California Ag Network

Category: Ag Economics

  • California Almond Acreage Drops Again in 2024

    California’s total almond acreage dropped again in 2024, making three years in a row that acreage has decreased, something that has not happened since at least 1995, according to a new report from Land IQ to the Almond Board of California (ABC).

    Total acreage dropped by about 40,000 acres from 1.56 million acres in the last crop year to just over 1.52 million in 2024. Bearing acres – orchards producing almonds and planted in 2021 or earlier – increased by the smallest amount in more than two decades, just 9,000 acres. The total of bearing acres during the 2024 growing season was 1.383 million acres compared with 1.374 million acres at this time last year.

    But the amount of non-bearing acreage – new orchards planted in 2022, 2023 or 2024 – sank about 47,000 acres from 189,000 acres in 2023 to 142,000 in 2024, according to the Land IQ 2024 Standing Acreage Final Estimate.

    “Three straight years of decreased acreage and sizeable orchard removals reflect a trend toward lower overall California almond acreage,” said Clarice Turner, ABC president and CEO. “At the same time, we continue to see strong shipments – in the past crop year, for the first time ever, we shipped more than 200 million pounds in 11 consecutive months, plus for the year, we shipped 300 million pounds more than we produced. We know global demand for California almonds continues to grow and that almonds will continue to have a very significant role in California and global agriculture and food industries for the foreseeable future.”

    There were significant orchard removals again in 2024 totaling almost 67,000 acres. Those add to the 83,000 acres removed in 2023 and 60,400 acres removed in 2022, according to the accompanying Land IQ 2023 Removal Update. Those removals and the decreasing amount of non-bearing acres, or new plantings, contribute to the probability of fewer acres over the next few years, Turner said.

    In addition, slightly more than 30,000 acres are classified as either stressed or abandoned. They were included in the standing acreage total because the orchards “may have the ability to recover,” Land IQ said.

    The estimates come from multiple lines of evidence, including agronomic and remote sensing knowledge, robust on-the-ground verification, customized image analysis, artificial intelligence and more. Land IQ said the 2024 standing acreage estimate is 98.8 percent accurate.

    The report also said the slight change in the amount of bearing acreage from the April initial estimate – which was labeled as exactly that, the initial accounting – was the result of Land IQ crews in the orchards identifying additional bearing acres, and because removals were overestimated in April by about 4,000 acres.

    Land IQ’s acreage estimates are commissioned by ABC to provide statistical transparency and a robust picture of California almonds to industry stakeholders around the world. In 2018, ABC first commissioned Land IQ, a Sacramento-based agricultural and environmental scientific research and consulting firm, to develop a comprehensive, living map of California almonds. The map is the result of more than a decade of research. — By the Almond Board of California

  • Marin French Cheese Co. Wins Gold and Bronze at World Cheese Awards 2024

    Marin French Cheese Co., the country’s oldest cheese company based in Marin County in Northern California, is honored to announce its outstanding achievements at the World Cheese Awards 2024. The prestigious event hosted annually by the Guild of Fine Food, recognized Marin French Cheese Co.’s artisan soft-ripened cheeses with four medal awards including Gold for Petite Suprême and Golden Gate—which achieved its first-ever Gold after earning Bronze the past two years—and Bronze for Petite Camembert and Petite Truffle.

    A total of 240 judges from 39 countries, divided into 104 teams, took on the challenge of determining which entries deserved accreditation. The panel included experts from various industry disciplines, such as graders, buyers, chefs, producers, retailers, technologists, journalists, and influencers. This year’s competition was the largest yet, with 1,032 companies participating globally. Cheeses were meticulously evaluated based on rind and paste appearance, aroma, body, texture, and, most importantly, flavor and mouthfeel. Bronze and Gold accolades were awarded to Marin French Cheese Co. cheeses, including:

    GOLD – Petite Suprême (4 oz., SRP $8.49) combines a French soft cheese recipe with California craftsmanship. Made from local California cow’s milk with extra added cream, it offers a rich creamline and a dense, buttery paste for a decadent taste in every bite.

