TulareCounty

FarmBureau

TulareCounty

FarmBureauNEWSNEWS

In This

Issue

MARCH 2015 | Volume 378, Number 3 www.tulcofb.org

Heat Illness Prevention RevisionsCal/OSHA Standards Board has approvedrevisions to the Heat Illness standards.… Page 7

Legislative UpdateGuest Commentary on the GroundwaterManagement Act and updates… Page 5

Annual Grocery Cart RaceYF&R members will celebrate National AgWeek in March with charity race… Page 9

Attention farmers and farm employees who need to renew or acquire a DL-267 endorsement!

Agricultural Hazardous

Materials Transportation Training

Thursday, March 19, 2015

9:00 AM – 12:00 PM Spanish 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM English

No cost to attend.

To register call the TCFB Office at 732-8301

Tulare County Farm Bureau

737 North Ben Maddox Way

Visalia, CA 93292

Class is good for three hours of Continuing Education Credits

This training is offered by the Tulare County Farm Bureau & California Highway Patrol. The class is for persons 21 years or older who

have a current class C driver's license. Participants will receive a DL-267 certificate that will enable them to legally transport hazardous

agricultural materials on public roadways, (within a 50 mile radius) without a commercial driver's license.

The KiwanisClub of Tularewill present its55th Farmer ofthe Year award tof a r m e r J i m iValov. The awardluncheon will beheld Wednesday,March 25 at12:00 pm at theHeritage Complex in Tulare. Thisyear's event occurs the week afterNat ional Agr icul ture Weekcelebrations.

Tulare Kiwanis Club Honors Jimi Valov as Farmer of the YearValov farms pistachios and

almonds in both Tulare and Kingscounties.

"Never in a million years would Ihave known," he said. "My wifeknew. All my kids were here. I didn'tknow."

Organizers said the award goes toa farmer who is involved in thecommunity. Valov said he hashosted events for the TulareLighthouse Rescue Mission andvolunteered at the school's booth.

Jimi has long been an activeleader and community volunteer in

Tulare and currently serves on theTulare Christian School Board ofTrustees. He received notice of thehonor last month during the WorldAg Expo while he was cooking mealsin the concession booth that raisesfunds for Tulare Christian School.

Valov currently serves on theBoard of Directors of the AmericanPistachio Growers Association andwas just named Chair to the boardat the organization's annualconference last month.

Valov and his family likesupporting local nonprofits because

of the work they do, he said. Valovrecently returned to farm in Tulareand Kings county areas afterspending some time in Kern County.

"I have been a farmer all my life,"he said. "It's what I have alwaysdone." And it's a rewardingoccupation.

To purchase pre-sale lunchtickets for $25 each, contact CelesteThomas at 686-5854 ext. 10936, orvisit Rabobank in Tulare, NSEInsurance, Garton Tractor, or FarmCredit West. Tickets will be $30 atthe door.

Jimi Valov

Youth Leaders Learn County GovernmentThe Youth Leaders are just over half-way thru their year of

leadership, civic exploration, government training and personalenrichment in the Farm Bureau's high school leadership class.Last month's seminar was their annual study of countygovernment and the actions, roles, and responsibilities of localgovernment and the interaction it has with agriculture andbusiness.

The leadership class met with public officials and key countyleaders at the County Board of Supervisors' chambers to learnabout the roles of County Supervisor, County AgriculturalCommissioner, and Chief Administrative Officer for the County.

Youth Leaders work with County

Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau

and discuss strategies and prepare

comments for the mock hearing.See Youth Leadership on page 8

See Water Allocations on page 13

The water year in California runs fromOctober 1 to September 30 and the contractyear for most Central Valley Project (CVP)contractors -- the system that supplies majorityof the water for Tulare County farmers andcities -- runs from March 1 to February 28.

As of press time the Federal Bureau ofReclamation had not officially released itsinitial allocation numbers, as accustomed inlate February. However, the numbers areexpected to be a low or even a zero allocation foranother year.

“While we were encouraged by storms inDecember, our very dry January illustrates just

Initial 2015 Water Supply Allocationshow precarious our water supplies can become,”said Mid-Pacific Regional Director David Murillo.

“Since 2015 may be another critically dry wateryear, we are being extremely cautious as wedevelop initial operation plans and allocations forCVP water contractors. By building on what welearned last year, I am confident that we canmaximize operational flexibility for the benefit ofall water users.”

The California Department of Water Resources'first snow survey for 2015, based on January 1conditions, showed the statewide mountainsnowpack water content to be about 57 percent

Page 2 March 2015Tulare County Farm Bureau News www.tulcofb.org

March is the month we celebrate

National Ag Week, March 16-22.

As agriculturalists, our jobs have

transformed over the years from

just being the farmer who grew the

crop to the person responsible for

educating the consumer on how

and where the crop was grown.We live in a country where the

consumer has many choices,

which is a good thing. Many

Americans used to have a

relationship to agriculture either

by being a farmer or by having

ancestors that farmed, but over the

last 20-30 years as the population

has grown, the number of farmers

has declined.It's sad to say, but many don't

know where their food comes from.

One of the Farm Bureau's

strengths is education, the need to

start early, and that it is an

ongoing job.Tulare County Farm Bureau has

a long list of programs dedicated to

the purpose of educating people

about agriculture. This includes,

but is not limited to our Youth

Leadership program which targets

high school aged youth; our school

garden program that works to

establish a working garden in every

school; the National Ag Week Radio

Campaign educating the general

public about how important

agriculture is to the local economy;

AgVentures! Day provides a hands

on agriculture field trip to 1,800

fourth graders; and many more!Another is our annual Calendar

Art Contest. Each year Farm

Bureau and the Tulare County

Office of Education team up to

conduct a simple art contest. Well,

this art contest draws over 750

entries! That means 750 kids from

ages 5-18 are learning about

agriculture and taking what

they've learned to create works of

art.And then, this art is mass

produced and distributed to every

classroom throughout the county

in the form of a calendar filled with

fun facts and information about

our industry.The calendar is released in

celebration of Ag Week, and this

year's calendar will be released on

March 17th. You can pick up your

personal copy at the Farm Bureau

President’s Notesby Joey Airoso, PresidentPresident@tulcofb.org

TulareCounty

FarmBureau

TulareCounty

FarmBureauNEWSNEWSExecutive Committee

District 1 Directors

District 2 Directors

District 3 Directors

District 4 Directors

District 5 Directors

Livestockyards Chairman

YF&R Committee Chair

CFBF Commodity Advisory Committee

Service Committees

President

1 Vice President

2 Vice President Josh Pitigliano (559) 359-1906Treasurer Dusty Ference (559) 303-1885Past PresidentCFBF District Director

Robert Blattler (559) 392-1700Phillip Cox (559) 732-9146Dan Dreyer (559) 804-0165

Tom Barcellos (559) 730-6895

Vincent Sola (559) 303-4521

Beth Baxley (559) 625-9615

Zach Stuller (661) 979-5016

Scott Lawrence (559) 734-7406

Joe Russell (559) 734-6948

John Guthrie (559) 784-6868David Vieira (559) 333-4300Matt Watkins (559) 647-7161

Ed Carroll (559) 967-2070

Alyssa Houtby (559) 737-8899

Animal Health & Welfare Jennifer Wessel, DVMApiary Roger EverettBeef Cattle Jon DolieslagerCitrus/Avocado Larry PeltzerDairy Joey AirosoFood Safety & Biotechnology Brody BlainForestry Jeff GletneGrapes Pat PinkhamHay Justin NuckolsHorticulture Sal SorianoPublic Lands Larry Duysen

Education (co-chairs) Sandi Gist-LangianoDavid Sharp

Finance Dusty FerenceFundraising Larry PeltzerLand Use (co-chairs) Craig Knudson

Larry PeltzerMembershipRural Health & Safety Larry Stoneburner, MDScholarship Ed NeedhamWater Resources Roger EverettYF&R State Representative Ryan Hesse

Joey Airoso (559) 967-5258

Roger Everett (559) 333-0283

Steve Godlin (559) 804-8680Ed Needham (559) 977-7282

Terry Langiano (559) 905-2838

Sal Soriano (559) 564-1207

Larry Peltzer (559) 804-1333

Matt Watkins

st

nd

(SSN 07447086, USPS NO 643-680)is published monthly for $9 annually forTCFB members and $10 annually for non-members by Tulare County Farm Bureau,737 N. Ben Maddox Way, Visalia CA93292. Periodical postage paid at VisaliaCA. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Tulare County Farm Bureau News,P.O. Box 748, Visalia CA 93279.(559) 732-8301

Executive Director: Patricia Stever Blattler

Program Coordinator: Carrie Crane

Administration: Sandy Nixon, Debbie Campbell

E-Mail: tcfb@tulcofb.org

Advertising: Kast & Company CommunicationsPO Box 7173, Visalia, CA 93290(559) 732-5030

PRINTED ON RECYCLED PAPER

PLEASE RECYCLE

Tulare County Farm Bureau does notassume responsibility for statements byadvertisers or for products inTulare County Farm Bureau News.

Education, It Starts Earlyand Never Stops!

For those who have been aroundFarm Bureau for a while youprobably are familiar with thepartnership and heritage of therelationship with the StateCompensation Insurance Fund,which dates back to 1943. I havesome news to share with ourmembership this month that willimpact our members who havetheir workers compensationinsurance through State Fund.

The State Fund's Farm Bureaugroup plan is going to be phasingout over the next year and a half,and any new policies written, orrenewing after April 1, 2015 willno longer receive the previousgroup discount associated withFarm Bureau membership.

The contractual agreement withCFBF and SCIF will continue untilDecember 31, 2016, and weremain committed to supportingthe State Fund partnershipduring that agreement period, butwe are sorry to inform ourmembers that discounts are goingto end as part of this relationship.

