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Feeling the Heat: Effects of a changing climate happening now, California study finds

August 16, 2013 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

The California Environmental Protection Agency (CalEPA) released earlier this month a unique report on the effects of climate change that the state is experiencing now.  The report comes as a recent public opinion poll finds a record number of Californians want immediate state action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Many climate science reports project into the future what we may experience as greenhouse gases accumulate and heat up our planet.  Such studies are critical to our understanding of climate change, but can make its impacts feel far and distant from our day-to-day.

But the most recent CalEPA report documents current climate change impacts that Californians are living with now.  And the news has implications for all of us and especially for farmers and ranchers who are among the first to feel the effects of a changing climate.

Wildfires are increasing in intensity and frequency.  Since 1950, annual acreage burned in wildfires statewide has been increasing.  The state’s three largest fire years occurred in the last ten years.

Sea levels are rising.  Over the last 100 years, measurement stations in the San Francisco Bay Area and La Jolla have measured a rise of 8 and 6 inches, respectively.  Sea level rise threatens flooding of low-lying areas, saltwater intrusion of water supplies and infrastructure impacts.

Over the last century, snowmelt runoff that feeds our reservoirs is declining.  The state is experiencing more precipitation in the form of rain instead of snow.  The amount of snowmelt from April to June has declined about 9 percent with implications for water availability and wildlife.

Extreme heat events have increased in intensity, frequency and duration since 1950.  Nighttime heat waves are especially increasing in all regions of the state.

Since 1950, we have experienced a decreasing number of winter chill hours, which are needed for fruit and nut tree production, critical California industries.

These and other climate change impacts can strain our communities, including the ability of farmers and ranchers to produce the food we rely upon.

Californians continue to rally in support of efforts to tackle climate change.  There is still much to be done to support farmers and ranchers to be a part of these efforts and CalCAN continues to make the case for sustainable agricultural solutions to climate change.

Filed Under: AB 32 Implementation, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar, Impacts of Climate Change Tagged With: CalEPA, climate change impacts, heat waves, sea level rise, snowmelt, wildfires, winter chill

Governor and Legislative Leaders Cut Budget Deal, Delay Climate Investments

June 14, 2013 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment
Governor Jerry Brown offers opening remarks at the conference on Extreme Climate Risks and  California's Future.

Governor Jerry Brown offers opening remarks at the conference on Extreme Climate Risks and California’s Future. 2011.

Despite Governor Brown’s recent strong words of warning that climate change will soon be irreversible, the administration and legislative leaders decided to wait another day to invest in climate change solutions. In a budget deal finalized this week, $500 million of the cap-and-trade auction proceeds will be loaned to the state’s General Fund to be paid back to the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund sometime in the future.

The auction proceeds from the cap-and-trade program are intended to be invested in activities that further the state’s climate change goals: reducing greenhouse gas emissions while creating jobs and delivering additional benefits like improved air and water quality and greater resilience to a changing climate. CalCAN supports investments in sustainable agricultural solutions to climate change, including farmland conservation and sustainable agricultural practices that reduce GHG emissions and sequester carbon.

In a recent opinion column in the Modesto Bee, organic dairy and almond producer and CalCAN farmer advisor Ward Burroughs said: “There is no time to waste in unleashing the potential for agriculture to help slow climate change. All eyes are on California as it rolls out its cap-and-trade program, and we have the chance to be a model for others around the world for taking bold and creative action.”

In May, the Governor’s administration released their three-year investment plan for the auction proceeds, which included many of our top priorities. However, he did not see fit to start making those investments this year.

The loan of the cap-and-trade funds happened despite state budget projections from the Legislative Analyst Office of $3.2 billion in additional revenue to the state in FY 2013-14. The Governor took a more fiscally conservative approach to the budget, calling for a budget that relied on more constrained income projections. Such an approach, however, ignores the job creating potential of investing in climate solutions like renewable energy, water use efficiency, and more, and delays the state’s ability to reap the many benefits of protecting our resources, like farmland, from development, which only spurs greater GHG emissions.

