Farm groups laud new water delivery forecast
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 19, 2010 at 6:57 amFrom the Capital Press:
“Irrigators and farm groups this week praised the federal Bureau of Reclamation for increasing its forecast of water deliveries to Central Valley farms this year, saying the new estimate could improve farmers’ situations this year as well as next year.
Citing a near-average precipitation year and healthy storage, the Bureau of Reclamation said on March 16 that irrigators north of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta can now expect 50 percent of contracted allocations, while those south of the Delta can expect 25 percent. Both regions were raised from a forecast of 5 percent in February.
The U.S. Interior Department, which manages the Bureau, has said it would further boost deliveries by up to 10 percentage points through a list of actions to boost efficiency. … “
Continue reading this article from the Capital Press by clicking here.
USDA commits water quality assistance to help California’s agricultural producers
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 18, 2010 at 6:37 amFrom the USDA, this press release:
“WASHINGTON, March 17, 2010-Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today committed $15 million to help California agricultural producers improve water quality in their state. This funding is being made available through the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program (AWEP), which helps agricultural partners with both conservation and enhancement of water quality.
“This action will provide much needed assistance to California’s agricultural producers in their efforts to improve the quality of water and help with a critical need for water conservation measures in the state,” said Vilsack.
“I applaud Secretary Vilsack and USDA for offering this important assistance to farmers in California, many of whom have suffered heavy crop losses due to drought,” Senator Barbara Boxer said. “This funding will help agricultural producers conserve water and improve water quality in our state.”
“California until recently was in the grip of a three-year drought,” said Senator Dianne Feinstein. “Today’s announcement will help Central Valley farmers to purchase much-needed water and implement water saving techniques during this difficult time. I commend the USDA for recognizing the unique challenges facing California farmers, and I look forward to continuing to work with the Department to fund practical and environmentally responsible drought assistance programs in the coming months.” … “
Continue reading this press release from the USDA by clicking here.
ESA shows dysfunction of Congress, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:52 amFrom the Western Farm Press, this commentary by Aaron Kiess, Executive Director, California Alfalfa & Forage Association:
“Several years ago a columnist who knows politics inside and out took California’s congressional delegation to task for being dysfunctional. The column pointed out that California is the largest congressional delegation, yet it lagged behind other state delegations that do a much better job of serving their constituents. The column came to mind recently as the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta water deliveries continued to make the news.
Despite a series of storms and above average snowpack, regulatory agencies did whatever they could to put a lid on water deliveries. Then, on Feb. 11, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein announced that she planned to attach a water-delivery amendment onto a Senate jobs bill.
Based on the details that were made public, Feinstein appeared to be taking the exact same approach Congressman Devin Nunes offered up last year after the Delta smelt was listed on the Endangered Species Act (ESA). The congressman, whose family farms in Tulare County, called for Congress to suspend the ESA listing while a long-term solution for the Delta was hammered out. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Ag has compromised on water long enough, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 17, 2010 at 7:51 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta, this commentary by Mike Bennett:
“I’m amazed at the Visalia Times-Delta’s editorial board’s lack of understanding on water. First of all, in their recent editorial, they criticize our congressman and Valley farmers and ranchers for not compromising. Clearly, they are not students of history.
In 1992, through George Miller and Nancy Pelosi, the CVPIA took our water through a so-called compromise. Then, in another disastrous compromise, the San Joaquin River Settlement took more water. Now the Visalia Times-Delta is saying we should compromise on the biological opinions on the Delta smelt and killer whale.
The definition of compromise is a settlement in which each side makes concessions.
I believe we have compromised enough, and it is time for the editorial board to look at the radical elements of the environmental movement and ask when they have ever compromised. The environmentalists come and take water once, they take it twice, and they are never satisfied, because they always come back for more. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Congressman Costa presses president to increase water and support to valley
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 7:06 am
From the website of Congressman Jim Costa:
” In a meeting last evening at the White House, Congressman Jim Costa (D-Fresno) urged President Obama to increase his commitment to resolving the water crisis that is devastating the San Joaquin Valley. “Once again, I delivered our Valley’s message directly to the President: Together, we can overcome this water crisis. But to do so, the Administration must increase our supply of water, and step up their commitment to our farmers, families, and workers.
“People across the Valley are hurting and our livelihoods are at stake. As farmland continues to be fallowed and record levels of people remain out of work, I again invited the President to visit our district to see firsthand the devastating impact that water restrictions have had on our Valley.
“The Administration can and must provide relief to the people who are suffering under the effects of a drought and years of misguided water regulations. The economic viability and wellbeing of our country is directly tied to a healthy Valley economy. A failure to increase the Valley’s water supply will limit our region’s ability to put food on our nation’s dinner table and hire workers.