State Fund has announced thatas they improve their actuarialprocess and have evaluated theirgroup discount plan performance,

they have found considerableoverlap in the group discount andtheir new tiered rating system.This means that after April 1, theFarm Bureau group plan discountoffered to agricultural memberswill be discontinued. Policyholders may be receiving notice ofthis change as of this newsletter'sprinting.

My hope is that our memberswho have benefited from thisrelationship will be able to accessaffordable coverage into thefuture, and whether it be withState Fund or another carrier,that they wil l continue tomaintain their Farm Bureaurelationship for many othervaluable benefits.

Insurance discounts have beenoffered through Farm Bureaumembership for many years toprovide affordable insurance forrural families.

As the face of insurance haschanged so much in California,and with the implementation ofthe Affordable Health Care Act,and now these changes in tieredrating with State Fund, two of ourmore significant partnershipshave had to come to an end. We no

longer have health care plans formembers due to the impact of“Obamacare” and now any newbusiness written or renewed withState Fund as of April 1 will nolonger be part of a groupdiscounted plan with FarmBureau.

We are sorry to see our groupp r o g r a m e n d w i t h S t a t eCompensation Insurance Fund,they have been a valuable partnert o F a r m B u r e a u ' s a c r o s sCalifornia, and have offeredtremendous access to free and lowcost training services, safety andhealth resources, and supportand sponsorship to many FarmBureau events and fundraisers.

Their loss control specialistshave become friends and partnersto our local office, and we will misshaving the relationship, but westill are committed to helping ourmembers access many other greatbenefits and resources throughtheir Farm Bureau membershipdues.

If you have questions about howthis could impact your State Fundpolicy, please contact your localagent or the Farm Bureau at 732-8301.

Executive Commentsby Patricia Stever Blattler, Executive Directorpstever@tulcofb.org

Farm Bureau and State Fund partnership

office or call the office at 732-8301

and we will be happy to mail one to

you.Ag Week gives us an opportunity

to toot our horn about the

importance of agriculture in our

society and what we have to look

forward to in the future. There's a

lot of exciting technologies which

w i l l b e imp l emen t ed in t o

agriculture that will help keep the

U.S.A. on top as one of the major

food suppliers on the planet, but

technology by itself doesn't do

much.It also takes the dedication and

passion for a way of life that you

love. That's what makes US

agriculture the best.The future looks bright, and I

would like to reiterate -- as

agriculturists our job is not only

producing food, but also telling our

story of how we produced it.So let's all celebrate Ag Week

together this year and be proud of

the important role we play in the

many lives around the world.

Maybe a toast is in order, an ice

cold glass of milk! Cow's milk!

God made it.

March 2015 Page 3Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

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ongoing recognition in TCFB's e-newsletter; recognition at various

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additionally receive the following; discounted

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StateCompensation

Insurance Fund

Netafim

Valley PacificPetroleum Services

Brian BlackFarming

Donations to the charitable fund are tax deductible.P.O. Box 748 • Visalia, CA 93279-0748

MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS

Scott Shannon Memorial Fund

In Honor of Mike & Sharon ShannonBy Geneva Shannon

SLATE OF POSITIONS

TULARE COUNTY FARM BUREAU

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

2015-2016

The following district seats and officer positions will be up for election

and announced at the Annual Meeting of the Members on May 5, 2015.

TCFB District Director seats that require election:

Current Directorate District Candidates for 2015 Election

Robert Blattler District 1 Robert Blattler

Phillip Cox District 1 Phillip Cox

Terry Langiano District 2 Terry Langiano

Vincent Sola District 2 Vincent Sola

Zack Stuller District 3 Zack Stuller

Sal Soriano District 3 Nomination pending

Open Seat District 4 Nomination pending

John Guthrie District 5 John Guthrie

(The above districts match the Tulare County Supervisorial Districts)

Executive Committee Offices for Election, May 2015

President Joey Airoso Office of President

1st

Vice President Roger Everett Office of First Vice President

2nd

Vice President Josh Pitigliano Office of Second Vice President

Treasurer Nomination pending Office of Treasurer

I’m a TCFB member because...

Those of us involved inproduction agriculture inthis state are sorelyunderrepresented inSacramento. Weappreciate the influencewe have as individualsthrough the Farm Bureauas our voice in theCapitol. We also value theAg Alert newspaper andthe weekly insight into thelatest issues involvingCalifornia agriculture.

Rob HilaridesSierra Cattle Co.

Visalia, CAMembers Since 1993

In accordance with the following list of board

positions and officer positions will require election in May and are being noticed

to the membership of this corporation. Nominating Committee is currently

seeking candidates for the Board, and is accepting applications for

consideration. Interested individuals must be an Agricultural member in good

standing and complete an interview with the committee prior to nomination.

Elections will be held by mailed ballot if more than one candidate is nominated

for any of the positions listed below.

TCFB Bylaws Article V, Sec. 1-3

Ag Commissioner’s Cornerby Marilyn Kinoshita,Tulare County Ag Commissioner

Maintenance Gardenersand Pesticides

I occasionally receive complaintsfrom licensed Structural PestControl businesses who takeoffense when they see MaintenanceGardeners (MG) using pesticides asa regular part of their landscapework.

There are thought to be about17,000 MGs statewide who applypesticides without a QualifiedApplicator Certificate, category Q.Statewide, properly licensed MGsmake up just 20 percent of thetotal. The larger city centers havehundreds of “lawn guys” with noprotective equipment or training insafe pesticide handling.

This leads to trips to the doctorfor emergency care, which arein v e s t i g a t ed by the l o ca lAgricultural Commissioner (CAC).Leftover product improperly storedin soft drink containers is a veryreal problem that we encounterduring follow-up.

L a s t f a l l t h e C a l i f o r n i aD e p a r t m e n t o f P e s t i c i d e

Regulations (CDPR) surveyed theCACs, requesting ideas on how topersuade MGs to become certifiedand to maintain that certification.Many thought that consumereducation was paramount forhomeowners to make informeddecisions about the contractorsthey hire.

All Commissioners agreed thatmaking low-cost licensing examand training locally available wasimportant. There is no denying thatwe have an underground faction ofMGs who only become known whenwe find a problem. The languagebarrier and expense of certificationare sited as typical reasons.

I am an advocate of maintaining alevel playing field in a state likeCalifornia where, if growers anda g r i c u l t u r a l p e s t c o n t r o lbusinesses require certificationand continuing education, then soshould businesses who applychemicals within close proximity tofamilies and pets.

Page 4 March 2015Tulare County Farm Bureau News www.tulcofb.org

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TCFB Annual Meeting & Dinner

set for May 5

March 31 is the deadline to applyfor Western United Dairymen'shighly successful California DairyLeaders Program. Designed to trainthe next generation of California'sdairy leaders, the leadershipprogram consists of several sessionsdevoted to developing a betterunderstanding of the economic,legis lat ive, market ing, andenvironmental issues facing theindustry. The program applicationprocess is also open to individuals inallied industries. Allied memberapplications can also be downloadedfrom the WUD website atwww.westernuniteddairymen.com.The program's material will becovered in five multi-day sessions,including a trip to the nations'capitol to personally meet Californialegislators.

Save the date for the annualMeeting of the Members taking placeon Tuesday, May 5, 2015 at 6:00 pmat the Heritage Complex in Tulare.Agriculturalist of the Year,Agribusiness of the Year, Friend ofFarm Bureau and Service to FarmBureau awards will be announced atthis annual banquet. Scholarshipawards , y ou th l eade r sh ipgraduation, and many other FarmBureau programs will be recognized.Reservations to attend can be madein Apr i l . Bus inesses andorganizations in the community areinvited to decorate tables for theevent. Questions, please call FarmBureau at 732-8301.

Intern for CongressmanDevin Nunes

Californian wins CollegiateDiscussion Meet

Spring and summer internshipsare available for both CongressmanDevin Nunes' Washington D.C.office and Visalia office. Anyoneinterested in politics and publicaffairs, wants to gain professionalexperience, and can excel in a fast-paced environment are encouragedto apply.

Interns provide critical staffsupport and are often called on towork at public events, conductresearch, and help with specialprojects. The application process isnow open. For spring internships,candidates must submit theirapplications immediately; forsummer internships, applicationsmust be submitted by April 1, 2015.Both part-time and full-timeapplicants are accepted. All internsmust have a high school diploma.Additionally, they must be enrolledin or have recently graduated froman accredited college or university.For more information andapplications, please call (559) 733-3861 or (202) 225-2523.

A college student from Hemet haswon a national speaking contestsponsored by the American FarmBureau Federation. Levy Randolphrepresented California in theNational Collegiate Discussion Meet,which was held during late Februaryin Nashville. Randolph recentlygraduated from Fresno StateUniversity and is pursuing agraduate degree at the University ofFlorida. The Discussion Meetsimulates a committee meeting,with active participation expectedfrom each contestant.

Courtesy of Families Protecting the Valley

We did our best to follow thetestimony in the public workshopon the Temporary Change UrgencyPetitions submitted for the StateWater Project and the CentralValley Project. Translation: tryingto figure out why so much water istargeted for smelt versus people.

One of the first things we noticedwas how many agencies and howmuch time is devoted to trying tofigure out what makes the smelttick. It seems no one really knows.No one can give any definitivetestimony that all the water wedevote to the smelt is doing themany good. Nevertheless, we keepdoing it anyway.

Something else we noticed are therules the unelected bureaucrats areasked to follow. The EndangeredSpecies Act and correspondingBiOp (Biological Opinion) require

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Keeping Up With the SWRCBthe bureaucrats to make decisionsbased only on how the smelt isimpacted.

There is nothing in the law thatrequires them to take humanconsequences into account. This iswhy our elected officials need tochange the law. Until the law ischanged, the bureaucrats will keepdoing the same thing because that'swhat the law tells them to do.