The Governor and the legislature will return to the issue in January as the 2014/15 state budget is proposed. CalCAN will continue to advocate for investing in sustainable agricultural solutions to climate change.

Meanwhile, please drop us a line –  info@calclimateag.org – on what you think should happen with state’s investments in climate solutions in agriculture.  What are your best ideas?  We’ll compile and post them here.

 

Filed Under: AB 32 Implementation, California Policy, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar Tagged With: cap-and-trade, Governor Brown, state budget, sustainable agriculture

USDA Report On Climate Change and Agriculture Promotes Sustainable Agriculture Practices

February 18, 2013 by Hui Qian Leave a Comment

On Feb. 4th, the U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report titled “Climate Change and Agriculture in the United States: Effects and Adaptation,” concluding that a changing climate would pose unprecedented challenges to U.S. agriculture that require immediate adaptive actions and further scientific research. The report opens with this strong statement: “The vulnerability of agriculture to climate change is strongly dependent on the responses taken by humans to moderate the effects of climate change.”

Combining professional input and scientific research from the government, universities, non-governmental organizations, industry, and private sectors, this peer-reviewed study provides an extensive overview of the climate change effects on U.S. agricultural production, suggesting that while farmers and ranchers have a long history of successful adaptation to climate variability, the accelerating pace and intensity of projected climate change effects over the next century requires major adjustments—simply put, we need to take action to moderate those effects in the United States, and worldwide.

“Climate change poses unprecedented challenges to U.S. agriculture because of the sensitivity of agriculture productivity and costs to changing climate conditions,” the report says. Through direct (e.g., rising temperature) and indirect (e.g., increased pest pressure) effects, climatic change affect crop and livestock productivity, as well as soil and water quality—resources of key importance to agricultural production. For regions of the country that are already climate stressed (like the drought-stricken Midwest in 2012), their agricultural systems will likely need more adaptive changes to remain productive and profitable in the face of climate change.

What is especially noteworthy about this report is that it goes beyond simply providing a generic framework to look at the impact of climate change on agriculture. Importantly, it emphasizes the merits of sustainable agriculture practices and their strategic roles in mitigating and adapting to climate change. By “developing drought pest, and heat stress resistance in crops and animals, diversifying crop rotations, integrating livestock with crop production systems, improving soil quality, minimizing off-farm flow of nutrients and pesticides,” sustainable agriculture practices help farmers cope with extreme weather events and increase the overall resilience of agricultural systems under a changing climate. “Enhancing the resilience of agriculture to climate change through adaptation strategies that promote the development of sustainable agriculture is a common multiple benefit recommendation for agricultural adaptation planning,” the report concludes.

Finally, the report calls for a coherent climate policy framework that highlights the synergy between mitigation and adaptation. We couldn’t agree more. As a member of a climate change consortium recently convened by the California Department of Food and Agriculture to make recommendations on strategies for climate change adaptation, we bring a sustainable agriculture perspective to the discussion, seeking state-level policy tools to support California producers in responding to climate-related challenges.

Filed Under: Climate & Ag Research, Farmer Resources, Farmland Protection, Federal Policy, General Information, Impacts of Climate Change Tagged With: agricultural economy, CalCAN's work, California agriculture, carbon sequestration, climate change, climate legislation, drought, economic impacts, effects of climate change, farmland preservation, greenhouse gas, livestock agriculture, organic agriculture, policy, sustainable agriculture, USDA

Crop Insurance for a Changing Climate

January 30, 2013 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

Guest blog by Adam Kotin

After more than a year’s work crafting a new five-year Farm Bill, Congress decided to once again put off the hard decisions.

Instead, as part of the last-minute ‘fiscal cliff’ deal, it authorized a 9-month extension of the 2008 farm bill. This extension eschews reform and lacks vital funding for conservation, research, energy, specialty crop and organic programs.

Congress did, however, preserve piles of funding for a major aspect of the farmer ‘safety net’: subsidized crop insurance.