“I appreciate the President’s time and willingness to speak about the issues facing our district. Increasing the Valley’s water supply will create jobs and opportunity – two goals that the President assured me he shares as we work to lead our country to a new period of economic growth and security.” … “
Don Curlee: Water meetings inspire farmers,’ others’ activism
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 15, 2010 at 6:26 amFrom the Visalia Times-Delta:
“In recent meetings about the lack of water for farming, the word that prompts the strongest supportive reaction from farmers in the audiences is “revolution.”
Farmers in the Central Valley are frustrated by:
# 1. Failed attempts to persuade members of Congress that the current route of water management in Central California is leading to disaster.
# 2. Backfired efforts to negotiate solutions.
# 3. Water-absorbing federal rules and regulations.
# 4. The constant thirst of environmentalists for more water to protect and maintain fish populations.
This is only a partial list, of course.
At the state level, farmers can’t understand why legislators and policy makers don’t have a better grasp of the need to provide water for all the state’s citizens.
Farmers suspect that environmental extremists had — and continue to have — little or no appreciation for California’s staggering agricultural supremacy and the resulting positive effect it has on the state’s economic well-being. … “
Continue reading Don Curlee’s column by clicking here.
Ag needs political voice, says Charles Hoppin, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board at conference
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 14, 2010 at 6:21 amFrom the Yuma Sun:
“The keynote speaker for the annual Southwest Ag Summit had a few words of wisdom for those attending: Regulators really don’t care what impact they have on the industry.
The regulatory community, including much of his staff, doesn’t know or understand the issues facing agriculture and “doesn’t give a rat’s …,” said Charles Hoppin, chairman of the California State Water Resources Control Board.
“They make decisions that impact people’s heritage and their ability to make a living,” he said. “I understand the need for regulation but that horrifies me.”
And that’s why it is so critical that those in the agriculture industry get involved in the political and regulatory processes and ensure that they have a voice in the decisions that impact them, he said.
“You can make a difference if you have a relationship with the politicians,” Hoppin told the some 1,000 people who attended Thursday’s summit, among them 200 high school agriculture and science students. … “
Continue reading this article from the Yuma Sun by clicking here.
Bill McEwen: Farmers, your name isn’t mud
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 11, 2010 at 5:48 amFrom the Fresno Bee, this column by Bill McEwen:
“I get it when farmers say don’t complain about us with your mouth full — even though what they mean is don’t complain about farmers at all.
So, I’m not going to complain about farmers. I’m going to suggest — for their benefit — that they talk a lot less about how tough they have it and start bragging about how well they do. The truth is agriculture has been one of the best performers in California’s economy since the housing bubble burst and recession began, according to state statistics and a University of the Pacific economist who has made a point of highlighting this issue.
Yes, there are some farmers, such as those on the west side of the Central Valley, who have been waylaid by drought and environmental restrictions. But, as a whole, farmers are better off than construction workers, real-estate agents and laid-off public employees.
The big-picture view for California is that we should thank our lucky stars that all of our productive farmland hasn’t been turned into subdivisions and parking lots. Otherwise, our economy would be a worse mess. But you wouldn’t know it from the Dust Bowl landscape of Valley agriculture painted by farmers and ally politicians. Like the farmer who drives an old pickup lest someone think he’s making a buck, they peddle fear and pestilence. … “
Continue reading Bill McEwen’s column by clicking here.
Valley Economy: Revised farm job estimates
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 11, 2010 at 5:35 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“Today, the CA EDD released revised employment estimates for counties. On Friday, the statewide revisions were released and the statewide loss in farm jobs between 2008 and 2009 was revised from -1,700 to -13,500. Does this mean that water has had greater effects than I forecast? No. Look at the geographical breakdown.
In the San Joaquin Valley, farm jobs declined from 191,700 to 186,200, a decrease of 5,500 or 2.87%. For areas of California outside the San Joaquin Valley, farm jobs declined even more. Non-SJ Valley jobs decreased from 197,600 to 189,600, a decrease of 8,000 or 4.05%.
In percentage terms, the largest decline in farm jobs was in Imperial County. There were also significant declines in other Southern California areas such as Ventura, San Diego, Riverside, Orange, etc. … “
Continue reading this post from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
U.S. aid sought for California drought
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 10, 2010 at 6:05 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“California’s specialty crop farmers could get help from a $150 million emergency aid amendment added Tuesday to a larger jobs and unemployment package.
