Klamath Continued from Page 3
“Nobody gets through this if everybody plants 100%, so we set some acres aside. We used well water early, and we’re prob- ably going to have to finish with some well water,” said Seus, who is on the board of the Tulelake Irrigation District. “We believe that we’re going to be out of water in the very near future,” he added. “That allocation will get used up, and we’ll be back on wells to finish things.” As growers plan water budgets to car- ry them through the end of the season, Seus said crops are in good shape. He said some grain was grown using deficit irriga- tion, and row crops such as horseradish, onions and mint look good. “It is nice to drive around and see as many green fields as there are, but our concern is whether or not we can finish them,” Seus said. Fellow Tulelake farmer Marc Staunton of Staunton Farms, which farms row crops and is a member of Cal-Ore Produce, a grower-packer-shipper of fresh potatoes, said he is concerned about finishing the season because much has been invested in planting and growing the crops. “We’ve pretty much made all invest- ments at this point except for the cost of harvest,” said Staunton, president of Cal-Ore Produce and a TID board mem- ber. “Basically, we’ve almost fully spent
A view of Link River Dam west of Klamath Falls, Oregon, in May. The dam regulates water in Upper Klamath Lake, the principal source of water for the federal Klamath Water Project.
our budget on growing the crop, so all we have to do is finish with water, and if it gets cut short, then we would be miss- ing any opportunity of profit.” This far into the growing season, Staunton said he and other growers have spent most of the budget on planting costs, including for seed and preplant fertilizer, and growing costs such as for fertigation, chemigation, labor and other inputs. “All you’ve got to do is finish the crop with water and harvest to get paid, so it’s
definitely concerning to get this far into the crop and be concerned about a shutoff,” said Staunton, who farms potatoes, onions, garlic, alfalfa and cereal grains. In terms of balancing water among the various users in the basin, Staunton sug- gested there must be a better way. “Why can’t we work together and talk this out instead of ending up in a courtroom?” Staunton said. “If people could stop trying to manage water in the courtroom, you could have conversations about individual
needs like tribal needs and tribal concerns, and also farmers’ needs and farmers’ con- cerns and come up with a solution.” Speaking of a basin-wide solution, Simmons said, “We need some sort of negotiated agreement. Otherwise, this conflict will go on forever. In the last three years, I think there’s been at least one law- suit every year.” (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
2023 Retirement Plan
California’s state retirement plan mandate expanded on January 1 to include those employers with one or more employees. Ensure you are prepared to comply with the new California retirement plan mandate. Join us at one of our webinars presented by Nationwide. For a list of class dates and to register, visit cfbf.com/FBE or call (800) 698-FARM for assistance. You will receive a Zoom link and details two days prior to your selected webinar date. Members, enjoy access to free classes! Register for the upcoming webinars.
4 Ag Alert August 16, 2023
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