    GOLD – Golden Gate (8 oz., SRP $16.99) is a triple crème cheese that gets its striking color from being hand-washed with brine multiple times throughout the 14 day aging process to allow the cultures naturally present in the coastal air to flourish. Inspired by the vibrant color of the Golden Gate Bridge, this cheese ranges from semi-soft, fudgy, and robust when young to oozing umami as it approaches its best by date. This washed rind cheese is earthy with vegetal aromas and a rich savory flavor.

    BRONZE – Petite Camembert (4 oz., SRP $7.99) is a unique small format of the brand’s classic French style Camembert cheese. Complex with earthy aromas of mushroom, a creamy paste is enrobed in a velvety bloomy rind, this soft cheese uses a different blend of cultures from other brie style cheeses. Part of the Petite Classic Collection, this cheese is true to Marin French’s California-crafted, French-inspired roots.

    BRONZE – Petite Truffle (4 oz., SRP $8.49) is built on the same recipe as Triple Crème Brie with the luxurious inclusion of imported black truffles speckled throughout the paste. Its irresistible earthy aroma and rich flavor are balanced by notes of sweet cream and a velvety texture. This cheese is part of our Petite Reserve Collection of 4 oz. wheels enhanced with premium ingredients to inspire moments of authentic pleasure.

    “Our whole team is thrilled to have Marin French Cheese Co. products recognized on the world’s stage, especially among such an impressive array of cheeses entered into this year’s World Cheese Awards,” says Bonnie Kaufman, Brand Manager of Marin French Cheese Co. “This honor reflects the dedication, passion, and creativity that our team brings to cheesemaking. As we approach our 160th anniversary of crafting soft-ripened cheeses in our original West Marin creamery, we are committed to preserving our rich traditions while embracing innovation. This recognition means so much to us and fuels our drive to continue crafting exceptional cheeses that inspire, delight, and bring people together.”

    Marin French Cheese Co. has been a pioneer in the cheesemaking industry since 1865 and is known for its exceptional cheeses that consistently surprise and delight cheese enthusiasts and experts alike. Marin French Cheese Co.’s soft ripened cheeses can be purchased at a selection of specialty grocers and cheese shops nationwide, found on the store locator on the website, or on Northbay Creameries.

    About Marin French Cheese Co.

    Marin French Cheese Co. is the country’s oldest cheese company, operating at its historic creamery in Marin County since 1865. Marin French Cheese Co. marries traditional French cheesemaking techniques with California terroir and innovative spirit to produce award-winning and original cheeses. Made with high-quality local ingredients, its cheeses reflect one of life’s simplest and most authentic pleasures: experiencing good food. For more information, visit MarinFrenchCheese.com or follow on Instagram @marinfrenchcheese or Facebook @marinfrenchcheesecompany.

  • Petit Pot Takes $100,000 Grand Prize at 2024 Real California Milk Excelerator

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) and VentureFuel announced Petit Pot as the grand prize winner in the 2024 Real California Milk (RCM) Excelerator product innovation competition. The award was presented during the Future of Dairy Expo and Final Pitch Event on November 14th in San Ramon, CA, where four new finalists were also selected to compete for the 2025 grand prize.

    This competitive program is designed to drive value-added dairy innovation using California milk, ultimately strengthening the industry by providing startups with access to sustainably produced milk as well as resources, expertise, and non-dilutive funding to grow their businesses. As the winner of the 2024 RCM Excelerator, Petit Pot will receive $100,000 worth of marketing support from the CMAB to continue scaling their dairy-based desserts in California and beyond.

    Through the Real California Milk Excelerator, early-stage companies are able to leverage the power of Real California Dairy through access to:

    • Tailored content and resources specific to the dairy industry, including access to quality, sustainably sourced milk
    • Mentorship from leading experts across product development, marketing, distribution, and sales
    • Extensive exposure to industry stakeholders

    Petit Pot was one of four finalists in the 2023 RCM Excelerator event. The company was selected for its innovation in product packaging with the introduction of a paper dessert cup to further drive its commitment to sustainability. Since being selected for the 2023 cohort, founder Maxime Pouvreau has scaled up production in California and demonstrated his company’s tremendous potential for growth. The CMAB selected the company as the Grand Prize Winner based on the company’s $2MM+ in retail sales over a one-year period and rapidly expanding presence through 6,000 stores across the country. The $100,000 grand prize will provide marketing support for initiatives like on-pack promotions, digital and instant redeemable coupons, product sampling, and in-store signage to further drive brand awareness.