The aid will flow to fruit and vegetable farmers who work in the 24 California counties that have been designated as primary disaster areas because of drought. These include many Central Valley counties, among them Kings and Merced. Fresno and Tulare counties were not among those designated last September as primary disaster areas.
Though the amendment does not specify California as a recipient, the state is expected to receive a high percentage of the specialty-crop funding because it dominates the nation’s fruit and vegetable production.
“Growers in California have experienced significant crop losses due to an extended period of drought, and these funds will help many get through these tough times,” Democratic Sen. Barbara Boxer said. … “
Continue reading this article from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Changing history of San Joaquin Valley
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 9, 2010 at 9:07 amFrom the Western Farm Press:
“Second-generation San Joaquin Valley farmer John Diener refuses to accept the adage that history repeats itself. History repeating itself will eventually mean the demise of the richest agricultural valley in America.
Diener, 58, farms on the West Side of the San Joaquin where he and his neighbors are fighting with one hand for fresh irrigation water to grow crops, while with the other they are challenged to economically dispose of subsurface, perched water.
Diener farms out of Five Points, Calif. He is doing everything he can think of to survive two opposing dilemmas that are like a vise squeezing him and his peers in the middle. However, is it more than personal. At stake is a major food source for a nation, and he is passionate there is no alternative but to successfully meet both challenges.
“Thirty percent of the all the processing tomatoes grown in the U.S. are produced in Fresno County; 30 percent of the country’s grapes are produced here,” he says, listing two of the myriad of facts that make Fresno County the No. 1 agricultural county in the nation.
He bristles at the notion that somehow growing food in the San Joaquin Valley is bad. Without its bounty, people will take to the streets and riot for food, he believes. … “
Read more from the Western Farm Press by clicking here.
Growers in Modesto Irrigation District face costlier water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 8, 2010 at 8:09 amFrom the Sacramento Bee:
“Farmers in the Modesto Irrigation District could get a 10 percent increase in water rates Tuesday.
The district board also could set the base allotment for water — the amount available this year — at the lowest rate. Because of continuing drought concerns, the proposed allotment is less than it would be during wet periods.
Under the rate proposal, farmers would pay $28 per acre for the base allotment, up from $25.50. This would entitle them to three acre-feet of Tuolumne River water under the proposed allotment. An acre-foot is enough to cover an acre 1 foot deep. … “
Read more from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Growers await chemical decision
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 7, 2010 at 8:00 am
From the Sacramento Bee:
“In a fourth floor state office overlooking Sacramento City Hall, Mary-Ann Warmerdam must make a contentious choice about how farmers grow one of America’s favorite foods – the strawberry.
In classic California fashion, her decision as head of the Department of Pesticide Regulation, or DPR, represents an environmental showdown being watched nationally, even globally.
Warmerdam, chief farm chemical regulator in a state that grows nearly 90 percent of U.S. strawberries, will decide in weeks whether growers can use a soil fumigant known as methyl iodide.
That’s the controversial new substitute for methyl bromide, an effective but notorious soil sterilizer being phased out across the globe for depleting the ozone layer. Long employed by California strawberry growers to rid soil of insects and pests, the use of methyl bromide has dwindled to less than half the state’s 37,000 strawberry acres, and none in the capital region, industry sources say.
But strawberry and nursery stock growers are hankering for a replacement, and what’s being proposed – methyl iodide – may be just as bad or worse, environmentalists and some scientists now contend. They say methyl iodide will potentially contaminate groundwater even as it removes a threat to Earth’s ozone layer. … “
Continue reading this article from the Sacramento Bee by clicking here.
Photo of strawberries by flickr photographer Anushruti RK (Creative Commons).
Friday’s top of the scroll: Feds plan $10M in aid for thirsty farms, Would help boost water-saving efforts, mostly in west valley
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:44 amFrom the Modesto Bee:
“The federal government on Thursday announced $10 million in aid to farmers suffering from water shortages in the San Joaquin Valley. The money will help farmers, mainly along the west valley, with efforts such as drip irrigation and preventing soil erosion from fallowed fields.
“With the challenges to California farmers caused by three years of drought, we are making available much-needed assistance to some of the hardest-hit producers,” said Dave White, chief of the Natural Resources Conservation Service, who met with farmers in Fresno.
Water allotments last year were cut to 10 percent of the contract amount for some parts of the valley served by the federal Central Valley Project. This happened in part because of the drought and in part to protect salmon and other fish in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. … “
Continue reading this article from the Modesto Bee by clicking here.
Irrigators, lenders say uncertainty worsens woes
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:41 amFrom the Capital Press:
“While the U.S. Department of Interior scrambles to augment California water deliveries, irrigators and farm lenders say the efforts won’t improve this year’s circumstances for farmers south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta.
