TODAY ON AGDAY
APRIL 7, 2015
OPEN HEADLINES:
TODAY ON AGDAY - CENTURY OLD WATER RIGHTS MAY NOT PROTECT SOME CALIFORNIA WATER USERS FROM THE DROUGHT. WE’LL GET THE FIRST CHECK OF THE SEASON ON THE NATION’S CROPS. IN AGRIBUSINESS....THE ACREAGE NUMBERS SURPRISED ME. YEAH, YOU AND BASICALLY THE BULK OF THE TRADE… A DEADLY BIRD FLU STRIKES ANOTHER STATE. MEAT EXPORTS CONTINUE TO STRUGGLE....AND GETTING BACK TO NATURE TO PROVE A POINT IN THE CLASSROOM. AGDAY-BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE DEPENDABLE, LONG LASTING CHEVY SILVERADO…
CALI DROUGHT:
BUT THE STATE WATER RESOURCES CONTROL BOARD IS WARNING THAT WATER RIGHT HOLDERS, INCLUDING SOME SENIOR RIGHT HOLDERS, ARE LIKELY TO BE CURTAILED SOON WITHIN KEY WATERSHEDS IN THE STATE. THE BOARD’S MOVE COULD PLACE RESTRICTIONS ON THOSE WITH CLAIMS TO WATER BEFORE 1914 FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE CURRENT DROUGHT.THE WARNING FROM THE WATER RESOURCES BOARD IS INTENDED TO GIVE PRODUCERS ADVANCE NOTICE SO THEY CAN ADJUST SPRING PLANTING DECISIONS. WHEN THERE IS INSUFFICIENT WATER AVAILABLE TO MEET ALL THE DEMAND IN A WATERSHED, WATER RIGHT HOLDERS ARE TOLD TO STOP DIVERTING SURFACE WATER. AS IN MANY WATER RIGHTS ISSUES - JUNIOR STAKEHOLDERS ARE REQUIRED TO MAKE THE FIRST CUTS.
CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION PRESIDENT, PAUL WENGER SAYS FARMERS IN THE STATE HAVE BEEN UNDER FIRE FOR YEARS FOR GROWING WATER-INTENSIVE CROPS.
CFBF WENGER:
WENGER SAYS ALMONDS AND WALNUTS ARE A GREAT SOURCE OF NON-PARISHABLE PROTEIN OTHER COUNTRIES CAN BENEFIT FROM. ON WEDNESDAY SURVEYORS FOUND THE SIERRA NEVADA SNOWPACK CONTAINS JUST 5 PERCENT OF ITS NORMAL WATER LEVEL, WHICH MAKES ITS WAY INTO RIVERS AND STREAMS AND PROVIDES 30 PERCENT OF THE STATE’S WATER.
EPA WOTUS:
IN OTHER WATER MATTERS, THE EPA SENT ITS PROPOSED CLEAN WATER RULE CHANGES TO THE OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET FOR REVIEW LAST WEEK. IN A BLOG POST, EPA ADMINISTRATOR GINA MCCARTHY SAYS THE EPA IS CONSIDERING CHANGING SOME ‘CONFUSING’ LANGUAGE IN THE UPDATED RULE. MCCARTHY WROTE THE EPA WOULD CLEAR-UP DEFINITIONS OF TRIBUTARIES, ADJACENT WATERS, AND UPLAND DITCHES. THOSE DEFINITIONS HAVE BEEN A SORE SPOT WITH MANY FARM GROUPS.
CROP PROGRESS:
FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS YEAR, USDA IS ISSUING ITS NATIONAL CROP PROGRESS REPORT DATA. UNTIL NOW, IT’S BEEN A STATE-BY-STATE REPORT.
TEXAS CORN:
TEXAS CORN PLANTING REACHED 37-PERCENT. A 17 POINT BUMP FROM LAST WEEK. IT’S USUALLY ABOUT HALF BY NOW.
LOUISIANA CORN:
IN LOUISIANA - THE CORN CROP IS ONLY ABOUT 400-THOUSAND ACRES. PLANTING REACHED 67-PERCENT - A 50 POINT JUMP FROM LAST WEEK. THE FIVE YEAR AVERAGE IS 93-PERCENT SO SOME DELAYS STILL EXIST.
MEAT EXPORTS:
THE WEST COAST PORT DISPUTE HAD A LINGERING EFFECT ON MEAT EXPORTS IN FEBRUARY. THE U-S MEAT EXPORT FEDERATION RELEASED ITS MONTHLY DISPATCH. IT SAYS BEEF SHIPMENTS WERE DOWN THREE PERCENT IN VOLUME FROM A YEAR AGO. PORK EXPORTS WERE DOWN FIVE PERCENT IN VOLUME. THE TENTATIVE UNION CONTRACT WASN’T REACHED UNTIL FEBRUARY 20TH SO THE ISSUE HAD A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON MEAT EXPORTS. U-S-M-E-F EXPECTS TO SEE STRONGER NUMBERS IN THE MARCH REPORT.
TEASE:
STILL TO COME WE’LL HAVE OUR DAILY STOP AT THE CHICAGO BOARD OF TRADE. PLUS AL PELL IS HERE TO DISCUSS ACREAGE WITH ANGIE MAQUIRE OF CITIZENS GRAIN.
CHEESE PRODUCTION:
IN NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS AT DAIRY TODAY - USDA’S FEBRUARY DAIRY PRODUCTS REPORT SHOWS CHEESE PRODUCTION IS UP, BUTTER IS DOWN...FEBRUARY’S TOTAL CHEESE OUTPUT WAS 884 MILLION POUNDS, ABOUT FOUR PERCENT HIGHER FROM A YEAR AGO. BUT 10 PERCENT BELOW JANUARY 2015. BUTTER PRODUCTION WAS 156 MILLION POUNDS, ABOUT FIVE PERCENT LOWER THAN A YEAR AGO. AND 13-PERCENT LOWER THAN JANUARY.
CLOSE:
THAT’S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE THIS MORNING. WE’RE GLAD YOU TUNED IN.
