madera county farm bureau - maderafb.com

April 2020 Vol. 10, No. 4agriculture today

Madera CountyFarM Bureau

CALENDARApril16 MCFB Board of Directors Meeting 1:00 p.m.

28 GunRaffleDrawing

May19 Heat Illness Safety Training @ MCFB 8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

21 MCFB Board of Directors Meeting 1:00 p.m.

26 GunRaffleDrawing

28 Pesticide Handling Safety, ATV Tractor Safety 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

June4 Regulation and Compliance Workshop @ MCFB 8:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m.

11 Tree/Vine Harvest Safety Training @ Madera Fairgrounds, 8:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.

20 Waste Tire Amnesty Call 559-661-5082 for reservation.

RegisteR foR ouR Rescheduled events:

Pesticide Handling, ATV/Tractor Safety 5/28Regulatory & Compliance Workshop 6/4

gun RaffleJoin our monthly drawing!See 1 for Details

Scholarship Recipients 2020

For over 20 years Madera County Farm Bureau has been awarding schol-arships to worthy applicants pursuing a study in any agriculturally related field, agriculture education and/or influenc-ing the agricultural industry with the intention to achieve a Bachelor of Arts

or Sciences. This year resembled prior years with a copious number of excep-tional applicants from high schools across our county of Madera. Appli-cations are received and reviewed for minimum requirements of residency and intent and then the applicants are

invited to the Madera County Farm Bureau for a short, informal interview. Unfortunately, with the cloud of CO-VID-19 looming over March, we were unable to hold in person interviews with the applicants.

The Scholarship Committee com-prised of Nick Davis, Laura Gutile, Michele Lasgoity, Jennifer Markarian Peters and Tom Rogers, had the won-derful opportunity to review the ar-

See RECIPIENTS; Page 7

SamanthaHatfield, Liberty High School, Majoring in Environment Management & Protection at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

MCFB Scholarship of $1000 each year for four years:

Arthur Cuevas, Madera South High School, Majoring in Ag Education at Cal State University, Fresno

The Franklin Secara Scholarship of $1500 each year for four years:

Nina Civiello, San Joaquin Memorial South High School, Majoring in Animal Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

The Tesei Family Scholarship of $1500 each year for four years:

Holly Bass, Chowchilla High School, Majoring in Ag Business at Cal State University, Fresno



Mackenzie Camacho, Minarets High School, Majoring in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Plant Science at Purdue University


Keiana Cramblett, Yosemite High School, Intending to major in Agriculture at Cal State Univ, Fresno after completing AA degree


Christina Fuller, Chowchilla High School, Majoring in Liberal Studies to teach Agriculture as an elementary school teacher at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

Congratulations!

2 | April 2020 Madera County Farm Bureau

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Madera County Farm Bureau

news2020 Executive Committee

President: Nick Davis 1st Vice President: Michael Naito 2nd Vice President: Laura Gutile

Treasurer: Jennifer Peters Secretary: Scott Maxwell

Appointed by President: Steve Massaro Appointed by President: Dennis Meisner

Appointed by President: Tom Rogers Appointed by President: Jason Erickson

Directors at LargeRyan CosynsClay Daulton

Stephen ElgorriagaClay Haynes

Michele Lasgoity

Jay MahilNeil McDougaldJeff McKinneyPat RicchiutiChris Wylie

Madera County Farm Bureau Scholarship Trust

Tax ID# 20-6516696

TrusteesMichele Lasgoity, Chair

Nick DavisLaura Gutile

Jay MahilJennifer PetersTom Rogers

Fresno Madera YF&R Chair Cory Broad

California Farm Bureau - District 9 Director Tom Rogers

California Farm Bureau Federation Issue Advisory Committee

Agriculture Labor- Jay Mahil, Chair; Nick Davis Energy, Air, and Climate- Laura Gutile Marketing, Organics and Food Safety-

Jennifer Peters; Pat Ricchiuti Pollinator & Crop Production- Ryan Cosyns

Taxtation, Farm Policy & Land Use- Jason Erickson, Chris Wylie

Transportation, Trade & Technology- Dennis Meisner

OfficeStaff Executive Director: Christina Beckstead

Executive Assistant: Kristen Sargent

Madera County Farm Bureau 1102 South Pine Street

Madera, CA 93637 (559) 674-8871; www.maderafb.com

Advertising/Publishing Mid-Valley Publishing

1130 G Street, Reedley, CA 93654

Advertising Sales Debra Leak (559) 638-2244

Editor Kristen Sargent

Periodical Postage Paid at Fresno, California 93706

POSTMASTER Send address changes to:

Madera County Farm Bureau 1102 South Pine Street, Madera, CA 93637

The Madera County Farm Bureau does not assume responsibility for statements by advertisers or for products

advertised in Madera County Farm Bureau.

Nick Davis,President

It happened, a pandemic! COV-ID-19, aka Coro-navirus, has swept the entire world. Not one person is unaffected by the damage this pan-demic has brought to our lives and economy. As of April 2, 2020, at 6:47AM, there

have been 956,588 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 48,583 deaths in the world. In the United States, 216,405 confirmed cases and 5,135 deaths. In California, 9,587 con-firmed cases and 204 deaths. In Madera County, 25 confirmed cases and 1 death.