Federal project deliveries from the Delta to irrigators on the San Joaquin Valley’s westside are likely to rise higher than the 5 percent floor announced by the Interior Department on Feb. 26.
But the minimal guarantee is all farmers can bank on, said Sarah Woolf, spokeswoman for Westlands Water District, which encompasses a large proportion of growers on the westside, where cutbacks caused by drought and species protections have put farmers in desperate straits. … “
Continue reading this article from the Capital Press by clicking here.
Vilsack says farmers and environmentalists have common ground
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 5, 2010 at 8:39 amFrom Frances Bienecke at the NRDC Switchboard blog:
“Gaze out across a New York dairy farm, a Kansas wheat spread or a field of tomatoes in California’s Salinas Valley, and you might think of the folks who grow America’s food as natural born environmentalists. Who has more at stake, after all, in clean water, healthy soil and a hospitable climate, than the men and women — more than 1.4 million of them — who work the land to feed the country?
In too many ways, though, farmers and environmentalists have been talking past each other, especially when it comes to the manifest benefits we can all reap from the new clean energy economy this country needs.
That was the heart of the message delivered by Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, who delivered the keynote address Wednesday at the NRDC quarterly board meeting in Washington.
Farmers and environmentalists, said Vilsack, share a lot of common ground; if only we’d learn how to talk to each other better. … “
Continue reading this post from the NRDC Switchboard blog by clicking here.
Farmers unhappy with water news; State, Feds make initial allocations
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 4, 2010 at 6:57 amFrom the Valley Voice Newspaper:
“Growers and water users were not pleased with the initial allocations of water deliveries made by both state and federal water officials last week
U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar said the Bureau of Reclamation’s Initial Water Supply Forecast is for farmers to get just 5 percent of their average allotment, but that could grow to as much as 40 percent if the storms keep coming into the state.
At the same time, the state Department of Water Resources (DWR) increased its planned deliveries to California’s water contractors from 5 to 15 percent, still the lowest allocation percentage in the project’s history.
For Eastside growers served by Friant Dam, the news was better than for the Westside growers who left hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland fallow last summer because of the lack of water. … “
Read more from the Valley Voice Newspaper by clicking here.
Wednesday’s top of scroll: New report from the Pacific Institute illustrates strides in agricultural water conservation and efficiency: Innovative farmers and water managers show the way to sustainable water use
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 8:42 am
From the Pacific Institute:
“March 3, 2010 – Oakland, Calif. – Madera County almond grower Tom Rogers has reduced water use by up to 20% in some fields with careful monitoring and irrigation scheduling. With sustainable water policies and practices, innovative growers like Rogers and irrigation districts are already moving California toward more equitable and efficient water management and use. A new report and video from the Pacific Institute, California Farm Water Success Stories, uses seven case studies to showcase agricultural water use innovations and demonstrate how these alternatives to traditional approaches can help California meet its water management challenges now and into the future.
“Mounting evidence of the effectiveness of farm water conservation and efficiency strategies is good news for policymakers and water managers,” said Dr. Juliet Christian-Smith, senior research associate at the Pacific Institute and lead author of the report. “Our study demonstrates that long-term sustainable use of water doesn’t require drastic advances in technology or heroic or extraordinary actions. It requires a commitment to sustainability and efficiency and the will to expand positive trends that are already underway.”
The cases in the Pacific Institute report and accompanying video demonstrate diverse strategies that can reduce pressures on scare water resources, from planning and management practices, technological improvements, and use of recycled water, to quantitative targets and financial incentives. The results are efficient water use or enhanced water quality, increased crop yields or quality, and multiple benefits for other water users, such as providing increased flood protection, drought-resilience, or habitat for wildlife.
“Official state water policies now often lag behind—rather than define—the state-of-the-art,” said Dr. Peter Gleick, president of the Pacific Institute. “But when you see what farmers and progressive water agencies are already accomplishing on-the-ground, you immediately see how great the water-savings potential is if we promote and support these strategies.”The California Farm Water Success Stories report and eight-minute video can be downloaded from the Pacific Institute website at http://www.pacinst.org/reports/success_stories/index.htm. The video features five California growers and water managers: Karen Ross, the past president of the California Association of Winegrape Growers; Craig McNamara of Sierra Orchards; Dale Huss of Sea Mist Farms; almond grower Tom Rogers; and Panoche District Water Master Marcos Hedrick.
West Valley farmers await word on water
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 8:27 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A west Valley water leader says a much-needed increase in the summer irrigation forecast might happen in the next few days, even though the Interior Department says any update would come weeks from now.
