Celebrating West Side
A Special Publication of Mattos Newspapers Thursday, March 20, 2014
2 | CELEBRATING west side Agriculture
thursday, MARCH 20, 2014
DePauw Farms welcomes third generation CROWS LANDING - A family-owned farm which traces its roots in the Crows Landing area back to the mid-1950s has welcomed a third generation to carry the operation forward. Clay DePauw has returned to the family ranch following college to join his father Ron and uncle Phil at DePauw Farms. He joins an operation that has transitioned from row crops to orchards over the years - and has found his first year back a hands-on educational experience. “I am learning more and more each day from my dad and uncle, and whoever else I can pick up information from. I also try to go to seminars, and pick up what I can there,” Clay explained. “It is fun to figure things out and to learn.” The DePauw brothers emphasize that the learning curve goes both ways, as Clay returns from seminars, classes and ridealongs with pest control advisors with a wealth of information that benefits their operation. “He has already learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. What he learns we learn,” Ron stated. DePauw Farms has
evolved through the years. It was started by Camille DePauw in Orange County. He moved to the Crows Landing area in the mid-1950s, where he had a few walnuts but primarily grew row crops. The DePauw brothers were raised around agriculture, and started farming together in 1977. “We just had some small pieces of land, and we still worked with dad as well,” Ron recalled. “We all worked together, pretty much until he passed away in 1993.” Since that time, the DePauws have shifted from row crops - with spinach and beans as their staples - to trees. “Spinach was a good crop for us for a lot of years, but was dying out. To survive on the beans was going to be tough, so we wanted to replace the spinach income with something more consistent,” Ron explained. Today, DePauw Farms operates approximately 1,250 acres of almonds, 200 acres of walnuts and has 100 acres of open ground. “The trees are a little easier way of life than the row crops,” the brothers explained. “They are more consistent, and you
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Clay DePauw, center, has joined his father Ron DePauw, left, and uncle Phil on the family farming operation, which predominantly grows almonds.
know what you are going to do every day.” The transition is a work in progress, they noted, as only about half of the almond trees have come into production. Typically, the DePauws said, almonds take about four years to yield their first crop. Like all other growers, the DePauws face unprecedented water challenges. When learning three weeks ago that the Central California Irrigation Dis-
trict water allocation - already at a historic low 40 percent - was in jeopardy of being further reduced, they decided to drill two new wells. They have also had to lower an existing well because of the falling water table. “If those two wells work out, we’ll be okay,” Ron commented. “We might have to cut it down, but we will have enough water. If (CCID) stays at 40 percent, we’ll use them less.”
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The DePauws may leave their small amount of open ground fallow this year. If it is planted, the ground will go to a crop with lower water requirements. Those decisions are now being made with input from a third generation. Clay, who is a 2008 graduate of Central Catholic High School and 2013 graduate of Sac State, where he studied communications, is enjoying the
experience as he grows into his new responsibilities and role. “When I first left, I didn’t think I would want to spend the rest of my life in Crows Landing,” he acknowledged. “But after going to the city and seeing that side of things, I realized that this was where I wanted to be, and my dad and uncle gave me this opportunity. I would much rather be outside than anywhere else. I like what I’m doing.”
