NON-PROFIT ORG.US POSTAGE PAIDRed Bluff, CA 96080

Permit # 22

SOLANO COUNTY

Jan./Feb., 2017VOL. 96, NO. 1

FARM BUREAU NEWS“The Heart of California Agriculture”

IN THIS ISSUE...Drought kills trees ............................. 3Allan receives award ........................ 4SCFB Business Directory............... 11

SCFB President Ryan Mahoney (r) and 1st Vice Presi-dent Charlie Hamilton (l) present Ian Anderson the 2017Distinguished Service Award in recognition for his com-mitment to preserving agriculture in Solano County. Theaward was presented at the Solano County Farm Bu-reau Annual Dinner, January 21.

Distinguished Service Award

The water supply an-nouncement from the federalCentral Valley Project showsthe resiliency of nature and thelimitations of California’s wa-ter supply system, accordingto the president of the Cali-fornia Farm Bureau Federa-tion. After a wintertime recov-ery in precipitation, CFBFPresident Paul Wenger said“it’s a shame” the CVP can’tassure full water supplies toall of its customers.

“Just look at the num-bers,” Wenger said. “The Si-erra snowpack stands at 186percent of average. Most keyreservoirs hold higher-than-average supplies for the timeof year. If the CVP can’t as-sure full supplies to all of itscustomers this year, whatwould be needed for that to

CFBF President: CVP announcementshows limits of water system

happen?“We understand this is a

fish-first system now,” hecontinued, “because federalfisheries agencies have thefirst and last call on CVP wa-ter. We know the Water In-frastructure Improvementsfor the Nation Act that Con-gress passed last year willhelp. But we obviously needto take further action to mod-ernize our water system, ourlaws and our policies.

“One wet year won’terase our long-term surfacewater deficit, and the currentfish-first policies have alsoharmed groundwater sup-plies—an impact that is bothserious and inexcusable.

Farm Bureau remainscommitted to achieving a wa-ter system that benefits both

our environment and oureconomy. We believe that canbe achieved and we believewe can learn from wet yearssuch as this one as well asfrom dry years. We will con-tinue to work with elected rep-resentatives and agency offi-cials with that goal in mind.”

The California Farm Bu-reau Federation works to pro-tect family farms and rancheson behalf of more than 48,000members statewide and aspart of a nationwide networkof more than 6.2 million FarmBureau members.

Preliminary grape crush up 8.5%The 2016 crush totaled

4,196,723 tons, up 8.5 per-cent from the 2015 crush of3,868,459 tons. Red wine va-rieties accounted for the larg-est share of all grapescrushed, at 2,255,300 tons,up 10.5% from 2015. The2016 white wine variety crushtotaled 1,745,490 tons, up4.9% from 2015. Tonscrushed of raisin type variet-ies totaled 98,205, up 6.2%from 2015, and tons crushedof table type varieties totaled97,729, up 38.3% from 2015.

The 2016 average price ofall varieties was $750.27, up11.7% from 2015. Average

prices for the 2016 crop bytype were as follows: redwine grapes, $899.44, up

13.9% from 2015; white winegrapes, $594.01, up 9.9%

(see CRUSH, page 4)

Page 2 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

300 Main Street - Suite CVacaville, CA 95688

Executive Director: Lisa ShipleyPhone ........707-449-8044Fax .........707-449-8050www.solano.cfbf.com

E-mail: solanofb@castles.com

Opinions expressed in this newspaper may not reflect theofficial position of the Solano County Farm Bureau.

Solano County Farm Bureau Newspublished every other month by the

Solano County Farm Bureau.Please send address changes toSCFB, 300 Main Street - Suite C

Vacaville, CA 95688

Solano County Farm Bureau

Solano County Farm Bureau NewsCoordinator ...........John Gentry

Editorial and Advertising .......707-449-8044

The annual Youth Ag Day is a collaborative effort ofthe Solano County Fair and agricultural related businesses,organizations, farmers, ranchers and other individuals toencourage Solano County third graders to experienceagriculture first-hand.

This fun and educational event is free to all third gradeclasses in Solano County and features a wide variety ofrotational learning stations and displays. Activities aredesigned to give children the opportunity to learn aboutfood and fiber production from new perspectives, with aparticular emphasis on the agricultural wealth of SolanoCounty. Children participate in hands-on displays andeducational presentations as well as an optional pre-eventclassroom project to enhance the field trip learningexperience.

Workers Comp: Changes to First Aid ReportingEffective January 2017,

all workers compensation in-surers are required to reportany and all claims to the CAWorkers Compensation In-surance Rating Bureau, andthis includes claims for firstaid that the insurer did notmake any payment on.

Businesses who previ-ously had arrangements with

Bruce BrazeltonWilliam Brazelton

Chelsea DeusenberryJeff DittmerSean Favero

Charlie HamiltonJennifer HouseDerrick Lum

Ryan MahoneyJoe Martinez

Bobbie MorielJohn Pierson

Troy Sanderson

SCFBDirectors

2017

Tell a friendabout Farm Bureau.

