Ag Today

From apples to almonds, looming tariffs from India could hurt West Coast growers Jeff Daniels, CNBC Published 4:24 PM ET Thu, 19 July 2018 American fresh apple and tree nut producers could see a bigger bite out of their export business starting next month if India follows through with its threat to impose retaliatory duties in response to U.S. imported steel tariffs. India notified the World Trade Organization back in May it planned to implement tariffs on a variety of U.S. products, including walnuts, almonds and apples, in retaliation for President Donald Trump's duties on steel and aluminum imports. India is the second-largest destination...

Frustrated US lawmakers threaten action on Trump’s tariffs BY KEVIN FREKING Associated Press July 18, 2018 12:58 PM WASHINGTON Lawmakers are losing patience with the Trump administration's reliance on tariffs to win trade disputes and are talking increasingly about legislative action to protect U.S. jobs. A senior Republican senator has threatened legislation to curb President Donald Trump's trade actions, and other senators joined him on Wednesday in promising a complementary bill. Meanwhile, lawmakers are using congressional hearings to put the spotlight on the economic fallout for local farmers and businesses. The prospects for any votes on trade legislation before the August recess are dim. Still, lawmakers appear...

As Cost of Trade War Grows, Farmers Stick With Trump—for Now By Alan Bjerga and Mario Parker, Bloomberg July 17, 2018, 1:00 AM PDT President Donald Trump’s trade disputes with China, Mexico and Canada are already eroding the value of American agricultural production, with soybean growers alone expected to lose at least $3.2 billion during the next crop season. But many farmers -- including some whose incomes are plunging as exports stall -- are sticking by the man they helped vote into office. They’d just like him to win the trade war quickly, before the fall harvest starts compounding the problem in a couple...

More bad news for monarch butterflies — study shows climate change’s devastating effect Peter Fimrite July 18, 2018 Updated: July 18, 2018 6 a.m., The San Francisco Chronicle Rising levels of carbon dioxide from car and factory exhaust — which scientists say is the primary cause of global warming — could contribute to the killing off of monarch butterflies by reducing the medicinal qualities of the plants they eat, a new study has found. The University of Michigan experiment, co-authored by a Stanford University scientist, found that higher carbon dioxide levels reduced a natural toxin in milkweed that feeding caterpillars utilize to fight...

Why California business leaders are fighting to save the gas tax increase BY ALEXEI KOSEFF, The Sacramento Bee July 16, 2018 12:01 AM It’s not often the California Chamber of Commerce endorses a tax increase. You are more likely to see such legislative proposals – on high-income earners, on services, on corporations — make the “job killers” list that the state’s largest business advocacy organization puts out each year to beat back bills it doesn’t like. But when Gov. Jerry Brown and Democratic lawmakers last year passed a measure raising fees on transportation fuels and vehicle registration to pay for road repairs, it was because...

The Valley floor is sinking, and it’s crippling California’s ability to deliver water BY DALE KASLER AND PHILLIP REESE, The Sacramento Bee July 13, 2018 03:55 AM TERRA BELLA Completed during Harry Truman’s presidency, the Friant-Kern Canal has been a workhorse in California’s elaborate man-made water-delivery network. It’s a low-tech concrete marvel that operates purely on gravity, capable of efficiently piping billions of gallons of water to cities and farms on a 152-mile journey along the east side of the fertile San Joaquin Valley. Until now. The Friant-Kern has been crippled by a phenomenon known as subsidence. The canal is sinking as the Valley floor beneath...

Water Officials Call for More Water to Restore Salmon Migration Brian German, Ag Net West The State Water Resources Control Board released a plan to help restore salmon migration by increasing the amount of water flowing through the Lower San Joaquin River and Southern Delta. That water would come at the expense of agricultural producers who depend on those tributaries to irrigate crops. Salmon Migration“We’re really talking about pulling water out of the hands of longtime users in pursuit of fishery goals that, you know, may be questionable,” said Chris Scheuring, an environmental attorney with the California Farm Bureau Federation. “Agriculture and urban...

State water plan could cut into Central Valley farm production by Emma Goss, Eyewitness NewsTuesday, July 10th 2018 BAKERSFIELD, Calif (KBAK/KBFX) - The plan to save a declining salmon population in Northern California comes with a cost to Central Valley farmers. After nine years of research, the California State Water Control Board is finalizing a plan to help bring the salmon population back, after sharply declining by 90 percent in recent years. "The conditions are very degraded," said Erin Foresman, supervisory senior environmental scientist for the State Water Board. Dams and other changes to their habitat have removed many areas of water where salmon go...

California Almond Farmers Brace for China Tariffs POSTED 7:21 PM, JULY 9, 2018, BY KAY RECEDE, Fox 40 STANISLAUS COUNTY -- Almond farmers have faced freezing temperatures, drought and other uncertainty over the years. Yet, despite the setbacks, according to the Department of Agriculture, the late July harvest is expected to be record-breaking. But challenges lie ahead. "Every farmer’s going to feel it. To the extent, a little bit yet to be determined," said almond farmer Jake Wenger. The ongoing trade war with China and the president’s threat to raise tariffs with the country could mean potential hardships on farmers. "I don’t know that the impacts will be great...

California dairy farmers, part of Trump's base, stand to get creamed by his trade war BY STUART LEAVENWORTH, McClatchy DC Bureau July 06, 2018 03:22 PM WASHINGTON They voted for Donald Trump after he promised to protect American agriculture and reduce regulations. But many U.S. dairy farmers are now stinging from the trade war he's launched, particularly those in California's Central Valley, who have built their livelihoods on exports to Mexico, China and other markets. President Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China have prompted retaliatory actions, making it harder for U.S. farmers to export their products, depressing prices and adding to a glut of...