At a recent Ag Breakfast Club meeting in Fresno, CA, farmers joined English-American Commentator Steve Hilton live on Fox News to share their urgent need for increased water allocations, among other challenges that need to be addressed to support agriculture across the state. Former policy adviser to British Prime Minister David Cameron, Steve is also seriously considering running to succeed Governor Newsom in 2026. Watch as Steve joins Matthew Malcolm on California Ag Network to discuss his views supporting agriculture and the need for a “California revolution”.
Tag: SGMA California
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Central Valley Farmer Responds to Initial 2025 Water Allocation
On February 25, the Central Valley Water Project announced an initial farm water allocation of 35%. This comes as welcome news to farmers that were hampered last year around the same time by an initial allocation of only 15%. Watch this brief interview with pistachio/carrot grower and Director at Westlands Water District William Bourdeau, as he shares his perspective on the announcement on California Ag Network with Matthew Malcolm.
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SGMA Progress Hampered by Insufficient Surface Farm Water Allocations
Farmers and local water districts have worked together endeavoring to rebuild and sustain California’s underground aquifers through groundwater recharge projects among other conservation practices. Much progress has been made in complying with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), but without access to adequate surface water in year’s of plenty such as this, farmers are left struggling to keep their crops alive and productive, prematurely having to tap back into groundwater supplies. Watch this brief interview with pistachio grower and Chairman of the California Water Alliance — William Bourdeau, as he explains. And read about farm water solutions in the September issue of Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.
Special thanks to American Pistachio Growers for sponsoring this video.
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New Report on Intersection of SGMA and Cover Crop Water Use in California’s Central Valley
A multi-disciplinary authorship group of over 30 individuals has published a report comprised of literature review, policy analysis, and recommendations pertaining to the water impacts of cover crop practices in California’s Central Valley under the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The report, entitled “Cover Cropping in the SGMA Era,” is the product of a convening process jointly developed by the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts (CARCD), California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), Natural Resources Conservation Service of California (NRCS-CA), and University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) and assembled by Sustainable Conservation.
Cover Crops and their Potential
Cover crops are non-income generating crops that are used to protect and improve the soil between regular annual crop production (such as tomatoes), or between rows of perennial tree and vine crops. The benefits of cover cropping include improved pollinator habitat, infiltration, water storage, carbon capture, and soil health, as well as decreased runoff and erosion – all vital factors in California’s changing agricultural context. These potential benefits are especially salient in the San Joaquin Valley (SJV), where groundwater challenges are more acute. Thus, this report evaluates the water implications of cover cropping practices to lay the groundwork for their adoption in the context of SGMA.
Report Findings and Recommendations
To understand the potential of cover cropping under SGMA, the report’s authors came together to answer the following questions:
- What are the impacts of cover crops on water cycles (both benefits and use) for California farms?
- How does SGMA management account for cover cropping and is it capturing cover crop benefits alongside their water use?
- How can we ensure that this practice remains available to growers where and when it makes sense?
This report synthesizes the learnings from the collaborative initiative including 100+ multidisciplinary experts, a policy analysis, interviews with Groundwater Sustainability Agency (GSA) staff and consultants, and the expertise contributed by its 30+ authors. In light of these findings, the report advances a series of recommendations aimed at bridging critical knowledge gaps, enhancing the integration of cover crops into policies and incentive programs, and bolstering data infrastructure and other mechanisms to support sustainable groundwater management initiatives. One vital throughline is the need for additional guidance from the state to support local GSAs in facing the complex challenges of developing and implementing groundwater management strategies for their local watersheds. These measures aim to maximize the water benefits of cover crops within SGMA frameworks and promote sustainable water management practices crucial for the region’s agricultural resilience and environmental health.
Side-by-side of Donny Hick’s almond orchard without (left) and with (right) cover crops after a big rain event Testimonials
“Cover crops are one of the most popular practices we see farmers employ through our Healthy Soils Program,” said Karen Ross, Secretary of the CDFA. “Cover crops supply a host of benefits, such as helping to protect against soil erosion, improving soil health, crowding out weeds, controlling pests and diseases, and increasing biodiversity; and they can bring increased profitability as the number of other inputs are reduced. They also provide water benefits such as improved infiltration and reduced runoff. Yes, cover crops require a nominal amount of water to establish – and sometimes rainwater is sufficient — but the myriad co-benefits are worth it.”
