Food And Farm News
10-02-2024
Ballot measure threatens Sonoma County dairies and poultry farms
As voters cast their ballots in the coming weeks, farmers in Sonoma County say the future of the region’s dairy and poultry farms is on the line. Measure J, a ballot initiative in Sonoma County, would within three years cap the number of animals each farm can raise, banning larger farms or forcing them to downsize. “If some of the larger farms in our community are no longer able to operate, it may lead to a collapse of the entire sector,” said Albert Straus, owner of Petaluma-based Straus Family Creamery.
Irrigation districts work to enhance Tuolumne River salmon habitat
Partnering with fisheries agencies, Central Valley irrigation districts, whose water users face flow reductions under the state’s Bay-Delta water quality plan, are enhancing habitat along the Tuolumne River to improve conditions for struggling fish. The $7.8 million habitat restoration project, happening downriver from the La Grange Dam in Stanislaus County, includes a $5.5 million grant from the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and $2.3 million invested by Turlock Irrigation District, Modesto Irrigation District and the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.
How bird flu spreads among dairy cows remains a mystery
With cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza in dairy cows rapidly rising in California, animal health officials continue to try to contain the spread, even as they remain flummoxed by how the virus moves among herds. “The truth is that we don’t really know how this virus spreads exactly,” said Deniece Williams, head clinician at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine. As of Sept. 30, 43 dairy herds in the state—all in the Central Valley—have been confirmed with H5N1.
Input costs cut into ranching profits as beef prices hit record highs
The Voice of California Agriculture podcast, produced by the California Farm Bureau, discusses conditions that have caused the U.S. cattle inventory to decrease to its lowest levels in more than 70 years. Drought, deteriorating pasture conditions, inflation and high costs for feed and other inputs reduced herd sizes in recent years, causing beef prices to hit record highs, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The episode also covers a rise in bird flu cases in Central Valley dairies, challenges related to new regulations for organic livestock certification and date harvest in the Coachella Valley.
For more information about any story in Food and Farm News, contact the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division at 916-561-5550 or email news@cfbf.com. Connect with us on Facebook, X, or Instagram: @CAFarmBureau.
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