workforce Coalition (AWC), the broad-based group
working with members of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to
draft a workable solution for the labor needs of U.S. agriculture. Souza
told the audience AWC has developed key principles to guide efforts to
negotiate agriculture provisions for immigration reform legislation. Those
principles include legalization of the current workforce that includes a
commitment to a number of days of future employment in agriculture and a
guest worker program that recognizes both the seasonal and year-round needs
of a widely varied agricultural economy. The AWC also proposes that the
guest worker program offer both contract and at-will employment
opportunities, again to address the broad-based needs of U.S. agriculture.
<more> April 3, 2013 WUD News
Ideas,
emotions flow at Denham's immigration forum in Modesto - - About 1,500
people turned out at a Modesto church Tuesday for a forum on immigration,
most of them in support of eventual citizenship for people who entered the
country illegally. Speakers told two congressmen about the hardship of
living and working in the United States while worrying that they might be
deported. "I am an undocumented student, raised in a low-income home by a
single mother," said Estefani Hermosillo, a student at Modesto Junior
College. "… We're in need of immigration reform that includes a pathway to
citizenship." Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Turlock, took part in the forum at St.
Stanislaus Catholic Community church with Rep. Trey Gowdy, a Republican from
South Carolina who is chairman of the House Subcommittee on Immigration and
Border Security.
<more> April 3, 2013 Modesto Bee
Senate
immigration bill would set up a new permanent agriculture worker program
- - Sweeping immigration legislation taking shape in the Senate will aim to
overhaul the nation’s agriculture worker program to create a steady supply
of labor for farmers and growers, who rely more than any other industry on
workers who are living in the country illegally. Farm workers already here
would get a speedier path to legal status than other immigrants here
illegally, and a likely new visa program would make it easier for foreign
workers to come to the U.S. Policymakers aim to install such workers in
place of the half or more of the nation’s farm labor workforce estimated to
be in the country illegally.
<more> April 3, 2013 AP
Labor
shortage doesn’t improve pay for many farmworkers - - Employers say
there are just not enough farmworkers to pick the fruits and vegetables.
“There’s a grower who was bringing in 40 workers to pick lemons from
Arizona,” said Daniela Ramirez, coordinator with House Farm Workers! Her
group works primarily to assist workers obtain adequate housing. “Right now,
the labor supply is fairly tight,” says Nick Frey, president of the Sonoma
County Winegrape Commission. “The people who are documented and have their
lives here—their children grow up and go to college. Some will come back and
work for us as line packers but others move on to other careers,” Frey, who
himself is the son of a farmer, told the California Health Report. “That’s
not too uncommon in American agriculture.”
<more>
April 3, 2013 HealthyCal.org
In
Mexican Villages, Few Are Left to Dream of U.S. - - All across Mexico’s
ruddy central plains, most of the people who could go north already have. In
a region long regarded as a bellwether of illegal immigration — where the
flow of migrants has often seemed never-ending — the streets are
wind-whipped and silent. Homes await returning families, while dozens of
schools have closed because of a lack of students. Here in El Cargadero, a
once-thriving farm community of 3,000, only a few hundred people remain, at
most.
<more> April 2, 2013 New York Times – Mexico
Madera
County supervisors drop lawsuit against high-speed rail agency - - A
divided Madera County Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to drop the
county's lawsuit against the California High-Speed Rail Authority. The
county was one of several parties that sued the state agency last year over
its environmental approval of the Merced-Fresno portion of the proposed
statewide rail system. Manuel Nevarez, appointed to the board last month by
Gov. Jerry Brown and a vocal supporter of high-speed rail, tipped the
supervisors' scales.
<more> April 2, 2013 Fresno Bee
Dairy Leader
Program application deadline April 12
- - The deadline to apply for
Western United Dairymen’s highly successful California Dairy
Leaders
Program is April 12. Designed to train the next generation of California’s
dairy leaders, the leadership program consists of several sessions devoted
to developing a better understanding of the economic, legislative,
marketing, and environmental issues facing the industry. Eligible
participants must be actively involved in milk production, able to spend the
The current Dairy Leader class was recognized at the WUD convention last
week.
Click
here to view the WUD Convention 2013 photo album.
necessary time in class as well as studying resource materials, and able to
commit to travel to locations such as Sacramento and Washington DC. The
year-long program kicks off in the spring. The program will cover in depth
environmental issues, state and federal legislative processes, dairy pricing
and economics, biotechnological developments, marketing and promotion, and
public relations skills. Participants will develop and enhance their
leadership skills through workshops on communications, business etiquette,
negotiation skills, time management, and team building. Instructors are
recognized experts in their field.
Enrollment will be limited to ensure one-on-one instruction. This year,
applications will also be accepted from individuals in allied industries.
Only a single allied member may be selected for the program in any given
year. The program enrollment fee and letters of recommendation are to be
submitted with the application. Industry members can download applications
by clicking here. Allied member applications can be downloaded
by clicking here. Call Western United Dairymen at (209) 527-6453 for
further information.

Pricing/Commodity News
Despite
sequester, NASS to provide partial milk production estimates - - USDA's
National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will provide an estimate of
U.S. milk production each month through September 2013, which is the end of
Federal Fiscal Year 2013, the agency announced today. NASS will use various
sources of administrative data to establish the monthly milk production
estimates rather than incorporating information from the two remaining
quarterly producer surveys, as is presently done.
<more> April 3, 2013 Agri-Pulse
California milk production costs up 10 straight quarters - - California
2012 fourth quarter (Q4) statewide weighted average total milk production
costs were estimated at $18.55/cwt., up $1.12/cwt. compared to the same
quarter in 2011, according to the April 2013 California Dairy Review.
Including an allowance for management and return on investment, total costs
were estimated at $20.08/cwt., up $1.07/cwt. from a year earlier. Based on
previous California Dairy Review information, the Q4 of 2012 represented the
10th consecutive quarter in which California dairy producer total costs and
total costs plus allowances increased from the previous quarter. Since Q2 of
2010, total costs were up $5.57/cwt.; total costs plus allowances were up
$5.65/cwt. April 3, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Dairy Pricing Reform Act proposed - - New York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has introduced the Dairy Pricing Reform Act with co-sponsor Susan Collins of Maine. The aim is to restructure the USDA’s pricing system for dairy and is based on Gillibrand’s proposal in last year’s Senate-passed Farm Bill. According to her news release, the bipartisan measure would require the USDA to study different methods of price determination “including competitive pay pricing or shifting from a 4 class system to a 2 class system.” Gillibrand says New York dairy farmers are being driven out of business with the lack of a comprehensive plan for long-term support and certainty. She says the bill will provide a “fair safety net for small producers” while improving “inventory reporting and transparency.” Gillibrand says the Senate is expected to take up the farm bill in the next few weeks. April 3, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Oakdale
Irrigation District OKs water sale for West Side farmers
- - The Oakdale Irrigation
District board voted Tuesday to sell water to help West Side farmers for one
year and to permanently serve about 7,200 acres just east of its boundary.
The 5-0 votes came with no objections from the audience. The eastward
annexation still needs approval from the Stanislaus Local Agency Formation
Commission, possibly in July. The district will sell 40,000 acre-feet of its
Stanislaus River water to the San Luis & Delta Mendota Water Authority, made
up of numerous irrigation districts from the Tracy area to Fresno County,
and the California Department of Water Resources.
<more> April 3, 2013 Modesto Bee
Latinos, legislators
protest lack of water - - Sky-high unemployment could return to the
Westside of the San Joaquin Valley due to drought and pumping cutbacks,
speakers said today at a press conference hosted by the California Latino
Water Coalition. Speakers warned of a return to 2009 conditions, when
joblessness soared to more than 40 percent in some Westside towns and food
aid had to be handed out. The problem then is the same problem now — a
combination of drought and regulatory restrictions that have prevented pumps
from operating at full capacity in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.
The pumps send water to the Valley for agricultural use during the summer
months. Westside agricultural water agencies said they lost about 800,000
acre-feet of water to the ocean this winter because of pumping cutbacks to
prevent the Delta Smelt fish from being killed. This means more dusty
fields, fewer crops and fewer jobs.
<more> April 2, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Farmers work to cope with water supply cut - - Growers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley say they may need to fallow more land, seek out supplemental water and reduce employees' hours in the wake of cutbacks on deliveries of water from the federal Central Valley Project. "We've already fallowed 250 acres, and now we're scrambling to find extra water," said Joe Del Bosque, who farms southwest of Firebaugh. "Our districts are doing a lot of that for us, trying to find water." If he must fallow more ground, Del Bosque said, it may be necessary to lay off workers or to do what he did in 2009 when water deliveries were low: reduce farmworker hours from six days a week to five. "One day a week is a big deal," he said, adding that he hopes he won't have to take that step. "It was a big deal for furloughed government workers, and it's a big deal for farmworkers. That may not show up in the unemployment statistics, but there is a definite impact." <more> April 3, 2013 Ag Alert
Federal Court to Animal-Rights Legal Circus: Pay Up - - In a Friday
filing, United States District Judge Emmet G. Sullivan found that Feld
Entertainment — the parent company of the Ringling Brothers circus — was
entitled to attorneys’ fees in a longstanding litigation by a series of
animal rights and animal liberation groups. To call it longstanding is
almost an understatement: Sullivan dismissed the suit in late 2009, which
was affirmed by a circuit court in 2011, finding that a number of animal
rights groups lacked the legal authority to file suit claiming — and perhaps
paid a plaintiff to claim — that Feld was engaged in elephant cruelty. Now,
the judge has ruled that “this case was groundless and unreasonable from its
inception” and the animal rights plaintiffs must pay Feld’s legal fees. And
while the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) — which was deeply tied
to the animal liberationist side of the case — wasn’t held liable, the judge
left open the question of whether the nation’s richest animal liberation
group might find itself on the hook at a later date should Feld choose to
re-argue that portion of its case. (One of the original plaintiffs that may
have to pay up as a result of this finding, the Fund for Animals, was
absorbed into the HSUS corporate empire during the case.)
<more> April 3, 2013 Consumer Freedom
New commercials to emphasize milk's sleeptime benefits - - “What? Don’t like interrupted dreams? There may just be a drink for that.” That’s the point of a new a new "got milk?" advertising campaign warning what could happen if you skip out on a pre-slumber glass of milk – interrupted dreams. The pair of commercials for the campaign were directed by Jeff Goodby of the San Fransisco-based Goodby, Silverstein and Partners. <more> April 2, 2013 Dairy Herd Network
Tuesday, April 2, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Dairy farmers
talk about legislation to affect prices
- - Dairy farmers, meeting in Sacramento amid continued financial woes for
many farms, agreed the current milk pricing system is not working for them
and that they need other options. As to what those options might be, farmers
attending the annual convention of Western United Dairymen last week talked
about the plight of California dairies and potential solutions—including two
pieces of legislation. Members of the organization generally expressed
support for Assembly Bill 31, which Western United Dairymen sponsored and
helped to draft. It would require the California Department of Food and
Agriculture to bring the state dry whey value in Class 4b milk within 80
percent of the whey value used in the federal milk marketing order. The
Assembly Agriculture Committee is scheduled to discuss the bill on April 17.