Remember this, the talk of New Year’s Eve 2020 was, “This will be the year of FOCUS.” Focus, was a silly play on the new year, in-

President’s Message

TO BECOME A DONOR CALL 674-8871

new MCFB donorsMCFB would like to thank all our members who

help support our work through their voluntary contributions for the month of March

Davis Diversified Farms, LPDonald E. SchnoorJason C. Littleton

Landmark Irrigation, Inc.Madera Roofing Inc

PR Farms, Inc.Valley Pacific Petroleum

TO BECOME A MEMBER CALL 674-8871

NAME CITY P/C/B

new MCFB MembersMCFB welcomes the following new Agricultural (producer),

Associate (consumer) Collegiate, and Business Support members who joined in March

Demetrio Papagni Madera P

Farm Bureau Membership

BenefitsInsurance

Nationwide Travel Insurance,Nationwide

Agribusiness,VPI Pet Insurance

Newsand Entertainment

AgAlert,California Country

Mag & T.V.Vehicles

Avis,Budget,

Ford,Do-It-Yourself

GraingerKelly-Moore

Paints,Dunn Edwards

Paints,Case IH,

CAT,Grainger and

Western Square Ind.,O'Reilly Auto

Parts

TravelChoice Hotels,

Wyndham HotelsBusiness ServicesAnderson Marketing,

Farm Bureau Bank,Farm Employers Laborers Service,

A4 PromotionsHealth Services

Clear Value Hearing,

Farm Bureau Prescription

Discount Program,LensCrafters,

Preferred Alliance

Contact the MCFB Office

at (559) 674-8871 or

www.maderafb .com for details.

ADVERTISE IN THE MADERA COUNTY

FARM BUREAU (559) 638-2244

Christina Beckstead,Executive Director

It’s amazing to me how things can change so quickly…One day everything is fine, and the news is reporting about ill-nesses in other coun-tries, and the next we are being told to confine ourselves in our home as we are now being impacted. Crazy if you ask me! I have my thoughts on the current situa-

tion, but I’ll reserve those for now.The one thing I have taken from all

this chaos, is that rhetoric can change overnight, literally overnight! I have sat and wondered how we as an industry can do the same. For the first time in I don’t know how long, agriculture sits in a posi-tive light, and yet we are not using that

executive director’s address

See ED’S ADDRESS; Page 12

See PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE; Page 3

Madera County Farm Bureau April 2020 | 3

BUSINESS MEMBER DIRECTORYBecome a Madera County Farm Bureau Business Member

Business Support: $450/yr. Applies to any company who receives income from the local farming industry or a company who does not, but supports local farming

• Agricultural Member Voting Rights and Benefits • Eligibility to provide benefits to MCFB members • Discounted advertising in our monthly newsletter • Free job postings in our E-Newsletter • Name, phone number, and website in our Business Member directory (print and online)

sinuating 2020 represents perfect vi-sion. The attitude of “focus” was to say, let-go distractions, pay attention to important things, don’t waste time with the things that aren’t inching you one step closer to the things in life you want for yourself, your family, profes-sionally, etc. I’d suggest every person alive today is more focused than ever. Frankly, we are hyper-focused on some of the more important things that mat-ter, such as our family, our job (if we’re lucky enough to still have one), money, etc. Other things we’re focused on are, how do I scratch my nose, rub my eyes

or pick food from my teeth. It’s gross, but we all do it! It’s been hard to run into friends and not shake their hand or give them a hug. Breaking this behav-ior has been slightly difficult and weird, for me. We’ve had to adapt new ways of conducting business, such as holding meetings remotely via Zoom. Zoom is a web-based platform used to organize a multiple person meeting in the com-fort of your home or office. Our MCFB Executive and Board meetings have been via Zoom. We’re learning how to adapt. How has this pandemic affected you, your agribusiness, your field em-ployees, office staff, suppliers, etc.? In some ways, nothing has changed. I’ve learned the single best thing I can do is

communicate in my farming operation the latest happenings of COVID-19. By nature of the work, farming opera-tions closely follow social-distancing guidelines. But I’ve recognized the more I communicate updates, check-in on how employees are doing, how their families are doing, the better response I get from them on the farm. The sooner we nip this virus in the bud, the better off we will all be.

Lastly, I’ll share a quick story from a recent visit by my grandmother-in-law (90 years old). She drove out to the house to visit my wife Alli, the kiddos and I, but stayed in her car to follow social-distancing guidelines. I asked

her, “Grandma, what in your lifetime can you remember closely resembling the moment in time we are experienc-ing now?” She replied, “Nothing!” But, one day when she was young, she asked her mother how her aunt passed away. Her mom replied, she died during the Spanish Influenza in 1918. In 1918, 675,000 people died from the Spanish Influenza. We are experiencing un-precedented times, there is no play book to follow. Please stay safe and continue producing the world’s best food and fi-ber for all the world to enjoy. ■

PResident’s MessageContinued from Page 2

ACCOUNTINGMoss Adams970 W. Alluvial Ave., Ste. 101Fresno, CA 93711(559) 432-2346www.bpfcpa.com

AGRICULTURE/FREIGHT TRUCKINGMazon Trucking, Inc.(559) 673-1552Email: [email protected]

AG INDUSTRIAL SUPPLIES & SERVICESD &D Ag ServicesP.O. Box 1246 Madera, CA 93639(559) 871-2290

Fresno Equipment Company4288 S. Bagley Ave.Fresno, CA 93725(559) 486-8020www.fresnoequipment.com

G3 Enterprises Inc.502 E. Whitmore Ave.Modesto, CA 953581-800-321-8747www.g3enterprises.com

GAR Tootelian Inc.8246 S. Crawford Ave.Reedley, CA 93654(559) 638-6311gtipros.com

H.M. Holloway, Inc.12806 Road 26, Ste. 3Madera, CA 93637(559) 662-8820www.hmholloway.com

