Valley Headlines

What is Trump trying to sell?

Fox26. Connect to Congress.
Synopsis: Adam Gray reacts to the State of the Union address, saying he was “disappointed” after not hearing a word about paying down the deficit or addressing avian flu. Instead, he heard plans that will result in the loss of health care to two-thirds of Valley residents. Gray worried that too many programs that are working for people in our Valley are on Elon Musk’s chopping block. “I didn’t hear anything about working together. And that’s a disappointment.” Some of what Trump said, “came off to me like a used-car salesman trying to sell me a bad car.”

Tariff tremors felt on farms

LA Times. CA farmers backed Trump; now his tariffs could hurt them. 
Synopsis: Central Valley farmers supply almonds, walnuts, wine, tomato sauce and cheese to the world. But retaliatory tariffs will soon make those products more expensive to buyers in China, Mexico and Canada. Worse, the ill-will being created by Trump’s punitive tariffs could linger long after tariffs are negotiated away. Farmers fear they’re in for a bumpy ride. “I’m very worried that it could affect the entire tomato industry,” said grower Bruce Rominger. Still, most farmers are loath to criticize the president, whom they voted for in huge numbers. Tariffs might alter that equation. In 2018, Trump’s tariffs lowered the price of almonds by $2.50 a pound, costing the industry $4.7 billion. Winegrowers are keenly aware that 41% of wine sold in Canada is made in CA, and now our wine is being pulled from the shelves by angry store owners.

Successful Farming. ‘Promises alone won’t pay the bills’: New trade war puts ag on high alert. 
Synopsis: In response to Trump’s tariffs, the Chinese imposed 15% tariffs on cotton, chicken, pork, beef, fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Among those decrying the new trade war were Amy Klobuchar, saying “this will raise prices for the average family by more than $1,200 a year.” The American Farm Bureau Federation respectfully pointed out that tariffs will cut income and raise the costs to farmers. Western Growers’ Dave Puglia says the lingering effects, even if disputes are quickly resolved, will hurt California growers: “Our first and by far most urgent call is for the Trump administration to move quickly to negotiate a stand-down with these important trading partners.” More reaction from dairy, corn, soybean growers, equipment manufacturers, fertilizer makers, etc. All hate the tariffs.

Farms.com. US Dairy urges swift resolution to tariff escalation with Canada, Mexico, China.
Synopsis: The International Dairy Foods Assn notes that 18% of all American milk is exported in one form or another and that 3.2 million jobs depend on export dairy sales – which last year posted records for product and profits. The industry has invested $8 billion in new processing capacity in the last few years with more planned. Nearly half of all exports are headed for Mexico and Canada.

LA Times. In Mexico, fear and defiance as Trump’s tariffs take effect.
Synopsis: President Claudia Sheinbaum called her people “valiant and strong” and unwilling to submit to Trump. But Sheinbaum will not announce her retaliatory tariffs until Sunday, offering Trump time to reverse course. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick is hinting that might happen. Meanwhile, there has been an immediate drop in truck traffic at both borders. As one Mexican professional put it, “Trump does not care about destroying our economy or the economy of his own country as long as he feels like the most powerful man in the world.”

Successful Farming / AgriPulse. Rollins reassures county officials, asks them to trust Trump on tariffs.
Synopsis: Ag Secretary Brooke Rollins told farmers Tuesday to trust the man they helped put in office. She said the tariffs would usher in “an era of prosperity for our farmers and ranchers that perhaps we haven’t seen in our lifetimes.” Meanwhile she hopes USDA services aren’t disrupted by the closure of dozens of offices across the nation – including five in California, including the one in Madera and the grape research station in Parlier.
MAD Take: An “era of prosperity” similar to 2017-21, when tariffs drove nut prices into a deep hole from which they’ve never recovered?

Oh, these tariffs can wait

GV Wire. Trump delays auto tariffs on Mexico, Canada imports by one month.
Synopsis: Apparently the president is having second thoughts about some tariffs, a day after imposing them. CEOs from Ford, GM and Stellantis told him the tariffs would result in lost jobs and much higher car prices in the US. Justin Trudeau, perhaps recognizing weakness, said he’s not dropping his retaliatory tariffs until all of Trump’s additional duties are gone.
MAD Take: Guess the folks who own the car companies have more clout with the Tariff Tiger King than the people who make wine, grow tomatoes, milk cows or crack nuts.

