Madera CountyFarM Bureau

May 2014 Vol. 4, No. 7

May 20 Heat Stress Training; Spanish

Session: 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.,

English Session: 1:00 p.m. – 3:30

p.m., MCFB Ben Hayes Hall, 1102

South Pine Street, Madera, RSVP

by: 5-16-2014 to (559) 674-8871.

June24 Heat Stress Training; Spanish

Session: 8:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.,

English Session: 1:00 p.m. – 3:30

p.m., MCFB Ben Hayes Hall, 1102

South Pine Street, Madera, RSVP

by: 6-19-2014 to (559) 674-8871.

CaleNdar

agriculture today

See Page 5 See Insert

See Historic Release; Page 10

See Update; Page 11

FRESNO, Calif. – Reclamation will begin increasing releases from Friant Dam near Fresno into the San Joaquin River on Thursday to help meet contractual obligations to deliver Central Valley Project water to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley.

As a result of the current drought, there is not enough water supply from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta alone to fulfill Reclamation’s contractual obligations to the Exchange Contractors. In this unique year, these contractual obligations will be satisfied from both

Delta and San Joaquin River sources.This is the first time in the history of

the CVP since the Delta-Mendota Canal has been operational, that Reclamation has had to provide water from Millerton Lake, which is the reservoir on the San Joaquin River formed by Friant Dam, to address the contractual obligations that Reclamation has upheld with the Exchange Contractors since 1939.

Current releases of 200 cubic feet per second from Friant Dam will be incrementally increased by about 1,000 cfs, for a total of 1,200 cfs. People recreating in or along the San Joaquin

River below Friant Dam should take appropriate safety precautions due to the flow increases. The U.S. Drought Monitor, a multi-agency federal hydrology report, shows that conditions in the San Joaquin Valley have intensified from “severe” drought in May 2013 to “exceptional” drought in May 2014. “Exceptional” is the worst of the five stages of the U.S. Drought Monitor Classification. Other locations in the United States that are classified “exceptional” are in Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Nevada.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. – The Bureau of Reclamation today announced an update to the February 2014 Central Valley Project water supply for the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority, the San Joaquin River Settlement Contractors and south-of-Delta Level 2 refuge water supply contracts. The update reflects further refinements to project operations and slightly improved precipitation and runoff in California since February 2014. Reclamation is working within its legal and operational ability to make water available to the Exchange, Settlement and Level 2 refuge water supply contractors in this unique year, including the unprecedented action of using San Joaquin River water to supplement the

amount of substitute supply water it is able to deliver from the Sacramento River for the Exchange Contractors.

Based on the California Department of Water Resources’ May 1 Runoff Forecast, current hydrological conditions and actions taken to date to manage scarce supplies, the available Level 2 refuge water supply has increased from 40 percent to 65 percent. Specific to contractual supply for Exchange Contractors and San Joaquin River Settlement Contractors, Reclamation will meet the critical year demands for the months of April through October and will work throughout the summer to explore the ability to provide additional water as called for under these contracts. For the Exchange Contractors,

these demands will be satisfied by both Delta and San Joaquin River sources for a total of 529,000 acre-feet. Water supply for all other water contractors serviced by the CVP remains unchanged.

“Reclamation and its federal, state and local partners are committed to effectively manage our limited water resources in a way that will maximize supplies for the 2014 and 2015 water year,” Reclamation’s Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo said today. “As reflected in the initial water supply announced February, all CVP contractors received low water supply due to persistent drought impact felt across the region. This is

Reclamation Makes Historic Releases of Water from Friant Dam to the San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Due to Drought

Reclamation Announces Update to 2014 CVP Water Supply for Exchange Contractors and Refuges South of the Delta

heat stress training May 20, 2014

call (559)-674-8871 to rsVP today

2 | MAY 2014 Madera County Farm Bureau

To BECoME a DonoR Call 674-8871

Bring on the heat, the dust, and the early fire season –May is here. I feel like this summer is the biggest and most sticky Band-Aid we folks from the Central Valley may ever have to rip off our skin –so I’d rather just get it over with! The worst (regulation-created) drought in history –despite it not being the real “worst” drought by clerical accounting, is upon us with an added side of bureaucratic insanity. Many of us have never seen a year like this one –and never hope to again.

Despite the desperate cries for help, the endless trips to Sacramento and Washington D.C., the number of days spent pleading the Valley’s case in front of those “who matter,” no

relief is yet in sight that would avoid this disaster from happening in the future. Regulatory relief has been marginal –with continued flows for environmental obligations by the State and Federal government staying at the top of the priority list (over farming needs). Storage proposals now draw dust on their billfolds, and absolutely ZERO tangible progress has been made on any effective water bond language coming out of the State legislature.

If government can’t provide the ability of its citizens to earn a living

By Tom Coleman

Well at this point most of us know that we are on our own for water supply this summer. If your well goes out you had better have an extra one sitting idle and ready to fire up because all you are going to hear from your well company is, we will add you to our list. There is a chance that the San Joaquin River will stop flowing this year and yet there are still proposed housing developments in Madera County that propose to get their water supply from the San Joaquin. The idea is that the developer will buy water rights from somewhere else and transfer those rights to the homes they want to build. What we have seen this year is that rights or

no rights you still can get zero water in a year like this one. So how could it ever make sense to make plans to take more water from the San Joaquin River for homes. It seems to me that the only reliable source of water for new homes is from desalination. But that is a long way from Madera County.

