Rancher to teach kids about nature

From the California Rangeland Conservation Coalition:

The Pathways to Nature Program announces its second nature day event on April 2, 2011. The program will be hosted by ranchers Chet and Angela Vogt on the Three Creeks Ranch located in western Glenn County. Pathways to Nature is a school-sponsored event designed to give all fourth grade students attending Willows Murdock Elementary, William Finch Charter School and Elk Creek Elementary hands on experience with nature and natural resources.

The all-day event allows the students to connect what they are learning in the classroom with the natural environment. Every student will spend time learning about various aspects of the outdoors and the environment, from hydrology to plant identification. This year will also feature a new career opportunity station. The reaction from the students who have had the opportunity to attend last year’s event in 2010 was overwhelming, they left the ranch inspired.

“It is our hope as teachers involved in the program that the students will learn environmental and agricultural lessons that will last a lifetime on this day,” states Jill Egly, fourth grade teacher at Willows Unified School District. “This event is something that students work throughout the year in the classroom learning and this day, out on a ranch, they will experience it firsthand.”

Event host Chet Vogt states, “It is a pleasure to have more than 200 students visit our property. Each day, as a rancher, I have the opportunity to experience the outdoors, care for the environment and raise food that feeds my family and yours. It is my hope that other ranchers will join me in educating youth and will partner with other schools around the state to hosts similar events on their ranches.”

This is a community-driven event that includes a diverse array of partners including the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Glenn-Colusa CattleWomen, U.S. Forest Service, parents of students and other community organizations and individuals.

Farm bureau to hold scholarship dinner

From the Shasta County Farm Bureau:

The Shasta County Farm Bureau proudly represents over 1200 farming and ranching families, businesses and agricultural supporters in Shasta County. The non profit organization is once again hosting their annual “fun” raising dinner. The dinner dance will be held on April 1, 2011 in Fusaro Hall.

The purpose of the dinner is to celebrate the future of agriculture by recognizing students that have excelled academically as well as served their community through leadership and volunteerism. $4,000.00 in scholarships will be presented to very deserving Shasta County Students. The 2011 Distinguished Service Award and 2011 Elizabeth Albaugh Memorial Outstanding Woman in Agriculture Award will also be presented to two outstanding community members that have contributed many years of service to bettering their industry and their community.

Be sure to join the fun with the live and silent auctions, gun drawing and desert auction. All funds will be used to support countywide agricultural education programs, and improve the Shasta County Farm Bureau. Items that are currently available are: Wilcox Ranch Fishing Trip, Romantic Wine tasting for 2, BBQ Barrel, 1 ton of Grass Hay, Hat Creek Herford Ranch Camp Ground Camping Trip, baskets, books and art work. More items are coming…please contact us for more details.

This night of fun and festivities would not be possible without our sponsors: Platinum Level-, Hat Creek Construction, Sierra Pacific Industries, State Fund Gold Level – Shasta Livestock & Western Video Market, Lassen Canyon Nursery, Wooten’s Golden Queens, Northern Lights Energy/Muse Trucking, WM Beaty & Associates, Shasta Farm and Equipment, Giles Insurance Services, Stayer’s Quality Queens, North Valley Bank, The Law Offices of Gifford and Harr & the Urrecelqui Family, Miller Equipment, Tri Counties Bank, Palo Cedro Silver Level – LoCoco Insurance, Northern California Farm Credit, Cross Petroleum, Plumas Bank, Ed Staub & Sons, VESTRA Resources Bronze Level –Wilcox Ranch, Cottonwood Creek Sand & Gravel, McArthur Farm Supply, HP Livestock & Hat Creek Grown, Cottonwood Vet Clinic, Valley Rentals & Materials, Goose Valley Farming, LLC, Elwood Ranch, Historic Hawes Farms, Redding Rodeo Association, Spanish Oaks Ranch, Leon Landis Livestock, Umpqua Bank, Palo Cedro Feed, Nor Cal Trees, Bank of Commerce – Redding, Pfeiffer Ranch, Eagleville, Ca., Carrel’s Office Machines Sponsorship opportunities are available.

Tickets are $25.00 each and are available at the Shasta County Farm Bureau Office.

For further information, please contact our office at 530/547-7170 or Julie Wold at 530/228-5412 or via e-mail juliecwold@gmail.com.

