A coalition of California farm organizations and water districts has formally asked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to appoint Rep. Jim Costa, D-Fresno, as the new chair of the House Agriculture Committee. In a letter sent to Pelosi today, the 70 organizations said Costa “possesses the experience and leadership adeptness” to serve effectively as committee chair. […]
Crediting a unified effort by California farmers, ranchers and their organizations, California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson thanked voters for rejecting the split-roll tax measure on the Nov. 3 ballot. The initiative, Proposition 15, would have allowed reassessment and higher property taxes on a variety of business properties, including agricultural structures and improvements such […]
For the first time in show history, the 2021 World Ag Expo® will be an online event February 9-11. Officials at the International Agri-Center® announced the cancellation of the live event on September 14, and spent the next month carefully weighing the implications of a digital show. “A digital show is not a replacement for […]
Voluntary Agreements (VAs) have been proposed as a collaborative, modern and holistic alternative to the State Water Resources Control Board’s (SWRCB) staff proposed update to the Bay-Delta Water Quality Control Plan (WQCP). From August 2018 until early 2020, state and federal agencies, public water agencies, and non-governmental organizations were engaged in robust discussions to identify the best path forward regarding the WQCP update. Westlands and […]
Alta Irrigation District wrapped up the 2020 irrigation season about mid-September and its crews jumped right into the remaining months of the 2020 maintenance season. While weedy ditches are common in Alta, recent District activity suggests this may not be the norm going forward. Dinuba based Alta, which serves eastern Fresno County, northern Tulare County […]
Kings River runoff during the just-concluding water year may have been limited by deepening drought conditions to just over half of average but new operating procedures, implemented in 2017 allowed Alta Irrigation District to deliver more water when compared to operations during previous wet years, which helped lessen impacts during this dry year. Dinuba-based Alta, […]
A coalition of more than 160 agricultural organizations from across the nation has asked the White House Coronavirus Task Force to take additional measures to promote the health and safety of farm employees and rural communities. In a letter addressed to Vice President Mike Pence, who chairs the task force, the farm groups stressed that […]
Grace Jardon, a 2019 Exeter Union High School graduate, will once again represent the Exeter FFA Chapter at the 93rd National FFA Convention and Expo. Jardon is competing with her proficiency project in the Agriscience Research – Animal Systems category based on her research titled “Epidemiology and Treatment of Spinose Ear Ticks on a California […]
Following Gov. Gavin Newsom’s announcement of support for Proposition 15, the split-roll property tax initiative, California Farm Bureau Federation President Jamie Johansson said the endorsement ignores the measure’s harmful impact on the state’s rural communities. Proposition 15 would establish a split-roll property tax that would reassess and raise taxes on commercial and industrial property, including […]
Schuil & Associates, the 36-year-old firm established by three brothers, Michael, Marc, and Rick Schuil in Visalia, California today announced the availability of Schuil Real Estate – a mobile app specializing in the sale of farmland, dairies, orchards, grazing sites and more. Traditional real estate apps often focus on single-family homes and commercial real estate […]