This past spring, as part of a cost-cutting farm bill that would have saved $23 billion over five years, the Senate voted to eliminate the longstanding direct payments program—a move that has been supported by the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC) and most conservation-minded organizations for many years. The bill passed out of committee in the House of Representatives did the same, with its additional $12 billion in cuts coming largely at the expense of food stamps and conservation spending.

But House Speaker John Boehner (R – OH) didn’t let the bill go up for a vote, paving the way for the gutless farm bill extension.

Above all, the 2012 Farm Bill debacle revealed a confused and divided Congressional leadership. Many commentators, and indeed many of the politicians whose job it is to pass agricultural legislation, are left wondering, ‘What next?’

The short answer is: we don’t know. Whether or not legislators will be able to pull together a comprehensive new farm bill before the current extension expires is anyone’s guess. But given the current cost-cutting zeitgeist on Capitol Hill, it’s a fair bet to say that any new farm bill will significantly slash all of the major agricultural programs—all, that is, except perhaps crop insurance.

Despite tremendous political pressure, including from the White House itself, rural lawmakers have stood firm in their desires to not just preserve crop insurance but to expand it. Both the House and Senate Farm Bills would have increased overall spending on crop insurance, even going so far as to create a new insurance mechanism for expanded coverage in cases of revenue loss.

The federally-subsidized crop insurance program, begun as a temporary emergency support to Dust Bowl and Depression-era farmers, has effectively become ‘too big to fail’.

The federal government now pays about 62 cents of every dollar in crop insurance premiums, and many farmers say crop insurance is the program they depend upon the most. Following the most recent spates of extreme weather, some say insurance is what keeps them afloat. Farmers’ unions across the country have let it be known that crop insurance is a top priority for the future.

But as the 113th Congress starts from scratch in 2013, the full cost of a farmer safety net during the United States’ hottest year on record is becoming clear. The taxpayer bill for crop insurance indemnities is expected to top out at around $15.8 billion for the 2012 year, shattering the previous cost of $9.4 billion for 2011 losses.

It is therefore easy to see why farm-state lawmakers are increasingly anxious about crop insurance being a ‘juicy target’ for spending cuts. They point out that indemnities are at an all-time high because the program is so badly needed—after all, high indemnity costs mean farmers are actually relying on crop insurance when extreme weather strikes.

So in the renewed farm bill talks, two things should be heard screaming out for lawmakers’ attention. First, the need for sensible and forward-thinking agricultural spending reform; and second, the need to plan for and address the impacts of extreme weather on our farming systems.

Here’s the good news: when used in tandem with a prudent package of other programs, crop insurance itself might be used to both reduce farm vulnerability and gird our agricultural systems for the future climate.

Insurance mechanisms will almost assuredly play a major role in adapting current social and economic systems to the effects of climate change. It’s insurance companies, by and large, who set the price of risk. They’re also the ones who can encourage you to take preventative action, such as by lowering your premium for driving safely or installing a burglar alarm.

When insurance companies incorporate future climate change risks into their models, people respond to them, as well, by building further away from the rising sea or, say, increasing water use efficiencyin a drought-prone area.

Research in the most recent issue of Science suggests that the global property/casualty insurance industry is actually becoming a vanguard for climate change mitigation and adaptation. Insurers are supporting climate-aware zoning measures and other adaptation measures that build resilience and, ultimately, reduce weather-related losses.

The crop insurance industry might do much the same. A climate-adaptive federal crop insurance program would reward growers who acknowledge future climate risks and plan accordingly. It would extend and expand insurance support to farmers using sustainable practices that build strong, healthy soil and reduce water use when water is scarce. It would, as CalCAN and NSAC have argued, tie conservation compliance to crop insurance, ensuring that farms’ ecological systems are protected. A healthy farm ecosystem can serve as its own form of insurance, softening the effects of heavy floods, droughts, and winds.

