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Farm Water Quality Planning Program

The Farm Water Quality Planning program is a coordinated effort by the University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources cooperating with the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS).  Our goal is to improve water quality education to the irrigated agriculture industry in California. 

Farm Water Quality Courses and associated tailgates and workshops have been offered for nearly seven years to producers of irrigated agricultural crops on the Central Coast of California, including Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Santa Cruz, San Benito, Santa Clara, and San Mateo Counties. Program priorities have been assigned to orchards and vineyards, strawberries, vegetables, and floriculture/nursery.

While Farm Water Quality Planning courses wrapped up in September 2007, we remain committed to help provide water quality related research and education to growers on the Central Coast. A number of resources can be found here or accessed from this website.

• Water Quality Educational Opportunities - provided by UCCE, project cooperators and others
  
• 1-minute Survey - an opportunity to offer suggestions for future workshop topics
  
• County Resource Directories - for growers interested in free technical assistance and answers to ag waiver or permitting questions
  
• Management Practice & Fact Sheets - printed resource materials
  
• Farm Plan template - ordering information
  
• Coordinator contact information - free assistance provided by Coalitions and other organizations to connect growers with free resources. You do not have to be a member of any organization to receive this assistance

native hedgerow planting along grassed waterway, grassed roads, and cover cropped fields

In addition to the Farm Water Quality Planning program, a Ranch Water Quality Planning program exists to improve water quality education to the rangeland industry in California.  For more information about this program, developed by UC Cooperative Extension and NRCS, visit the California Rangeland Research and Information Center website.

  Photo Credits: UCCE San Luis Obispo, USDA-NRCS, and Upper Salinas-Las Tablas RCD