    Headquartered in Emeryville, Calif, Petit Pot was founded by French-born pastry chef Maxime Pouvreau and specializes in single-serve gourmet desserts crafted with dairy and other organic ingredients.  The company has seen rapid growth since it first participated in the Excelerator’s snack-focused competition in 2020.

    “We’re thrilled for Petit Pot to be recognized as the top choice in this year’s Real California Milk Excelerator competition,” said Maxime Pouvreau, Petit Pot’s Founder. “Wellness-focused snacking is on the rise, and more people are looking for indulgent, yet balanced, options. Petit Pot offers a rich, creamy treat that satisfies those cravings without compromise. With the CMAB’s support, we look forward to bringing our French-inspired desserts to even more people across the country.”

    The Real California Milk Excelerator was established by CMAB to drive transformational growth for innovative dairy products that can deliver value both to consumers and to the dairy community. At a time when venture funding for food and beverage startups has slowed, programs like the Excelerator play a crucial role in bridging the gap for high-potential food and beverage startups.

    “Innovation is the lifeblood of any brand and any product category. Our continued investment in amplifying products in the value-added space supports the sustainability of our industry while providing consumers with more options for tapping into the unique benefits that come from only real milk and dairy,” said John Talbot, CEO of the CMAB.

    At the 2024 Future of Dairy Expo, attendees also experienced product tastings and exhibitions from 20+ pioneering dairy startups, and witnessed the selection of four new finalists chosen by the CMAB from this year’s incubator cohort during the live pitch event:

    • Pluff, a fluffy protein dessert with high nutritional value, represented by its founder, Dylan Paul;
    • Projo*, an instant coffee blend infused with dairy and collagen, represented by Charbel Mawad, founder and CEO;
    • Smearcase, a cottage-cheese-based ice cream, represented by founder and CEO, Joe Rotondo;
    • And Todo, a meal replacement shake with a balanced nutritional content, represented by founder, Niket Soni.

    “The passion and creativity we’ve seen from this year’s Grand Prize Winner and Finalists exemplify the bold future of California dairy,” said Fred Schonenberg, CEO of VentureFuel. “From sustainable practices to breakthrough flavors, these founders are redefining what dairy can be. We’re thrilled to support their journeys as they open new possibilities and help drive California’s dairy industry’s continued growth and innovation.”

    The event offered industry stakeholders an opportunity to engage with products poised to shape the future of dairy, while also showcasing the commitment of California’s dairy farmers to sustainable practices.

    About Real California Milk/California Milk Advisory Board

    The California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB), an instrumentality of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, is funded by the state’s dairy farm families who lead the nation in sustainable dairy farming practices. With a vision to nourish the world with the wholesome goodness of Real California Milk, the CMAB’s programs focus on increasing demand for California’s sustainable dairy products in the state, across the U.S. and around the world through advertising, public relations, research, and retail and foodservice promotional programs. For more information and to connect with the CMAB, visit RealCaliforniaMilk.com,Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram and Pinterest.

    About VentureFuel, Inc.

    Founded in 2014, VentureFuel is an independent innovation advisory that helps the world’s best organizations ignite change through startup collaborations. Its innovation programs include Diagnostics, Corporate Accelerators and Commercial Pilots; and focus on solving clients’ biggest challenges by driving greater efficiencies; closing strategic capability gaps; and identifying emerging business models. VentureFuel provides organizations like Hershey’s, Comcast, Dick’s Sporting Goods, AARP Foundation and the State of California the tools to drive transformative change with less risk, more speed, and greater proximity to the consumer than traditional innovation models. Learn more at: www.venturefuel.net, LinkedIn, X, and Instagram. You can listen to The VentureFuel Visionaries podcast on Apple, Spotify, Simplecast or wherever you get your podcasts.

