Texas Tries a New Farming Strategy: Prayer

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Apr 23, 2011 at 19:44:27 PM PDT

Gov. Perry Issues Proclamation for Days of Prayer for Rain in Texas

Thursday, April 21, 2011  •  Austin, Texas  •  Proclamation

TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME:

WHEREAS, the state of Texas is in the midst of an exceptional drought, with some parts of the state receiving no significant rainfall for almost three months, matching rainfall deficit records dating back to the 1930s; and

WHEREAS, a combination of higher than normal temperatures, low precipitation and low relative humidity has caused an extreme fire danger over most of the State, sparking more than 8,000 wildfires which have cost several lives, engulfed more than 1.8 million acres of land and destroyed almost 400 homes, causing me to issue an ongoing disaster declaration since December of last year; and

WHEREAS, these dire conditions have caused agricultural crops to fail, lake and reservoir levels to fall and cattle and livestock to struggle under intense stress, imposing a tremendous financial and emotional toll on our land and our people; and

WHEREAS, throughout our history, both as a state and as individuals, Texans have been strengthened, assured and lifted up through prayer; it seems right and fitting that the people of Texas should join together in prayer to humbly seek an end to this devastating drought and these dangerous wildfires;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, RICK PERRY, Governor of Texas, under the authority vested in me by the Constitution and Statutes of the State of Texas, do hereby proclaim the three-day period from Friday, April 22, 2011, to Sunday, April 24, 2011, as Days of Prayer for Rain in the State of Texas. I urge Texans of all faiths and traditions to offer prayers on that day for the healing of our land, the rebuilding of our communities and the restoration of our normal way of life.

IN TESTIMONY WHEREOF, I have hereunto signed my name and have officially caused the Seal of State to be affixed at my Office in the City of Austin, Texas, this the 21st day of April, 2011.

RICK PERRY
Governor of Texas

Water

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Jan 16, 2011 at 21:27:06 PM PST

Where the rainfall from those six days wasn't causing floods or mudslides, the majority of it was squandered. In our yard, we collected a tiny fraction of the rain in our 60 gallon rain barrel. Significantly larger rain barrels cost hundreds of dollars, like the 1300 gallon barrel a friend has, which ran her $1300. For us and for so many others, most of the rain that fell on our yard went down the drain. Our roof, our yard, and our driveway are all set up to direct the rain right into the sewers. So are most other yards around here. Once the water runs into the sewers, I believe it is channeled into the ocean.

But ever since that six day deluge, we've had precious little rain. I can't remember the last time it rained, and the weather forecast now predicts 10 days of sunshine. As a gardener, I'm getting frustrated. I've been watering the plants with my watering can, but nothing beats rainfall. The effect rain has on plants (compared to watering, and assuming the rain doesn't result in a flood) is simply magical. Drip irrigation is pretty good, but rainwater comes without any of the salts that are in irrigation water. (Drip irrigation using rainwater collected in a rain barrel would work well, I suppose. But that brings us back to the need for an expensive rain barrel.)

What I'm learning about water as a gardener has major implications for my entire region. Living soil can hold more water than dead soil. Last summer, one particular part of our garden with very poor soil could hardly grow a thing. Most everything I planted there died, and it was more than a problem of nitrogen, although that was likely a problem too. When plants didn't die, they grew very slowly. This is even true of plants with low nitrogen needs, like beets.

Watering this part of the yard was impossible. The water could hardly penetrate the soil, and instead it evaporated off the top. This meant that the plants got very little water, and it would require a ridiculous amount of water (losing a lot to evaporation) just to get the plants what they needed.

When the rainy season came this year, I was ready. I planted cover crops all over that part of the yard - a mix of rye grass and hairy vetch, with a fava bean planted every 8 inches.  With the rain, the cover crops thrived. I am now in the process of killing them and leaving them on the soil as a mulch for when I plant my brassica plants there. We'll see if the brassica plants survive this time around. I noticed we've also got some volunteer lettuce and dill growing there. I plan to add worm castings and compost to the top few inches of the soil after I harvest my brassica plants, and then I want to grow corn, beans, and squash in that area this summer. And hopefully, by then, the soil will have some ability to hold water. Hopefully, when I water that area this summer, the water won't just evaporate off the soil's surface as it did last summer.

What all of this says to me is that we will be a lot better off if for having less water in advance than if we wait until it's too late. If the climate crisis is going to bring extremes like droughts and floods (not just here, but all over the world), then it's true that an ounce of preparation is better than a pound of cure. When there's plenty of water supplied by moderate rainfall (and no flooding), it's no big deal if your soil can't hold much water. So what if the water runs off or evaporates? It'll rain again soon. But once you've got extremes (droughts and floods), good soil that holds water is crucial. And at that point, it will be a lot more difficult and resource-intensive to improve your soil than if you had done it before when the weather was less extreme.  

