Drought, Harvest, and Indoor Ag
Tuesday Jun 1st, 2021
News Reporter With California Ag Today, I’m Tim Hammerich.
Drought, harvest, and indoor agriculture are all making headlines this week. Here are a couple of updates from throughout the state courtesy of the California Farm Bureau Federation.
Along the North Coast, farmers face what one calls a “bleak” situation, with low water levels in the Russian River watershed. With supplies from the river likely to be curtailed, some farmers have tried to diversify by acquiring recycled water from the city of Ukiah. Others will have to fallow land or grow crops without irrigation. Livestock owners must haul water to cattle and sheep after springs and reservoirs dried.
Tim Hearden
Northern California s Shasta Lake, the centerpiece of the federal Central Valley Project, was at 45% of capacity on May 26, according to the state Department of Water Resources. Agricultural water zeroed out in California as cities cut from 55% to 25% of normal supplies.
Suggested Event
Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
As hydrologic conditions in the West continue to rapidly deteriorate, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on May 26 announced it will not deliver agricultural water through the Central Valley Project in California this summer because of water supplies that tighten by the day.
The agency formally zeroed out an early 5% allocation for ag water supplies north and south of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, and slashed municipal and industrial water from 55% to 25% of normal supplies.
Jun 15, 2021 to Jun 17, 2021
The California State Board of Food and Agriculture will be discussing recent drought actions and hear about proposed programs to assist farmers and ranchers at its meeting next week.
The board will hear from state officials and agricultural stakeholders on drought response as well as proposed funding to further sustainable agriculture as part of the Governor’s proposed $100 billion California Comeback Plan.
The meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 1, 2021 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. via GoToWebinar.
“The Governor has proposed a $5.1 billion comprehensive drought and water infrastructure package, ” said state Food and Agriculture Secretary Karen Ross. “This funding will improve our state’s overall water resilience, invest in drinking water and wastewater infrastructure, and provide for multi-benefit land repurposing among a number of other investments.