Ag Tab 2014

South County Agriculture & Farming

2014

A Publication of South County Newspapers South County Newspapers • South County Agriculture & Farming • 2014

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Farm Day enjoyed by many South County residents

BY SAMANTHA BENGTSON KING CITY — Monterey County Agricultural Education hosted the King City annual Farm Day on March 12 at the Salinas Valley Fairgrounds. Farm day welcomes hundreds of third grade students from all the way out in Lockwood up to Gonzales.

In the course of two and a half hours, South County third-graders were given demonstrations on how horses are shoed, a rig that puts out compost, seeds and planting a seed, plant doctor or pest control advisors, healthy choices, North Valley Mosquito abatement who focus on education students to the dangers of mosquitos carrying the West Nile Virus and much more.

Heffren said, “Why we put on farm day is because as we moved more into the cities and urban areas, people don’t live on a farms anymore, so there’s become this disconnect. People don’t understand where their food comes from. If you ask a third-grader where their food comes from, they’ll say Safeway or the grocery

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store. What we’re trying to do here today is reconnect with those third-graders that there’s a process that food goes along.”

The California Women for Agriculture, a nonprofit organization who raises funds for scholarships for women pursuing degrees in agriculture as well as daughters and spouses of farm workers and occasionally they sponsor ag teachers, had a station and they educated third-graders about what vegetables look like and what they are called.

Members of the King City Rural 4-H informed the students about how they feed and walk their pigs for the swine project.

Miranda Beffa said, “I feed my pig two full cups of mash once in the morning and once in the evening.”

“A pig’s skin is an inch thick and they don’t sweat,” said Morgan Ackermann of KC Rural 4-H. “If you want to get your pig to walk, tap the nose to get them to walk. Also pigs like treats so I give my pig marshmallows.”

Jose Rios, Neema Yazdi, and Rob Cruz of PG&E demonstrated the dangers of active electricity wires with a model of a city

Samantha Bengtson/South County Newspapers San Ardo Students learn how to make healthy choices from Diana Biddle of California Women for Agriculture.

Samantha Bengtson/South County Newspapers Rose Ferrero Students learn about the swine project from Miranda Beffa of King City Rural 4-H. block and little human figurines.

“A great event, great to see the kids who retain this knowledge, it warms my heart,” Rios said. “It’s making a difference because we want to send everybody’s parents home safely.”

“Every third grade student in Monterey County gets the opportunity to come to farm day,” said Frank Heffren. “Monterey County Ag Foundation pays for all the expenses, for all the busing and any other

expenses that may come about. Putting on the Farm Day we pay for everything.”

The King City Farm Day is one of three fair days in the Monterey County. The other two farm days are in Salinas and Monterey and they occur once a year. The KC Farm Day is the smallest one but the one that grows the most each year. Sixtyone classes came this year, last year there were about 57 classes.

South County Newspapers • South County Agriculture & Farming • 2014

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Samantha Bengtson/South County Newspapers Haley Silveria holds a rabbit and poses for a picture next to another King City Rural 4-H member.

Samantha Bengtson/South County Newspapers Photo #4 Ceasar Chavez students watch Bandit, a Border collie, herd sheep.

South County Newspapers • South County Agriculture & Farming • 2014

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Local farmer supports King City Young Farmers through America’s Farmers Grow Communities SUBMITTED ARTICLE KING CITY — Monterey County farmer Bob Martin has directed a $2,500 donation to the King City Young Farmers.

Funded by America’s Farmer Grow Communities, the donation will contribute to the purchase of items for ag learning, as well as to send FFA members to competitions.

When asked why he chose the Young Farmers, Martin said, “These kids are just awesome and need as much support as possible, since funding for the agriculture department is really tight.”

America’s Farmers Grow Communities works directly with farmers to support nonprofit organizations like King City Young Farmers, who are doing important work in their communities. The program offers farmers the chance to win $2,500, which is then donated to the farmer’s nonprofit of choice. The search for funding to sustain and enhance programs is a yearround job for nonprofit organizations across the country. Through America’s Farmers Grow Communities, farmers have been able to support a variety of groups, such as schools, fire departments,

community centers and youth organizations like 4-H and FFA. America’s Farmers Grow Communities launched in 2010, and has since donated over $13 million to more that 5,200 nonprofit organizations across the country.