DiFi Does Something Sleazy

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Feb 13, 2010 at 17:25:39 PM PST

Sen. Dianne Feinstein ignited a firestorm among fellow California Democrats on Thursday as word spread of her proposal to divert Northern California water to Central Valley farmers.

Feinstein wants to attach the proposal as an amendment to a fast-tracked Senate jobs bill. She is pitching the plan as a jobs measure to address the economic calamity in the Central Valley. It would increase farm water allocations from 10 percent last year to 40 percent this year and next, an amount that farmers say is the bare minimum they need.

Why is she so eager to help farmers? The article goes on to say:

Feinstein has long supported California agriculture but began to weigh in on the side of farmers in the water wars after requests from Stewart Resnick, the well-connected owner of Paramount Farms, which grows citrus and nuts on 118,000 acres in Kern County.

In September, Resnick wrote Feinstein complaining that "sloppy science" by federal wildlife agencies was causing farm water shortages. A week later, Feinstein forwarded the letter to Obama administration officials, who authorized a review by the National Academy of Sciences.

"It seems to be a complete reversal of her position," Thompson said. "The entire Bay Area delegation had agreed we would do this National Academy of Sciences report to find out scientifically what should and shouldn't be done, and for her to turn that on its head and go out unilaterally with this proposal does not take into consideration the needs of all of California."

Resnick's business has given $29,000 to Feinstein's campaigns and $246,000 more to Democratic political committees during years when she sought re-election, according to a report by California Watch, an investigative journalism nonprofit organization, that was published in The Chronicle in December.

I really want to see her voted out of office.

Fiji Water Money Taints Politics of CA Drought

by: Jill Richardson

Wed Dec 23, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PST

On Sept. 4, Resnick wrote to Feinstein, complaining that the latest federal plan to rescue the delta's endangered salmon and shad fisheries was "exacerbating the state's severe drought" because it cut back on water available to irrigate crops. "Sloppy science" by federal wildlife agencies had led to "regulatory-induced water shortages," he claimed.

"I really appreciate your involvement in this issue," he wrote to Feinstein.

One week later, Feinstein forwarded Resnick's letter to two U.S. Cabinet secretaries. In her own letter, she urged the administration to spend $750,000 for a sweeping re-examination of the science behind the entire delta environmental protection plan.

The Obama administration quickly agreed, authorizing another review of whether restrictions on pumping irrigation water were necessary to save the delta's fish. The results could delay or change the course of the protection effort.

To environmentalists concerned with protecting the delta, it was a dispiriting display of the political clout wielded by Resnick, who is among California's biggest growers and among its biggest political donors.

Hat tip to blogger Rossi for this story.

New Observations from Space Spell Bad News for California

by: Jill Richardson

Fri Dec 18, 2009 at 06:00:00 AM PST

"GRACE data reveal groundwater in these basins is being pumped for irrigation at rates that are not sustainable if current trends continue," Famiglietti said. "This is leading to declining water tables, water shortages, decreasing crop sizes and continued land subsidence. The findings have major implications for the U.S. economy, as California's Central Valley is home to one-sixth of all U.S. irrigated land and the state leads the nation in agricultural production and exports."

In other words, this isn't just a problem for California. It's a problem for any American who eats fruits, nuts, or vegetables. Hopefully, that includes all of us. One more factoid I find particularly significant: "More than 75 percent of [groundwater loss] is due to groundwater pumping in the southern Central Valley, primarily to irrigate crops."

California Gets More Enlightened About Greywater

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Aug 03, 2009 at 00:57:05 AM PDT

Greywater is slightly used water - water from sinks and showers, for example. The water you flush down your toilet is blackwater. And it makes perfect sense that you want really clean water to wash your hands or shower in, but after you've used it for that, once it's slightly dirty but not totally disgusting, perhaps you could use it again? For example, the used water from your sink could go to your toilet. Do you really need perfectly clean water to pee in? Yet, thus far, there were some roadblocks in the way for Californians who were interested in greywater systems.

Fortunately, that is changing. California has new statewide greywater regulations, starting August 4. Previously it was legal but required a permit. Now the permit is no longer required, although you are supposed to follow certain rules. But assuming you do that, you can now divert shower and washing machine drains to water your yard or garden. I'm kind of cringing at the idea of laundry detergent and shampoo going into everyone's yards, but the "experts" in charge recommend certain brands of supposedly eco-friendy detergent that make it OK. So let's hope this is a step forward for California.

Now if only we had some kind of incentives to use greywater from sinks to flush toilets...

California and its Dirty Little Secret, Water Waste

by: Ellinorianne

Mon Jul 13, 2009 at 18:41:21 PM PDT

I was reading La Vida Locavore when I saw that Jill Richardson posted something about missing her beloved cantaloupes this season due to the lack of water and making it a short growing season for her favorite melon.

But what struck me was the fact that the City of San Diego has a moratorium on community gardens because of said lack of water.