Madera County Farm Bureau news2012 - 2013 executive Committee

President: Tom ColemanFirst Vice President: al Sheeter

Second Vice President: Jay MahilSecretary/Treasurer: Michele lasgoityappointed by President: Michael naitoappointed by President: Jim Erickson

appointed by President: Dennis Meisner Jr.Immediate Past President: Tom Rogers

directors at largeMathew andrewH. Clay Daultonloren Freemanneil McDougald

Dino PetrucciPat Ricchiuti

Chris WylieRobert Cadenazzi

Stephen ElgorriagaErick Kuckenbecker

Jeff McKinneyRobert Sahatjian

California Farm Bureau - district 9 director anthony Toso

California Farm Bureau CommitteePolicy Recommendation – H. Clay Daulton

air & Environmental Issues – H. Clay Daulton

California Farm Bureau Commodity representativesBee – Ryan Cosyns

Beef – H. Clay DaultonGrape – Jay Mahil

Specialty Crops – Tom Rogers

Office StaffExecutive Director: anja K. Raudabaugh

Executive assistant: normalee G. Castillo

Madera County Farm Bureau1102 South Pine Street

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advertising/PublishingMid-Valley Publishing

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advertising SalesCheri Williams(559) 638-2244

editornormalee G. Castillo

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POSTMaSTerSend address changes to:

Madera County Farm Bureau1102 South Pine Street, Madera, Ca 93637

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President’s Message

Tom ColemanPresident

To BECoME a MEMBER Call

674-8871

Thomas H. edgintondel Shebelut Farm

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new MCFB donors

MCFB would like to thank all of our members who help support our work through their voluntary

contributions for the months of April & May.

anja RaudabaughExecutive Director

Executive Directors Address

new MCFB Members

Farm Bureau Membership Benefits

Insuranceallied Insurance, Health net,

nationwide agribusiness, State Compensation Insurance Fund,

VPI Pet Insurance

News and entertainmentagalert, California Country Mag & T.V.

VehiclesDodge Trucks, Vans and SUV’s, Vehicle Rentals,

avis, Budget, Budget Trucks, Hertz

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NAME CITY P/C/BSean Gallaher Fresno ConsumerMallvinder Kahal Madera CollegiateJason Littleton Fresno ProducerJaspal Mahil Madera ProducerKyle Prosperi Madera ProducerSingh Farms Madera ProducerValley Diagnostics Labs Inc. Madera Bus. Support

MCFB welcomes the following new agricultural (producer), associate

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See Executive address; Page 7

Madera County Farm Bureau May 2014 | 3

By Dale KaslerSacramento Bee

PATTERSON -- This town calls itself the “Apricot Capital of the World,” but the slogan is out of date. Nowadays, it’s almond orchards that dominate the landscape in this part of Stanislaus County, along with much of the rest of the San Joaquin Valley.

Almonds have become California’s miracle food. Growing consumer demand has driven up prices and created a profitable $4 billion-a-year crop. In dollar terms, almonds are California’s leading agricultural export, leaving the state’s exalted wineries in the dust. In response, farmers have planted hundreds of thousands of acres of new trees in the past 20 years.

Drought, however, has brought big problems to the almond industry, perhaps more than any other segment of California agriculture.

Almonds and other permanent crops require more water than most row crops. What’s more, almond orchards can’t be idled in a dry year like tomato or cotton fields. Farmers who planted almond trees in recent years have tens of millions of dollars at risk, and find themselves sacrificing other crops in a furious effort to keep their

orchards alive. This year’s crop is expected to decline, although it’s not known by how much.

“This crop is one of the more vulnerable ones to the drought,” said California farm economist Vernon Crowder. “Almonds are the big one.”

The plight of California’s almond growers has economic implications across the state. Almonds are California’s third largest farm product, and processors such as Sacramento’s giant Blue Diamond Growers are crossing their fingers and hoping for a decent crop. There’s a political component as well: The drought has intensified century-old rivalries over how water is allocated in California, and the explosion in almond farming has given rise to complaints about overuse.

Some environmentalists say almond farmers and their expanded orchards have contributed mightily to the overtaxing of the state’s fragile water system. They say growers have behaved recklessly by planting permanent crops in areas of the state, particularly south of the Delta, where water supplies are unreliable.

Growers counter that they’re making rational business decisions by devoting their scarce water resources to a high-

revenue crop. That’s why growers such as Daniel Bays, who raises almonds on 600 acres in Patterson and nearby Westley, are continuing to plant new orchards even as water shortages persist.

“Yes, it’s a drought year, but we’re trying to plan long term,” said Bays as he surveyed a new field of trees planted near Patterson. “These things go in a cycle. If we held off every time there’s a drought, and didn’t plant ... we’d go out of business.” New almond trees require considerably less water than mature trees, he added.