At present, organic, sustainable,  small-scale farms and many specialty crop growers are largely excluded from government insurance support. Traditional insurance structures favor neither diversification nor small-scale production; the federal farmer ‘safety net’ benefits some farmers over others. The vast majority of farms receiving federal crop insurance subsidies are therefore large commodity producers, whose reliance on off-farm inputs and lack of diversification make them even more vulnerable when extreme weather hits.

Rather than proposing to use conservation funds to pay for disaster assistance, as the House did back in August, lawmakers should view our nation’s conservation, energy, specialty crop, and organic expenditures as investments in a more climate-resilient agricultural system.

Crop insurance is just one part of the huge farm bill apparatus, but extreme weather events and climate change impacts will continue to push it further to the fore. How crop insurance relates to other farm-level programs in the next farm bill could set our course on issues of climate adaptation for years down the road.

Filed Under: Farmer Resources, Federal Policy Tagged With: crop insurance, drought, farm bill, flood

Governor Brown’s Budget: Roundup on Sustainable Agriculture and Climate Change Priorities

January 14, 2013 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

Last week Governor Jerry Brown released his budget for 2013-4. California faced stiff budget cuts in recent years as the state grappled with multi-billion dollar deficits in a recession racked economy. With the voters’ approval of Proposition 30, which raises sales tax and income tax on high-income earners, along with the Governor’s proposed cuts to prisons and state courts, Governor Brown says he has delivered the first balanced budget proposal in years.  We looked at the budget’s impacts as they relate to our sustainable agriculture and climate change priorities:

Cap-and-trade revenue investments for sustainable agriculture:  The state will generate revenue from the auctioning of allowances (aka permits to emit greenhouse gas emissions) under the new cap-and-trade program.  Auctions will be held quarterly. The funds will be invested in activities that further the state’s climate change goals by investing in activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions. CalCAN and our allies have advocated that a portion of the cap-and-trade funds should go towards sustainable agricultural solutions to climate change, including funding for agricultural research, farmland conservation, grower technical assistance and financial incentives for farming systems that provide climate and other environmental benefits. The Governor’s budget states that sustainable agriculture will be considered in the planning process for the cap-and-trade investment plan, due out in May.  The inclusion of sustainable agriculture as a possible investment category is an important step forward, and we will continue to advocate for inclusion in the final investment plan.

Farmland conservation:  Unfortunately, the Governor’s budget does little for farmland conservation. Like previous years, the budget eliminates state funding for Williamson Act subvention payments. Local government will have to continue to go it alone on the Williamson Act program, which gives landowners a break on their property taxes if they agree to a minimum 10-year contract to keep their land in agriculture or open space. Without state funding, we may have more counties limiting new sign-ups to the program or beginning to cancel Williamson act contracts. The budget also eliminates funding for the California Farmland Conservancy Program, which funded the purchase of conservation easements on agricultural land. Funding is increased for the Farmland Mapping and Monitoring Program, which provides important data on the status of farmland in the state. But without tools to protect farmland, and with new development pressures especially from large infrastructure projects, the Governor’s budget leaves farmland conservation in the dust.

Energy efficiency, renewable energy for agriculture:  The Governor’s budget provides over $190 million for EPIC (Electricity Program Investment Charge Program) to fund energy efficiency and renewable energy research and development. The Governor’s leadership made the EPIC program possible to help California continue to advance in energy efficiency and the production of distributed renewable energy generation, but the devil is the details. How EPIC funds will be delivered will be determined this year as the California Energy Commission and the California Public Utilities Commission finalize their plan for the program funds. CalCAN will continue to advocate for access to these programs for small and mid-scale producers to implement on-farm renewable energy and energy efficiency measures.

California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA):  The Governor’s budget ends several years of budget cuts to CDFA and increases the general fund allocation to the department to $61.9 million from $60.3 million. Previous cuts eliminated funding for CDFA’s biological control program and other programs. Details are still forthcoming on how the Governor’s proposed budget will shake out for biological control and other sustainable agriculture priority initiatives at the department.

