Rivers Continued from Page 3
“Growers would have liked to see more flexibility, and the environmental commu- nity would have liked to have seen less, so it appears the water board has balanced its duties,” he said. Fawaz added, “As we continue to look at the water demands needed for the re- sources in our area, those of us in agricul- ture have said many times, we cannot be the only knob that gets adjusted.” Walker asked the board and other stake- holders to work with irrigators to develop “a more productive, collaborative way for- ward” in the state’s efforts to set perma- nent, minimum flow requirements for the Scott and Shasta river tributaries.
“Reviewing the constant stream of draft flow regulations and battling errant com- ments take away time from finding real solutions,” Walker said. “Forest thinning projects, recharge projects and water-stor- age projects are all put on hold so we can engage in this apparently unending emer- gency regulatory process.” Last July, the Karuk Tribe submitted a petition requesting the state water board use its emergency powers to set perma- nent flows to help fish. The state directed staff to develop a plan to adopt interim flow measures to support salmon. It also asked farmers, tribes and other interested parties to work together to develop plans for long-
term restoration of the salmon fishery. Alexandra Biering, California Farm Bureau senior policy advocate, urged the state water board and staff to keep the dia- logue open with affected irrigators. “In previous meetings, the board and staff suggested there may be a need for some amount of structured facilitation support for tribes, diverters, landowners and technical experts to further the con- versations that are necessary to develop a durable, long-term management plan to support salmon in the rivers,” she said. Despite the state’s budget constraints, Biering said she hopes momentum con- tinues with local participation by farmers and tribes to develop long-term solutions. E. Joaquin Esquivel, chair of the state water board, also called for collaboration. “The hydrology of these watersheds is complex, but the cooperation among all parties to find solutions that balance the needs of communities and the environ- ment has been encouraging,” Esquivel said. “I am hopeful that this regulation continues to drive engagement toward collaborative solutions.” (Christine Souza is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. She may be contacted at csouza@cfbf.com.)
and adding more local cooperative solu- tions, which Johnson said offer more flexibility as alternatives to curtailments. “Helping us do more winter recharge through our stock water ditches is going to be greatly helpful,” she said. “We don’t have a water quantity problem; we have a water timing problem, and that would be greatly alleviated if we improved our underground water storage.” Siskiyou County farmer Brandon Fawaz of Etna thanked the board and staff for re- visions to the regulation. However, he said, farmers were hoping for a better outcome.
Laws Continued from Page 15
In addition to legislative and regulatory changes, California entered the new year with a record $68 million budget shortfall. Reardon said funding for agricultural pro- grams could be sacrificed as the governor and Legislature are “going to have to make real cuts this year.” He added that initiatives such as the Healthy Soils Program that are meant to help farmers transition to climate-friendly practices could be in the crosshairs. “A lot of the programs that (the California Department of Food and Agriculture) oversees could be in jeopardy,” he said. At the federal level, as of Jan. 1, farm em- ployers who hire H-2A workers must pay the workers a higher wage after the U.S. Department of Labor announced it was raising the Adverse Effect Wage Right, or AEWR, for the program. The AEWR is the minimum hourly rate for agricultural guestworkers. In California, the rate increased from $18.65 to $19.75. The state’s overall minimum hourly wage for all employees also increased Jan. 1, ris- ing from $15.50 to $16. Amid a nationwide labor shortage and increasing reliance on the H-2A program, farm groups have raised concerns about the cost of the program to farmers. “As wage rates continue to rise along with the demand for farmworkers, farm families are being forced to take a hard look at their balance sheets just to stay afloat,” American Farm Bureau Federation President Zippy Duvall said. (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)
16 Ag Alert January 3, 2024
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