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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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Many San Diego County Farmers Excluded from Federal COVID-19 Relief Funds

/in , , /by /inewsourceby Camille von Kaenel

Farmers who grow San Diego County’s most valuable crops may miss out on federal cash for coronavirus-related losses because some of their agriculture products — primarily flowers, nursery plants and exotic fruits — are not included in the relief program.

The growers are pushing to get their specialty crops added to the government’s eligible list, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture appears willing to hear them out. It has asked for more information on nursery plants and cut flowers, and given the farmers a deadline of today to provide more data on their losses.

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A Proud California Dairy Farmer Battles for Survival in Wildly Uncertain Times

/in , , /by /InsideClimate Newsby Evelyn Nieves

After 67 years of living and breathing dairy farming in California’s San Joaquin Valley, Scott Magneson cannot, will not, stop.

Every morning before dawn, when the valley fog is still resting on his fields in thick clouds, he checks the barns. Then he starts on the to-do list, which outlasts the day. In another farm tradition, Magneson rarely leaves his land. He can’t remember the last time he and his wife Pat (who does the bookkeeping) took a vacation.

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IID and Farmer Michael Abatti Square Off Over the Imperial Valley’s Water

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

Water is power in California’s Imperial Valley, and a years-long fight over allocations from the Colorado River to the agriculture-heavy region landed back in court on Friday. Attorneys representing local farmers and the Imperial Irrigation District squared off in front of a three-judge panel at the state appellate court level over a water-rights lawsuit expected to be decided in 90 days.

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