California Farm Service Agency Stands Ready to Assist Agricultural Producers Slammed by Recent Heavy Rains  California Farm Service Agency (FSA) reminds farmers and ranchers across the state of federal farm program benefits that may be available to help eligible producers recover from recent heavy rains and flooding. FSA offers disaster assistance and low-interest loan programs to assist agricultural producers in …

SMALL GRAINS AND OTHER FIELD CROPS: Field crops that have already been planted are benefitting from the recent rainfall. Field activities have picked up due to warmer weather conditions, but stall a bit due to this week’s rain. Forage crops are still flourishing from the additional water. Some fields are beginning to be planted for spring silage. DECIDUOUS TREE FRUITS, …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is hosting a listening session for initial input on the 2018 Farm Bill. USDA is seeking public input on the changes to existing programs implemented by the Farm Service Agency, Natural Resources Conservation Service and Risk Management Agency. Each agency will take into account stakeholder input when making discretionary decisions on program implementation. Deadline for …

FRESNO, CA – Yesterday, the Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation) announced a 35% initial water allocation for south-of-Delta Central Valley Project (CVP) agricultural water service contractors. Westlands appreciates that this initial allocation is higher than it otherwise would have been but for the diligent work by Reclamation staff to make the initial allocation as high as practicable. However, given the current …

Detention; a word associated with childhood pranks, the principal’s office, guilt, and remorse. In a similar fashion, receiving notice from the United States (US) government that your facility’s products have been detained can also trigger those negative childhood emotions. FDA Detention Explained Detention occurs when products entering the US are refused entry; either by the US Food & Drug Administration …

Recognizing the failure of the existing biological opinions issued a decade ago by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) for Delta smelt and by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for salmon, the Bureau of Reclamation released a new biological assessment which serves as the basis for new biological opinions that will be released within 135 days. The Biological …

Hearing will be held February 27-28, 2019 in Kansas City, Kansas Following President Trump’s directive to provide certainty to American farmers and landowners so that the economy can continue to expand while waters are protected, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army (Army) are moving to the next steps in proposing a new definition of …