  • Food and Beverage Companies Sharpen M&A Efforts to Focus on Core Strengths and Consumer Trends

    Food and beverage manufacturers are refining their merger and acquisition efforts to address strategic business imperatives and keep pace with evolving consumer demand trends. While M&A activity in the sector has slowed considerably in 2024, recent moves reflect two key themes that will likely continue when the pace of dealmaking picks up.

    According to a new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange, food and beverage companies are streamlining their product portfolios by shedding brands that don’t align with their core strengths. Meanwhile, acquisitions have largely been in response to growing consumer demand for grab-and-go convenience and healthier snacking.

    “There’s a common strategic focus that underpins the majority of M&A activity in recent months,” said Billy Roberts, food & beverage economist with CoBank. “Food and beverage manufacturers are increasingly applying the 80/20 rule and devoting more attention to the 20% of their core brands and categories that account for the lion’s share of company revenue.”

    Roberts points to recent deals that exemplify the current trends driving M&A in the food sector. Recognizing its future was not in the dairy case, General Mills exited the yogurt category by selling its Yoplait, Go-Gurt and Oui brands. The move allows the company to focus on brands with better margins and more aligned with its core portfolio. Hershey’s 2023 purchase of two popcorn operations to increase production capacity for SkinnyPop reflects the company’s pursuit of consumers seeking better-for-you snack options.

    The pace of M&A activity in the food and beverage sector has trended much slower in 2024 compared to recent years. The average number of deals by quarter in the first half of the year was down nearly 40% from the 2021-23 average. However, several indicators suggest a pickup in activity. The expected interest rate cuts are poised to lower the cost of capital to finance acquisitions. Additionally, recent earnings calls have shown executives from Mondelēz International, General Mills and other CPG firms are open to M&A activity.

    “Ironically, M&A within the food and beverage space has mirrored overall CPG activity in recent years, namely lower volume and higher prices,” said Roberts. “The majority of sales growth for food and beverage brands has stemmed from price inflation. As that eases, companies are feeling the pressure to return to profitable volume-led growth.”

    Acquisitions are reducing some of the pressure on major manufacturers’ R&D departments to innovate. Several recent acquisitions have been of a smaller variety and that trend is likely to continue. Roberts said manufacturers at the smaller end of the spectrum, regardless of food or beverage category, could find opportunities with larger companies looking to acquire innovative products.

    Read the report, Food and Beverage Companies Sharpen M&A Efforts.

    About CoBank

    CoBank is a cooperative bank serving vital industries across rural America. The bank provides loans, leases, export financing and other financial services to agribusinesses and rural power, water and communications providers in all 50 states. The bank also provides wholesale loans and other financial services to affiliated Farm Credit associations serving more than 77,000 farmers, ranchers and other rural borrowers in 23 states around the country.

    CoBank is a member of the Farm Credit System, a nationwide network of banks and retail lending associations chartered to support the borrowing needs of U.S. agriculture, rural infrastructure and rural communities. Headquartered outside Denver, Colorado, CoBank serves customers from regional banking centers across the U.S. and also maintains an international representative office in Singapore.

  • USDA Accepting Applications for Agribusiness Trade Mission to Guatemala

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service is accepting applications for a trade mission to Guatemala City, Guatemala, March 3-7, 2025. Current and potential U.S. exporters interested in participating should apply for consideration by December 3.

    “We are excited to return to Guatemala after our successful 2018 mission,” said Foreign Agricultural Service Administrator Daniel Whitley. “This trade mission offers an ideal platform to deepen trade ties in the region.”

    Guatemala is the largest economy and population center in Central America, and projections suggest continued economic growth. In 2023, Guatemala imported $1.7 billion in U.S. agricultural products, and it became the top market in the region. Honduras and El Salvador imported $1.3 billion and $800 million, respectively. Under the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement, all remaining tariffs will phase out by 2025 and further strengthen the position of U.S. products in the region.