Interior last week announced west-siders would receive only 5% of the water they are allowed under contracts on the federal Central Valley Project, adding that the allotment might jump to 30% if storms continue.
Two winter storms are rolling into California this week, following a wet weekend. Reservoir and snowpack conditions already support the increase, said Tom Birmingham, general manager of the Westlands Water District, the project’s largest customer. He said the increase must be announced now, so farmers can meet planting schedules to bring more acres back into production. He said he is working closely with federal officials and talking daily with farmers.
“I had a grower call me and ask if he should take the delivery of his tomato seed this week,” Birmingham said. “To answer his question, we need to know about the forecast in the next day or so. I’m hopeful it will happen.” … “
Continue reading this article at the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Water allocations bring frustration as reservoirs rise
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 8:16 amFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
“The much anticipated water allocation announcements from federal and state water projects last week left many California farmers frustrated with the state’s unreliable water delivery system. The preliminary federal allocation of 5 percent, with a promise of more water if average precipitation continues, did little to ease water worries.
While the announcements by the federal Central Valley Project and State Water Project contained the promise of improved water supplies this season, California Farm Bureau Federation President Paul Wenger said the news still leaves many farmers uncertain as they plan their 2010 crops.
The CVP warned that farm customers both north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta could see allocations as low as 5 percent under the most conservative scenarios. The State Water Project raised its projected water deliveries to 15 percent.
“For farmers and their employees, this is like a nightmare that you can’t wake up from,” Wenger said. “What makes it worse is that, unlike previous years, these low allocations come at a time when snowpack levels stand near average and our reservoirs are refilling.” … “
Continue reading this article from the California Farm Bureau Federation by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: Delta smelt forced Westside farmers to plant almonds
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on March 3, 2010 at 8:00 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“According to the Pacific Legal Foundation in a letter to the editor of the Sacramento Bee,
Suggesting that farmers would “be prudent” to rely on field crops reveals how little The Bee knows about agricultural economics. Look at the free fall in the San Joaquin Valley’s cotton acreage in recent years if you think growing field crops is prudent. Misguided government attempts to help fish have forced farmers to shift to higher valued crops.I am confident that the vast majority of agricultural economists would disagree with that last sentence.
I really don’t understand the Pacific Legal Foundation when it comes to California water. They supposedly stand for limited government and private property rights. Yet, here they are supporting the Central Valley Project, one of the great American examples of the problems with big centralized government economic planning. And it is farmers on the other side of the pumps that are filing takings lawsuits against the government water planners without the support of PLF. … “
Continue reading this post from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Water for food: It’s not the farmer, says new research
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 27, 2010 at 8:27 amFrom the Central Valley Business Times:
“Feeding the dog or adding a spoonful of sugar into your coffee means you use more than 300 gallons of water, according to new research by scientists at Carnegie Mellon University.
Checking the amounts of water it takes to make $1 worth of sugar, cat and dog food or milk is part of a comprehensive study by the university researchers to document American industry’s thirst for this scarce resource.
Chris Hendrickson, professor of civil and environmental engineering, says the study shows that most water use by industry occurs indirectly as a result of processing, such as packaging and shipping of food crops to the supermarket, rather than direct use, like watering crops. … “
Continue reading this article from the Central Valley Business Times by clicking here.
Valley Economy blog: Did Davis revise their job numbers down … or up?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 25, 2010 at 7:56 amFrom the Valley Economy blog:
“Those of you following the water, farm jobs news stories may find this interesting. From the March 31, 2009 report from the Department of Water Resources and California Department of Food and Agriculture to the Governor (page 17, 19).
A collaborative economic impact modeling effort between the California
Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), University of California at Davis, and DWR has estimated income and employment impacts from water shortages to irrigated agriculture in the Central Valley based on the current forecasted water project deliveries and estimates of local surface and groundwater water supply availability. The results are as follows:Central Valley farm revenue loss is estimated to range between $325 million and $477 million.
The associated total employment loss is estimated to be between 16,200 and 23,700 full-time equivalent jobs, with the majority of jobs lost in the lowest paying categories.
I just discovered this report from last spring for the first time this afternoon. … “
Continue reading this post from the Valley Economy blog by clicking here.
Scientists point to California pesticide danger
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 23, 2010 at 6:50 amFrom the Fresno Bee:
“A scientific panel has raised serious concerns about the use of methyl iodide on California farmland, saying the highly potent chemical poses significant health risks to workers and the general population.