Madera Ag Supply Inc.23400 Road 24Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-2300www.maderaagsupply.com

Madera County AgCommissioner332 S. Madera Ave.Madera, CA 93637(559) 675-7876www.maderacounty.com

Pica Trade Co., Inc.www.specialtyfood.com

NutrienFresno: (559) 233-0585Madera: (559) 674-6741www.nutrien.com

Pacific Distributing907 Helms LaneModesto, CA 95350(209) 480-2863www.orchard-rite.com

Stanislaus Farm Supply CoInc.624 E. Service RoadModesto, CA 95358(209) 538-7070www.farmsupply.coop

TECO Hardware880 S Pine StreetMadera, CA 93637(559) 673-3504Email: [email protected]

TEP10700 Road 30Madera, California 93637www.tep-ag.com

Thiel Air Care Inc.P.O. Box 605Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-7830Email: [email protected]

WiseConn Engineering4589 N. Marty Ave., Ste. 102Fresno, CA 93722(559) 326 7613www.wiseconn.com

ATTORNEYSSagaser Watkins & Wieland PC5260 N. Palm Ave., Ste. 400Fresno, CA 93704(559) 421-7000www.sagaserlaw.com

AUTOMOTIVEAdvanced Automotive, LLC311 S. Pine StreetMadera, CA 93637(559) 661-8744

Gill Auto Group1100 S. Madera Ave.Madera, CA 93637(559) 674-5661www.gillautogroupmadera.com

J’s Car Wash904 N. D StreetMadera, CA 93637

BUILDING & CONSTRUCTION, CONSULTANTSTesoro Viejo Inc.www.tesoroviejo.com

TSB Ag Inc.P.O. Box 58Madera, CA 93639

COMPOST/LANDSCAPING PRODUCTSRecology Organics(800) 208-2370www.recology.com/organics

CONSERVATIONCalifornia Farmland Trust8788 Elk Grove Blvd.Building 1, Ste. IElk Grove, CA 95624(916) 687-3178www.cafarmstrust.org

DISPOSAL & RECYCLINGMid-Valley Disposal, LLC15300 W. Jensen Ave.Kerman, CA 93630(559) 567-0532www.midvalleydisposal.com

ENTERTAINMENTChukchansi Gold Resort& Casino711 Lucky Ln,Coarsegold, CA 93614

FARMSCressey RiverFagundes Fagundes FagundesForebay FarmsTF FarmsP.O. Box 2717Merced, CA 95344Email: [email protected]

Laura’s NutsLaura Gutile(559) 706-5586

Parichan Farms Inc.8344 Road 33Madera, CA 93636Email: [email protected]

Triangle T Partners LLCP.O. Box 109El Nido, CA 95317(559) 665-5319

Valley Pride Farming5 E. River Park Place E., Ste. 101Fresno, CA 93720Email: [email protected]

FARM MANAGEMENTAgriland Farming Company Inc.23400 Road 24Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-2100www.agrilandfarming.com

FIGSCalifornia Fig Advisory Board1925 Howard RoadMadera, CA 93637

FINANCIALCentral Valley Community Bank7100 N. Financial Dr.Fresno, CA 93720(559) 323-3472www.cvcb.com

HULLER/ PROCESSORSHorizon Nut Company26487 N. Highway 99Tulare, CA 93274(559) 685-3663www.horizonnut.com

Sierra Valley Almonds850 Commerce DriveMadera, CA 93637(559) 661-8800svalmonds.com

INSURANCEFoster & Parker1643 N. Schnoor Ave., Ste. 103Madera, CA 93637www.fosterparker.com

Nationwide1-877-669-6877www.nationwide.com

INTERNETUnwired Broadband(844) 719-FAST(3278)[email protected]

PETROLEUM & PROPANE PRODUCTS

Valley Pacific Petroleum1633 E. Mineral King Ave.Visalia, CA 93292-69371-800-266-3782www.vpps.net

Van De PolP.O. Box 1107Stockton, CA 95201-1107559-860-4100https://vandepol.us

REAL ESTATE

Miracle Realty17073 Road 26Madera, CA 93638(559) 674-0091miracle-realty.com

SECURITY

Zaks Security1906 Howard RoadMadera, CA 93637559-673-4525

WATER, IRRIGATION & ENERGY

Aanonson Sprinkler Company19254 Golden State Blvd.Madera, CA 93637559-673-4261www.aanonsonsprinkler.com

Chowchilla Water DistrictP.O. Box 905Chowchilla, CA 93610(559) 665-3747www.cwdwater.com

Deerpoint Group Inc.1963 Independence Dr., CA 93637(559) 224-4000deerpointgroup.com

Star Pump Company5588 Road 16Madera, CA 93637(559) 673-2917starpumpcompany.com

*Bold listings indicate Friend of Farm Bureau members. For information on Friends of Farm Bureau please contact our office at (559) 674-8871


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Virus’ long-term impact will be mixed for ag, economist saysProduction activities will continue, but California’s high-end wines and non-staple foods will take a hit.

By Tim Hearden, Western Farm PressMarch 16, 2020

Precautions against the novel corona-virus aren’t likely to bring agricultural production to a prolonged standstill, but the economic impact will be felt by producers of the high-end wines and non-staple foods that are ubiquitous in California, says a noted West Coast ag economist.

Even in self-imposed isolation, people “are still going to eat,” which is why ag-ricultural production in general “is not very income-sensitive,” said Dan Sum-ner, director of the University of Cali-fornia’s Agricultural Issues Center in Davis.

But some agricultural products see demand increases during tough eco-nomic times, such as cheaper wine, Sumner told Western Farm Press.

