The cattle are lowing, the baby awakes

... but little lord Jesus, no crying he makes ...

To me one of the coolest things about the Nativity story is how Jesus was born to feel right at home amongst the herd.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Vilsack on the GIPSA rule

U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack discussed his recent call for a detailed economic analysis of the proposed GIPSA rule on the radio program Agritalk this week.

The link to the audio is here.

Klamath PR campaign sparks debate

My story this week about the communications campaign the Klamath Basin Coordinating Council may undertake was the subject of a blog entry by Felice Pace, a Klamath Glen, Ore., environmentalist who's long been involved in the Klamath issue.

Pace writes:

KlamBlog is skeptical. If this group really wanted feedback it would have released for comment the draft Drought Plan they have negotiated behind closed doors; or better still, they would develop that plan from scratch in public.

In the same interview in which he called for better communication, Tucker labeled those who do not support the Deal as opposed to compromise. That is precisely the sort of “gotcha” rhetoric which alienates those who honestly do not believe the Water Deal and the restoration arrangements embedded within it provide a real or durable solution to the Basin’s water conflicts. This is not new; for years now Tucker has been attacking anyone who does not fall into line with the Water Deal he supports.

If those agencies and interests pushing the KBRA really want to engage their critics, they should reach out one to one – not rely on a PR campaign. Tucker’s sound bite claiming that those who support the Water Deal represent the “radical center” of Klamath politics is yet another roadblock to real dialogue.

Pace also takes issue with the location of the council's latest meeting -- Redding, Calif., which he suspects was chosen "apparently to accommodate agency bureaucrats and others from places like Sacramento, Portland and Eugene." (He makes no mention that the council's last meeting was in Klamath Falls.)

The post sparked a response from Glen Spain, northwest regional director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen's Associations, who helped plan the communications effort. Spain replies:

There is a huge disconnect in this posting’s undeserved condemnation of the Klamath Basin Coordinating Council’s (KBCC) efforts to both inform and engage the public. Would it be preferable for the KBCC to have NO public outreach plan, and NO communications plan to inform the public about what it is and what it is doing?

SURELY NOT!

So the fact that the KBCC members – myself included – are working to better inform the public on what the KBCC is, and how the Klamath Settlement Agreement is being implemented, should be cause for rejoicing, not concern. What you dismissively call a “public relations offensive” in this article is merely the KBCC’s Draft Communications Plan. KBCC members have an obligation to present the FACTS (as opposed to much misinformation already available) about the Klamath Settlement, as well as to actively engage the public in helping us all shape the 50-year Klamath Basin restoration effort the Settlement has begun. No one should doubt the need.

Spain goes on to explain that KBCC meetings are currently being rotated between Redding, Klamath Falls and Eureka, Calif., which offer facilities with adequate seating and proximity to an airport. And as for the drought plan, he says it's coming.

For the record, 1) most of the comments attributed to Tucker were said in a public meeting, and I did not see Pace in the room; 2) the importance of public participation doesn't appear to be lost on Spain, who admonished his fellow council members about transparency during a discussion about how or whether to hold teleconferences; and 3) the council had planned on spending a good portion of the Redding meeting on the draft drought plan but it wasn't ready. Once it is, it will be presented and debated in public.

But I could understand how Pace could feel uncomfortable about Tucker's reference to extremes, since one could make the argument that Pace resides at one of them.

NCBA 'disappointed' over food safety bill

From the National Cattlemen's Beef Association:

WASHINGTON (Dec. 22, 2010) – The National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA) Executive Director of Legislative Affairs Kristina Butts issued the following statement after the U.S. House of Representatives passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. The legislation has been passed by the House and Senate, and President Obama is expected to sign it into law soon.

“We are extremely disappointed the House passed the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act. Food safety knows no size, and exempting some small producers and processors from the legislation, as the Tester/Hagan amendment will do, sets a dangerous precedent for the future our nation’s food safety system. Instead of including the Tester/Hagan language, Congress should have passed legislation to set appropriate standards for all products in the marketplace, no matter the size of the producing entity. Going forward, NCBA will continue supporting improvements to our nation’s food safety system that are based on sound science, focused on industry application and have a strong research foundation.”