Farmers said they also like the concept of House Resolution 1396, federal
legislation that would allow California dairy farmers to petition the U.S.
Department of Agriculture for consideration in joining the federal milk
marketing order. The petition would require approval by a two-thirds
majority of California producers to move forward—a process that could take
one to two years.
<more>
April 2, 2013 Ag Alert
White House 'encouraged' by Senate progress on
immigration - - The White House said Monday it was "encouraged" by
progress on bipartisan immigration reform in the Senate, but cautioned that
lawmakers were "not there yet" on an agreement. "We are encouraged by the
continuing signs of progress that we are seeing in the Senate as the Group
of Eight and the Senate more broadly works on comprehensive immigration
reform," White House press secretary Jay Carney said Monday. He added that
the administration was also pleased by reports of a deal between the AFL-CIO
and Chamber of Commerce, which cleared one of the last hurdles blocking a
bipartisan accord on immigration reform.
<more> April 1, 2013 The Hill
Valley farm water cutbacks: Small cities see food
lines again - - With severe irrigation water cutbacks this year, food
lines again will form with unemployed workers and their families on the San
Joaquin Valley's west side, local leaders said Monday. Two congressmen and
farmworkers joined them in a downtown Fresno news conference to tell the
public that the cutbacks will cost thousands of jobs and billions of dollars
in the California economy. The news conference was arranged by the Latino
Water Coalition, a group formed in 2007 to advocate for water improvements
in California. Coalition members attended from the cities of San Joaquin,
Mendota, Parlier, Orange Cove, Huron and Fowler.
<more> April 1, 2013 Fresno Bee
Staff Favor Rail Route West Of Hanford - -
Staff of the California High Speed Rail Authority are recommending the board
approve a west side alignment through Kings County with a”potential” station
just west of Hanford. A report was released today. The board will hear the
staff recommendation and testimony from interested parties at their April 4
meeting in Fresno. Kings County and its municipalities have stayed silent on
the key choice that would route the 200 mph bullet train either to the east
of Hanford or to the west of the city, each impacting farm properties in the
way. Staff says the west alignment is $800 million less than the eastside
route and has fewer impacts.
<more> April 2,
2013 Sierra2theSea
Convention photos on-line - - Another successful Western United Dairymen
convention wrapped up Friday in Sacramento and we snapped a lot of
photos
of all of the convention’s activities. From the workshops and membership
dinner at the California Auto Museum on Wednesday to the graduation of the
Dairy Leader Class and presentations by leading industry experts on Thursday
and the closing delegates’ business meeting on Friday, we captured photos of
all of the meeting highlights.
Click
here to view the WUD Convention 2013 photo album.
Mary Cameron was honored by WUD at the annual banquet for her many years of service to the California dairy industry. Josh Golden, district director for Assemblyman Rudy Salas, presented Mary with a legislative resolution commemorating her service to the industry.

Pricing/Commodity News
March
California 4a/4b prices decline - - The March 2013 California Class 4a
milk price is $17.87/cwt., down 14¢ from February, but $2.54 more than March
2012. It brings the first-quarter 2013 average 4a price to $17.65/cwt.,
$1.98 more than the same period in 2012. The March 2013 California Class 4b
price is $15.02/cwt., down 39¢ from February, but $1.35 more than March
2012. The first-quarter 2013 average 4b price is $15.42/cwt., up $1.65 from
2012. Federal order March Class II, III & IV prices are announced April 3.
April 2, 2013 Dairy Business Update
2013 hay acreage steady, but dairy states may see
declines - - While corn and soybeans got most of the attention, USDA’s
Prospective Plantings report, released March 28, indicated U.S. producers
intend to harvest 56.4 million acres of all hay in 2013, up slightly from
2012. Hay acreage is expected to decline from last year across most of the
East, Southwest and Great Lakes regions. Record low acreage is expected
across several New England states, as well as Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New
Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. In contrast, Montana is expecting
to harvest 2.7 million acres of hay in 2013, up 500,000 acres (+23%) from
2012. In the 23 major dairy states, largest acreage declines will be in
Virginia (-105,000 acres); California and Colorado (-100,000 each);
Wisconsin (-70,000); Colorado (-50,000); Iowa (-40,000); and Florida
(-30,000). Missouri (+140,000) and Texas (+100,000) will post large acreage
increases. On a percentage basis, largest “dairy state” acreage declines
will be in Florida and Ohio (-9% each); Virginia (-8%); California (-6%);
and Vermont and Wisconsin (-5%). To see the full Prospective Plantings
report, visit
http://usda01.library.cornell.edu/usda/current/ProsPlan/ProsPlan-03-28-2013.pdf
April 2, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Global Dairy Trade prices hit all-time high - -
What is being described as the worst drought in 30 years pushed prices to an
all-time-high on the Global Dairy Trade auction in New Zealand on Tuesday.
The average product price increased 14.2 percent compared to the last sale
on March 19th. This is the eighth consecutive increase in the auction’s
average price. The butter price did decline 2.7 percent from two weeks ago,
butter milk powder increased 0.8 percent, rennet casein was 4.4 percent
higher, cheddar cheese increased 6.6 percent, anhydrous milk fat was 6.7
percent higher, the whole milk powder price was up 7 percent and skim milk
powder jumped 27.8 percent from the last auction. The average winning price
is now the highest ever for the platform which began in July of 2008.
<more> April 2, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Corn Enters Bear Market on Signs of Ample Supply
in U.S. - - Corn plunged the most in 24 years, entering a bear market,
as bigger-than-expected U.S. stockpiles and increased planting signal ample
supplies. Wheat tumbled to a nine-month low and soybeans dropped. U.S. corn
inventories on March 1 totaled 5.399 billion bushels, the Department of
Agriculture said March 28. While down from a year earlier, that’s still
above the 4.995 billion forecast by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
Farmers will plant 97.282 million acres this year, the most since 1936, the
USDA said. Prices reached the lowest since June today.
<more> April 1, 2013 Bloomberg
EPA's Push For More Ethanol Could Be Too Little,
Too Late - - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency could soon issue
a final ruling that aims to force oil companies to replace E10, gasoline
mixed with 10 percent ethanol, with E15. This move could come just as
widespread support for ethanol, which is made from corn, appears to be
eroding. Mike Mitchell was once a true believer in ethanol as a homegrown
solution to foreign oil imports. He owns gas stations, and he went further
than most, installing expensive blender pumps that let customers choose E15,
E20 and all the way up to E85. The result was a variation on the old adage,
"You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink." "We're
environmental people and we kind of jumped on the bandwagon early, and it
bit us," Mitchell says.
<more> April 1,2013 National Public Radio
CWT accepts 28 export assistance requests - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) has accepted 28 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Northwest Dairy Association (Darigold), Michigan Milk Producers Association, United Dairymen of Arizona and Upstate Niagara Cooperative (OAT?KA) to sell 5.899 million pounds of Cheddar cheese and 1.636 million pounds of butter to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and Oceania. The product will be delivered April through September 2013. Year-to-date, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 47.055 million pounds of cheese, 46.484 million pounds of butter, 44,092 pounds of anhydrous milk fat and 218,258 pounds of whole milk powder to 30 countries on six continents. April 2, 2013 Brownfield Ag News
Environmental
News
Public meeting Thursday on Delta water tunnels
- - The public is invited to a meeting Thursday in Sacramento on the
state's proposal to build two giant water diversion tunnels in the
Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The Bay Delta Conservation Plan proposes to
divert a portion of the Sacramento River using three new intakes and fish
screens near Courtland, each nearly a half-mile square. These would serve
two 40-foot-diameter tunnels, built 150 feet underground and running 35
miles from the intakes to existing diversion canals near Tracy.
<more> April 1, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
Dan Walters: Reservoirs should stay in water bond - - The bad news is that a dry winter means the Sierra snowpack is only half of its statistical normal as the annual spring runoff begins. The good news is that we're still living off the unusually wet winter we had two years ago and major reservoirs – Shasta, Trinity, Oroville and Folsom – on the Sacramento River and its tributaries, plus the off-stream San Luis Reservoir, have very healthy leftover supplies, thereby cushioning the effects of the current shortfall. That's what dams and reservoirs are supposed do, in case anyone has forgotten why water users and taxpayers spent billions of dollars to construct them decades ago. <more> April 2, 2013 The Sacramento Bee
USDA, Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding Sign Genetic Evaluation Agreement - - Representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding last week signed the Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement, allowing for the transition of genetic evaluation calculations. The agreement also maintains the industry cooperator database and focuses USDA-Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory's mission on research. For 30 months, several dairy industry representatives, including individuals from artificial breeding organizations, dairy breed associations, milk recording organizations, dairy record processing centers, private industry, universities and USDA-ARS, collaborated to create this agreement that addresses the future of dairy cattle genetic evaluations and management benchmarks. <more> April 1, 2013 California Farmer
Monday, April 1, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Lobbying to
intensify as committees begin considering bills
- - California businesses and other special interests quickly learn that
playing politics in the ornate chambers of California's Capitol building is
more like a barroom brawl than a civics lesson about how bills become laws.
Here's a peek behind the everyday chaos in Sacramento as businesses dispatch
hired-gun lobbyists to vie for lawmakers' attention and votes. The numbers
are daunting: This year, 1,526 registered lobbyists are stalking the halls
and hearing rooms in the service of 2,410 clients. And there's more
activities in state agencies all over Sacramento. Last year, businesses,
local governments and other interests spent $277.5 million here lobbying. On
Tuesday, the pummeling ratchets up as legislative committees start
considering the first of 2,233 bills awaiting their attention.
<more> April 1, 2013 LA Times
Rep. Denham hosting listening events on
immigration policies, jobs, schools - - Rep. Jeff Denham (R-Turlock)
will be holding listening events with special guest Congressman Trey Gowdy,
Chair of the House Immigration Subcommittee, in San San Joaquin and
Stanislaus Counties this week. Topics will range from creating fair and
respectful immigration policies, to helping to create good paying jobs, and
improving schools. The events will be held on April 2 at 4:30 p.m., at St.
