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Tree Nut Growers More Likely to use Drought Assistance
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPress by Tim HeardenTree nut growers are 23% more likely than other farmers to take advantage of drought assistance, even if it costs them more money in the short term, according to a university study.
Growers of nuts – particularly almonds – place a higher dollar value on USDA monetary and technical aid and are willing to take an over $7,000 loss in a season or two to protect their long-term investments, according to research from California State University, Fresno.
Whereas a row crop grower can limit planting in years when he or she can’t get much water, a tree farmer must still keep the trees alive and productive, noted Todd Lone, a professor in Fresno State’s Department of Agricultural Business.
Can California Water Woes Be Solved?
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPressby Todd FitchetteCan California’s water woes be solved?
Some think that all it takes is money, which is exactly what the California Legislature may ask voters in 2020 for in the name of clean drinking water.
In the last several years Californians bought the arguments made by farmers, environmentalists and pretty much everyone else who was promised access to the cookie jar. Farmers were told they’d get more water storage to augment their annual allocation of irrigation water, which continue to shrink because of bad public policy. While not said overtly, the implications were “give us more money and we’ll get you back up to a full irrigation allotment.”
Full Allocations Hard To Reach Despite Storms
/in California and the U.S., Home Headline, Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPress (Fresno)by Tim HeardenEven as winter and early-spring storms have filled reservoirs to the brim and piled snow on Sierra Nevada mountaintops, state and federal officials say they’re limited in how much water they can send south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta. California’s lead water agency on March 20 set anticipated deliveries to contractors at 70 percent of requested supplies. The Department of Water Resources’ (DWR) update came a few days after the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation announced that agricultural operations north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta will receive their full supplies while south-of-Delta ag contractors will receive 55 percent.
USDA Announces $449 Million For Sites Reservoir
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPress (Fresno)Congressman Doug LaMalfa (R-Richvale) issued the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced a $449 million loan to Sites Reservoir Project Authority to build the interconnection facilities to move water in and out of Sites Reservoir. LaMalfa said: “Sites Reservoir is a project that I’ve been fighting to see completed since I’ve been in Congress. After many years of working with the USDA and my California colleague, Congressman John Garamendi, this newly acquired funding will allow the Sites project to finally take the next steps. I’ve said many times before – surface storage projects like this one are absolutely critical to securing the future of our state’s water supply.
El Nino Holds Weather Uncertainty For California
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPressby Tim HeardenForecasters are confident that weak El Nino atmospheric conditions will set in as the winter progresses, and in California, that can mean anything. While El Nino conditions are known for producing wet, warm storms from the south, state and National Weather Service forecasters say there’s an equal chance of below-normal, normal or above-normal precipitation in California this winter.
Capitol Rally To Protest Water Agency’s Bay-Delta Plan
/in California and the U.S., Media Coverage /by Mike Lee /Western FarmPressAssemblyman Adam Gray, D-Merced, is holding a rally on August 20th at noon on the steps of the State Capitol to protest Phase 1 of the State Water Resources Control Board’s Bay Delta Plan The plan would require an average of 40% unimpaired flows along the Merced, Tuolumne, and Stanislaus Rivers for the protection of fish.
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