California’s wet season nears an end with big concerns about drought [San Francisco Chronicle]
A disappointingly dry February is fanning fears of another severe drought in California, and cities and farms are bracing for problems. … Growers in the Central Valley are having to make decisions about which crops to prioritize, and which to sacrifice, should the water situation see no improvement. … “You will see trees not irrigated. You will see trees pushed,” said Ryan Jacobsen, CEO of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. “Some of those aren’t immediate decisions but they’ll come to fruition over the next couple of months.”
Opinion: As another dry year looms in California, key steps will make a resilient water future [Sacramento Bee]
… With drought conditions returning and the impacts of climate change intensifying, it is time to advance a solution for statewide water policy that will transition us from an era of conflict to one of collaboration. … Now, with a new federal administration in place, state and federal policymakers must come together to complete negotiations, end the cycle of policy-making by litigation, and enact voluntary agreements that are rooted in data, the best-available science, and a shared desire to actually get something done for all Californians.
https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/article249610573.html
Ag worker advisory emphasizes COVID-19 testing [Monterey Herald]
With thousands of Salinas Valley farmworkers returning to work as the spring season starts locally, Monterey County and the local agricultural industry have issued an updated COVID-19 ag worker advisory, underscoring the need for more testing among other workplace safety guidelines. … In addition to the county and the ag commissioner, the advisory is backed by the Monterey County Farm Bureau, the Grower Shipper Association of Central California, the Monterey County Vintners and Growers Association, the Coastal Growers Association, and the California Strawberry Association.
https://www.montereyherald.com/2021/03/01/ag-worker-advisory-emphasizes-covid-19-testing/
Vaccine opportunities kick off for Santa Barbara County ag, food, education sectors [Santa Maria Times]
Santa Barbara County began a new COVID-19 vaccination chapter this week as officials expanded access to agriculture, food, emergency and education sectors in Phase 1B, kicking it off with a vaccination event for 500 farmworkers on Sunday. The farmworker pilot program, held at the Santa Maria Health Care Center, was organized in collaboration with local advocacy organizations Mixteco Indigena Community Organizing Project, or MICOP, and Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy, or CAUSE.
In the shadow of 2020, Napa Valley’s wine industry eyes growing season ahead [Napa Valley Register]
… With springtime — and the 2021 wine grape growing season — arriving, Napa Valley’s wine industry is doing its best to move on from the wildfires and pandemic shutdowns that have shaken it. … This year’s grape crush report from the California Department of Food and Agriculture showed wine production down a whopping 40% in Napa Valley. That has put some pressure on growers to up their production for this coming vintage, according to Schramsberg Vineyard owner Hugh Davies.
Disappearing farmland a concern for IID [Imperial Valley Press]
The Imperial Irrigation District last week discussed concerns about solar projects being built on prime farmland. … The issue to the IID is as more farmland is used for solar projects, the district will be left with an excess amount of water with nowhere to put it. … The IID directors and administration at the meeting said solar projects bring in a lot of revenue at the beginning, but that dries up quickly, while land for farms continuously produce year after year.
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