 

Filed Under: AB 32 Implementation, California Policy, Farmer Resources, Renewable Energy, Uncategorized Tagged With: AB 32, budget, California Budget, cap-and-trade, CDFA, farmland conservation, Governor Jerry Brown

Honey Carbon Calculator Tracks Honey’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions

November 20, 2012 by Hui Qian Leave a Comment

Many California crops rely on bees. As the second largest producer of honey in the United States, every year California takes about 1.5 million bee colonies to pollinate 760,000 acres of almonds trees, producing nearly 2 billion pounds of nut products.

A recent article titled “California’s Honeypot, From Cradle to Grave” from UC Agriculture and Natural Resources calls attention to the carbon footprints of honey products. From nectar and pollination to the sweet tingles on your tongue, honey travels a long distance and requires a lot of energy to produce. For example, both hive construction and honey packaging consume energy in the form of fuel and electricity, and the transportation of hives around the country contributes significantly to GHG emissions.

Based on a life cycle assessment (LCA) of beekeeping activities and honey packing, researchers at UC Davis and the UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SAREP) recently created a honey carbon calculator to track the amount of GHG emissions that a honey product creates throughout the process.

“Transportation proved to be an important source of GHG emissions for the honey life cycle, both for nectar harvesting and transport to processors,” a UC Davis project titled “Carbon Footprint of U.S. Honey Production and Packing” concluded. The study suggested that honey producers could reduce energy consumption and GHG emissions by minimizing transport distances and improving transportation efficiency.

Emission tracking could lead to financial benefits for environmentally-conscious honey consumers. “If you can put a carbon negative sticker on your product, then you just expanded your market,” said Elias Marvinney, a UC Davis graduate student involved in the research.

Shrinking the climate footprint of beekeeping operations is “ultimately a benefit to a farmer’s bottom line,” said Alissa Kendall, an assistant professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “Efficiency in operations is often well aligned with reducing greenhouse gases and climate footprint…and often goes hand in hand with reducing energy use and dependence on fossil fuels and oil.”

Filed Under: California Policy, Climate & Ag Research, Farmer Resources Tagged With: agricultural economy, California agriculture, cap-and-trade, CARB, emission, emission-tracking, energy efficiency, greenhouse gas, honey, policy

CalCAN Field Day at Paicines Ranch

November 6, 2012 by Hui Qian Leave a Comment

The dependence of ranching on water makes drought a severe hardship for livestock operations and ranchers in California. Climate change models predict greater variability in temperature and precipitation, and therefore forage and water availability. Managing rangelands for water scarcity and greater resilience becomes essential to ensure the viability of California’s ranching sector.

In view of this, on Oct.30th CalCAN organized a field day at Paicines Ranch, south of Hollister, that was attended by 60 ranchers, farm advisors, land trust and open space organizations, and researchers.

The field day started with presentations by Dr. Ken Tate and Dr. Valerie Eviner from the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. Considering that changes in annual precipitation and forage production in recent years have brought uncertainties to farm and ranch business, they discussed possible short- and long-term drought recovery strategies, considerations involved in fall versus spring calving and the use of carefully managed high production fields to buffer against lean years. Valerie also described a new project to develop a site-specific decision-making tool that will be developed with input from ranchers as well as scientific data.

Sheila Berry from the UC Cooperative Extension Alameda County talked about the need for good water quality to ensure adequate grazing time and livestock weight gain, as well as feed supplementation. Athena Pratt from Hollister’s NRDC office summarized the rangeland management practices that NRCS supports with its cost-share and grant programs such as fencing, water supplies and monitoring animal nutrition.

An afternoon tour of the 7,000 acre ranch was led by ranch manager Chris Ketcham and owner Sallie Calhoun. Using the tools of holistic management and rotational grazing, Paicines Ranch monitors its water resources strategically and strives to create as much healthy, diverse wetland habitats as possible, thus building an ecologically sustainable landscape where cattle and wildlife co-exist. Peter Donovan from the Soil Carbon Challenge described his efforts to measure soil carbon content on ranches across the country, including at Paicines Ranch, and encourage efforts to increase soil carbon sequestration.