The House of Representatives hasattempted to do this, however theSenate has refused to follow. Maybewith the new Senate this can bechanged, but they seem to have alot of other issues on their plateright now. And, of course, there'sthe issue of the Presidential vetowhich might be difficult or next toimpossible to override.

Remember that in 2010 formerFederal Judge Oliver Wanger foundthat the manager in charge of

See SWRCB on page 16

March 2015 Page 5Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

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Improving the system foradjudicating groundwater rightswas one of the matters nota d d r e s s e d i n l a s t y e a r ' sg r o u n d w a t e r m a n a g e m e n tlegislative package although somelegislators and the Governorindicated some interest in doing so.The Governor indicated last yearthat he would be bringing forthsuch a proposal this year.

Last year, Farm Bureau indicatedthat such improvements shouldhave been part of comprehensivegroundwater legislation. Therefore,Farm Bureau has been workingw i t h o t h e r a g r i c u l t u r a lorganizations and the Associationof California Water Agencies onlanguage to streamline theadjudication process where feasibleand intends to introduce thislegislation.

In some areas, good groundwatermanagement will include identifying

Legislative Update: Farm Bureau to Introduce Water Legislation

Guest Commentary

and defining groundwater rights,which must be done through anaction in court.

Currently this process is longerand less efficient than it could be ifcertain procedural rules aree s t a b l i s h e d . G r o u n d w a t e radjudication is a means of providingcertainty of one's groundwaterrights and, as such, having a systemfor doing so in a more efficientmanner than the current process isa worthy goal.

There is also discussion in theCapitol of moving groundwateradjudication from the courts to theState Water Resources ControlBoard, but Farm Bureau made itclear at a Senate informationalhearing on the issue in January thatwe prefer to use the courts forgroundwater rights determinationsas is currently the case.

Senator Fran Pavley, one of theauthors of the Sustainable

Groundwater Management Act, hasintroduced SB 226 that is to serveas another vehicle for adjudicationlegislation, but it is not clear whatthis legislation may ultimatelyinclude.

Farm Bureau's legislation isfocused on procedure and does notaddress any substantive principlesof water law or local groundwaterplanning. Key aspects of FarmBureau's current legislative draftare:

This bill would clarify the courtp r o c e d u r e s a p p l i c a b l e t ocomprehensive groundwateradjudications in order to reduce thetime and improve the efficiency ofthese actions. This does not meangroundwater adjudications will befast and simple, but that theprocess will be significantly moreefficient.

Specific provisions are intended toencourage early settlement and

avoid unduly disrupting localgroundwater planning efforts.

Three of the most significantimprovements are: a preliminaryhear ing to ensure that acomprehensive adjudication ofgroundwater rights is appropriate;clear rules on proper service ofprocess to all overlying landowners;a n d e a r l y d i s c l o s u r e s o fgroundwater use.

Other improvements addressdesignation of adjudication actionsas complex, phasing of thelitigation, efficient identification ofgroundwater basin boundaries andassistance to the court of a specialmaster, among other changes.

More details will be provided asthe legislation is introduced andmoved through the legislativeprocess. Any questions in regards toFarm Bureau's bill addressinggroundwater adjudication, contactthe TCFB office at 732-8301.

By Aubrey A. Mauritson, Esq.

On February1 1 , t h eKaweah DeltaConservationDistrict held aGroundwaterManagementWorkshop todiscuss recentgroundwaterlegislation andhow it will impact farming withinthe District. The workshop washeld during the World Ag Expolast month in the HeritageComplex. In case you missed it,the following is a summary of keypoints addressed at the workshopand further thoughts on therecent landmark legislation.

By now, most likely everyonehas seen at least one article onthe “Sustainable GroundwaterManagement Act”. The mostsimplistic summary of the Act canbe described as follows:

1. Department of WaterR e s o u r c e s ( D W R ) d r a f t sregulat ions appl icable togroundwater extractors.

2. Groundwater extractorsmust get together and form“groundwater sustainabilityagencies” (GSAs).

3. GSAs must come up with aplan how to “sustain” theirg r o u n d w a t e r b a s i n a n deventually must fulfill their ownplan.

4. If an extractor fails to join agroup, fails to submit a plan, orsubmits an inadequate plan, theState Water Resources ControlBoard (SWRCB) can begind ic ta t ing how and whengroundwater may be extracted.

The workshop presented a fourperson panel including: DoreneD'Adamo, board member, StateWater Resources Control Board(SWRCB); Mark Larsen, GeneralManager, Kaweah Delta WaterConservation District; ScottK u n e y , A t t o r n e y , Y o u n gWooldridge, LLP; and Mark

The Workshop

Groundwater Management Workshop held at World Ag ExpoWatte, farmer and Director for theConservation District. Below are afew key highlights from thepresenters.

Ms. D'Adamo from SWRCBaddressed why the Act is necessary.Arguments included that there hadnot been any major waterlegislation since 1913 in the State,there was a shift towardspermanent crops which causesgreater strain on resources, climatechange, an extended drought, andpoor management of resources.

Ms. D'Adamo cited water qualityconcerns related to sea waterintrusion, documented overdraftissues throughout the State anddeclining groundwater levels,subsidence issues, and ecosystemimpacts.

I have ex t r eme ly s t rongdisagreements with Ms. D'Adamoon several of her supportingarguments for the Act, includingthe absurd implication that no lawshave affected water rights since1913, but although her argumentsmay provide insight as to theadministration's theories as to thenecessity of the Act, they providelittle help on steps moving forward.

The critical component of Ms.D'Adamo's presentation is the roleS W R C B w i l l p l a y i n t h eimplementation of the Act. SWRCBhas been given the ultimateenforcement authority of the Act.

SWRCB has discretion tointervene when a groundwaterextractor has not followed the stepsof the Act and can dictate to thatextractor when and how muchwater can be extracted from a well.

Th is is obv ious ly h igh lydisconcerting and such concernhas been expressed to the SWRCBas acknowledged by Ms. D'Adamo.Ms. D'Adamo's response? SWRCBis simply too busy to wrangle withthese issues.

Practically, I buy Ms. D'Adamo'spos i t i on . SWRCB is toooverwhelmed to attempt to run anew enforcement department solelyon compliance of the Act at thistime. My concern is with the futureof this Act and the current

See Commentary on page 15

ambiguity of what exactly brings anextractor into or out of compliancewith the Act—an answer thatcannot be fully addressed untilDWR writes the actual rules andregulations.

As of now, it is clear that the Actprovides SWRCB can intervene if:1) no GSA is designated, 2) no planis submitted, 3) the plan is deemedinadequate , o r 4 ) SWRCBdetermines the basin is in acondition of long-term overdraft orextraction results in significantdepletions of interconnectedsurface waters.

Mr. Kuney, a longtime waterlawyer practicing out of KernCounty, provided a comprehensiveoverview of the groundwateradjudicat ive process . Analternative to following the stepsoutlined in the Act is for all users ina basin to file legal action in court.

The adjudicative process, inshort, asks the courts to decidewhat rights, if any, a potential wateruser has to a given body of water.Mr. Kuney provided great detail asto how long, costly and complicatedthe adjudicative process is and theuncertainties that arise throughoutthe process.

For example, a southernC a l i f o r n i a n b a s i n t o o kapproximately 18 years toadjudicate, with thousands ofparties involved, and countlessdollars spent in litigation andcourt fees. In the end, a singlejudge has authority to determinethe outcome.

It is clear attendees of theworkshop, and I believe manymore, understand how critical theimplications of the recentlegislation will be on currentfarming practices. However,many may have left the workshopin a state similar to my husbandand I asking, “Well, now what andwhat exactly can I do?”

The Act has been criticized forits impetuous path through theState legislature and to theGovernor's desk, althoughversions of the Act have beenfloating around for years. Manylobby ing s ides , inc ludingagriculture, claim some victoriesin the language of the bill.

For example, the Act providesthat nothing in the legislation

Actual Implications from

Current Language

Page 6 March 2015Tulare County Farm Bureau News www.tulcofb.org

The Tulare County Cattlewomenand Cattlemen are offeringscholarships based on academicachievement and leadership skills.Students must be planning topursue an education in theagriculture industry with alivestock emphasis. Below are therequirements for applicants and alist of available scholarships. Allscholarship applications are dueApril 1.

To apply:• Student must attend school

currently, or have graduated from ahigh school in Tulare County to beeligible.

• Undergraduate and GraduateStudents are eligible to apply.

• Student must major in anagriculture field with a livestockemphasis highly preferred

• Must complete and returnapplication by the due date of April1, 2015

• Please see attached forms forf u r t h e r i n s t r u c t i o n s a n drequirements. If your application isnot complete it will not beconsidered.

Available Scholarships:$1,500 – Marian Guthrie

Memorial Scholarship$1,000 – 2 scholarships in this

amount will be awarded to studentsplanning to major in the field ofagriculture preferably with alivestock emphasis.

The recipients of the scholarshipswill receive ½ of the scholarshipwhen the scholarship committeereceives verification of full-time (12units) fall semester enrollment at acollege or university. The second ½will be sent to the recipient whenverification of full-time (12 units)spring semester enrollment isreceived for the second semester.

It is the recipient's responsibilityto contact the scholarshipcommi t t e e a t Scho l a r sh ipCommittee, C/O Judie Church18905 Rd. 216, Strathmore, CA93267 to r ece i v e h i s/he rscholarship award by September2015 or sooner for the fall semester,and no later than February 2016 forthe spring semester.

For applications please contactt h e T u l a r e C o u n t yC a t t l e w o m e n / C a t t l e m e nScholarship Committee, C/O JudieC h u r c h , 1 8 9 0 5 R d 2 1 6 ,Strathmore, CA 93267 or by calling559-359-3586.