The report from the state-appointed group of experts comes as a blow to farmers and the makers of the fumigant — the Tokyo-based Arysta LifeScience Corp. — who have been fighting for more than a year to get the chemical approved in California.
At stake for farmers is the loss of a potential replacement for methyl bromide, which was phased out by the federal government in 2005 because it damages the Earth’s protective ozone layer.
“The products that we have just don’t do the job,” said Barry Bedwell, president of the Fresno-based California Grape and Tree Fruit League. … “
Read more from the Fresno Bee by clicking here.
Monday’s top of the scroll: Despite dire predictions, state farm jobs aren’t disappearing
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 22, 2010 at 8:21 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“When California Sen. Dianne Feinstein drafted legislation that would weaken endangered species protections to deliver more water to San Joaquin Valley farms, her rationale was jobs. “People in California’s breadbasket face complete economic ruin,” the Democrat said in a recent statement.
She was joining a chorus of Central Valley politicians and farm groups that during the last year have painted the region as a dust bowl, beset by drought and environmental protections that are cutting vital water deliveries and the jobs that depend on them.
But crop and labor statistics for 2009 belie the image of a withering farm economy teetering on the edge of collapse.
“People make a lot of claims, but the data you see is showing growth,” said Paul Wessen, an economist with the California Employment Development Department. “We’re just not seeing the job loss.” … “
Continue reading this article at the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
To reduce nitrogen pollution, we need new farm policies
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 20, 2010 at 9:18 am
From Grist:
“Turlock, Calif.—Joey Rocha tends 2,800 cows at his Central Valley dairy. That may sound like a large herd, but in California, Rocha is a mid-sized dairy producer.
Taken together, California’s dairy cows produce more than 100,000 tons of manure every day. Rocha and his fellow dairy farmers put all those cow pies to good use—as fertilizer for the fields that grow the corn that feeds their herds. It’s a perfect closed-loop system, except for one big problem: nitrogen.
Manure is nitrogen rich, which makes it a great fertilizer. But by applying every last bit of manure to their fields, California dairy farmers—and non-dairy farmers as well—are dosing their crops with more nitrogen than the plants can absorb. The excess nitrogen is causing serious air and water pollution problems and may even be threatening the health of the soil.
There are ways around this problem: dairy producers and farmers could dial back on the manure and synthetic fertilizers they apply. But there’s not a lot of incentive to do this. … “
Read more from Grist by clicking here.
Local and watershed land use controls: A turning point for agriculture and water quality, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 19, 2010 at 7:41 amFrom Water World:
“Domestic food production and the conservation of limited agricultural resources, such as prime farmland soils, are of critical importance to both the short- and long-term health and welfare of Americans. Typical farming practices today require many inputs, such as fertilizers, pesticides, and mechanized cultivation. Our nation’s industrialized agricultural systems produce essential food products, but also environmental externalities, including excess nutrient runoff from fertilizers and livestock wastes, pesticide runoff, soil erosion and sedimentation, greenhouse gas emissions from farm machinery and livestock manure, and human enteric or intestinal pathogens. These outputs affect not only fish, wildlife, and other ecologically beneficial species, but also human use of water resources, including ground and surface waters, for domestic use and consumption, recreation, and commercial activities.
With few exceptions, there has been limited effective local, state, or federal land use planning, management, and regulation for the long-term conservation of limited agricultural natural resources or regulation of the environmental externalities of industrialized agriculture production. Given the lack of voluntary land stewardship by landowners in general, and farmers in particular, and the lack of a culturally accepted “land ethic,” a new approach is desperately required that blends existing voluntary coordination efforts with public coercion (e.g., police-powerbased regulatory controls).
This commentary recommends that state and local governments, supported by federal guidance, technical assistance, and funding, create and implement a comprehensive and holistic approach to agricultural natural resource conservation, land use planning, and land management, which incorporates watershed-based land use controls and regulation of the effects of agricultural land use on other critical natural resources, specifically water. … “
Continue reading this commentary from Water World by clicking here.
Plenty of problems, few solutions to water crisis; World Ag Expo speakers said short-term fixes are unlikely
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 18, 2010 at 6:38 amFrom the Valley Voice Newspaper:
“Tulare County – Three experts on the water crisis facing California agreed during a forum at World Ag Expo that short-term solutions are few and long-term solutions are a long ways off.
Dan Dooley of Visalia, vice president with the University of California at Davis Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources, David Nawi, Sacramento director with the Department of Interior, and Dick Moss, former head of the Friant-Water Users Authority, all agreed that a long-term solution is the best answer to the problems with the Delta and the shortage of water for California farmers.
