Water is life. Knowledge is power.
Photo: Stuart Woolf stands near piles of almond tree wood chips that will get spread out on the his ranch. Caroline Champlin
When Stuart Woolf was growing up on his dad’s ranch in Huron, California, he never liked working the tomato harvest.
“I thought, ‘I am never going to do this.’ Everything was kind of wet, hot and stinky,” Woolf said.
These days, though, now as president of the 20,000-acre … [more…]
ST. HELENA, Calif. — Last September, a wildfire tore through one of Dario Sattui’s Napa Valley wineries, destroying millions of dollars in property and equipment, along with 9,000 cases of wine.
November brought a second disaster: Mr. Sattui realized the precious crop of cabernet grapes that survived the fire had been ruined by the smoke. There would be no 2020 vintage.
A freakishly dry winter led to a third calamity: … [more…]
Across the United States, historically underserved communities, such as in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas or southern California, lack regular access to clean drinking water and sewage treatment. These groups, typically Hispanic labor populations or Native American tribes, face barriers to achieving the same access to water as nearby municipalities. Irrigation districts often control water in rural areas, with minimal oversight regarding expanding service areas to include low-income, unincorporated … [more…]
KEEPING AN EYE: A Goanna Ag canopy sensor on a tomato crop near Swan Hill, Victoria.
The CSIRO and local agtech company Goanna Ag have teamed up to give irrigators the technology to get maximum value out of every drop of water.
They are claiming WaterWise will be Australia’s only water-use efficiency product for irrigated crops that measures crop water stress and predicts future water needs in real time.
… [more…]The
Despite groundwater sustainability plans, Bureau of Reclamation says capacity of Friant-Kern Canal could fall by another 10% in the coming years; impact could be felt by rural communities as well
TULARE COUNTY – Without the construction of the 152-mile Friant-Kern Canal in 1951 at the cost of $61 million, many of the best producing ag areas along the east side of the San Joaquin Valley would be out of business. … [more…]