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18 CapitalPress.com December 9, 2016 Northern California’s wet weather pattern to continue in December By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press SACRAMENTO — The fast start to the rainy season in Northern and Central Califor- nia has a good chance of con- tinuing in December, long- range forecasters say. The federal Climate Pre- diction Center foresees chances of wetter-than-aver- age conditions in much of the Golden State through at least the middle of the month, and the whole month could pro- duce above-average rainfall in far Northern California and the Pacific Northwest. “The long-range outlooks are starting to advise that we could see a pattern change and go into a more stormy pat- tern,” said National Weather Service warning coordinator Michelle Mead, adding that a series of storms could begin around Dec. 8. What happens after New Year’s Day, however, is more difficult to predict, she said. The climate center’s three- month outlook sees equal chances of wetter- and dri- er-than-normal conditions for Northern California and the Pacific Northwest, while cen- tral and southern California could remain dry. The outlook follows gener- ous amounts of rain in North- ern California over the last two months, pushing many areas above their normal precipita- tion totals for the water year. Since Oct. 1, Redding has sopped up 12.7 inches of rain, well above its average of 6.76 inches, and Sacramento’s 5.84 inches of rain exceeded its normal 3.12 inches for the period, according to the Na- tional Weather Service. The rain has helped with pasture regrowth in the foot- hills without interfering too much with table grape and other harvests, according to the National Agricultural Sta- tistics Service. Sheep have been grazing on alfalfa and inactive farm- land while many ranchers are still providing supplemental feed to cattle, NASS reports. However, the state’s snow- pack is still rather meager, at 59 percent of its normal snow water equivalent statewide and 82 percent of normal in the northern Sierra Nevada, reports the state Department of Water Resources. Reservoirs are a mixed bag. Shasta Lake, the center- piece of the federal Central Valley Project, is at 64 percent of its capacity — above nor- Calif. Dept. of Water Resources Michelle Mead, the National Weather Service warning coor- dinator in Sacramento, says the pattern of frequent rainstorms to hit California so far this water year has a good chance of continuing in December. Rich Pedroncelli/Associated Press File November rainfall Here are the November and seasonal rainfall totals and com- parisons to normal for selected California cities, according to the National Weather Service: Redding: Month 4.92 inches (normal 4.48 inches), season to date 12.7 inches (normal 6.58 inches) Eureka: Month 6.98 inches (nor- mal 5.61 inches), season to date 17.9 inches (normal 7.85 inches) Sacramento: Month 1.12 inches (normal 2.08 inches), season to date 5.84 inches (normal 3.03 inches) Modesto: Month 0.94 inches (normal 1.36 inches), season to date 2.99 inches (normal 2.04 inches) Salinas: Month 0.95 inches (nor- mal 1.4 inches), season to date 2.56 inches (normal 1.98 inches) Fresno: Month 1.38 inches (nor- mal 1.07 inches), season to date 2.05 inches (normal 1.7 inches) mal for this time of year. But Lake Oroville, the State Water Project’s main reservoir, has only 69 percent of its normal water for this time of year and is only 42 percent full, the DWR reports. The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows improving conditions in Northern Cali- fornia but still extreme to ex- ceptional drought across the southwest part of the state. “We’ve already lucked out and had two of the five to sev- en atmospheric rivers we nor- mally get in a year, but they were across Northern Cali- fornia,” Mead said. “We still need these storm systems to shift a little south so we can spread the wealth. We defi- nitely don’t want to have too much up here and have minor flooding when we’ve still got drought in the south.” Industry seeks better malting barley varieties Organization wants to reduce quality risks By MATTHEW WEAVER Capital Press The malting barley indus- try wants to bolster acres by offering farmers better variet- ies with consistent quality. “We’re always trying to improve the selection rate, the percentage of the barley that will make malting quali- ty in a given year,” said Scott Heisel, vice president of the American Malting Barley As- sociation. Barley acres have de- creased over the last two de- cades, down to roughly 3.5 million acres total each year. Roughly 75 percent of that is malting barley, Heisel said. That number is the mini- mum number required to sup- ply end users, Heisel said. “I’m not sure we need to increase it a lot from where we are, especially if we’re successful in increasing that selection rate,” he