California Ag Network

Tag: Chowchilla

  • Chowchilla Water District and Fresno Irrigation District Rejoin Friant Water Authority

    Lindsay, Calif., (December 28, 2017) – During their December meetings the Board of Directors of the Chowchilla Water District (CWD) and Fresno Irrigation Districts (FID) voted unanimously to become full General Members of the Friant Water Authority (FWA). It is expected that the FWA Board will approve the requests during its first meeting in 2018.

    The actions of the two District Boards mark the end of the process to fully rejoin the Friant Water Authority. FID has been a Trial Member since March 2017 and CWD has been an Associate Member since July 2017.   By becoming General Members, both Districts will have a voting seat on the FWA Board of Directors.

    Kent Stephens, Chairman of FWA and President of Kern-Tulare Water District commented, “It is exciting to see past members of FWA deciding to return. It has been a priority of the FWA board to build a team that can effectively represent the member agencies and help ensure the Friant Division and surrounding areas has a reliable water supply now and in the future. Both CWD and FID have had the opportunity to see first-hand how the new FWA operates, its commitment to its customers, and its desire to become a leader in water issues in the San Joaquin Valley.”

    Kole Upton, current President of the Chowchilla WD, served as FWUA’s Chairman from 1998 to 2008, and has been CWD’s representative on the Board since July added, “Chowchilla Water District voted unanimously at its monthly meeting to rejoin Friant Water Authority as a regular General Member effective 1/1/2018. This action is a direct reflection of the vast improvement in the Friant staff, and Friant’s re-establishing itself at THE ORGANIZATION that represents the water interests of the East San Joaquin Valley.”

    George Porter, representing the Fresno Irrigation District, had this to say about becoming a General Member, “Fresno Irrigation District’s decision to return to the Friant Water Authority is a direct reflection of the major reorganization and new management changes made in the past two years. FID has been impressed with the new organization and the leadership under their new CEO, in addressing global issues impacting Friant water supplies and developing new opportunities for future water supplies. In addition, FID will benefit by being represented by a larger organization such as FWA on local, state, and federal issues.”

    The Chowchilla Water District serves approximately 85,000 acres situated in southern Merced County and northern Madera County on the eastside of the San Joaquin Valley. The District serves over 400 water users, with an average farm size of about 162 acres. The Fresno Irrigation District serves approximately 247,000 acres, and over 4,000 water users. Crops in both districts include, grapes, citrus, almonds, alfalfa, and wheat.

    Jason Phillips, CEO of the FWA, added his insight. “Having both Chowchilla and Fresno back as full General Members is an important step in strengthening and diversifying the voice of the Friant Water Authority. Both Districts have long played a critical role in water issues on the Eastside, and having them back as General Members will provide tremendous value both to the board and the entire Friant Division.”

    The membership of FWA is now comprised of 15 members, including: Arvin-Edison Water Storage District, Chowchilla Water District, City of Fresno, Fresno Irrigation District, Hills Valley Irrigation District, Kaweah Delta Water Conservation District, Kern-Tulare Water District, Lindmore Irrigation District, Lindsay-Strathmore Irrigation District, Madera Irrigation District, Orange Cove Irrigation District, Porterville Irrigation District, Saucelito Irrigation District, Terra Bella Irrigation District, and Tulare Irrigation District.

  • Chowchilla Dairy Farmer Named 2017 Conservation Agriculture Farmer Innovator

    Davis, Calif., (December 12, 2017) – Chowchilla dairy farmer Michael McRee has been named the 2017 Conservation Agriculture Farmer Innovator by the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) Center for his innovation and leadership in the development and use of conservation agriculture systems on his farm.

    Michael McRee of Chowchilla is honored as 2017 CASI Farmer Innovator.

    “Mike McRee has been extremely willing to share his experiences with others and has graciously hosted numerous public field days at his dairy farm over the years,” said Jeffrey Mitchell, UC Cooperative Extension cropping systems specialist and CASI founder.

    The dairy producer, who milks about 2,000 cows at his farm west of Chowchilla, double crops his own dairy forage along with tomatoes and alfalfa crops on about 850 acres. After his pioneering efforts with strip-till – some of the very earliest in the entire San Joaquin Valley – McRee soon found that the conservation agriculture practice saved him time and money as he had anticipated, and yielded other important benefits for his farm as well.

    McRee noticed improved water-holding capacity of his soil since working with strip-tillage, as well as increased consistency in the soil’s ability to absorb water, mellower soil overall, and more consistent crop stands and yields overall.

    Improved soil tilth, increased soil organic matter and earthworms give him consistent yields year to year without extreme highs or lows.

    McRee’s quest to improve the performance of his silage production systems began back in 2007.

    He readily admits that he faced challenges early on.

    He tried no-till wheat, but was limited in this effort by hard, compacted soils. Having the right equipment is a key to the whole endeavor, McRee points out.

    He has worked with local NRCS partners and the EQIP program, which assists growers with implementation of practices to improve our soil, water and air resources.

    Following a great deal of consultation with other growers and experimentation, he developed a very successful strip-tillage system for his silage corps. The change was spurred initially by his interest in reducing the number of times he had to drive a tractor through his fields to save fuel and labor.

    He now does fall primary tillage using a Wilcox 7-shank subsoil ripper with a crumbler. Vertical tillage has replaced disc plowing to achieve a smooth seedbed without turning the soil over.

    After winter forage is harvested, preparation for corn silage planting begins. McRee explains that he rips the soil down 13 to 14 inches and uses coulters to prepare the seedbed. After pre-irrigation, he uses the Dawn Pluribus strip-till row unit, a tool that preps an eight-inch band of soil for planting. Using GPS, he can run his tractor 6 to 7 mph for this pass.

    “With three passes, I can do everything,” McRee said.

    “Additionally, McRee has recently installed subsurface drip irrigation that utilizes dairy lagoon water for his silage crops,” said Priscilla Baker, NRCS soil conservationist in Madera. “This project is in partnership with the organization Sustainable Conservation.”

    McRee received the award Oct. 13 at the annual meeting of the San Joaquin Valley Resource Conservation Districts held at the Wool Growers’ Restaurant in Los Banos.

    In 2005, the University of California, NRCS and the Conservation Agriculture Systems Innovation (CASI) Center established the Conservation Agriculture Farmer Innovator Award as a means for providing greater visibility to conservation agriculture pioneers in California. The criteria for this award are demonstrated innovation and leadership in the development, refinement and use of conservation agriculture systems within the California crop production environment.

    For more information about conservation agriculture systems, visit http://casi.ucanr.edu.