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APB agenda 041603
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APB agenda 041603
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Date
4/16/2003
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Regular Meeting
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Agenda
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March 2003 <br />Continued from page 2 <br />farmland preservation report <br />A minor escape clause would allow an eminent <br />domain proceeding for a public necessity such as <br />a road or bridge. <br />But even the state's Department of Transpor- <br />tation steers away from preserved farms as a <br />matter of policy, said Steve Revinczki, assistant <br />program manager. <br />"It's very cumbersome and involved. It's not <br />for the farmer, but for the public. We've never <br />gone through the process." <br />The statutory procedure requires legislative <br />approval and compensation to the program at <br />today's value. <br />"The goal is to not release anything - only in <br />the most extreme circumstance. There are so <br />many reasons people would want to get out, and <br />different motivations," Revinczki said. <br />AFT CONFERENCE <br />"A few problems" <br />facing California <br />agriculture <br />Continued from page 1 <br />farmers in exchange for development restriction; <br />cuts also to University of California agricultural <br />research and extension, of 20 and 30 percent - <br />respectively; and rising costs to farmers for big <br />ticket items such as energy and workers' com- <br />pensation; and worse, the scarcity of water and <br />the uncertainty of water allocations; and finally, <br />the larger problems of population growth and the <br />competition for land. <br />After a brief pause, Rominger garnered some <br />laughter by adding, "these are just a few of the <br />problems facing California agriculture." <br />Rominger then enumerated the opportunities <br />for agriculture, through the 2002 farm bill. Some <br />of the new programs under the farm bill could <br />Page 3 <br />hold much promise for farmers who take advan- <br />tage of them, he said, including the Conservation <br />Security Program. <br />Stark contrasts are common when comparing <br />eastern agriculture with that of the west, but <br />perhaps the greatest contrast is in water availabil- <br />ity. While farmers in the east can rely, usually, on <br />rain, and always on plentiful ground water for <br />irrigation, California farmers depend on state <br />water allocations and water that comes from far <br />away. <br />Water allocations affect preservation decisions <br />A session led by AFT senior vice president <br />Ed Thompson Jr. examined how California <br />agriculture might be affected by state water <br />policies and growth in urban areas. <br />Only 30 percent of water in California is <br />ground water. Most water is taken from reser- <br />voirs and rivers, and all water is controlled by a <br />state agency - there is no fee simple right to <br />water in and states, including California. <br />Thompson said that agricultural conservation <br />easements in California, particularly for croplands <br />in the Central Valley, are often preempted by <br />operator concerns about the future of water <br />supplies. <br />"If you address farmland preservation in <br />California, you must also address the water <br />issue." <br />Thompson said the AFT hired water policy <br />expert Marc Reisner six years ago to study the <br />Mink between water supply and farmland loss, and <br />to examine the potential of using water rights as <br />an incentive for conservation easements. <br />"Can we link the security of water to farm- <br />land easements - use it as a currency to protect <br />the best farmland..." Thompson said. <br />Reisner concluded water availability was a <br />serious a threat to California's farmland along <br />with rapid population growth and development <br />pressure. <br />One scenario in the water - for - easement <br />Continued on page 4 <br />22 <br />
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