California Ag Network

Tag: Sustainable Groundwater Management Act

  • 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.

  • CA Farm Water Crisis – The Big Picture with Aubrey Bettencourt

    California farmers were already in a tight water supply situation before this dry year began. With water curtailments, SGMA implementation, settlement agreements and little progress in water infrastructure improvements, farmers have a lot of concerns regarding the future of their livelihoods. Watch this brief video with Aubrey Bettencourt as she provides the big picture of where agriculture currently stands in the California water crisis. Bettencourt has served California agriculture in various capacities over the years and is now Director of Sustainability with the California Cattle Council and Western United Dairies.
    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • Sustainable Conservation Releases Key Water Quality Guidance for On-Farm Recharge

    Sustainable Conservation, a San Francisco- and Modesto-based non-profit, has developed two key resources to inform on-farm recharge practices that are protective of water quality.

    Over 600,000 Californians rely on nitrate-contaminated public supply wells for their household water needs. Many others struggle with contaminated groundwater from private, domestic wells – so the numbers are even greater. Recharging groundwater with water quality as a top priority will help the San Joaquin Valley – our nation’s premier farming region – manage through California’s inevitable droughts, ensure safe drinking water for farm-adjacent communities, and support a thriving agricultural economy as the region complies with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.

    Achieving Groundwater Sustainability

    Conceived in coordination with a diverse group of stakeholders and supported by a committee of San Joaquin Valley leaders, our nitrate management brief and water quality research paper compile the best available science with Sustainable Conservation’s decade-plus of on-the-ground experience with groundwater recharge. Replenishing aquifers by allowing surface water to seep into the ground has great potential to help water managers and agricultural communities achieve groundwater sustainability. However, when recharging on farm fields – a practice known in water management circles as Agricultural Managed Aquifer Recharge (AgMAR) – the potential mobilization of nitrate and salts is a serious concern, and this guidance suite presents field- and regional-scale considerations to protect community water quality.

    Building Inclusive Partnerships 

    For over 25 years, Sustainable Conservation has built a theory of change on the bedrock of inclusive partnerships, shared resources, and innovation. Together, and only together, can we successfully steward our most precious natural resources for all Californians. Our focus on a sustainable, clean water supply means we’re building transformative, science-based solutions with California agriculture. Our agricultural economy feeds and leads the nation, and our community water security is critical.

    “California is experiencing another intense and prolonged drought, and as we plan for long-term groundwater stability we have to think holistically,” said Ashley Boren, Sustainable Conservation Chief Executive Officer. “When we work to improve our water supply, any action we take needs to balance quantity and quality considerations. Sustainable Conservation’s water quality guidance draws on our proven track record of forging practical partnerships, proving innovative technologies, and compiling available science to drive integrated solutions.”

    “Recharge is a powerful, beneficial way to boost our water sustainability in California, but it needs to be done with unintended consequences in mind,” said Don Cameron, Terranova Ranch Vice President & General Manager, and recharge pioneer. “The guidance that Sustainable Conservation developed can help me replenish our underground reserves, and protect the quality of those reserves for everyone.”

    “Millions of Californians rely on groundwater for household water needs, and yet our aquifers are dwindling. We need sustainable solutions that improve water supply and protect water quality,” said Aysha Massell, Sustainable Conservation Water for the Future Program Director. “Groundwater recharge is an important tool in our sustainability tool belt. Setting out a science-based framework for protecting water quality when practicing on-farm recharge means growers, water managers, and communities can help replenish our aquifers properly, in ways that protect and benefit drinking water.”

    “As Groundwater Sustainability Agencies codify practices to attain groundwater sustainability, community drinking water quality must be front and center in any effort to protect our water supplies,” said Amanda Monaco, Leadership Counsel for Justice and Accountability Water Programs Policy Coordinator. “Sustainable Conservation’s guidance is key for growers, water managers, and communities who want to practice recharge, so they can do so in ways that protect drinking water.”

    “Sustainable Conservation works on complex issues through a broad, integrated lens – how do we solve a problem before us in ways that don’t create other problems along the way?” said Taylor Broadhead, Sustainable Conservation Water and Dairy Programs Project Manager. “When we address water quantity, we need a path forward that is also mindful of water quality, so we created this guidance to help recharge practitioners manage risks to community drinking water supplies.”

    “At the Water Foundation, we want to support efforts that result in lasting solutions to secure safe water for people,” said Mike Myatt, Water Foundation Healthy Watershed Program Officer. “Sustainable Conservation’s decade of water work nets important, proven solutions that benefit all Californians, and this water quality guidance is another vital tool to help people practice recharge right.”

    Sustainable Conservation will share its new guidance widely with growers, water managers, community organizers, and our broader audience of friends and supporters through our various events, webinars, and publications. If you need technical assistance or would like to request a small group presentation for your community or organization, please contact Taylor Broadhead, Sustainable Conservation Water and Dairies Project Manager.

    About Sustainable Conservation 

    Founded in San Francisco in 1993, Sustainable Conservation helps California thrive by uniting people to solve the toughest challenges facing our land, air, and water. Every day, we bring together business, landowners and government to steward the resources that we all depend on in ways that are just and make economic sense. For more information and to connect with Sustainable Conservation, visit suscon.org. You can follow us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

  • A Plea for Farmer Engagement and Government Support of California GSAs

    As farmers face drought conditions once again this summer, local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies are still working on the planning and implementation of their Groundwater Sustainability Plans. Watch this brief video with Patricia Poire, Executive Director of the Kern Groundwater Authority, as she shares concerns and needs for both farmer and government support to meet the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) requirements.