said. The majority of malting barley is grown under con- tract. Heisel recommends a grower have a contract in place, particularly in areas outside the major malting bar- ley-growing regions. “Growers are going to be more likely to sign that con- tract if they have varieties that are more likely to make malt- ing quality,” he said. “We’re trying to reduce that risk of not making malting quality.” The malting barley associ- ation is broadening its mem- ber base to include distillers and food companies alongside traditional brewing and malt- ing members. Companies have begun producing all-malt beers. “That’s going to require more barley to be used per barrel of beer,” Heisel said. “We need to have a whole portfolio of varieties for the different styles of beer being brewed.” The association spends $500,000 per year for re- search on varieties with lower protein and larger and more uniform kernel plumpness, Heisel said. It takes about 10-12 years for a new variety to be re- leased. “We’re not just looking out for the industry, we also want varieties that will fit into grow- ers’ rotation,” Heisel said. “We need input on what a grower wants out of a new variety, whether that be a few days ear- lier maturity. We’re looking to make barley a more attractive crop for the grower as well.” The association plans to release its annual list of rec- ommended malting barley varieties in late December or early January. Irrigation pipes sit along a dried irrigation canal on a field farmed by Gino Celli near Stockton, Calif., in May 2015. Leaders from the Senate and House of Representatives reached agreement on a water resources bill that includes language easing some restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and allowing the capture of more water for storage during storms. Latest compromise drought relief bill receives praise, opposition By TIM HEARDEN Capital Press SACRAMENTO — A growers’ group asserts that the latest attempt at a com- promise solution in Con- gress to California’s drought is a good first step toward providing more reliable wa- ter for farms. Leaders from the Senate and House of Representa- tives reached agreement on a water resources bill that in- cludes language easing some restrictions on pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta and allowing the capture of more water for storage during storms. The legislation won praise from Western Grow- ers, which argues its passage is critical as California en- ters its rainy season. “I think this bill will certainly allow for greater flexibility in operating the pumps,” said Cory Lunde, Western Growers’ director of strategic initiatives and communications. “So in the event that we do have win- ter storms, we should be able to gather more of that water than we would otherwise. “The drought language in this bill is not the end-all and be-all,” he said, “but it is a good first step toward craft- ing long-term solutions that will enhance the reliability of water through the Delta.” The drought provisions come amid a far-reaching water bill that would autho- rize $170 million for Flint, Mich., and other cities belea- guered by lead in drinking water and $558 million in long-term authorizations to help California develop new water infrastructure. The bill faces sharp op- position from Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., who argues it would harm drinking water quality and severely weak- en the Endangered Species Act’s protections of salmon and other species, The Asso- ciated Press reported. But the legislation is backed by Sen. Dianne Fein- stein, D-Calif., who has ne- gotiated for several years with House Republicans on drought solutions. Feinstein said in a state- ment the bill is “the best we can do” under the circum- stances. “If we don’t move now, we run the real risk of legis- lation that opens up the En- dangered Species Act in the future, when Congress will again be under Republican control, this time backed by a (Donald) Trump adminis- tration,” Feinstein said. The National Wildlife Federation applauded pro- visions that authorize resto- ration efforts in waterways including the Los Ange- les River and Lake Tahoe. But group president Collin O’Mara said the drought lan- guage “should be improved” to better focus on water conservation and reuse and wildlife protection. Specifically, the bill in- cludes funding authorization for 137 projects identified by Feinstein in a drought bill earlier this year. Included is authorization for the pro- posed Sites Reservoir, which will seek state Proposition 1 bond funds next year. Among the bill’s short- term provisions is daily monitoring for fish near the pumps to allow for more pumping when fish aren’t in danger, allowing agencies to capture more water during storms and requiring agen- cies to explain why pumping is reduced to lower levels than allowed by the biolog- ical opinions for salmon and Delta