Stanislaus Catholic Church located at 1200 Maze Blvd in Modesto, and on
April 3 at 8 a.m. at the Place of Refuge located at 486 Button Avenue in
Manteca. For more information, please call (209) 579-5458
or click here. April 1, 2013 Rep. Denham Notice
Convention photos on-line - - Another successful Western United Dairymen
convention wrapped up Friday in Sacramento and we snapped a lot of
photos
of all of the convention’s activities. From the workshops and membership
dinner at the California Auto Museum on Wednesday to the graduation of the
Dairy Leader Class and presentations by leading industry experts on Thursday
and the closing delegates’ business meeting on Friday, we captured photos of
all of the meeting highlights.
Click
here to view the WUD Convention 2013 photo album.
Mary Cameron was honored by WUD at the annual banquet for her many years of service to the California dairy industry. Josh Golden, district director for Assemblyman Rudy Salas, presented Mary with a legislative resolution commemorating her service to the industry.
Dairy processors
say the state is competing to seize global opportunities
- - It’s only a 3-cent differential, but it speaks volumes about California’s
dairy export advantage. Freight rates between California and Beijing, China
today amount to 7 cents per pound, compared to 10 cents per pound between
California and Chicago. That overseas shipping benefit is just one indicator of
the global opportunities for California’s dairy industry shared by a panel of
dairy processors today at the Western United Dairymen’s 2013 Convention in
Sacramento, Calif. Led by Matt McKnight of the U.S. Dairy Export Council (USDEC),
three speakers representing California Dairies Inc. (CDI), Leprino Foods Co. and
Hilmar Cheese Co. repeatedly emphasized the demand and value that the global
market holds for the U.S. dairy industry, particularly in California. All agree
that exports were critical to their companies’ future.
<more> April 1, 2013 Dairy Today
Dairies in California consider incentives to move
out of state - - Other states have long poached California manufacturers
and jobs. Now they're coming for the cows. Seizing on the plight of the
state's dairy industry, which is beset by high feed costs and low milk
prices, nearly a dozen states are courting Golden State dairy farmers. The
pitch: cheaper farm land, lower taxes, fewer environmental regulations and
higher prices for their milk. At the World Ag Expo, a behemoth trade show
held in Tulare County last month, nine states had recruitment booths on the
ground's Dairy Center. South Dakota sent its governor, Dennis Daugaard, to
make a personal appeal for his state.
<more> March 30, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Immigration talks: Business, labor are said to
agree on terms of new guest-worker program - - Labor and business
leaders have agreed in principle on the details of a new visa program for
low-skilled foreign workers, clearing the last major hurdle for a bipartisan
Senate proposal to overhaul the nation’s immigration laws, a person involved
in the negotiations said Saturday. The agreement came late Friday after
several days of negotiations between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the
AFL-CIO, the country’s largest labor organization, as well as the eight
senators involved in drafting the comprehensive immigration bill.
<more> March 30, 2013 Washington Post
Labor, business reach immigration deal - -
Senate negotiators cleared the last major hurdle to reaching a bipartisan
immigration reform deal Saturday as labor and business groups signed off on
a visa program for future low-skilled workers, according to sources familiar
with the talks. The agreement marks a major breakthrough and significantly
improves the odds of passing a larger immigration bill because it brings two
powerful Washington interests on board on an issue that contributed to the
defeat of past reform efforts.
<more> March 31, 2013 Politico
Labor advocates say farmers discriminate against
Americans - - The U.S. needs guest workers because Americans won’t work
on farms -- at least, that's the argument made by many in agriculture as
they negotiate over the controversial H-2A program, which allows farmers to
bring in predominantly Mexican laborers to pick cotton and trim trees. But
labor advocates say there’s a group of Americans who have been trying to
work on farms, only to be displaced by H-2A workers, who are less likely to
complain about poor working conditions because their visas are dependent on
their employers.
<more> April 1, 2013 Los Angeles Times
For U.S. farmers and Mexican workers, it's tough
being legal - - There are millions of undocumented workers in America,
and thousands of employers who illegally hire them. But Rodolfo Benito Coy
Garcia and Rusty Barr play by the rules. Barr is an employer and Garcia his
employee, one who travels from Mexico to spend 10 months of the year
planting, fertilizing and harvesting Christmas trees in this tiny mountain
town near the Tennessee state line. Much of the debate over immigration
reform has focused on the millions of undocumented workers living in the
United States. But many say fixes must also be made to the programs that
bring tens of thousands of guest workers to America every year to work at
farms, hotels and restaurants.
<more> March 30, 2013 Los Angeles Times
At least six running for 16th state Senate
District seat - - The May special election to fill a Valley state Senate
seat that could alter the political balance in Sacramento could come down to
at least six people, among them a Visalia native now living in Hanford.
Friday was the deadline to file as a candidate and provide supporting
documents to become a candidate to represent California’s 16th state Senate
District.
<more> April 1, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
State Board to Discuss Agricultural Outlook with Federal and State Leaders - - The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will discuss the economic, trade, and policy outlook for California’s $43.5 billion agricultural sector on Tuesday, April 2nd in Sacramento. The meeting is scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 1220 N Street - Main Auditorium, Sacramento, CA 95814. “California’s agricultural production and exports are at an all-time high," said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “However, changes within the global and domestic markets can have a significant impact on the future prospects of our farmers and ranchers. It is an important and timely discussion to have as the federal budget and the farm bill remain unresolved.” California has more than 81,500 individual farms, 75 percent of which are on less than 100 acres. The state leads the nation in dairy, tree-nut, and fresh fruit and vegetable production. In addition, California agriculture employs an average of 385,300 individuals per year. California’s agricultural economy is vital not only to the economy of the state, but too the nation as well. <more> March 28, 2013 CDFA press release

Pricing/Commodity News
S.J.
farmland values growing well - -As food commodity prices have risen, so
has the value of land used to produce the crops. Midwest farm values have
nearly doubled since 2009, boosted by the price of corn and soybeans,
according to recent news reports. And the interest in farmland, driven by
global food demand, with money from institutional, private and foreign
investors, as well as farmers looking to expand their operations, is being
felt in the Central Valley and San Joaquin County as well. Although less
dramatic than gains seen in other regions, a recent report showed prices
rising for nearly all types of farms, except for dairy.
<more> March 31, 2013 Stockton Record
California hay producers seek more rain to increase yields - - Like many farmers, hay producers in northern and central California are hoping for a wet April as they await their first cuttings. "If we get a rain in the next few days, we should be all right," said grower Ivar Amen, who owns a farm supply store here. "We've got to get some rain." Producers hope for abundant yields this season to make up for a slight drop in acreage. California producers intend to harvest hay from 1.45 million acres, down 6 percent from last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service's plantings report. <more> April 1, 2013 Capital Press
Environmental
News
UC
Davis: Farmland greenhouse gas emissions underestimated - - Changes in
agricultural practices could reduce soil emissions of the greenhouse gas
nitrous oxide and the atmospheric pollutant nitric oxide, according to a new
study by scientists at the University of California, Davis. "Agriculture is
the main source of nitrous oxide globally, so this study is a starting point
to help us understand how to manage and control it," says UC Davis professor
of soil biogeochemistry William Horwath, whose lab conducted the study. The
study was an effort to understand the sources of nitrous oxide and nitric
oxide by different microbial processes, especially following the application
of certain fertilizer nitrogen types.
<more> April 1, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
California water outlook: Sierra snowpack dry and
getting drier, 52 percent of historic norm - - It's been so dry this
spring in California that, as they say in Texas, the trees are whistling for
the dogs. State water officials on Thursday announced that the Sierra Nevada
snowpack -- a key source of drinking water for millions of people -- is at
an anemic 52 percent of its historic average. That's the lowest reading for
the beginning of April of any time since 2007, which was the start of a
three-year drought. Only two years during the past 20 have had less Sierra
snow at this time of year, 1994 and 2007. "We're seeing a lot of melted-out
spots, a lot of grass and rock where we normally see snow," said Dave
Rizzardo, chief of snow surveys for the California Department of Water
Resources in Sacramento.
<more> March 28, 2013 San Jose Mercury News
Will twin tunnels water project float? - -
Gov. Jerry Brown’s ambitious tunnels designed to ship water partly
underground to Southern California would be tall enough to comfortably fit
an adult giraffe, wide enough for three freeway lanes and have ample room to
carry enough water to serve 35,000 homes on a typical day. But the barriers
to Brown’s project may be even more immense. There is the $14 billion price
tag. Powerful state and federal environmental regulators have to be
convinced. History has not been an ally. And those whose lives could be
upended are defiant.
<more> March 30, 2013 San Diego U-T
Northern California House members slam Delta plan - - Soon after Gov. Jerry Brown this week unveiled more details of his draft plan to restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, members of Congress from Northern California reacted no differently than they had earlier this month when the first part of it became public - they threw cold water on it. The lawmakers called Brown's $23 billion Bay Delta Conservation Plan "flawed," "rushed," "reckless" and "expensive." They questioned the science behind the proposal, as well as its environmental impact. But the lawmakers' core concern appeared to be that the plan diverts too much water from the Delta through twin 35-mile tunnels to supply Central and Southern California. <more> March 29, 2013 Capitol Alert
Chobani in flap over 'Greek' yogurt label - -
Chobani, one of the region’s biggest employers, has been ordered by a
British judge to stop labeling its dairy product manufactured in the United
States as “Greek” yogurt. Following a seven-day trial in England, High Court
Judge Michael Briggs ruled this week that Chobani has been misrepresenting
its product to British consumers by using labeling that calls the product
“Greek yoghurt.” “Yoghurt” is the British spelling for the product spelled
“yogurt” in the United States.
<more> March 31, 2013 The Daily Star
USDA, Council on Dairy Cattle Breeding Sign
Genetic Evaluation Agreement - - Representatives from the U.S.
Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service and Council on Dairy
Cattle Breeding last week signed the Nonfunded Cooperative Agreement,
allowing for the transition of genetic evaluation calculations. The
agreement also maintains the industry cooperator database and focuses
USDA-Animal Improvement Programs Laboratory's mission on research. For 30
months, several dairy industry representatives, including individuals from
artificial breeding organizations, dairy breed associations, milk recording
organizations, dairy record processing centers, private industry,
universities and USDA-ARS, collaborated to create this agreement that
addresses the future of dairy cattle genetic evaluations and management
benchmarks.
<more> April 1, 2013 California Farmer
Identifying Johne's Disease with Accuracy - -
Detecting the costly, contagious Johne's disease in cattle is now easier,
thanks to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists. Johne's disease,
also known as Paratuberculosis, is estimated to cost the U.S. dairy industry
more than $220 million each year. It also affects sheep, goats, deer and
other animals, causing diarrhea, reduced feed intake, weight loss and
sometimes death.