USDA offices in CA closing

Ag Daily. DOGE cracking down on leases for dozens of FSA, NRCS sites. 
Synopsis: The USDA released a list of 748 offices to be closed across the nation. It includes 36 Natural Resources Conservation Service offices. Some states will no longer have any USDA presence. Offices in Madera, Blythe, Bakersfield, Oxnard and Woodland are on the list. According to DOGE, this will save $9 million a year. Some of the offices slated for closure are in disaster-impacted portions of North Carolina and Kentucky.
MAD Note: It’s an interesting ploy considering Trump has ordered all federal employees back to work. Where will they go? Under Trump 1, there was a plan to shut down the USDA headquarters in DC and move the entire department to Colorado or Kansas. Guess that’s no longer on the table. And those “savings”? Have some salt handy.

Ag scientists fired in Fresno

Fresno Bee. Trump administration lays off USDA scientists at Fresno County grape-breeding program.
Synopsis: Trump administration budget cuts have forced the USDA research team in Parlier out of existence. Among their successes are new, popular varieties of table grapes, seedless red grapes, disease-resistant vines and grapes that dry on the vine into raisins and can be mechanically harvested. An estimated dozen scientists were fired at the Agricultural Research Service office.

Misery on Main Street

Ag Net West. Rural Mainstreet Index plunges to new low amid economic uncertainty.
Synopsis: The RMI is based on the amount of business bank CEOs are doing, and it posted its 17^th decline in 18 months. It fell from 42.3 in January to 38.0 in February. Anything under 50 represents “economic contraction.” The CEOs are especially concerned with Trump’s threatened tariffs (now reality) and their impact on farm prices. “It was upsetting because of the work that has been done over a 40-plus year relationship,” said Ian LeMay of the CA Table Grape Commission. “So, to lose that with the snap of a finger was jarring.”

Record numbers for salmon

Maven / NOAA. Coho salmon have record-breaking spawning season on Mendocino coast.
Synopsis: Last winter, coho salmon returned to Mendocino Coast rivers in the highest numbers since monitoring began 16 years ago. There were an estimated 16,000 spawners on the Ten Mile, Big Garcia, Navarro and Noyo rivers, exceeding every recovery target set by NOAA. The records weren’t broken by incremental amounts, the numbers were more than double 15 of the past 16 years. The huge return was due to $82 million in nearly 400 restoration projects on the rivers.
MAD Note: Salmon spend 3 years in the ocean, meaning these spawners were hatched in 2022 or 2021 – both part of the driest 3-year period on record in California. This is further evidence that salmon survival is less about water than it is about habitat (though water is important).

Battle lines over big project

Modesto Bee. Scannell warehouse project on Kiernan Avenue wants to be part of Modesto.
Synopsis: The city would have to annex 145 acres at Kiernan and Dale, on which would sit a 2.5 million square-foot complex of warehouses and logistics centers. Developers want the complex to be part of Modesto, but some folks in Salida insist it should be part of their new “city.” Other Salidans don’t want to live in the midst of a truck stop. Supervisor Terry Withrow is caught in the middle, saying the property should remain under county control until Salida figures out what it will (or won’t) be. The city of Modesto says it will do as requested by developers, and prepare a study of what it would take to extend water and sewer services to the project.

Honoring Valley’s women

Turlock Journal. Mayor Bublak named Woman of the Year.
Synopsis: The AAUW has chosen Amy Bublak as woman of the year. The organization will also honor mayors Sue Zwahlen of Modesto, Oakdale’s Cherilyn Bairos and Riverbank’s Rachel Hernandeza during its March 15 special event at the Turlock Library.

Turlock Journal. Divas honors un-diva-like women leaders. 
Synopsis: The Turlock Salvation Army had its annual women’s recognition fundraiser Saturday, honoring six women: Denise Maxwell, of Raley’s; Renee Pacheco, Little League volunteer; Joanne Perez, Can Tree volunteer; Lori Smith, owner of Main Street Antiques; Gloria Smallwood and Brityn Butrick, who opened and operate LaMo. Also honored was Music for a Cure, a concert to benefit Parkinson’s research.

Removing red-tape restraints

Cal Matters. ‘Too damn hard to build’: Key CA Democrat’s push for speedier construction. 
Synopsis: Buffy Wicks is pushing a big idea: Permit reform. Saying it’s “too damn hard to build anything” in CA, she wants to make it easier to permit and start millions of housing units, EV chargers, drought resilience and flood-protection projects. Her committee will submit 20 bills to do away with built-in permitting snags at the local level and reform CEQA. Democrats, having felt the red heat over cost-of-living issues, are in the mood to do something. This looks like something big, especially in LA.