275 Sale Lane • Red Bluff

CA Lic. # 01707128

Bert OwensBroker/Owner

Cell: 530-524-4900

Sam MuddBroker/Owner

Cell: 530- 949-4054CA Lic. # 01710463

530-529-4400

Northern California AgricultureReal Estate Specialists

AGLAND

Investment Brokerswww.aglandbrokers.com

ORLAND IRRIGATEDPASTURE, HOME & SHOP

20 AC in the “Capay District” be-tween Chico and Orland. 2,912sqft. 4/2 home, pool, detached 2-car garage & shop. Irrigated pas-ture using AG well.

NOW $590,000

263 ac 14 mi SW of Red Bluff on Elder Creek. County Road front-age. Home, barn, steel corrals & perimeter fencing. Zoned WilliamsonAct. Perfect headquarter location. $475,000

PENDINGELDER CREEK RANGE

240 AC of laser leveled fields,established timothy for excellentin-demand equine hay. Flood ir-rigated using 2015 drilled 16"well. Only 1/2 mi. (W) ofMcArthur, CA. $2,280,000

FALL RIVER VALLEYIRRIGATED FARMLAND

medical clinics to pay directlyfor first aid claims will nowsee that their experiencemodification (X-Mod) willreflect these minor accidenttreatment claims.

This dramatically changesthe X-Mod calculations thatmany businesses will seeupon renewal in 2017, alongwith the frequency of claimscalculation.

Farm Bureau is exploringways to minimize the impacts

of the X-Mod calculationswith legislators andregulators...but until there isa modification to change thecalculation, many businesseswill see their X-mod increase,along with their premiums.

The California Fish andGame Commission has ne-glected sound scientificanalysis, undermined sensiblewildlife protections — andviolated state law — by unjus-tifiably adding the gray wolfto the state’s list of “endan-gered” species.

So argues a lawsuit filedtoday by Pacific Legal Foun-dation on behalf of the Cali-fornia Cattlemen’s Associa-tion (CCA) and the CaliforniaFarm Bureau Federation.Filed in California SuperiorCourt, the lawsuit challenges

Groups sue toremove wolffrom list

(see WOLF, page 5)

2017 Mar/Apr Page 3SCFB NEWS

Snapshots from the 99th SCFB Annual Dinner

The 4th Annual Rustici Rangeland Science Symposium isMarch 23 and 24, 2017 at the University of California, DavisConference Center in Davis. The goal of the symposium is toengage ranchers, land managers, researchers, and policymakersin co-developing actionable science, policy, and managementto sustain rangelands. The symposium will focus on partner-ships surrounding a variety of topics, including: sustaining wa-ter resources; coping with drought; habitat conservation; andenhancing ranch profitability.

For more information or to register for the symposium visithttp://rangelands.ucdavis.edu/rustici/rangeland-symposium/.

4th Rustici RangelandScience Symposium The latest estimatesby the

U.S. Forest Service put thenumber of dead trees in Cali-fornia forests at 102 million,broad swaths that officials calla wildfire and public safetyrisk. Governor Jerry Browndeclared a state of emergencywhen the count stood at 40million and ordered stateagencies to clear the hazards.

U.S. Department of Ag-riculture says the mortality ofthe trees covers 7.7 million

Over 100 million dead trees due to droughtacres of California’s and wascaused by the drought in theforests. In 2016 alone, 62 mil-lion trees died, representingmore than a 100 percent in-crease in dead trees across thestate from 2015. Millions ofadditional trees are weakenedand expected to die in the com-ing months and years.

With public safety as itsmost pressing concern, the U.S.Forest Service has committedsignificant resources to help

impacted forests. However,limited resources and achanging climate hamper theForest Service's ability to ad-dress tree mortality in Cali-fornia.

The majority of the 102million dead trees are locatedin ten counties in the south-ern and central Sierra Ne-vada region. The Forest Ser-vice also identified increasing

(see TREES, page 9)

Page 4 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

Jim Allan has been in-volved in Agriculture for 31years, starting his career witha degree from Cal-Poly, andfirst signing on as the egg in-spector in San JoaquinCounty, continuing throughthe process to obtain all ofhis agricultural licenses, cu-mulating in his acceptance ofthe position of AgriculturalCommissioner for SolanoCounty.

Jim has been instrumen-tal in the crafting of severalCounty ordinances benefitingagriculture, the Walnut Theftordinance, the Rooster ordi-nance and Ag noise ordi-nance. These ordinanceswalked the line of supportingexisting agricultural practiceswhile addressing areas wherespecific concerns had arisen.

During his tenure Jim hasworking on a variety of issuesrelated to agricultural prac-tices the irrigated lands pro-gram, the Planning and Zon-ing discussions for the iden-tified 10 agricultural regionsin Solano County, Solar In-

Jim Allan, Solano Ag Commissioner, Distinguished Public Service Award 2017stallations, the new Marijuanalaws and most recentlyGround Water.

