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CapitalPress.com
March 18, 2016
California
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March storms could boost CVP water deliveries
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
SACRAMENTO — While
they’re giving informal up-
dates to water districts, fed-
eral water oficials in Califor-
nia have put off announcing
Central Valley Project alloca-
tions until they see what this
month’s storms will bring.
U.S. Bureau of Reclama-
tion spokesman Shane Hunt
didn’t linch when asked
if the “March Miracle” of
abundant rain and snow that
many had hoped for is com-
ing to fruition.
AP Photo/Eric Risberg
Mustard is seen between the rows of vineyards looded by water from
the Russian River March 11 in Forestville, Calif. Flood watches and
warnings blanketed Northern California as the latest in a series of storms
moved through, adding more moisture to an already wet March.
He responded by noting
that the agency’s eight weath-
er stations along the Sac-
ramento River in Northern
Agricultural education teaches students about agriculture,
food and natural resources. Through these subjects,
agricultural educators teach students a wide variety of
skills, including science, math, communications, leadership,
management and technology.
Ag teachers never have the same day twice. One day they
might be in a classroom or laboratory, the next visiting
students in the field, preparing teams for an FFA Career
Development Event, or leading a community service activity
with their FFA Chapter.
• Teach by doing, not just
telling
• Share their passion
for agriculture
California had received their
average precipitation for the
month by about March 9.
“It’s changed so signii-
cantly from the irst of the
month,” Hunt said of the
state’s water outlook. He
noted that Shasta Lake, the
centerpiece of the federal
Central Valley Project, had
an inlow of 325,000 acre-
feet just in the irst 10 days
of March.
“Those Shasta numbers
are encouraging,” he said,
adding that continued rain
and snow “will help us build
a cold water pool and pro-
tect the winter (salmon) run,
which is vital for us to oper-
ate the system.”
In the San Joaquin Valley,
growers are becoming more
conident they’ll get at least
some federal water for the
irst time in three years, as
some estimates have put the
amount of agricultural water
south of the Sacramento-San
Joaquin River Delta at 15
percent.
“We’re trying to stay op-
timistic, hoping that it will
mean a larger allocation is
coming,” said Laura Brown,
California Citrus Mutual’s
director of government af-
fairs. “We’ve seen them at
least thus far giving us above
a zero allocation, which is
what we had. … I understand
the bureau is being very cau-
tious.”
The early March del-
uge throughout the state
broke precipitation levels
in some areas and pushed
the statewide snow water
content, which had been
80 percent of normal at the
beginning of the month, to
88 percent of normal as of
March 14, according to the
state Department of Water
Resources.
Tim Hearden/Capital Press
Valerie La Haie of G and S Farms in Brentwood, Calif., arranges
corn at a farmers’ market in Davis, Calif., in September 2015. The
Center for Produce Safety is halfway to its goal of raising $20
million for research into food safety issues.
Donation helps group’s search for
solutions to produce safety issues
By TIM HEARDEN
Capital Press
WOODLAND, Calif. —
An organization’s effort to help
produce growers and distrib-
utors avoid contaminating the
food they handle is halfway to
its goal of raising $20 million
for research.
A $1 million donation from
Western Growers has enabled
the Center for Produce Safety
to reach the $10 million mark
for such projects as closely
watching how pathogens be-
have and determining which
sanitizers work best for differ-
ent contaminants.
The center, which is based
in Woodland, hopes to reach
its fundraising goal by 2020 to
continue to help the industry
develop safety precautions as
the Food Safety Modernization
Act starts to be implemented.
The donation from West-
ern Growers, which represents
farmers who grow fresh pro-
duce, continues nearly a decade
of collaboration between the
two organizations, president
and chief executive oficer Tom
Nassif said.
“The safety of consumers is
a top priority for our industry,”
he said, adding that he encour-
ages “every farm-to-fork stake-
holder” to consider how they
can contribute to building “the
strongest food safety system in
the world.”
In addition to the grant, indi-
vidual Western Growers mem-
bers have given $4.4 million
for the center’s research, Nassif
told reporters in a March 10
conference call.
Founded in 2007, the Center
for Produce Safety is a part-
nership involving people in
the industry, government and
the scientiic and academic
communities, according to its
website. In total, the center has
given out $18.4 million over
the years for such projects as
assessing the food-safety im-
pacts of delays between pista-
chio harvest and drying,
Research funded by the
center has led to improved
safety practices, including des-
ignating buffer zones for haz-
ard management, validating
the eficacy of the washing
process and identifying con-
trols that prevent salmonella
from building tolerances to
treatments, according to a
news release.
New wheat commission director starts March 22
work to expand advantage to have somebody
Fernandez hopes to
research by col- who was familiar with the reg-
laborating with ulatory environment in Cali-
meet farmers, hear
academia and fornia,” Motter said. “She was
the private sec- quite involved in the off-shore
their priorities
tor and educate marketing efforts of the raisin
• Create lessons that are
hands-on
• Reach students, including
those who might not be
successful in a traditional
classroom
• Teach about cutting edge topics, like cloning, satellite
mapping, biofuels, alternative energy and more.
By MATTHEW WEAVER
• Travel in state, nationally, and even internationally.
The California Wheat
Commission has a new direc-
tor.
Deanna Fernandez will
join the commission March
22. She was previously in-
ternational program director
with the Raisin Administra-
tive Committee in Fresno, Ca-
lif. She replaces Janice Coo-
per, who took over as director
of the Wheat Marketing Cen-
ter in Portland in December.
“I have ideas and a vision
that will position California
wheat as a premium product on
a global scale,” Fernandez said
in an email to the Capital Press.
The commission will also
• Work with new and emerging technology from
agribusiness companies.
Currently there is a national shortage of agricultural
educators at the secondary level. It is estimated that there
will be hundreds of unfilled positions across the United
States this year, simply because not enough students are
choosing to be agricultural educators.
Capital Press
Fernandez
the public about
the health bene-
its of wheat, she
said.
Fernandez plans to meet
as many farmers as possible
before the end of the calen-
dar year, she said. She expects
to conduct meetings in each
growing region.
“I want to meet each farmer
— I want to know what issues
farmers are most concerned
with because, ultimately, I
work for each California wheat
grower,” she said.
Roy Motter, chairman of the
commission, said an executive
search irm proposed Fernan-
dez with several other candi-
dates from outside the state.
“It was a pretty substantial
commission.”
Fernandez will work to get
familiar with wheat, Motter
said.
“I think she’s a quick study,”
he said. “We’re pretty excited to
have her on board here. I think
she’s going to hit the ground
running. She’s going to be a
strong administrator for our
marketing efforts and research
efforts.”
Fernandez said she grew
up in agriculture, as her par-
ents were farmers. She found
mentors at the raisin commit-
tee and fostered relationships
with raisin growers and han-
dlers, Foreign Agricultural
Service employees and “the
plethora of fellow ag nerds
around the globe.”
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