America’s Farmers Grow Communities, sponsored by Monsanto Fund, is part of the America’s Farmer initiative, which highlights and celebrates the important contributions of farmers like Bob Martin.

The America’s Farmers campaign is an advocacy program celebrating U.S. Farmers through communications, awards and special programs that highlight the importance of modern American agriculture. To learn more visit America’s Farmera at www.americasfarmers.com.

The Monsanto Fund, the philanthropic arm of the Monsanto Company, is a nonprofit dedicated to strengthening the farm communities where farmers and Monsanto Company employees live and work.

Visit the Monsanto Fund at www.monsantofund.org.

Thanks to the support of farmers across the country, more than $3.2 million is being directed to nonprofits in 1,289 counties in 39 states.

Submitted Photo Pictured from left to right: Marc Meyer (Monsanto), Jessica Souza (King City High School), Patrick Smith (King City High School), and Bob Martin (Rio Farms).

Growing Opportunity for Small and Mid-Sized Farmers and Ranchers SUBMITTED ARTICLE The recent Census of Agriculture shows that there is tremendous potential for growth among the smaller producers that make up the middle of American agriculture, but they need our support to get there.

That can mean a lot of different things.

Some small and mid-sized farms and ranches are happy just the way they are, and simply need stability to help them keep afloat during tough times. Others want to grow and expand, but don’t know how to access support that meets their specific needs.

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Recognizing these challenges, we have launched a new package of education, credit, technical assistance, and marketing tools and resources geared specifically to small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers.

One major challenge that can make or break an operation is access to capital, so USDA has recently updated some of our loan programs to make them more accessible and navigable for small and midsized farmers and ranchers.

For example, our hoop house cost share program is now available in all 50 states, helping small and mid-sized farmers produce and sell more over an extended Continued on Page 5. See Opportunity.

South County Newspapers • South County Agriculture & Farming • 2014

Opportunity continued from Page 4 growing season. Soon, we’ll make an additional $15 million available to help farmers in persistent poverty areas in 19 states build hoop houses.

Our new microloan program allows small and mid-sized farmers and ranchers to use a simplified application process to apply for up to $35,000 in loans. So far, we’ve helped more than 4,900 farmers and ranchers access capital through the program—to the tune of $97 million.

One of many success stories that has come out of this program is that of a Native American beginning rancher in Washington State. He operates in a remote area where commercial lending is not easily accessible. Thanks to the microloan program, he was able to receive a loan to purchase cattle and was paired with a more seasoned mentor to provide council and support during his first years of ranching.

We’ve also made some changes to the Farm Storage Facility Loan program to make it more accessible and better tailored to the needs of smaller producers.

Fruit and vegetable farmers can now use the program to purchase wash and pack stations along with their cold storage equipment, improving food safety and efficiency on the farm. In addition, diversified producers like those selling Community Supported Agriculture shares are eligible for a waiver to the requirement they carry crop insurance or NAP coverage when they apply, if those products aren’t right for their business model.

Equally important to the viability of an operation is access to markets. We’ve made some changes in this area, too, with the goal of helping small and midsized farms and ranches find and break into new markets. Market News, which provides real time price, volume, supply

and demand information, has expanded to include data on grass-fed beef and local foods—valuable to folks engaged in those marketplaces.

We’ve also hired seven new Farm to School regional coordinators to help farmers and ranchers tap into the growing potential in the school food market.

In school year 2011-2012—before USDA had even established a formal Farm to School program—schools spent nearly $355 million on food grown by their local farmers and ranchers, and more than half of schools at the time planned to spend even more in the coming year.

Opportunities for small and mid-sized farms span the meal tray. Fruits and vegetables, fluid milk and baked goods are among the most popular, but schools are interested in increasing purchases of meat, poultry and eggs as well. Our coordinators are on the ground helping

farmers and ranchers do business directly with school customers, a move that supports both healthy foods in schools and a healthy farm economy. Our work to support these and other local and regional food systems at USDA continues to be coordinated and strengthened through our Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative.