“Central Valley grapes are nearly recession-proof,” he said. “When the stock market collapses or the dot-com busts, nobody’s buying $200 bottles of wine anymore.”While Midwestern corn and grains will hold their own, other California products could be more in-come-sensitive, too, such as almonds, pistachios, walnuts, strawberries, rasp-berries and even some leafy greens that are considered exotic, Sumner said.

“These things can slip off the plate” in an economic downturn, he said.

TRADE DISRUPTIONSSumner’s remarks come as trade dis-

ruptions with heavily affected nations such as China and Italy have curtailed activity in some of the biggest ports in the U.S. and around the world as the virus outbreak has cancelled cargo sail-ings, and some dock and warehouse workers were sent home, according to

Bloomberg News.U.S. seaports could end up with a

slowdown of as much as 20 percent through February, March and much of April, according to the American Asso-ciation of Port Authorities.

The squeeze on ports like Los Ange-les, the biggest in the U.S. for container traffic, illustrates the vast potential for economic harm from a virus-induced slowdown, Bloomberg notes. Clothing, cars and an array of consumer goods from Asia are offloaded in Los Angeles and nearby Long Beach, the wire ser-vice observes.

In North America, where about 80 percent of California goods are sold, large public events have been cancelled and restaurants, bars and other retail businesses have been closed or sharply restricted as people are urged to stay home to avoid spreading the virus.

In mid-March, California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered all wineries and other drinking establishments to stop serving liquor on-site. Wineries were allowed to remain open for pick-up and winery business and production operations, according to the San Francisco-based Wine Institute. Many UC Cooperative Extension workshops and other ag-related public events were cancelled, including Ag Day festivities at the state Capitol that were set for March 18.

VIRUS ‘A BIG DEAL’Sumner was quick to note that peo-

ple in agriculture understand the CO-VID-19 virus is “a big deal,” and that responses are aimed at reducing long-term impacts from the disease. He points to a recent essay by Matt Ridley, a British journalist and businessman best known for questioning the severity of acid rain, mad cow disease, Y2K and other perceived calamities.

This outbreak must be taken serious-ly, Ridley writes, because lethal plagues have a long track record in human his-tory and this one has crossed regional and international boundaries quickly.

“It does seem to have acquired an un-usual skill at getting passed on from one person to another, usually not making them so sick that they stay away from meeting other people, which is what prevents ebola causing pandemics, but yet being capable of killing about 1 percent of people it infects,” he wrote. “This is the frightening combination of traits that we have feared might one day arise.”

The virus that originated in Wuhan, China, is also more contagious than the rest and kills a higher proportion, “so it makes sense to take pretty aggressive actions,” Sumner said.

On the supply side, Sumner doesn’t see the virus affecting field work, as la-borers are outside and can keep a dis-tance from others. Some sorting and packing houses may need to make ad-justments, he noted.

POLICY RESPONSEAs for the overall economic impact,

Sumner said it could depend on policy-makers’ response in the coming weeks. He points to the 1918 Spanish flu out-break, when then-President Woodrow Wilson was focused on World War I and not the flu. Every state and city had its own policy and more than 650,000 Americans died.

“There is a reason to have an active in-volvement of the administration,” Sum-ner said. “The second kind of policy besides stamping it out is the economic policy that goes along with that. This is going to be a hit for the economy.” ■

Photo/Tim Hearden

Dan Sumner, director of the University of California’s Agricultural Issues Center in Davis, says the economic pressure brought by the novel coronavirus will affect producers of high-end wines and some other California goods.


006797

Countering Feds, California rolls out sweeping changes to water deliveriesBy Alex Tavlian, SVJSUN.comApril 1, 2020

In a move likely spurred by the Trump administration’s adoption of new envi-ronmental guidelines governing its opera-tion of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the Newsom administration announced Tuesday it was taking action to reorient its share of managing the Delta.

Concatenated in bureaucratic docu-ments, a clear message has arrived: the era of coordination between the state and Federal government is likely over.

Officials with California’s Department of Water Resources and Department of Fish and Wildlife briefed legislators and members of Congress on details of a new-ly-issued “incidental take permit” – a doc-ument laying out operations of the Delta that may impact endangered species – be-fore releasing it to the public.

The issuance of this new permit follows a lengthy, two month preview by Newsom administration officials of a potential re-sponse to moves made by the Bureau of Reclamation and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to issue new biological opinions

for the Federally-managed Central Valley Project.

However, the newly-issued permit dra-matically changes how California oper-ates its water infrastructure.

A major change in operations is cen-tered on which agency holds the final au-thority to make pumping decisions from the Delta to water users in the southern San Joaquin Valley and into southern California.

Currently, the Department of Water Resources makes such decisions, in coor-dination with the U.S. Bureau of Reclama-tion.

Under the new permit, that authority has been ceded to the state’s Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The permit “[g]ives DFW final decision-making authority to restrict operations that harm endangered species,” a Power-Point presentation issued to state legisla-tive staffs reads.

Additionally, officials with Water Re-sources and state Fish and Wildlife told legislators that, as part of its operations, it would likely generate increase outflow of water from the Delta to the Pacific Ocean in both the spring and summer.

Central Valley water users have ball-parked the amount of water likely to be di-verted from being delivered to water users throughout the State Water Project system – which spans from the Bay Area to San Diego – could be as much as 200,000 acre-feet of water per year for the 10-year span of the permit.

