The mid-elevation type of forest ponderosa pine and mixed conifer used to have about 60 trees per acre in California about 150 years ago. Now, a UC Davis and USDA study says California forests 165 to 170 trees per acre — and that may be a conservative estimate. "That's about a...
California Forests 80%-600% Denser Than 150 Years Ago, UC Researcher Says Biomass Is One of the Answers
The mid-elevation type of forest ponderosa pine and mixed conifer used to have about 60 trees per acre in California about 150 years ago. Now, a UC Davis and USDA study says California forests 165 to 170 trees per acre — and that may be a conservative estimate. "That's about a...
USDA Investigating Fresno Unified Payments on Fresh Produce Contracts
The U.S. Department of Agriculture is investigating whether Fresno Unified School District overpaid millions of dollars for fresh produce in recent years, GV Wire℠ has learned. Jerry Stanley, chief deputy district attorney for the Fresno County District Attorney's Office, said the office's Public Integrity Unit is no longer investigating allegations...
USDA Official: We Need to Thin Forest to Prevent Wildfires
A federal official surveying the Creek Fire this week says thinning the forest could help prevent future disasters. James Hubbard, the Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, met with elected officials and firefighters Wednesday at the incident command post located at Minarets High School...
Did You Get Strange Seeds in the Mail? ‘Don’t Plant Them,’ Says Ag Commission
Unsolicited seeds from China are being received by homeowners throughout the United States. At least 50 Fresno county homeowners have reported the odd packages to the local ag commissioner. More calls are coming in every day. Here's the messaging that officials want people to hear: Do not open the packages....
Audit Faults Fresno Unified Produce Buys, DA Is Investigating
Fresno Unified School District paid a produce vendor nearly $4.9 million over three years for fruits and vegetables that either cost more than the original bid prices or weren't even on the bid list, according to an audit by the Clovis accounting firm Price Paige & Company. The audit report,...
High Anxiety: Proposed US Hemp Rules Worry Industry
PORTLAND, Ore. — Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal policymakers move ahead with draft regulations. Licenses for hemp cultivation topped a half-million acres last year,...
Stop! Washing Your Thanksgiving Turkey Could Spread Germs
NEW YORK — Go ahead and rinse your cranberries, potatoes and green beans. But food experts say don’t — repeat don’t — wash the turkey before popping it in the oven on Thanksgiving Day. They say that could spread the germs lurking on your turkey in the kitchen sink or...
California Families Are Hungry While a Third of Crops Rot in Fields
Maximina Molina Sanchez is worried about going hungry this winter. She depends on a food bank in Huron to feed her husband and two kids. But with most agricultural workers out of jobs during the winter, demand is bound to increase, so she worries there won’t be enough food to...
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...