The California Drought Gets a Lot More Personal

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Jul 12, 2009 at 14:34:52 PM PDT

One of my favorite treats of summer are cantaloupes. I buy them from a farmer named Kyle who grows them in Oceanside. I know in the past I've bought cantaloupes as late in the season as August because I actually packed a few of them in my suitcase to bring to my parents' house in Chicago in 2007. Growing up I hated cantaloupe, but when I tasted Kyle's cantaloupe, I realized I had just never eaten a good cantaloupe before. I don't hate cantaloupe - I hate bad cantaloupe. When my brother tasted the melon I brought home, he said, "I am making love to this melon." That's how good these cantaloupes are.

Last week I got to the market too late to get any cantaloupes. Today I showed up right as the market opened and walked straight to Kyle's stand. No cantaloupes. I asked him and he said they are done for the season. They didn't really grow much this year because of the drought. They are considering leasing more land in an area with a higher water table next year so they can grow cantaloupe again. But until then - nada. No more melons. For an entire year. I am CRUSHED.

I realize that the water situation is a lot more serious than whether or not I can get one of my favorite foods, but it really illustrated how the problem affects everyone - not just distant farmers in the Central Valley.

Drought Tolerant Wine Grapes

by: Jill Richardson

Sat Jun 13, 2009 at 03:41:36 AM PDT

"If you're a grape grower, you want to have that vine dependent on what you do so you can manipulate them," says Williams, whose academic work focuses on irrigation management. Williams further explained: "Since the vine is getting most of its water from the drip system, then a grape grower has greater control on how much the vine gets water."

The other objective for replanting was to mirror the density in Bordeaux and Burgundy, up to 2,500 vines per acre instead of the previous status quo of 450. Vines competed for the soil's water and prompted the need for 100 to 200 gallons of water per vine per season -- each vine typically produces two to four bottles of quality wine per year. Though water consumption in California rose as a result, replanting helped revive the state's fine wine industry, and the practices became standard.

With this year's drought, I can only imagine that many more vintners are considering ditching irrigation. Those who rely on heavy irrigation are hurting, while those whose grapes grow with natural rainfall can still thrive. However, as the article points out, this isn't a change that can be made overnight: "if California returned to dry farming, vintners would have to rip out rootstock, replace with drought-resistant types and replant vines farther apart." Looks like we made our beds in the 1980's and beyond, and we are now lying in it.

A trip to the Central Valley

by: la motocycliste

Sun May 17, 2009 at 20:29:22 PM PDT

A bit of history: It is widely believed that the civilizations of China, Egypt and Mesopotamia were weakened by the breakdown of their irrigation systems.

The fields along the road are a patchwork. In one acreage,dead fruit trees, torn up by their roots, await the chainsaw. Nearby, someone has just set out saplings. There are signs, probably distributed by some organization, in fallow fields: CONGRESS MADE DUST BOWL.

Drought in Central Texas

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Apr 20, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

I opened the front door. It was rain! The first few drops we've had in over three months. It continued, gently, as we dressed and made our coffee--even as the television weatherman warned that this bit of rain wasn't going to alleviate our year-long F-5 drought. "So don't get too excited," he said. But we did anyway. And in the fields, the plants were lifting their dusty leaves to the sky, giving thanks and channeling the moisture to the dry soil at their roots.

California's Drought

by: Jill Richardson

Mon Mar 30, 2009 at 09:12:29 AM PDT

Already officials in Fresno County are predicting farmers will grow half the acres of lettuce that they did in 2006, and economists are predicting the drought could cost between 60,000 to 80,000 jobs and $2billion in revenue as farmers are forced to use expensive well water and will almost certainly have to cut crops and jobs. Using well water will also force price hikes. 850,000 acres are likely to go unplanted this year.

So, what should we do about this enormous problem? Switch to more sustainable growing methods that can better withstand climate extremes? Invest in public transportation and green buildings? Or we can take a page out of Australia's book and have an ad campaign. Come on, consumers! Drought-defaced produce tastes great!

(Another article about Australia might also be worth checking out - it says that Australia might be a predictor of what the American West could become.)

March Water News

by: Asinus Asinum Fricat

Mon Mar 16, 2009 at 15:13:00 PM PDT

Water conflicts can arise in water stressed areas among local communities and between countries because sharing a very limited and essential resource is extremely difficult. The lack of adequate legal instruments exacerbates already difficult conditions.  

With California in Crisis Due to Drought, Some Want to Solve It By Seceding

by: Jill Richardson

Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 08:00:00 AM PDT

"Those Hollywood types don't have any idea what's going on out here on the farms," said Mr. Rogers, a retired dairyman from Visalia, the county seat in a Central Valley region where cows far outnumber people...

"They think fish are more important than people, that pigs are treated mean and chickens should run loose," said Mr. Rogers... "City people just don't know what it takes to get food on their table."

Beautiful Drought Tolerant Landscaping

by: Jill Richardson

Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 07:00:00 AM PST

Here's a beautiful example of drought-tolerant S. Californian landscaping. It's beautiful and it doesn't require watering. Soon, I hope to bring you pictures of an edible yard, but for now this will have to do: