http://www.kmph.com/global/story.asp?s=10735143

Good afternoon Farm Watch,

It has been a busy past few weeks. The holidays kept everyone busy. We welcome to our newest 3 members. As a reminder, we put out Farm Watch about every two weeks. We want you to read it and don't want to bombard you with so much info, you hit the famous "delete" button...
With Farm Watch, you get up-to-date information and a connection with over 300 other members who share your love for a rural lifestyle, agriculture and or oil production

Bardsdale:
On the 4th of July we did have our Bardsdale Burglar strike again on Bardsdale Avenue. This is the same burglar that has struck two times prior. Neighbors observed him at nighttime, breaking into a farm garage. When confronted, he fled in a small white compact car. It was dark out and difficult to identify him. However, we know it is an adult male. Our detectives are working hard on this case, we need to stop him!

This criminal knows the area and our rural habits. It is important for you to keep calling in suspicious activity. In any emergency or break in, always call 911. If you feel maybe it is a weak tip or just a hunch and don’t want to call the station, you can text me at 805-947-8189 or email the tip at tim.hagel@ventura.org Trust me, with a teenager in my house, I have joined the texting world and can actually navigate through the cell phone (at least this model).

Vandals:
Last week, we were hit heavy with graffiti in the Piru area. Seems that four local teens decided to cover the town with spray paint. The community was in an uproar. By mid morning, we had four tips sent to “Farm Watch.” By late afternoon, deputies arrested all four suspects based on the tips.

This is how we all stick together, remember…There are way more of us caring farm watch and community members then these few thugs.

If that was not enough community spirit for you….
Responding to the vandals, Piru's “Making a Difference” (MAD) sprung into action. MAD is a grass roots, Piru youth organization that want to sustain and grow up in a pleasant rural community.

The youth fulfill their goal for a safe, peaceful and united community by keeping kids out of trouble and active both in activities and education. The MAD group mobilized and repainted the town within hours.

They would like to thank the Piru Packing House for their support. I have attached a few photos of their work in helping us out.

Connex Box Burglars:
Last week, late night burglars hit the City of Fillmore Water Treatment plant and a nearby local Santa Clara River farm operation. The suspects used bolt cutters to cut off the locks on the storage containers and take out both construction and farm equipment. Burglars love these 20 and 40-foot shipping storage containers because they know that they are always filled with generators, welders, pumps, chemicals and tractors. Try to fortify your lock system. Some of our nursery operations have done a super job of hardening the lock systems.

Fruitless Facts:
Timber Canyon has had some avocado thieves working the area. They hike in on foot and then load up the trunks of waiting cars. Keep an eye out for a local suspect in a Honda Accord # 6AMH614.

A Santa Paula farmer recently found a hidden path cut through a rugged chaparral hillside that adjoins his orchard. The thieves were accessing on foot in the back area to the avocado orchard and were select picking. They can be crafty and take as little as 20 to 30 pounds a day for extra money.

Piru Lake
ATT and Verizon are steaming ahead in the planning process of installing cell sites in Piru Canyon. These sites will really help with safety in that area.

Santa Paula Canyon
Cal Trans has finished the work near our trail parking areas in front of Thomas Aquinas. As you recall, we have anti-theft signs posted on the south parking areas.
Now that the north parking area was just opened, we have had cars burglarized in that lot. We will install the same education signs that are so effective on the south lot (no burgs).

Remember never leave personal effects such as phones, wallets, cameras, bags etc… in view or even covered up in the cab of your truck or car. Lock them up in the trunk or tool box.

Be safe and have a great summer.