Federal officials, currently embroiled in litigation initiated by Gov. Gavin Newsom and California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, expressed restrained disappoint-ment over

“Our first impression of the just-released Incidental Take Permit is that the State’s differing approach from the 2019 Nation-al Marine Fisheries Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Biological Opinions is unfortunate, as it is likely to create chal-lenges for operating the Federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project in an already difficult water year,” Reclama-tion spokeswoman Mary Lee Knecht said.

Meanwhile, the State Water Contractors – an association of the water users utiliz-ing the State Water Project – announced its opposition following the release of the permit. The largest single district within the Contractors is Metropolitan Water

District of Southern California.“Although we are still reviewing the

Permit issued by Fish and Wildlife and are assessing our options, the SWC and its member agencies do not support the permit conditions, which fail to incor-porate the best available science, burden ratepayers with obligations far exceed-ing the impacts of water operations and will make compliance with the Sustain-able Groundwater Management Act and climate change adaptation substantially more difficult,” State Water Contractors general manager Jennifer Pierre said in a statement.

“We are disappointed that DWR is moving forward with a project that im-poses restrictions far beyond the impacts of SWP operations.”


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Addressing Activist Groups Coming onto Farms and Ranches

By Brian German, AgNet WestMarch 11, 2020

Dealing with activist groups and pro-testors near agricultural operations can be a delicate situation, so it is important that farmers and ranchers know their rights if that type of scenario occurs. Stanislaus County Sheriff Jeff Dirkse explained that protestors are allowed to take pictures and protest around an agricultural operation; however, there they are not allowed to physically come onto someone’s property.

“If they do – for the crime of tres-passing to occur – they have to be in some way, shape, or form told to leave,”

Dirkse noted. “It can be posted as ‘no trespassing,’ you can simply walk up to them and tell them to leave. If they don’t, the crime of trespassing has now occurred in which case they can be ar-rested.”

If trespassing does occur and a law enforcement officer is called out to the operation, it can take some initiative on behalf of the farmer and rancher to ensure there are consequences. Dirkse noted that in many cases farmers just want the protestors gone and if they comply by leaving the premises, pro-testors are not held accountable. “The farmer, he’s going to have to sign the citizen’s arrest, he’s going to have to go

court ultimately, most likely and testify, so it’s going to take some time. But ulti-mately that is how we’re going to put an end to this, or at least nip it in the bud,” Dirkse explained.

Animal activist groups can take a variety of approaches for protesting on or around agricultural operations. Some groups attempt to infiltrate farms to take video or photos of production animals, while others will break in and steal animals. While theft or property damage can be a felony in some cases, many other actions that are taken are misdemeanors that do not carry heavy penalties. Dirkse noted that going on the offensive may help to curb some of the more aggressive activities.

“I would say the most effective way to stop a lot of this is for our ag commu-nities or organizations to sue the ani-

mal rights groups,” Dirkse suggested. “Basically, I think ag needs to go on the counterattack through the civil process and force these groups to get some huge payouts.” ■

Photo/Sonoma County Farm Bureau

Activists protesting in Petaluma in June 2019.

AG ENERGY

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Ag Time of Use Rate: What you need to know

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Presented By: Pacific Gas & Electric

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Supported By: State & Local Farm Bureaus California League of Food

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Andrea Jimenez, Chowchilla High School, Majoring in Political Science for Law School UC, Berkeley


Conner Hiatt, Liberty High School, Majoring in Ag Business at Brigham Young University


Muntej Mahil, Liberty High School, Majoring in International Business at Cal State University, Fresno


ray of applications. While so difficult to choose, but with the generosity of many sponsors, we are pleased to award fourteen scholarships in 2020 for a total amount of $60,000.00. Following are the recipients: ■

ReciPientsContinued from Page 1

Payton Poore, Minarets High School, Intending to major in Ag Communications after completing AA degree


Saige Mandala, Chowchilla High School, Majoring in Animal Science at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo


Michael Sheller, Minarets High School, Intending to major in Ag Science after completing AA degree at Madera Community College


DavidPortnoff, Liberty High School, Majoring in Business at Cal State University, Fresno


interested in advertising? contact:debRa leak at Mid valley Publishing

(559) 638-2244


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Almond growers wanted for cover crop trial

Cover crops have been shown to provide various soil health benefits, including im-proved soil tilth, increased water retention and water use efficiency, increased soil organic matter, and reduced dust, crusting, and ero-sion.

The American Farmland Trust is seeking a grower(s) to help us implement a multi-year cover crop trial to measure the impacts and benefits of cover cropping to soil health. The trial involves planting a small portion of the orchard in a cover crop (treatment plot) and leaving a portion not planted to a cover crop (control plot). Additional management practices may be considered, if desired. Funds to support management costs can be provided. The grower must be willing to allow soil sampling and host several demonstration ses-sions in the orchard.

If you are interested in participating or have more questions, please contact Paul Lum (707) 480-1893 • [email protected]

New Federal Family and Medical Leave and Paid Sick Leave Obligations

to Commence on April 2, 2020Barsamian &Moody

Congress has passed, and President Trump has signed, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (“the Act”) addressing the Coronavirus pandemic. The Act, which is applicable to all em-ployers with fewer than 500 employees, introduces paid sick leave and expands the availability of the Family and Medi-cal Leave Act (“FMLA”). Those who were tracking the earlier version of the Act, designated as House Resolution 6201, should note that the version which was signed into law is dramatically dif-ferent than the version which originally passed the House of Representatives. While the Act addresses many other issues, such as providing infusion of funds for states to use for unemploy-ment insurance benefits, welfare benefit increases for the EBT, WIC and SNAP programs, and other issues, this update is limited to the provisions on the FMLA and paid sick leave.

This is quite convoluted, so please read it carefully, and of course, do not hesitate to contact us for follow-up ques-tions.

