Advisor helps growers navigate water-quality rules San Diego County is home to nearly 5,000 small farms and is an economic hot spot for nurseries and floriculture. Given the diversity of ornamental crops that dominate the region, the complexity of regional agricultural regulations can be challenging for growers.
“The regulatory environment for the growers is still complicated and over- whelming because along with the region- al water board, growers are regulated by the county of San Diego,” said Gerardo “Gerry” Spinelli, University of California Cooperative Extension production horti- culture advisor for San Diego County. To help growers with compliance, Spinelli is prioritizing education and ex- panding growers’ knowledge. By part- nering with organizations such as the San Diego County Farm Bureau and the San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group, Spinelli is working to support more than 1,200 growers in navigating requirements of regulatory agencies. A decade ago, the San Diego Regional Water Quality Control Board adopted a set of rules outlining how growers man- age water discharge from agricultural operations. Enforcement provisions of an updated regional agriculture regulatory order are expected to be finalized and take effect this year. Understanding the rules, including a focus on nitrogen management and groundwater quality, is a test for farmers,
Gerardo “Gerry” Spinelli, University of California Cooperative Extension production horticulture advisor, inspects plants at Altman Plants Nursery in Vista. He is helping San Diego County growers manage nitrogen discharge and water quality.
particularly those in San Diego County who raise different ornamental or floral varieties and specialty fruits. As a result, Spinelli is providing help on multiple fronts. With a regional agriculture order requiring all growers to complete two hours of water-quality education, he is providing one-on-one, group and video training sessions. He is also offering input
to the water board, advising the panel on San Diego County’s distinctive landscape, multitude of specialty crops and growers with varying expertise. Some San Diego County growers en- tered agriculture as a second or third career, including after purchasing land with a pre-existing avocado or cherimoya groves, for example. Now they’re learning
intricacies of nitrogen discharge, includ- ing calculating nitrogen input and output. Enrico Ferro, president of the San Diego Region Irrigated Lands Group—a third-party entity that manages water sam- ple testing on behalf of growers—said he has relied on Spinelli’s teaching to “bridge
See ADVISOR, Page 15
CIMIS REPORT | www.cimis.water.ca.gov
CALIFORNIA IRRIGATION MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM
For the week of August 3 - August 9, 2023 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)
IMPERIAL (87)
THIS YEAR LAST YEAR AVG. YEAR % FROM AVG.
1.66 1.80 1.61 4
1.69 1.69 1.59 7
1.85 1.81 1.75 5
1.71 1.75 1.68 2
1.93 1.87 1.87 4
1.39 1.52 1.32 7
1.87 2.02 1.94 -3
1.95 1.95 1.76 11
2.32 1.81 1.96 17
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 August 16, 2023
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