The State Water Resources Control Board (State Water Board) unanimously adopted a resolution at its December 2nd board meeting to return three Kaweah River area groundwater agencies to Department of Water Resources (DWR) oversight, effectively retaining local control over groundwater management. The Kaweah Subbasin, a groundwater basin within Tulare County comprised of the East Kaweah, […]
California often swings between climate extremes — from powerful storms to punishing droughts. As climate change drives more intense and frequent dry and wet cycles, pressure on California’s water supplies grows. A new University of California, Davis, economic study finds that drought in California pushes the price of water from rivers, lakes and reservoirs up […]
Harvest for many of California’s specialty crops has wound down, with fields turning from green to brown, ladders carted away and packinghouse lines brought to a halt. Going into the year, farmers warned that the Trump administration’s mass deportation agenda could leave produce rotting in fields. Nowhere was there more at risk than California. The […]
After months of failed efforts to reduce “an unprecedented level” of livestock kills using nonlethal methods, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said it has euthanized four gray wolves from the Beyem Seyo pack in Sierra Valley. “This decision was not made lightly nor was it easy,” CDFW Director Charlton Bonham said. The lethal […]
Congress was unable to broker an agreement to keep the government funded, leading to a federal government shutdown. While some critical agencies and functions continue to operate, most departments have enacted shutdown procedures that vary in scope. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has furloughed 42,000 of its employees, or about 50%. USDA will continue operations […]
Time is running out for the seven states in the Colorado River Basin, as well as 30 tribes and Mexico, to reach a long-term deal for managing the overtapped river. The current guidelines and drought contingency plans for the river expire at the end of next year, and negotiators have until Nov. 11 to reach […]
California farmers are in the midst of harvesting an almond crop that may be among the largest on record. Or perhaps yields won’t be so big. A month into harvest, that’s the billion-dollar question. After farming at a loss for as many as five consecutive years, almond growers watched prices climb for much of the […]
Farm labor scarcity is a growing challenge for farmers, particularly in light of the Trump administration’s goals for mass deportations. A new report from the University of California Giannini Foundation of Agricultural Economics suggests that labor shortages may prompt some California farmers to alter their production and labor management practices by raising wages, changing cultivation […]
Educating today’s students about the importance of California agriculture is critically important to protecting the future of farming and ranching in the Golden State. For nearly 40 years, the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom has been a leader in that effort and is continuing to innovate to meet the needs of California classrooms. […]
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources-UC Merced Symposium ‘Regenerative Agriculture: The way forward’ on July 1 brought together stakeholders to showcase regenerative agriculture in the San Joaquin Valley. The symposium was an opportunity for participants to learn about successful ongoing work and target future objectives while considering possible implementation challenges, like bottlenecks. The […]