Tulare CountyCattlewomen andCattlemen Offer

Local Scholarships

Annual scholarship program forCharles P. Lake Rain for Rent callsfor applications now thru April 30.

This program is for students whohave already completed theirfreshman year of college, or havesophomore standing at a juniorc o l l e g e . S t u d e n t s s h o u l dspecifically list that they areapplying thru the Tulare CountyFarm Bureau organization.

Scholarships are available toundergraduate students majoringin Agricultural, Mechanical, Civiland/or Manufacturing Engineering

Rain for RentScholarships

See Scholarships on page 13

March 2015 Page 7Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

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The withdrawal of an "interpretiveru l e " i s sued by the U .S .Environmental Protection Agencyand the Army Corps of Engineerspleases farmers, ranchers and theirorganizations concerned about howthe rule would have governed theinterpretation of "normal farmingoperations" in the federal CleanWater Act.

T h e a g e n c i e s i s s u e d amemorandum of understanding inJanuary that stated, "Effectiveimmediately, the agencies herebywithdraw this interpretive rule asCongress directed." An omnibusspending bill approved by Congresslast December had directed EPA andthe Corps to remove the March 2014interpretive rule.

Kari Fisher, California FarmBureau Federation associatecounsel, said the interpretive rulehad not been needed in the firstplace, and noted that oppositionremains regarding the agencies'expansive "waters of the U.S." rule,which could be finalized thissummer.

"There was a lot of pushback onthis interpretive rule. Over 200members of Congress from bothparties requested that the agencieswithdraw it," Fisher said.

The interpretive rule becameef fect ive immediately uponpublication, without advance publicnot i ce and comment , andestablished binding and enforceablerequirements for farmers andranchers, Fisher said. Theinterpretive rule narrowed a Section404 exemption of the Clean WaterAct by tying it to mandatorycompliance with previouslyvoluntary Natural ResourcesConservation Service standards.

San Joaquin County winegrapegrower Brad Goehring said theinterpretive rule would haveresulted in the government defining"normal farming practices" and alsowould have affected the goodrelationship that farmers currentlyhave with NRCS for conservationprograms.

"If the interpretive rule was notwithdrawn, conservation programsthat farmers participate in toconserve land and improve air andwater quality would have suffered,"Goehring said.

While the interpretive rule hasbeen withdrawn, "the fight is not

over," Fisher said, noting that "theproposed rulemaking to redefine thewaters of the U.S. is still active, soFarm Bureau remains committed tochallenging the rule."

Erin Huston, CFBF federal policyconsultant, said Farm Bureauanticipates the final rule "willnegatively impact the ability of ourmembers to farm and ranch," andexpressed hope that Congress "willprevent any further expansion of theClean Water Act."

The rule would redefine andexpand the scope of watersprotected under the Clean WaterAct, and farm groups say it wouldunreasonably expand the agencies'jurisdiction over farmland. The EPAwill likely release a revised version ofthe rule later this spring.

Ron Carleton, EPA counselor foragricultural policy, told the FarmBureau group the final rule willdiffer from the original rule, and willreflect the more than 850,000comments the agency receivedabout the rule.

Learn more about Farm Bureau'sefforts to dispose of the proposedrule at http://ditchtherule.fb.org.

Agencies back off on‘interpretive rule' for Clean Water Act

The Cal/OSHA StandardsBoard approved a substantialrevision to the Heat IllnessPrevention Standard on February19. The revised standard willbecome effective May 1, 2015.

Many attempts from FarmB u r e a u a n d n u m e r o u sagricultural associations to makethese changes more reasonablea n d a p p r o p r i a t e w e r eunsuccessful, please take note ofthese changes and plan to attendheat stress trainings this spring toget up to date on all theseimportant changes that willimpact your spring and summertime operations.

Numerous changes were madeto the HIP standard. Theseinclude the standards of requireddrinking water for employees;sufficient shade is now requiredfor all workers instead of the

Heat Illness Prevention StandardsRevision Approved - Effective May 1

previous requirement of 25%;monitoring of cool down restp e r i o d s ; a n d e m e r g e n c yprotocols.

Temperature triggers were alsoincluded in the revisions. Underthe current standard of 85degrees to t r igger shaderequirements, it is now 80degrees. Revisions to the highheat measures were also made.

Under a new subsection titledAcclimatization, employees willhave to be closely observedduring a “heat wave”, meaningany day on which the predictedhigh temperature will be at least80 degrees and at least 10 degreeshigher than the average high dailytemperature of the prior five days.

For complete details of the newHIP requirements and moreinformation contact the TCFBoffice at 732-8301.

Page 8 Tulare County Farm Bureau News March 2015 www.tulcofb.org

Offering a complete line of farm products and services

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Porterville

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Throughout the evening thestudents had an opportunity to askquestions of each public officialand learn about the different roleseach play in county governmentand the difficult challenges eachone faces in their everyday duties ofrepresenting the citizens of TulareCounty.

This year's class had the pleasureof meeting with District 2Supervisor, Pete Vander Poel; JeanRousseau, Chief AdministrativeOfficer; and Marilyn Kinoshita,C o u n t y A g r i c u l t u r a lCommissioner.

The class then broke intoseparate teams and took part in arole-play exercise with a mockhearing over a land use dispute.The teams prepare for a mockpublic hearing in front of theirpeers (the elected board ofs u p e r v i s o r s ) a n d p r e p a r ecomments from each side providingreasons why the proposed projectshould or should not be allowed to

build on the agricultural land inquestion.

Throughout the evening thestudents gain an appreciation fordecision making, critical thinking,and learn to act on their feet. Theybuild a greater awareness too forthe difficult and complex roles ofhow government interacts with thelives of every day citizens and how itimpacts agriculture too.

Next on the horizon, the class willhave their Congressional Insightworkshop focusing on federalgovernment, and experience a “yearin the life of a freshman member ofCongress”. Then in April the classwill take their annual trip toS a c r a m e n t o t o v i s i t w i t hlegislators, tour state agencies,meet with the California FarmBureau Federation staff to lobby a

current piece of legislation affectingthe ag industry, and tour thecampus of UC Davis.

Youth Leadership is madepossible by major program sponsorSuncrest Bank and generouscontributions from the LandO'Lakes Community Foundationand Tulare County Farm BureauEducational and Scholarship FundTrust.

The 2014-2015 Youth Leadership class pictured with Supervisor Pete Vander Poel and County Administrative Officer Jean Rousseau.

Youth Leadershipfrom page 1

March 2015 Page 9Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

Courtesy of the California

Cattlemen's Association

The California Department ofFood & Agriculture (CDFA) ispreparing to release a formal draft ofproposed amendments to thestatewide cattle trichomonosiscontrol program at the request ofCalifornia Cattlemen's Association(CCA).

California's trichomonosis controlprogram is widely supported bycattle producers and provides bothv o l u n t a r y a n d m a n d a t o r yrequirements to prevent the spreadof trichomonosis in the state'sbreeding herd.

The current control programrequires all out-of-state bulls olderthan 18 months of age to beaccompanied by a negativetrichomonosis test upon entry intoCalifornia and all bulls older than18 months of age sold at a publiclivestock auction market to likewisebe accompanied by a negativetrichomonosis test, unless beingsold for slaughter to an approvedbuyer.

In conjunction with CCA's policy,CDFA is proposing to strengthenthe intrastate sale requirement bynow requiring any bull over 18months of age sold for breeding,even those sold by private treaty, tobe accompanied by a negativetrichomonosis test.

While some of the details have yetto be worked out, CCA expects thata negative trichomonosis test mustbe presented to a brand inspector asa condition of change in ownership.

Although yearly trichomonosistesting of bulls will remainvoluntary, a new mandatoryidentification program will now berequired for all bulls undergoing atrichomonosis test by a veterinarianin California.

At the time of the test, theveterinarian will apply a color-coded feedlot tag to the bull tovisually demonstrate the bull hasreceived a trichomonosis test. Eachyear will be coded a different colorso producers can easily determinethe last time a bull was tested. CCApolicy also encourages CDFA tocoordinate yearly colors with thoseused by the Oregon Department ofA g r i c u l t u r e a n d N e v a d aDepartment of Agriculture tomaintain a level of consistency forcommuter herds.

It will remain mandatory for allapproved veterinarians conductingthe test to report both positive andnegative test results to CDFA. Herdsfound to have a positive bull willcontinue to be quarantined untilboth herd mate bulls and those oftheir “fence line neighbors” havebeen cleared with a negative testresult.

Positive bulls must remainquarantined by CDFA until movedto slaughter. The proposedamendments will also eliminate theuse of a culture test by aveterinarian and only allow for aDNA detection or amplification-based trichomonosis test toimprove accuracy.

CDFA ProposesAmendments to the

StatewideTrichomonosis

Regulation

See Trichomonosis on page 12

Page 10 Tulare County Farm Bureau News March 2015 www.tulcofb.org

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We all benefit from a safe, reliablefood supply produced by our veryown American family farmers. Tocelebrate our local agriculturecommunity Tulare County FarmBureau's Young Farmers andRanchers (YF&R) committee willhost their annual Grocery CartRace on Sunday, March 22beginning at 7:00 am in Tulare tocelebrate National Ag Week, March16-22.

Young Farmers and Ranchers Celebrate Local Agriculture with Annual Charity RaceNational Ag Week is a time to

recognize and celebrate theimportance of agr icul ture .Agr i cu l ture prov ides mosteverything we eat, use and wear ona daily basis. Farm Bureau and theYoung Farmers and Ranchersprogram strives to educate thosenot involved in agriculture theimportance of the industry.

“We look forward to the annualGrocery Cart Race every year. It's a

fun filled event that serves as afriendly competition and a greatway to give back to the communityand to celebrate National Ag Week,”said Lauren Crivelli, this year'schair of Grocery Cart Race.

