Farmers Archives

California, 15 Other States Sue Over New Rule Diluting Protections for Nation’s Waterways

May 3, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /San Francisco Chronicleby Peter Fimrite

A coalition of 16 states led by California and New York sued the Trump administration Friday over a law that eliminated Obama-era protections for wetlands and streams across the United States.

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, accuses President Trump and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency of illegally exposing waterways to pollution and development by rolling back a key provision of the Clean Water Act.

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Opinion: California and Federal Government Need to Resolve Differences on Water Supply Issues

April 30, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /CalMattersby Mike Wade

Re “California water war re-ignited”; Dan Walters, April 20, 2020, CalMatters

Dan Walters’ column does a good job describing a potential water battle that all Californians should want to avoid.

The COVID-19 pandemic has rendered uncertain many things we used to take for granted. When can we next go to a restaurant, plan a vacation or go to a baseball game? We can’t afford to add to that list, “will there be food at the grocery store?” Our food supply has been one of the few things we’ve been able to count on in recent months and we need that to continue.

Trump Opens Floodgates, and Acrimony Swamps California

April 28, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /E&E Newsby Jeremy Jacobs

On the campaign trail in 2016, President Trump swung into California’s agricultural hub and vowed to deliver more water to the drought-ridden state’s farmers.

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Farmers Face New Challenges in Their Ongoing Quest for Water

April 24, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Sacramento Business Journalby Emily Hamann

Not a drop of rain fell in February in Sacramento until the end of the month, making it the driest February on record for much of Northern California. For many farmers it was a painful harkening back to the drought that reached its peak and 2015, and marked the driest period in recorded California history.

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San Diego County Farmers See Big Drop in Flower Sales

April 24, 2020/in Home Headline, Media Coverage, San Diego County /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /KPBSby Anne Snabes

San Diego County farmers who grow cut flowers and ornamental plants have seen their sales decline, while other farmers who sell produce are taking less of a hit.

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Opinion: Opportunities are Plentiful to Sustain California Agriculture in the Face of Water Supply Uncertainties

April 23, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Cal Mattersby Cora Kammeyer

There is no evidence supporting the author’s claim that the San Joaquin Valley’s water supply challenges are linked to California’s food security or the rise in foreign produce imports.

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Changes in Snowmelt Threaten Farmers in Western U.S.

April 21, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Colorado State Universityby Mary Guiden

For decades, scientists have thought that changes in snowmelt due to climate change could negatively impact agriculture. Now, a new study reveals the risks to agriculture around the world from changes in snowmelt, finding that farmers in parts of the western United States who rely on snowmelt to help irrigate crops will be among the hardest hit in the world by climate change.

In a study published April 20 in Nature Climate Change, an interdisciplinary team of researchers analyzed monthly irrigation water demand with snowmelt runoff across global basins from 1985 to 2015. The goal was to determine where irrigated agriculture has depended on snowmelt runoff in the past and how that might change with a warming climate.

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150 Ag and Water Groups Call for Water Relief

April 21, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /AGNet Westby Brian German

A group of 150 agricultural and water organizations is calling on federal officials to provide water relief for the Western United States. Two separate letters sent to President Donald Trump and members of Congress highlight the importance of providing support for enhancing water management, particularly in light of the tumultuous conditions created by COVID-19.

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Changes in Snowmelt Threaten Farmers in Western U.S.

April 21, 2020/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Kimberlyn Velasquez /Science Dailyby Jeff Grabmeier

Farmers in parts of the western United States who rely on snowmelt to help irrigate their crops will be among the hardest hit in the world by climate change, a new study reveals.

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