Family and Medical Leave Act

ChangesThe Emergency Family and Medical

Leave Act Expansion Act temporarily amends the FMLA in several key as-pects:

1. The “covered employer” definition is changed from those employers with “50 or more employees” to those employers with “fewer than 500 employees.”

2. The “covered employee” defini-tion is drastically changed from only those who have worked for 1250 hours in the preceding 12 months, to include any employee who has worked for the employer for at least 30 days prior to the designated leave. There is a possible exemption that the Secretary of Labor can provide to small businesses, defined as those with less than 50 employees, if granting the leave would jeopardize the continued viability of the business. At this point, it is unclear how exactly to apply for the exemption.

3. The covered reasons for leave is ex-panded to include employees, who are unable to show up to work, or to work remotely, to care for the employee’s mi-nor child if the child’s school or day-

See NEW FEDERAL; Page 9


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care is closed, or the day-care provider is not able to provide the normal care due to a public health emergency related to the coronavirus pandemic. Presumably this would cover things such as “shelter in place” orders, self-isolation due to ex-posure to coronavirus, etc.

4. Perhaps the biggest change is that some of the new leave is now paid. The first 10 days (not 14 days as in H.R. 6201) of the new Emergency FMLA may be unpaid (but – please note that in the paid sick leave section below, paid sick leave may be available to cover this pe-riod). The employee may elect to sub-stitute any accrued paid leave, such as vacation, PTO, or state mandated paid sick leave, to cover the 10-day unpaid period. After the initial 10-day period, the employer must pay full-time employ-ees at least two-thirds of the employee’s regular rate for the number of hours the employee would otherwise have worked. The paid leave is limited to $200 per day up to a total of $10,000 per employee. Part-time employees should be paid the average number of hours the employee worked for the six months prior to tak-ing Emergency FMLA. Employees who have not yet worked six months should be paid based on the number of hours the employee expected to work.

Employers who are signatory to multi-employer collective bargaining agreements may, consistent with their bargaining obligations and the agree-ment, make such payments to the multi-employer fund, provided that the fund allows the employees to secure payment from the fund for such hours that they would have worked.

5. Employers with less than 25 employ-ees need not reinstate an employee who has taken this leave if the employee’s position no longer exists because of an economic downtown or other such cir-cumstances caused by the public health emergency during the leave. However, the employer must make “reasonable at-tempts” to reinstate the employee to an equivalent position for up to a year fol-lowing the leave.

Certain aspects of FMLA are not changed by this new law. One un-changed aspect is the basic duration of FMLA leave. The total amount of leave is still 12 weeks. Thus, any paid leave, after the initial 10 days of unpaid leave, does not extend beyond that basic 12-week total duration of leave. Also, the general requirement that the employee provide notice for foreseeable leave is not changed, and for unforeseeable leave needs, the employee is still required to prove as much notice as is reasonably practicable.

** Special Note for Seasonal Employ-

ers or Employers With Fluctuating Workforce Levels

As set forth above, the definition of “covered employer” in the new law sub-stituted the phrase “fewer than 500 em-ployees” in place of the normal phrase “50 or more employees for each working day during each of 20 or more calendar workweeks in the current or preceding calendar year.” So far, unfortunately, there is no clarification on how that definition should be applied to seasonal employers or employers with fluctuat-ing workforce levels. For example, what does an employer who has fewer than 500 employees in the off-season do with this new requirement when they get into their season and have more than 500 employees (and are therefore not covered)? For now, there are no good answers on this, as it does not seem to have been contemplated in the drafting process. We will continue to monitor the situation, and bring clarity when we can.

Paid Sick LeaveThe Act also requires employers to

provide eligible employees with paid sick leave if the employee is:

1. Subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation order due to coronavirus;

2. Advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to coronavirus;

3. Experiencing coronavirus symp-

toms and is seeking medical diagnosis;4. Caring for an individual (not just a

family member as normally defined by the FMLA) who is subject to a federal, state or local quarantine or isolation or-der, or who is advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to coro-navirus;

5. Caring for the employee’s child if the child’s school or day-care is closed or the child’s day-care provider is not able to provide the normal care due to a public health emergency related to coro-navirus; or

6. Experiencing any other substantial-ly similar condition set forth by the Sec-retary of Health and Human Services after consultation with the Secretary of the Treasury and the Secretary of Labor.

Employers with fewer than 500 em-ployees (note that the same issue with the “fewer than 500 employees” lan-guage applies here as well) must gener-ally provide full-time employees with 80 hours of paid sick leave at the em-ployee’s regular rate of pay if the leave is due to their own health situation (a, b or c above), or two-thirds the employ-ee’s regular rate of pay if the leave is to provide care for somebody else (d, e or f above). Part-time employees are entitled to paid leave based on the average num-ber of hours worked during the prior six months, and those who have not yet

neW fedeRalContinued from Page 8

See NEW FEDERAL; Page 11


Growers move to protect farmworkers from virusLaborers vulnerable to COVID-19 as they serve an essential industry.

By Tim Hearden, Western Farm PressMarch 26, 2020

Growers are urged to take measures to protect farmworkers from the corona-virus, including by implementing strict hygiene rules and disbursing laborers so that they’re more than 6 feet apart.

Farm laborers are among workers “on the front lines” serving what federal of-ficials consider to be an essential indus-try, and many wouldn’t have access to unemployment insurance, child care or health care if they weren’t working, said Amy Liebman, director of environmen-tal and occupational health for the Mi-grant Clinicians Network.