The growth of almond farming in California has been a quiet revolution. Production in the state, which controls 80 percent of the world’s supply, has nearly tripled in 15 years. California almonds are widely used by food processors in candy, cereal and other products. They’ve also become popular snack foods in Western Europe, China, India and other growing markets; exports have risen 40 percent in three years. Although there have been some ups and downs, prices paid to growers exceed $3 a pound, almost double the price of a decade ago.

“This market, this crop, has not slowed down for 20 or 30 years,” said Crowder, a senior vice president with agricultural

lender Rabobank. “You’ve just seen demand skyrocket.”

One of the most visible symbols of the industry’s prosperity is Blue Diamond. The 104-year-old grower-owned cooperative has become a marketing powerhouse in recent years, pushing annual sales from $750 million in 2010 to an expected $1.5 billion this year. Blue Diamond advertises on “Sunday Night Football” and was the “official snack nut” of the U.S. ski and snowboarding teams during the Winter Olympics. In four years, sales of Almond Breeze, the company’s milk alternative for the lactose intolerant, jumped nearly tenfold to $265 million.

A big factor in Blue Diamond’s growth: the nuts’ reputation for high nutritional value.

“Anything with almonds carries the healthy halo,” said Mark Jansen, chief executive at the Sacramento company.

Backed into a cornerAs summer approaches, Blue Diamond

is watching the crop forecasts as closely as anyone. Jansen said he believes the company can procure “a pretty good supply” this year. But he acknowledged it will be tough for California growers to

California almond farmers, lured by high profits to expand orchards, face a drought struggle

See almond Farmers; Page 7

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‘Dirty’ pesticide list called dubiousBy Dennis L. TaylorSalinas Californian

If it’s spring, it’s time for the annual tussle between the agriculture industry and the publisher of the “dirty dozen list” of produce with the highest pesticide residue, particularly since strawberries and spinach are near the top of the list.

Combined, those two products accounted for roughly $915 million in gross value at the end of 2012 in Monterey County, according to the 2012 Crop Report.

The Environmental Working Group, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit environmental advocacy organization with two offices in California, just released its 2014 Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, more commonly known as the dirty dozen list. And like every year, controversy immediately swirled.

An excerpt from EWG’s report cautions consumers that “single samples of celery, cherry tomatoes, imported snap peas and strawberries tested positive for 13 different pesticides apiece.” That sounds terrible, and can hold sway over many consumer buying decisions.

But farming groups and government agencies have raised flags about the methodology used in EWG’s dirty dozen list. While it behooves conventional growers from a marketing perspective to poo-poo any report mentioning the fact that pesticides do, in fact, remain on the produce we eat, many of the questions raised by these groups and agencies are valid.

The Food Quality Protection Act of 1996 requires the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to assess pesticides as to their health risks to humans. But the EWG criticizes the EPA as laying down on the job.

“One provision of the act required that EPA inform people about possible hazards to their health brought about consuming pesticides with their food,” the EWG wrote in its report on April 29, “but the EPA has failed to tell Americans … they have a right to know about the risks of pesticide exposure and ways they can reduce pesticides in their diets.”

The EWG focuses on the number of pesticides found on any particular fruit or vegetables, based on U.S. Department of Agriculture. But the dirty dozen does not discuss amounts found on these edibles. From its own words, EWG analysts use six metrics including, the total number of pesticides detected on a crop and the percent of samples tested with detectable pesticides.

So The Californian researched levels of pesticide residue and found that while there are a number of different pesticides on, say, conventionally grown strawberries, the levels of the chemicals are so minute that they are hundreds and even thousands of times less than a maximum level, set by federal regulators, called a reference dose.

Madera County Farm Bureau May 2014 | 5

See Big Data; Page 12

Big data means big profits, risks for farmersBy Christopher DoeringUSA Today

WASHINGTON -- When Dave Nelson climbed into his John Deere planter this spring to sow corn seeds across nearly 3,000 acres of land, the 39-year-old Iowa farmer was armed with a secret weapon: a precise, data-driven view of his operations that gave him an advantage over most farmers in the Corn Belt.

The past four years, Nelson has been testing a technology from Monsanto known as FieldScripts, a program that uses soil information, yield data and computer algorithms to identify which patches of land, some only a few meters in size, could support corn seeds planted closer together. Last year, the technology, which has recently been rolled out to farmers in Iowa and three other Corn Belt states, helped him squeeze an additional eight to 12 bushels per acre above his recent 10-year average of 195 bushels per acre. The result was up to an extra $50 for each corn acre, or about $150,000 throughout his operation

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What kinds of products/produce/merchandise do you sell/grow/distribute? What brands?

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Who is the target audience for your Company/Business? For example: Children, Farmers, Dairymen, Low Income, Schools, Everyone, etc.

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6 | MAY 2014 Madera County Farm Bureau

The Madera County Farm Bureau would like to say thank you to all our Sponsors, donors and to all the Wineries that provided their great wines to

all our guest who came out to support our event once again this year.