<more> April 1, 2013 USDA
Bee colony decline stings Tulare County almond growers - - Charlie Pitigliano and his family may own their almond grove, but the Pixley-area farmer knows that without millions of helpers, those trees wouldn’t produce any nuts. “The bee is our backbone of the almond industry — besides water, of course,” he said. The insects spread pollen from almond bloom to almond bloom in their hunt for nectar, and that pollen allows those blooms to become nuts. But for Pitigliano and some of his fellow almond growers in Tulare County and other parts of California, the honey bees they need have been in short supply. <more> March 30, 2013 Visalia Times-Delta
Friday, March 29, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
For illegal immigrants, broad support for legal status, not citizenship - - Nearly three in four Americans say that illegal immigrants should be allowed to remain in the country legally, but fewer than half say they should be allowed to apply for citizenship. Those are the key findings of a new national poll, released Thursday, that reflects a positive shift in attitudes toward immigrants now in the United States. The survey, conducted March 13-17 by the Pew Research Center, comes as lawmakers in Washington are attempting to craft a comprehensive plan to deal with some 11 million people who are thought to be in the country illegally. <more> March 28, 2013 Los Angeles Times

Pricing/Commodity News
Environmental
News
Thursday, March 28, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California's High-Speed Rail Authority sues everybody, invites you to argue case in court - - If you're reading this, consider yourself served. The state of California has filed a civil case against everyone -- literally, the whole world -- seeking to validate $8.6 billion in voter-approved bonds for its $69 billion high-speed rail project. The lawsuit, titled "High-Speed Rail Authority v. All Persons Interested," is meant as a pre-emptive strike so the state can confirm that it's definitely legal to issue some of the bonds needed to begin bullet train construction this summer. By citing a somewhat obscure California civil code, the state can use the "sue now or forever hold your peace" strategy to prevent a string of future lawsuits and, instead, deal with the legal issues in one fell swoop. Anyone interested in trying to block the project can sign up with the court, put their endless hours of "Law & Order" watching to use, wear their best suit and show up at a hearing to argue their case. <more> March 28, 2013 Mercury News

Pricing/Commodity News
Environmental
News
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Joining a federal order raises issues for Calif. dairy producers - - While California dairymen don't need legislation to petition the USDA to join the federal milk marketing order system, they would need some legal language to roll parts of California's order system advantageous to them into the federal order. Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., last week introduced HR1396, which provides for the inclusion of California as a separate federal milk marketing order. California's state milk marketing order operates differently than federal orders, said Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen, the state's largest dairy producer organization with about 900 members. <more> March 27, 2013 Capital Press

Pricing/Commodity News
Environmental
News
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Curtain rises
Wednesday on WUD convention in Sacramento
- - A full lineup of
practical workshops, celebrity speakers and insights by dairy industry
professionals awaits those attending the annual Western United Dairymen
convention on March 27-29 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento. Wednesday
- The convention kicks off on Wednesday, March 27, with a day of
workshops on subjects ranging from solar energy to labor and Cal-OSHA
updates. Wednesday morning workshops begin at 10 a.m. and include
discussions of wastewater and land application solutions; labor and
employment requirements for ag employers, commodity risk management tools;
the economics of profit in California dairies; time-varying pricing for
agricultural energy customers; solar production on California dairies and a
labor roundtable. The evening’s festivities include a wine and cheese social
beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed by the membership dinner at the California
Auto Museum.
<more> March 22, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Proposed bill could
change milk pricing in California - - In California, six members of the
House introduced a bill that would allow farmers from the state to enter
into the federal milk marketing system. The bill would let California dairy
producers petition the Agriculture Department to join the rest of the
country in their milk pricing arrangement. If the petition were filed, the
Agriculture Department would then hold an industry vote. Two-thirds of
producers must vote in approval of the change for the move to succeed. How
did California end up with its own milk pricing system in the first place?
Inequities and instability in the milk market led the California Legislature
to establish its own pricing regulations back in 1935. Two years later, the
federal government followed suit with a national system to provide some
strength and consistency in the dairy industry for farmers, dairy processors
and consumers.
<more> March 26, 2013 Hoard’s Dairyman
Milk must move
farther to serve south-state plants
- - With more dairies
disappearing from Southern California and a shrinking milk supply to serve
processing plants in that region, dairy farmers and their cooperatives say
they are now moving their raw product much longer distances at greater cost
to accommodate those markets. "We have been deficit in milk production
relative to our customers' needs for quite some time," said Eric Erba,
senior vice president and chief strategy officer of California Dairies Inc.,
the state's largest dairy cooperative. "It's just that now instead of being
able to pull milk from, say, southern Kern County to satisfy all the
customers' needs, we're having to pull it from occasionally northern Tulare
County." He noted the cooperative has lost a number of dairies in Southern
California, but its customers are requiring at least as much milk as they
used to. Meanwhile, there are no new dairies being developed or planned
south of Kern County, where the milk deficit is. Since dairy farmers
typically pay the cost of hauling their milk to the plant, their inclination
has been to ship to plants closer in vicinity, leaving plants in urban
centers such as the Los Angeles basin with an inadequate milk supply, said
Michael Marsh, CEO of Western United Dairymen.
<more>
March 26, 2013 Ag Alert
Obama
presses Congress to act quickly on immigration reform - - President
Barack Obama urged Congress on Monday to summon the "political courage" to
quickly pass immigration reform. Speaking at a naturalization ceremony for
28 new U.S. citizens at the White House, Obama said he was pleased with
steps made toward reforming immigration laws, he wants the process to be
complete within months. "I expect a bill to be put forward. I expect the
debate to begin next month," he said. "I want to sign that bill into law as
soon as possible." Obama pointed to the accomplishments of many of the 28
people who had just become U.S. citizens and said immigrants had
reinvigorated the labor force and benefited businesses.
<more> March 25, 2013 Reuters
ICE
agents' union wants to slow immigration overhaul - - The head of the
union representing the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents is calling
on a bipartisan group of senators to slow down the push for an overhaul of
the nation's immigration laws. Chris Crane, the head of the National ICE
Council, wrote Tuesday to the so-called "Gang of Eight" — the lawmakers
trying to negotiate a deal to overhaul the nation's immigration laws — that
they should hear from ICE agents before they complete their immigration
proposal.
<more> March 26, 2013 USA Today
Candidate for Rubio's Senate seat will have to move to stay in race - -
The race for the seat of former state Sen. Michael Rubio took a twist Monday
when Kern County elections officials told Bakersfield Democrat Leticia Perez
that she couldn't compete because she didn't live in the district. The
notice, which was awkwardly timed with Perez's campaign kick-off in Fresno,
was unexpected. The elections office said earlier that she qualified because
of a technicality in county elections procedure. But Perez's campaign
manager said the surprise phone call from Kern County officials late Monday
would not deter Perez's bid for office and that she'd seek a new residence
in the district before Friday's filing deadline.
<more> March 25, 2013 Fresno Bee
Big
Agriculture flexes its muscle - - Congress holds the purse strings, but
who holds Congress these days when it comes to farm policy: the meatpackers
and Monsanto? So it seemed last week as lawmakers sent the White House an
updated budget for the Agriculture Department complete with industry-backed
orders on how Secretary Tom Vilsack should run the place. The Post-it notes
from the packers were hard to miss. Alarmed that automatic spending cuts
this month will slow plant operations, the meat lobby won a last-minute
Senate amendment that cuts from a new White House-backed school breakfast
program in order to ensure there will be enough money to keep food safety
inspectors on the job this summer and avoid disruptions. At the same time
the industry went in the opposite direction, denying funds in the Ag budget
for implementing reforms sought in the 2008 farm bill to provide greater
protection for less powerful ranchers and farmers who raise the animals for
slaughter.
<more> March 25, 2013 Politico
Milk Producers Plan Revisions For Dairy Care Program - - With the recent addition of several major cooperatives in the National Dairy FARM Program (Farmers Assuring Responsible Management), more than two-thirds of the nation's cows will be covered by the industry's animal well-being effort, according to the National Milk Producers Federation. NMPF started the FARM program three years ago to provide a consistent, national, verifiable means of showing consumers and the food value chain how dairy products are produced. The number of cooperatives and processors subscribing to the program has continued to grow, and now includes farms producing 70% of America's milk supply. <more> March 25, 2013 California Farmer

Pricing/Commodity News
CWT assists with 11.1 million lbs. of cheese, butter and AMF export sales - - Cooperatives Working Together (CWT) accepted 28 requests for export assistance from Dairy Farmers of America, Foremost Farms USA, Maryland & Virginia Milk Producers Cooperative Association, Michigan Milk Producers Association, United Dairymen of Arizona and Upstate Niagara Cooperative (O-AT-KA). The requests cover sales of 7.108 million lbs. of cheddar, Gouda and Monterey Jack cheese, 3.942 million lbs. of butter and 44,092 lbs. of anhydrous milk fat (AMF) to customers in Asia, Europe, the Middle East, North Africa and North America. The product will be delivered April through September 2013. So far in 2013, CWT has assisted member cooperatives in selling 41.156 million lbs. of cheese, 44.849 million lbs. of butter, 44,092 lbs. of AMF and 218,258 lbs. of whole milk powder to 28 countries on six continents. These sales are the equivalent of 1.359 billion lbs. of milk on a milkfat basis, or the annual milk output of 64,700 cows. March 26, 2013 Dairy Business Update
Environmental
News
River-flow plan threatens farms, opponents say - - Farmers, political
leaders, small business owners and irrigation district officials packed a
Sacramento hearing last week to comment on a proposal before the State Water
Resources Control Board that they said threatens severe economic and
environmental consequences in parts of the northern San Joaquin Valley. The
plan would limit diversions from the Stanislaus, Tuolumne and Merced river
watersheds with the intent to increase river flows and help boost recovery
of fisheries in the San Joaquin River and its tributaries. The proposal
would cut water supplies for the Modesto, Turlock and Merced irrigation
districts by an estimated 15 percent to 25 percent a year from February to
June, reducing available surface water deliveries to nearly 1 million acres
of irrigated farmland. A "preferred alternative" presented to the board by
its staff would retain 35 percent of the combined watersheds' unimpaired
flows in the water courses. If adopted, the proposal could also curtail
existing water rights.
