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porting, Association of California Water Agencies Regulatory Relations Manager Chelsey Haines told the board, “I want to make sure thatwearebalancing this addi- tional information request with informa- tion that is going tobeuseful and is neces- sary tomanaging conditions, recognizing that thiswill placeanadditional burdenon water right holders.” Haines also asked that there be in- creased clarification on enforcement. San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation Executive Director Bruce Blodgett said he anticipated that the state water board wouldapprove thedraft orderwithcurtail- ment orders sent to affected water rights holders soon after. As this is happening, he said, harvest of some crops still need tohappen inSan JoaquinCounty, adding, “Farmers are trying to finish out crops as quick as possible.” Blodgett added, “We’vehadtwohorrible
droughtshere inashort periodof timeand we have to realize they are unprecedent- ed, and we need projects to help address groundwater, but we also need projects to help address surfacewater. We’ve done none of that.” Steve Koretoff, a farmer of organic al- monds in Kerman, speaking on behalf of theAlmondAllianceof California, told the board that curtailments will dramatically impact agriculture. “AgricultureisthelifebloodofCalifornia’s Central Valley and the base of the econ- omy, providing significant employment. The California almond community deliv- ers economic value to the state supporting 110,000 jobs and contributing $9.2 billion toCalifornia’sGDP,” Koretoff said. Koretoff added that the state’s almond growershavereducedtheamount ofwater used to grow the crop by one-third since the 1990s, with improved production practices andmicro-irrigation technology andmonitoring. “The San Joaquin Valley is one of the most efficient places to grow food any- where in the world. We can grow more food with less water than anywhere else on the planet,” Koretoff said in his public comments. “Theboardmustbecarefulnot tomakeanydecisionsor curtailments that cancause irrefutableharmto family farms anddisadvantagedrural communities that dependon agriculture for jobs andwater.”
The move to adopt emergency curtail- mentandreportingregulationsfortheDelta comes as the state board has increased restrictions on water use in recent weeks, issuing stop-diversion notices in June to junior water rights holders in the Delta, Russian River and Scott River watersheds and expanding curtailments in the Scott andShasta riverwatersheds inmid-July. Montague rancher RyanWalker, presi- dent of the SiskiyouCounty FarmBureau, said farmers have banded together in re- cent weeks to voluntarily curtail water. “Whenweheard these rightswerecom- ing out, we got a pretty big group togeth- er to put some voluntary curtailments in place. Quite a fewalfalfa guyswerewilling tocommit toshuttingoff Aug. 15or at least Aug. 31, and pasture guys were willing to commit to a Sept. 15 cutoff instead of go- ingall theway toOct. 1,”Walker said. “A lot of irrigators have already been shut down because of the drought.” The water board asks that Delta water users subscribe to the Delta Drought list or to frequently visit the board’s Delta Watershed Drought Information page at www.waterboards.ca.gov/drought/delta/. (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.)
seniordiverters,giventhetiming,most folks will likelysqueakby toharvest thisyear, but aswemoveintonextyear, thingsaregoingto change.Andif it’sadryyear, theimplications couldbeunprecedented.” The state water board’s emergency reg- ulation for theDelta, if adopted,wouldau- thorize orders to cease diversions. It could requirethatusersdivertingmorethan1,000 acre-feet anddiverters requestingminimi- umhealth and safety exemptions furnish additional information to the board. Unless the state’s drought declaration is lifted, the regulations would remain in place into the next water year, which be- gins Oct. 1. After that, ongoing supply-de- mand projections could again require curtailments next summer in order of se- niority, in the event there is again insuffi- cientwater supply, Fredricksonexplained. As part of the draft water diversion re-
USDA invests $15 million in Klamath Basin relief
U.S. Department of Agriculture will contract wi th the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency to provide nearly $15million toKlamathBasin farm- ers who have been affected by successive years of water shortages, compounded by COVID pressures on production and markets, USDA said. The block grant to the Klamath River Drought Response Agency will provide payments to farmers to reduce irrigation demand. This will assist in allowing the limited supply of water tobe used for oth- er practices that are vital to the region’s food supply and to reduce adverse im- pacts to farmers in the region and supply and distribution chains, USDA said. Klamath Water Users Association ex- pressed strong support and appreciation for the agency’s announcement of finan- cial relief for Klamath Project irrigators who have been deprived of Klamath Project water this year. “We are very grateful to Secretary (Tom) Vilsack and his team at USDA,” said Marc Staunton, president of the Klamath Project Drought Response Agency. “The agency has been commit- ted from the top down to address the drastic harm that is being experienced in the Project agricultural community.” The details as to how the funds will be deployed are still being worked out, Staunton said, adding that one possibility is that paymentswill beoffered to farmers on all eligible land in the Project, on an equal, per-acre basis. “All producers have dealt with their own unique problems, losses and costs, and the KPDRA board is in- clined to spread the assistance to all,” Staunton said. However, some areas of the Project would not qualify. “Unfortunately, the same as for our
non-irrigation program, land will not be eligible in districts that the Bureau of Reclamation believes is not in compli- ance with the 2021 Project operations plan,” Staunton said. KWUA Execut i ve Di rec tor Pau l Simmons said that KWUAhas beenwork- ing with USDA officials since January to identify relief opportunities. “They have really listened andworked to establish a program that will provide a boost to producers and the region- al economy that agriculture supports,” Simmons said. Theprogramreplaces a$10millionpro- gramannounced by USDA inmid-April. “What they have arrived at is a much better fit, and it should be very efficient on the ground,” Simmons said. Though the KWUA said it welcomes the financial relief, Simmons said it is not the organization’s top priority. “Ourmost important priority is to have water for irrigation so producers can produce,” Simmons said. “But we have to play the cards we were dealt this year anddo the best we can for producerswho are under duress.” USDA said it will evaluate the out- comes to help inform future program design and continue to monitor basins and drought conditions to determine ar- eas of immediate economic support and relief to farmers. The pilot is part of a broader suite of programs available to farmers to help recover losses from drought. Disaster assistance programs and loans are available to help farmers offset losses and get financing to help with recovery. Farmers should visit farmers.gov, where they can use the Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool or Disaster-at-a-Glance fact sheet to learn more about program or loan options.
For updates to the story, go to agalert.com.
The Produce Safety Rule is Here; ARE YOU READY?
Farm Employers Labor Service (FELS), an a liated company of the California Farm Bureau (CAFB), has partnered with the Safe Food Alliance through a California Department of Food and Agriculture grant contract, as their designated training provider for Central and Southern California, to conduct the required Produce Safety training for growers. Presented in a free two-day remote delivery webinar format! What sets Safe Food Alliance, FELS, and Farm Bureau apart is their total of over 100 years of experience and our dedication to providing technical guidance and leadership to the California agriculture community. Most farms are required to have at least one designated supervisor who has been trained in accordance with the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety rule. Upon completion of the course, attendees will receive an o cial certi cate from the Association of Food & Drug O cials.
The Food Safety Training Partnership is offering these training courses throughout California. You can find more information and register at foodsafetytrainingpartnership.com, or call 916-561-5672. Supported by California Department of Food and Agriculture
August 4, 2021 Ag Alert 9
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