Valley Headlines

Ag Secretary’s veracity in doubt

Ag Daily. Rollins teeters on the edge of truth in latest House testimony.
Synopsis: Staff reporters write that Ag Sec Brooke Rollins “raised a few eyebrows” with her comments Wednesday in front of the House Ag Committee. She slapped down the anti-pesticide position of Robert Kennedy Jr., but it’s still “unclear whether the majority of her support rests with her testimony Wednesday or with the MAHA Commission recommendations” she made as a co-author of the study. The story details the committee’s skepticism “over her statement that no one has been fired from the USDA since she took over.” She insists those 15,000 ex-employees retired or just quit. As the story put it: “Rollins seemed selective in her word choice about the firings, mostly toeing the line between what’s the truth and what’s a lie.”

Successful Farming. Rollins defends record before House Ag, says USDA ‘adequately staffed.’ 
Synopsis: Sec. Rollins’ appearance before the House Ag Committee touched on trade, staffing and cuts to nutrition programs. She repeatedly brought up her efforts to develop new markets for ag products. Republicans on the committee mostly praised Rollins’ efforts to remake the department but urged her to focus on bird flu and New World screwworm. Asked about the Make America Healthy Again report, which featured links to nowhere and cited non-existent studies, she said the mistakes have been corrected.

Fire roaring in Firebaugh

GV Wire. Wildfire burns in Madera County with no containment. 
Synopsis: The River Fire has burned 12 acres near Avenue 7½ and River Drive just outside Firebaugh. It broke out Thursday morning and has had no containment as of 10 a.m., said CalFire’s Madera-Mariposa-Merced unit. The fire is quite close to a neighborhood and across the river from the city.

‘Wellness Center’ excites Gustine

Westside Connect. Gustine’s proposed wellness center among 15 projects seeking federal funding.
Synopsis: Gustine Unified School District has submitted a request for federal help in building a wellness center. Rep. Adam Gray’s office has included the project as one of 15 he is submitting for funding. The center will offer mental health and counseling services to students and families. Senators Adam Schiff and Alex Padilla also support the request.

More warehouses in Patterson

Patterson Irrigator. Planning commission reviews 1.15 million square-foot warehouse proposal.
Synopsis: There are two warehouse proposals, each offering 1.158 million square feet. They would be built in the Patterson Logistics Center in West Commerce Park on the site is Patterson’s old airport. The proposal would extend Haggerty Drive from Keystone Parkway.

Tunnel has fans and foes

Cal Matters. Newsom wanted to fast-track the Delta tunnel; the legislature slowed the flow. 
Synopsis: Dan Walters provides a 10,000-foot view of tunnel proceedings, pointing out that Gov. Newsom often tries to enact policy through the budget’s “trailer bills.” Usually, friendly Democrats are OK with this shadowy expediency. But NorCal legislators aren’t biting on a Peripheral Tunnel. The Governor says it’s crucial to face climate change; foes say it will kill the Delta by depriving it of 80% of its fresh water. Dan reminds us that a similar plan went to the ballot 30 years ago and got crushed.

Maven. Edward Ring: The economics of the Delta Conveyance Project. 
Synopsis: The CA Policy Center water & energy director continues his attacks on the tunnel, saying the 45-mile siphon could move 4 million-acre feet under the Delta. “But the reservoir storage necessary to allow the tunnel to operate year-round at capacity, or even half-capacity, is unlikely to ever be met.” That’s why this $30 billion project will deliver only 500,000 acre-feet per year. That’s roughly $30,000 per acre foot – or about 25x the cost of desalination. It would be cheaper to elevate Shasta 18 feet. “The biggest risk for farmers from Stockton to Bakersfield is that while debate over the tunnel” consumes all the oxygen in the state, “it crowds out everything else that has to be done. The urgency for everything else cannot be overstated.”

