This document contains several articles on agricultural topics: 1) It discusses how farm employers work with Cal/OSHA to develop safety plans and programs to prevent injuries. They provide free consultations and education to help improve safety. 2) It reports on a new draft report by the Delta Stewardship Council on water issues in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta that adds to ongoing discussions around improving water supply and restoring the ecosystem. 3) It mentions that high feed prices and debt continue to negatively impact the financial situation of many dairies in California.

1. Cooperating for safety
Farm employers consult with
Cal/OSHA on safety plans
Page 3
Using water efficiently
California farmers manage
water well, according to study
Page 4
ert
www.cf bf.co m • www.a gal ert.co m
NOVEMBER 23, 2011
VEGETABLES®
FIELD CROPS®
DAIRY &LIVESTOCK ®
s p e c i a l r e p o r t s
New delta report
adds to eventual
master document
Rice farmer Tara Brocker walks through her family 's rice drying facility near Nicolaus , located in a floodplain that the Federal Emergency
Management Agency has identified as no longer having 100-year flood protection . Brocker says that could have serious implications for her
farm and others in the same situation.
Remapped flood zones mean new restrictions
By Kate Campbell
The release of a 2,200-page draft
impact report by the Delta Stewardship
Council last week added to a flurry of
reports, discussions and hearings resu
lting from legislative directives intended
to improve water supply reliability and
restore the Sacramento-San Joaquin
Delta ecosystem.
As they review the reports and moni-
tor the progress of the delta planning
efforts , farm and water organizations
say the plan s have not yet resolved
conflicts involving California's chronic
water supply problems , conversion of
thousands of acres of farmland to marsh
habitat , and impacts on the delta agri-
cultural economy.
See DELTA, Page 12
Feed prices, debt
continueto weigh
on state's dairies

2. At Estancia Winery in Soledad, Morgan LeBlanc, Constellation Brands U.S. director of safety operations, and Miguel Cabrera, the company's wineries and vineyards safety
manager, conduct a routine tractor-safety inspection with employee Augustine Zamudio. Constellation Brands U.S. participates in partnership programs offered by Cal/OSHA
Consultation Service.
Farm employers, Cal/OSHA unit cooperate on safety
By Christine Souza
To help develop workplace safety and health pro-
grams to prevent injuries and illnesses, farms and
other businesses reach out to the consultation unit of
the California Division of Occupational Safety and
Health-Cal/OSHA.
"Cal/OSHA Consultation is trying toincreasesafety
awareness,protect employees and also educate," said
Miguel Cabrera, Safety Man ag er for Constellation
Brands U .S. operations. "The underlying
theme that is out there is, 'Stay away from OSHA,' but
that is not true. Cal/OSHA Consultation is here to help
you and to educate you and your employees on how to
achieve a safer work environm en t."
As theeducational unit ofCal/OSHA, Consultation
works proactively with employers.It does not issue
citations or impose penalties, and its information is
not shared with the Cal/OSHA Enforcement unit,
though employers using the programare obligated
to correct hazards and violations found during the
Consultation visit.
The professional safety and health co n s u ltan ts in
the unit offer their services free of charge, though the
Consultation unit cannot work with employers that have
any open enforcem en t activity or citations.
Cal/OSHA says its Consultation program is struc-
tured to gain a company’s trust and confidence
and provide the most professional service possible.
However, if an employer elects not to connect a
serious hazard- which seldom happens, officials
said-then
See SAFETY, Page 23
COMING SOON IN
Proteding tomatoes from salt Heat blast for black scale
Mild sprinosand
Looking toward the year 2050

3. Safety
Continued f rom Page 3
Consultation has the obligation to
refer the matter to Enforcement.
For one of the largest wine s u p p l i
ers in the United States-Constellation
Brands U.S.-which operates 19 winer
ies, vineyards, warehouses and
supply centers in California, safety of
employees is a top priority. Cabrera
said the company decided to take
advantage of Cal/OSHA Consultation
Service because its programs
emphasize partnering with employees,
management and Cal/OSHA, "to
together develop a safety system based
on best practices.
"If we are going to progress as a
business , we need to be one step
ahead of our competitors as far as
what we're doing when it comes to
quality, production and safety,•
Cabrera said. "It is our goal to be the
best beverage company in the world.
As a member of the safety
department, I want to have the best
safety program in the world and I
think that is achievable.“
Constellation Brands has
participated in Cal/OSHA
Consultation since 2006, after
earning its first Cal/OSHA
certification for the California
Voluntary Protection Program at
Mission Bell Winery in Madera, one
of the company's wineries in the
Central Valley.Since then,
Constellation Brands has maintained a
partnership with Cal/OSHA.
"Cal/OSHA Consultation visited
our wineries in April of 2010. It
took at least three months for all
of the vineyards and that includes at
least
.. .,
....--
nine locations on the Central
Coast, “ Cabrera said. Participating
Constellation vineyards that were
recently added to the Cal/OSHA
Consultation recipient list under the
Golden Gate program include Napa
Vineyards in Oakville, R.H. Phillip
Vineyards in Esparto and Sonoma
Vineyards in Geyserville.
"When it comes to safety, whether
you are small or large, you still have
to follow certain guidelines and
procedures," Cabrera said.
"Our No. 1 priority is to improve the
overall safety system at our wineries
and vineyard operations.”
“ Agricultural employers can contact
Cal/ OSHA Consultation to take part
in any of its partnership programs”
• Golden Gate is an entry-level
program for small, high-hazard
employers and is site specific. Growers,
farm labor contractors and other
agricultural establishments may
qualify. Employers must have an
established, effective injury and illness
prevention program to receive
recognition.
• The Safety and Health
Achievement Recognition Program is
a mid-level program that may offer
eligibleemployers an exemption from
Cal/OSHA Enforcement programmed
inspections. California offers two
SHARP programs: Cal/SHARP for
high-hazard employers with fixed
and mobile work sites, and
Cal/SHARP Consultation, a pilot
program for contractors working at
construction sites.
• California Voluntary Protection
Programs are top-level safety and
health leadership programs designed
for fixed and non-siteestablishments.
Participating employers enjoy athree-
yearEnforcement exemption from
programmed inspections.
• The alliances program enables
o r g a n i z a t i o n committed to
workplace safety and health to
collaborate with Cal/ OSHA to
prevent injuries and illnesses in the
workplace. Cal/OSHA and program
participants work together to reach
out
Constellation Brands U.S.safety
Morgan LeBlanc and Miguel Cabrera,
at left, check for proper placement and
alignment of the tool rest and spark
shield on a bench grinder in the
Estancia Vineyard shop. Employee
Augustine Zamudio, above, wears a
hat and gloves to protect himself from
the sun, and from cuts and scrapes.
To, educate and lead employers and
their employees in imp roving and
advancing workplace safety and health.
For information about Cal/OSHA
Consultation and its specific programs,
visit www.dir.ca.govIdosh/consultation.
html. To arrange an on-site visit orobtain
technical information,contactthenearest
Cal/OSHA Consultation office or email
infocons@dir.ca.gov.
(Christine Soui.a is an assistant edi-
tor of AgAlert. She may be contacted at
csoUZ1J@cjbf com.)
11
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