Mrs. elaine Secara and Tesei Petroleum for their generous donations to the Scholarship Fund, Mr. darren Schmall for the use of his beautiful venue, Mr. Tim Sisil for donating his time as our auctioneer, Walgreens for their donation of water, donaghy Sales / Stella artois for their donation of the beer. as well to all our Board of directors and Staff for all the hard work they put into this event this year.

Madera County FarM Bureau WIne taStInG

We also would like to give a Special Thanks to the following people below:

agajanian VineyardsaSV WinesChateau lasgoity CrU Wine CompanyFresno State WineryO’Neill Vintners & distillersQuady WinerySan Joaquin Wine CompanyThe Wine GroupTwin Pomegranate Wine

Wineries:47th Place Carpet OneBlue diamondByron estateCambria WineryCrU Wine CompanydiCicco’s restaurantduarte Nursery Inc.engelmann Cellarsevans FeedFasi estate WineryGeorge’s auto SupplyHoward 4-H ClubKuckenbecker Tractorleighton’s JewelersMidland Tractor CoNapa auto PartsPlaza Flower ShopQuady WinerySumner Peck ranchThe Kelsey Bass ranchThe raudabaugh FamilyThe Vineyard restaurantWolfsen’s Meat & Sausage

Donors:agri Valley Irrigation Inc.almond Tree Hulling Co. Inc.Bank of the WestChester & Terry andrew Family lPGeorge andrew & Son lPChukchansi Gold resort & CasinoConsolidated Insurance Services, Inc.duarte NurseryFoster & Parker Insurance Co.Fresno Madera Farm CreditGar Tootelian Inc.Georgia Pacific Corporation-MaderaHelena Chemicallamanuzzi & Pantaleo llC.Madera Pumps, Inc.Mordecai ranchPacific Gas & Electric CompanyPanoche Creek Packing, Inc.Primex Farms, llCrobobank, N.a.State Fund Compensation InsuranceTesei PetroleumWestern ag & Turf, Inc.

Sponsors:

Madera County Farm Bureau May 2014 | 7

ExECUTiVE ADDRESSContinued from Page 2

AlMonD FARMERSContinued from Page 3

and put literal food on the table in a time of crisis –doesn’t that typically warrant a “revolt?” I’ve not yet experienced a real revolt but maybe those of you who have can fill me in.

What is the usual tipping point for a revolt by governed citizens? Maybe I can make a list, albeit with much sarcasm;

• Lack of progress to get off one’s backside (while we pull trees out of production, many municipalities still enjoy their full paychecks while NOT issuing water rationing guidance to communities),

• Inability to compromise (there are 27 different versions of a water bond in the State Legislature),

• False promises or the promise of an unrealistic outcome (we can raise Shasta Dam or build New Melones),

• Lying (the steelheads in the San Joaquin River are super happy and swimming in cool, refreshed water),

• Total failure to react to the citizens’ needs of an entire state

–NOT just to a constituency (the Governor waited until we had to drink sand in the desert before he issued a drought declaration, and then he choked the Valley’s west side with an jaw-dropping threat of zero water allocation for as long as possible).

This is a pretty bleak picture and I’m fairly young to be this sarcastic about our political leaders, but I do know if you want to get something done, you’ve often got to do it yourself. The point to the above rant regarding revolt is really about me believing that we need to begin the daunting process of building water infrastructure PRIVATELY, and not rely on the Government to do it for us –because they never will. Even when faced with the annihilation of industry, jobs, economies of scale, and entire communities –they can’t give us effective relief or even hope.

When faced with an oasis in the desert, people will drink the sand based on the hope that it will quench their thirst. But it’s our job to know the difference between sand and water. It’s time to tell the Feds and the State that they can go pound the sand they’ve poured into the oasis, because we’re going to stop drinking it (literally). We will build water ourselves, and call it our own brew, and then we’ll make them drink it.

match last year’s crop.“The water supply will impact the yields,

probably even the size of the almonds,” Jansen said.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has estimated the crop could decline 2.5 percent, to just under 2 billion pounds. But experts say it’s too early to say how production will fare. Crowder said he’s heard predictions that yields could drop as much as 20 percent. The harvest begins in August.

The industry’s problems are partly a function of geography. Because of its attractive soil and climate, the San Joaquin Valley is home to nearly 90 percent of the state’s almond crop. Yet that’s where the water shortages are most severe, especially on the west side of the Valley. Growers can pump groundwater to supplement their meager supplies, but groundwater south of the Delta is fairly salty. That’s bad for most crops, and it’s especially bad for almonds.

On top of that, mature almond trees crave water. They need around 4 acre-feet of water per year, or 1.3 million gallons. That’s almost twice as much as grapes.

The result is an industry backed into a corner. There have been scattered reports of growers ripping out older, less-productive orchards to save water. David Doll, a farm adviser at UC Cooperative Extension in Merced, said he thinks more trees will be

removed this fall, after the harvest is done and farmers get a better sense of the water picture.

Of the 6,300 almond growers in California, most will find a way to produce a crop this year, Doll said. But if 2015 is as dry as 2014, the problems will deepen.

“I think a lot of guys will find ways to squeak by (this year),” Doll said. “If we go into another year of drought, I think the seams will probably begin to pop.”