These changes are just a start. We must do more to foster and protect the wide diversity of thriving farms and ranches across rural America. We will continue to ensure that our programs and policies meet the evolving needs of American agriculture, and will adjust policies and strengthen outreach to better reach small and midsized farmers and ranchers. With you, we will build an agricultural landscape where there is room and opportunity for all.

Central Coast Wine Competition now accepting entries SUBMITTED ARTICLE PASO ROBLES — The Central Coast Wine Competition has announced that it is now accepting entries for the 2014 competition, which will take place June 11-12.

The competition staff strongly encourages wineries to take advantage of the opportunity to enter the competition online at cmsfw.fairmanager.com. The entry book, which details the entry classes and guidelines, can be found at the California Mid-State Fair webpage or the CCWC blog at centralcoastwinecomp.com.

The Central Coast Wine Competition is the largest evaluation event for wines produced exclusively on California’s Central Coast and is hosted by six Central Coast fairs: the California Mid-State Fair, Contra Costa County Fair, Monterey County Fair, San Benito County Fair, Santa Barbara County Fair and the Ventura County Fair. The 2014 competition features an internationally renowned panel of judges including wine writers, winemakers, sommeliers and wine buyers.

New for 2014 is the Central Coast Vinegar Competition. It will take place the same day as the Central Coast Wine Competi-

tion and hosted at the Paso Robles Event Center.

“Our primary goal is to increase marketing exposure and help the wineries promote their product,” said Chief Judge Bob Foster.

Marketing opportunities include participation in the Gold Medal Wine Tour, a promotional tool developed as part of a sponsorship with PRP companies. Started in 2012, the Gold Medal Wine Tour directed visitors to the winning winey tasting rooms with the opportunity to earn free admission to the fair.

“The innovative approach we took using QR codes for off-site ticket promotions, earned the California Mid-State Fair top awards in the fair industry,” stated Vivian Robertson, fair CEO. “The team at PRP Companies was instrumental in helping us achieve this marketing endeavor. We are currently working with them to expand this successful program in 2014.”

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Data, technology can help vineyard managers with water issues

By Peter Garin For South County Newspapers PASO ROBLES — A series of speakers addressed soil moisture management and how technology can both save money and monitor vineyard health. The Vineyard Team, an organization dedicated to sustainable viniculture, hosted the seminar on March 12 in Paso Robles.

Speakers included Mark Greenspan, of Advanced Viticulture, Paul R. Anamosa, of Vineyard Soil Technologies, Alan Campbell, of SmartVinyards, Keith Backman, a certified Professional Horticulturist/Crop Advisor, and Peter Caessa, Program Manager of the Advanced Pumping Efficiency Program at the International Center for Water Technology at California State University, Fresno.

Kris Beal, executive director of the Vineyard Team, coordinated the program with Fritz Westover, the technical program manager, who led a spirited discussion as to what is now recognized as best practices for vineyard irrigation. The fast-paced discussion on advances of soil moisture

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monitoring was illustrated by the presenter’s use of new graphing software, which when coupled with the latest generation of remote field monitoring equipment was able to dramatically show the results in real time what was happening in the vineyard.

Advances in technology have brought the cost of this down dramatically. Previously this sort of information was only available to researchers. Now growers and vineyard managers can monitor and manage grapevine stress from their desktop, tablet or smart phone. The data is harvested from infield monitoring stations that transmit the information over existing cell phone networks or private data transmission towers, such as those provided by SOMOCO Wireless in King City.

Weather data, such as temperature, humidity and wind speed, can be coupled with moisture readings at various soil depths to give vineyard owners a detailed look as to water usage and the rates of percolation through the soil. This documentation is vital to vineyard managers who need to manage water and pumping

costs to maximize vineyard profitability.

This system would allow the owners and managers of a vineyard to receive alerts or text messages in the event of frost, stress, risk of powdery mildew, botrytis or other events that demand attention.

“If a scheduled irrigation is missed, I can see it,” said Jerry Reaugh, of Sereno Vista Vineyards, who is presently using the system.

The water-efficiency improvements can more than pay for the system. With higher energy costs, the pumping of water can be optimized and even automated to use the information generated by the sensors.