“If you get up and tell your wife I’m going to look at the cattle, you are wrong. Grass is the priority. The grass is more important than the cattle,” one of the participants commented during the tour. “Soil micronutrients is the mother of all,” another responded.

The CalCAN Ranch Field Day was co-sponsored by San Benito Resource Conservation District, Community Foundation for San Benito County, California Rangeland Conservation Coalition, and Central Coast Rangeland Coalition.

“I liked the mix of research information and upcoming resource tools, along with practical range management practices, and hands-on look at what Paicines Ranch is doing on the land.”— Field day participant Sally Negroni, NRCS  Soil Conservationist

Filed Under: Climate & Ag Research, Farmer Resources, Featured - Sidebar Tagged With: California agriculture, carbon sequestration, climate change, climate models, drought, effects of climate change, field day, livestock agriculture, on-farm renewable energy, organic agriculture, rangeland, sustainable agriculture, water shortages

Joe Morris Wins Rangeland Stewardship Award

November 6, 2012 by Hui Qian Leave a Comment

We are pleased to announce that San Benito rancher Joe Morris of Morris Grassfed Beef has won the 2012 Clarence Burch Award presented by the Quivira Coalition in New Mexico. The award recognizes individuals, organizations and others who have led by example in promoting and accomplishing outstanding stewardship of private and/or public lands. Joe is a CalCAN farmer advisor and was nominated by CalCAN for this prestigious award. We are thrilled that his innovation and leadership has been recognized.

By effectively using his cattle to manage the land for carbon sequestration, water infiltration, and wildlife diversity, Joe proves that agriculture—if properly managed—can provide solutions to some of our most pressing climate change challenges, enhance ranch resilience in the face of a changing climate, and provide multiple environmental benefits.

Joe comes from a lineage of ranchers stretching back five generations, the most recent of which was his grandfather who ranched into the 1980s. In 1991, Joe and his wife Julie moved to San Juan Bautista and have been managing the 200-acre family ranch ever since. Today, they lease an additional 7,000 acres and run 250 cows to serve their grassfed beef direct marketing business, as well as approximately 1,800 stockers.

Joe uses holistic management—a decision-making process that uses grazing and animal impact to manage watersheds— as an organizing principle in his ranching business. For example, he manages large and dense herds of cattle with fencing and water supply to mimic the grazing patterns that herds of herbivores used as they co-evolved with California’s native grassland ecosystems over millennia. By intensively and adaptively managing water and grazing patterns, he gets higher rangeland utilization, maximal forage productivity, and increased local food production.

Properly managed cattle grazing can increase grassland species diversity and productivity. It can also increase the soil organic content which sequesters carbon and also improves water penetration and retention, thereby reducing erosion and making more water available for plants which is especially important in arid regions like San Benito. In addition, there is evidence that livestock fed on high-quality forage instead of grain may emit less methane (a potent GHG) during their digestive processes.

As land conservationists, Joe and Julie both serve on the Farmer Advisory Committee of CalCAN. Joe is a co-founder and remains active in the Central Coast Rangeland Coalition. Julie is a fellow of the California Agricultural Leadership Program and works part-time as the Executive Director of Community Vision San Benito County.

Joe shares the award with Pati Martinson and Terrie Bad Hand, co-directors of the Taos County Economic Development Corporation in New Mexico. The 11th Annual Burch Award will be presented at a dinner ceremony on November 16, 2012, at the conclusion of the Quivira Coalition’s 11th annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. More information about the conference and the award is available at http://quiviracoalition.org.

Filed Under: Climate & Ag Research, Farmer Resources Tagged With: California agriculture, carbon sequestration, climate change, greenhouse gas, holistic management, livestock agriculture, on-farm energy, organic agriculture, Quivira Coalition, rangeland, sustainable agriculture

CaliforniaFIRST Program Helps Finance Energy Efficiency Upgrades

November 2, 2012 by Hui Qian Leave a Comment

For some California farmers and ranchers who are interested investing in energy efficiency upgrades, the launch of the CaliforniaFIRST program in late September could be welcome news: no upfront cost necessary as long as the property owner agrees to repay the cost of the improvements through an annual property tax assessment lasting up to 20 years.

