May/June 2025
Running dry
Have you heard the Mark Twain quote, “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting?” That saying is the perfect summary of California. But what exactly makes California water so controversial?
California leads the nation in agricultural production, with more than $55 billion in crop cash receipts in 2023, according to the USDA. Kern County — where I live and farm — is the top agriculture-producing county, with $8.6 billion in total agriculture value. That’s on par with the entire state of Minnesota. For size reference, Kern County is 8,000 square miles, or roughly the same size as New Jersey.
Kern County: California’s overlooked ag giant
When it comes to California, Kern County is often overlooked. Everyone knows Los Angeles for Hollywood, beaches and Disneyland. Many people visit San Francisco for the Golden Gate Bridge and Fisherman’s Wharf. And you often hear about tourists coming to enjoy California’s many national parks and mountain vacation spots. However, you don’t hear much about California agriculture or the Central Valley.
The Central Valley is the heart of California. It’s where agriculture thrives, thanks to a fertile soil and a Mediterranean climate that allows us to grow nearly anything. Yet, our land and future are worthless without water.
Some like to say we are in a drought. I’ve heard that for as long as I can remember. But eventually, it starts to feel like the new normal. So, I have to ask: Are we in a drought, or is the water being pulled for other uses?
The politics of water
With so many competing interests, politics will always play a role in California water use. Between the human right to clean water, environmental pressures, endangered species, Native American tribes, water quality issues and climate concerns, agriculture often falls low on the priority list.
At the heart of the water wars is the delta outflow. Positioned between the Central Valley and the San Francisco Bay, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta is a vital wetland system. A naturally high-salinity area, it is also a natural ecosystem of endangered species, recreation areas and water supply for nearby farms.
Multiple regions, including the Bay Area, Los Angeles and Kern County, hold water rights there. Yet, 75% of the water is released through the delta into the ocean to protect the ecosystem and address water quality issues. According to the California Department of Water Resources, daily water outflow averages 100,000-acre feet. Can you imagine what a farmer would be able to grow with that amount of water?
Running on empty
The Central Valley receives water from multiple sources — the delta, the State Water Project, federal water projects, local rivers and streams, and groundwater. But thanks to competing water interests, the year 2000 was the last time farmers received 100% of their contracted federal or state water allocations.
Imagine paying your electricity bill and only receiving power in your living room, while your kitchen, bathrooms, bedrooms and other spaces remain without electricity. That’s effectively what has happened to farmers’ water supply. We still pay for the maintenance of the facilities, overhead and functions of the water systems but often receive, on average, between 0% and 50% of our water contracts.
Turning to groundwater
With the lack of surface water deliveries, farmers started turning to groundwater as a more reliable source. Our top crops — grapes, almonds, pistachios and citrus — are permanent plantings that require consistent irrigation for most of the year. Groundwater was the means to do so, until 2014, when state legislators passed the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA).
The SGMA requires local agencies to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) for basins deemed high or medium priority — basins the state identified as being in trouble. These designations were based on factors like subsidence, overdraft, water quality and minimum aquifer thresholds.
With these plans, many parts of the Central Valley were designated as high-priority basins due to overdraft and subsidence issues. This was largely the result of significant groundwater pumping due to the lack of surface water. Under the SGMA, each basin must create a plan that may include stopping groundwater pumping and importing water from other regions, along with managing high water demand and, ultimately, fallow land.
Multiple studies estimate that by 2040 — when the SGMA will be fully implemented — California could lose roughly 1 million acres of farmland. Along with that land, the state stands to lose $7 billion in agricultural revenue each year. That loss is nearly the same as erasing Kern County from California’s economy. Imagine what would happen.
Why Kern County matters
So, why is Kern County so critical? That $8 billion in agriculture value includes 25% of the state’s grape production, 21% of its citrus, 33% of its pistachios, 23% of its almonds and 54% of its carrots. These are crops that can’t just be uprooted and grown elsewhere. Think back to our unique Mediterranean climate — Kern County is one of the few places in the world where these crops can thrive. In fact, nearly all U.S. almonds, pistachios, walnuts, figs, olives, artichokes and raisins are grown in this region.
Without water in the Central Valley, these crops simply don’t exist.
Resilience meets reality
So, what are farmers to do? Some have tried selling their land for a fraction of what it was worth just a few years ago. Without water reliability, land prices have plummeted. With more than 90% of California farms being family-owned, this isn’t just a business to us. These farms are our legacy and a livelihood we planned to pass down to the next generation. As a fourth-generation California farmer myself, I don’t want to be the generation that loses the farm.
Farmers have been resilient. We’ve switched from growing fewer row crops to growing high-dollar crops like permanent trees or vines. Then came market crashes, trade wars, tariffs and COVID-19, which sent prices tumbling. Some farmers have switched back to row crops, while others are battling the storm to see if the markets will rebound.
Of course, there are some farmers who just can’t take it. According to the American Farm Bureau, California led the nation in farm bankruptcies in 2023, with 17 filings. Many farmers, unable to sell their operations, have been forced to walk away from their roots. Satellite imaging company Land IQ estimates that roughly 50,000 acres of almond trees were removed last year, on top of the 67,000 acres the year before.
So, where will our food come from? These concerns and water wars weigh heavily on the farmers who bear them.
I guess Mark Twain really did have it right. Pass me the whiskey.