    Please thank this video’s sponsor Suterra for their industry support.

  • 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.

  • Be Sure to Manage these Insect pests in Young Pistachio Orchards

    Growers likely have heard a lot about the damage leaf footed bugs and navel orange worm can cause to their pistachio crop, but what about integrated pest management practices in the early nonbearing years of an orchard?  When there’s no crop, growers may overlook the impact that some insect pests can have their young trees that are in their critical years of establishment.  These pests should not be ignored; but what are these pests, and how does a grower go about managing them?  Watch this brief interview with Entomology Farm Advisor from the UC Cooperative Extension David Haviland as he explains and read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

     

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support by visiting them at their booth at the following November Events: Tree & Vine Expo, the Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo & Blue Diamond Growers Annual Membership Meeting.

  • Friant Water Authority Shares Blueprint to Save Central Valley Farmland & Water

    With the tasking demands of Sustainable Groundwater Management Act coming down on California farmers, a considerable amount of farmland will have to be retired and will have a severe economic impact on the Central Valley.  But there has to be a way to meet the demands of the state without devastating our farming communities.  Watch this brief interview with Friant Water Authority CEO Jason Phillips as he shares their Water Blueprint initiative to meet both the State’s demands without robbing our critical farming communities of the water they need to continue feeding the world.  Read more about it in Pacific Nut Producer Magazine.

    Please thank our sponsor Duarte Nursery for their industry support by visiting them at their booth at the following November Events: Tree & Vine Expo, the Grape, Nut & Tree Fruit Expo & Blue Diamond Growers Annual Meeting.

  • American Farmland Trust to Expand SJV Land & Water Strategy with Conservation Grant

    American Farmland Trust, the organization behind the national movement No Farms No Food®, was recently awarded a Conservation Innovation Grant by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service. The grant will be used to expand AFT’s San Joaquin Valley Land and Water Strategy, with a focus on increasing water infiltration and groundwater recharge in the San Joaquin Valley counties of Madera and Stanislaus.

    This project will provide a unique and innovative framework for decision-making — introducing a web-based mapping tool that, along with its associated manual, will help conservation organizations and agencies select projects that meet priority criteria and therefore have the greatest potential to effectively infiltrate and conserve water while also protecting the region’s most productive, versatile, and resilient farmland.

    “Water resources in California’s San Joaquin Valley are vital to food production for the nation and fundamental for the economy, producers, communities and livelihoods of thousands of people who work and reside in the region,” says Kara Heckert, AFT’s California state director.

    She continued, “Increasing groundwater infiltration is a critical tool in improving the long-term sustainability of farming in the region and complying with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act.”

    AFT has worked on the ground in the San Joaquin Valley for 37 years, fighting to protect the region’s farmland and natural resources. AFT’s comprehensive San Joaquin Land and Water Strategy was developed from the insights gained through years working in the area. This recent expansion builds on AFT’s current work and knowledge, furthering the strategy’s aim to promote changes in both policies and practices that support conservation and sustainable use of water and land resources, improved soil health, and protection of farmland, while providing economic benefits to the economy, communities and the environment.

    AFT’s work in the San Joaquin Valley underscores the critical importance of protecting our most valuable farmland, not only for continued production of food and fiber, but also for carbon sequestration and groundwater recharge.

     

  • California Ag Water: Current Regulatory Challenges

    After years of drought, the 2019 winter is turning out to be a good one for California’s water supply. Several winter storm systems in the past couple of months means there is plenty of water. In some parts of the state, more than plenty, as evidenced from flooding events. Snow pack is above average (156%) and reservoirs are sufficiently full. So, farmers can rest easy, eh? Not so fast.

    Some of you may have heard that in December 2018 the State Water Resource Board announced that up to 50% of the water flowing through Lower San Joaquin River and its tributaries – the Stanislaus, Merced and Tuolumne river will be required to flow unimpaired, i.e. without diversions. The Water Board contends this is needed to restore critically endangered fish species dependent on the flow. A second phase of the plan would see similar flow requirements for the Sacramento River and its tributaries – the Feather, Yuba and American Rivers. As you can imagine, this will have a severe impact on agriculture dependent on this water.

    However, this is not a done deal. There are other regulatory processes that must be followed before the plan can go into effect. But already, legal challenges have been made to this so called “Bay Delta Plan”. Several agricultural commodity groups, including the California Walnut Commission, have voiced their opposition. Critics of the plan argue that voluntary water sharing agreements between various stakeholders can yield better results than arbitrary unimpaired flow decisions. Furthermore, they point out that water flow is just one of the factors affecting species survival. Habitat loss is another critical factor to be taken into account. Mere unimpaired water flow would not be as beneficial to species restoration. To that end, cooperation among various stakeholder groups-agricultural water rights, urban drinking water, and environmental groups, is the appropriate way to go.

    Another regulatory issue of importance is the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA). This was passed in 2014, at the height of the California drought, to avoid severe depletion of groundwater and its quality. The first phase of SGMA implementation is approaching in 2020. Local water agencies will need to start implementing Groundwater Sustainability Plans (GSP), which will include annual tabulation of how much groundwater is being extracted. Growers should have heard by now from their local water agencies as to which Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSA) they belong to and what the annual reporting requirements are.

    Regardless of the regulatory issue, the California Walnut Commission will continue to make sure the opinions of the California Walnut industry are represented.

  • 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