Delegates Continued from Page 10
which “navigable waters” are subject to regulation under the Clean Water Act. California delegates, Viohl said, had “another successful year making our voices heard before American Farm Bureau, to ensure our interests are fairly represented in Washington by our na- tional organization.” Beyond policy changes, delegates elected members to serve on the AFBF board of directors and national program committees. Fifteen state Farm Bureau presidents, including Johansson of California, were reelected to two-year terms on the board of directors. He rep- resents the U.S. western region. Mitchell said he was happy to be in Puerto Rico to attend the AFBF annual convention.
chemicals known as PFAS (per- and poly- fluoroalkyl substances). “Our grassroots process really starts at the county level, and to see it make its way to the AFBF process is a reminder of why our policy work is so important,” she said. Recognizing growing food insecurity in the U.S., delegates approved a new policy to support access to nutrition programs, including connecting farms directly with food banks, increasing the number of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-approved food sales outlets and supporting other efforts to make produce available to families. Voting delegates also formalized Farm Bureau’s position opposing the 2022 “waters of the U.S.” rule, which updates which active discussion and participation are expected. Participants are evaluated on their ability to exchange ideas and in- formation on a predetermined topic. During the AFBF convention, mem- bers of the AFBF YF&R Committee elect- ed a new executive team. Matt Fimon of Virginia will be the committee’s chair for 2023, taking over the position in March at the end of the FUSION Conference, and will serve for one year. He will also serve a one-year term on the AFBF board of directors. Heather Graham of Kentucky was elected vice chair and Joel Currier of Colorado was elected secretary. They will each serve one-year terms.
“It was exciting being in Puerto Rico for the very first time,” Mitchell said. “I heard there were about 5,000 attendees from almost all 50 states, so it was a real good turnout at the meeting led by Zippy Duvall and his Farm Bureau staff.” Based on a poll of delegates at the meeting, AFBF reported that almost 99% of those who cast votes, or 334 delegates, operate family farms and almost 65% rep- resent small to mid-sized farms. American Farm Bureau Federation’s 2024 Convention is scheduled for Jan. 19- 24, 2024, in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
House of Delegates, so when you get into the farm bill, they don’t want to change the policy or make it easier for the West to get more federal support,” he added. On trade, delegates endorsed a policy of urging USDA to continue working with the Mexican government to drop a pro- posed ban on imports of biotech corn. The new policy also encourages USDA to urge the Mexican government to accept established science on the safety of U.S. biotech products. Douglass praised grassroots efforts by Farm Bureau members in California that shaped new AFBF policy that shields farm- ers from liability related to man-made
YF&R Continued from Page 9
Investing in Your Future cash prize from AmericanAg, a Case IH-branded safe, courtesy of Case IH, and $1,665 worth of Stanley Black & Decker merchandise, courtesy of Stanley Black & Decker. The Drivers join other national win- ners of the Young Farmers & Ranchers contests, including the Achievement Award and the Discussion Meet. The Achievement Award recognizes YF&Rs who have excelled in their farming or ranching operations and exhibited su- perior leadership abilities. The Discussion Meet simulates a committee meeting in
Yolo County YF&Rs Garrett and Miranda Driver, from left, with national YF&R Committee Chair Matt Fimon of Virginia, are recognized as third-place finalists for the Excellence in Agriculture award.
CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
For the week January 5 - January 11, 2023 ETO (INCHES/WEEK)
YEAR
3.0
THIS YEAR
2.5
LAST YEAR AVERAGE YEAR
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
MACDOEL II (236)
BIGGS (244)
DAVIS (06)
MANTECA (70)
FRESNO (80)
SALINAS-SOUTH (214)
FIVE POINTS (2)
SHAFTER (5)
TEMECULA (62)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
.24 .21 .21 18
.14 .24 .21 -35
.24 .30 .28 -10
.34 .30 .28 23
.18 .24 .21 -11
.18 .26 .23 -25
.26 .29 .21 15
.25 .44 .35 -32
.32 .71 .61 -47
.55 .58 .53 5
W eekly reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is the rate of water use (evapotranspiration—the sum of soil evaporation and crop transpiration) for healthy pasture grass. Multiplying ETo by the appropriate “crop coefficient” gives estimates of the ET for other crops. For example, assume ETo on June 15 is 0.267 inches and the crop coefficient for corn on that day is 1.1. Multiplying ETo by the coefficient (0.26 inches x 1.1) results in a corn ET of 0.29 inches. This
information is useful in determining the amount and timing of irriga- tion water. Contact Richard Snyder, UC Davis, for information on coefficients, 530-752-4628. The 10 graphs provide weekly ETo rates for selected areas for average year, last year and this year. The ETo information is provided by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) of the California Department of Water Resources.
For information contact the DWR district office or DWR state headquarters:
SACRAMENTO HEADQUARTERS: 916-651-9679 • 916-651-7218
NORTHERN REGION: Red Bluff 530-529-7301
NORTH CENTRAL REGION: West Sacramento 916-376-9630
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION:
SOUTHERN REGION:
Fresno 559-230-3334
Glendale 818-500-1645 x247 or x243
16 Ag Alert January 18, 2023
Powered by FlippingBook