<more>
March 26, 2013 Ag Alert
CURES wins IPM
Innovator Award - - The
Coalition for Urban Rural Environmental Stewardship (CURES) has been awarded
the Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Innovator Award by California
Department of Pesticide Regulation. Director Brian Leahy singled out CURES
for including elements of IPM in all its surface water stewardship programs
for pesticides used in agricultural and urban settings. Leahy said CURES
was recognized for demonstrating unique and outstanding leadership in the
promotion of IPM and the development of creative practical solutions to
protect water quality and public health in California. Established in 1997,
CURES is a nonprofit organization with the mission to create and deliver
science-based solutions and education to ensure that tools to manage pests
and grow plants are used in ways that protect people and the environment.
CURES works with producers, industries, academic institutions, regulators,
environmental advocates, and other public interest groups, and provides a
collaborative platform for projects that help farmers, homeowners, and urban
pest managers adopt IPM practices that reduce water pollution and protect
worker health. CURES provides IPM technical and financial assistance and
outreach in both agricultural and urban settings in addition to providing
financial assistance and oversight for practices that minimize, recycle, or
clean up water that leaves agricultural lands. More information is
available on CURES website at
www.curesworks.org or by contacting Parry Klassen, executive
director, at pklassen@unwiredbb.com
or (559) 288-8125. March 26, 2013 DPR Press Release
Mark
Grossi: Federal water cutback called ‘crippling blow’ - - The federal
government reduced irrigation water projections for west San Joaquin Valley
farmers last week — only the third time I remember it ever happening. The 5%
cutback — from a 25% water allocation to 20% — has been called a crippling
blow to agriculture. The cutback has resulted from a below-average winter,
the second in a row. Plus, the state and federal water projects were forced
to curb water pumping at the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to protect
dwindling delta smelt. Some 800,000 acre-feet of water were lost in the
process. You can imagine the strong feelings when the U.S. Bureau of
Reclamation dropped its forecast last week.
<more> March 25, 2013 Fresno Bee Newsroom Blog
New
water technology a home run at Fresno State - - With water rates
threatening to double in Fresno, and a cry for more ‘green’ business
activity throughout the state, the decision by Fresno State to utilize a
new, locally grown technology that demonstrates water savings in the 35-50
percent range seemed to make good sense. The university tried a new locally
invented and developed water management technology involving hydrogel
injection known as Aqua Cents® in areas bordering the softball field. “It’s
a matter of teaching our lawns to drink differently,” said Bob Boyd,
associate vice President for facilities management at Fresno State, after
seeing initial demonstrations of the water management technology. “Our
students value the aesthetics, recreational opportunities, and social
environment lawns provide, but we must balance those benefits with
increasing water costs.”
<more> March 25, 2013 The Business Journal
More than half of nation’s rivers in poor condition - - More than half – 55 percent – of thousands of stream and river miles across the country are in poor condition for aquatic life, according to a new, first of its kind report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. California’s Central Valley, through which flow the state’s two largest rivers – the Sacramento and the San Joaquin – is rated as “very degraded” in the report. <more> March 26, 2013 Central Valley Business Times
DairyBusiness West adds Jones as editor - - DairyBusiness Communications
is pleased to announce the addition of David Jones to its editorial content
team. David’s primary role will be Editor of DairyBusiness West. He will
work with dairy producers and industry professionals throughout the Western
half of the country to provide helpful and important information to the
readers of DairyBusiness West. He will also contribute to all of the
DairyBusiness digital and broadcast media. David grew up on his family's
dairy farm in Stevinson, Calif. He worked in many roles on the farm
including calf management, feeding, milking and feed production. David’s
activities in the dairy industry have included successful FFA dairy judging
and public speaking competitions, collegiate level dairy judging and Dairy
Challenge participation, as well as sale committee marketing roles. After
graduating with degrees in Dairy Science and Ag Communications from
California Polytechnic University, David joined Accelerated Genetics as the
Communications Coordinator in Baraboo, Wis. While in college David also was
the editor of the Ag Circle Magazine and held several communications
internships, including work with Holstein World. <more>
March 26, 2012 DairyBusiness West
Modesto Junior
College to host “Capital Readiness 2013” Event April 4
- - Modesto Junior College will
host a “Capital Readiness 2013” seminar on Thursday, April 4 from 2 p.m. to
4 p.m. in Founders Hall, Room 155 on East Campus located at 435 College Ave
in Modesto. Registration begins at 1:30 p.m. There is no charge for the
seminar. Campus parking passes are $1 and can be obtained at various ticket
dispensers located in student parking lots. California Community Colleges
Chancellor Brice W. Harris announced that his office has entered into a
partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural
Development to increase access to training and higher education for rural
citizens, support and enhance the agriculture industry and strengthen the
state’s rural economy. This FREE “Capital Readiness” event will provide
small and family operated farm owners, agriculture-related small business
and small business owners in rural communities with information on how to
access capital to grow their business and improve their local economy.
<more> March 26, 2013 Stanislaus Farm Bureau
Are
Agriculture's Most Popular Insecticides Killing Our Bees? - -
Environmentalists and beekeepers are calling on the government to ban some
of the country's most widely used insect-killing chemicals. The pesticides,
called neonicotinoids, became popular among farmers during the 1990s.
They're used to coat the seeds of many agricultural crops, including the
biggest crop of all: corn. Neonics, as they're called, protect those crops
from insect pests. But they may also be killing bees.
<more> March 25, 2013 Valley Public Radio
Dairy veterinarians urged to return pharmaceutical survey - - Recently, California dairy producers herd veterinarian received a survey from UC Davis on use of pharmaceutical products in dairy animals. The goal of the survey is to gather data on pharmaceutical use with an objective to identify categories of drugs and frequency of use. The dairy industry requested and is funding the survey in order to better understand on-farm use of pharmaceuticals. Please encourage your veterinarian to complete and return the survey. A reminder notice is going out to veterinarians should they need to contact the researchers. Should you need more information, please contact Dr. Deanne Meyer at dmeyer@ucdavis.edu. March 22, 2013 UC Davis notice
Monday, March 25, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
Curtain rises
Wednesday on WUD convention in Sacramento
- - A full lineup of
practical workshops, celebrity speakers and insights by dairy industry
professionals awaits those attending the annual Western United Dairymen
convention on March 27-29 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento. Wednesday
- The convention kicks off on Wednesday, March 27, with a day of
workshops on subjects ranging from solar energy to labor and Cal-OSHA
updates. Wednesday morning workshops begin at 10 a.m. and include
discussions of wastewater and land application solutions; labor and
employment requirements for ag employers, commodity risk management tools;
the economics of profit in California dairies; time-varying pricing for
agricultural energy customers; solar production on California dairies and a
labor roundtable. The evening’s festivities include a wine and cheese social
beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed by the membership dinner at the California
Auto Museum.
<more> March 22, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Senators hammering out details of immigration bill as business, labor wage
dispute flares - - A last-minute dispute over wages for lower-skilled
workers flared Friday as senators scrambled to sketch out a deal on a
sweeping immigration bill before Congress takes a two-week recess. The
public clash between the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the AFL-CIO
underscored the high stakes involved in legislation that would dramatically
reshape the U.S. immigration and employment landscape, putting 11 million
illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship while allowing tens of thousands
of new high- and low-skilled workers into the country.
<more> March 22, 2013 AP
Is
there an economic case for ending all guest worker programs? - -
Employers and workers’ advocates alike are calling for reforms to the
temporary guest worker programs that allow seasonal farmworkers and others
to come work in the U.S. for parts of the year. But some observers are
proposing a different economic argument: abolishing guest worker programs
altogether. After all, these jobs, especially on farms, are so difficult
that no Americans want to do them. Maybe if farmers weren’t given the
opportunity to import cheap labor, they’d be able to create better jobs,
argues Mark Krikorian, executive director of the Center for Immigration
Studies, a Washington, D.C., think tank.
<more> March 24, 2013 Los Angeles Times
Thousands march in Fresno for immigration reform - - A sea of people
wearing red T-shirts and waving flags marched through southeast Fresno
neighborhoods on Sunday shouting "si se puede" in support of immigration law
reform and to honor labor leader Cesar Chavez. Thousands of people --
undocumented farm workers, their American-born children, social activists
and college students on spring break -- participated in the nearly
three-mile march that started at St. Anthony Mary Claret Church on South
Chestnut Avenue after the Palm Sunday mass. The march was one of five
organized statewide by the United Farm Workers of America, a labor union
with about 1,000 members in Fresno and Madera counties, and a handful of
other organizations.
<more> March 24, 2013 Fresno Bee
Valadao, 5 others seek to put California dairies into federal pricing
program - - California's huge dairy industry, which has played by its
own set of rules since the 1930s, could partially end its unique way of
doing business under new legislation pushed this week by Rep. David Valadao
and five other Central Valley lawmakers. Valadao, R-Hanford, cited lost
revenues and hard times while introducing a bill late Thursday that would
open the door for California dairy producers to eventually enter a federal
milk-marketing system. The six lawmakers, echoing the views of industry
leaders, say it may be time for a change. "Put us on a level playing field,"
Valadao said. "We're desperate now." Valadao's bill would allow California
dairy producers to petition the Agriculture Department for entrance into the
federal milk-marketing order system. If the producers go ahead and file that
petition, the Agriculture Department would hold an industry vote. Approval
by two-thirds of the producers would be required for the move to succeed.
<more> March 22, 2013 Fresno Bee
Central Valley dairies struggle to stay afloat - - With more than a hundred California dairies having gone out of business last year, milk producers and industry advocates continue to search for an answer to the high feed costs and low milk prices plaguing the state's dairy farmers. "It's very dire," said Lynne McBride, executive director of the California Dairy Campaign. "Dairies continue to exit. Whenever a dairy closes, it has a ripple effect on that community and all the related businesses." The state lost 105 dairies last year, and a total of 290 over the past four years, bringing the total down to 1,563 farms, according to the state Department of Food and Agriculture. <more> March 22, 2013 Merced Sun-Star
Vidak
racks up endorsements in 16th state Senate race - - The race for the
16th state Senate District is turning into a three-way contest, with Andy
Vidak cornering Republican support. Vidak was endorsed by the 11-member
Senate Republican caucus this week. He was also endorsed by the Kings County
Republican Party. On Thursday, Kerman Mayor Gary Yep bowed out of the race
and endorsed Vidak, leaving him as the only Republican running. Vidak will
face two high-profile Democrats from Kern County — Shafter City Councilwoman
Fran Florez and Kern County Supervisor Leticia Perez.
