Tag Archive for: Farmers

Even in Dry Year, Valley Farmers See a Bump in Water Allocation

/in , , /by /The San Joaquin Valley Sunby Alex Tavlian

Farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta received some welcome news on Tuesday.

After a set of spring storms in April, water allocations from the Central Valley Project are increasing almost across the board at a rate of 5 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced.

Water users on the westside of the San Joaquin Valley will see a five percent increase in water allocation – from 15 to 20 percent of their contracted amount.

Municipal and industrial users, similarly, saw a five percent bump to 70 percent of their contracted amount of water.

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7 Things You Can Do Now to Support San Diego Farms, Food Economy

/in , , , /by /Times of San Diegoby Hoa Quach

The San Diego Food System Alliance is calling on San Diego County leaders and residents to recognize the devastating impact COVID-19 is having on our local food system—including food businesses, farms and fisheries, food and farm workers, and food security.

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Judge Temporarily Blocks Trump’s California Water Plan

/in , , /by /AP News

A federal court on Tuesday temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s efforts to pump more water to the agricultural Central Valley, which critics said would threaten endangered species and salmon runs.

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New Federal Clean Water Rule Puts Expensive Onus on Colorado

/in , , /by /The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)by Jerd Smith

Colorado and other Western states will be hard-pressed to shield their rivers and streams under a new federal Clean Water Act rule finalized last month, largely because hundreds of shallow Western rivers are no longer protected, and writing new state laws and finding the cash to fill the regulatory gap will likely take years, officials said.

Though many agricultural interests and water utilities support the new Waters of the U.S. rule, as it is known, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser and Patrick Pfaltzgraff, director of the state’s Water Quality Control Division, said they will take legal action to protect streams that are no longer subject to federal oversight.

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Farmers, Ranchers Dispute Legal Limits of Revamped Water Rule

/in , /by /Bloomberg Lawby Amena H. Saiyid

Cattlemen in the West are gearing up for a legal battle over the Trump administration’s revamped water jurisdiction rule, even as a national trade association of farmers that touts itself as the “unified voice of agriculture” supports the change.

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Coachella Valley Water District Rewrites Budget Amid COVID-19, May Cut Spending $40 Million

/in , , /by /The Palm Springs Desert Sunby Mark Olaide

The Coachella Valley Water District has released a revised annual budget for fiscal 2021 that represents the hard economic realities of operating during the coronavirus pandemic.

The new budget, which is currently a staff proposal, proposes a $40 million decrease in spending compared to the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. It will be discussed at board of directors meetings on Monday and Tuesday.

“Though we have a tremendous pent-up demand for facilities repairs and upgrades, we have committed to imposing no rate increases in FY 2021,” the staff presentation about the updated budget proposal says. “Instead, we have cut operating expenses and are temporarily tapping into our emergency reserves.”

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Judge Throws Water on California Bid to Slow Delta Pumping

/in , , /by /Courthouse News Serviceby Nick Cahill

In California’s eternal water wars, Trump’s push to send the liquid gold from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to farmers in the south was contested by the state and environmentalists in federal court Thursday.

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California Agriculture and COVID-19

/in , , /by /California Ag Todayby Tim Hammerich

In recent weeks, we’ve been sharing stories of how California agriculture is adapting under the current circumstances stemming from COVID-19. I have a few more for you here today.

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic reverberate through California agriculture, according to speakers at an online forum. During a virtual town hall hosted by chairs of the Legislature’s agriculture committees, economists said changes in diets and buying habits have disrupted every aspect of the farming business. One analyst said agriculture faces a “one-two punch” from the pandemic shutdown and a slow economic recovery.

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Farmers Hijack Community Water Access Despite Groundwater Act, Activists Say

/in , , /by /KCETby Alastair Bland

When a fire started on the property next door to Ray Cano’s home, the neighbors used Cano’s hose and well to fight the flames. Running the pump at full throttle, they managed to control the blaze until the fire department arrived. Then, the well’s pump sputtered to a stop.

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Billions in Coronavirus Aid will go to Farms. But Farmers say it’s Not Enough to Keep Them Afloat

/in , , /by /CalMattersby Manuela Tobias

Ryan Indart says he may have to kill off some of the sheep at his east Clovis ranch this fall. With restaurants shuttered amid the coronavirus pandemic, he has no market for his animals. When a new flock arrives in October, he won’t have enough space in his pasture if his current flock is still there.

Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Wednesday a $3.6 million program to help farms and food banks stay afloat, coupled with a philanthropy pledge of $15 million. That promise came on the heels of a much larger federal aid package of $19 billion for farmers and ranchers across the country.

Farmers across the San Joaquin Valley echoed Indart’s concern.

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