In wine country, Sonoma tightens limits on farm work during wildfires
After a year of raucous protests and stakeholder meetings, Sonoma County announced it had standardized and reformed its “ag pass” program, which allows farms to bring workers into evacuated areas during wildfires when other residents have been told to flee.
Experts stress importance of farmers in water conservation efforts
Modernizing a crumbling 19th-century irrigation system in Colorado and building spawning habitat for salmon downstream from thirsty California farms are among the nature-based projects in the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill designed to help western states cope with drought.
Soaring crop prices will likely retreat by 2024 — FAPRI
Market prices for U.S. corn, soy, wheat and cotton will retreat sharply in the 2023/2024 marketing year with normal weather and yields around the world, FAPRI said in an update to its agricultural baseline. However, it expects record high wheat and cotton prices in 2022/2023.
TODAY’S QUICK HITS
Carrots vs. sticks: Secretary Tom Vilsack said Tuesday that the administration’s investment in voluntary efforts to reduce ag’s environmental footprint is a better long term strategy than mandates for farmers. (Oregon Capital Chronicle)
Algae bloom in SF Bay: A toxic algal bloom is killing off “uncountable” numbers of fish in the San Francisco Bay Area, with reports of rust-colored waters, and piles of stinking fish corpses washing ashore. (New York Times)
More extreme heat for CA: A record-breaking heat wave was expected to hit California on Wednesday, bringing temperatures of up to 115 degrees Fahrenheit in the state’s inland valleys. (Reuters)
With heat comes malaise: Heat is taking a significant toll not just on physical health but also on people’s sense of well-being, a new study shows. (CNN)
