- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
Strawberries in the central San Joaquin Valley are ripening about two weeks earlier than normal in 2015, reported Robert Rodriguez in the Fresno Bee. The story was localized and also used in the Merced Sun-Star and Modesto Bee.
Normally strawberry season starts in early April, but in the Fresno area Rodriguez found a dozen roadside stands already selling the springtime favorite.
Rodriguez spoke to Michael Yang, an agricultural...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
The announcement from the Merced Irrigation District that farmers would get no water from Lake McClure in 2015 wasn't a surprise, but it was a blow to the community all the same, reported Rob Parsons in the Merced Sun-Star.
Lake McClure is at 8 percent of its capacity and regulations prevent water diversions when the lake falls below 11.5 percent.
"A lot of (farmers) will be changing how they do things: buying fewer supplies in town, buying less fertilizer, hiring fewer people or laying people off,” a local farmer told the reporter. “People who can't get work here will move their families to other places where they can...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
When Mother Jones magazine reporter Tom Philpott toured Central California to gather information for a lengthy profile of the California almond industry, he sought out UC expertise to round out the story.
UC Cooperative Extension advisors Gurreet Brar in Fresno County and David Doll in Merced County were among the sources. The reporter also spoke to Richard Howitt, an agricultural economist in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at UC Davis.
Much of the article...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
California has emerged as the world's almond orchard because of near-perfect conditions for the crop, but in terms of production, it may have hit its peak, reported Jennifer Rankin in The Guardian.
"The future for farming almonds in California will always be there," said David Doll, UC Cooperative Extension farm advisor in Merced County. "It is more about coming into balance with our water resources."
The story quoted from a UC report that California farmers have spent an extra $500 million this year pumping extra water to cope with the drought.
Co-author of the...
- Author: Jeannette E. Warnert
One way or another, most California almond farmers are managing to keep their orchards irrigated this year, reported Megan Durisin on Bloomberg.com.
In the article, Merced County farmer Bob Weimer said he added a 12th well to draw water from the aquifer for his thirsty trees. Many farmers have opted to leave fallow fields where annual crops like tomatoes, onions and garlic are usually grown in order to save water for almonds.
"The first thing we have to take care of is our permanent crops," said Dan Errotabere, who helps farm 960 acres of almonds in Fresno and Kings counties.
Durisin quoted