    The trade mission will provide participants with the opportunity to meet directly with buyers from Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador through tailored business-to-business meetings. Foreign Agricultural Service staff and regional experts will also lead market briefings, site visits, and networking events.

    Guatemala and its Central American neighbors are members of the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement and offer strong capabilities in logistics, distribution, processing, and cold chain management. Export opportunities exist in the following sectors:

    • Poultry, pork, beef, and related products
    • Dairy products
    • Consumer and processor-oriented foods
    • Condiments and sauces
    • Soups and food preparations
    • Fresh fruit
    • Bakery goods, cereals, and pasta
    • Chocolate and cocoa products
    • Alcoholic beverages, including distilled spirits, wine, and related products

    The deadline to apply for the Guatemala trade mission is Tuesday, December 3, 2024. For more information or to apply, visit https://fas.usda.gov/topics/trade-missions/guatemala-march-2025.

    This will be the second USDA Agribusiness Trade Mission in 2025. USDA plans to lead additional missions to Côte d’Ivoire, the Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Mexico, Peru and Taiwan. Application details for these missions will be announced in early 2025.

  • Short California Winegrape Crop Doesn’t Fix Wine Market Troubles

    While harvest is generally a highly anticipated time of the year for California wine grape growers, it was a real let down for growers that could not find a home for their crop.  The global wine market remains depressed while supply and demand continues to be out of balance, despite the shorter crop that was delivered to the wineries this year.  This is what Allied Grape Growers President Jeff Bitter shared at Malcolm Media’s Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo in his annual State of the Wine Industry address. Watch this brief interview as Jeff shares with American Vineyard Editor Matthew Malcolm what growers can expect heading into 2025. Read more about it in American Vineyard Magazine.

  • Will Microplastics Endanger the Food Stream?

    It’s no secret that drought-induced water shortages cut into freshwater irrigation practices. That’s hard on the farming community, because agriculture accounts for about 85% of the world’s freshwater usage. Treating and recycling used municipal water to make up for the shortage is not a new concept – Israel treats and reuses about 90% of its wastewater, and the Phoenix, AZ, area recycles up to 97% – but, there may be a problem with that: Microplastic.

    These bits of post-consumer refuse are tiny, ranging in size from 1 micron (a human hair is 50-70 microns thick) to 5mm (about the size of a stud earring), and make their way into the sewage system. Microplastics are the result of wear and tear that breaks off of anything that contains plastic, such as clothing, dishes, or plumbing fixtures.

    According to a leading environmental scientist, potentially hazardous materials can attach themselves to that plastic and enter the agricultural system via wastewater irrigation.

    “Microplastics can be introduced to wastewater from multiple sources, including personal care products, laundry, and dish washing,” said Clinton Williams, soil scientist and research leader at the Agricultural Research Service’s (ARS) Water Management and Conservation Research unit in Maricopa, AZ. “Once in the wastewater these plastics can adsorb (hold onto) organic molecules, including pharmaceuticals.”

    ARS soil scientist Clinton Williams draws samples of reclaimed water used for irrigation. (Photo by Stephen Ausmus)

    According to Williams, when the wastewater is used for irrigation or released into the environment the microplastics can accumulate at the root-soil interface. From there, the microplastics can release the pharmaceuticals where they are taken up by crops.

    Further, these antibiotics could encourage microenvironments where microorganisms could develop antimicrobial resistance (AMR). AMR is a condition in which mutations cause an organism to survive exposure to an agent that had previously been used as an effective treatment.

    Williams said that synthetic materials like nylon and acrylics have the highest potential to transport antibiotics. Future work will focus on quantifying the potential for these antibiotics to be taken up by edible crops consumed by people. The development of AMR is also being measured in the soil microbial community.

    Wastewater is treated, but treatment plants are deigned to remove organic carbon and nitrogen. Antibiotics are at such a low concentration, typically less than 10 parts per billion, that they are not directly removed.

    Williams and research partners at Clemson University and the University of North Carolina, Greensboro, are examining the interactive effects of microplastics and antimicrobials in agroecosystems by applying microplastics and antibiotics together to soils, and then measuring the development of AMR.