“We're excited to celebrateagriculture while filling our cartswith food that is donated to a localfood charity in support of those whoexperience food insecurity in ourcommunity.”

The race itself consists of teamsthat will compete in a timed event tofill their shopping carts with apredetermined list of food items.Grocery Cart Race takes place atFoodsCo, located at 1210 E.Prosperity Avenue in Tulare. Lastyear, Grocery Cart Race teamsraised approximately $1,250 for thepurchase of food resulted in over athousand pounds of food donated

Senators Move to EndTrade Embargo with Cuba

Last month a bipartisan group ofSenators introduced the Freedomto Export to Cuba Act. Thislegislation would end the U.S.embargo of trade with Cuba, whilep r e s e r v i n g h u m a n r i g h t sconditions and property claimsagainst the Castro government,some of which have pended formore than 50 years.

Under the terms of the legislation- introduced by two GOPlawmakers and four Democratcolleagues - U.S. companies wouldbe able to extend credit to theCuban government for the first timesince 1961. This section goes towhat critics say is one of the biggestimpediments to doing businesswith Cuba, namely the inability to

get bank financing on sales.The bill repeals the broad

prohibition on doing business withCuba, later laws designed toenforce the embargo, lawsrestricting transactions U.S.-owned/controlled companies andCuba, as well as limitations ondirect shipping between U.S. andCuban ports.

The bill is supported by the U.S.Agriculture Coalition for Cuba, 40producer, agribusiness and othergroups, along with privatecompanies, who want to see theembargo lifted. Ag exports to Cubain 2014 totaled $291 million, thelowest in 13 years, according to theU.S.-Cuba Trade & EconomicCouncil.

See YF&R on page 13

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Page 12 March 2015Tulare County Farm Bureau News www.tulcofb.org

The proposed amendments willalso offer new conditions for buyersseeking to purchase bulls solely forslaughter at a public livestockauction yard. Buyers purchasingbulls older than 18 months of agesolely for slaughter will be allowedto do so without a trichomonosistest but must first sign a slaughterchannel agreement that will be keptat the public livestock auctionfacility for inspection at the requestof CDFA staff.

The agreement bulls over 18months of age purchased without atr ichomonosis test can bepurchased solely for slaughter,must never be allowed to cominglewith intact female cattle and requirethe buyer to identify the location thebull will be kept and slaughtered.

With his or her signature, a buyerwill also recognize that a violation ofthe agreement could result in severefines or further prosecution fromthe District Attorney for bullspurchased at a public livestockauction market for breeding; CDFAwill still require a current negativetrichomonosis test be madeavailable prior to the bull leavingthe facility.

CDFA also plans to bringconsistency to the regulations byclarifying that bulls sold solely forexhibition purposes can be soldwithout a trichomonosis test bothinterstate, which is current law,and now intrastate as well. Similarto slaughter bulls, these bulls mustremain confined at the exhibitionsite and never be allowed tocomingle with intact female cattle.

For more information on theproposed changes or the currentCalifornia trichomonosis controlprogram, please do not hesitate tocontact Justin Oldfield in the CCAoffice at (916) 444-0845.

Trichomonosisfrom page 9

Cal i f o rn ia farmer -ownedcooperatives requested thatUSDA hold a hearing that wouldes tab l i sh a Federa l Mi lkMarketing Order in California.Included with the request,submitted in February, was adetailed proposal supported bythe three cooperatives, whichrepresent roughly 75 percent ofthe milk produced in the state.

The petition submitted byCalifornia Dairies Inc., DairyFarmers of America and LandO'Lakes; proposes to keepCalifornia's current quota andpooling system in place whileadopting the federal orderpricing formulas for all classes ofmilk. Processors buying milkfrom California grade A dairiesalso wouldn't be allowed to“depool”, according to theproposal.

Currently, California dairyfarmers opera te under astatewide milk pricing system,whereas the majority of the

California Dairy Co-ops Petition for Federal Marketing Ordernation's farmers operate under aFederal Milk Marketing Order,which provides uniform dairyprices for milk based on marketprices.

It's believed by shifting to aFederal Order system, Californiadairy producers within thesecooperatives will receive a moreequitable market-based milkprices.

The proposal has also received astamp of approval from the state'sdairy advocacy groups includingCalifornia Dairy Campaign, Milkproducers Council and WesternUnited Dairymen.

“We are pleased this detailedproject has finally come tofruition, stated Western UnitedD a i r y m e n P r e s i d e n t , T o mBarcellos.

“It confirms what we have knownfor a long time, pointing out theinequities in milk pricing that ared e t r i m e n t a l t o C a l i f o r n i aproducers.”

As the first step in a process

which could take up to two years,the proposal requests USDA toannounce a regulatory hearingthat will provide the opportunityfor dairy interests to provideinput.

USDA is giving industry partiesuntil April 10, 2015 to submitalternative proposals. It isexpected that California dairyprocessors will submit a differentproposal to USDA.

An informational session,hosted by USDA, is expected totake place sometime in May.

“We encourage producers tostay engaged,” says Barcellos.“So that we can maintain theintegrity of the proposal."

Other states, while unable tovote on the proposal, also maysubmit comments to USDAduring the hearing process. Afterthe agency puts out a finalversion of the California federalorder, a two-thirds majority byCalifornia producers is requiredto approve it.

There are large amounts ofchemicals commonly stored onfarms today, and they bring twomajor concerns. First, farmchemicals can be dangerous tofamily members who are unfamiliarwith proper handling. And second,agricultural chemicals are costlyand prime targets for thieves.

Nationwide offers these tips tohelp guard against both concerns:

For tanks/chemical storageinstall locks on all tanks; keeppesticides and all chemicals in alocked, well-ventilated storageroom; equip bulk storage tankswith locks; consider receivingchemical deliveries just before youneed them and return any unusedmaterials to the distributor soonafter to reduce chemical storagetime; mark all storage tanks withthe contents to help emergencyresponders; and store chemicals onshelves rather than concrete floors.

For vehicles, keep all in a securegarage or locked area of yourproperty and if vehicles must bestored outdoors, park them in well-lit areas. Lock the doors and fitthem with lockable tank caps.

In General security, be aware ofunfamiliar vehicles on or near your

Simple StepsTackle Chemical

Concerns

See Chemical Concerns on page 13

March 2015 Page 13Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

March

April

1 TCFB Scholarship Applications Due, postmark acceptable3 Membership Committee Meeting, 4:00 pm, TCFB3 Executive Committee Meeting, 6:00 pm, TCFB5 Forklift Training (English Session), 8:00 am, Kaweah Lift, Visalia

(pre-registration)5 Nominating Committee, 4:00 pm, TCFB6 Forklift Training (Spanish Session), 8:00 am, Kaweah Lift, Visalia

(pre-registration)6 Tulare County Fair Foundation Lending A Helping Hand Fundraiser, 6:00 pm,

Tulare Fairgrounds9-11 CFBF Commodity Advisory Committee Meetings & Leadership

Conference, Sacramento10 Irrigated Lands Regulation NMP Workshop for Growers, 8:30 am,

SCE Energy Center, Tulare10 YF&R Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm, TBD12 TCFB Board of Directors, 4:00 pm, TCFB14 TCFB Education and Scholarship Fundraiser/Gala, 6:15 pm, Visalia

Convention Center16 Youth Leadership Congressional Insight Seminar, 5:00 pm, TCFB17 Farm Bureau Calendar Art & Ag Day Presentation, 9:00 am, Board of

Supervisors' Chambers19 Hazardous Materials Training, Spanish/English, 9-5 pm, TCFB22 YF&R Grocery Cart Race, 8:00 am, FoodsCo. in Tulare23 Scholarship Committee, 4:00 pm, TCFB24 Education Committee Meeting, 4:15 pm, TCFB25 Tulare Kiwanis Farmer of the Year Lunch, 12:00 pm, Heritage

Complex, Tulare25 School Garden Workshop, 4:00 pm, COS Campus, Tulare26 Common Threads Luncheon, 11:00 am, CSU Fresno Residential

Dining Hall26 Land Use Committee, 4:00 pm, TCFB31 Finance Committee, 4:00 pm, TCFB31 Executive Committee, 6:00 pm, TCFB

3 Good Friday, TCFB Office closes at 12:00 pm9 TCFB Board of Directors, 4:00 pm, TCFB9-10 Youth Leadership Trip to Sacramento, overnight14 YF&R Committee, 6:30pm, location TBD15 County Ag Policy Advisory Committee, 3:00 pm, Tulare Co. Ag Building23 QuickBooks Seminar hosted by Tri-Counties Bank, TCFB Office

(pre-register)28 Education Committee Meeting, 4:15 pm, TCFB28 Executive Committee, 4:00 pm, TCFB29-30 CFBF County Managers Conference, Central Coast

Calendar

HP Heritage PlatinumHG Heritage GoldA AssociateAG AgriculturalBS-AG Business Support AgBS-A Business Support AssociateCG Collegiate

New Members

Tulare County Farm BureauWelcome to our new members!

January 2015District 1

District 2

District 3

Ag High Sierra Labor Service/Alejandro D. Ramos,Farmersville

Ag Janie Sustaita, Tulare

PH Duarte Nursery Inc,Hughson

A Empire Supply Co Inc /Ronald A. Bueno, Visalia

A Salvador Monzon, Visalia

District 5A Alexander Alcazar, PortervilleAg Hector A. Godinez / HG Farm

Labor Contracting, PortervilleAg Ubaldo V. Vera / Vargas

Labor Service, PortervilleAg Mayra Vielma / M Vielma

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ALL DIGITAL

ELECTRONIC CONTROLLER

• SIMPLE

• COMPACT

• EFFICIENT

• FUEL CONSUMPTION

6.25 gals per hr.

