Stop if youâve heard this before: California is in the grip of a severe drought. Again.Â
Now the federal government is stepping in to help.Â
To assist California, which is the nationâs largest food supplier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently declared a drought disaster for 50 counties, including Napa. That makes growers throughout the state who have been struggling with parched conditions eligible to seek federal loans.
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âThis declaration emphasizes the devastating and far-reaching impact of climate change on the agricultural producers that feed and power America,â Under Secretary of Agriculture Gloria Montaño Greene said in an emailed statement.Â
Sunday marked the hottest day of the year, so far.Many people made their way to Folsom Lake to enjoy the weather to find lake levels low as the state faces the threat of a drought.After two dry years in a row with little rain and snow, drought is a concern. Last week, Gov. Gavin Newsom said he has executive orders drafted, if needed.The latest snow survey from the California Department of Water Resources found the Sierra snowpack, where the state gets much of its water when it melts in the spring and summer, is well below normal for this time of year.KCRA 3 spoke with people who said the low lake can be a concerning sight.David Willis, Walks along Folsom Lake often“The water has receded all the way back. There’s a lot more beach than usual. You’ve got to walk about I would say, what, 200 feet to get to the water.”Martha Matlock, Enjoying lake“We’re just hoping that the snowmelt will fill it up, again, and it’ll be alright.”Jacob, Enjoying lake“It’s very low.
Five things to know about federal drought aid
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An irrigation system does its work near Adin, a small town in Modoc County, in July 2019. In response to increased drought risk, farmers and ranchers in all 58 California counties will become eligible for loans to assist with loss of crops, trees, land and livestock. Anne Wernikoff/ CalMatters photo
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Stop if you’ve heard this before: California is in the grip of a severe drought. Again.
Now the federal government is stepping in to help.
To assist California, which is the nation’s largest food supplier, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recently declared a drought disaster for 50 counties. That makes growers throughout the state who have been struggling with parched conditions eligible to seek federal loans.
5 things you need to know about federal drought aid in California visaliatimesdelta.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from visaliatimesdelta.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
I m not interested.
The USDA’s designations hinge on that map. Counties can be considered drought disaster areas if any part enters the driest red and brown “extreme” and “exceptional” categories during the growing season, or if they move into the orange “severe drought” category and stay there for eight consecutive weeks.
These categories are based on various measurements, not just precipitation and snowpack. They include vegetation health, soil moisture, surface water and other criteria. The map authors also work with local experts to gauge on-the-ground conditions.
“The disaster declaration process is almost as close to automatic as it can get” because it’s based on the drought map, said Jacque Johnson, acting state executive director of the USDA Farm Service Agency’s state office. “What happened in California on March 5 was 50 of our 58 counties were disasters.”