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Valuable water lost to pumping restrictions Environmentally-based pumping restrictions in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta prevented south-ofthe delta water users from capturing a surge of water flowing through the system following February storms in Northern California, according to a local water district official. The volume of water lost as a result of reduced pumping capability would have made a significant difference in allocation of irrigation water to growers in the Central California Irrigation District, General Manager Chris White told Mattos Newspapers. He said that, in the course of little more than a month, the state and federal water projects lost up to nearly 450,000 acre-feet of water due to the pumping restrictions “We went from having the driest hydrology in (state) history, with the state and federal projects struggling to pump any water, to a situation within within seven days where there was in excess of 40,000 acre-feet per day leaving the delta,” White commented. “The projects were only able to ramp up to less than half of full pumping capacity. They had already bumped up against the pumping limits to protect delta smelt.” Instead of pumping that water into San Luis Reservoir, White explained, water agencies had no recourse but to watch it flow to the ocean - with very real consequences to growers. The CCID, like other water districts, is facing unprecedented curtailments of supply in this drought year. Though long-standing water rights agreements with the federal government, CCID is entitled to at least a 75 percent supply even in critically dry years. This, year, though, the Bureau of Reclamation was able
to allocate only 40 percent - even with the CCID making a call on Friant Dam water that normally would go to east side districts. “If we could have pumped, we would not be having to make a call on Friant (which the district has never done before), and we would have a 75 percent allocation,” White sated. With the recent storms, he said, California remains in a dry year but is no longer a record-setting drought. Still, farmers are facing sharply curtailed and in some cases uncertain allocations. The situation underscores changes over the years in how the federal and state water projects regulated. The Central Valley Project depends on the ability to get water through the delta, moving through pumps feeding into the Delta-Mendota Canal, which in turn convey the water to San Luis Reservoir. In previous droughts of notable proportion - 1977, 1991 and 1992 - the water projects would have been able to pump the hundreds of thousands of acre-feet
which flowed to the ocean this year, White told Mattos Newspapers. Water releases continue from upper reservoirs, White explained, but no longer with pumping for ag use as the top priority. “They are making releases to meet compliance points for water quality. Water is in the delta. The projects are forced to let it go through and out the Golden Gate,” he commented. The environmental standards which now govern pumping is based on protection of the delta smelt, and later reinforced for spring run salmon, White said. Adding to the frustration of the situation, he pointed out, is that no smelt were believed to be anywhere near the pumps. He expressed hope that from the drought crisis will come a more balanced approach that better meets all needs. “This situation needs to be fixed,” White declared. “This illuminated the need to bring some balance to how these standards are implemented - so we can still take care of the fish (as well as ag interests).”
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Taking agriculture’s message to the halls of Sacramento By Amanda Carvajal Executive Director, Merced County Farm Bureau
Recently I had the opportunity to join fellow Farm Bureau representatives in Sacramento for our annual Leadership Conference. This is where local members take time out of their schedules to spend a day walking the halls of Sacramento to discuss key issues with elected officials from all over California. These meetings are a chance for a legislator to put a face to the true struggles of the rural lifestyle, before they make votes that will impact the family business. As with previous years, Gustine natives Pat and Lettie Borrelli joined me for the afternoon’s adventures. We had a wide swath of topics we were given to cover while in our meetings, but of course we whittled down our talking points to just a few for our brief visits which were: Water, the Ag Incentive Program, and Williamson Act. These meetings generally last 15-20 minutes and my priority is to allow the member or staff to really feel the raw passion of the farmer and learn of real life situations. Our discussions on water
priority of schools attend- a huge role in my upbringing was to be the Gover- ing, but rarely do they nor’s proposal to eliminate mold the quantity of indithe Ag Incentive Program viduals that the leadership which would hand the fi- of FFA demands. Additionally, these FFA nancial decision down to the local school districts programs provide the esfor appropriate allocation sential vocational training based on local priorities. and basic communication This may not be a problem skills that are vital to holdin counties with a domi- ing employment after high nant agricultural focus, but school. These qualities and what about those schools standards are rapidly fadin the urban and suburban ing from the California Amanda Carvajal parts of the state that are educational system, but are always impassioned, struggling and lack fund- the demand for employees but building a connection ing for music or sports? with these qualifications with those districts in the Both of those subjects are continues to grow. The urban regions of the state important and have played ultimate benefit of the can be difficult. Job numbers and trickle-down effects seem to be a trigger point, but even those could make their staff jaded by our “apocalyptic” predictions. The only strong trigger point we could easily identify in every conversation was that of the Ag Day on Wednesday, March 19, 2014. The California Ag Day was created as an opportunity to bring together the farmer and the legislator. The heart and soul of this program are the many FFA programs and students who travel to participate. During this day connections are made, tours are given and discusBill Mattos, President sions are encouraged. Clearly, the number one
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FFA program is to build a connection with children at young ages which is essential to creating an appreciation of the food and fiber industry, but it will take years recognize these perks. Not to mention these FFA students are some of the best advocates for agriculture due to their contagious optimism. It is probably the same reason why so many legislators in Sacramento and their staff are thrilled about the California Ag Day every year. We strongly recommend farmers, ranchers
and FFA participants alike to continue to volunteer and show their support through opportunities such as California Ag Day and ag days throughout the state. The outreach is more than just a few hours of volunteer time. It is a chance to educate someone on the rural lifestyle, but it’s also a chance to tell the real story, one that is altruistic and pure. Those are the best stories to share and those are the ones that really make a difference in Sacramento and Washington.
