Monthly Archives: August 2017

The California Independent System Operator Corporation (ISO) has issued a statewide Flex Alert that calls for voluntary electricity conservation from 1 p.m. to 10 p.m., Friday, September 1, 2017. Consumers are urged to conserve electricity especially during the afternoon when air conditioners typically are at peak use. Consumers can help avoid power interruptions by turning off all unnecessary lights, using major appliances before 1 …

Animal health is a year-round part of what farmers and ranchers do, but it’s especially important as we gear up for this late summer heat wave. First of all, be sure to protect yourself, your family and your employees from the dangers that extreme and prolonged heat can pose when working outdoors. California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health offers …

CDFA Secretary Karen Ross is in Mexico this week with a California Grown trade delegation focusing on expanding opportunities for California specialty crops. Secretary Ross met with Mr. Raul Urteaga Trani, general coordinator for international affairs with Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Rural Development, Fisheries and Food (SAGARPA). Mexico is California’s largest trading partner and the fifth-largest export destination for California’s …

By Art Marroquin Drivers speeding into California along southbound Interstate 15 usually come to an abrupt, but necessary, stop about 100 miles past the Nevada border. And just like that, a worker usually waves them past a giant, yellow “California Inspection” sign designating the Yermo Border Protection Station. Big rigs, RVs, livestock haulers and other large vehicles are occasionally pulled …

By Chelsea Harvey Agriculture has historically released almost as much carbon into the atmosphere as deforestation, a new study suggests — and that’s saying something. In a paper published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers found that land use changes associated with planting crops and grazing livestock have caused a loss of 133 billion tons of carbon …

By Jonathan Kauffman Advocates of Bay Area agriculture and organics have been waiting to learn the fate of Star Route Farms since owner Warren Weber put his 100-acre Bolinas farm up for sale in 2013. When news broke this month that the University of San Francisco has purchased the property that was the state’s first certified organic farm, many responded with enthusiasm. …

A dangerous disease, west Nile virus, has returned to California this summer.  A total of eight horses have been confirmed positive for the disease,  in Glenn, Contra Costa, Fresno, Kern (2), Riverside, Plumas, and San Joaquin counties. Six horses were unvaccinated and two horses had unknown vaccination status. Five horses died or were euthanized and three horses are recovering. Once again, we …

California has submitted recommendations to Congress for the 2018 Farm Bill, to inform upcoming deliberations by members of the House and Senate Agricultural Committees. California’s recommendations focus on robust funding for food and nutrition programs; protection and enhancement of conservation programs; safeguarding marketing and trade programs, including specialty crops; strengthening animal and plant health programs; and making investments in research. …

CLEMSON — Clemson University researchers say the public can help collect scientific information about the effect of Monday’s eclipse on plants for future generations. This will be the first time since 1918 a total eclipse will cross the entire United States. Douglas Bielenberg, a Clemson plant physiologist, said because total solar eclipses are so rare, not many biological observations have been made on what …