Water

Watershed infrastructure projects get $420M from USDA

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack was joined April 21 by White House Infrastructure Coordinator Mitch Landrieu and Congressman Sanford Bishop of Georgia to announce the USDA will invest $420 million in 132 infrastructure projects in 31... more »

Extension of curtailment of water rights in the Russian River watershed eyed

Due to ongoing drought and a limited water supply, farmers and ranchers in Mendocino and Sonoma counties, California, are awaiting adoption of an amended emergency order that would extend last year's curtailment of water rights... more »

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 »