    “[Irrigation with treated wastewater] will increase,” Williams said. “It’s a resource that can be used to increase water supplies without significant costs, [but] if microplastics are shown to increase the uptake of antibiotics and other micro-organics into food crops, there may be a need to remove microplastics from treated wastewater.” – By Scott Elliott, USDA-ARS Office of Communications

  • Fresno State Sweeps Soil Judging Regional Team and Individual Titles

    The Fresno State soil judging team celebrated a first-place finish in the 2024 Region 6 Collegiate Soil Judging Contest on Saturday, Nov. 2, near Albuquerque, New Mexico to qualify for the 2025 national competition, which will be hosted April 27 to May 2 by the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point.

    Plant Science Department seniors Tanner Ozuna (Hanford), Adrian Gutierrez (Merced) and Hannah Chamberlin (Fresno) placed first, second and third overall, respectively. The overall team win was the first for Fresno State under the guidance of plant science faculty and team coach Michael Sowers.

    Among the 38 contestants, senior Jimena Quezada Ayon (Fresno, sixth), junior Mariela Perez-Garcia (Kerman, seventh) and senior Juan Magana (Firebaugh, ninth) also finished in the top 10 overall.

    Other members of the team included seniors Gabriela Rios (Sanger, 11th), William Dowling (Fresno, 14th) and Aaron Delgado (Avenal, 23rd) and junior Emma Fabbri (Bakersfield, 28th).

    “The team’s performance was incredible,” Sowers said. ”Having six team members in the top 10 and taking first, second and third was an amazing feat, especially when competing against top universities with soil science majors. The students had to learn, grasp and understand not only how to describe soils, but to also interpret their features and classify their taxonomy. Their strong performance in this competition was a result of their hard work and dedication throughout the semester. I’m looking forward to taking them to nationals.”

    The contest was hosted by New Mexico State University on the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service research farm in Los Lunas, New Mexcio along the west side of the Rio Grande River. Soils evaluated for the contest consisted of recent and old alluvial, water-based deposits and eolian, wind-based deposits.

    Students were scored based on their soil pit observations, evaluations of physical and chemical properties and related feasibility in agricultural and engineering applications.

    Fresno State students who competed are part of the plant science soil judging class taught by Sowers, who also works as a managing soil scientist at Valley Science and Engineering, a Valmont company.

    The course emphasizes USDA methods for describing and interpreting soils for their capabilities and uses to prepare students for careers in a wide range of agricultural and natural resource-related areas such as the Natural Resource Conservation Service, U.S. Forestry Service, Bureau of Land Management, private farm management and environmental consulting.

    Under the guidance of Sowers, Fresno State also made trips to the national competition in 2024 (24th), 2018 (15th), 2017 (20th) and 2016 (18th).

    Other teams that earned 2025 national invites from the recent regional event included Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo (second place) and UC Davis (third place). New Mexico State and Cal Poly-Humboldt also competed in the five-team event.

  • Extreme Weather Accelerates Nitrate Pollution in Groundwater

    Extreme weather spurred by climate change, including droughts and heavy rains, may increase the risk of nitrates from fertilizers ending up in groundwater, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study found heavy rains after a drought caused nitrates to seep 33 feet under farm fields in as little as 10 days. The study was published in Water Resources Research.

    “The conventional wisdom was that it could take several weeks to years for nitrates to move from the crop root zones to reach groundwater,” said corresponding author Isaya Kisekka, a professor in the Departments of Land, Air and Water Resources and Biological and Agricultural Engineering. “We found these extreme events, such as California’s atmospheric rivers, are going to move nitrate more quickly.”

    In this study, different methods were used to measure how much nitrate, a component of nitrogen fertilizer, was seeping down through the soil in a tomato and cucumber crop near Esparto, California. Scientists conducted their research from 2021 until 2023 when California was experiencing periods of drought followed by atmospheric rivers. They measured nitrate during both the growing seasons and the rainy seasons.