That would be fine with Carolee Krieger, president of the California Water Impact Network. She and her environmental organization are among the plaintiffs in a lawsuit, pending in Sacramento Superior Court, charging that state officials and agricultural interests have teamed up to illegally steer a disproportionate volume of California water to farms over the past 20 years. This favoring of farms has added to the stress on the Delta, the lawsuit says.

In Krieger’s view, farmers have contributed to the state’s water woes by planting trees in areas of the state where water supplies are increasingly unreliable.

“In our camp, there’s absolutely no sympathy for them,” Krieger said. “They planted the permanent crops knowing that, in a drought, they could get their water cut off.”

‘In it for the long haul’Farmers see it differently. They

say California’s water troubles are a manufactured crisis, brought on by state and federal officials diverting too much water to protect endangered fish species.

As for the expansion of the almond orchards, growers say it’s a simple matter of economics: It makes far more sense to pour water on a high-revenue crop, such as almonds, than on cotton or some other low-value product.

“They’re planting a crop that makes money; farmers have been doing that from the very beginning,” Doll said. “I don’t think these guys are planting almonds ... because they want to use all the water.”

Besides, farmers say no one could have predicted a year as dry as this one. In recent years, many farmers on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley have been making do with smaller allotments of water from the federal government’s delivery system, the Central Valley Project, in part to ease the environmental stress on the Delta. This year, Bays and other growers who depend on the CVP have been told they’ll get no federal water.

“This is the first time we’ve ever had a zero allocation,” Bays said.

Drought is a constant in Bays’ world. His family’s main ranch near Westley is straddled by the California Aqueduct and the Delta-Mendota Canal, two of the main arteries of California’s struggling man-made plumbing system. A third-generation grower, Bays, 27, oversees a total of nearly 1,500 acres of land devoted to almonds, apricots, tomatoes and other crops.

Despite the zero allocation of government water, the Bays’ ranch has other sources, including groundwater. All told, Bays said his water supply is about 30

percent smaller than last year’s.That’s forcing him to scramble. The

ranch has purchased some water on the open market, spending as much as $800 an acre-foot. That’s about 10 times the cost of Central Valley Project water. Despite higher water costs, almonds are so valuable that Bays believes he can still turn a profit on this year’s crop.

Bays is conserving water, too. He plans to tear out some older, less productive apricot trees after the June harvest and is likely to leave that land fallow for the balance of the year.

Even as he retrenches, Bays is looking ahead. That’s why he just planted 25 acres of almonds on land that grew melons last year and tomatoes the year before. The new trees, barely shoulder high, represent a $250,000 investment, including new irrigation systems. The orchard won’t sprout any almonds for another three or four years, and probably won’t turn profitable for another three years after that.

“It’s not something you just jump into and jump out of,” Bays said of the decision to plant.

He said the new orchard represents an appropriate use of water.

“We’re trying to be the best stewards of what we have,” he said. “We’re in it for the long haul. My grandfather has been here, my dad’s been here, I’m here.

“You look at an almond orchard, it’s a long-term investment,” he added. “These trees, we figure, have a life of 25, 30 years.”

By Gerald F. SeibWall Street Journal

For the most part, Congress is the place where ideas go to die this year. But here’s one that ain’t dead yet: immigration reform.

Are the chances good that something will happen in this midterm election year on the quest to overhaul the nation’s immigration system? No. But they aren’t zero, and conversations with officials from both the executive and legislative branches in recent days suggest the chances may have ticked up a bit. We should know for sure in the next month or so.

There are three reasons this patient can’t yet be declared dead. The first is

that House Speaker John Boehner has gone out of his way to show that he wants to try to get something done on immigration this year.

His most high-profile display of eagerness to have a crack at immigration wasn’t artful; in late April, at an event back home in Ohio, he openly mocked Republicans in his own House caucus who, he said, are afraid to take on the tough issue. Artful or not, though, his performance served notice on his GOP colleagues that the subject remains very much on his agenda.

It’s also true that the approach Mr. Boehner and his House colleagues want to take—considering immigration issues such as border security, guest workers

Three Reasons immigration Reform Could Pass in 2014

See Reform; Page 11

8 | MAY 2014 Madera County Farm Bureau

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California drought: El niño probability raised to 78 percent for next winter By Paul RogersSan Jose Mercury News

Drought-weary California, heading into a long, hot summer of water shortages and extreme fire risk, received some potentially good news Thursday: Federal scientists announced there is now a 4-in-5 chance of El Niño conditions developing by the end of the year.

El Niño events -- when warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean at the equator affect the jet stream -- can lead to wetter winters in California.

Citing a huge mass of warm water that

continues to move east toward South America, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration increased its probability for El Niño developing next winter to 78 percent, up from 66 percent last month, and 36 percent in November.

“We are now even more bullish that an El Niño is impending,” said Michelle L’Heureux, a meteorologist with the NOAA’s Climate Prediction Center in College Park, Md.

But there’s no guarantee California’s persistent drought will be over in six months. Generally speaking, the warmer the ocean water, the increased likelihood of heavy rainfall during El Niño years. During mild

El Niño years, when the ocean water is only slightly warmer than historic averages, there are just as many drier-than-average years as soaking ones.