Jim was Commissionerthrough the economic down-turn, a time when cuts in ser-vice where necessary to main-tain core activities, but madethose decisions based onservice needs for agriculture.

Jim serves as a resourceto individual producers, ag-ricultural organizations, pro-ducers, public and Board forwhom he serves. Jim under-stands the complex regulatoryframework faced by produc-ers and offers practical sci-ence based suggestions toassist in making informed de-cisions that minimize impactswhile achieving the desiredgoals.

As the Commissioner ofSolano County, one of themany jobs he is responsiblefor is pest prevention.Throughout his appointmenthe has handled these incidentsin an effective manner mini-mizing impacts where pos-sible to producers and citi-

zens. Medfly, Peach FruitFly, Glassy wing SharpShooter, Egyptian Dodder,European Grape Vine Moth,Light Brown Apple Monthand our most current findAsian Citrus Psyllid have allbeen found in Solano Countyduring his watch.

In a role not apparent tomost are his activities as anAgricultural Commissionerworking to support Califor-nia Agriculture, Jim was Presi-dent of the California Agricul-tural Commissioners andSealers Association last yearand in that role appointed thefirst Executive Director forthe organization. He also cur-rently serves on the Legisla-tion Committee for the orga-nization and as such has tes-tified in support of agricultureat the State House and Sen-ate and participated in theDelegation of Commissionersto Washington to promoteprotection of CA crops, andalso works on items that im-pact growers such as the Pes-ticides near School regulation,

Dog Teams for Pest Preven-tion and Farm Bill funding forCalifornia.

In-house he has implemen-tation several new computerprograms; CalAg permits,online pesticide registration, Dr.B’s for Weights and Measureand obtained with Board ap-proval new Weights and Mea-sures provers and a new dyna-mometer (for Taxi testing).These improvements assiststaff in delivery of services

Most recently Jim waskey in obtaining grant fund-ing for LESA study to sup-port the development of agri-cultural value appraisals andfunding of an AgriculturalEconomic Study for SolanoCounty.

Jim is and has been alwaysbeen Supportive of SolanoCounty and enjoys the chal-lenges and interaction with theproducers and citizens ofSolano County. I think hewould tell you it is a privilegeto have worked here in SolanoCounty for the last 8 and ½years.

from 2015; raisin grapes,$213.64, down 13.7:; andtable grapes, $153.05,down 39.4%.

In 2016, Chardonnaycontinued to account forthe largest percentage of thetotal crush volume with16.% percent. CabernetSauvignon accounted forthe second leading percent-age of crush with 13.3%.The next eight highest per-centages of grapes crushedincluded only wine grapevarieties. Thompson Seed-less, the leading raisin grapevariety crushed for 2016,held 2% of the total crush.

District 13, (Madera,Fresno, Alpine, Mono, InyoCounties; and Kings andTulare Counties north ofNevada Avenue (Avenue192)), had the largest shareof the State’s crush, at1,333,124 tons. The aver-age price per ton in District13 was $301.59.

Grapes produced inDistrict 4 (Napa County) re-ceived the highest averageprice of $4,666.35 per ton,up 7.3% from 2015. District3 (Sonoma and Marincounties) received the sec-ond highest return of$2,584.87, up 5.9% from2015. The Chardonnayprice of $880.51 was up11.7% from 2015, and theCabernet Sauvignon priceof $1,432.73 was up 8.8%from 2015. The 2016 aver-age price for Zinfandel was$603.14, up 4.9% from2015, while the Merlot av-erage price was up 3.3%from 2015 at $765 per ton.

The entire Grape CrushReport is available online atwww.nass.usda.gov/ca.

Almond growers face mystery fungusThe almond industry rep-

resents a $5 billion crop forCalifornia. If it is to stay thatvital to the economy theremust find a solution to a mys-tery fungus the researchers atthe University of Californiahave found.

This fungus devours treesfrom the inside out, causingthem to snap and fall over. Sci-entists say the wood rot fungustypically attacks older fruit andnut trees but is being found inmuch younger trees in the Val-ley. Known as ganoderma, is nostranger to agriculture andprobably is the reason whymost trees blow over.

But there is no explanationas to why the fungus seems tobe showing up in greater num-bers and in younger trees.

The disease slowly eats awayat a tree’s heartwood until it be-comes unstable and eventuallyfalls over. In many cases it cantake years for the fungus to bringan older tree down.

UC graduate student BobJohnson is studying the fungusas part of his doctoral thesis. Hediscovered the mystery on afarm in the Fresno area. “It wasso bad you could push the treeover and it would fall,” Johnsonsaid. “The trunk broke off rightat the soil. It was unbelievable.”

The grower chose to remove alltrees in the 120-acre orchard.