In addition to strict hand-washing and social distancing protocols, farms should isolate any worker that might be sick, provide training on COVID-19 to workers, make sure sleeping quarters are well ventilated and keep people 6 feet apart and make sure all surfaces are me-ticulously cleaned and disinfected, the Salisbury, Md.-based Liebman said in a March 25 webinar.

More vans and buses should be pro-vided if possible to carry workers so they’re not crammed together, the ve-hicles should be regularly cleaned, and barns and nurseries should have proper ventilation, she said.

Taking precautions“Our workers – particularly workers

on the front line – need to be wearing personal protective equipment,” Lieb-man told about 300 webinar attendees, most of whom were health professionals and those who work with migrant labor-ers.

“Our workers have a right to a safe and healthy workplace,” she said. “The laws that are in place need to be followed.”

On Michael Vasey’s Lindauer River Ranch in Red Bluff, Calif., 10 employees are preparing equipment for harvest, pruning and mowing orchards and do-ing other typical farm work, he said. The 600-acre farm grows walnuts, prunes and wheat and also has a prune dryer.

“We are continuing to work,” Vasey told Farm Press. “We are taking pre-cautions for social distancing, washing hands, sanitation and that kind of thing. We’re telling people if they feel sick at all to not come in.”

Ranch workers already scatter throughout the property, but crew lead-ers changed the site of their morning

meeting from a room to outside, he said.“We have made some changes, but not

ones that will greatly affect our opera-tions,” he said. “They’re just the precau-tions everyone is taking.”

A critical industryThe federal Coronavirus Task Force on

March 19 labeled food supply as a “criti-cal infrastructure industry,” requiring the industry to continue operations to the greatest extent possible. Food and agriculture workers deemed essential by the U.S. Department of Homeland Secu-rity include:• Food manufacturer employees

and their supplier employees—to in-clude those employed in food processing (packers, meat processing, cheese plants, milk plants, produce, etc.) facilities; live-stock, poultry, seafood slaughter facili-ties; pet and animal feed processing fa-cilities; human food facilities producing by-products for animal food; beverage production facilities; and the produc-tion of food packaging.• Farmworkersemployed inanimal

food, feed, and ingredient production, packaging, and distribution; manufac-turing, packaging, and distribution of veterinary drugs; truck delivery and transport; farm and fishery labor need-ed to produce the food supply.• Farmworkers and support service

workers to include those who field crops; commodity inspection; fuel ethanol fa-cilities; storage facilities; and other agri-cultural inputs.• Employees and firms supporting

food, feed, and beverage distribution, including warehouse workers, vendor-managed inventory controllers and blockchain managers.• Workerssupportingthesanitation

of all food manufacturing processes and operations from wholesale to retail.• Workers in food testing labs in

private industries and in institutions of higher education.• Employees of companies engaged

in the production of chemicals, medi-cines, vaccines, and other substances used by the food and agriculture in-dustry, including pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, minerals, enrichments, and other agricultural production aids.• Animal agriculture workers to

include those employed in veterinary health; manufacturing and distribution of animal medical materials, animal vaccines, animal drugs, feed ingredi-

ents, feed, and bedding, etc.; transpor-tation of live animals, animal medical materials; transportation of deceased animals for disposal; raising of animals for food; animal production operations; slaughter and packing plants and associ-ated regulatory and government work-force.• Workers who support the manu-

facture and distribution of forest prod-ucts, including, but not limited to tim-ber, paper, and other wood products.• Employees engaged in themanu-

facture and maintenance of equipment and other infrastructure necessary to agricultural production and distribu-tion.

Different from fluEdward Zuroweste, the MCN’s found-

ing medical director, cautions that CO-VID-19 differs from the normal flu and other viruses in that it is spreading much faster and infecting more people. Also, unlike the flu and other viruses, there is currently no vaccine for COVID-19, he said during the webinar.

“It’s definitely worse than the flu,” said Zuroweste, who is based in Austin, Tex-as. “That’s why we’re going to all these extreme methods.”

The virus can spread from person to person through contact, such as with a handshake or touching a doorknob, and the virus enters the body when the person touches his or her face, he said. The virus can stay on surfaces for up to 2 days, he said.

“Any public areas that somebody else might have touched that you touch, you can get it that way,” Zuroweste said. “To the best of our knowledge, it doesn’t

travel through the air that well,” which is the reason for maintaining 6 feet of distance, he said.

Growers have already implemented personal hygiene practices as part of the Food Safety Modernization Act’s Pro-duce Safety Rule, to prevent the spread of microbes onto food in growing and packing environments. But it’s also critical for COVID-19 because the virus is “easy to kill” by thoroughly washing hands, Zuroweste said.

Zuroweste and other clinicians fear that personal protective equipment used by pesticide applicators will be taken away and sent to hospitals, where there’s a huge need for protective equipment, he said.

PPE important“Those people spraying pesticides

need PPE and it’s not going to be avail-able to them,” he said. “That doesn’t make the farmworker any safer using pesticides, so something has to be done.”

For its part, the MCN is working with growers to improve protections for workers while also urging policymakers to enact or enforce regulations, includ-ing by strengthening legal protections for access to medical care regardless of immigration status, Liebman said.

“It’s our job to make sure we are pro-viding evidence-based information,” she said. “We need facts … We need to present it in a language and way that the people we serve understand.”

At Vasey’s Northern California farm, workers and supervisors are mindful of the danger.

“We are considered essential, so we’re plugging along,” he said. ■

Photo/Tim Hearden

Farmworkers pick strawberries in a field in Watsonville, Calif., in 2019.


worked six months are entitled to the average number of hours the employee would normally work in a two-week pe-riod.