(When run with our

130hp fiberglass fan)

to the local food bank. Proceedsthis year will also be donated toTulare County FoodLink.

Young Farmers and Ranchersdevelop leadership skills while

YF&Rfrom page 10

Scholarshipsfrom page 6

Chemical Concernsfrom page 12

Water Allocationsfrom page 1

or Construction Management.Agribusiness majors may also beconsidered.

Students must be attending anaccredited four-year college oruniversity or have sophomorestanding at a junior college andinterested in fulfilling a career at an a t i o n w i d e c o m p a n y i nagricultural irrigation, trenchlessunderground technology or fluidpumping systems.

You may contact Farm Bureau at732-8301 or by ema i l a ttcfb@tulcofb.org to request theapplication and instructions. Theapplication is not available online,and must be accessed by requestthru a partner organization such asan accredited four-year universityor local Farm Bureau.

Over 185 Ag Properties FOR SALE

in San Joaquin Valleywww.citrusboys.com

Call Matt McEwen 559.280.0015

or

Roy Pennebaker 559.737.0084

Water Wells and PumpsWell Rehabilitation & Pump Rebuild

WWW.WOODWARDDRILLING.NET

707-374-4300

volunteering time as active, vitalmembers of the county FarmBureau. For more informationabout joining YF&R, contact theTulare County Farm Bureau at732-8301 or yfr@tulcofb.org orfollow the group on Facebook.

farm; watch for suspiciousactivities; never leave ignition keysin vehicles or equipment; be sureyour property is lit well at night;consider video surveillance; installalarm systems that are wireddirectly to local law enforcementoffices; restrict employees' accessto computer farm records; andreview your insurance policy withyour agent to be sure you knowwhat's covered.

of normal for the date, which is only17 percent of the average April 1measurement when the snowpackis normally at its peak before thespring melt.

With the lack of snowfall inJanuary and February, thosenumbers have fallen to 35 percentof average for the date and only 15percent of the average April 1measurement.

State officials who oversee the

State Water Project - California'sother chief water system - havealready announced they will beissuing a 15% water allocation forfarmers, up from the 10%allocation released in January.

BECOME A BUSINESS SUPPORT MEMBERwww.joinfb.com • 559-732-8301

Tulare County Farm Bureau offers a special category of membership for those interested in supporting Farm Bureau as business owners. If you have a business, ormerely want to show your support for the organization, your membership in the Business Support category is encouraged.Here's what you get in return for your annual dues:

• A free listing every month on this page and in the new online directory.• Discounts on display advertising in this newspaper.• All the benefits and services of Farm Bureau membership.• News of events and issues in TCFB News and E-News.

You will also receive the appreciation and support of the agricultural industry and Tulare County Farm Bureau members. Join us to accomplish our mission: Topromote and enhance the viability of Tulare County agriculture.

Accountants

Ag Chemical, Fertilizer Sales& Applications

Ag Equipment

Agricultural IndustrialSupplies & Services

Ag Research, Testing& Consulting

Baker, Peterson & Franklin, LLP, CPA

Bret Bastrire, CPA

Gilman, Harris & Travioli,An Accountancy Corporation

Hocking, Denton & Palmquist, CPA

M. Green & Company, LLP, CPA

Pine, Pedroncelli & Aguilar, Inc., CPA

Steve Bratcher & Associates, CPA

Vollmer, Daniel, Gaebe & Grove, LLP, CPA

American Ag, Inc.

Central Valley Management, Inc.

Crumbliss & Horton, Inc.

Farmers Fertilizer & Supply

Gillespie Ag Service

Helena Chemical Company

Leffingwell Ag Sales Company, Inc.

McLean Spray Co., Inc.

Natural Resources Group

Polymer Ag, LLC

Spray Co, LLC

TriCal, Inc.

Tulare Ag Products

E. M. Tharp, Inc.

Exeter Mercantile

Farmers Tractor & Equipment Company

Garton Tractor, Inc.

Krone California

Lawrence Tractor Company, Inc.

Linder Equipment Company

Quality Machinery Center

Visalia ATV Motorcycle

California Controlled Atmosphere

Central Calif Implement

Clear Innovation

Fruit Growers Supply

Fruit Growers Supply

Fruit Growers Supply

Scout Specialties

Shannon Bros Company, Inc.

Sierra Packaging Solutions

Tulare Firestone, Inc.

California Fresh Fruit Association

Citrus Research Board

Fruit Growers Laboratory, Inc.

Innovative Ag Services, LLC

Julie Maldonado970 W. Alluvial Ave., Ste. 101, Fresno 432-2346

Bret Bastrire3330 W. Mineral King Ave., Ste. C, Visalia

625-9240

Megan Travioli313 E. Caldwell Ave., Visalia 627-2725

Craig Swearingen3326 W. Mineral King Ave., Visalia 625-4444

Kevin M. Green308 S. M St., Tulare 688-7401

William Pine3924 W. Caldwell Ave., Ste. B, Visalia 625-9800

Steve Bratcher3326 W. Mineral King Ave., Visalia 625-4444

100 Willow Plaza, Ste. 400, Visalia 733-1051

Gerald GaskinPO Box 80416, Bakersfield (661) 635-0778

Frank J. Marshall, Sr.36040 Road 172, Visalia 798-1821

24569 Avenue 90, Terra Bella 535-4463

Jeff Penner36071 Burke Dr., Traver 897-1500

Dana Gillespie15301 Road 192, Porterville 784-9021

Tom Griffiths25114 Road 204, Exeter 562-5400

Geary Austin23576 Avenue 96, Terra Bella 535-4461

Michael Mc Lean19725 Avenue 300, Exeter 799-3611

34284 Road 196, Woodlake 564-1236

PO Box 282, Orange Cove 495-0234

PO Box 7090, Visalia 625-9416

Shelley LomantoPO Box 1327, Hollister 651-0140

Robert O. Prather3233 S. I St., Tulare 686-5115

Morris A. Tharp15243 Road 192, Porterville 782-5800

Bob Schelling258 E. Pine St., Exeter 592-2121

1132 S. Main St., Porterville 784-4967

4780 S. K St., Tulare 686-0054

1950 S. Blackstone, Tulare 687-0283

Scott Lawrence2530 E. Main St., Visalia 734-7406

311 E. Kern Ave., Tulare 685-5000

Jim Maciel3820 S. K St., Tulare 686-1579

Martin Crum2500 E. Mineral King Ave., Visalia 739-7866

Jim Mitchell39138 Road 56, Dinuba 591-8874

William S. Longan1480 W. Inyo Ave., Tulare 686-4747

Tom Hart3506 Moore, Rd., Ceres (209) 595-0338

Margaret Long46031 Road 124, Orange Cove 626-4629

934 W. Scranton Ave., Porterville 781-4050

Rick Hopper131 S. Blair Rd., Woodlake 564-3525

Gary L. Lunsford148 N. M St., Dinuba 591-8234

Chris Shannon24478 Road 140, Tulare 686-4701

2475 Ave. 400, Kingsburg 897-0711

Lionel Pires362 S. K St., Tulare 686-3313

978 W. Alluvial, Ste. 107, Fresno 226-6330

217 N. Encina, Visalia 738-0246

Neil G. Jessup9415 W. Goshen Ave., Visalia 734-9473

Nathan Heeringa1201 Lacy Blvd., Ste. 5, Hanford 587-2800

592-4357

Allan Powersports Inc.

BASF Agricultural Research Station

John Allan30681 N. Highway 99, Visalia 651-9014

10181 Avenue 416, Dinuba 591-2548

Napa Auto Parts

Bayer CropScience

940 E. Main Street, Visalia 734-6272

Rick Wescott33172 Road 148, Visalia 972-7503

Tulare Kings Hispanic Chamber

Ramsey N. Aswad, LLC

Duarte Nursery, Inc.

Community Recycling & Resource Recovery, Inc.

Woodward Drilling Company

Armondo Apodaca1100 W. Main Street, Visalia 734-6020

Wine Grape Brokers120 N. Willis Street, Visalia 636-3421

Ed Needham1555 Baldwin Rd., Hughson

Tim Stehr9189 De Garmo Ave, Sun Valley (818) 767-6000

Wayne G. Woodward

550 River Road, Rio Vista (707) 374-4300

(209) 531-0351

Pena's Disposal ServiceArt Pena12094 Avenue 408, Cutler 528-3909

Visalia Chamber Of Commerce

Paul Enos Packing, Inc.

Sequoia Orange Company, Inc.

The Chuck Olsen Co

Venida Packing Company

Visalia Citrus Packing Group

Res Com Pest Control

Delta Liquid Energy Propane

Jack Griggs, Inc.

J.C. Lansdowne, Inc.

Valley Pacific Petroleum Services, Inc.

Craig Smith & Associates, Inc.

Manuel Ortiz Ag Real Estate

Pearson Realty

The Ranch Company

Schuil & Associates

Cal Agro Seed Company, Inc.

Plant Food Systems, Inc.

Gerald C. Haggard, DVM

Valley Veterinarians, Inc.

Cal Gro Pump Service, Inc.

Kaweah Pump, Inc.

Carver Pump Service/Tommys Pump Service, Inc.

US Farm Systems

Willitts Equipment Company, Inc.

Witzel Pump Service

D & S Ag Designs, Inc.