“There are all kinds of El Niños: small, medium, large and Godzilla,” said Bill Patzert, a research scientist and oceanographer at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena.

“I don’t see the Godzilla,’’ he said. “But I’ll give it another couple of months. This still could be El Fizzle. I don’t want to recommend that you invest any of your retirement in the umbrella market yet.”

Despite some healthy downpours that California received in March, on Thursday the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a key source of water for farms and cities, was 13 percent of the historic average for this date. Most major cities received half or less of their average rainfall this year.

San Jose, with 6.32 inches since last July 1, was at 43 percent of average rainfall. Oakland, 50 percent. And San Francisco, 54 percent.

Major reservoirs, hamstrung by 2013 being the driest year in recorded California history, are mostly at about half of their historic average for the beginning of summer.

Leaders at California water districts are privately hoping that the El Niño shaping up in the Pacific Ocean now will save them from what will be dire circumstances with widespread water rationing next year if the upcoming winter is unusually dry again, creating a fourth dry year in a row.

But they continue to say they aren’t counting on El Niño to save the state.

“It would be a mistake to think that an El Niño preliminarily forecasted for the upcoming winter season will alleviate California’s multi-year drought,” said Joan Maher, deputy operating officer for the Santa

Clara Valley Water District.The district, which provides water and

flood protection to 1.8 million people from Palo Alto to Gilroy, last month doubled the rebate amounts that it offers to people who take water saving steps between now and September. For example, the agency will now pay $2 per square foot for homeowners who replace lawns with drought-tolerant plants, and $200 for homes that install a graywater system to use laundry water for irrigating landscaping.

“We must take a cautious view and reduce water use to get through this year and prepare for next year if the drought continues,” Maher said.

NOAA scientists, who glean information from buoys and satellites, say that with each passing month, they will know more about how strong the emerging El Niño will be. Currently, computer models run by many of the world’s top weather agencies estimate that sea surface temperatures will range from about 1 to 3 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than normal by next fall.

The last major, soaking El Niño event, in 1997, saw surface temperatures 5 degrees warmer than normal at some times. That led to major flooding and landslides, and 35 counties being declared disaster areas.

California water managers say the best case would be a fairly strong El Niño event that brings rainfall next winter to about 50 percent more than average.

“We want to see sustained, above-normal precipitation and above-normal snowpack, but not so over-the-top that you end up with major flooding,” said Michael Anderson, the state climatologist with the California Department of Water Resources.

“You hope for the best. But we have to temper our enthusiasm.”

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Agricultural chemicals provide an important tool on today’s farms and ranches, and there are many situations where these products are relied upon to get the job done.

Farm chemicals come in many forms, such as a mist, vapor, liquid, dust, fume or gas. Some of these products may present health and safety hazards, and for that reason it is important that persons applying the chemicals and working around them take some basic safety precautions.

Farmers, ranchers and their employees who work with these chemicals should all be knowledgeable about the products, the potential risk, and what should be done to avoid harmful exposure. Everyone should have clear understanding of the method used for identifying hazardous chemicals, and should be trained in their proper use, storage and disposal.

We suggest that you review the following basic safety precautions and share them with others on your farm or ranch:

Know what to do in an emergency. If there is a leak or spill, keep away from the area and instruct others to do the same, unless you know what the chemical is and how to safely clean it up.

Always use appropriate protective clothing such as glasses, apron, boots and gloves. Read the chemical’s label carefully for this information and other instructions for safe handling of the product.

If clothing becomes contaminated by a chemical, shower or wash the exposed skin areas. Change and decontaminate clothing or dispose of it if it is designed for one-time use.

When working with chemicals, always remember to wash hands thoroughly before eating, and if necessary, shower and change clothes before going home.

Never take food into a work area where

chemicals are being used or stored.A buddy system or emergency

communications system should be used when working with toxic substances in case someone becomes dangerously exposed and is in need of immediate assistance.

Always keep the workplace clean to reduce the risk of contamination. Clean up spills immediately using recommended procedure, and dispose of contaminated material properly.

Just as important as proper use of agricultural chemicals is proper storage of these materials. Common sense is the first rule to follow. The most important factor in chemical storage is to keep these products in their original containers, making sure that the labels are intact and readable. Store chemicals in well ventilated areas, away from direct sunlight or other heat sources and away from sparks, flames, static electricity or other sources of ignition. Make sure unusable chemicals and empty containers are disposed of properly.

Accidents involving agricultural chemicals can be prevented. Read labels, use common sense and instruct others to do the same.

Today, State Fund is the largest workers’ compensation carrier in California. State Fund has regional offices throughout the state, which provide a full range of services to policyholders and injured workers. We provide coverage to employers of all sizes, from “mom and pop” operations to major organizations.

Since 1943, the California Farm Bureau and State Fund partnership has provided farmers with affordable worker compensation insurance coverage and accident prevention training for agricultural employers and their employees. In addition to providing farm and ranch employers with workers’ compensation insurance protection, we also have taken on the mission of assisting employers in providing safe places to work.