During the winter months, growers can monitor water usage to allow for flushing of mineral salts away from the root zone when they have access to a higher water level than in the summer months, when this practice would all be but impossible to implement due to a high summer demand or during years of reduced rainfall.

“With water becoming more and more a limited commodity, it’s essential that we optimize efficiency.” PG&E is offering funding for programs that can document

increased optimization,” says Peter Canessa, from Fresno State. “With a system such as this, you can do that.”

The days of managing a vineyard, (or for that matter, any other farming), by “the seat of your pants” are most likely over.

The need for monitoring both performance and costs relative to production is critical. As a vineyard owner or manager it’s all about time and money. They are responsible for a tremendous investment and don’t want to leave things to chance.

The documentation that a system like this provides could be invaluable. The metrics that this gives all stakeholders in vineyard management allow for sustainable practices.

In the discussions, it was noted the automation in a system gives growers a great advantage, but it doesn’t replace the hands-on in field experience. One presenter said, “If you have a sensor placed 6 inches from a drip irrigation emitter that is watering a dead vine, it can’t help you.”

With the pressure on vineyard managers to increase productivity and decrease costs and overhead, this could be a useful tool

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and provides the metrics and documentation that’s needed to justify additional watering (to relieve stress on the vines). It’s all about optimization of irrigation choices and the health of a vineyard. When someone is using an outdated irrigation model, or a model that was based on a different form of irrigation, that lends itself to making bad assumptions. When there is real-time data, they can see if they’ve made the right decisions.

In-field verification using a soil auger will never be completely replaced, but a person can only drive to so many locations and take so many samples in a day.

Knowledge of a soil profile is critical and is just as important as the data set that is provided with the soil sensors. With more and more emphasis on water conservation, this type of information, coupled with pump flow metering, could allow for optimum usage of both water and pumping energy.

These systems that provide the documentation for good decision-making are no longer part of speculation about the future — they are available today. Costs are reasonable, considering the saving potential on both energy and water. Installation for a weather station runs in the $300 range, depending on the equipment. In addition, there is a charge of $300 per node, per year. Whereas soil monitors used to be

priced at above $2,000, the newer models run less than $1,500, with some bundles running about $400, depending on the options and equipment involved.

“You would want to have a minimum of two depths of soil probe monitoring, but preferably three. One at 8 inches deep, another at 16 inches and the third at 30 inches deep. This allows you to visualize the water as if flows through the root zone,” said Greenspan, from Advanced Viticulture, Inc. The less expensive installations feature a bundle of individual sensors and probes at the three depths, whereas the more expensive sensors are a single probe with sensors every six inches. It’s all about how much information one wants to harvest and how detailed they want it to be.

There are also specialists who can interpret the information, as well as do the installation of the sensors and systems. The information that would be available from the weather stations and the soil sensors when properly interpreted could be as they say priceless.

For more information contact the Vineyard Team at www.vineyardteam.org .

Up-and-coming related events: WiVi, Central Coast Wine and Vinticulture Symposium and Tradeshow at the Paso Robles Event Center on March 19 and 20, more information at www.WiVi

CentralCoast.com Earth Day Food & Wine Festival www. earthdayfoodandwine.org Sustainable Ag Expo www.sustainableagexpo.org Peter Garin is a freelance writer based

in Arroyo Seco and writes about food, trends, technology, farming and climate change. He can be reach him at pg@pgarin.com.

Photo by Peter Garin Fritz Westover Technical Program Manager, of the Vineyard Team, demonstrated the use of a soil auger to attendees of the seminar

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Auction bidders go hog wild

BY BROCK HILL KING CITY — The Salinas Valley Fair 2013 Junior Livestock Auction was a smashing success! With over 900 exhibitors this year, the auction generated $1.468 million. “We are so thrilled to have successfully operated a dual ring auction at the 2013 fair; we were able to maintain great prices for our exhibiting youth thanks to our outstanding auction buyers, and were able to wrap up the auction in time for our buyers and exhibitors to enjoy the evening festivities at the fair,” said Salinas Valley Fair CEO Sarah Cummings. The main event at the Junior Livestock Auction each year is the bidding on the Heritage animal. The Heritage animal this year was a 248-pound hog raised by Dianey Duran of the Gonzales FFA. After frantic bidding on the Heritage animal just after noon, the hog ended up selling for nearly $55,000 at an amazing $221 per pound. The winning bid went to a group of buyers, comprising RC Farms, Ocean Mist Farms, Crop Production, Rio Farms, LA Hearne Co., Gills Onions, Integrated Corp Management, Gonzales Irrigation

