Food & Farm News
» March 14, 2008 «
State Water Project reduces pumping 
Actions to benefit a protected fish have led to further cuts in water pumping from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. The State Water Project announced yesterday (Thursday) it has reduced pumping, to comply with a court order designed to protect the delta smelt. The water reductions will affect communities and farmers south of the delta, who buy water from the state project. Officials say they expect the court order to result in a 30-percent cut in State Water Project deliveries.
New UC study shows farms' economic importance
California farmers and ranchers are an essential part of the state's economy, according to a University of California report that shows how agriculture fits into the overall economy. In fact, the study says that if California were a separate nation, it would rank fifth to ninth in the world, in the value of its agriculture. The report says California farms and related processing industries generate 7.3 percent of the state's private sector jobs.
Brussels sprouts farmers begin planting
Seeds being planted in greenhouses now will become the brussels sprouts that Central Coast farmers harvest this summer and fall. In the greenhouses, farmers produce seedlings to be planted into outdoor fields. The transplanting of seedlings will get into full swing next month, though some farmers have already started transplanting brussels sprouts for early-season harvest in June or July.
Marketers say men play bigger role in grocery shopping
More men are shopping for food, more often. Several studies indicate that men have been doing a greater share of grocery shopping. One study noted a 20-percent increase in the number of men who said they do at least some grocery shopping, up to 61 percent. A researcher at the Food Marketing Institute says the trend relates in part to the number of two-career couples. And, she says, more men now watch cooking shows than watch home improvement shows.
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