A cross-section of city and county officials, farming and business interests joined together Wednesday at Fresno City Hall to support a multibillion-dollar water bond that's nearly twice as large as what Gov. Jerry Brown wants. The governor this week pledged support for a $6 billion water bond for November's ballot -- but no more --
Their success marks a milestone: After decades of public hand-wringing about the empty calories and environmental impact of fast food, the farm-to-table notions that have revolutionized higher-end American restaurants have finally found a lucrative spot in the takeout line. The result already has a nickname: farm to counter. “This is not a passing fad,” said
A pervasive agricultural insecticide that has been linked to the decline of honeybees is now a near-constant presence in the small and great rivers that flow through Midwestern farm country, according to the first major review of its kind. http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/268650562.html
Mainstream companies are carefully — and much more quietly — calibrating their non-GMO strategies. General Mills' original plain Cheerios are now GMO-free, but the only announcement was in a company blog post in January. And you won't see any label on the box highlighting the change. Grape Nuts, another cereal aisle staple, made by Post, is
Some of California’s largest agricultural water districts are facing a lawsuit that would force them to measure how much water farmers use. The 2009 law was designed to push the state’s biggest water users to conserve by closely monitoring their use. Then, the state’s agricultural water districts are supposed to charge the farmers, at least
California agricultural catastrophe could start with a single handkerchief. In the hands of a clever terrorist, the handkerchief could be contaminated with the foot-and-mouth disease virus, then dropped in a pen of livestock. Cattle, which are curious by nature, would soon start sniffing the handkerchief, potentially creating a ground zero for one of the most feared
The Oakdale Irrigation District hasn’t raised its water rates in 30 years, and it was obvious Tuesday that OID’s directors resent a state law requiring them to charge farmers more to irrigate. “All of this is getting forced on us,” board Chairman Steve Webb repeatedly stated. Virtually every other California irrigation district has complied with
California’s evolving cap-and-trade market may soon have a new player: rice farmers. A proposal by the California Air Resources Board staff, up for board approval in September, would allow rice farmers in the Sacramento Valley to sell carbon emission offsets as part of the state’s effort to combat climate change. Rice farmers would flood their fields for shorter
The USDA projects that the price of beef and veal will rise 5.5 to 6.5 percent this year and that poultry prices will increase 3 to 4 percent. Dairy products will likewise see a 3 to 4 percent jump, with egg prices rising 5 to 6 percent. Fresh fruit and vegetable prices are expected to
The 115-year-old Kern River oil field unfolds into the horizon, thousands of bobbing pumpjacks seemingly occupying every corner of a desert landscape here in California’s Central Valley. A contributor to the state’s original oil boom, it is still going strong as the nation’s fifth-largest oil field, yielding 70,000 barrels a day. But the Kern River