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Systems, Bengard Ranches, Big Valley, Wilbur Ellis, Mission Ranches, Green Valley Farm Supply, Rava Ranches, Gonzales Packing, Holaday Seed Co., Santa Maria Seed Co., Vanguard Seed Co., Seco Packing, Bassetti Farms, Pacific International Marketing, NH3, Felice Farms, Marc Pura Farms, Scott Antony Farms, All Temp Refrigerating, and A&G Pumping. The Junior Livestock Auction started at 8 a.m. sharp on Saturday. A color guard from Fort Hunter Liggett presented the American flag as Morgan Silva of the King City Blue Ribbon 4-H sang a fantastic version of the Star-Spangled Banner. The Salinas Valley Fair Board of Directors then dedicated the 2013 Junior Livestock Auction to John Ramirez for his deep roots in the community and his continued longtime involvement in the Salinas Valley Fair. New to the fair this year, the actual animal auction was held in two separate auction rings in the Rava Arena. Using directional sound, both rings auctioned off animals simultaneously. Auction bidders were encouraged to plan ahead and travel between the two rings, using the auction guide. With over

900 exhibitors, the choice to hold the auction in two separate auction rings was a matter of necessity since there are only so many hours in the day. The auction began with the sale of hogs in both auction rings, followed by the Heritage animal,

the champion animals, goats and beef, and finally lambs. The winning bidder for each animal has the choice to resell the animal, have it butchered, or pick the animal up live.

Brock Hill/South County Newspapers All of the people responsible for the nearly $55,000 on the Heritage animal pose with the animal they just bought.

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South County Ag Tour was bigger than ever

BY BROCK HILL SOUTH COUNTY – The 2013 South County Ag Tour, which took place on Aug. 24, was bigger than ever.

Jessica Potts, executive director of MCARLM, said that the event usually averages around 60 attendees but that this year they had 98 people. Potts said that there was such high demand for the event that they went over their original limit and still had to turn some people away.

This year’s Ag Tour visited four loca-

tions: Eades Feed Lot in San Lucas, the San Ardo Oil Field, the L.A. Hearne Feed Mill, and the Delicato Family Vineyards.

Attendees got to have a behind the scenes look at the various businesses involve in the agriculture industry and were served a variety of foods and drinks.

Potts said that planning for next year’s Ag Tour typically doesn’t happen until later in the year but that she already has some local businesses in mind for 2014.

Tickets for next year’s South County Ag Tour will go on sale in late spring of 2014.

Submitted photo by Karen Jernigan.

Suk Eade explains his operation to guests on the MCARLM Ag Tour.

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State Streamlines Domestic Water Tank Storage Process In Response to Drought As the unprecedented drought continues in California, a number of the state’s coastal rivers and streams are in danger of reaching critically low stages later this summer, threatening rural drinking water supplies. But plans are now in place to assist landowners that store water for use later in the season through a state program.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) and the State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) announced today that they will expedite approval for the installation of storage tanks by landowners who currently divert water from these important rivers and streams. The action comes under the State Water Board’s Small Domestic Use (SDU) registration program.

Installing tanks to divert and store water when flows are higher will help improve rural water supply reliability and fire safety while also relieving pressure for instream diversions during the drier months when fish need it most.

The State Water Board has an existing statewide registration program for domestic use of water, allowing home water uses such as drinking and fire protection.

These small domestic registrations must comply with general conditions from the State Water Board and typically receive project specific conditions from CDFW. Landowners eligible for the SDU program currently can request approval to divert to storage. However, this can be a lengthy process requiring site-specific evaluations that address in-stream and habitat needs.

With today’s action, CDFW has essentially “pre-approved” the installation of storage tanks that meet the general criteria. The State Water Board has agreed to incorporate these criteria as conditions of approval, and to expedite the issuance of the registrations. This action will result in the collection of water during any upcoming precipitation events, taking advantage of higher flows, and using the stored water later in the season when there may be little to no water available.

