You are now in California and the U.S. category.

The value of Central Valley farmland is falling. Here’s why.

Farmland values are tumbling in California’s Central Valley, reflecting a drop in key commodity prices as well as concerns over water shortages and the state’s enduring drought.

A study released Wednesday by agricultural lender Rabobank N.A. says the price of farmland in parts of the valley will decline by as much as 30 percent between now and the end of 2017, following several years of substantial gains. The drop follows declines in the prices farmers are getting for important crops such as almonds and walnuts.

Late-Week Storm To Deliver Critical Rainfall To California

Rain will douse California late this week, with the potential for some rain to reach southern portions of the state. While the rain will be beneficial in terms of the drought, enough rain can fall to cause travel disruptions and localized flash flooding from Thursday to Friday. More than 40 percent of California is dealing with extreme to exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released on Oct. 20. On Sunday, the city of Victorville, about 80 miles east of Los Angeles, received rain for the first time since April 28, picking up 0.11 of an inch.

 

Delta Tunnels: Fitch Ratings Downgrades Westlands’ Next Bond Sale

It looks like the politically powerful Westlands Water District, one of the main backers of Governor Jerry Brown’s Delta Tunnels and Congressional legislation to eviscerate protections for Sacramento River Chinook salmon and Delta smelt, is in more financial trouble. Fitch Ratings downgraded the scheduled October 26 bond sale by Westlands from ‘AA-‘ to ‘A+’. Among the issues facing Westlands Water District, Fitch cites shrinking irrigated acreage, previous financial obligations, and the potential for increased “leveraging” to pay for the Delta Tunnels,” according to Restore the Delta (RTD).

Storm More Than Doubles Totals For Rainfall Year

Butte County got a best soaking of the rainfall year from the storm that rolled through Monday and Tuesday, with another shot due to arrive Thursday. Wednesday might be the only nice day of the week, according to the National Weather Service, which is forecasting Thursday’s storm could linger until next week. The past storm brought more to the area than it had total so far this rainfall year, which began Oct. 1, roughly doubling the rainfall totals. Monday and Tuesday brought 2.24 inches of rain to Chico, 0.95 inch to Oroville, and about 5.4 inches to Paradise.

Reservoirs Provide Tap Water Yet Significantly Contribute To Climate Change

Hydropower dams are generally thought to be a clean source of electricity. By moving water through turbines, dams can generate large amounts of electricity almost continuously and without causing air pollution. It’s partly for these reasons that more than 3,700 hydroelectric dams are currently proposed or under construction worldwide. But a growing body of science reveals a dark side. It turns out the reservoirs formed by dams are a significant source of greenhouse gases – particularly methane, about 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In the last 10 years, dozens of studies have shed light on this problem.

 

OPINION: How To Revive A Dying Delta

Scientific reports published over the past several years have been unambiguous. The delta, the largest estuary on the West Coast, is on the brink of collapse. Starved of freshwater inflow due to dams and water diversions, the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta’s health has faced a precipitous decline over the past few decades. The recently released Bay Delta Water Quality Control Plan offers our last best hope to revive the estuary that defines our region.

BLOG: Study: Reservoirs A ‘Significant’ Contributor To Climate Change

Hydropower dams are generally thought to be a clean source of electricity. By moving water through turbines, dams can generate large amounts of electricity almost continuously and without causing air pollution. It’s partly for these reasons that more than 3,700 hydroelectric dams are currently proposed or under construction worldwide. But a growing body of science reveals a dark side. It turns out the reservoirs formed by dams are a significant source of greenhouse gases – particularly methane, about 34 times more potent than carbon dioxide. In the last 10 years, dozens of studies have shed light on this problem.

 

BLOG: Delta Tunnel Alternative: Embracing Flooding For Water Supply

When California officials got serious about building two giant tunnels to divert freshwater out of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, it didn’t take critics long to propose alternatives. One of the first was a grassroots scheme that, at first, seemed radical and counterintuitive: Let winter floods retake vast parts of the San Joaquin Valley – the very farmland that needs those Delta water diversions. The floods would recharge depleted groundwater that could then be used to irrigate the farms, preventing the need for Delta water exports.

Sites Reservoir Backers Prepare To Seek Bond Money

Backers of the proposed Sites Reservoir west of here believe they have plenty of momentum going into next year’s application period for Proposition 1 water bond funds. The number of agencies signed on to participate in the project has grown from 14 to 34, including from the San Francisco Bay area and San Joaquin Valley, said Jim Watson, general manager of the Sites Authority. And the Legislature recently passed Assembly Bill 2553, a bipartisan measure that will give flexibility in construction methods to help speed the project.

Late-Week Storm To Deliver Critical Rainfall To California

Rain will douse California late this week, with the potential for some rain to reach southern portions of the state. While the rain will be beneficial in terms of the drought, enough rain can fall to cause travel disruptions and localized flash flooding from Thursday to Friday. More than 40 percent of California is dealing with extreme to exceptional drought, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor released on Oct. 20. Prior to the late-week dousing, showers will affect portions of northern and Southern California into Tuesday before dry weather returns for a time.