Kens Stakes & Supplies

Gail Zurek220 N. Santa Fe Ave., Visalia 734-5876

Paul Enos14257 Avenue 320, Visalia 738-8331

James Wilson150 W. Pine St., Exeter 592-9455

Chuck OlsenPO Box 6487, Visalia 651-5900

Verne CrookshanksPO Box 212, Exeter 592-2816

PO Box 2800, Visalia 635-3000

Tony Taylor305 S. M St., Tulare 685-8989

321 E. Noble Ave., Bldg. A,, Farmersville 592-9681

D W. Griggs1149 S. Kaweah, Exeter 592-3154

Steven C. Lansdowne8601 W. Roosevelt Ave., Visalia 651-1760

Geoff Howard1633 E. Mineral King, Ave., Visalia 732-8381

Craig Smith1695 E. Prosperity Ave., Tulare

737-1750

Manuel Ortiz230 North J Street, Tulare 972-0909

Jim Olivas3447 S. Demaree St., Visalia 732-7300

John H. Grimmius3449 S. Demaree St., Ste. B, Visalia 733-3232

Marc Schuil5020 W Mineral King Ave, Visalia 734-1700

Dan Miller6908 Avenue 304, Visalia 651-2676

Mark BradyPO Box 775, Zellwood, FL 731-1267

302 S. F St., Exeter 592-5210

Pete Kistler2861 S. K St., Tulare 686-1447

9817 W. Grove Ave., Visalia 651-0802

Bill Gargan15499 Avenue 280, Visalia 747-0755

Brian Geary26473 Harrison Rd., Visalia (855) 622-7837

Jean Houle2955 S. K St., Tulare 685-0340

30548 Road 196, Exeter 594-5020

Timothy J. Witzel22741 Avenue 178, Porterville 781-5515

Steve Meza6944 Avenue 304, Visalia CA 651-9887

Joe Hallmeyer193 S. Mariposa Ave., Visalia 747-1313

686-1688

Wade Brown5103 W. Goshen Ave., Ste. E, Visalia 625-1133

Michael Graham2280 S. K St., Tulare 686-2000

Brown's Custom Jewelry

Valley Pump & Dairy Systems

Packing Houses & ProduceBrokers

Pest Control

Petroleum Distributors& Products

Real Estate

Seed & Plant Supplements

Veterinary Services

Waste & Recycling Service

Wells, Pumps & Pipe

Wood Stakes & TrellisSystems

Specialty Stores

Trees and Vines

Valley Real Estate

Staffords Chocolates

Tom McGuiganP.O. Box 7087, Visalia 907-0023

Rob Taylor882 W. Henderson Ave., Porterville 359-3020

DIRECTORY OF FARM BUREAU BUSINESS MEMBERS

Feed and NutritionSupplements

Fertilizer

Food Processing

Forestry Products

Insurance

Irrigation Systems, Supplies& Districts

Livestock

Marketing

Orchard Services

Other Organizations& Individuals

Medical Services

Nutrius, LLC

Western Milling, LLC

Soil Basics Corp

Bell-Carter Olive Company

Crisp California Walnuts

Horizon Nut Company

Sierra Forest Products

Buckman-Mitchell, Inc.

DG Insurance Agency, Inc.

Golden State Crop & Insurance Services

Mitchell Insurance Services

Karen Munger Insurance Services

Nielsen & Associates Insurance

NSE Insurance Agencies, Inc.

State Compensation Insurance Fund

Bowsmith, Inc.

Fruit Growers Supply Company

Irritec USA

Rain for Rent

Allflex USA

Arrow Head Cattle Co., Inc.

A-Peltzer Enterprises

Baker Topping, Inc.

Barnett Land Leveling Company

Peltzer Topping & Hedging

Reynolds Ranches

College of the Sequoias

Exeter Chamber of Commerce

International Agri-Center, Inc.

Porterville Chamber of Commerce

Tulare Chamber Of Commerce

Tulare County Fair

Tulare County Office of Education

Tulare County Sheriff's Department

Brian McCutcheon39494 Clarkson Dr., Kingsburg 897-5862

PO Box 1029, Goshen 302-1001

PO Box 2609, Visalia 651-2772

PO Box 338, Orange Cove 626-4411

David Silveira20500 Main St., Stratford 947-3800

Ali Turgeon26487 N. Highway 99, Tulare 685-3663 x250

9000 Road 234, Terra Bella 535-4893

500 N. Santa Fe, Visalia 733-1181

309 N. Garden St., Visalia 733-0221

Kristine Fox108 E. 7th St., Hanford 381-8981

Kelly Mitchell1039 N. Demaree St., Visalia 713-1315

Karen Munger2902 W. Main St., Visalia 733-2663

David Nielsen502 N. Kaweah, Ste. A, Exeter

(800) 842-8818

Ken Stevens160 S. D St. , Exeter 592-9411

Mike Burns (415) 309-43952300 River Plaza Drive, Sacramento

131 Second St., Exeter 592-9485

131 S. Blair Rd., Woodlake 564-3525

Greg Gostanian5540 W. Buena Vista Ave., Visalia 275-8825

Mitch Martin21500 W. Manning, San Joaquin 693-4315

Tom Polich31045 Tower Road, Visalia 783-6989

Bill Freeman9303 W. Airport Dr., Visalia 651-1800

Larry Peltzer17396 Avenue 344, Visalia

(888) 798-1034

Michael BakerPO Box 1537, Tulare 804-4045

Lonnie Barnett2300 N. Gill Rd., Exeter 592-2767

Tim D. PeltzerPO Box 10209, Terra Bella 789-9446

Scott Reynolds1389 S. Westwood Ave., Lindsay 287-0000

915 S. Mooney Blvd., Visalia 730-3700

Sandy Blankenship101 W. Pine St., Exeter 592-2919

Jerry Sinift4450 S. Laspina St., Tulare 688-1751

93 N. Main St., Ste. A, Porterville 784-7502

220 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare 686-1547

215 Martin Luther King Jr., Tulare 686-4707

Jim Vidak2637 W. Burrel, Visalia 733-6101

Tom Guinn36000 Road 112, Visalia 735-1913

594-5500

James Silva, Jr.PO Box 366, Farmersville 747-1177

Domonic Rossini5470 E. Home Ave., Fresno (661) 809-6282

R. Steven Alcocer225 S. Chinowth St., Visalia 627-3222

741-0951

Consolidated Peoples Ditch Company

Netafim USA

Valley Industrial & Family Medical Group

CIG Central Valley InsuranceScott L. Bosler4142 S. Demaree, Visalia 802-4094

Stuhaan Cattle Corporation

MC Solutions

Dane Stuhaan1255 N Cherry St PMB 573, Tulare 688-7695

Mandy Critchley1384 Ave. 384, Kingsburg 799-4744

Research for Hire

Valley Tech Agriculture Services

Dias Law Firm

Horswill, Mederos & Soares, Attorneys at Law

Rauber & Johnson, Attorneys at Law

Ward R. Stringham, Attorney at Law

Tulare County Stockyard, Inc.

Visalia Livestock Market

Groppetti Automotive Family

Jim Manning Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, Ram

Battery Pro

Gross & Stevens, Inc.

Pixley Auto Parts & Farm Supply

Quality Paint & Body

Tucoemas Federal Credit Union

Wells Fargo

Westwood Capital Services

New Era Farm Services, Inc.

EMD, Inc.

Doug DeLeo Welding, Inc.

Ralph Fuller Electric

Russell Paving

W & E Electric

John Corkins1696 S. Leggett, Porterville 784-5787

2120 S. K St., Tulare 688-5684

Michael A. Dias502 W. Grangeville Blvd., Hanford 585-7330

Dennis Mederos791 N. Cherry St., Tulare 686-3861

James C. Johnson1007 N. Demaree St., Visalia 741-1800

Ward R. Stringham756 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare 686-1747

Jon Dolieslager9641 Avenue 384, Dinuba 591-0884

Randy Baxley733 N. Ben Maddox Way, Visalia 625-9615

Mike MoraPO Box 1431, Visalia 334-6202

James Manning194 W. Tulare St., Dinuba 591-4910

Joey AguiarPO Box 2032, Tulare 687-9413

1121 E. Acequia Ave., Visalia 734-4649

William W. Van Scyoc418 S. Main St., Pixley 757-3574

739 N. Ben Maddox, Visalia 734-3501

509 S. Pinkham St., Ste. B, Visalia 741-2940

Linda Reese

2300 W. Whitendale Ave, Visalia 732-8892

Bill Hoover3300 S. Demaree St., Visalia 622-3023

Dennis Sexton813 W. Oak Ave., Ste. C, Porterville 741-9400

Douglas L. Graham2904 E. Oakdale, Tulare 686-3833

Lolen East4930 W. Kaweah Ct., Ste. 200, Visalia 636-7000

Doug DeLeoPO Box 878, Lindsay 562-3700

253 W. Pine, Exeter 592-4633

Joe Russell1110 N. Cain St., Visalia 734-6948

Larry W. Edwards12686 Avenue 416, Orosi 528-3866

AAA Security, Inc.

Smokin’ Barrel Firearms

Will Tiesiera Ford Mercury

Battery Systems

Bryan Company

Skip Rouch Construction

Valley Cleaning & Restoration

321 E. Noble Ave., Bldg C, Farmersville 594-5600

Robert J. Gaalswyk3222 N. Demaree St., Ste. D, Visalia 625-5855

Bruce Boren2010 E. Cross Ave., Tulare 688-7471

1601 E. Main Street, Visalia 651-0245

Ken BryanP.O. Box 2565, Visalia 732-3516

54773 Chinquapin Dr., Springville 542-3000

Robert J. Lassotovitch641 S. Plano Street, Porterville 781-4800

Agriculture Services andCustom Harvesting

Attorneys & Legal Services

Auctions

Automotive Dealers

Automotive Service & Repair

Banks & Financial Services

Composting & CompostSales

Computer Sales & Service

Contractors

Ag Theft & Security Services

Brian Black Farming

Bank of the Sierra Ag Credit

Dan Freitas Electric, Inc.

Brian Black16760 El Rio Drive, Visalia 594-6834

PO Box 1930, Porterville 782-4432

Dan Freitas983 E. Levin Avenue, Tulare 686-9572

E & M Ag Services, Inc.

