Farming

A bill that would require prisons, schools and other public institutions to give preference to California farm products handily cleared a committee Wednesday. The Choose California Act, sponsored by Assemblyman Chris Holden (D-Pasadena), cleared the Assembly Agriculture Committee on a 7-0 vote. The proposed law, AB 199 , would mandate public institutions to buy California agriculture products if the price is within 5% of the lowest out-of-state competitor. Quiz: How much do you know about California's economy?

  For anyone who loves a leaner, more elegant style of Chardonnay, this is the one. Liquid Farm proprietors Nikki and Jeff Nelson are going for Chardonnay with less oak influence and lower alcohol. Bingo. That's a recipe for a food-friendly wine, and with the help of winemakers Brandon Sparks-Gillis and John Dragonette of Dragonette Cellars, they're making this terrific Chardonnay from Santa Rita Hills grapes. I love its minerality, the sharp, fresh scent of citrus and, well, grape that comes through loud and clear.

WASHINGTON - Senators writing a landmark immigration bill broke a logjam between farmworker unions and growers Thursday, reaching a tentative agreement on future agricultural visas and pay scales for foreign farmworkers, according to people familiar with the negotiations. Labor unions and agricultural industry leaders had been stuck for three weeks on how to legally bring foreign labor into the United States to pick crops and tend livestock at competitive wages. The issue, which is critical to California and other major farming states, became a major stumbling block in bipartisan efforts to craft a comprehensive immigration bill.

Developments continue apace in the saga of the Drakes Bay Oyster Co. and its legal battle with the federal government. The Department of the Interior last week filed its brief ahead of the May 14 case before the U.S. 9 th Circuit Court of Appeals, arguing that the oyster farm in the Point Reyes National Seashore has been fairly treated by the National Park Service and it's time for the operator to honor its agreement. The brief read, in part, “After forty years, it is not inequitable - rather, it is the essence of fairness - for the United States finally to gain control over the land that it purchased, enabling the American people to enjoy wilderness in Drakes Estero.” Owner Kevin Lunny took over a lease within the park that expired last November and has been fighting since then to continue the business.

Possible contamination with E. coli has prompted the Rich Products Corp. to voluntarily recall the following products: Farm Rich Mini Quesadillas, Farm Rich Mini Pizza Slices, Farm Rich Philly Cheese Steaks, Farm Rich Mozzarella Bites and Market Day Mozzarella Bites, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The Baltimore-based company initiated the recall when an unspecified number of illnesses were linked to the products. Escherichia coli infection causes mild to severe diarrhea and abdominal cramps.

A New York food company is recalling 196,000 pounds of frozen quesadillas, pizza slices and mozzarella bites because they may be contaminated with E. coli bacteria, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food Safety and Inspection Service said. Rich Products Corp. initiated the recall of its Farm Rich frozen snacks after reports of illness from consumers in several states. A sample of a Farm Rich frozen chicken mini quesadilla product from a New York case tested positive for E. coli, the food safety agency said.

This post has been corrected. See below for details. The owners of the oyster farm fighting to continue operating in Point Reyes National Seashore continue to flex their political muscles, this time gaining the support of U.S. Sen. David Vitter, a Republican from Louisiana. Vitter joined Sen. Dianne Feinstein to attach a rider in the Senate budget resolution that would allow the controversial farm to remain operating in the park for another 10 years. [For the record, 8:04 p.m.: A previous version of this post incorrectly called the Senate budget resolution a bill.]

Nathanael Johnson was born without a doctor and later toddled around his Northern California yard without diapers, free to ingest whatever germy creatures he got his hands on, but no sugar allowed. With parents like his, it's little wonder he grew up wondering about the miracles of modern science. What's really welcome about his deeply reported book, "All Natural," is that his upbringing makes the investigation of nature versus technology fun as well as thought-provoking. He questions mainstream wisdom, "expert" advice and the all-natural solutions for childbirth, germs, raw milk, sugar, factory farming of animals and more.

Starbucks Corp., already on a tear buying tea, juice and bakery companies, just snapped up its first coffee farm and is planning to double the number of people signed up for its loyalty programs. The company is expanding its roughly 3-year-old My Starbucks Rewards program, allowing customers who buy Starbucks' packaged coffee in grocery stores to earn points that can be redeemed for free treats in the chain's cafes. The Seattle giant, presenting at its annual investor meeting  Wednesday, is calling the offering the “first cross-channel, multi-brand loyalty program” ever.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has notified the owners of a 40-year-old San Pedro tank farm, which has up to 25 million gallons of highly flammable butane, that it is prepared to sue to ensure compliance with federal law. The formal notification of potential federal enforcement against the San Pedro Terminal, owned by Plains LPG Services and operated by Rancho LPG Holdings, was based on investigations of the facility, EPA officials said...