Meeting #1 – Dos Palos
When:  Tuesday, August 17^th at 9:00 am
Where: Dos Palos Cooperative Gin, 7870 W.
Hutchins Road, Dos Palos, CA
Gin Manager – Mike Davis

Meeting #2 – Corcoran
When:  Wednesday, August 18^th at 8:00 am
Where: Cross Creek II Gin, LLC, 2411 Whitley,
Corcoran, CA
Gin Manager – Kirk Gilkey

The meeting will be put on by UC Cooperative Extension, represented by Dr. Bob Hutmacher, State Cotton Specialist, and Dr. Ian Grettenberger, CE Specialist – Entomologist.  The sessions will last approximately 1 ½ hours.  Please call the Association office at (559) 252-0684 or email at shana@ccgga.org to RSVP.

The VW Mitigation Trust announced that up to $175,000 per forklift is available to help forklift owners buy all-electric forklifts. Applications will be accepted on first-come first-served basis through September 22, 2021.

Key Program Details

• Applies to forklifts with lift capacity of 8,000 lbs or greater
• May be anywhere in California and in any use or sector

How It Works

• Must scrap old forklift with internal combustion engine (Tier 4 diesel or earlier. LPG forklifts eligible. LSI forklifts eligible.)
• Must replace with all-electric forklift (battery-electric, hydrogen fuel cell or grid-tied)

For more information regarding the program or to apply visit the Program Website or reach out to CaliforniaVWTrust@baaqmd.gov.

Informational Flyer

The Association is working with Cal Poly researchers to review and examine maintenance and repair costs, as well as fuel efficiency for tractors.  Agribusiness professors Drs. Michael McCullough and Lynn Hamilton have developed a brief (10 minute) questionnaire regarding operating and maintenance time and rates for agricultural tractors. The information will supplement data collected from tractor service providers in California and tractor technical specifications obtained from the University of Nebraska Tractor Test Lab. No personal or identifying questions are asked and all responses collected are anonymous.  We would appreciate if you could take a few minutes to provide information for your tractors.

You can also find this link by going to our website:

https://calpolycafes.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3w9nVHgJg7fjEyO

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me by email at chris@ccgga.org.

The State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB) has announced a Public Workshop on Proposed Emergency Curtailment and Reporting Regulation for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Watershed and is scheduled for July 27, 2021 from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.

The proposed emergency regulation would require water right holders in the Delta watershed to curtail their diversions when water is found by the State Water Board to be unavailable based on the best information available to the Board. The emergency regulation would also allow the Board to require that water right holders provide additional information related to their diversion and use of water.

SWRCB staff will also provide an overview of the recent updates to the Water Unavailability Methodology for the Delta Watershed, which is planned to be used to inform curtailment decisions as described in the draft regulation. The draft emergency regulation text and draft resolution will be made available on July 23, 2021.

The Association staff is closely monitoring this issue and will be reviewing the draft regulation once released. We will keep you updated.

On June 17, 2021, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board readopts revisions to the COVID-19 Prevention Emergency Temporary Standards (ETS) and by executive order signed by the Governor, these revisions are effective immediately.  Some of the revisions include:

• Fully vaccinated employees do not need to wear face coverings. Employers must document vaccination status.
• Unvaccinated employees are to wear face coverings indoors or in vehicles.
• Respirators (N95s) must be provided for voluntary use to unvaccinated employees who request them, at no cost and without fear of retaliation.
• Outdoor workers are not required to wear face coverings regardless of vaccination status, except during outbreaks.
• Physical distancing requirements are removed except where employer determines there is a hazard and during major outbreaks.
• Employers must offer COVID-19 testing at no cost and during paid time
• Employers must evaluate ventilation systems to maximize outdoor air, increase filtration efficiency and evaluate the use of additional air cleaning systems.
• Employer-provided housing and transportation are exempt from the regulations where all employees are fully vaccinated.

There are requirements that remain in place from the November 2020 ETS, those are:

• Written COVID-19 Prevention Plan;
• Effective training with instructions on the employer’s prevention plan and employee rights under the ETS;
• Notification of outbreaks to local public health departments;
• Notification to employees of exposure and close contacts;
• Procedures for responding to COVID-19 cases and outbreaks;
• Offer testing after potential exposures;
• Implement exclusion pay requirements; and
• Employer-provided housing and transportation prevention requirements.

In regards to vaccination status, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) laws do not prevent an employer from requiring all employees physically entering the workplace to be vaccinated for COVID-19, so long as employers comply with the reasonable accommodation provisions of the ADA and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and other EEO considerations.  Other laws, not in EEOC’s jurisdiction, may place additional restrictions on employers.  From an EEO perspective, employers should keep in mind that because some individuals or demographic groups may face greater barriers to receiving a COVID-19 vaccination than others, some employees may be more likely to be negatively impacted by a vaccination requirement.

In addition, the employer shall develop and implement a process for screening employees and responding to employees with COVID-19 symptoms. The employer may ask employees to evaluate their own symptoms before reporting to work. If the employer conducts screening indoors at the workplace, the employer shall ensure that face coverings are used during screening by both screeners and employees who are not fully vaccinated and, if temperatures are measured, that non-contact thermometers are used.

To assist our members, we will be providing updates to the COVID-19 Prevention Plans.