ICE raids shaking up Valley

LA Times. Eerie silence hangs over Central Coast farm fields in wake of ICE raids.
Synopsis: Three reporters found the strawberry and celery fields around Oxnard and mostly empty of workers. Several farms there were raided Tuesday, with 35 people detained. In Ventura County, federal agents went to five packing houses and five farms. “In many cases … farm owners refused to grant access to the agents, who had no judicial warrants.” Farmers expected ICE would leave their workers alone until after harvest, but that turned out to be false. The CA Farm Bureau has warned the Trump administration that such raids would “disrupt production” now and for months. Senators Padilla and Schiff have decried the raids. A growers organization has been training farmers in turning away warrantless searches. “The narrative that they’re taking criminals or taking bad people off the streets is completely false. They’re taking working-class people that are just trying to get by,” said one person.  

Fresno Bee. ICE sightings reportedly rise in Central CA; farmworkers are terrified.’
Synopsis: Reports of ICE visits to packing houses in Tulare, Fresno and Ventura counties have workers worried and “hundreds” of calls are coming into the Faith in the Valley Rapid Response Team. Whenever workers believe ICE is in the vicinity, they leave the fields and their jobs. No ICE actions in the San Joaquin Valley have been confirmed.

Western Farm Press. ICE raids on farms, packing houses rankle CA ag. 
Synopsis: Writes Tim Hearden, “federal immigration raids on farms and packing houses in Ventura County this week have sent shock waves through the region’s agriculture industry.” Assurances from Ag Sec Brooke Rollins to the House Ag Committee that President Trump “recognizes” the importance of having labor in the fields were sounding hollow. “Everybody’s on edge,” said Nisei Farmers League president Manuel Cunha Jr. He said farmers are making sure workers know their rights, but there are worries. “Yesterday I was told that workers aren’t going to come back to work today. We have crops now that have to be picked.” When two packing house owners told ICE “to go back to get a federal warrant,” they parked on nearby roads and detained workers as they left the building. Ryan Jacobsen of the Fresno County Farm Bureau said his organization has been educating members so “they can be prepared if ICE does show up to their door. They do have rights.”

Morning Ag Clips. Navigating immigration enforcement in agriculture.
Synopsis: The Plant California Alliance and Ag Council are sharing information from a law firm that could make it easier to deal with immigration enforcement. There are two websites, one for farmers and one for farmworkers in both English and Spanish.

Proof digesters are working

UC Riverside. A California dairy tried to capture methane. It worked.
Synopsis: Researchers at UC Riverside confirmed the hopes of farmers across the Valley, showing that the methane digesters so many have installed are working just as planned. The digesters capture 80% of this “potent climate-warming gas” and turn it into energy. There are 130 methane digesters in operation in CA now. “Until now, their real-world performance hadn’t been verified this rigorously.” 

New way to make milk safe

GV Wire. Fresno scientist says he can treat raw milk, keep its benefits; he just got FDA approval. 
Synopsis: Bob Comstock, CEO of Tamarack Biotics, has just gotten FDA approval to treat raw milk with ultraviolet light, preserving bioactive benefits without pathogenic risks. Before approval, he said he had to prove his methods were as effective as heat in killing pathogens. He pointed to a 2018 UC Davis study that found dairy protein treated by UV increased immune responses in seniors.

Wine news, good & bad

Morning Ag Clips. UC Davis launches small-batch wine label.
Synopsis: For the first time ever, UC Davis’s vaunted school of viticulture is selling wine. Sales of Hilgard631 will fund a scholarship. The grapes are from Napa and nearby Yolo County. Eugene Hilgard was the founding director of the school’s Ag Experiment Station at 631 Oakville Station. Prices range from $30 to $125.

SF Chronicle. A major wine company is exiting CA. What it means. 
Synopsis: Wine writer Esther Mobley writes that Texas-based wholesaler Republic National Distributing Co. will stop doing business in California after Sept. 2. It represents 2,500 brands. “If a wholesale behemoth is simply opting out of the largest wine market in the US … that seems like confirmation that the alcohol industry’s downturn has not reached its bottom.” National’s biggest brands have been leaving the company already – High Noon, Tito’s, Cutwater Spirits, Jack Daniels and many others. Winemaker John Buehler said wholesale purchases drive 80% of the business.