Storms topple California almond trees

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The past week's storms knocked down almond trees in Tehama County and elsewhere. Almond industry and UC Cooperative Extension experts say about 1 to 2 percent of older almond trees were blown over by strong winds, mostly during last weekend's gusts that approached 60 mph.

The photo above is of Rick Buchner, a UCCE farm advisor in Red Bluff, surveying a row of downed trees in an orchard near Gerber. Below, a driver thinks the better of trying to pass through water that flooded out Flores Avenue near Gerber.

Among the state's orchard crops, almond trees are probably the most vulnerable to winds because they leaf up sooner than plum or walnut trees. Older trees are all the more vulnerable because they're bigger and because root decay can undermine their grasp of the ground.

I'll have a full report on how this month's cold and wet weather has affected crop development in next week's Capital Press.

Texas drought hits beef, wheat

From Bloomberg:

The worst Texas drought in 44 years is damaging the state’s wheat crop and forcing ranchers to reduce cattle herds, as rising demand for U.S. food sends grain and meat prices higher.

Texas, the biggest U.S. cattle producer and second-largest winter-wheat grower, got just 4.7 inches (12 centimeters) of rain on average in the five months through February, the least for the period since 1967, State Climatologist John Nielsen- Gammon said. More than half the wheat fields and pastures were rated in poor or very poor condition on March 20.

Dry conditions extending to Oklahoma, Kansas and Colorado may cut crop yields in the U.S., the world’s largest exporter, as too much moisture threatens fields in North Dakota and in Canada. Wheat futures in Chicago are up 50 percent in the past year, after drought in Russia and floods in Australia hurt output and sent global food prices surging. Wholesale beef reached a record this week, and the U.S. cattle herd in January was the smallest since 1958. [...]

Cattle futures jumped 23 percent in the past year to $1.1335 a pound yesterday on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange, after touching a record $1.18 on March 9. Wholesale-beef prices are up 17 percent in the past year, touching $1.8905 a pound on March 22, the highest since at least January 2004, when USDA began its current price-tracking method. U.S. retail-beef prices were 9.4 percent higher in February than a year earlier, the USDA said last week.

The inflation train chugs on.

Klamath farmers offended by moderator

Some farmers in the Klamath Basin were offended by the way an informational meeting on the progress of the Klamath dam removal studies was moderated last week. They're circulating a video that shows the moderator plying the microphone out of the hand of a farmer who's in his 80s and uses a wheelchair before he was finished asking his question.

"I have been to, I can't tell you how many meetings I've gone to, and last night's meeting was the most appalling I've been to in 25 years," said Tom Mallams, a farmer and vocal critic of the dam removals and the Klamath Basin Restoration Agreement.

"I thought we were being run through a cattle chute literally," Mallams said. "It was supposed to be a meeting with public comment. They said this was a meeting for public input, not public comment, and there was a big difference there. They didn't record anything there. It wasn't done officially. We were told this was going to be a public comment meeting."

What struck me about their video was a certain level of contempt the moderator seem to have for the crowd, admonishing people to show respect for "your fellow, ya know (pause) ... neighbors" during the meeting. Our fellow what? Fellow backwoods redneck hicks? Is that what you were about to say? I don't know anything about the woman, but it doesn't sound like she gets out much.

Look for my story on the progress of the dam removal studies at CapitalPress.com later in the week.

Low approval ratings for Vilsack, Salazar

From Rasmussen Reports:

With gas prices soaring, the pressure's on the Obama administration to increase the number of permits for deepwater oil drilling. Right now, just 16% of Likely U.S. Voters have a favorable opinion of the man who'll grant those permits, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar, with a scant one percent (1%) who regard him Very Favorably.

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 27% view the former Colorado senator unfavorably, including 11% with a Very Unfavorable view of him. But like many of his fellow Cabinet members, Salazar is an unknown commodity to many voters: 57% don't know enough about him to venture any kind of opinion. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

Rasmussen Reports has been regularly asking voters in recent weeks what they think of the president's Cabinet members. Despite the importance of many of their positions and the actions they take, most of these political appointees are little known to voters in general. A list of these findings is available here. With 60% favorables, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton is the best-known and most popular member of the Cabinet.

By contrast, only 20% of voters have a favorable opinion of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, with two percent (2%) who view him Very Favorably. The former Iowa governor is seen unfavorably by 17%, including seven percent (7%) with a Very Unfavorable impression. However, 63% don't venture any kind of opinion of Vilsack.