The United States of America was founded on the premise that control of one's own destiny is essential to "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," but as a sixth-generation farmer I am concerned this is no longer the case for today's food producers, who face increased government interference and severe economic pressure.
Without question, the economic health of American agriculture must be of paramount concern to all of us; and it is essential we start considering from where our foods will come if America's farmers and ranchers are forced to exit the business because it is no longer profitable.
I am not going to tell anyone that the day is coming when we will walk into the grocery store to find empty shelves, but if something doesn't change, the stores will be stocked with imported food.
I also remind you that food security is not a new concern. In fact, it was Henry Kissinger, who in 1970 said, 'Control oil you control nations; control food and you control people.'"
Today's elected officials have simply lost touch with reality, and I fear are unaware of the risks associated with not being able to provide nutrition for one's own citizens. By mandating regulations that increase costs, not only in animal agriculture but the general cost of doing business, they put even greater pressure on profits at the farm level. CONTINUED »

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=6894594

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=6885322

http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&stream...

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/video?id=6866640

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/48119532.html

ITHACA, N.Y. — Dairy genetics, nutrition, herd management and improved animal welfare over the past 60 years have resulted in a modern milk production system that has a smaller carbon footprint than mid-20th century farming practices, says a Cornell University study in the Journal of Animal Science (June 2009).

"As U.S. and global populations continue to increase, it is critical to adopt management practices and technologies to produce sufficient high-quality food from a finite resource supply, while minimizing effects upon the environment," says Jude Capper, lead author and a recent Cornell post-doctoral researcher working with Dale E. Bauman, Cornell Liberty Hyde Bailey Professor of Animal Science.

The study, "The Environmental Impact of Dairy Production: 1944 compared with 2007," shows that the carbon footprint for a gallon of milk produced in 2007 was only 37 percent of that produced in 1944. Improved efficiency has enabled the U.S. dairy industry to produce 186 billion pounds of milk from 9.2 million cows in 2007, compared to only 117 billion pounds of milk from 25.6 million cows in 1944. This has resulted in a 41 percent decrease in the total carbon footprint for U.S. milk production.

Efficiency also resulted in reductions in resource use and waste output. Modern dairy systems only use 10 percent of the land, 23 percent of the feedstuffs and 35 percent of the water required to produce the same amount of milk in 1944. Similarly, 2007 dairy farming produced only 24 percent of the manure and 43 percent of the methane output per gallon of milk compared to farming in 1944.

Posted By Chuck DeVore On May 3, 2009 (5:19 pm) In Celebrity News, Featured Story, Politics

Paul Rodriguez wants water - and he’s angry enough to get some

One wouldn’t immediately associate comedian and actor Paul Rodriguez with a serious issue such as water. But, as Mark Twain said: “Whiskey is for drinking; water is for fighting over.”

Rodriguez is so concerned about water that he helped create the California Latino Water Coalition, led marches with several thousand people in recent weeks, and spoke Saturday night to a convention of the conservative California Republican Assembly in Bakersfield. I addressed the convention goers about my U.S. Senate run against Barbara Boxer just before Rodriguez’ turn at the podium.

What has Rodriguez’ concerned to spark political action is the shutdown of water pumps in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. These pumps move water from California’s wet north to the agricultural Central Valley and urban Southern California. A judge’s ruling switched the pumps off over a controversial U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service report that declared a fish, the delta smelt, threatened. No one really knows if turning the pumps off will help the fish, but most can agree that California’s agricultural industry will take a big hit this year due to lack of water. CONTINUED »

By Miles Moffeit - The Denver Post

In Colorado, the number of suicides among farmers and ranchers has risen in the past five years: Fourteen took their lives in 2008, twice the number reported by the state's coroners in 2004. View Full Story here: http://www.denverpost.com/ci_12506134

see story here: http://www.kmph.com/global/story.asp?s=10202372

http://www.fresnobee.com/local/story/1306434.html

http://abclocal.go.com/kfsn/story?section=news/local&id=6740580

http://www.kmph.com/global/story.asp?s=10123407

click here for story.

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/41930612.html

Farmers in western Fresno County were told once again on Friday that there would be no federal water allocations for the area for the time being. Farmers met on Friday in Kerman with state officials and lawmakers, pleading for action to get water to the area. Without the allocations, it is estimated that more than 90 thousand jobs will be lost in an area already suffering from unemployment rates as high as 40 per cent.

http://www.ksee24.com/news/local/41608532.html