Frito-Lay closing SoCal plant

LA Times. Frito-Lay closes plant in Rancho Cucamonga.
Synopsis: The Rancho Cucamonga plant has been in operation 50+ years and is the birthplace of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. So far, EDD says Frito-Lay has not filed the required WARN notice that would provide an exact number of layoffs. But a similar plant closed earlier this year in New Jersey laying off 287 workers and a warehouse closed in Maryland ending 56 jobs.
MAD Note: The largest Frito-Lay facility in CA is in Modesto where 450 people make SunChips, Cheetos and other snack crackers in one of the most environmentally advanced facilities in the food industry.

Jewelry, juice, jiu-jitsu in Modesto

Modesto Bee. World champion athlete opens Brazilian health foods café next to his Modesto studio.
Synopsis: Three-time world jiu-jitsu champion Samir Chantre has opened Rio Juice to sell Brazilian-inspired snacks and protein shakes next to his Brazilian jiu-jitsu gym on Prescott Road. He also runs a gym in Lathrop and recently opened a second ProteinHouse in Sacramento’s Arden Fair Mall. His first is in Modesto.

Modesto Bee. What is F45? Modesto restaurant owner, physical therapist opens specialty gym.
Synopsis: Bobby Ismail, co-owner of Golden Bear Physical Therapy and Wildfire Public House, has now opened F45 Training on Oakdale Road. The center marks 1 year of business Saturday. Golden Bear has 22 locations in San Joaquin, Stanislaus and Merced counties, but F45 is different. Therapy ends, but the need for exercise never does, said Ismail. To be “functional,” you need to work out 45 minutes a day – hence F45.

Modesto Bee. New ‘high-fashion’ jewelry store coming to Vintage Faire Mall.
Lovisa will open on Friday on the second floor, next to Vans. The Australian retailer has stores in the US, Canada, Mexico and South Afrida and will be the third jewelry store in the mall along with Claire’s and Icing. A “different kind of European-Australian vibe” will set it apart.

Lots going on Saturday

Merced Sun Star. Anti-Trump protest planned in Merced; what to know about ‘No Kings Day’.
Synopsis: Flag Day, Grand Military Parade Day, Trump’s Big Beautiful Birthday, No Kings Day? Take your pick. In Washington, planes will fly, 6,600 soldiers will march and 150 military vehicles will parade on city streets at a cost estimated at $50 million. In response, a host of organizations are organizing “No Kings Day” – “a nationwide day of defiance.” There will be protests at Merced Courthouse Park, Graceada Park in Modesto, on North Blackstone and at Fashion Fair in Fresno, Visalia, Hanford, Stockton, Sacramento and San Francisco.

Merced County Times. Shakespeare in the Park begins this weekend.
Synopsis: The Merced Open Air Theater will present Much Ado About Nothing, one of the Bard’s most-loved comedies. It is the third time the play has been put on by Merced ShakespeareFest in its 20-year history. Characters will be dressed in western garb in the style of melodrama. This will be the first use of the company’s new sound system, purchased after its old system was stolen last year. Performances are June 14, 15, 21 and 22.

Merced County Times. ‘The love that never gives up.’
Synopsis: Editor Jon Whitaker writes about the All Dads Matter program that has been operating in Merced County for 20 years. It focuses on all dads – new dads, granddads, dads reconnecting with kids after incarceration, dads stepping up for someone else. Lamar Henderson started the program and has helped “thousands” of men over the past 20 years. He believes “every child deserves an engaged, present and supportive dad.” Their annual celebration is June 14 from 10 am to 2 pm at Applegate Park.

The Fresno Chargers? Maybe

Fox26. Mayor Dyer rolls out red carpet for Chargers for potential training camp.
Synopsis: Mayor Jerry Dyer wants the San Diego Chargers to think of Fresno as their home away from home. Or maybe just a cool place to spend August. He’s convinced Coach Jim Harbaugh, who says he might retire to Fresno someday, would be happy here.