This is an urgent advisory to be on the lookout for people trespassing on to farms in the towns of Raisin City, Cantua Creek and Caruthers during or immediately after pesticide applications.  Participants of a study by the Central California Environmental Justice Network are being paid to carry backpacks with air monitoring equipment in these locations from May through August.  We are concerned these activists may attempt to enter a field or orchard during a pesticide application or immediately thereafter in order to make sure they get a “detect” on their air monitoring equipment.  This effort is led by the Central California Environmental Justice Network.  For years, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (CDPR) has been conducting community air monitoring, and there been very few detections of pesticides, and none that exceeded any risk levels of actual concern.   Frustrated with the lack of evidence, the environmental justice community is resorting to using unproven and unapproved methods and equipment to attempt to demonstrate pesticides are impacting residents in these communities.  Considering these activists are getting paid to prove detections, we are concerned with just how far these activists will go to attempt to prove pesticide exposures.  Should you see anyone in or around the edge of your field or orchard, we urge you to immediately contact the County Sherriff’s office and the county ag commissioner.  We have already warned the Sherriff and the Ag Commissioner of this potential threat.   

Yesterday, the California Cotton Ginners and Growers held their 2021 Annual Meeting at the Tulare Agri-Center.  With COVID-19 restrictions easing for in person meetings, the Association was happy to host and update the membership on various issues surrounding the industry.  Breakout rooms were organized, and attendees heard updates on topics currently impacting both the growing and ginning industries.  Attendees reconvened in the afternoon to hear cotton marketplace forecast from Leigh Pell with the Western Cotton Shippers Association, and were provided an update on the National Farm Policy Outlook from Tas Smith with the National Cotton Council.  Association staff then updated the membership on various efforts on both State and Federal rules and regulations.
After Association staff made their presentation, Chairman Bryan Bone took time to recognize Tom Gaffney for his commitment to the association as past Chairman.  Todd Fitchette with Western Farm Press made a presentation, and provided the 2021 High Cotton Award to Hansen Ranches for their ongoing efforts to improve growing practices and commitment to the cotton industry.  Attendees heard an informative presentation from Dan Walters with CalMatters on the political climate within the State of California.  The Association would like to recognize thank all of our Annual Meeting sponsors, especially PhytoGen and Samuel Strapping for their 5 Bale sponsorship this year.   With COVID restrictions easing, the Association looks forward to hosting the event again next year.

The May Revise to the Governor’s proposed budget has been released and there is good news and bad news.  On the good news side, there is money for things like air quality incentives, water and environmental upgrades.  The bad news…there is not enough of it to meet this state’s own unrealistic mandates.  And there is money to fund more anti-farming activism through pesticide notification activities, something that this administration has as a priority.

The funding for the FARMER program which funds the replacement of old Tier 0, 1, and 2 tractors could not have come at a more important time.  The deadline to achieve 11 tons per day of NOx emissions is less than two years away.  The Governor is proposing $363 million over two years.  Without this incentive money, agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley would be faced with a mandatory tractor replacement regulation much like the state’s Truck Regulation.  However, the money is still less than the California Air Resources Board’s own call for $193 million for four years to meet the mandate.  The Governor also proposed $150 million towards solving the agricultural burn elimination issue in the San Joaquin Valley, but this is much less than the estimated $290 million agriculture believes it will take to end the practice.

On the water front, the Governor is proposing a $5.1 billion investment, over four years, to align with his July 2020 Water Resilience Portfolio. The package includes:

• $1.3 billion for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, with a focus on small and disadvantaged communities.
• $150 million for groundwater cleanup and water recycling projects.
• $300 million for Sustainable Groundwater Management Act implementation to improve water supply security, water quality and water reliability.
• $200 million for water conveyance improvements to repair major water delivery systems damaged by subsidence.
• $500 million for multi-benefit land repurposing to provide long-term, flexible support for water users.
• $230 million for wildlife corridor and fish passage projects to improve the ability of wildlife to migrate safely.
• $200 million for habitat restoration to support tidal wetland, floodplain, and multi-benefit flood-risk reduction projects.
• $91 million for critical data collection to repair and augment the state’s water data infrastructure to improve forecasting, monitoring, and assessment of hydrologic conditions.
• $60 million for State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program grants to help farmers reduce irrigation water use and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural pumping.
• $33 million for fisheries and wildlife support to protect and conserve California’s diverse ecosystems.
• $27 million for emergency and permanent solutions to drinking water drought emergencies.

Lastly the May Revision proposes $10 million one-time General Fund to implement a statewide infrastructure network to provide access to information about local pesticide use. The Department of Pesticide Regulation will be launching a process this summer to develop and adopt the statewide regulations necessary for advanced public notification of certain pesticide applications.   Coupled with the massive increase in the pesticide mill tax, it is clear this administration is targeting pesticide use in California.

This year, the California Cotton Ginners and Growers Association invites you to join us at Lemoore Municipal Golf Course on May 11^th for a PAC Fundraiser Golf Tournament.  The tournament is being held the day before CCGGA’s Annual Meeting at the International Agri-Center in Tulare on May 12^th.  Registration for the golf tournament is $100 per player.  Registration includes practice balls on the range, green fees and cart, as well as a tri tip sandwich lunch.  Registration for the event starts at 8 am, with the shotgun start at 9 am.  Payment for the event must be made via check.  If you wish to donate to the Association’s Federal PAC, we ask that you provide a personal check.  Due to Federal PAC donations requirements, contributions for Federal PACs cannot be made via company check.  Please find the tournament notice and registration page below.  If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Chris McGlothlin at chris@ccgga.org, or by phone (559) 547-0288.

Please join one of three Bull Session offerings at 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. via Zoom as follows: