The Association has received the final information on cotton acreage in California including the breakdown between upland and pima.  The acreages as determined by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pink Bollworm Program are 56,730 acres of upland and 153,670 acres of pima, for a total of 210,400 acres.  The breakdowns are as follows:

The breakdown in the San Joaquin Valley is as follows:

In Southern California, the breakdown is as follows:

In the Sacramento Valley, the breakdown is as follows:

Please be advised that the acres listed are based on Pink Bollworm Program field mapping techniques are intended for use on PBW Program detection and control activities and are not assumed to represent exact cotton acreage planted in California.

PG&E has proposed to increase its revenue requirement for natural gas over the next three years by over $2 billion! Association President/CEO Roger Isom (shown in picture) testified in opposition at a recent public hearing on the case before the Public Utilities Commission. These rate increases are proposed in the 2015 PG&E Gas Transmission and Storage Case (GT&S). PG&E contends this huge increase is necessary for PG&E to carry out all of the necessary pipeline enhancements and replacements in wake of the San Bruno explosions. Ratepayers are being asked to cover more than 75% of the cost with the remaining burden to be picked up by shareholders. The plan would increase rates as follows:

• 2015: $572 million (80% increase over 2014)
• 2016: $61 million additional (4.7% increase)
• 2017: $168 million additional (12.5% increase)
• Cumulative total = $2.006 billion increase!

CCGGA/WAPA joined the California League of Food Processors as the only ag organizations testifying in opposition to the proposed rate increase which would be devastating to cotton gins, walnut huller/dehydrators, pistachio plants, almond roasters and other processing plants that utilize significant amounts of natural gas. CCGGA/WAPA will be working with the Ag Energy Consumers Association (AECA) to submit formal comments in the proceeding.

The association is a part of the grassroots Fed Up at the Pump campaign, which aims to stop the coming state-mandated gas fee – created by the regulations put forth by the California Air Resources Board. CARB’s own economic analysis show that the mandated gas fee will lead to a substantial increase in gas prices ranging from 16 cents to 76 cents a gallon starting January 1, 2015.
Just yesterday at an event put on by Fed Up At The Pump, the Association’s Director of Regulatory Affairs, Aimee Brooks spoke to the crowd about the impending impacts higher fuel prices will have for the agriculture industry and others. Brooks quoted current diesel fuel costs in California which sit 8.7% higher than competing agriculture regions in the US and explained to onlookers how fuel prices have a much broader impact that just rising food and freight prices, saying:
“Workers can’t make ends meet when their own fuel costs to get to work and home increase significantly, pair that with the current drought, and it’s a recipe for huge unemployment in disadvantaged communities. What about the thousands of entities that provide goods and services to the industry? Who will get cut out when budgets tighten?”
Legislation to delay fuels under the cap, AB 69 (Perea) is currently held up in the Senate Rules Committee.
Want to take action? YOU CAN HELP! Join Fed up at the Pump and tell Governor Brown and the California Air Resources Board to “BACK OFF!” and stop the January 1 gas price hike before it damages California’s struggling economy and negatively affects millions hard working Californians! Visit their website at www.fedupatthepump.org to sign up and for more information.

Association President/CEO Roger Isom has spent the past two days in Sacramento walking the halls seeking the most money possible for a water bond this state sorely needs.  In particular, the effort focused on getting as much funding for storage as possible, hopefully $3 billion.  This $3 billion figure was contained in the original bond, but the Governor had only committed to $2 billion.  In the midst of the negotiations, several groups came out in favor of $2.5 billion, but the Associations (CCGGA & WAPA) along with California Citrus Mutual, the California Fresh Fruit Association, California Dairies Inc., Nisei Farmers League and the California Rice Commission held fast; and due to these groups, and only these groups, it was eventually increased to $2.7 billion!  In addition, there will be some additional news in the near future on a separate effort to help fund a “cross valley connector” canal to help the entire water system.  This too was an effort of these organizations.  This was a tremendous achievement to get to $2.7 billion, and several Central Valley legislators deserve credit for holding strong including Assemblywoman Connie Conway, Assemblyman Rudy Salas, Assemblyman Henry T. Perea, Assemblyman Adam Gray, Assemblywoman Kristen Olsen, Assemblyman Jim Patterson, Senator Andy Vidak, Senator Jean Fuller, Senator Tom Berryhill, Senator Anthony Cannella, and Senator Jim Nielsen.  It truly was a bipartisan valleywide effort to try and secure as much funding for water as we could possibly get.  Now the effort to secure passage by voters in November begins…

The upcoming Western Cotton Conference to be held in conjunction with the Supima Annual Meeting on August 27, 2014 at Harris Ranch Inn, Coalinga, California.

The speakers for this year’s event are Anthony Tancredi, Chairman of the American Cotton Shippers Association, with a market outlook; Paul Brown, Agricultural Meteorologist, University of Arizona, on weather trends in the Far West and the implications for agriculture; and Kevin McDermott, WCSA President, with issues regarding Far West cotton.

Members planning to attend should register in advance in order for us to provide an accurate guarantee for lunch. Please return your registration form to the WCSA office no later than August 24!

August 27th Event Flyer and Registration Form

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7, 2014 — U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency Administrator Juan M. Garcia today announced that farmers can enroll in the Cotton Transition Assistance Program (CTAP) from Aug. 11, 2014 through Oct. 7, 2014.

The program, created by the 2014 Farm Bill, provides interim payments to cotton producers during the 2014 crop year until the Stacked Income Protection Plan, a new insurance product also created by the legislation, is available. Details on the plan will be released by mid-August.

“The Cotton Transition Assistance Program is another milestone in USDA’s ambitious timeline for implementing the provisions of the 2014 Farm Bill. Cotton producers now have a risk management tool in place,” said Garcia. “To help us provide the best service possible, cotton producers are encouraged to schedule an appointment with their local Farm Service Agency office early in this enrollment period,” added Garcia.

CTAP applications approved before Oct. 1, are subject to congressionally mandated automatic reductions of 7.2 percent for the 2014 crop year. Applications approved after Oct. 1 will be reduced the required 7.3 percent for the 2015 crop year. The Budget Control Act of 2011 requires USDA to implement these reductions to program payments.

CTAP and the Stacked Income Protection Plan were established by the 2014 Farm Bill. The Farm Bill builds on historic economic gains in rural America over the past five years, while achieving meaningful reform and billions of dollars in savings for taxpayers. Since enactment, USDA has made significant progress to implement each provision of this critical legislation, including providing disaster relief to farmers and ranchers; strengthening risk management tools; expanding access to rural credit; funding critical research; establishing innovative public-private conservation partnerships; developing new markets for rural-made products; and investing in infrastructure, housing and community facilities to help improve quality of life in rural America. For more information, visit www.usda.gov/farmbill.

For more information about CTAP, visit a local FSA office or go online to www.fsa.usda.gov.

USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. To file a complaint of discrimination, write: USDA, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of Adjudication, 1400 Independence Ave., SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (866) 632-9992 (Toll-free Customer Service), (800) 877-8339 (Local or Federal relay), (866) 377-8642 (Relay voice users).

The Association co-hosted a special tour for Richard Corey, Executive Officer of the California Air Resources Board (CARB) and Alberto Ayala, Deputy Executive Office of CARB, along with some CARB and SJVAPCD staff. The focus of the tour was to introduce the Executive Officers to agricultural equipment and the issues facing the industry with regards to incentive programs and potential regulations. The two day tour covered many different crops and areas of the valley in an attempt to educate the agency on the vast difference in equipment, the types of specialty equipment that is used in agriculture and the unique challenges facing agriculture including the devastating drought situation. The tour included visits to the operations of CCGGA members Gary Esajian, Bob Wilson, and Don Cameron. The types of agricultural operations visited included citrus groves, stone fruit orchards and packing house, a corn silage field and dairy, cattle feedlot, almond orchards, tomato field, onion and bell pepper fields and a cantaloupe field. Cooperating organizations in the tour included California Citrus Mutual, California Grape and Tree Fruit League, the Nisei Farmers League and the Milk Producers Council.

The Association has recently received information on the cotton acreage in California including the breakdown between upland and pima.  Preliminary acreages as determined by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Pink Bollworm Program are 54,440 acres of upland and 153,325 acres of pima, for a total of 207,765 acres.  This does not include the cotton acreage for the Sacramento Valley, which will be all upland and is estimated to be between 2,000 and 3,000 acres.  The breakdown in the San Joaquin Valley is as follows:

In Southern California, the breakdown is as follows:

Please be advised that the acres listed are based on Pink Bollworm Program field mapping techniques are intended for use on PBW Program detection and control activities and are not assumed to represent exact cotton acreage planted in California.

Did you miss the whitefly meetings in early June or need a refresher on whitefly management? No Problem…As part of the educational program to raise the awareness of sticky cotton as a serious industry concern, the linked presentation using materials from June’s whitefly meetings is now available to all growers, PCA’s and interested parties. Please share to all those who grow, manage, or treat cotton fields! Below is a summary of what the presentation will cover:

“This presentation will help cotton growers, consultants and Pest Control Advisers in California and Arizona understand the importance of managing whiteflies and aphids to prevent sticky cotton. The high quality of cotton in the California and Arizona requires that it be free of all contaminates, especially sugars deposited by aphids and whiteflies.”

Three major areas will be discussed:

• The problem to spinning mill customers caused by sugars on cotton lint
• Identification, scouting, assessing and managing sweet potato whitely, biotype B
• Identification, scouting, assessing and managing cotton aphid

http://www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/edcenter/seminars/cotton/stickycotton/

Completing the I-9 form can be a timely and confusing process. If not done correctly it can result in major repercussions for your business. Form I-9 In a Nutshell will provide guidance on the process for completing the form, and compliance requirements through the Department of Homeland Security. This webinar will provide you with information on what documents are acceptable when trying to establish identity for employees whether U.S. citizens or non U.S. citizens, acceptable procedures for storing forms, and what to do
when unforeseen situations may arise.

Form I-9 In a Nutshell Webinar Flyer