Ganoderma also has beenfound in numerous trees in twoorchards within a mile of eachother in west Fresno County.And he has recently receivedphone calls from growers inKern, Tulare and Madera coun-ties with concerns about fall-ing trees. Johnson and othersare trying to answer the manyquestions from growers.

What scientists do knowis that the tree often looksnormal and can even producea crop. The only telltale signthat the fungus has colonizeda tree is the appearance of a

mushroom-like growth, calleda conk, that sprouts at the baseof the tree. The diseasespreads to other trees as theconk releases trillions ofspores into the air.

Johnson suspects that thesize of the state’s booming al-mond industry – valued at $5.3billion and taking up more than1 million acres – combined withstress from five years of droughthave created the right conditionsfor the disease to flourish.

“This could be a hugeproblem, if we knew how wide-spread this is,” Johnson said.“But the fact alone that it hastaken out 120 acres of 10-year-old trees tells me this isimportant.”

(CRUSH, continued)

(See chart next page)(see MYSTERY, page 10)

2017 Mar/Apr Page 5SCFB NEWS

U.S. wine exports, 90%from California, reached$1.62 billion in winery rev-enues in 2016, a new record.Despite challenges from astrong dollar, winery revenueswere up 1% from 2015. Vol-ume was 412.7 million litersor 45.9 million cases.

"California wine exportscontinue to reflect the trendtoward premiumization withthe dollar value of our winesales outpacing volume ship-ments. California wines arewell positioned for thistrend—our vint-ners are offeringquality, value,diverse stylesand environ-mental steward-ship in theirwinemaking.Combined withthe state’siconic lifestyle,innovative cui-sine and beauti-ful destinations,California wines

California wine exports reachrecord $1.62 billion in 2016

continue to gain attentionfrom consumers worldwide,"said Robert P. (Bobby) Koch,Wine Institute President andCEO.The top 10 export marketsfor California wines are: theEuropean Union's 28-membercountries, accounting for$685 million, followed byCanada, $431 million; HongKong, $99 million; Japan, $87million; China, $82 million;Mexico, $24 million; SouthKorea, $23 million; Switzer-land, $19 million; Singapore,

$14 million; and Philippines,$13 million.

"California wine exportshave grown 78% by value inthe last decade despiteheavily-subsidized foreigncompetitors and high tariffs.Our global trading partners areincreasingly acknowledgingthe high quality of wine fromthe Golden State and re-sponding to our CaliforniaWines marketing effortsthroughout the world,” saidWine Institute Vice PresidentInternational MarketingLinsey Gallagher. Gallaghermanages Wine Institute's Cali-fornia Wine Export Program,

(see EXPORT, page 11)

the commission’s listing of the gray wolf under the CaliforniaEndangered Species Act. The listing took effect on January 1,2017, a little over a year after a divided commission approved iton a controversial 3-1 vote.

The suit challenges the gray wolf listing on three grounds:1) The listing is based on flimsy evidence; 2) Regulatorsundercounted the gray wolf’s numbers; 3) The gray wolf is notcovered by the law.

The Fish and Game Commission took a big bite out of itsown credibility with this unjustified listing,” said PLF PrincipalAttorney Damien Schiff. “The agency managed to label the graywolf as ‘endangered’ only by myopically and illegally ignoringits populations outside California.Moreover, the listing is de-structive as a matter of public policy,” Schiff continued

The listing harms members of both Farm Bureau and CCA.The California Cattlemen’s Association is a nonprofit trade or-ganization representing California’s ranchers and beef produc-ers in policy matters. CCA has 34 county affiliates and over2,400 members, including more than 1,700 cattle producers.California Farm Bureau Federation is the state’s largest farmorganization, composed of 53 county farm bureaus representingmore than 48,000 agricultural, associate, and collegiate mem-bers in 56 counties.

The listing harms members of both organizations, becauseof the obstacles it creates to reasonable measures to ward offwolf attacks. Indeed, as the state Department of Fish and Wild-life recently reported, “there is a reasonable concern over pre-dictable depredation of domestic animals, primarily livestock,by wolves as the population expands;” therefore, “economic im-pacts of gray wolves to individual [livestock] producers could besignificant.”

Both CCA and Farm Bureau contend there are better ways toprotect the wolf while protecting people’s livelihoods and localeconomics. For instance, they have both been participants in theStakeholder Working Group, established by the Department ofFish and Wildlife to produce a California Wolf Management Plan.

(WOLF, continued)

Page 6 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

Welcoming President Trump’s executive order for re-view of a disputed Clean Water Act rule, the president ofthe California Farm Bureau Federation said he hopestoday’s action leads to a more cooperative approach toenvironmental regulation.

Farm Bureau, farmers and ranchers, welcomeexecutive order on ‘WOTUS’ rule

“California farmers and ranchers pride themselvesin the care they show for the land, water and otherresources entrusted to them,” CFBF President PaulWenger said. “We want to work cooperatively tomaintain and improve our land, not to be subject to

confusing and sometimes contra-dictory rules from governmentagencies.

