Water

Farmers facing water cuts in California’s Klamath Basin

Food production along the California-Oregon border will likely be significantly curtailed after the federal government announced April 11 that it intends to allocate 50,000 acre-feet of water to Klamath Basin irrigators in California this year.... more »

Study: small wetlands can produce big impacts

Wetlands built next to farms can dramatically reduce excess nutrients reaching vital waterways, according to a study. Crops need nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus to grow and thrive. However, excess nutrients from farms can wash... more »

Siskiyou County, California, water curtailment for irrigators halted

Irrigators in Siskiyou County have won a court ruling to temporarily block a state water curtailment order that would have prevented area farmers and ranchers from tapping into percolating groundwater supplies they have relied on... more »

Conservation program in Michigan implemented by MDARD, USDA

Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development announced April 5 a pivotal conservation agreement with the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Services Agency (FSA), which reinstates Michigan’s Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program. The Conservation Reserve... more »

Funds allocated for repairs to Friant-Kern Canal

The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) allocated nearly $30 million this month to repair segments of the Friant-Kern Canal, which delivers water to 1 million acres of farmland from Fresno to Bakersfield. “Through this... more »

Water conservation at the local level now a priority in California

Following the driest first three months of a year in the state’s recorded history, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced March 29 he is taking several steps to drive water conservation at the local level. Newsom... more »

California Farm Bureau president urges action to achieve water promises

As California farmers and ranchers face another year of drought and cutbacks in water deliveries, a page out of history served as a reminder that the state's water problems remain urgent – and that their... more »

Resource Innovation Institute welcomes new producer-partners

The Resource Innovation Institute (RII) welcomes its latest round of producer-partners planning to benchmark their energy- and water-efficiency performance metrics as part of a USDA-funded project aimed at encouraging innovation and resource efficiency in the... more »