Good Fellas Harvesting

Central Valley Community Bank

Farm Credit West

Golden State Farm Credit Associate ACA

Stifel Nicolaus

Suncrest Bank

Tri Counties Bank

Matthew BakkePO Box 7208, Visalia 625-5020

P.O. Box 9, Tipton 359-1907

Erin Probasco

7100 N. Financial Drive, Ste 101, Fresno 323-3472

Don O Dell200 E. Cartmill, Tulare 732-4501

PO Box 1838, Hanford 584-5401

David C. Sharp217 E. Caldwell Ave., Visalia 622-1040

400 W. Center Ave., Visalia 802-1000

Houk and Hornburg, Inc.Thomas E. Hornburg206 S. Mooney Blvd, Visalia 733-1065

Cooperatives

Dairy & Dairy Services

Dehydrators

Employment Services& Safety Training

Engineering

Farm Labor Contractors

Farm Management

Farms & Ranches

Energy & Utilities

Cal Bean & Grain Cooperative

Land O' Lakes

Mid-Valley Cotton Growers, Inc.

Airoso Dairy Farms

Amaral Dairy Service

Nunes Bros. Dairy

Riverview Dairy

Valley Nutrition

Wasnick Bros. Dairy Supply, Inc.

World Wide Sires, LTD

Hester Orchards, Inc.

Tulare County Workforce Investment Board, Inc.

R. L. Schafer & Associates

Keller & Wegley Engineering

Provost & Pritchard Consulting Group

Alberto C. Robles, Farm Labor Contractor

Salud Tapia Farm Labor

Agricultural Services, Inc.

Anton Caratan & Son

Crinklaw Farm Services

Foothill Ag Services

ABAA Visalia Ranch

Barcellos Farms

Halopoff and Sons, Inc.

LeyCon, Inc.

Bob Nuckols Hay, Etc.

PB Ranches

Peterson Farms

Tri T Farms

W.F. LTD

PO Box D, Pixley 757-3581

Steve Ballard400 S. M St., Tulare 687-8287

Stan CreelmanPO Box 149, Tulare 686-2823

P.O. Box 1087, Tipton 757-3598

Frank Orique413 N. I St., Tulare 686-9644

20445 Road 124, Tulare 686-3065

Randy W. Gorzeman9295 Avenue 88, Pixley 757-3522

Dan Waldner113 N. Church, St., Suite 403, Visalia

Robert M. Wasnick1012 N. J St., Tulare 686-4581

Mike Rakes5545 Avenida De Los Robles, Visalia 622-2222

Gary Hester26800 A Road 164, Visalia 594-5025

Adam Peck309 W. Main St., Ste. 120, Visalia 713-5200

Richard Schafer2904 W. Main, Visalia 734-1348

Dennis Keller209 S. Locust, Visalia 732-7938

130 N. Garden St., Visalia 636-1166

Alberto Robles20456 Avenue 256, Exeter 909-0630

Salud Tapia19070 Road 212, Strathmore 804-4345

Daniel W. DreyerPO Box 335, Exeter 592-4844

PO Box 2797. Bakersfield (661) 747-7700

Dave Crinklaw13837 S. Zediker Ave., Kingsburg 897-1077

Edward Needham3921 E. Mary Ave., Visalia 977-7282

Claude Atkins15430 Avenue 296, Visalia 733-7350

Tom Barcellos14857 Road 168, Porterville 752-4360

John Halopoff

19480 Road 244, Strathmore 568-1102

PO Box 847, Exeter 592-4913

Bob C. Nuckols13144 Road 216, Porterville 784-2793

Gabriel Pena12094 Avenue 408, Cutler 528-6997

Jay Peterson26789 Road 188, Exeter 592-5274

John P. Toledo29630 Road 44, Visalia 651-1301

Kerry WhitsonP.O. Box 397, Exeter 358-1252

Animal Health International

Johnston Calf Pens

Leal Dairy

Altsys Solar Inc.

CalCom Solar

Pacific Gas & Electric Company

Southern California Edison

Southern California Gas Company

Ultratech Industrial Systems Inc.

Mc Kellar Farms, Inc.

Micke Farms

8711 West Doe Ave, Visalia 970-584-5321

Barry Johnston12385 Road 96, Tipton 803-2253

Steve Leal7027 Ave. 208, Tulare 688-8367

909-2594

1434 E. Tulare Ave., Tulare 688-2544

Nic Stover9716 W. Grove Ave., Visalia (661) 376-0543

Ann Kloose705 P St., Fresno 263-5308

Bill DeLain2425 S. Blackstone St., Tulare 685-3213

Matthew Hendrick404 N. Tipton St., Visalia 739-2389

8244 W. Hillsdale Court #5, Visalia 651-1200

PO Box 189, Ivanhoe 798-0557

Gerald MickeP.O. Box 11026, Terra Bella 784-4322

California Safety Training CorporationBen Laverty2130 Brundage Lane, Bakersfield (661) 377-8300

Josh PitiglianoPO Box 9, Tipton 752-4319

Roger EverettPO Box 1656, Porterville 333-0283

Pitigliano Farms

Terra Bella Honey

Check out

our online

searchable directory

Page 14 March 2015Tulare County Farm Bureau News www.tulcofb.org

March 2015 Page 15Tulare County Farm Bureau Newswww.tulcofb.org

Call Kast & Company at(559) 732-5030

Do you want to advertisein the TCFB News?

“determines or alters surface water

rights or groundwater rights under

common law or any provision of law

that determines or grants surface

water rights.” The Act also provides

for local control of managing

groundwater resources.

H o w e v e r , f r a n k l y , t h e s e

statements provide more lofty goals

than practical aspects of the Act.

The concrete aspects and deadlines

of the Act are as follows:

1. Department of Water

Resources (DWR) will write rules

and regulations regarding “plans”

by June 1, 2016;

2. G r o u n d w a t e r

Sustainability Agencies (GSAs)

MUST be formed by June 30, 2017;

3. GSAs must submit plans by

J a n u a r y 1 , 2 0 2 0 , a n d

new/updated plans every five years

thereafter; and

4. G S A s m u s t r e a c h

sustainability by January 1, 2040.

P r i o r t o D W R a d o p t i n g

regulations, the Act provides that it

shall conduct three public meetings

to consider public comments. Draft

regulations shall be posted on

DWR's website at least 30 days

prior to the public meetings.

Unfortunately, the Act only

provides that one meeting shall be

located somewhere in northern

California, the central valley, and

southern California. Further detail

on the exact time and location of

these meetings are currently

unknown. Keeping an eye out for

the draft regulations and public

meetings will be critical to providing

public comment and feedback on

proposed regulations.

Joining a GSA is critical and

getting a start on that process now

is a must. A GSA is defined simply

as “one or more local agencies”. A

“local agency” is defined under the

Act as “a local public agency that

h a s w a t e r s u p p l y , w a t e r

management , or land use

r e s p o n s i b i l i t i e s w i t h i n a

groundwater basin.”

Each groundwater extractor

should begin thinking about what

local agency, or combination of

agencies, makes the most sense to

self-regulate any kind of plan for his

or her local area.

There is much left to be deter-

mined under this Act. Further

legislation is expected and regula-

tions are on the way. While much is

left to be determined, the next key

steps are to hopefully influence and

assist DWR in the drafting and

adoption of regulations as well as

begin formation of sensible and

practical GSAs that understand

and can respond appropriately to

local needs and concerns.

Tulare County Farm Bureau has

already reported several local sub-

basin conversations are beginning.

These discussions will be critical in

the upcoming months.

Aubrey Mauritson is an attorney

and citrus farmer. She can be

reached at aubreycairns@aol.com.

Commentaryfrom page 5

Page 16 Tulare County Farm Bureau News March 2015 www.tulcofb.org

federal delta smelt regulatorymeasures was "that of a zealot,"making her "unworthy of belief."He expressed sadness and"remorse for our justice system forwhat has been placed before theCourt.”

The court concluded its hearingby finding that, as a whole, thefederal agencies in this case are"unworthy of their public trust.”

The science of the delta smelt hasnot advanced. They can no moreprove today that increased waterfor smelt does them any good, anymore than they could in 2010.

We know this: if you give a farmerwater he can tell you what you'regoing to get, how many tomatoes,how much garlic, how manyalmonds or grapes. You know howmany workers will be employed.You can calculate how the moneycirculation impacts the economy.

If you give fish the water they giveyou a bunch of maybe's, could be's,and hope. They can't quantify whatthe water will do and can't quantifywhat it has done. It's very iffy.

They have no conclusive science,yet they still get the water. Wesuggest the Board spend more timeon the ammonia spilled into theDelta (The Great Delta Toilet Bowl)by wastewater treatment plants like

Sacramento's and also considerhow many smelt are eaten by thestriped bass.

The Board concluded theirmeeting by deciding to study theissue further until their nextscheduled meeting in early March.

That means we haven't beenpumping additional water for thepast two weeks while waiting forthis meeting and we won't pump forthe next two weeks while we dofurther studies. While the can getskicked down the road we continueto go without. Status quo.

This is a relatively small thing inthe scheme of things. If we can't getthis done, how can we ever hope todo big things like dams?

Editors' Note: Tulare County Farm

Bureau and numerous other

agricultural associations submitted

letters to the SWRCB asking for the

board to reconsider their executive

director's determination to curtail

pumping and thus restrict more

water from flowing to the Valley.

Busloads of local farmers, farm

employees, concerned citizens,

activists, and leaders from the

South Valley attended the SWRCB

hearing on February 18 but to no

avail, the State Water Board seemed

to be unaffected by the outpouring of

people at the hearing. Farm Bureau

will continue to monitor the situation

and advocate for water deliveries

for agriculture use.

SWRCBfrom page 4