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LBAM
It
has been busy and I apologize for the lags in communicating!
This week has been filled with a series of Invasive Pest
Coalition (IPC) conference calls and meetings. As you
have probably read, the state has announced a revised
strategy for LBAM eradication which will not deploy aerial
application of pheromone in urban areas. It will
require some ground application of insecticides with
pheromone placements and has a goal of using sterile moth
release by the spring of 2009. USDA has signed off on
the new protocol. Both agencies are still committed to
eradication.
Heat
Stress Prevention
A
number of different organizations are offering heat stress
prevention training workshops to assure the employer
community is in compliance with the state regulations.
A
San Joaquin
County
coroner announced autopsy results this week confirming the
mid-May death of the 17-year old female vineyard employee
was a result of heat stress. This week, the
Administration announced it had revoked the license of the
Merced
farm labor contractor for whom the young woman was working
at the time of her death. Yesterday, attorneys for her
family announced they are filing a civil claim against the
farm labor contractor and the farming company contracting
with it.
Michael
Saqui has offered to do training workshops in conjunction
with CAWG and regional associations. Michael has also
joined forces with
Monte
Lake
, a labor attorney in
Washington
D.C.
who has worked on AgJOBS and immigration issues for years,
to offer employers and regional groups information and
assistance in utilizing H2A programs for temporary ag
workers.
Legislative
Actions
Earlier
this week, the budget conference committee held open final
action on the issue of fully funding vehicle inspections at
all stations on the
California
borders to enhance invasive pest exclusion activities.
The proposal is for $7.5 million. It would be covered
by an $11 increase in the Motor Vehicle License fee. A
broad coalition of ag organizations is supported the measure
which also has support from environmental organizations.
A
compromise has been reached between the authors of two
different metal theft prevention measures by
Assembly
Member Tom Berryhill and Senator Tom Calderon. The
language from SB 691 will be put into AB 844. The bill
will be voted on in Senate Business & Professions on
Monday and then will have to go through both
Senate Environmental Quality and Senate Public Safety
Committees.
Other
bills continuing to move through the process include:
- Direct
Marketing – AB 2168 (Jones) Authorizes
allow individuals, organizations, or entities that
purchase produce or products from a farmers' market,
farm stand, or retail farm stand to resell that product
to another user if there is information provided to
trace back the produce back to the point of
production.
- Water
Conservation – AB 21759 (Laird)
Requires Department of Water Resources to adopt, by
2010, a statewide agricultural water conservation target
of not less than 500,000 acre-feet to be achieved by
2020. Beginning in 2012, and every five years
thereafter, the Department shall review and may increase
such conservation target. Agricultural water suppliers
would have to adopt, by December 31, 2012, their own
numeric water conservation targets for 2015 and 2020,
using water conservation practices that are technically
feasible and locally cost-effective for the agency.
- Invasive
Pests – AB 2763 (Laird)
Requires
CDFA to maintain a list of invasive animals, plants,
insects, and diseases where introduction into California
would or would likely cause economic or environmental
harm, necessitating an eradication, control, or
management action by the state. The department would be
required, based on available funding, to develop and
maintain a written assessment of the most appropriate
options for eradication, control, or management of high
priority invasives on the list, and to include specified
information in the assessment if the use of pesticides
would be among the appropriate responses.
- Williamson
Act – AB 2921 (Laird)
The
bill makes a number of changes relating to the
conditions under which a landowner may cancel a
Williamson Act contract in order to place other land
under an agricultural conservation preserve. These
include rescinding contracts and land values; rescinding
contracts and agricultural conservation; easements; and,
lot line adjustments.
- Olive
Oil – SB 634 (Wiggins)
Clarifies
the definition of olive oil; repeals current licensure
provisions; conforms olive oil definitions, grades and
labeling requirements to international standards;
authorizes the addition of vitamin E to specified olive
oils; permits a consumer to re-use a clean olive oil
container, can, or drum; and, makes legislative findings
and declarations.
Federal
Issues
The
complete 15-title version of the Farm Bill was vetoed and
the veto over-ridden by Congress this week. USDA has
announced the availability of approximately $27 million for
the new Specialty Crop Research Initiative this fiscal year.
Applications will be released in July.
http://www.csrees.usda.gov/newsroom/news/2008news/06161_speciality_crops.html
The
House Ag Appropriations Subcommittee met yesterday. We
have learned that the mark-up included $22.760 million for
the PD/GWSS control program. The State was requesting
$30 million. Other items that we advocated, like the
Viticulture Consortium, will not be addressed until full
committee meets later this year. The Senate
subcommittee has not yet met. New York Senator Schumer
will be seeking about $9 million to complete the ARS
building in
Geneva
. The state of New York and Cornell University have
come up with other funds to help complete the building which
has had an annual appropriation for the past five years to
get it started. The AVF has a long list of projects by
ARS scientists at Cornell that it has funded to benefit
growers here and across the nation.
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