…Enhancement Program (SWEEP), authorized by emergency drought legislation (Senate Bill 103). SWEEP is a unique opportunity for growers to receive financial assistance to install water distribution systems that save water…
Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Unveils Key New Risk Management Programs
…manage risk.” The new programs, Agricultural Risk Coverage (ARC) and Price Loss Coverage (PLC), are cornerstones of the commodity farm safety net programs in the 2014 Farm Bill, legislation that…
Groundwater Legislation Will be Costly
Water groups around the state are trying to wrap their heads around what the new groundwater legislation process might look like. Groundwater Legislation Will be Costly Kaweah Delta Water Conservation…
Drought Has Strengthened Bond to Ag
…closer bond between the consumer and product. Drought Has Strengthened Bong to Ag Melban says the avocado industry is on the fence about the current groundwater legislation on the governor’s…
Ag Leaders On Hand as Governor Brown Signs Landmark Groundwater Legislation
Governor Brown signs historic groundwater legislation. Photo Credit: Justin Short, Office of the Governor. (From ca.gov, Office of Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr.) Putting California communities on a path to…
Governor Signs First California Groundwater Rules
From the Associated Press California will no longer be the last Western state with a pump-as-you-please approach to groundwater. Governor Signs First California Groundwater Rules Gov. Jerry Brown signed legislation…
Secretary Vilsack Highlights Innovative Conservation Efforts
…enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural…
Conservation Service Chief Jason Weller Discusses Conservation Projects
The 2014 Farm Bill is our country’s biggest investment in land and water conservation and has been called the most significant conservation legislation in generations. Voluntary partnerships between agricultural and…
Cattlemen’s Association President Talks CA Water
…next. Another pending water issue Californians are waiting news on is groundwater legislation. Koopman believes the two bills sitting on the Governor’s desk were created with little thought. The California…
President Wenger Reacts to WOTUS Block
Paul Wenger, President, California Farm Bureau Federation AgNet West’s Gary Cooper talked to California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger about his reaction to the legislation passing through the House of…
California Labor Agency and California Community Colleges to Administer $1 Million Drought-related Training Program in the San Joaquin Valley
…service providers. Classes will begin in the fall of 2014. Funding for the program was made available through drought-aid legislation, which was passed with urgency by the State Legislature and…
U.S. House Says No to WOTUS Proposal
Cindy Zimmerman By a vote of 262-152, the U.S. House has approved H.R. 5078, the Waters of the United States Regulatory Overreach Protection Act. The legislation, introduced by U.S. Rep….
Lucas Praises House Passage of Bill to Block EPA’s Latest Attack on American Agriculture
…vote of 262-152. This legislation prohibits the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers from finalizing and enforcing a proposed rule that would redefine “waters of the…
USDA Provides $328 Million to Conserve Wetlands and Farmland, Boost Economy
…for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding…