Water
Costs are high, water is scarce, and prices to growers are low. With the economics of tree crops the toughest they've been in decades, is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
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Farmers from California's Central Valley received zero federal water deliveries, and severely reduced state allocations. Now hit with groundwater pumping fines, farmers took to the Capitol to protest.
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The water scarcity has created momentum for new voluntary funding programs for growers facing the difficult decision of taking land out of production.
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California forests are experiencing more tree
mortality, the snowpack is being lost to the atmosphere, and groundwater aquifers are becoming depleted.
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Groundwater recharge, organic matter, reduced or no tillage – in the middle of drought, management practices may help improve the retention of limited water resources.
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A variety of sensors have been on the market for years to measure soil moisture, but the holy grail of precision irrigation is measuring the tree’s stem water potential.
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Hotter and drier weather conditions could reduce California’s water supply by up to 10% by the year 2040.
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With technology making other regions newly viable, legislation providing restrictions, and drought forcing the fallowing of farmland, California growers continue to face significant challenges.
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