“This report is unique because the University collaborated closely with state agencies and private sector partners to ensure that the different perspectives provided both the best science available as well as viable policy options,” said Glenda Humiston, University of California Vice President for Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR). “By taking a comprehensive view, we can advance recommendations for cover crop policy that help us meet multiple goals, manage our natural resources more effectively, and avoid unintended consequences.”
“Cover crops are a valuable soil health practice that can help ensure the resilience of California farms to climate extremes,” said Sarah Light, UC Cooperative Extension Agronomy Farm Advisor. “As we balance the complexities of water and soil management, it is important to understand the role that cover crops play in an annual water budget so that they are not disincentivized in certain parts of the state. UC ANR expert participants provided science-based information during the convening sessions and co-authored the white paper. This paper can provide guidance to GSAs and policy makers who are charged with implementing SGMA in their regions.”
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Legislation to Improve California Water Situation With Recharge
While a record amount of rain has fallen on the drought-stricken soils of California over the winter, this will unfortunately not solve the state’s ongoing drought and water supply issues. Watch this brief interview with Michael Miiller from the California Association of Winegrape Growers as he shares a new push for the state’s cooperation and support for groundwater recharge as a solution for times like these.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Ranch Systems for their industry support.
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Hundreds of Thousands of Prime CA Farmland Acreage Fallowed this Year Due to Drought
Farmers and other California residents have been pushing legislature for many years to increase our state’s water storage capacity with no success, and with the “years of plenty” long past, hundreds of thousands of acres of prime farmland will go fallow this year. This will have devastating impacts on our nation’s food supply, local communities and the many families that traditionally worked these fields that will be left uncultivated. Watch this brief interview with Adam Borchard from the California Fresh Fruit Association as he addresses the current situation.
Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.
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What is SGMA Going to Cost CA Farmers?
With Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSPs) now required for critically overdrafted basins, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act is gradually taking effect across the state of California; but how will this impact farmers? Watch this brief interview with Duncan MacEwan from ERA Economics as he shares his insights, as addressed at a recent meeting held by the California Tomato Growers Association.
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New Online Water Resource for CA Farmers
Community Alliance with Family Farmers & The Farmers Guild is thrilled to announce that the California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative (CAWSI) website has recently gone through a thorough update. The CAWSI website can be found at www.agwaterstewards.org.
The California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative (CAWSI) was initiated in 2008 by CAFF and other agriculture organizations in order to make information available to farmers about a variety of practices that they could employ to conserve water on their farms. Farmers can find a wealth of information on various types of on-farm water management practices such as dry farming, ponds, and soil, nutrient, irrigation, and stormwater management.
There are over 60 case studies from farms across the state growing a variety of crops and implementing all types of water management practices. There are case studies on farms using recycled water on melons on the central coast to an almond orchard’s smart irrigation scheduling practices in the San Joaquin valley to dry farming with cover crops on the north coast in vineyards.
New information was added on the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) including links to a SGMA Handbook, Department of Water Resources Videos explaining FSMA, and a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources video (all found under the groundwater management tab of the website).
The dry farming section of the website was reformatted and new content was added on Oregon State University’s dry farming grains research as well as videos on dry farming winter squash in western Oregon. While these resources are based on farming in Oregon, there is certainly climatic overlap with certain regions of California.
Additional updates, resources, and videos were added throughout the website. We thank the Water Foundation for their support and our advisory board for their scientific expertise.
Founded in 1978, the Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF) and The Farmers Guild is a California-based nonprofit that builds sustainable food and farming systems through local and statewide policy advocacy and on-the-ground programs in an effort to initiate institutionalized change.
For more information, contact Evan Wiig at evan@caff.org and 415-710-5692
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What CA Dairy Producers Should know about SGMA
California farmers continue to face disappointment after disappointment with economic and regulatory issues, but now is not the time to bury your head in the sand. The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) is coming into fruition, and farmers need to not only be aware of how this will impact them, but getting involved in their local water agencies will be critical as plans are solidified. Geoff Vanden Heuvel from the Milk Producers Council addressed this at the recent California Dairy Sustainability Summit in Sacramento. Watch this brief video with Geoff and read more about it in California Dairy Magazine.