    Drought can leave more nitrogen in soil

    Previous studies have shown about 40% of nitrogen fertilizer used for vegetables isn’t absorbed by the plants but remains in the soil. During droughts, crops don’t use nitrogen efficiently, leading to excess nitrogen in the soil. This study found that if a drought is then followed by heavy rainfall, that sudden burst of water causes nitrate to seep in groundwater more quickly. The nitrate concentration in the shallow groundwater exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency maximum contaminant level of 10 milligrams per liter for drinking water.

    “In California, we often say we swing between droughts and floods,” said Kisekka. “These extreme events that come with climate change are going to make the risk of these chemicals ending up in our drinking water much more severe.”

    Groundwater is the primary source of drinking water for most of California’s Central Valley. In some regions, such as the Tulare Lake Basin, nearly one-third of drinking and irrigation wells exceed the EPA’s safe nitrate level. High nitrate levels in drinking water can increase health risks, especially for young children. It may also increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

    Need for real-time soil nitrate monitoring

    Central Valley farmers are required to report to the Regional Water Board how much nitrogen they applied to their field and how much was removed as part of the crop’s yield. The study compared different ways of monitoring when nitrate from fertilizers seep into groundwater. Kisekka said the results highlight the need for affordable, real-time soil nitrate monitoring tools to help farmers manage fertilizer use efficiently.

    By using conservation practices that limit leftover nitrates in the crop’s root zone after harvest, farmers can help reduce nitrate contamination in groundwater.

    This study’s data will also help improve a model called SWAT, which is used to track nitrate seepage into groundwater across California’s Central Valley. This effort is part of the Central Valley Water Board’s program to regulate irrigated farmlands.

    Other UC Davis authors include Iael Raij Hoffman, Thomas Harter and Helen Dahlke.

    The study was supported by the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service through its Conservation Effects Assessment Project. The national project is designed to assess the effectiveness of conservation practices across different watersheds. The study also had support from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. — By Amy Quinton, UC Davis

  • California Water Institute Projects Provide Regional Perspective for Prop. 4

    The California Water Institute at Fresno State is positioning its current projects to help inform work related to California’s Proposition 4, a $10 billion climate resiliency bond that overwhelmingly passed on the November ballot.

    The historic measure is the largest single climate bond in state history and includes $3.8 billion for state water projects that address drought, flood and water supply issues. The California Water Institute targets some of those key areas with two grant-funded programs already underway; the Unified Water Plan and Climate Resiliency through Regional Water Recharge in the San Joaquin Valley.

    “As climate change intensifies, our infrastructure faces unprecedented challenges. Californians have recognized this urgency by passing this historic bond measure,” said Laura Ramos, interim director for the California Water Institute’s Research and Education Division.

    Under the Unified Water Plan, the California Water Institute partnered with Water Blueprint for the San Joaquin Valley for a two-year, $1 million project awarded by the Bureau of Reclamation to track various water projects happening across the Valley. It’s an effort to compile the information into a single, unified water plan that could inform future investments. The plan will provide an overview of the Central Valley’s water quality, supply, conveyance, reliability, conservation efforts, flood control and population growth.

    The project, Climate Resiliency through Regional Water Recharge in the San Joaquin Valley, addresses drought and flooding by planning for sustainable use of surface water and groundwater. The Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation, formerly the Office of Planning and Research, awarded nearly $569,000 to the California Water Institute to educate rural communities on groundwater recharge. The project also aims to establish a collaborative response team and plan for effective floodwater management.

    One of the main goals of the project is to prioritize vulnerable communities – similar to Proposition 4 – in which 40% of the bond is required to help disadvantaged communities.

    “To build true resilience, we must take a strategic approach — protecting our most vulnerable communities while viewing the San Joaquin Valley as an integrated system. Through California Water Institute’s research and educational initiatives, we aim to advance this vital regional perspective,” Ramos said.

    With these grant-funded projects underway, the California Water Institute remains at the forefront of water research and education programs and services, at a time when California is investing more than ever in a sustainable water future. — By Soreath Hok, California Water Institute