“We’re encouraged by theTrump administration’s action toroll back the ‘waters of the UnitedStates’ rule,” Wenger said. “At thesame time, we recognize the ex-ecutive order as the first step inwhat could be a long process toundo the confusion brought bythe WOTUS rule.

“Ultimately, the goal should beto provide farmers and ranchers—in California and elsewhere—thefreedom to farm their land pro-ductively and with environmentalcertainty, while pursuing compli-ance with the Clean Water Actthrough incentives rather than co-ercion.”T FARM FACT SAmericans eat approximately 100acres of pizza each day, or 350slices per second. In America, an-chovies always rank last on the listof favorite toppings.

2017 Mar/Apr Page 7SCFB NEWS

Helpa

friend..

JoinFarmBureau!

...tellthem

to:

Page 8 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

SCFB Cookin’ CornerCorned Beef and Cabbage Dinner

2 to 2 1/2 - pound corned beef brisket1 teaspoon whole black pepper • 2 bay leaves3 medium carrots, quartered lengthwise2 medium parsnips or 1 medium rutabaga, peeledand cut into chunks2 medium red onions, cut into wedges10 -12 new potatoes (1 pound)1 small cabbage, cut into 6 wedges (1 pound) Trim fat from meat. Place in a 4to 6-quart pot; add juicesand spices from package of beef. Add enough water to covermeat. Add pepper and bay leaves. Bring to boiling; reduceheat. Simmer, covered, about 2 hours until meat is almosttender. Add carrots, parsnips or rutabaga, and onions to meat. Re-turn to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Scrub potatoes; halve or quarter.Add potatoes and cabbage to pot. Cover and cook about 20 minutes more or until vegetables andmeat are tender. Discard bay leaves. Remove meat from pot. Thinly slice meat across the grain.Transfer meat and vegetables to a serving platter. Makes 6 servings.

In a large mixer bowl beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until softened (about30 seconds). Add sugar and salt and beat until fluffy. Add the egg, peppermint extract or vanilla, anda few drops of green food coloring. Beat mixture well. With mixer on low speed gradually addflour to butter mixture and beat well. Divide dough into 3 equal parts. Shape each part into a roll about 1 inch thick and about 8 incheslong. Roll each in green colored sugar. Wrap rolls in plastic wrap. Chill in refrigerator for at least2 hours or up to 1 week. Unwrap rolls. Slice crosswise so the slices are 1/4 inch thick. To shape each shamrock, place 3slices of dough with sides touching in a shamrock shape on an ungreased cookie sheet. Cut a stemfrom a fourth slice and attach to the shamrock (save the rest of this slice for cutting other sham-rock stems). Gently push the slices together so each leaflet curves in slightly. Bake in a 350 degree F oven about 8 minutes or until edges are light brown. With a pancaketurner lift the cookies onto a cooling rack to cool. Makes 32 cookies.

St. Patrick’s extra: Shamrock Cookies3/4 cup butter (1-1/2 sticks) • 2/3 cup sugar • 1/4 teaspoon salt • 1 egg

1/4 teaspoon peppermint extract or vanilla • Few drops green food coloring2 cups all-purpose flour • Green colored sugar

Farmers monitor storm impact on crops, water suppliesStrong storms during the

Presidents’ Day holiday week-end flooded farm fields, causedseveral dairy farms to relocatetheir animals and brought otherimpacts on California farms andranches. The storms also addedmore water to an already over-taxed system, and led to renewedcalls to modernize the system.

“In the long term, the surgeof storms should bring an im-proved water outlook,” Califor-

nia Farm Bureau FederationPresident Paul Wenger said,“but it has definitely broughtworries to farmers and ranch-ers whose land is inundated orwhose crops may be at risk.We remain hopeful thatweather in coming days willminimize any problems.”

Wenger noted that manyreservoirs have filled and havehad to release water, which hesays underlines the need to en-hance California’s water stor-age capacity.

“Believe it or not, there arepeople who think we don’tneed more water storage, andthat we should even tear downmany of the facilities we nowhave,” he said. “These activ-ists don’t care how manypeople suffer from devastatingfloods in winters like this. Theydon’t care how many peoplesuffer from water shortagesduring droughts.”

Wenger said Californiamust move as quickly as pos-sible to allocate money fromthe 2014 water bond, Proposi-tion 1, to create more storageboth aboveground and under-ground.