<more> March 23, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Editorial: Cattlemen's misguided bill could hurt efforts to stop animal abuse - - In early 2008, the Hallmark/Westland Meat Packing Co. in Chino issued a recall for more than 143 million pounds of raw and frozen beef products, following the release of video footage showing that plant workers were abusing "downed" cows, including using forklifts to prod the animals to their feet. Many in the California cattle industry were outraged by the footage, obtained through an investigation conducted by the Humane Society of the United States. The California Cattlemen's Association condemned the practices at Hallmark/Westland and supported legislation to outlaw the slaughter and transportation of non-ambulatory cattle. Four years later, however, the California Cattlemen's Association is pushing legislation that could well have the effect of intimidating whistle-blowers and preventing journalists from investigating claims of animal abuse. <more> March 24, 2013 The Sacramento Bee

Pricing/Commodity News
MILC
Payments Won’t Be Sequestered - - Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC)
payments won’t fall under sequestration rules, according to a report in The
Friday Facts, published last Friday by Dairylea Cooperative. "However, due
to the Congressional notification period, the March payment may be delayed
by 30 days," Dairylea reported. The Februay MILC payment could be 43¢/cwt,
according to preliminary estimates based on current Futures prices and
calculations made by the University of Wisconsin. According to these same
estimates, MILC payments could also be forthcoming in March (60¢/cwt), April
(66¢/cwt), May (25¢/cwt) and June (14¢/cwt). March 25, 2013 Dairy Today
Corn
Falls With Demand Weaker Than Expected - - U.S. corn prices fell 0.9%,
pressured by weaker demand for the grain in cash markets. Buyers of physical
corn, such as grain elevators, cut back this past week amid historically
high prices and a recent influx of supplies from farmers, who sold corn
stored from last fall's harvest. That put pressure on futures prices Friday
as analysts saw the cutback as a sign that corn demand was softer than
believed. Corn for May delivery declined 6.75 cents to settle at $7.2625 a
bushel at the Chicago Board of Trade. Supplies of corn in the U.S. are tight
after last year's severe drought decimated crops.
<more> March 22, 2013 The Wall Street Journal
Crop insurance claims total $16B after widespread US drought; cost stirs debate in Congress - - Farmers will be paid a record $16 billion in crop insurance claims for 2012 because of the widespread drought, a staggering amount that has critics calling for changes to what they say is an inefficient taxpayer subsidy the government cannot afford. While farmers buy crop insurance from private companies, the federal government subsidizes their premiums and picks up the tab for losses over a certain amount. One analyst estimates the federal tab for 2012 will come to about $11 billion. <more> March 22, 2013 AP
Environmental
News
Feds
cut Valley water allocation to 20% - - Already reeling from a paltry
allocation of federal water from the Central Valley Project, farmers on the
west side of the Valley were stung Friday when their anticipated supplies
were cut even further. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that the
past couple of months of dry weather prompted a decrease in water
allocations to contractors south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin river delta
to 20% of the contracted supply. In February, the bureau had estimated the
allocation at 25%. The earlier allocation was based on pumping restrictions
in the delta to protect threatened fish species under the federal Endangered
Species Act. But dry weather from January through March prompted federal
officials to classify the Sacramento and San Joaquin river supplies as
critical based on reduced river flows into the delta.
<more> March 22, 2013 Fresno Bee
Valley
officials, politicians call water decision all wet - - Politicians and
water officials reacted with dismay to water cuts announced Friday by the
U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. The reduced allocation drew an outcry not only
from the Westlands Water District, which includes about 600,000 acres on the
Valley's west side, but also from members of California's congressional
delegation. "The water supply reductions facing farmers will devastate the
local communities," said Thomas Birmingham, Westlands' general manager. "We
understand that the most recent cut imposed by Reclamation is the result of
record dry conditions but this reduction is being imposed after the loss of
hundreds of thousands of acre-feet of water during a record wet December."
<more> March 24, 2013 The Bakersfield Californian
California's water future going from bad to worse - - Today’s announced
cutbacks in water deliveries from the two major water supply systems in
California are “making a bad situation even worse,” according to Mike Wade,
executive director of the California Farm Water Coalition. “Farmers were
already looking at reduced water supplies caused primarily by federal
regulations to protect fish in the Delta,” he said. “More than 800,000
acre-feet of water was taken earlier this year from farmers and folks who
live in our cities because of the regulations.” State Water Project
officials had previously announced a 40 percent delivery of water to its
users. Water deliveries from the Central Valley Project were even lower at
25 percent. Today’s announcements cut each of those deliveries by 5
percent. “The announcements made earlier today are making a bad situation
even worse,” Wade said. “California’s water delivery system is broken and
action needs to be taken to fix it in order that people are not penalized
from an unreliable system.
<more> March 22, 2013 California Farm Water Coalition
Groundwater nitrate issue continues to dominate - - It was the 65th
annual California Weed Science Society conference, but fertilizer was on the
mind of many there in Sacramento earlier this year. It takes nitrogen to
grow crops and weeds, and it was N that drew the first questions for Karen
Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, a
keynoter at the event. Nitrogen use has been elevated to the No. 1 spot on
the list of issues confronting California agriculture with the release about
a year ago of a University of California study that cited nitrates in
groundwater as a major contaminant of drinking water.
<more> March 25, 2013 Western Farm Press
Calif. farmers team up to convert beets to ethanol - - Amid the vast almond orchards and grape fields that surround Five Points in California's Central Valley, a once-dominant crop that has nearly disappeared from the state's farms is making a comeback: sugar beets. But these beets won't be processed into sugar. A dozen farmers, supported by university experts and a $5 million state grant, are set to start construction of a Fresno County demonstration plant that will convert the beets into ethanol. If the demo project in Five Points succeeds, the farmers will build the nation's first commercial-scale bio-refinery in nearby Mendota to turn beets into biofuel. <more> March 23, 2013 AP
Petaluma FFA National Champion Dairy Cattle Judging Team is “Scotland or Bust” this Summer - - Last October 2012, at a nationwide competition, Petaluma FFA won the Dairy Cattle Evaluation Career Development Event at the 85th National FFA Convention and Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana. The team will now continue on, not only to represent California but also the United States at the Royal Highland Livestock Exposition in Edinburgh, Scotland to compete in the International Competition this June. The team consists of Alexandra Gambonini, Francesca Gambonini, Jessie Jones and Regina Pozzi. The event components of this competition include an evaluation of six classes of dairy cattle, oral reasons, herd record evaluation and a dairy management team activity. Petaluma FFA is now raising funds to send their Dairy Judging Team to compete in Scotland. On Monday, April 29th, 2013, they are having a Pasta Feed Fundraiser at Lagunitas Brewing Company in Petaluma. Doors are open from 5:30pm to 8:30pm, with pre-tickets sales at $12/person and tickets sold at the door for $15/person. For more information on pre-sale tickets and/or sponsoring the Petaluma FFA Dairy Judging Team in their adventure “Scotland or Bust”, please contact Stacey Gambonini at (707)481-2457/calpenney@hughes.net or Kim Arntz at karntz@petk12.org. March 25, 2013 Petaluma FFA press release
UC
Davis Animal Medicine Club offers up musical video in contest - - The UC
Davis Food Animal and Reproduction Medicine Club is in the running to win a
new Easi-Scan Ultrasound Machine from BCF Technology. The club entered a
contest to win this coveted prize a month ago and has made it to the FINAL
round. Now they need help by having supporters
click on this link, watch their funny music video and cast their vote
for them by liking their video. Voting deadline is midnight on March 31.
March 25, 2013 UC Davis notice
Dairy
veterinarians urged to return pharmaceutical survey - -
Recently, California dairy
producers herd veterinarian received a survey from UC Davis on use of
pharmaceutical products in dairy animals. The goal of the survey is to
gather data on pharmaceutical use with an objective to identify categories
of drugs and frequency of use. The dairy industry requested and is funding
the survey in order to better understand on-farm use of pharmaceuticals.
Please encourage your veterinarian to complete and return the survey. A
reminder notice is going out to veterinarians should they need to contact
the researchers. Should you need more information, please contact Dr. Deanne
Meyer at dmeyer@ucdavis.edu.
March 22, 2013 UC Davis notice
Kings County Farm Bureau hires new executive director - - Diane Friend, Corcoran farmer and agribusinesswoman, was named this week as the Kings County Farm Bureau’s new executive director. The position has been vacant since former executive director Michele Costa left in October last year. Friend, who manages a farm in Corcoran, teaches ag business classes at College of the Sequoias and lives in Tulare, is the third woman in a row to occupy the position. Diana Peck was executive director before Costa. “I feel like I’ve come home,” Friend said. “I’ve got a lot of friends here.” Her farm bureau responsibilities include running a live video-conference program that teaches dairy and cotton facts in an interactive format to K-6 grade schoolchildren all over the U.S. <more> March 23, 2013 Hanford Sentinel

Dairy Meetings
Practical workshops, guest speakers on tap at WUD convention March 27-29 in
Sacramento - -
A full lineup of practical workshops, celebrity speakers and insights by
dairy industry professionals await those attending the annual Western United
Dairymen convention on March 27-29 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento.
Wednesday The convention kicks off on Wednesday March 27 with a day of
workshops on subjects ranging from solar energy to labor and Cal-OSHA
updates. Wednesday morning workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. and include
discussions of wastewater and land application solutions; labor and
employment requirements for ag employers, commodity risk management tools;
the economics of profit in California dairies; time-varying pricing for
agricultural energy customers; solar production on California dairies and a
labor roundtable. The evening’s festivities include a wine and cheese social
beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed by the membership dinner at the California
Auto Museum.
<more> March 15, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Dairy pioneer Mary Cameron to
be honored at WUD convention - - Pioneering
California dairy producer Mary Cameron of Hanford will be honored
at
Western United Dairymen’s annual convention in Sacramento for her many years
of service to the dairy industry. The first female director on the WUD
board of directors, Mary served from 1994 to 2003. She has played a
groundbreaking leadership role since she began her first dairy in Artesia in
1955. She moved her dairy to Hanford in 1974 and was honored in 2003 with a
Common Threads award recognizing her efforts to promote the industry. Mary
will be recognized on Thursday night, March 28. To view the complete
convention agenda,
please click here. To learn more about the convention to be held
at the Sheraton Grand in downtown Sacramento March 27-29, please
click here March 18, 2013 WUD News
Need
an answer for a labor question? Attend convention session Wednesday March 27 - -
California’s leading dairy labor expert will answer your questions in a
“Labor Roundtable” workshop at the Western United Dairymen’s convention on
Wednesday, March 27. Attorney Anthony Raimondo of McCormick Barstow LLP will
host a question and answer session with convention attendees starting at
1:00 pm. Submit your questions in person or send them in advance to Heidi
Savage by fax to (209) 527-0630 or by email to
hsavage@westernuniteddairymen.com. March 15, 2013 WUD Friday
Update
“Chobani
Effect” comes to California March 28- -
John Winnie, Chobani’s Director
of Operations for Idaho will be speaking at the Western United Dairymen
annual meeting in Sacramento on Thursday, March 28. Winnie, a graduate of
the New Hampshire Technology Institute in Concord, will present “The Chobani
Story: The Billion Dollar Yogurt Startup.” Chobani announced its plans to
construct a new processing facility in Twin Falls, Idaho just over a year
ago. The company whisked through Idaho’s permitting process and constructed
the plant in just under one year. The impact to producer milk prices in
Idaho has been rapid and amazing. Idaho’s producer milk prices, dominated by
cheese processing, witnessed an almost immediate upward surge with the
announcement of Chobani’s decision to build in Idaho. Idaho’s milk checks
that had long languished at the bottom of comparative state prices, have
since boomed upward with the advent of new competition in the Idaho market
for producer milk. Attendees will hear about a truly amazing success story
at the WUD annual meeting as “The Chobani Effect” comes to California.
