OCAMPO, Mexico — Hundreds of farmers and agricultural workers thronged the funeral of activist Homero Gómez González on Friday, and the homage to him was like a tribute to the monarch butterfly he so staunchly defended. The butterflies' annual migration, threatened by logging, avocado farming and climate and environmental change,...
Trump Thanks Farmers for Backing Him Through China Trade War
AUSTIN, Texas — President Donald Trump thanked farmers Sunday for supporting him through a trade war with China as he promoted a new North American trade agreement and a separate one with China that he said will massively benefit farmers. “We did it,” Trump said, recalling his campaign promises to...
Sierra Snowpack Off to a Great Start for Skiers and Farmers
As holiday shoppers ventured out for last-minute gifts over the weekend, the snow-dusted Sierra was visible throughout Fresno and Clovis. Those magnificent views are backed by the latest snowpack report from the California Department of Water Resources. The agency reports that the Sierra snowpack is off to its best start since...
Locals Gear Up to Keep Kings River Water
Just as they did more than two generations ago, Kern County farmers are looking to another Central Valley river to the north to refill their groundwater shortfall. But this time around, natives in the Kings River watershed are “sharpening their knives” to fight off what they say is a desperate...
Prepare Your Taste Buds for Sticker Shock as Tariffs on European Wine, Food Take Hold
CHABLIS, France — French vintners are begging for government aid. Italian farmers are scrambling for new export markets. And American shoppers are about to face supermarket sticker shock on European products. That's because some $7.5 billion in U.S. tariffs on European food, wine and other goods took effect Friday, in response to...
Farms, the Environment, and the Future of Water
In the middle of July, I was surprised to find myself trudging through a couple feet of snow while hiking south of Lake Tahoe. It was a striking contrast to the long walks I took on the dry lakebed of Folsom Reservoir near my home during the historic drought just...
Valley Democrats Declare War on Invasive Swamp Rats
Rep. Josh Harder of Turlock put on waders and traipsed through the water in search of swamp rats recently. The goal: Publicizing a bill that he and three other California Democrats have introduced targeting nutria, an invasive species from South America creating havoc with irrigation canals and levees. What the...
Farmers Don’t Need to Read the Science. We Are Living It.
[aggregation-styles] The New York Times Subscription FIREBAUGH, Calif. — Many farmers probably haven’t read the new report from the United Nations warning of threats to the global food supply from climate change and land misuse. But we don’t need to read the science — we’re living it. Here in the...
Tariffs and Bee Research Cuts. How Will Trump Hit Farmers Next?
American farmers who backed Donald Trump in 2016 can be excused for wondering when they'll get some presidential love. After approving a bee-killing pesticide last month, the White House said Saturday that it would stop collecting data on declining honey bee populations. The Trump administration cited budget cuts for temporarily...
In Trump Aid Package for Farmers, Many Blow Past Caps
MINNEAPOLIS — When President Donald Trump's administration announced a $12 billion aid package for farmers struggling under the financial strain of his trade dispute with China, the payments were capped. But many large farming operations had no trouble finding legal ways around them, records provided to The Associated Press under...