“Environmentalists say wecan solve water problems byconserving more water andstoring more underground. Butwe’re not able to conservemost of the water flowingthrough the system now—wehave had to let it go. And mov-ing water into the ground takestime. You can’t replenish

groundwater if you don’t haveaboveground reservoirs and ca-nals to hold and move water towhere it can effectively filter un-derground,” Wenger said.Farm Bureau said farmers of anumber of crops and commodi-ties will be assessing the impactfrom the weekend storms, includ-ing:• Almonds—The storms hit justas almond trees were blooming.Bees that pollinate almond blos-soms don’t fly in the rain and pre-fer temperatures higher than 55degrees. In addition, a number ofalmond trees were blown downby strong winds during the week-end. But farmers said the treelosses weren’t as bad as feared,and expressed hope pollinationwould still be successful.• Berries—The rains delayedstrawberry harvest along the Cen-tral and Southern California coast.Production may be temporarilyreduced as farmers wait for wa-terlogged fields to dry and discardrain-damaged berries.• Dairy farms—Several dairyfarms located near the Tuolumneand San Joaquin rivers needed tomove their animals to higherground as river levels rose. Otherfarmers are watching river levelscarefully and preparing to movetheir animals if needed.• Field crops—Fall-planted graincrops that have germinated couldtake on too much water, whichcould ultimately reduce yields.Hay fields have also flooded.Soggy or flooded fields will delayplanting for a number

2017 Mar/Apr Page 9SCFB NEWS

Did You Know?• One study reports that walking regularly (three times or more a week for half an

hour or more) saves a person $330 a year in health care costs.• Walking round 20-25 miles each week can extend your life by a couple of years

compared to people who do not walk.• Walking on a rough but level track requires 50% more energy than walking on a

paved road.• Walking sideways burns 78 percent more calories than walking forward.• A typical pair of tennis shoes will last 300-500 miles of walking.• It takes about 1 hour and 43 minutes of walking to burn off a 540-calorie Big Mac.

Spring: time to get moving!

Outdoor Walking Safety Tipsby Arthur Hinojosa, ChiefDivision of Integrated Regional Water Management

Walking outdoors is agreat way to enjoy fresh airand get a workout at thesame time. Walking alsoreleases natural pain killingendorphins inside the bodyand studies have shown themore steps a person takesduring the day the better theirmood tends to be. Butbefore you lace up thosesneakers, here are someimportant safety tips you’llwant to consider if you headoutdoors to walk:• Find a buddy. Walkingwith someone can be a greatmotivator and make the timemore enjoyable. Moreimportantly, there is safety innumbers. If you are going towalk alone, make sure youtell someone your route andthe time you expect to return.• Dress to be seen. Wear lightcolored clothing orreflectors, especially if youare walking during early

morning or late evening.Also try to walk on well-litstreets as much as possible.Carry a flashlight and keepit on.• Vary your route. This is foryour own personal safety aswell as an opportunity toenjoy different scenery fromtime to time. Doing this willhelp prevent someone frommemorizing yourwhereabouts or routine.Avoid areas that are poorlylighted or completelydeserted.• Always try to walk onsidewalks or paths separatedfrom vehicular traffic. If thereare no sidewalks or paths,walk on the side of the streetFACING road traffic and asfar to the left as possible. Thisway you can see vehicles asthey approach and get out oftheir way if necessary.• Cross the streets atdesignated crosswalks and

with the traffic light, if oneis available. Avoid crossingin the middle of the blockand in-between cars.• Pay attention and look inall directions before crossinga street. Be sure drivers inapproaching vehicles as wellas bicyclists see you beforestepping off a curb. Usecaution when approachingdriveways or entrances toparking garages or lots andlook in all directions forvehicles which are enteringor exiting.• Using Smartphones andother electronic deviceswhile you walk can distractand prevent you frompaying attention to the trafficaround you. Avoid makingcalls or texting while outwalking. If you are listeningto music or have to make aphone call, keep the volumelow so you can hear what’sgoing on around you.

Over 200 groups with a stake in agriculture and rural ar-eas sent a letter to President Trump asking for rural needs tobe part of any plan to improve the nation’s infrastructure. Thegroup who has signed the letter includes the American FarmBureau Federation.

The letter stated, “Past infrastructure initiatives often fo-cused on urban and suburban infrastructure while not ad-equately addressing the unique needs of rural communities.”The groups add that American agriculture truly feeds the worldand creates jobs. To ensure that America remains a leader inworld agricultural production, they say infrastructure needs haveto be addressed, noting that the nation’s deteriorating infra-structure threatens that leadership role in feeding the world.

The groups caution that the federal government can’t do italone, saying it should partner with local governments and findprivate funding sources, a move supported by Trump advis-ers. Alabama Republican Robert Aderholt is Chair of the HouseAppropriations Committee, who’s promised to make invest-ing in rural infrastructure a high priority in fiscal 2018 alloca-tions for the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Other groups that signed on to the letter included groupsrepresenting crops, lending, water, dairy, livestock and manyothers.

Groups want Trump toinclude rural areas in planInfrastructure improvements should include farm areas

mortality in the northern part of the state, including Siskiyou,Modoc, Plumas and Lassen counties, according to GabeSchultz, the task force chairman. At the Sierra CascadeLogging Conference last month, He should visual proof ofthe severity of the tree die-off. Five consecutive years ofsevere drought in California, a dramatic rise in bark beetleinfestation and warmer temperatures are leading to thesehistoric levels of tree die-off.