Use Care When Handling Agricultural Chemicals

DiRTyContinued from Page 4

Any concentrations above the reference dose are considered unhealthy for human consumption.

The peer-reviewed Journal of Toxicology in 2011 broke down the amounts of the 10 most frequently detected pesticides on strawberries measured in micrograms per kilogram of strawberries per day. A microgram equals one-millionth of a gram. All were a mere wisp of the reference dose. For example, a pesticide called Bifenthrin was detected at 0.000945 micrograms. The reference dose for Bifenthrin is 15.0 micrograms.

Time for perspective: At that amount of Bifenthrin, a consumer would need to eat 15,900 kilograms (nearly 35,000 pounds) in a single day before reaching the unhealthy level. In terms of the number of strawberry margaritas, well, you do the math .

“The findings conclusively demonstrate that consumer exposures to the 10 most frequently detected pesticides on the EWG’s “dirty dozen” commodity list are at negligible levels and that the EWG methodology is insufficient to allow any meaningful rankings among commodities ,” reads the summary of the Journal of Toxicology article. “ … our findings do not indicate that substituting organic forms of the ‘dirty dozen’ commodities for conventional forms will lead to any measurable consumer health benefit.”

The EWG was decidedly unapologetic about its report.

“For decades, various toxic pesticides were claimed to be ‘safe’ — until they weren’t, and either banned or phased out because they posed risks to people,” said Sonya Lunder, EWG’s senior analyst and principle author of the report. “While regulators and scientists debate these and other controversies about pesticide safety, EWG will continue drawing attention to

the fruits and vegetables with the highest pesticide loads.”

The problem is, the only debate seems to be over the list itself.

The Alliance for Food and Farming, a national organization advocating for conventional and organic farmers has repeatedly thrown down challenges to the dirty-dozen list.

“The AFF has repeatedly asked EWG questions about their ‘dirty dozen’ list,” according to an April 1 blog post on AFF’s website. “Most of our questions go unanswered because they are simply, well, unanswerable since this list is not science-based or logical. If anyone does ask a question or two and gets an answer from EWG, please let us know. We’ll be happy to share their answers via this blog at any time.”

The Californian tried, but a voice message left for EWG’s media representatives was not immediately returned Thursday.

10 | May 2014 Madera County Farm Bureau

Base food labeling on fact, not fearLos Angeles Times

The scientific evidence on genetically engineered food, which has been around for two decades, indicates that it is as safe for human consumption as any other food. A California bill that would require the labeling of bioengineered food — whose DNA has been modified in the laboratory to introduce certain traits — caters to a scare campaign that is not based on solid evidence.

If a consumer has personal concerns about genetically modified food, there are other ways to avoid it. Trader Joe’s, for example, has announced that food sold under its label contains no genetically engineered ingredients. There are apps and Internet sites to inform consumers about other foods. And companies that do not bioengineer their foods are certainly free to say so on their labels. But the science does not support mandatory labeling.

State Sen. Noreen Evans (D-Santa Rosa) has said that her bill doesn’t make judgments about whether genetically engineered food is inherently good or bad but merely informs consumers. Yet the wording says otherwise. It’s full of negative declarations about such food, with no mention of the positives. “United States government scientists have stated that the artificial insertion of genetic material into plants via genetic engineering can increase the levels of known toxicants or allergens in foods and create new

toxicants or allergens with consequent health concerns,” the bill says. It doesn’t note that hundreds of studies, many by independent scientists who took no industry money, have found no credible evidence that bioengineered food has actually done any of those things, or is dangerous in any way to human health. Reviews by the American Medical Assn., the Food and Drug Administration, the World Health Organization and the National Academy of Sciences have all concluded that genetically engineered food appears to be as safe as any other.

That’s not to say there are no downsides. Studies have raised legitimate concerns, for instance, that bioengineered crops designed to withstand the herbicide glyphosate, more commonly known by the Monsanto brand name Roundup, encourage farmers to overuse it, fostering the growth of resistant weeds. The AMA, though it has said that genetically engineered food should not be labeled, has also called on the federal government to require more safety testing before new bioengineered products can be marketed.

These issues are worth consideration, but labeling would not resolve either one. Most farms use pesticides, including some more dangerous than glyphosate, but their products don’t have to be labeled accordingly. Labeling requirements should have logical consistency; the campaign to

label genetically engineered foods doesn’t.SB 1381 would require conspicuous yet

imprecise labels notifying consumers that the food contains some genetically engineered ingredients, without making it clear what the engineering was meant to accomplish. Food companies are developing products for reasons other than to make pesticide use easy, such as building resistance into crops, like oranges, that are threatened by disease, or creating non-allergenic forms of some grains. But the labels wouldn’t give these details. They would serve mainly to frighten grocery shoppers by implying that there is something wrong with the food, without making them better informed. And the labels would be so ubiquitous as to be almost meaningless; it’s widely estimated that 70% to 80% of the packaged food in conventional supermarkets contains genetically engineered ingredients.