March 15, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Noted state
political journalist Walters to speak at WUD Convention - -
The dean of California’s
political reporters, Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee will provide his
unique insights on the current political landscape when he talks to the
Western United Dairymen’s convention on
Thursday,
March 28. Walters’ “State of the State” comments will offer the perspective
of a journalist who has been in the profession for more than a
half-century. Walters has the distinction of having covered Jerry Brown’s
first term as governor in 1975 when he joined The Sacramento Union's Capitol
bureau, and later covering Brown’s return to Sacramento as governor in 2011.
In 1981, he began writing the state's only daily newspaper column devoted to
California political, economic, and social events. In 1984, he and the
column moved to The Sacramento Bee. He has written more than 7,500 columns
about California and its politics and his column now appears in more than 50
California newspapers.
<more> Feb. 28, 2013 WUD News
WUD 2013 Convention keynote speaker offers unique look at milkshakes - -
Greg Forbes Siegma is the keynote
speaker at WUD’s annual convention on Thursday, March 28 in Sacramento.
The Silhouette Man
by Jillip Paxson is based on the true story of a man’s efforts to
use his love
of milkshakes to bring a diverse community
together.
The First Thirty
(student edition of the book) was NSDLC 2007 Multicultural Relations Book of
the Year. Greg is the real-life educator upon whom the story is based. In
addition to speaking at others’ events, he has hosted hundreds of events,
meals and milkshake outings to try and build bridges between people of
different ages, cultures and backgrounds. In 2005, he was honored at
Princeton University as one of America’s top social entrepreneurs under 40.
In 2007, Entrepreneurship Week USA recognized him as one of its Trailblazers
in Business. He has been featured by media like Good Morning America
and The Washington Post. His website is
www.GregForbes.com
Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise April 16-17 - -
Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
is sponsoring the 2013 Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise on April
16-17. The purpose of this symposium is to have a round-table exchange on
the status of air quality research, demonstration projects, and pending
regulations in the west, and to plan for coordination of research efforts
among states and groups. This symposium brings together researchers,
regulators and policy advocates from universities, USDA, EPA, regional air
regulatory agencies and industry organizations. The hotel reservation
deadline is March 21. Registration is $75 per person. Registration
information is available by contacting Kathi Schiffler at (209) 527-6453 or
kschiffler@westernuniteddairymen.com.
Feb. 22, 2013 WUD
Friday Update
Environmental stewardship classes offered in Merced in April 23 and April 30 - - The California Dairy Quality Assurance Program is offering free classes in environmental stewardship in Merced April 23 and April 30. The workshops will be held Tuesday, April 23 and Tuesday April 30, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Merced County Cooperative Extension Classroom, 2145 Wardrobe Avenue, Merced. The two-part series of classes (three hours each), known as the Environmental Stewardship Short Course, will be taught by Dr. Deanne Meyer, livestock waste management specialist at UC Davis. This will be the only six-hour class offered in water quality by CDQAP this year. Producers can attend all or part of the Short Course to meet the education requirements. The classes cover environmental issues, regulatory requirements and management practices for dairy producers. For producers interested in certifying their facility, the same person from the dairy facility must attend all six hours of water quality education. <more> March 8, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Friday, March 22, 2013
State/Federal
News and Politics
California milk
producers seek benefits of federal pricing program
- - California’s huge dairy
industry that has played by its own set of rules since the 1930s could
partially end its unique way of doing business under new legislation that’s
united lawmakers throughout the state. Citing lost revenues and hard times,
six House members from the rural Central Valley introduced a bill this week
opening the door for California dairy producers to eventually enter a
federal milk marketing system. The lawmakers, echoing the views of industry
leaders, say it may be time for a change. “Put us on a level playing field,”
Rep. David Valadao, R-Calif., said in an interview Friday. “We’re desperate
now.” Valadao’s bill would allow California dairy producers to petition the
Agriculture Department for entrance into the federal milk marketing order
system. If the producers go ahead and file that petition, the Agriculture
Department would hold an industry vote. Approval by two-thirds of the
producers would be required for the move to succeed.
<more> March 22, 2013 McClatchy Newspapers
Bill
introduced to change California milk pricing - - Two groups representing
California farmers and dairy operators are putting their support behind a
congressional bill that would allow California to be included in the federal
system for milk pricing. The bipartisan “California Milk Marketing Order
Act” was introduced Thursday by representatives Jim Costa, D-Fresno, and
David Valadao, R-Hanford. Currently, the prices dairies in the state get
every month for their milk is set by California Department of Food and
Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross.
<more> March 22, 2013 Visalia Times Delta
Gillibrand introduces modified dairy proposal - - U.S. Sen. Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) introduced a new bill, the “Dairy Income Fairness Act,”
that would modify the terms of the margin insurance and the supply/growth
management programs proposed in the Dairy Security Act (DSA). According to
the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA), the bill, S. 605, would
replace current dairy programs with a version of the Dairy Producer Margin
Protection Program and the Dairy Market Stabilization Program (DMSP) found
in the Dairy Security Act (DSA). The Milk Income Loss Contract (MILC)
program payment trigger would be raised from $16.94/cwt. to $18.85/cwt. and
phased out nine months after enactment of the bill.
<more> March 22, 2013 Dairy Business
'First
Look': Senate candidate Vidak pitches 'common sense solutions' - - Andy
Vidak, the Republican candidate for the 16th District Senate seat, said he's
gathering strong endorsements, working on fundraising and pitching "common
sense solutions" in his bid for the post. The cherry farmer from Kings
County called in to the simulcast "First Look with Scott Cox" Thursday
morning. Show host Scott Cox said he thinks government was designed to be
run by "regular people," adding, "I'll cast my lot with the cherry farmer
from Hanford but that's just me." Vidak, for his part, said, "All I want to
do is help the district. I'm not looking for a job. I don't need a job."
<more> March 21, 2013 Bakersfield Californian
Foreign citizens making big investments in U.S. in exchange for green cards
- - Sitting around the long, wooden kitchen table in their farmhouse on a
Sunday afternoon, Rene and Judith Dekker were tired-eyed from rising before
dawn to tend to their 1,200 dairy cows. Their two older kids were packing up
for the drive back to college — Bart wanted to know whether Mom had ironed
his dress shirt, while Susanne gently scooped her live goldfish into a
plastic bag. Mathias, 16, had algebra homework, and Benny the chocolate Lab
bounced around outside. They looked like any other family here in rural
Michigan, but they are Dutch citizens. And they are faces of a fast-growing
U.S. visa program in which foreigners can gain permanent residence by
investing $500,000 in a U.S. project that creates at least 10 jobs. Through
the program, known as EB-5, the Dekkers have a half-million-dollar stake in
the Marriott Marquis Hotel rising in the District next to the Washington
Convention Center.
<more>
March 22, 2012 Washington Post
Senate
immigration plan would stress merit - - Senators working on a
comprehensive immigration plan are quietly talking about letting people into
the United States by giving more weight to potential job skills and less
weight to family connections than now exists -- a departure from the current
system and one sure to rile immigrant advocates while pleasing business
interests. The system would award points for a person's various
characteristics, and it would place greater emphasis than the current system
on future immigrants' ability to make long-term economic contributions. A
bipartisan group of senators is nearing agreement on a comprehensive
immigration bill that would put illegal immigrants on a 13-year path to
citizenship, officials with outside groups keeping up with the talks told
the Associated Press on Thursday.
<more> March 21, 2013 Fresno Bee
Undercover Activist Vows to Fight 'Ag Gag' Laws - - A longtime activist
who caught criminal animal cruelty on videotape at an Idaho dairy farm said
he's not going to be deterred by the aggressive push by some state lawmakers
to restrict the use of undercover cameras. "We'll find a way. There's going
to be a way we keep doing this," the veteran investigator told ABC News. The
activist, who has requested ABC News refer to him as "Pete," worked as an
employee at Bettencourt Dairies in Idaho for three weeks last year on behalf
of the animal rights group Mercy for Animals. As detailed in an ABC News
report last week, Pete recorded employees beating, kicking and dragging
dairy cows around the farm – animal abuse violations that resulted in
criminal charges against three workers.
<more> March 21, 2013 ABC News
Dairy
veterinarians urged to return pharmaceutical survey - -
Recently, California dairy
producers herd veterinarian received a survey from UC Davis on use of
pharmaceutical products in dairy animals. The goal of the survey is to
gather data on pharmaceutical use with an objective to identify categories
of drugs and frequency of use. The dairy industry requested and is funding
the survey in order to better understand on-farm use of pharmaceuticals.
Please encourage your veterinarian to complete and return the survey. A
reminder notice is going out to veterinarians should they need to contact
the researchers. Should you need more information, please contact Dr. Deanne
Meyer at dmeyer@ucdavis.edu.
March 21, 2013 UC Davis survey
Annual labor survey available online - - The annual Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS) survey is out again and ready for participation from dairy producers. This survey’s purpose is to develop a reference on California market conditions and takes into consideration only the wage rates which respondents pay their employees within the state of California. It is important that all information entered be accurate in order to have true results. The survey can be completed online at www.fels.net/survey. A user portal page provides for data entry as well as access to reports from prior years. In addition to the online access, Western United Dairymen has provided members with hard copies of the survey inside its Friday Update newsletter. The forms should be completed and returned to the WUD office by April 1. Please complete the survey in either of the two ways listed. In order to access the online survey, go to www.fels.net/survey and select Western United Dairymen (WUD) from the dropdown list of participating organizations. No password if required. Select “begin survey”. March 5, 2013 FELS Notice

Pricing/Commodity News
NASS
Suspends Certain Statistical Estimates and Reports Due to Sequestration -
- USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is suspending a number of
statistical surveys and reports for the remainder of the fiscal year due to
reduced funding caused by sequestration. Before deciding upon the program
suspensions, NASS reviewed its survey programs against mission- and
user-based criteria as well as the amount of time remaining in the fiscal
year to conduct the surveys with the goal of finding available cost savings
and maintaining the strongest data in service to agriculture. The decision
to suspend these reports was not made lightly, but it was nevertheless
necessary, given the funding situation.
