Farm Bureau at work California Farm Bureau’s government affairs team is at the Capitol, advocating for farmers, ranchers and agriculture’s future. Here are some key issues Farm Bureau is focused on this week.
Technology A Senate bill concerning agricultural technology was amended in the Assembly Appropriations Committee to remove a requirement that agricultural profes- sionals report cybersecurity threats to the state; with that, a coalition including Farm Bureau has removed its opposition to the bill. SB 892 by Sen. Melissa Hurtado, D-Sanger, now focuses on the role the state can play in educating agricultur- al professionals about the substantial business risks posed by cybersecurity attacks. Under the bill, the state Office of Emergency Services and its in-house California Cybersecurity Integration Center would come up with a multiyear outreach plan to help the food and agri- culture sector, along with water and waste- water systems, make efforts to improve cybersecurity and evaluate options for providing grants or alternative funding sources to help improve cybersecurity. Taxation A two-year Senate bill aimed at help- ing the wine sector make well-informed business decisions was amended in the Assembly and sent back to the Senate, which then approved it. SB 518 from Sen. John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, allows the Board of Equalization to release winery excise tax data upon request. According to Laird, “As California makes 81% of all U.S. wine and is the world’s fourth leading wine producer, this information is critical, as it informs wineries how to market and helps growers big and small make deci- sions on what grape varietals to plant.” Two bills that exclude money received for costs and losses associated with wild- fires moved out of the Appropriations Committee. SB 1246 by Sen. Henry Stern, D-Santa Barbara, excludes such costs and losses arising from the 2017 Thomas Fire and the 2018 Woolsey Fire through Jan. 1, 2027; it has cleared the Assembly Appropriations Committee. In a similar vein, Assembly Bill 1249 by Assemblyman James Gallagher, R-Yuba Groundwater map tool released Groundwater projects around the state can be explored virtually by the public through a new online portal. The new California Department of Water Resources portal is intended to let people get a better understanding of one of the state’s most critical water supply resources. The virtual mapping tool is part of the state’s efforts to provide information and resources to address the effects of California’s changing climate and ongoing severe drought. The California Groundwater Projects Tool is an interactive map that allows us- ers to explore a database of nearly 3,000 projects started in California over the past decade to protect groundwater resources.
a letter to the Department of Pesticide Regulation Sustainable Pest Management Working Group concerning the draft plan for implementing sustainable pest man- agement in California. Along with the comments were the names of more than 1,200 Farm Bureau members who signed the FarmTeam® petition alert. Some highlights of Farm Bureau’s
comments: a 90% reduction in pesticide use in California is not feasible; a 90% reduction in acute and chronic pesti- cide-related human illnesses is unfound- ed and not based on data; and creating a new licensing category for sustainable pest management for agricultural pest control advisors is unnecessary if all PCAs have to take sustainability training.
City, retroactively excludes such funds from gross income if they are derived from losses associated with the 2015 Butte Fire, the 2017 North Bay fires or the 2018 Camp Fire, and authorizes refunds of overpayments. That bill has cleared the Senate Appropriations Committee. Pesticides Farm Bureau submitted comments and
SAVE THE DATE
annual meeting
December 2-7, 2022, in beautiful Monterey with new features including: AND YF&R STATE CONFERENCE
CALIFORNIA MARKETPLACE
Enjoy live cooking demonstrations and booths highlighting the bounty and artisan goods of Farm Bureau members. Taste, talk and shop!
Delve into topics including water, Senate Bill 11, media training, and membership recruitment and retention.
WORKSHOPS
Dr. Amrith Gunasekara, CAFB director of science and research, introduces the exciting new work being done by the California Bountiful Foundation.
PRESENTATIONS
SUNDAY ACTIVITIES
Kick off the meeting with a FarmPAC ® cornhole tournament, farm tours, golfing and whale watching.
• Continuing Education (CE) sessions on pesticide licensing • Annual award banquet recognizing counties and individuals • Receptions and networking • Silent and live auctions • YF&R State Conference workshops, awards and networking PLUS
For more information, visit cfbf.com/ag-events or call 916-561-5594
August 24, 2022 Ag Alert 15
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