Dooley, a Visalia attorney, played a key role in the San Joaquin River settlement that is designed to restore the salmon population on the San Joaquin River. He said the key to the long-term solution is a resolution of Delta conveyance, such as a peripheral canal or some other way to move water around the Delta. … “
Read more from the Valley Voice Newspaper by clicking here.
Wednesday’s top of the scroll: Feinstein’s bill aims to add flexibility to rules on fish protection
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:37 amFrom the California Farm Bureau Federation:
“In a move aimed at increasing the amount of water going to storage from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, congressional leaders propose a measure that could translate into more water for farms and communities south of the delta—while providing continued protection for fish species, including the delta smelt and migrating salmon.
Final language was not available before the Ag Alert® deadline, but the proposal would be attached as a rider to the federal jobs bill Congress will debate in coming days. The proposal is being sponsored by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.
Restricted water deliveries and the state’s ongoing drought have forced the fallowing of around a half million acres of California farmland, created especially high unemployment in San Joaquin Valley farm towns and amplified the hardships of a punishing national recession throughout the state.
The proposal comes at a time when biological triggers set by federal agencies are used to adjust pumping levels at state and federal water transfer facilities in the delta, interrupting storage efforts during a time of high water flows.
“The modifications proposed in the rider to the jobs bill will provide a higher level of reliability in the water supply that more than two-thirds of California’s residents depend on,” said Elisa Noble, California Farm Bureau Federation National Affairs director for natural resources and public lands.
“We cannot continue to wrench vital water supplies on and off based on decisions of the moment,” she said. “We need supply certainty, species protection and meaningful steps to restore the environmental health of the delta.” … “
Continue reading this article at the California Farm Bureau Federation by clicking here.
A chance for some relief from the regulatory drought in California, says commentary; “Sen. Feinstein is to be applauded for her leadership in finding workable solutions to inflexible situations”
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:34 amFrom Paul Wenger, president of the California Farm Bureau Federation, this commentary:
” … Our state, once considered the Golden State, has been the envy of the world for developing an economy that is the fifth largest in the world. Much of that success has been due to the planning of our forefathers, who provided the infrastructure that would allow us to become an economic powerhouse. At the very core of that infrastructure was the development of water storage and conveyance systems, which allowed for water to be stored from times and places of plenty, to be used in times and areas of shortage. It was this reliability of the key ingredient of life—water—that has helped California’s farm community to feed not only our state, but a good part of the world.
Today, that system is under attack. California has stretched and strained a water system that has not been improved upon or expanded for more than 30 years. Our population of 38 million is taxing a water infrastructure system designed for half that many. Because of these challenges, we have seen a Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region sickened by reduced water flows, allowing salt intrusion to gain a foothold in areas not seen before.
Well-intentioned legislation like the Endangered Species Act has proven to be inflexible and has caused harm to our state’s economic well-being that is not sustainable. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Editorial asks: Will Feinstein base her efforts and decisions on these vital environmental issues on sound science and the best interest of her constituents, or will they instead be used as a political tool to be taken up or put down as circumstances and political winds require?
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:30 amFrom the Eureka Times-Standard, this editorial:
“We count ourselves among those across the state still reeling from the sudden and flagrant about-face of Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who recently spurned an approach to river flows and management based on science and evidence for one hinged on political favors and long-term political ambition.
Ironically, we believe this calculated move on her part will turn out in the end to be the last energetic — and thoroughly baffling — spasm of a suddenly questionable political career.
After serving most of her political career as a friend to the environment, Feinstein has now strangely moved to weaken Endangered Species Act protections for fish, including the salmon on which we so desperately depend, in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River system.
There are two ways to read this: Either Feinstein has been waiting for decades to show her true colors on the environment, and for some reason chose to do so now when the fishery is at its weakest and the need at its most high; or she has thrown principle to the wind to somehow benefit some overarching political ambition that would be served by catering to special interests. … “
Continue reading this editorial at the Eureka Times-Standard by clicking here.
Feinstein’s water meddling: By attempting to divert water to a group of farmers in the west San Joaquin Valley, she risks upsetting a delicate compromise reached last year, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:26 amFrom the Los Angeles Times:
“Cities, farmers, fishermen and environmentalists have been waging an exhausting tug of war over water for decades in California, but last fall something unusual happened. All those ropes being tugged by competing interests were woven into something new — a framework for settling conflicts approved under a package of bills by the Legislature. The agreement might have been a fragile web, but it was a historic one nonetheless. And then, last week, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) fired a cannonball through it.