Some of these water tanks can provide months of storage to meet domestic water supply needs.

“We have been working in these coastal communities for many years, and have good reason to believe that these emergency changes are going to be wel-

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comed,” said Charlton H. Bonham, Director of CDFW. “Many landowners who have wanted to take these steps can do so now more quickly with greater regulatory certainty from our department.”

This action is designed to capture water when it is raining and right after rain events. It is not designed to expand any applicant’s existing water right or amount of diversion. Capturing rain when it falls from the sky and storing it for use later can also help reduce the impacts to fish and wildlife from diverting water from streams during the driest times of the summer. Today’s action was the direct result of suggestions made by local communities and fish conservation organizations such as Trout Unlimited, Mattole River Sanctuary Forest and the Salmonid Restoration Federation.

“The drought is going to be really hard for fish and wildlife as well as agriculture and people,” said State Water Board Executive Officer Tom Howard. “CDFW and the State Water Board are open to any solution from any corner of the state on how to make it through these tough times together.”

Expedited permitting is available to applicants that meet all of the criteria set forth in the program. SDU program eligibility can be found at http://www.waterboards. ca.gov/waterrights/water_issues/programs/registrations/.

Eligible parties are those that are already diverting from a stream under a riparian basis of right in CDFW Regions 1 or 3.

The party should be diverting for domestic and fire protection use only, and has or will install a rigid style water storage tank.

The storage tank should be big enough in size to store at least 60 days of water supply for the house.

Parties who are eligible will need to accept the general CDFW conditions, most importantly that they will use the stored water as a substitute for withdrawing additional water during the summer when flows are lowest. The State Water Board will expedite processing of registration forms where the party meets the CDFW eligibility criteria.

This will help protect fish during periods of low stream flow, especially this year with the drought conditions.

With California facing one of the most

severe droughts on record, Governor Brown declared a drought State of Emergency and directed state officials to take all necessary actions to prepare for water shortages. The Governor signed legislation to immediately help communities deal with the devastating dry conditions affecting our state and to provide funding to increase local water supplies after it was passed with bipartisan support in the legislature.

Governor Brown met with President Obama about crucial federal support during the ongoing drought, and the state continues to work with federal partners to ensure coordinated drought monitoring and response. Governor Brown and the administration have also expressed support for federal legislation introduced by Senators Feinstein and Boxer and Representatives Jim Costa, Tony Cárdenas and Sam Farr.

Across state government, action is being taken. The Department of General Services is leading water conservation efforts at

state facilities, and the California State Architect has asked California school districts and Community Colleges to act on the Governor’s call to reduce water usage. The Department of Transportation is cutting water usage along California’s roadways by 50 percent. Caltrans has also launched a public awareness campaign, putting a water conservation message on their more than 700 electronic highway signs.

In January, the state took action to conserve water in numerous Northern California reservoirs to meet minimum needs for operations impacting the environment and the economy, and recently the Department of Water Resources and U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced they would seek the authority to make water exchanges to deliver water to those who need it most. The State Water Resources Control Board announced it would work with hydropower generators and the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to preserve water in California reservoirs,

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Storage continued from Page 10 and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Fish and Game Commission restricted fishing on some waterways due to low water flows worsened by the drought.

The state is working to protect local communities from the dangers of extreme drought. The California Department of Public Health identified and offered assistance to communities at risk of severe drinking water shortages and is working with other state and local agencies to de-

velop solutions for vulnerable communities. CAL FIRE hired additional firefighters and is continuously adjusting staffing throughout the state to help address the increased fire threat due to drought conditions. The California Department of Food and Agriculture launched a drought website to help farmers, ranchers and farmworkers find resources and assistance programs that may be available to them during the drought.

Even as the state deals with the immedi-

ate impacts of the drought, it’s also planning for the future. In 2013, the California Natural Resources Agency, the California Environmental Protection Agency and CDFA released the California Water Action Plan, which will guide state efforts to enhance water supply reliability, restore damaged and destroyed ecosystems and improve the resilience of our infrastructure.