As the nation’s largest property assessed clean energy (PACE) program, the CaliforniaFIRST program is developed in an effort to help owners of office, multi-family residential (5 or more units), retail, industrial, and agriculture properties in 14 counties and 126 cities in California reduce energy and water use. The new program is backed by $250 million of private capital, and according to Renewable Funding, the CaliforniaFIRST program administrator, it covers a wide range of energy efficiency, water efficiency and renewable energy upgrades, including but not limited to insulation, rooftop PV, and grey water systems.

“Commercial PACE gives businesses a great option for pursuing energy efficiency projects that may have previously been out of reach,” says San Diego County Supervisor Dianne Jacob. “The County’s partnership with CaliforniaFIRST provides a mechanism for participants to start spending less money on energy bills and more back into the business.”

Considering the role agriculture plays in the state’s economy and its potential for energy and cost savings, CalCAN sees CaliforniaFIRST as an opportunity to finance energy efficiency projects in the agriculture sector, especially for growers in need of financial support to increase efficiency of their operations. Furthermore, because energy efficiency measures and on-farm renewable energy production can reduce GHG emissions while providing energy and cost savings, the CaliforniaFIRST program also provides a way for agriculture producers to help mitigate the impacts of climate change.

More information about the CaliforniaFIRST program and the regions where it is available can be found at https://californiafirst.org/overview.

Filed Under: California Policy, Farmer Resources, General Information, Renewable Energy Tagged With: agricultural economy, California agriculture, climate change, energy efficiency, farmer, financial incentive, on-farm energy, on-farm renewable energy, policy, water shortages

Governor Signs Fertilizer Program Reform Bill

August 29, 2012 by Jeanne Merrill Leave a Comment

At the end of August, Governor Jerry Brown signed into law Assembly Bill 2174, authored by Assemblymember Luis Alejo (D-Salinas).  The bill allows technical assistance projects as an eligible category of funding under the Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP) of the California Department of Food and Agriculture.

Established more than twenty years ago to address nitrate contamination of groundwater from agricultural sources, FREP is funded by an assessment on fertilizers.  The program provides competitive grants for research and education — and now technical assistance projects — to promote the efficient use of fertilizers to prevent groundwater contamination.   

The bill comes on the heels of recent report to the state legislature that finds that agriculture is responsible for over 95 percent of the nitrate groundwater contamination found in the Tulare Lake Basin and Salinas Valley.  Over 250,000 people in the study areas are without safe drinking water because of nitrate contamination of wells and small water systems.  The primary sources of the contamination are synthetic fertilizer and manure applications to cropland.  Fertilizer is also a source of nitrous oxide emissions, a potent greenhouse gas.

How growers will grapple with the land stewardship complexities of nitrate leaching comes at a time of declining public investment in technical assistance.  The number of county-based UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors is at an all-time low, with many counties closing offices and eliminating positions.

CalCAN supported AB 2174 because it will help move FREP from theory to practice by making available existing funding to translate research findings into on-the-ground assistance for growers to address nutrient management issues specific to their operations.  Now UC Cooperative Extension, local Resource Conservation Districts, nonprofits and others can apply for funding for projects to work with growers on developing nutrient management plans that minimize groundwater contamination and greenhouse gas emissions from fertilizer use.

Filed Under: California Policy, Farmer Resources Tagged With: AB 2174, Assemblymember Luis Alejo, fertilizer, FREP, Governor Brown, greenhouse gas, groundwater, nitrate, technical assistance
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Technical Assistance Bill Passes Unanimously through Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees

SACRAMENTO – The Assembly Agriculture and Natural Resources Committees both voted unanimously in support of Assembly Bill 2377 over the past week. The bill – authored by Assemblymember Jacqui Irwin …
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