- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
An AgAlert story by Kate Campbell expands on earlier news coverage of a recent State Board of Food and Agriculture meeting, where UC Davis agricultural economist Richard Howitt offered depressing news about water allocations for the 2009 growing season.
Howitt told the board that, based on an 85 percent cut in water deliveries for the State Water Project and the federal Central Valley Project, "We're estimating a 50 percent increase in groundwater pumping, compared to 2005. We're also factoring in the removal of older permanent crops and the use of stress irrigation, as well as the likelihood of water...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
University of California Cooperative Extension irrigation specialist Lawrence Schwankl joined with irrigation scientists from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Fresno State University in writing a rebuttal to a September 2008 report by the Pacific Institute titled "More with Less: Agricultural Water Conservation and Efficiency in California—A Special Focus on the Delta."
The university scientists' commentary was published in part yesterday in AgAlert and the full, 13-page PDF version is available from the
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Even as wet weather finally descended on California yesterday, a UC Davis expert was briefing the California Board of Food and Agriculture about what will likely be a third year of drought in the Golden State, according to the Stockton Record.
Ag writer Reid Fujii noted that Richard Howitt, chairman of the UC Davis Department of Agricultural & Resource Economics, apologized to the board for being the bearer of bad news after he told the board that potential water deliveries of just 15 percent of full allocation could cause the loss of 40,000 jobs in California and $1.15 billion in farm and related income.
Another...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The Daily News of Tehama County covered a UC Cooperative Extension meeting where 130 people attended to "engage in dialogue about the complexities of water resource management." Reporter Ashley Gebb wrote that the event was the second biennial meeting on water resources in Tehama County and the surrounding area.
"We all know water does not abide by political boundaries," Gebb quoted the deputy director of Tehama County Public Works Water Resources, Ernie Ohlin. "Actions and things that we do in our own county can affect people outside our county."
Ohlin told the audience that Northern California farmers and...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Two Half Moon Bay Review reporters featured ANR experts in unrelated news stories on the same day this week. Mark Noack opened his article about growing public acceptance of "recycled" water with an anecdote from UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor Paul Vossen.
Vossen told the reporter that, years ago, participants on a research plot tour willingly munched on fresh vegetables that had been irrigated with treated sewage water.
“Our conclusion at the end of our survey was that 95 percent of people have no problem with using recycled water,” Vossen was quoted....
