California agrees to water-supply cuts from Colorado River
California has agreed to make long-term cuts to the amount of water the state uses from the Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and seven states in the Colorado River Basin, as well as 30 tribes and Mexico, are negotiating a plan to protect the river after a decades-long megadrought depleted flows and left key reservoirs Lake Mead and Lake Powell in danger of running dry. Under a Lower Basin states’ proposal, which would take effect after 2026 and potentially last decades, California would forfeit about 10% of its allocation in most conditions.
With groundwater law to turn 10 in 2024, challenges remain for farmers
California’s landmark 2014 Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, which requires local agencies to create a roadmap to protect aquifer supplies for generations to come, turns 10 this year. The law was adopted amid the 2012-2015 drought, when a lack of surface water and depleted groundwater brought agriculture—especially California’s citrus belt on the east side of the San Joaquin Valley—to a near halt. SGMA presents a difficult adjustment for agriculture. Researchers say the groundwater law could result in the fallowing of between 500,000 and 1 million acres of farmland.
Spring planting means decision time for California farmers
Falling commodity prices, rising production costs and water supply uncertainty are some of the factors weighing on planting decisions for California farmers this season. They say their crop options have narrowed, with canneries needing less acreage of processing tomatoes and a major seed company ending its sunflower seed program in California. Growers who have pulled out permanent crops such as almonds and walnuts in recent years due to lower prices are also looking to plant annual crops on the open ground. Cotton and feed crops, such as corn silage, may be possibilities.
Researchers study whether agave can be state’s next drought-tolerant crop
Researchers at the University of California, Davis, are studying agave plants as a potential drought-tolerant option for California farmers. The research is centered on agave genetics, virus susceptibility, pest control, soil management and crop productivity. UC Davis began investigating the crop after farm owners Stuart and Lisa Woolf established a research fund to determine if agave is viable for agriculture in California. Agave, used to produce tequila and mezcal in Mexico, can be distilled into spirits, used as a fiber or converted into a sweetener.
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