As mentioned above, paid sick leave may be available to obtain pay for the initial 10-days of unpaid family and medical leave. Full-time employees may request that the employer pay them the 80 hours of paid sick leave in place of the 10 days of unpaid Emergency FMLA leave discussed above.

The Act places limits paid sick leave to $511 per day, with a total cap of $5,110 for leave related to the employee’s own health situation, and to $200 per day, with a total cap of $2,000 for leave to provide care for somebody else.

This leave does not carry over to sub-sequent years. As enacted, the Act is only in effect until December 31, 2020.

This paid sick leave is immediately available to employees, without any qualifying period of prior employment. Also, this paid sick leaved is in addi-tion to any paid sick leave currently

provided by employers. This means that for California employers, this is in addi-tion to the required 3 days /24 hours of state-mandated sick leave (40 hours in Arizona).

The Secretary of Labor is supposed to be establishing a poster detailing the new paid sick leave rules, which em-ployers will need to post.

Tax Credits for EmployersIn an effort to help employers shoulder

this substantial financial obligation, The Act provides a number of refundable tax credits against the employer por-tion of Social Security taxes. Employers are to be reimbursed if their payments of qualified sick leave or qualified paid family leave exceed the amount of taxes they owe.

The paid sick leave tax credit is 100% of the qualified sick leave wages paid in each calendar quarter. The paid family leave tax credit is 100% of the qualified family leave wages paid in each cal-endar quarter. There are a number of technical issues related to the tax credits which are beyond the scope of this Up-date, but employers are encouraged to

consult with their tax professional for further advice.

Mandatory Insurance Coverage for Coronavirus Testing

Be aware that all private health plans, including self-insured plans, are re-quired to cover the cost of coronavirus testing and related services for employ-ees and their covered dependents, with-out any deductible, copayment and/or coinsurance. This requirement will last through the end of the national emer-gency period declaration.

The mandatory coverage applies to diagnostic testing, healthcare provider service charges, and any facility costs, which are related to the diagnosing or treating coronavirus.

What This Means for Employers:Given the evolving nature of this un-

precedented health emergency, employ-ers will need to be vigilant on keeping up to date as requirements such as these evolve. Keep in mind that while this ad-dresses federal law changes, states, and even local governments are also weigh-ing in with various requirements. For a good overview of California specific

issues, please visit www.covid19.ca.gov. Also, the US Food and Drug Adminis-tration (FDA) published a guidance on COVID-19 that addresses resources for the food industry, including action steps an employer can take if an employee tests positive for the virus; guidance re-garding whether a recall would be rec-ommended; and steps to follow regard-ing cleaning and sanitizing facilities.

We are going to continue to update as needed, but if you have specific ques-tions regarding paid sick leave or other related issues, please contact a Barsami-an & Moody attorney to discuss.

The goal of this article is to provide employers with current labor and em-ployment law information. The contents should neither be interpreted as, nor construed as legal advice or opinion. The reader should consult with Barsamian & Moody at (559) 248-2360 for individual responses to questions or concerns re-garding any given situation. ■

neW fedeRalContinued from Page 9


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to our advantage. In this state of emergency, agriculture is not only an essential business, it is a crucial one! For the first time in years the shelves are empty, and people are starting

to realize that their food does not just come from the grocery store. Yes, they know that more often than not, they have to go to the grocery store to get their food, but they are now realizing that someone else has to put it there, the farmer has to put it there.

So why are we not doing more to educate

people about the process? Have we thrown in the towel? I have found that in our society only a “crisis” instills change. Not to sound insensitive, but we really need to do better in asking for what we need during this critical time. Why are we not doing more to explain why we need more water or less regulation right now? The setting is perfect…

Let’s use water as the example. The water situation will not be as good as it has been the last couple of years due to the amount of rain we have received this year. Most of us know there is probably enough snowpack to meet demands, but because of restrictions, timing of releases, and lack of infrastructure, a lot of that water will flow to the ocean instead of into fields. So why are we not doing our part to educate the masses on how we manage the supply we do have, or what it takes to irrigate a crop? People are panicking at the moment about where the food will come from but have no idea what it takes to get to them, with water being one of the most essential parts of the process. Instead we continue to “bash” the system with our words on what they are doing wrong and continue to fight them for their biased decisions. Have we forgotten who influences those decisions?

As an industry we have an opportunity right now that we should not let pass us by. Let’s inform the public about where their food comes from, and how it’s grown and made. Let’s use the tools of technology to our advantage and share what we are doing every

day. All it takes is 1 to 2 minutes, a quick snap of a photo and a sentence or two about what is happening, and a post on social media. So-cial media has become a powerful tool that we have failed to use to our advantage. Let’s do it now, let’s use their “weapon” against them to start something new. So, here’s your call to action: Take a photo of something you are doing to grow your crop, describe what is happening and post it on social media using the hashtag #growingfoodinmaderacounty. If you do not have social media, no problem! Send the photo to me via text or email to (559)377-0200 or [email protected] and I’ll get it posted for you.

In the meantime, MCFB will continue to do our part not only to educate and advocate on your behalf, but also to keep you informed on what is going on in the industry. We have had to cancel a lot of events because of the current situation that are important to your operation, but we will get them rescheduled before harvest starts, just in case you end up with a surprise inspection. Stay tuned for those new dates. We are being considered an essential business in Madera and will con-tinue to be an essential tool for our members.

As I close for the month, I leave you with this quote:

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old, but on build-ing the new” -Socrates

Stay safe and stay healthy! -Christina

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madera county farm bureau - maderafb.com

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