Tag Archive for: Farmers

Opinion: One Water District is Trying to Make Sure Agriculture Cleans Up Its Own Mess

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Timesby Jacques Leslie

A Central California water board is poised to do something rare in American agriculture: It is trying to establish enforcement mechanisms — not just toothless regulations — to limit the use of farm fertilizers that contribute to dangerous levels of groundwater pollution. If the effort is successful, within a few decades it will have reversed or at least stopped adding to the pollution of groundwater beneath the Salinas and Santa Maria valleys.

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Mexican Water Wars: Dam Seized, Troops Deployed, at Least One Killed in Protests About Sharing with U.S.

/in , , /by /Los Angeles Times by Patrick J. McDonnell

Mexico’s water wars have turned deadly.

A long-simmering dispute about shared water rights between Mexico and the United States has erupted into open clashes pitting Mexican National Guard troops against farmers, ranchers and others who seized a dam in northern Chihuahua state.

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Meet the Water Baron You (Likely) Haven’t Heard of

/in , /by /The Sun (Central Valley)by Alex Tavlian

Has the San Joaquin Valley reached its Chinatown moment? For farmers who rely on water from the Kings River, the answer winds up as some shade of “yes.” But the players are different. This isn’t the Owens Valley and William Mulholland doesn’t work for the City of Los Angeles. Uneasy about a slowly-marching plan to siphon Valley water for Southern California, farmers and some water managers are worrying about the growing shadow of one of the region’s largest land owners.

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Imperial County Agencies Deliver 500,000 Face Masks to Agriculture Workers

/in , , /by /Water News Networkby Darren Simon

The Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner’s Office has taken the lead in distributing more than 500,000 face masks to all sectors of the agriculture industry in the Imperial Valley.

“This was a positive result of the state understanding our need,” said Imperial County Agricultural Commissioner Carlos Ortiz. “They heard us.”

Agriculture is one of the essential sectors critical to health and safety in California during the coronavirus pandemic.

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Imperial Irrigation District Scores Another Win In Court Battle With Farmer Michael Abatti

/in , , /by /Desert Sun (Palm Springs)by Mark Olalde

A California appellate court on Wednesday denied Imperial Valley farmer Michael Abatti’s request for a rehearing in his long-running legal fight with the Imperial Irrigation District over control of Colorado River water. The decision could likely spell the end to his legal challenges.

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Court Rules IID Holds Water Rights

/in , , /by /KYMA Imperial Countyby Alexandra Rangel

The Imperial Irrigation District has won the battle over water rights in Imperial County.

The Fourth Appellate District Court of Appeals ruled a split decision Thursday. The lawsuit, filed by the local farmers and former IID Director Michael Abatti.

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Farmers Doing More With Less Need Help From Above

/in , /by /Bakersfield.comby Dianne Hardisty

Joel Ackerknecht manages about 3,500 acres of land north and west of Bakersfield and south of Arvin for DM Camp and Sons, a more than 80-year-old Kern County farming operation that grows a variety of specialty crops, including wine grapes, nuts and sweet potatoes.

A combination of expanding global demand for California produce, stretched water resources, receding ground water levels and increasing government regulations caused Ackerknecht to search for ways to do more with less.

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More Clashes in Mexico Over Repaying U.S. Water Debt

/in , , /by /AP News

Farmers once again clashed with Mexican military forces Sunday to protest releases of water from a dam to repay a water debt owed to the United States.

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Money to Repair Central Valley Canal in House Bill. A large Funding Gap Remains

/in , /by /The Modesto Beeby Danielle Bergstrom

South San Joaquin Valley farmers have a reason to celebrate this week: Democratic leaders in the House of Representatives appropriated $200 million to fix the Friant-Kern Canal.

The bill also includes funding to repair the Delta-Mendota Canal and for two Northern California reservoirs.

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Ruling Avoids Additional CVP Supply Cuts

/in , , /by /Ag Alertby Christine Souza

In the ongoing struggle over management of water supplies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin river system, farmers who rely on deliveries from the federal Central Valley Project have earned an initial victory from a federal judge, pending further legal action later this year.

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