California's big group shower: breaking it down

The storms that have been pelting California in the past few days have begun to rack up some impressive rainfall and snowpack numbers.

As of today, the water content in snowpack statewide is 204 percent of normal for this time of year, including 274 percent of normal for the southern Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The abundance follows nearly a week of virtually nonstop precipitation throughout the state – particularly in usually-parched Central California. About 40 residents of the San Joaquin Valley farming community of McFarland were briefly evacuated Monday for fear of flooding.

From Friday through today, Visalia sopped up 4.29 inches of rain, while 3.92 inches fell on Bakersfield, 4.41 inches were recorded in Delano and 3.25 inches fell in Hanford, according to the National Weather Service.

Fresno has received 3.19 inches of rain so far in December – a big leap from its normal 0.8 inches.

“I haven’t seen this much (rain) at one time in quite a while,” said Bob Blakely, director of industry relations for the Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual. “It’s pretty much shut us down for the week, although we’ve gotten a break today (Tuesday) which may allow some packing houses to get in if they’ve got some sandier soil and the fruit dries off.”

A breakdown of all things rain and snow:

December rainfall
Here are the December and seasonal rainfall totals and comparisons to normal for selected California cities, according to the National Weather Service. Totals are as of Monday, Dec. 20:
Redding: month to date 4.97 inches (normal 2.84); season to date 12.35 inches (normal 9.80)
Sacramento: month to date 4.08 inches (normal 1.47 inches); season to date 7.91 inches (normal 5.02 inches)
Stockton: month to date 2.53 inches (normal 1.12 inches); season to date 6.34 inches normal 4.14 inches
Modesto: month to date 1.97 inches (normal 1 inch); season to date 4.80 inches (normal 3.61 inches)
Salinas: month to date 1.36 inches (normal 1 inch); season to date 4.06 inches (normal 3.44 inches)
Fresno: month to date 3.19 inches (normal 0.80 inches); season to date 5.43 inches (normal 2.83 inches)

Reservoir levels
Here are the percentages of capacity for California reservoirs as of midnight Dec. 20, according to the Department of Water Resources California Data Exchange Center:
Trinity Lake: 67 percent
Shasta Lake: 73 percent
Lake Oroville: 55 percent
New Bullards Bar Reservoir: 78 percent
Folsom Lake: 52 percent
New Melones Reservoir: 58 percent
Lake McClure: 72 percent
Millerton Lake: 73 percent
Pine Flat Reservoir: 54 percent
Lake Isabella: 37 percent
San Luis Reservoir: 67 percent

Snowpack
Here are average snow water equivalents and comparisons to normal for the date in the Sierra Nevada Mountains, according to the Department of Water Resources California Data Exchange Center. Totals are as of Tuesday, Dec. 21:
North: 13 inches, 164 percent of normal
Central: 17 inches, 197 percent of normal
South: 26 inches, 274 percent of normal
Statewide: 16 inches, 204 percent of normal

For my complete story, check CapitalPress.com soon.

No stress the 'sweet spot' for walnuts

With walnuts, stress begins to affect tree growth and other processes before the leaves start to wilt. So explained Ken Shackel, a UC-Davis plant biologist, during a University of California Cooperative Extension short course on walnut irrigation held Friday at the Red Bluff Elks Lodge. The course was attended by about 60 local farmers.

Shackel said it's important to use pressure chambers and other devices to monitor moisture levels, much like with a blood pressure monitor for humans.

In some walnut orchards, researchers tried moderate deficit irrigation, which has helped improve the quality of almonds and prunes and saves water and pruning costs.

But the practice resulted in bit yield losses by the third year, as walnuts are much more vulnerable to low to mild stress than are almonds or prunes, Shackel said.

"This would argue that no stress is the sweet spot for walnuts," he said.

For my complete story, check CapitalPress.com later this week.