Feinstein announced that she would attach a rider to an upcoming federal jobs bill that would boost water deliveries from the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta to a vocal agribusiness community in the west San Joaquin Valley. Because these farmers were late to the game of acquiring water rights, they’re the first to get shorted when deliveries are cut, as they were last year because of drought conditions and court- ordered pumping restrictions aimed at restoring fish populations. West valley farmers only got about 10% of their allocations of federally subsidized water in 2009, and Feinstein’s rider would ensure they get closer to 40% this year and next. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Los Angeles Times by clicking here.
Food supply suffers as a result of Wanger decision, says commentary
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:19 amFrom the San Bernardino Sun, this commentary by Gayle Learned of the San Bernardino County Farm Bureau:
“It is disheartening that once again Judge Wanger has put the protection of the Delta smelt over the needs of a nation. The Central Valley farmers, as well as farmers across the state have felt the devastating losses both financially and emotionally as they have watched their farms, hopes and dreams dry up.
At what point are Judge Wanger and those protecting a finger-size fish going to realize that protecting our nation’s food supply is far more important than a fish?
As the world’s most powerful nation, we are only destroying ourselves if we eliminate our ability to feed ourselves and end up relying on other countries for our food and fiber. California alone has more agriculture than any other state in the nation and yet we are allowing California judges and environmentalists to destroy that. … “
Continue reading this commentary by clicking here.
Water wars impact big ag, fishing industry, says editorial
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:17 amFrom the Monterey County Herald:
“There are those on the Central Coast who watch the growing water wars of the San Joaquin Valley and reflexively side with big agriculture because the controversy has been overly simplified into a contest between farms and the “tiny delta smelt.”
Some might switch sides, or at least reserve judgment, if they understood that the stakes include the salmon population and the coastal fishing industry, both of which are struggling to survive.
Much has been said and written about how a federal judge has ordered the pumping reduced in the San Joaquin Delta to protect the little smelt, which is of relatively little concern to anyone except biologists and environmentalists. Much less information has been spread about how the rulings by U.S. District Judge Oliver Wanger affect the fate of native salmon, which until recently played a primary role in the Central and Northern California fisheries.
Even while freshly hatched Chinook salmon congregated in the San Joaquin Delta, Wanger earlier this month temporarily lifted pumping limits aimed at safeguarding the salmon. The huge delta pumps, which push Northern California water southward to the giant farms of the San Joaquin and the giant subdivisions of Southern California, had been set too low as part of the federal government’s salmon management plan, Wanger ruled. … “
Continue reading this editorial from the Monterey County Herald by clicking here.
Commentary: Endangered Species Act blamed for water woes of California agriculture
Posted by: Aqua Blog Maven on February 17, 2010 at 8:13 amFrom Dairy Today:
“California’s water problems are more than a fish-versus-people struggle or the fall-out from weather-related drought.
Rather, the water woes of the nation’s No. 1 agricultural state are the result of public policy gone wrong, especially where the federal Endangered Species Act (ESA) is concerned.
That was the general message from a 10-member panel that spoke Feb. 11 at World Ag Expo in Tulare, Calif.
The session, which took place on the third and final day of the annual farm and equipment show, addressed California’s water crisis and the ESA. Panelists represented farmers, farm workers, water agencies and legislators.
“This is not about fish versus people,” said panelist Mario Santoyo, assistant general manager for the Friant Water Authority. Friant represents 19 water districts on the eastern side of California’s San Joaquin Valley.
“We need balance in the ESA,” Santoyo added. “Farming and agriculture are quickly becoming the endangered species, unless we all unite to fight. If we don’t, I guarantee you that slowly but surely, agriculture will go away.” … “
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Recent Posts
- Governor Schwarzenegger appoints four members to Delta Stewardship Council
- Science justifies California water limits
- Legal Planet blog: Delta NRC committee issues initial report
- Statement of the Coalition for Sustainable Delta on the NRC Bay-Delta report
- Center for Biological Diversity: Report finds Delta water pumping restrictions to protect fish “scientifically justified”
- Westlands Water District statement on the NAS Report
- Academy of Sciences report validates biological opinions to save salmon, other fish
- National Academies deliver mixed message on California Delta dilemma
- Statement of California Secretary for Natural Resources Lester Snow on the NAS report
- Senator Cogdill: California is rain rich, water poor
- Friday’s top of the scroll: NAS report backs biological opinions but still needs further study; also finds other ’stressors’ have hurt delta fish
- Links for National Academies of Science report
- Secretary Salazar’s statement on National Academy of Sciences review of California Bay Delta water issues
- National Academies of Science Report: Most federal actions to protect endangered fishes in California’s Bay-Delta ’scientifically justified,’ but additional clarification needed
- Costa and Cardoza deny health bill for water vote swap
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