California Ag Network

Tag: Merced County

  • Farmers Concerned About Potential New Tariffs

    Sacramento, Calif., (April 5, 2018) – China has threatened to impose retaliatory tariffs on American exports following President Trump’s plan to impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports. Agricultural exports are in the crosshairs, reported Thaddeus Miller in the Merced Sun-Star.

    China’s tariffs would first hit U.S. products such as avocados and nuts with 15 percent duties, the article says.

    “It doesn’t really matter which one it is, whether it’s alfalfa, almonds or wherever it may go,” said David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension advisor in Merced County. “They’re as much political as they are anything else.”

    The potential tariff would have a significant impact on Merced County, where almonds are the second largest commodity valued at $578.5 million in 2016.

    The back and forth trade disputes happening between the U.S. and China make trade less predictable and could lead to disruptions that impact California food and wine producers, even before potential Chinese tariffs go into effect, said Dan Sumner, director of UC Agriculture and Natural Resources’ Agricultural Issues Center in an interview with Julia Mitric of Capital Public Radio.

    If China hits the U.S. with a 15 percent tariff on wine, that’s a problem, Sumner said.

    “We may think California wine is special, but not everybody does,” Sumner said. “And if it’s 15 percent more expensive than it used to be because of the tariff, there’ll be a substantial reduction in how much gets sold in China.”

    Sumner said the proposed tariffs would likely hurt California’s tree nut growers more than its wine producers because a larger proportion of almonds and pistachios are exported.

    In 2016, the value of pistachios sold to China was $530 million, more than three times the value of wine exports to that country, Mitric reported.

  • MID Approves 2018 Irrigation Season

    Merced, Calif., (February 28, 2018) – Following a six-week public process, the Merced Irrigation District (MID) Board of Directors approved both the start of irrigation season and the water rate for the coming year.

    “So far, the winter weather has not been favorable to local agriculture,” said MID General Manager John Sweigard after the meeting. “We want to ensure that we are being as responsive to our growers as possible. We want them to have the water they need as quickly as possible.”

    Water orders can be placed immediately. The first deliveries are expected to occur around March 1. There will be no restrictions on allocations this year and water will be made available to neighboring Sphere of Influence (SOI) lands. Those are lands just outside the District boundaries but still within the eastern Merced groundwater basin.
    The in-District water rate for the coming season was set at $40 per acre foot for all MID growers. Neighboring SOI growers will have access to surface water at $100 per acre foot.

    Today’s decisions were made following nearly two hours of open discussion between the MID Board of Directors, the MID Advisory Committee and other interested members of the public.

    Options for ordering water include:

    • Orders may be placed anytime online at mercedid.org.
    • Orders may be placed anytime using MID’s automated water ordering system at (866) 825-2475. During weekday business hours, orders may also be placed by calling MID Customer Service at (209) 722-2720 or toll-free at (800) 750-2720.
    • Orders may be placed in person during weekday business hours at MID’s office, located at 744 W. 20th Street in Merced.

    WATER SUPPLY – Following five years of drought, Lake McClure experienced one of the wettest years on record last winter. The reservoir easily filled to its maximum capacity and remains at its maximum-allowed operating level at
    this time of year. That’s about 67 percent capacity or 667,000 acre feet. In discussing the water outlook for the year, MID opted to make all water available to growers for the coming season without restriction.

    GROUNDWATER BENEFITS – Providing surface water from Lake McClure to area growers provides a crucial benefit to area groundwater. MID and SOI growers will not have to depend on groundwater pumping for irrigation. Additionally, MID’s operations result each year in up to 140,000 acre feet of groundwater replenishment as water flows through unlined waterways and MID-operated groundwater recharge basins. Groundwater management has become a top priority in the region since the state approved the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act. MID is one of multiple urban and rural partners working jointly to address groundwater challenges in eastern Merced County.