Jobs Continued from Page 1
“Those T-shirts that are a joke about the manual transmission being an an- ti-theft device—there’s some truth to that now,” Fawaz said. Fawaz and Ikeda are familiar with summertime work ; Fawaz launched the hay-hauling business as an FFA project in high school that evolved into his present operation, and Ikeda is a third-generation farmer who grew up in the family business. Thedearthof summertime job-seekers is part of a larger trend—one only slightly interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, Ikeda said finding enough employees wasn’t as big of a problembe- cause the pandemic did not shut down agricultural businesses, which are con- sidered essential, though people in other impacted industries such as hospitality were looking for jobs. This year, that has changed, he said, with last year’s pro- spective employees looking for whatever they could get. Ikeda noted that last year he heard several young, college-educated people looking to make a change in their career consider jobs in agriculture because the sector is essential. As businesses reopen, however, the chronic shortage for employees has re- turned, and people can “pick and choose the job,” Ikeda said. “It just seems like overall there aren’t as many people looking for work in the ag industry,” he said.
Fawaz said he’s given the issue a lot of thought but has no easy answers. “I think that there has to be a funda- mental shift inpeople’smindset of having to work in order to survive,” he said, not- ing the effects of the pandemic. “Who would have ever thought the government could tel l you to close your business and then, oh, we’ll pay you still something to be closed?” he asked. “There is no perceived and maybe even actual need to work in or- der to survive.” Calling attitudes toward work a “cul- tural change,” Fawaz said he’s adapting
by adjusting hay-bale sizes.
“When I was 25,” Fawaz said, “if you’d asked me what the greatest hindrance to me growing my farm business would have been, I would have said without a doubt it’s access to capital.” Now? “I could access capital and borrow myself into an oblivion now, that I don’t know how I’d ever dig out of, without a problem,” he said. “I can’t hire the labor.” (Kevin Hecteman i s an ass i stant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at khecteman@cfbf.com.) “We’ve developed a toolbox to be used in events like this extreme drought and that’s why it’s particularly frustrating to see these proposed flows that don’t take into account what the fish needs are during different fish life cycles.” On June 15, DFW requested that the board adopt emergency regulations that require dedicated minimum instream flows. No action was taken by the board last week. The issue is expected to be tak- en up again in the coming weeks. (Chr i s t ine Souza i s an ass i s tant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
in agriculture or have ties to the farm, he said, those job opportunities are not as readily available and aren’t on the fore- front of younger people’s minds. Fawaz said he thinks higher wages is not the issue, as he pays above the min- imum. He noted most of his employees haveworked at his operation for five to 11 years, and one employee has more than 20 years of service. “I think there’s just a philosophical change in what people today feel like they need to do in order to survive,” Fawaz said. “And I think everybody knows that through various means, there is definite safety nets that will keep them from starving and being homeless. So the perceived need is just less than it used to be.” Summer hires, if therewere any, would be engaged in irrigation work and run- ning farm equipment. Fawaz said he used to have teenagers as young as 16 run machinery and bale hay, but it would be “tough to legally do” today. “If you wait till they’re 19, they’re al- ready a step behindwhat we’re used to in the world,” he said, adding that skills he used to find in 16-year-olds now appear to be lacking in many 18- and 19-year- olds today. It’s tough to teachpeoplewho areolder howtodrive amanual transmis- sion, he said.
Water Continued from Page 3
Agricultural interests who took part in the virtual meeting recommended pursuing a voluntary agreement to benefit fish. “You don’t need to tell us that we are in an extreme drought,” said Montague rancher Ryan Walker, president of the Siskiyou County Farm Bureau. “I think all farmers agree that actions need to be taken to blunt the impact of this extreme drought on anadromous fish populations.” Walker suggested a voluntary and more “nuanced approach,” adding,
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
For the week June 24 - June 30, 2021 ETO (INCHES/WEEK)
YEAR
3.0
THIS YEAR
2.5
LAST YEAR AVERAGE YEAR
2.0
1.5
1.0
0.5
0.0
MACDOEL II (236)
BIGGS (244)
DAVIS (06)
MANTECA (70)
FRESNO (80)
SALINAS-SOUTH (214)
FIVE POINTS (2)
SHAFTER (5)
TEMECULA (62)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
1.86 1.88 1.87 -1
1.85 1.89 1.88 -2
2.14 2.07 2.10 2
2.14 2.17 1.89 12
1.91 1.99 1.82 3
1.95 2.06 1.96 0
2.11 2.04 2.03 3
1.46 1.50 1.40 4
1.34 1.15 1.54 -13
2.31 2.17 2.17 5
W eekly reference evapotranspiration (ETo) is the rate of water use (evapotranspiration—the sum of soil evaporation and crop transpiration) for healthy pasture grass. Multiplying ETo by the appropriate “crop coefficient” gives estimates of the ET for other crops. For example, assume ETo on June 15 is 0.267 inches and the crop coefficient for corn on that day is 1.1. Multiplying ETo by the coefficient (0.26 inches x 1.1) results in a corn ET of 0.29 inches. This
information is useful in determining the amount and timing of irriga- tion water. Contact Richard Snyder, UC Davis, for information on coefficients, 530-752-4628. The 10 graphs provide weekly ETo rates for selected areas for average year, last year and this year. The ETo information is provided by the California Irrigation Management Information System (CIMIS) of the California Department of Water Resources.
For information contact the DWR district office or DWR state headquarters:
SACRAMENTO HEADQUARTERS: 916-651-9679 • 916-651-7218
NORTHERN REGION: Red Bluff 530-529-7301
NORTH CENTRAL REGION: West Sacramento 916-376-9630
SOUTH CENTRAL REGION:
SOUTHERN REGION:
Fresno 559-230-3334
Glendale 818-500-1645 x247 or x243
12 Ag Alert July 7, 2021
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