Winter’s dry start prompts low California water allocation [Associated Press]
California’s water managers on Tuesday preliminarily allocated just 10% of requested water supplies to agencies that together serve more than 27 million Californians and 750,000 acres of farmland. The state Department of Water Resources cited the dry start to the winter rainy season in California’s Mediterranean climate, along with low reservoir levels remaining from last year’s relatively dry winter. … Last year’s initial allocation also was 10% and climbed only to 20% when the final allocation was made in May.
Dry weather mitigated by Monterey County groundwater [Salinas Californian]
The Central Coast and parts south are unusually dry, according to the University of Nebraska – Lincoln’s national drought monitor. … However, Monterey County Agricultural Commissioner Henry Gonzales noted that Monterey and Ventura counties, which have their own groundwater systems, are likely to manage drought better than other agricultural counties. … The surrounding mountains in Monterey County capture and funnel water down to the Salinas Valley and makes the area more drought-resilient than other agricultural counties.
Editorial: After COVID-19 ends, will Californians go thirsty? [Los Angeles Times]
In the midst of drought yet again, and two decades into the 21st century, California continues to operate with a water infrastructure engineered and constructed for 20th century climate conditions and populations. That’s true not only of the state’s physical network of dams and aqueducts, but of its legal and financial infrastructure as well — the pricing rules that allocate the state’s precious liquid resources among its 40 million thirsty people. The coronavirus emergency has highlighted some of the most serious stresses in the system.
https://www.latimes.com/opinion/story/2020-12-02/thirsty-californians-water-pricing
Big companies urge Biden, Congress to address climate change [Wall Street Journal]
A broad cross section of big U.S. corporations including Amazon.com Inc., Citigroup Inc. and Ford Motor Co. are calling on Congress to work closely with President-elect Joe Biden to address the threat of climate change. … General Motors Co. said last week that it will no longer back the Trump administration’s legal battle to strip California’s authority to set its own fuel-efficiency regulations. Days before that, the American Farm Bureau Federation—once one of the major opponents of climate legislation in Congress—announced a new agribusiness coalition to promote federal support for cutting agricultural emissions.
Statewide program offers free hotel stays for farmworkers who test positive for virus [KOVR/CBS 13, Sacramento]
… La Familia is partnering with Sacramento County in a statewide program, Housing For The Harvest, providing free hotel stays for farmworkers and food processing workers who have been exposed to or have COVID-19. … In Sacramento County only 10 people have utilized the resources, one actually staying in a hotel. … Sacramento is one of 13 counties in the state using this program. Funding for the services runs out at the end of 2020.
https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2020/12/02/program-free-hotel-stay-farmworkers-covid/
Blue Diamond reports $1.59 billion in revenue. Almond milk from Turlock is a hit [Modesto Bee]
Blue Diamond Growers had $1.59 billion in revenue in its latest annual report, boosted in part by the new almond milk operation in Turlock. The Sacramento-based cooperative saw a 1.5% increase in the fiscal year ending Aug. 28 over the previous year. … President and CEO Mark Jansen said retailers are now selling about $800 million worth of the milk a year. … Jansen noted challenges during the past fiscal year, including tariffs that affected sales to India and China. The pandemic cut snack nut consumption by about a quarter, making bulk almonds and milk all the more important.
https://www.modbee.com/news/business/agriculture/article247517695.html
Ag Today is distributed by the California Farm Bureau Marketing/Communications Division to county Farm Bureaus, California Farm Bureau directors and staff, for information purposes only; stories may not be republished without permission. Some story links may require site registration. Opinions expressed in stories, commentaries or editorials included in Ag Today do not necessarily represent the views of the California Farm Bureau. To be removed from this mailing list, reply to this message and please provide your name and email address. For more information about Ag Today, contact 916-561-5550 or news@cfbf.com.
