Ban Neonics – Hurt Farmers and Bees
By Paul Driessen Organic pesticides, and other organic chemicals, are more dangerous to bees … and people The honeybees, bumblebees and other little pollinators swarming over my flowers remind me what important roles they play – and how some misguided folks could inadvertently hurt them. Montgomery County, Maryland now prohibits “weed-and-feed” lawn fertilizer […]
ECONOMY | USMCA Expected to Bring Some Relief From Pandemic Economic Woes
BY EMEL AKAN WASHINGTON—The new trade agreement between the United States, Mexico, and Canada took effect on July 1, opening a fresh era in North American free trade. The agreement contains new “rules of origin” on cars, which incentivize the use of high-wage labor in auto manufacturing and make U.S. and Canadian workers more competitive vis-a-vis Mexican […]
The Time We Notice We’re Hungry, It May Be Too Late
By Thomas L. Knapp “[A]s the top U.S. watermelon-producing state prepares for harvest, Reuters reports, “many of the workers needed to collect the crop are stuck in Mexico …. Without the workers crops could rot in fields throughout the country,” starting in Florida and California where major harvests begin in April and May. As […]
The New Era of Sustainability Groundwater Management Act Begins with Problems on the Horizon
By Darin DuPont As the year comes to an end, the beginning of 2020 will bring a multitude of issues and policies to the next legislative session. Groundwater will be one of those issues, as the Sustainability Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) has a deadline of January 31, 2020 for Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP) […]
Agriculture Secretary Restricts Alarmist Announcements
By Dr. Jay Lehr & Tom Harris Sonny Perdue was well chosen by President Donald Trump to be Agriculture Secretary. As part of Perdue’s efforts to put our agricultural house in order, he has succeeded in filling the upper echelon of the agency with straight shooters. However, below the surface, the agency remains heavily influenced […]
I, Robot: Americans Get $7.5 Million for Robotic Strawberry Picking Research
By NEIL MUNRO A group of Americans is getting $7.5 million from investors to help pick strawberries by using a multi-armed, electronic-eyed robot. The investment will help field the first robots in Davis, California, said Marc Grossman, CEO of Advanced Farm Technologies. “With this investment, we can expand our lead in robotic strawberry harvesting and […]
Governor Newsom Announces Cancellation of Brainharming Pesticide Chlorpyrifos
Californians for Pesticide Reform Sacramento, CA: California’s farmworking communities will soon get a reprieve from a devastating pesticide linked to permanent brain damage in young children. A little more than two years after the Trump Administration reversed a proposed federal ban of the neurotoxic organophosphate pesticide chlorpyrifos, Governor Newsom today announced the commencement of […]
Pesticide approval process in Ventura and Santa Barbara may have violated state law, UCLA report finds
Ventura, CA: California’s County Agricultural Commissioners failed to comply with state law requiring them to not issue permits for hazardous pesticide use without first considering whether safe alternatives exist or whether there is potential for harmful interactions with other pesticides used at the same time. That’s the explosive conclusion of a new report by UCLA […]
Fewer acres-more processing tomatoes forecast in 2019
. By Stephen Frank, California Political News and Views California is a great place for growing food. As Guv Brown and the Democrats limit water for food, farmers have learned to maximize crops. “It is a familiar pattern. San Joaquin Valley farmers are expected plant fewer acres of processing tomatoes in 2019 according to a […]
CalEPA Invitation – Information on Organic Materials Management Listening Session Feb. 22, 2019
Date and Time: Feb. 22nd, 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm Location: 1001 I Street – Room 550, Sacramento, C Live Webcast: https://video.calepa.ca.gov/ Scroll to find Organic Materials Management Join by Phone & Ask Questions: 1.408.740.7256 or 1.408.317.9253; ID: 366 432 518 Join by Phone & Ask Questions in Spanish: 1.888.947.3988; ID: 926958 The California Environmental […]
