Rain and snow bring hope to California farmers

California's years-long drought is easing up, with storms delivering rain and snow that has exceeded "normal" for the state, reported Jed Kim for the Marketplace Sustainability Desk. Kim interviewed Dan Sumner, the director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, a UC Agriculture and Natural Resources statewide program that focuses on such topics such international markets, invasive pests and diseases, and rural development.

Sumner shared a message of hope during the two-minute Marketplace clip.

"So far at least, things are close enough to normal that farmers aren't going to make drastic changes in either their planting decisions or their irrigation decisions," Sumner said.

The abundant rainfall this year will ease pressure on the state's groundwater reservoirs, which have been tapped extensively during the drought to keep crops alive when surface water was unavailable. 

"What that does is give us a little cushion in terms of planning for long-term changes," Sumner said.

Kim said the state may need to plan for a future with more limited water resources, "a future that may come sooner rather than later."

Research land under a stormy sky at the UC Kearney Agricultural Research and Extension Center Jan. 5, 2017.

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