Record-high feed costs this year have not been kind to many farmers who raise livestock, but turkey producers say healthy demand for their product has helped them weather the storm.  Bill Mattos, president of the California Poultry Federation, said the holidays are always "a good time for the turkey industry," because of the whole-body birds that are sold-about 40 percent of the year’s business-and he expects the state will once again sell all of its turkeys this year.  Read More 

A letter regarding the farm bill and estate tax reform, signed by the California Poultry Federation and other California agriculture organizations, was sent to Congress today. The letter urges the House and the Senate to work swiftly to tackle two important issues to American agriculture and the public before the end of the year – extend the current estate tax law and pass a five-year farm bill. Click here to read the letter.

A documentary about the historic 2009 march of farmers and farm workers across the heart of the California Central Valley to demand that irrigation water restrictions be overturned and their water supply be turned back on is coming to Modesto’s State Theater Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012. "The Fight for Water: A Farm Worker Struggle" highlights the human impact an environmental decision had on the farming community when its water supply was shut off, and the march farmers and farm workers staged in order to fight for their water. The Modesto screening is being sponsored by the following organizations: The California Farm Water Coalition; the Stanislaus County Farm Bureau Federation; The California Poultry Federation and Mapes Ranch. Admission is $6 at the State Theater located at 1307 J Street, Modesto, The film begins at 7 p.m. and will be followed by a panel discussion featuring several of the film’s participants.  

Falling U.S. demand for gasoline has combined with high corn prices to force the closure of several U.S. ethanol plants. Ethanol makers are actually losing money on every gallon of the fuel they make this year, but they can’t stop making the stuff because the Renewable Fuel Standards enacted during the George W. Bush administration mandates production of 13.2 million gallons of ethanol to mix with gasoline this year.  Read More

To some business leaders, California’s new cap-and-trade system for curbing greenhouse gases represents nothing less than the road to economic ruin.

"This is kind of ‘Recession: The Sequel,’ " said Dorothy Rothrock, vice president of the California Manufacturers & Technology Association. "It’s going to have a horribly negative effect on jobs and manufacturing investment."  Read More

Spotlighting the perspectives of meat and poultry industry executives and experts on the latest news and trends, "Meat&Poultry Perspectives," a new video series of The Processors Channel, made its debut on www.meatpoultry.com today. The industry’s leading authority on livestock handling and Meat&Poultry’s most tenured contributing editor, Dr. Temple Grandin, is the focus of the first of this bi-weekly series. In each segment, Grandin talks about her life’s work in the industry and the evolution of animal welfare practices, including technology advances that have served to raise the bar and ensure compliance with today’s standards. In the debut segment, she addresses the benefits of remote video auditing to not only enhance animal welfare practices, but to improve overall plant operations.  Read More

Want to avoid pesticides and antibiotics in your produce, meat, and dairy foods? Prefer to pay more to make sure farm animals were treated humanely, farmworkers got their lunch breaks, bees or birds were protected by the farmer and that ranchers didn’t kill predators? Food labels claim to certify a wide array of sustainable practices. Hundreds of so-called eco-labels have cropped up in recent years, with more introduced every month – and consumers are willing to pay extra for products that feature them.

While eco-labels can play a vital role, experts say their rapid proliferation and lack of oversight or clear standards have confused both consumers and producers. Read More

Deliberately and methodically, a Fresno meat-processing plant employee shot four of his co-workers — two fatally — before killing himself Tuesday morning. One at a time, Lawrence Jones, a 42-year-old with a long trail of criminal convictions, walked up to three of his victims, placed a handgun to each man’s head or neck and fired. The noise of the plant, where many employees wear ear protection, might have left them and others unaware of the slayings in their midst, police say. One woman who did see what was happening attempted to run, Fresno Police Chief Jerry Dyer said. Jones fired at her, shooting her in the buttocks. That was the last shot he’d fire inside the plant. When he placed his gun against the head of another man, he pulled the trigger but had run out of bullets. Read More

The largest organization representing California family farmers and ranchers thanked voters today for rejecting a ballot initiative that would have required foods containing genetically engineered ingredients to carry a special, California-only label. The California Farm Bureau Federation opposed Proposition 37, which voters defeated in yesterday’s statewide election. "We’re pleased that voters saw the many flaws in Proposition 37 and rejected it," California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger said. "It would have created confusion about food safety and raised food costs, and it would have created all sorts of complications for family farmers and others who grow or sell food." Despite the defeat of Proposition 37, Wenger said farmers understand that many people want to know more about how their food is produced.  Read More