<more> March 12, 2013 news release
Cattle
on feed down 7% - - Cattle and calves on feed for slaughter market in
U.S. feedlots with capacity of 1,000 or more head totaled 10.9 million head
on March 1, 7% less than a year earlier, according to USDA’s Cattle on Feed
report, released March 22. February placements totaled 1.48 million head
(1.42 million net), down 14% from a year earlier and the lowest for February
since USDA started recording placements in 1996. February fed cattle
marketings totaled 1.64 million, down 7%. March 22, 2013 Dairy Business
Drought, planting choices create worst hay shortage since 1964 - - When we think of crops hit hard by the drought, corn and soybeans come to mind. But dry hay production is at its lowest level in four decades. Good for sellers, not for buyers. Experts say the hay shortage started when farmers chose to use more of their hay pastures to plant high-priced corn and beans. "It's been working that way from the acreage standpoint for several years. Then you add the drought, it really wiped it out," said owner of the Rock Valley Hay Auction, Paul McGill. <more> March 21, 2013 KTIV-TV
Environmental
News
Delta
water plan decried by valley officials - - Officials responsible for
delivering water and energy to city dwellers and farms punched holes
Thursday in a state plan to give more Sierra Nevada runoff to fish. Speakers
told a state board in Sacramento that a game-changing Bay-Delta Plan
threatens to stymie hydroelectric power during heat waves, would devastate
farms in the Northern San Joaquin Valley and could create water shortages
for Bay Area customers. Officials said studies on the water releases are
seriously flawed because they don't account for the complexity of operating
dams such as New Melones on the Stanislaus River and Don Pedro on the
Tuolumne, which generate energy for hundreds of thousands of people and
support the valley's agricultural economy.
<more> March 22, 2013 Modesto Bee
Visalia and Tulare Irrigation District reach historic agreement - - The
city of Visalia says it has reached a historic agreement with the Tulare
Irrigation District to save water. Officials say the deal will bring more
water to farmers southwest of Visalia, and increase Visalia's water supply.
As Visalia works on a $140 million update to its wastewater treatment
facility, they were looking for someone to take some of the excess treated
water that will result from the project.
<more> March 20, 2013 KFSN-TV
Busload of Merced County residents fight water plan - - The state wants to limit the amount of water three North Valley irrigation districts can take from their tributaries, as a way to help increase the fish population. But that plan is expected to cost the region's economy tens of millions of dollars each year. Mario Bandoni is a fourth generation farmer whose family grows about 300 acres of almonds in Merced County. He's concerned a plan by the state water resources control board could threaten his livelihood and hurt the area's already struggling economy. "As everybody knows, agriculture is one of the driving forces in the state, and it's a multi-billion dollar industry, so you're not only you're taking jobs away from the farmers, the farm workers, any industry involved with agriculture," Bandoni said. <more> March 20, 2013 KFSN-TV
Fonterra launches world’s first 100% light proof milk bottle - -
Fonterra has launched a ‘world-first’ bottle in New Zealand, that it says
will protect milk from light and keep it fresher and tasting better for
longer. The triple-layer bottle technology developed over three years was
the first packaging of its kind for fresh milk and cream, and was a ‘game
changer’ for the dairy industry, said Fonterra managing director of brands
Peter McClure said at the launch in Auckland. “This is absolutely without a
doubt Fonterra's biggest innovation yet.”
<more> March 22, 2013 FoodBev.com
Where
the goats roam - - On Sixth Avenue, about 10 miles north of Hanford,
sits a tidy dairy set back from the road. At a distance, it could pass for
any of dozens of cow dairies in Kings County, except the four-footed beasts
on this one are small, curious, agile, wear chew-proof metal tags and eat
just about anything. Summerhill Dairy, with 1,200 milking goats and another
800 dry goats, is one of the few goat dairies in the county. Owner Johnnie
de Jong would like to keep it that way. The transplanted dairyman from
southern California has been milking goats for 14 years now, and he’s carved
out a nifty little niche for himself.
<more> March 20, 2013 Hanford Sentinel
Horse-Slaughter Advocate’s Video Spurs Cruelty Investigation - - An employee of a New Mexico company that has sparked outrage for its plans to slaughter horses is being investigated for animal cruelty in connection with a video in which he taunts animal welfare advocates while killing a horse. Tim Sappington, 54, may face charges over the video, said Bobby Pierce, the deputy director of the New Mexico Livestock Board, an Albuquerque-based law enforcement agency. Sappington is the only employee of Valley Meat Co. near Roswell, which is seeking to become the first company to run a horse-slaughter plant in the U.S. since 2007. <more> March 22, 2013 Ag Web

Dairy Meetings
Practical workshops, guest speakers on tap at WUD convention March 27-29 in
Sacramento - -
A full lineup of practical workshops, celebrity speakers and insights by
dairy industry professionals await those attending the annual Western United
Dairymen convention on March 27-29 at the Sheraton Grand in Sacramento.
Wednesday The convention kicks off on Wednesday March 27 with a day of
workshops on subjects ranging from solar energy to labor and Cal-OSHA
updates. Wednesday morning workshops begin at 10:00 a.m. and include
discussions of wastewater and land application solutions; labor and
employment requirements for ag employers, commodity risk management tools;
the economics of profit in California dairies; time-varying pricing for
agricultural energy customers; solar production on California dairies and a
labor roundtable. The evening’s festivities include a wine and cheese social
beginning at 4:30 p.m., followed by the membership dinner at the California
Auto Museum.
<more> March 15, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Need
an answer for a labor question? Attend convention session Wednesday March 27 - -
California’s leading dairy labor expert will answer your questions in a
“Labor Roundtable” workshop at the Western United Dairymen’s convention on
Wednesday, March 27. Attorney Anthony Raimondo of McCormick Barstow LLP will
host a question and answer session with convention attendees starting at
1:00 pm. Submit your questions in person or send them in advance to Heidi
Savage by fax to (209) 527-0630 or by email to
hsavage@westernuniteddairymen.com. March 15, 2013 WUD Friday
Update
“Chobani Effect” comes to California March 28- - John Winnie, Chobani’s Director of Operations for Idaho will be speaking at the Western United Dairymen annual meeting in Sacramento on Thursday, March 28. Winnie, a graduate of the New Hampshire Technology Institute in Concord, will present “The Chobani Story: The Billion Dollar Yogurt Startup.” Chobani announced its plans to construct a new processing facility in Twin Falls, Idaho just over a year ago. The company whisked through Idaho’s permitting process and constructed the plant in just under one year. The impact to producer milk prices in Idaho has been rapid and amazing. Idaho’s producer milk prices, dominated by cheese processing, witnessed an almost immediate upward surge with the announcement of Chobani’s decision to build in Idaho. Idaho’s milk checks that had long languished at the bottom of comparative state prices, have since boomed upward with the advent of new competition in the Idaho market for producer milk. Attendees will hear about a truly amazing success story at the WUD annual meeting as “The Chobani Effect” comes to California. March 15, 2013 WUD Friday Update
Dairy
pioneer Mary Cameron to be feted at WUD convention - - Pioneering
California dairy producer Mary Cameron of Hanford will be honored
at
Western United Dairymen’s annual convention in Sacramento for her many years
of service to the dairy industry. The first female director on the WUD
board of directors, Mary served from 1994 to 2003. She has played a
groundbreaking leadership role since she began her first dairy in Artesia in
1955. She moved her dairy to Hanford in 1974 and was honored in 2003 with a
Common Threads award recognizing her efforts to promote the industry. Mary
will be recognized on Thursday night, March 28. To view the complete
convention agenda,
please click here. To learn more about the convention to be held
at the Sheraton Grand in downtown Sacramento March 27-29, please
click here March 18, 2013 WUD News
Noted state
political journalist Walters to speak at WUD Convention - -
The dean of California’s
political reporters, Dan Walters of the Sacramento Bee will provide his
unique insights on the current political landscape when he talks to the
Western United Dairymen’s convention on
Thursday,
March 28. Walters’ “State of the State” comments will offer the perspective
of a journalist who has been in the profession for more than a
half-century. Walters has the distinction of having covered Jerry Brown’s
first term as governor in 1975 when he joined The Sacramento Union's Capitol
bureau, and later covering Brown’s return to Sacramento as governor in 2011.
In 1981, he began writing the state's only daily newspaper column devoted to
California political, economic, and social events. In 1984, he and the
column moved to The Sacramento Bee. He has written more than 7,500 columns
about California and its politics and his column now appears in more than 50
California newspapers.
<more> Feb. 28, 2013 WUD News
WUD 2013 Convention keynote speaker offers unique look at milkshakes - -
Greg Forbes Siegma is the keynote
speaker at WUD’s annual convention on Thursday, March 28 in Sacramento.
The Silhouette Man
by Jillip Paxson is based on the true story of a man’s efforts to
use his love
of milkshakes to bring a diverse community
together. The First Thirty
(student edition of the book) was NSDLC 2007 Multicultural Relations Book of
the Year. Greg is the real-life educator upon whom the story is based. In
addition to speaking at others’ events, he has hosted hundreds of events,
meals and milkshake outings to try and build bridges between people of
different ages, cultures and backgrounds. In 2005, he was honored at
Princeton University as one of America’s top social entrepreneurs under 40.
In 2007, Entrepreneurship Week USA recognized him as one of its Trailblazers
in Business. He has been featured by media like Good Morning America
and The Washington Post. His website is
www.GregForbes.com
March 27-29,
2013 WUD Convention, Sacramento - -
Room reservations, at the
discounted rate of $139 a night, at the
Sheraton Grand Sacramento
Hotel can be made on-line
by
clicking here. A tentative agenda can be downloaded
by clicking here.
Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise April 16-17 - - Western States Dairy Producers Trade Association
is sponsoring the 2013 Western Dairy Air Quality Symposium in Boise on April
16-17. The purpose of this symposium is to have a round-table exchange on
the status of air quality research, demonstration projects, and pending
regulations in the west, and to plan for coordination of research efforts
among states and groups. This symposium brings together researchers,
regulators and policy advocates from universities, USDA, EPA, regional air
regulatory agencies and industry organizations. The hotel reservation
deadline is March 21. Registration is $75 per person. Registration
information is available by contacting Kathi Schiffler at (209) 527-6453 or
kschiffler@westernuniteddairymen.com. Feb. 22, 2013 WUD
Friday Update