Ag Alert. August 16, 2023

Hearing Continued from Page 1

“Farmers and ranchers have a vest- ed interest in the quality and quantity of forest management activities,” he said. “However, with nearly half of the hundred million acres in California managed by the federal government, private landowners are unable to slowly increase the pace and scale of forest management.” The Napa Valley farmer also spoke about the need to use the 2023 Farm Bill to incen- tivize private businesses to remove wildfire fuels, which include low-value wood ma- terials that can be expensive to transport out of forests and bring to market. There is also a need, he said, to develop markets for these materials. White also advised the House committee that reducing wildfire fuels in forests would be aided by expanding the amount of acre- age that is eligible for hazardous fuels re- duction and insect and disease treatment. “The reality is we are playing catch-up with a situation that has been worsen- ing for decades exacerbated by drought, disease and even climate change,” he said in a statement prepared for the hearing. “Collectively and collabora- tively, we must remain committed to finding solutions to change fire behav- ior and achieve fire-resilient landscapes for the sake of our natural resources and rural economies.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)

many residual impacts for California’s farmers and ranchers,” he said. For farmers such as White who live or work in areas im- pacted by wildfires, an inability to access property insurance has compounded the challenges they already faced. “Many farm and ranch insurance poli- cies have been terminated due to wildfire risk,” White said. “While a few policies have been retained, they come with much higher premiums.” After one wildfire, a California farmer re- ported their insurance premium increased from $8,000 to $36,000, White said in a statement prepared for the hearing. The inability to insure agricultural prop- erties has especially impacted farmers in Southern California and in Napa, Sonoma, El Dorado, Calaveras, Placer, Nevada, Shasta, Trinity, Mendocino, San Benito, Santa Cruz and San Luis Obispo counties. For some farmers, the lack of affordable insurance can make running a business no longer viable. To continue farming and providing food for people across the coun- try, “farmers and ranchers need insurance options,” White said. The California Farm Bureau worked to get state legislation passed to improve insurance options for farmers excluded from the private insurance sector due to wildfire risk. However, long-term solutions are need- ed, White said, after “recent announce- ments by insurance companies halting coverage in California due to rapid growth

Johnnie White, center, delivers his House testimony, with Butte County rancher Dave Daley, right, El Dorado County Supervisor George Turnboo, far right, and Matthew Bloom of Pinecrest, left.

of catastrophic exposure” to wildfires. Earlier this year, State Farm and Allstate announced they had stopped accepting new applications for home insurance in California, with State Farm alone account- ing for roughly 20% of current homeown- ers’ insurance policies. White, who serves on the board of the Farm Bureau, testified that “while only a few companies have made public an- nouncements,” the organization is aware of at least 22 companies that are no longer writing insurance policies in the state. White also testified about the challenges California farmers have faced as a result of smoke and ash. “Fires have covered California’s premier wine-, fruit- and vegetable-producing re- gions in extended blankets of smoke and ash resulting in severe smoke taint to wine- grapes and ash contamination to fruits and vegetables,” he said. “In 2020, following the Glass Fire and LNU Lightening Complex

Fire, over 25% of my operation’s wine- grapes were rejected and left unharvested due to smoke taint.” To address wildfire risks, White urged the federal government, which manages 18 National Forests in California, to consider multiple solutions. He encouraged Congress to create an exemption from Environmental Protection Agency regulations that would enable greater use of prescribed burns to reduce wildfire fuels in overstocked forests. White also advised the government to promote partnerships to assist the U.S. Forest Service in removing vegetation. Those partnerships, he said, should in- volve private industry, trained foresters and ranchers. The government, he added, should recognize and use livestock grazing as a forest management tool.

2023 Health & Safety on the Farm and Ranch

Agricultural Market Review Quotations are the latest available for the week ending August 11, 2023 Year Ago Week Ago Latest Week Livestock Slaughter Steers – 5-Area Average Select & Choice, 1150–1460 lbs., $ per cwt. 135-136 179-180 179-180 Hogs – Average hog, 51-52% lean, Iowa-Minn. market, $ per cwt. 119.20 102.57 100.02 Slaughter Lambs – $ per cwt. 125–175 lbs. National weekly live sales 99-162 185-225 180-223 Field crops – basis prompt shipment Barley – U.S. No. 2, $ per cwt. Truck, Stockton-Modesto-Oakdale-Turlock No Quote No Quote No Quote Cotton – ¢ per lb., Middling 1 3/32” Fresno spot market 89.49 80.06 80.77 Corn – U.S. No. 2 yellow $ per bu. trucked 9.36 7.60 7.81 Alfalfa Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Region 1, Northern Inter-mountain No Quote 210 (P/S) 360 (P) Region 2, Sacramento Valley No Quote No Quote 240 (P) Region 3, Northern San Joaquin Valley 390-450 (F/S) 380 (P/S) 380 (S) Region 4, Central San Joaquin Valley 360-475 (F/G/S) No Quote 350 (P/S) Region 5, Southern California 20-22.50 (per bale) No Quote No Quote Region 6, Southeast Interior 340-390 240-270 (P) 260-285 (P) Oat Hay – $ per ton, quality*, FOB Northern California, dairy No Quote No Quote No Quote Oats – U.S. No. 2 white, $ per cwt. Statewide, trucked price No Quote No Quote No Quote

California Farm Bureau is pleased to offer this year-long program of training sessions presented by Nationwide. Select topics will be presented in both English and Spanish. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming training webinars. Trainings will be presented via Zoom. The Hazardous Agricultural Materials (HAM) training must be attended in person at a participating County Farm Bureau office or at the California Farm Bureau office in Sacramento. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date.

Dry Beans – Grower FOB prices Baby Limas, $ per cwt, (sacked) Large Limas, $ per cwt. (sacked) Blackeye, $ per cwt. (sacked)

No Quote No Quote No Quote

Rice – Milled No. 1 Head, FOB No. Calif. mills Medium grain, $ per cwt. Wheat – U.S. No. 2 or better, winter, $ per cwt. 13% protein, Los Angeles, trucked price

58-62

No Quote

70-72

No Quote No Quote Provided by the California Farm Bureau as a service to Farm Bureau members. Information supplied by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Market News Branch. * ADF=Acid detergent fiber; (S) = Supreme/<27%ADF; (P) = Premium/27-29; (G) = Good/29-32; (F) = Fair/32-35. No Quote

August 16, 2023 Ag Alert 13