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6 | CELEBRATING west side Agriculture
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New huller paying dividends at Stewart & Jasper NEWMAN - A new huller and related improvements are paying dividends for one of the West Side’s leading almond processors through increased production and improved quality. Stewart & Jasper completed replacement of its huller in July, and put the new equipment to the test with the arrival of the almond harvest a few weeks later. The new huller was virtually built from the ground up, from the new concrete pad up, explained Jim Jasper, Stewart & Jasper president; Jason Jasper, vice president; Rick Marcoux, general manager in charge of almond processing; and Ray Henriques; farm manager and general manager for hulling and shelling. “We started tearing the existing building down a week or so after we were done (hulling the 2012 crop),” Jason Jasper said of the January-to-June overhaul. “We knew that it needed to be updated. This helps all of our growers, which is the intent,” Jim Jasper said of the $3 million project. Stewart & Jasper hulls and shells for about 150 growers, and processes and markets for about two-thirds of those customers - with an emphasis on quality every step of the way. “We always do quality first, production second, and the quality coming out of (the new huller) was very good,” Jim Jasper said. The goal, the group explained, is avoid damage to almonds such as chipping or scratching. The improvements also include a state-of-the-art optic scanner which identifies and removes any foreign materials or damaged almonds before they go into storage. Additional
scanners are already in place in the processing facilities of the company. “It has enhanced our processing,” Jason Jasper said of the new scanner. Marcoux said the effective removal of foreign materials is critical. Typically, he explained, incoming almonds have about 100 pieces of foreign matter in a 50-pound box. “We reduce that down to one piece in 27 boxes, primarily with electronic sorting machines,” he explained. “That kind of quality is what makes us popular, and is why we have more demand than supply.” The new huller has increased daily processing capacity by about 30 percent, Henriques noted, which in turn has shortened the season. Despite an increase in the volume of almonds processed from the 2013 crop, Henriques said, the new huller shaved about 10 days off the prior year run time, cutting it to 135
days. The huller is running around the clock, seven days a week during that time. A dust control system was a major component of the project at Stewart & Jasper - and also increased energy demand significantly. The company offset that by increasing its solar energy production. The old huller was installed in 1978. “We put it in for our own use at that time, but it didn’t make sense to just do our own, so we had two or three neighbors who we accommodated at the time,” Jim Jasper recalled. “It has evolved over the years. We have grown with the industry. We have the same growers that we have had for years, and our growers continue to increase their plantings.” Today, he estimated, just 10 percent of the almonds processed at the Shiells Road facility come from Stewart & Jasper’s own orchards.
