Friday, Jan. 01, 2010
Congressional action on immigration and state tax reform sought, cotton production declines, mixed season for Christmas trees, watermelon growers may benefit from discovery
CALIFORNIA FARM BUREAU FEDERATION
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ReprintFarmers and ranchers hope to persuade Congress to act on immigration and estate tax reform in 2010. California growers need a guest worker provision in any immigration reform package to assure adequate labor supplies. Farm Bureau will also urge Congress to act on estate tax reform. Although the estate tax disappears for a year Jan. 1, it returns at a lower exemption rate in 2011. Growers will seek an estate tax exemption for farmland as long as the land remains in agricultural production.
Cotton production declines
Cotton production in California declined last season, according to a federal government report. Upland cotton decreased by 32 percent, Pima cotton by 18 percent. Farmers planted fewer acres in cotton in 2009 in part due to irrigation water being in short supply. Cotton prices at planting time were low. The amount of cotton produced per acre varied, with farmers near the Colorado river reporting better yields than those in other growing regions.
Christmas tree growers report a mixed season
California Christmas tree growers are reporting a mixed season. The California Christmas Tree Association says the first weekends of the season were good and trees were selling well. However, the third weekend storm kept many consumers away. Snow and ice closed some roads in the foothills where the Christmas tree farms are located. Those growers never caught up as consumers shopped where they could find trees.
Watermelon growers may benefit from researchers discovery
Researchers have found watermelon genes that are resistant to the devastating zucchini yellow-mosaic virus. The discovery will aid plant breeders to develop resistant watermelon vines. The current practice is to spray watermelon fields with insecticides to reduce the presence of aphids that spread the virus. A resistant plant is a more economic and effective way to control the disease.