(TREES, continued)

Solano FarmBureau on

FIND

Page 10 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

ThinkThink

Allows for Transfer of Certain Conservation Reserve Program Land toNew Farmers; Provides Priority Enrollment in

Working Lands Conservation ProgramsU.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is offering an early termination

opportunity for certain Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) contracts,making it easier to transfer property to the next generation of farmers andranchers, including family members. The land that is eligible for the earlytermination is among the least environmentally sensitive land enrolled in CRP.

Normally if a landowner terminates a CRP contract early, they are re-quired to repay all previous payments plus interest. The new policy waivesthis repayment if the land is transferred to a beginning farmer or rancherthrough a sale or lease with an option to buy. With CRP enrollment close tothe Congressionally-mandated cap of 24 million acres, the early terminationwill also allow USDA to enroll other land with higher conservation valueelsewhere.

Acres terminated early from CRP under these land tenure provisions willbe eligible for priority enrollment consideration into the CRP Grasslands, ifeligible; or the Conservation Stewardship Program or Environmental QualityIncentives Program, as determined by the Natural Resources ConservationService.

According to the Tenure, Ownership and Transition of Agricultural Landsurvey, conducted by USDA in 2014, U.S. farmland owners expect to trans-fer 93 million acres to new ownership during 2015-2019. This represents 10percent of all farmland across the nation. Details on the early terminationopportunity are available now at local USDA service centers. For more in-formation about CRP and to find out if your acreage is eligible for earlycontract termination, contact your local Farm Service Agency (FSA) officeor go online at www.fsa.usda.gov/crp.

USDA makes it easier to transferland to next generation

SB 174 (Ricardo Lara, D-Bell Gardens) will require that all on-roaddiesel road vehicles over 14,000 gross vehicle weight must be confirmed by theDepartment of Motor Vehicles that they are in compliance with the CaliforniaAir Resources Board’s Truck and Bus rule, prior to initial registration, transfer ofownership or registration renewal. If your trucks are enrolled in the AgriculturalMileage provision or any other compliance extension, then CARB would con-firm your compliance with DMV and you should be able to get your registration.But many folks who have enrolled with CARB and provide their annual agricul-tural mileage have experienced numerous problems with CARB’s database andlack of adequate staff to resolve the kinks in the reporting process. Farm Bureauis extremely troubled by this draconian measure sponsored by the CaliforniaTrucking Association that will delay or prevent registration of many trucks usedby the agricultural community.

Farm Bureau will continue to work with this bill’s author and, if notamended, will work to defeat this bill in the State Senate.

New legislation targets agtrucks again

Mae Culumber, a University of California nut crop adviser in Fresno County,agrees that fungal disease in almonds could become a bigger issue. She tellsgrowers to try to keep their trees as free from injury as possible. The sporesinfect a tree by entering into any opening in the tree’s bark or roots. So far, Culumberhas found infected trees in two west Fresno County orchards. In both cases many ofthe trees had advanced stages of the disease.

David Doll, a UC pomology farm adviser said wood rot could prove to becostly if growers have to replace orchards after only about 10 years. The normallife-span of an almond tree is about 20 years. Doll estimates the cost of replac-ing a tree at about $250.

He is eager to see what Johnson and other researchers find out about ganodermain the Valley.

“This is an issue that we will need to address as an industry,” Doll said. “Be-cause this is not something that you can run out to a field and apply a fungicide toor easily diagnose.

(MYSTERY, continued)

2017 Mar/Apr Page 11SCFB NEWS

Solano County Farm Bureau

Support SCFB business members

Business DirectoryCFBF is Working for YOU!

As a member of SolanoCounty Farm Bureau, you aresupporting the work that theCalifornia Farm Bureau Fed-eration does on behalf of agri-culture every day. CFBF has ahighly capable team of lawyers,lobbyists, and full staff dedi-cated to representing you andrural values. CFBF is led anddirected by growers like your-self from across the State.

Regardless if you are agrower or someone who’s lifeis touched by ag through gro-cery shopping, you should bea Farm Bureau member! Be-low is a clip of what CFBFhas done for you over the lastyear to ensure farmers cankeep farming and Californiacontinues to have the safestfood supply in the world.YOUR ADVOCATESponsoring legislation, repre-senting your interests.• Protecting water rights.• Seeking repeal of WOTUS.• Representing agriculturalemployers.• Improving the organic reg-istration system.• Work with allies to changethe state BIT Program.• Tightening penalties for ru-ral crime.• Fighting expansion of ESA,and seek its reform WOTUS.YOUR GOALIEBlocking efforts to undermineagriculture• Preventing a moratorium ondrilling new water wells.• Blocking efforts to transferground-water adjudicationsfrom the courts to the state.• Defeating legislation to in-crease taxes.• Enforcing Williamson Actcontracts.• Preventing permit require-ments for removing oak trees