smelt. New apple poised for record-setting launch By DAN WHEAT Capital Press WENATCHEE, Wash. — The Washington apple indus- try is preparing for what it says has never been done be- fore — introduction of a new variety with rapid accelera- tion to 9 million, 40-pound boxes of production in three to five years. That kind of ramp-up — of the new Cosmic Crisp — “is insanity,” will take the whole industry working together and is about a $500 million “gamble” that could end in reward or failure, Robert Kershaw, president of Domex Superfresh Growers in Yakima, told growers at their annual meeting at the Wenatchee Convention Cen- ter on Dec. 5. “We will see the fastest switch in consumption of va- rieties in the next five years and it will blow people’s hair back,” said West Mathison, president of Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee. Honeycrisp became No. 1 in dollars among Washing- ton apples in October but is third in volume (behind Red Delicious and Gala), so a lot of varieties will go away,” he said. Half the opening day of the Washington State Tree Dan Wheat/Capital Press An attendee at the Washington State Tree Fruit Association annual meeting gets a Cosmic Crisp apple from Johanna Flores, an association staff member, at the Wenatchee, Wash., conven- tion center on Dec. 5. Growers are buying lots of trees of the new variety in preparation for the introduction of the new variety. Fruit Association’s three-day meeting was spent talking about Cosmic Crisp. The industry is banking on it be- coming more popular than Honeycrisp and replacing Red Delicious as the Wash- ington apple. “All I can say is ‘Wow’ because in 2017 it will be 20 years since the cross was made that made Cosmic Crisp,” said retired Wash- ington State University apple breeder Bruce Barritt, who is credited as the breeder. “The work was not just done by me, but a team,” he told the crowd, crediting for- mer associates by name. He and they worked at the WSU Tree Fruit Research and Ex- tension Center in Wenatchee. Enterprise and Honey- crisp, Cosmic Crisp’s par- ents, were unimportant at the time but were chosen for out- standing characteristics in- cluding flavor, color, storage and resistance to disease and disorders, Barritt said. His successor, Kate Ev- ans, said consumer tests rat- ed Cosmic Crisp “statistical- ly significantly” better than other varieties in taste and texture. She and others talked about WSU and industry co- operative development that will lead to first commercial planting next spring and first commercial harvest in 2019. A ballroom seating 700 was full when research sci- entists talked about growing techniques, but the newest information came in portions on licensing and marketing in which Kershaw and Mathi- son participated. WSU owns the variety and hired Proprietary Vari- ety Management of Yakima to coordinate its commer- cialization nationally and internationally. PVM sub-li- censed Northwest Nursery Improvement Institute of Prosser to propagate trees, which is being done by 10 nurseries. PVM is licensing growers, packers and mar- keters. Just two months ago, one of the nurseries, Willow Drive, estimated close to 4 million Cosmic Crisp trees are on order for 2018. But Bill Howell, NNII managing director, told convention-go- ers the number is 5 mil- lion-plus for 2018, 3.1 mil- lion for 2019 and 600,000 for 2017. Those numbers are the basis of Kershaw’s estimate that production will quickly reach 9 million boxes. CFBF’s Wenger renews call for action among growers MONTEREY, Calif. — The state Farm Bureau’s leader is renewing his call for growers to invest more time and resources in achieving political change. Opening the California Farm Bureau Federation’s 98th annual meeting, Pres- ident Paul Wenger praised earlier generations for having the foresight to get reservoirs, roads and other infrastructure built to benefit agriculture. “Those people who came noted the election of Donald before us gave us this op- Trump as president raises portunity, and the big concerns about trade question is wheth- and immigration pol- er we are going to icy, but said the new answer that bell,” administration would Wenger told members likely focus on easing gathered at the Hyatt regulations. Regency, according to “We can look to the a news release. Paul Wenger federal level to help Today’s struggle, us, but folks, all pol- he said, is focused on de- itics is local,” Wenger said. fending the resources farm- “We have to be involved, we ers need to produce food. He have to be engaged and we have to invest.” Wenger has often spoken of a need to increase farm- ers’ clout in Sacramento and Washington, D.C., during his tenure, including forming a political action committee to keep up with labor unions and other powerful interests. An almond and walnut grower from Modesto, Calif., Wenger is in his fourth term as president after having been elected in 2009.