Governor Brown has called on all Californians to voluntarily reduce their water us-

age by 20 percent, and the Save Our Water campaign launched four public service announcements encouraging residents to conserve and has resources available in Spanish. Last December, the Governor formed a Drought Task Force to review expected water allocations and California’s preparedness for water scarcity. In May 2013, Governor Brown issued an Executive Order to direct state water officials to expedite the review and processing of voluntary transfers of water.

Sen. Cannella introduces Salinas River Environmental Stability Act to ease clearing of Salinas River SUBMITTED ARTICLE SACRAMENTO — State Senator Anthony Cannella (R-Ceres) announced Monday that he has introduced SB 1398, the Salinas River Environmental Stability Act, to ease the clearing of the Salinas River channel.

Since clearing practices consisting of removing non-native vegetation, sediment, and debris from the Salinas River was halted in 2008, it has become overgrown and inundated with sediment and vegeta-

tion, presenting the greatest flooding hazard the Salinas Valley has seen in decades.

“Clearing the Salinas River will result in cleaner water and greater flood protection, ensuring a healthy, thriving ecosystem, environment and economy. The Salinas River Environmental Stability Act provides a streamlined process that will allow for work to begin while ensuring environmental goals are met.” said Cannella. “The inability to clear the river of sediment and non-native plants, such as Arundo, over the past five years has greatly disrupted the flow of the river.”

The Salinas River provides the Salinas Valley with a vital water source for both farm and urban uses. The Salinas River Environmental Stability Act seeks to streamline the regulatory process to allow clearing to occur more efficiently. In 2009, similar legislation was signed into law streamlining the regulatory process for an NFL stadium in Los Angeles. In 2013, SB 743 was also signed into law allowing a new arena for the Sacramento Kings to receive the same streamlined process.

“The Salinas River is unique in the State

of California as much of the land is privately held. Regulation has prohibited those landowners from clearing riverbeds, which could adversely affect not just the adjacent land, but the surrounding communities and the Monterey Bay,” said Cannella. “We cannot risk repeating the same damage caused by the devastating 1995 flood which ruined almost a quarter of the Salinas Valley projected crop value, caused permanent loss of more than a thousand acres of farmland, and damaged both homes and businesses.”

Yard waste contamination: A growing concern

BY MANDY BROOKS “If it grows, it goes (and if in doubt, leave it out)” is the motto to remember when using your yard waste collection cart, to ensure the material in the cart is clean, green and recyclable.

The local yard waste recycling program operated by Vision Recycling relies on clean, uncontaminated organic material and landscaping debris – including all the materials collected in your curbside yard waste cart – to produce compost, wood chips and mulch.

Think of it as a circle: Your garden grows and you trim it; trimmings from gardening and landscaping go into the cart; and the trimmings are recycled locally to create natural products used in gardening, landscaping and farming. From the earth, back to the earth, you help complete the circle.

Though other waste is encountered in doing yard work, it doesn’t mean it goes

into the yard waste cart. Items like plastic bags, plastic pots, water bottles, garden hoses, pet waste, dirt and rocks do not go into your yard waste cart. Only plant materials like grass, twigs, leaves, plant and flower clippings, weeds and small branches go in the yard waste cart. Everything else is contamination.

If you have curbside yard waste service you might soon notice a new sticker on your cart provided by the garbage and recycling haulers, or a warning tag indicating there is a problem with contents in the cart. This information is intended to help identify what does and doesn’t belong in the yard waste cart and is an opportunity to correct the way you use the cart before this money-saving service is potentially removed.

If you self-haul larger loads of landscaping debris and untreated wood to the Sun Street Transfer Station in Salinas or SalinasValleyRecycles.org facilities in Gonzales or King City, keeping the load

trash-free means it will qualify for a lower disposal rate.

Keeping this waste out of the landfill significantly reduces pollution, supports local recycling jobs, and helps the community move toward a future without landfills. Help is available for those who have questions about what goes into the

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yard waste cart and what materials qualify for yard waste disposal rates at the SalinasValleyRecycles.org facilities. Visit SalinasValleyRecycles.org for information, or call 775-3000.

Mandy Brooks is Recycling Coordinator for Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority.

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