Tag Archive for: california farmers

Facing a Drought, California’s Farmers Make Hard Choices

/in , , /by /The Mercury Newsby Lisa M. Krieger

In wetter times, these feathery beds of asparagus would produce generations of tender green spears, reaching for the vast San Joaquin Valley sky.

On Monday they were disked into the dry dirt, their long lives cut short by unreliable and expensive water.

“It’s a really sad day,” said Fresno County’s Joe Del Bosque, who has destroyed 100 acres of organic asparagus so he can divert precious water to more valuable melons. “The water is so uncertain this year. We didn’t think we’d have enough to carry it through.”

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Drought Forces California Farmers to Destroy Crops

/in , , /by /Yourcentralvalley.comby Kirsten Mitchell

With the uncertainty of water, some Central Valley farmers are destroying their crops ahead of the summer season in order to survive. It’s impacting jobs and soon possibly the grocery shelves. Every crop at Del Bosque Farms is planted meticulously, and every drop of water is a precious commodity. Joe Del Bosque started the family farm in 1985. He grows melons, asparagus, cherries, almonds, and corn, but the drought brings a flood of concern “Hundreds and thousands of acres that are not going to be planted,” said Del Bosque. Unlike past droughts, Del Bosque says this year is different.

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Opinion: Water Partnerships Between Cities and Farms Would Help Prepare for a Changing Climate

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Alvar Escriva-Bou

San Joaquin Valley farms and Southern California cities are facing different but equally daunting water challenges. For Valley farmers, the requirement to achieve groundwater sustainability in coming years has heightened interest in expanding water supplies to reduce the need to fallow irrigated farmland. For Southern California, falling demands since the early 2000s have reduced water stress during normal and wet years, but a warming climate makes future droughts a major concern.

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California Nut Farmers Burdened By Huge Supply, Low Demand

/in , , /by /Patch (Newport Beach-Corona Del Mar)by Nick Garber

The coronavirus pandemic has touched nearly every corner of California’s society and its economy — including the state’s nut farmers, who are blessed with a bounty of ripe fruit but cursed by plummeting demand for their product.

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