There are more worrisome agricultural practices that do affect human health, especially the overuse of antibiotics in livestock. “There is strong evidence that some antibiotic resistance in bacteria is caused by antibiotic use in food animals,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. Yet no one has been campaigning for labels on meat that comes from antibiotic-treated livestock. As with bioengineered food, this is best dealt with by appropriate safety regulations, not labels.

There’s a limit to what manufacturers can tell consumers about their food — labels can’t enumerate every possible or perceived concern. Labeling laws should set a priority on providing information that significantly affects consumer health. They should be based on facts, not fear.

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The total amount of water delivered to Exchange Contractors from Millerton Reservoir will depend on several hydrological factors including the amount of snowmelt runoff in the upper San Joaquin River Basin and the amount of CVP water pumped south from the Delta.

In the late 1930s, the Exchange Contractors agreed to “exchange” water received under their long-held senior water rights from the San Joaquin and Kings River for water delivered from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta through the Delta-Mendota Canal by Reclamation. The exchange contract generally provides that whenever Reclamation is unable to satisfy the contractual entitlement from the DMC that Reclamation would provide water to the Exchange Contractors from Friant Dam.

The San Joaquin River Exchange Contractors Water Authority serves about 240,000 acres of farmland located east of Interstate-5 and west of the San Joaquin River, reaching from Patterson to Mendota. The Exchange Contractors are comprised of the Central California Irrigation District, the San Luis Canal Company, the Firebaugh Canal Water District and the Columbia Canal Company.

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a difficult water year and requires our full attention in managing our available water resources. We continue to work toward stretching the available water supplies as far as possible for all of our water contractors.”

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For additional information, please visit http://www.usbr.gov/mp/pa/water or contact the Public Affairs Office at 916-978-5100 (TTY 800-877-8339) or mppublicaffairs@usbr.gov.

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and the legal status of illegal aliens one at a time—isn’t the one the Senate took or the one favored by the Obama administration, which prefers a single, comprehensive bill. But administration officials say they can work with Mr. Boehner on his approach as long as it’s enough to get some piece of legislation from the House into a conference committee with the Senate, where differences can be argued out.

The second reason there is hope for immigration reform is the fact that the heaviest stretch of the primary-election season soon will pass. Immigration-reform advocates have always thought the chances of getting something done would improve once primary elections are over and Republican House members worried about being challenged from within their

own party by anti-reform forces can start breathing easier. As Tuesday’s big primary day in North Carolina, Indiana and Ohio indicate, some of the most important primaries this year now are winding down.

And the third reason is the business community, which very much wants immigration reform, hoping that a new system will make it easier for a variety of American firms to find the workers they need. Look for business leaders to begin reaching out to House members in coming weeks to try to make the most of this one last chance for action in 2014.

Want more on the political fight over immigration? Sign up for the Capital Journal Daybreak newsletter: http://on.wsj.com/CapitalJournalSignup

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-- revenue that would have otherwise gone unclaimed.

“I’m maximizing every kernel I put in the ground,” said Nelson, who farms with his dad near Fort Dodge, Iowa. “Every

farmer is going to say ‘Oh, I’ve got data, but ... how many farmers can say I’m putting the data to work in every aspect of my farm?”

Agribusiness giants, such as Monsanto and DuPont Pioneer, are spending millions of dollars to help farmers mine ever-increasing amounts of data from their fields through “precision agriculture” technology

to help them boost yields, lower their costs and reduce their risk, all the while increasing the amount of revenue they squeeze out of every acre.

These new products and services are developed by taking samples from a field to show the topography and characteristics of the soil, such as its nutrient content. Additional information such as weather patterns or yield trends from previous growing seasons are included to help a farmer select the seed that is best for a particular plot in a field, determine how much of it to use and establish how much fertilizer and chemicals they need and when to apply them.

To be sure, farmers have been collecting data and making decisions based on their own information and observations in the field for years. But smart phones, iPads, apps and faster wireless networks have provided a catalyst for the information gathering and increased its usefulness for the farm community.

While farmers have started to embrace the promise of the technology, they have grown increasingly concerned the data about their operations could be sold to traders or commodity brokers even though no cases of abuse have been found. Other growers worry their data could wind up in the hands of other farmers or be used by companies to peddle more seed and fertilizer and set prices because they’ll know more about how much farmers will be using.

Agribusiness companies have promised the farm community they would protect the data and not misuse it.

“We’re real concerned about who gets access to that information, what they would be allowed to do with it once they have it,” said Scott VanderWal, South Dakota Farm Bureau president. “We’re too early in the process to see any unintended consequences yet but we have to think ahead to figure out where this is going and make sure we don’t have any.”

The American Farm Bureau Federation has said data collected from individual farms is valuable and should remain the property of the farmer. The country’s largest farm group hosted a meeting in April in Kansas City with Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer, Deere & Co. and other agricultural companies to agree upon a set of standards to protect agricultural data gleaned from growers’ fields.

While participants during the day-long meeting agreed the data belongs to the farmer, they still need to reach a consensus on how the information can be shared. Further meetings are planned for later this spring.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in an interview last month that even though he was optimistic the burgeoning amount of farm data could help farmers grow more while helping the environment by reducing the amount of fertilizer and water being used, he said companies need to be do more to quell industry concerns.