from private property.• Stopping unreasonable re-strictions on pesticide use.YOUR VOICEAmplifying your opinions ina variety of forums• Generating 8,100 messagesto elected officials, agencies.• Advocating before state,regional water boards onirrigated-lands programs.• Generating participation inDPR hearings on pesticideuse near schools.• Responding to more than300 media inquiries.• Reaching non-farm audi-ences via social media, TV,magazine.• Commenting on greenhousegas and methane reductionstrategies.• Preserving and expandingaccess to markets.Joining coalitions for CareerTechnical Education,aboveground petroleum stor-age, port operations.• Working to clarify tax rulesfor farm equipment, fertilizer.• The leading agricultural or-ganization in supportingfarm-friendly candidates.YOUR SOURCE OF SAVINGSReducing the costs to farmand ranch• Saving landowners hun-dreds to thousands a yearthrough parcel-tax reform.• Protect the Williamson Act.• Creating an estimated an-nual savings of $100 millionthrough availability of genericpesticides.• Working to assure equitableenergy rates for farmers andranchers.• Assuring continuation of thenet-metering energy program.• Providing discounts on insur-ance, supplies, services.

YOUR RESOURCEProviding services you needto meet the challenges ahead• Providing guidance in com-plying with labor laws.• Holding workshops onSGMA implementation andwater measurement.• Publishing comprehensivenews conline and in print.• Developing the next genera-tion of agricultural leaders.• Training successful candi-dates for elected office.• Providing the knowledgeand insights you need to dealwith new laws and regula-tions.

involving more than 170wineries that export to 138countries, and 15 represen-tatives and offices in 25countries across the globe.

"Trade agreements,such as the North Ameri-can Free Trade Agreement(NAFTA), have helped todramatically grow U.S.wine exports yet discrimi-natory non-tariff trade bar-riers continue to be craftedby foreign governments ata steady pace," said TomLaFaille, Wine InstituteVice President and Inter-national Trade Counsel."We applaud U.S. govern-ment efforts to eliminatethese barriers andstrengthen our competitive-ness globally, including theWorld Trade Organization(WTO) challenge againstCanada which seeks to en-sure that British Columbiagrocery store consumerscan choose from the vastarray of the world's greatwines."

(EXPORT, continued)

Ag Equipment/ServiceButton Transportation .......................... .(707)678-7490Dixon Veterinary Clinic ........................ (707)678-2377Garton Tractor ..................................... (707)425-9545Gates Ranch/Custom cutting & wrap .. 707)448-3867Green Valley Tractor ............................ (707)425-8933Holt of CA ........................................... (707)396-3000Wilkinson International ......................... (530)662-7373Auto Dealers/Parts/ServicesAble Chevrolet Pontiac Buick .............. (707)374-6317Farms & RanchesBluegreen Farms LLC .......................... (631)-459-6778Johnson Farms ..................................... (408)926-3133Farm & Feed SupplyHigby’s................................................. (707)678-9007FinancialBank of Rio Vista ................................. .(707)374-5711First Northern Bank of Dixon .............. (707)678-4422Farm Credit West (Woodland) ............. .(530)666-3333Travis Credit Union .............................. .(707)469-1632InsuranceRohwer Insurance Agency ................... (707)678-9216Professional ServicesArcher & Ficklin-Comm Brokerage ..... (707)678-1092Blankinship Assoc. Envir Consult ........ .(530)757-0941P G & E ............................................... (707)423-2443Reynolds Law LLP .............................. (707)425-1255Vacaville Chamber of Commerce ........ (707)448-6424SMUD .................................................. .(916)732-6088Propane/ PetroleumAllied Propane ...................................... (707)678-8500Sheldon Gas Co................................... .(707)425-2951Real EstateBouzos Properties ................................ (510)772-2435California Outdoor Properties .............. (707) 469-0112Ron Stevenson – Century 21 ............... (530)681-1092Tire Sales / ServiceLes Schwab Vacaville .......................... .(707)447-4384Reliable Tire Service ............................ (916)372-6675

Page 12 Mar/Apr 2017 SCFB NEWS

Doa

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Bureau!

SCFB President RyanMahoney (center) and 1st

Vice President CharlieHamilton present JeanneMcCormack, McCormackSheep and Grain, the 2017Heritage Award, recogniz-ing the many years of com-mitment to agriculture andpreservation in SolanoCounty.

HeritageAwardWinner

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Drought not officially overThe Sierra Nevada snowpack isclose to setting recordsnotched more than three de-cades ago — a welcome sightafter five years of punishingdrought in California, survey-ors said Wednesday. A seriesof storms that doused the statein the first two months of theyear brought the water contentof the snowpack up to a “prettyphenomenal”185 percent of

normal, well above the 84 per-cent of normal a year ago, saidFrank Gehrke, the state’schief snow surveyor.

Winter snowfall on the400-mile mountain range pro-vides roughly one-third of thewater used in the nation’s mostpopulous state as the snowmelts over the spring and sum-mer and fills reservoirs supply-ing farmers and city dwellers.