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CELEBRATING west side Agriculture | 7
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Brothers carry on family farming operation CROWS LANDING - A family farming operation which traces its roots back to an immigrant dairyman continues today under the guidance of a third generation. Brothers Tom Nunes and Tony Nunes, who grew up helping out on their father’s farm, today grow row crops and alfalfa on about 600 acres of land in the Crows Landing area. They have been in partnership as T-N-T Farms since 1981. Their grandfather Manuel Nunes came to the U.S. from the Azores in 1916, and started a Marshall Road dairy in the early 1920s on a ranch that remains in the family. The farming operation evolved from that point. The Nunes’ father Ernie Nunes took over the operation and had dairy for a time but focused on farming. “By the time we were
born, my dad had stopped dairying,” Tom related. By the time they were 9 or 10, the brothers were pitching in to help out on the farm, and both made it their livelihood. “We worked for our dad for a time also when we started on our own,” the brothers explained. “Our dad helped us get started. We started with about 300 acres and worked our way up to 600.” The row crops and alfalfa have long been the staple of the operation. They had a walnut orchard for a time, but then got entirely away from the trees. “A lot of guys have changed to orchards, but we have basically stayed the same,” Tom noted. Working open ground, they point out, provides year-to-year flexibility.
See NUNES | PAGE 13
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8 | CELEBRATING west side Agriculture
thursday, MARCH 20, 2014
Counties eye groundwater regulations With farmers turning increasingly to wells to nurture their fields and orchards, groundwater supplies and practices are an issue of concern coming to the forefront in Merced and Stanislaus counties. A drought of historic proportions, in which even long-standing rights to surface water have proven not to be iron-clad, will only increase the reliance of farmers on groundwater wells and exacerbate those concerns, officials said. Currently, no regulations exist in either county to govern or restrict the number of wells that may be drilled or the amount of water that may be pumped - but the concerns raised have prompted the counties to begin evaluating groundwater supplies and potential management practices.
“The bottom line is that there needs to be some kind of regulation,” said Merced County Supervisor Deidre Kelsey, who told Mattos Newspapers that she regularly hears concerns surrounding groundwater. “The issue of wells is popping up a lot. there are a lot of neighbors who are being affected, because their wells are drying up,” Kelsey commented. “We have very few currently existing rule regarding the establishment of new wells. The only thing you have to do to get a well permit is to apply with environmental health.” Kelsey said Merced County is in the process of forming a committee to evaluate the groundwater situation. “I think we need to look at all the cumulative information, so we can plan where we need to go,” she
commented. “The first thing we need to do is research the existing conditions with the ground water tables. I don’t think we have all the information in front of us. To get anywhere near a solution you have to understand the problem, and our county has very different water situations on the West Side as opposed to the east.” Stanislaus County is taking a similar approach, Supervisor Jim DeMartini said, by conducting what he believes to be the first countywide hydrological study. “I think we really need to see what the groundwater table is doing. That has not been put together in one big report,” DeMartini said. “Hydrology crosses water district lines. We have to be able to look at the whole county and see what is happening.”
Some wells are going in on the West Side, and production from existing wells is sure to ramp up this year as farmers attempt to make up for reduced or non-existent surface water supplies. DeMartini, though, said his primary concern rests with practices on the east side of the county. There, he explained, range land not served by an irrigation district is being converted to crops and farmers are drilling new wells to supply the water. “There are some wells going in on the West Side but not that many,” said DeMartini, noting that wells on land within irrigation districts are usually a supplementary water source rather than a primary supply. Of course, he acknowledged, that will change this year.
“There is just not enough water to go around. We will see more pumping this year,” he stated. DeMartini said he would advocate a moratorium on wells intended to convert range lands to crops when the property is outside an irrigation district. “That practice should have stopped years ago,” he commented. The hydrological study will offer a guide as to what regulations might be needed, he emphasized. “If we are overdrafting, there needs to be some limits on pumping,” said DeMartini. Stanislaus County has adopted an ordinance which prohibits the sale of groundwater to users outside the county, DeMartini noted. That ordinance also prohibits selling surface water outside the county and
replacing the supply with groundwater. Kelsey acknowledged that some Merced County groundwater is being sold to outside users. “I know they are exporting, but I think the groundwater should stay in the county,” she commented. “It has a regional impact, far beyond the monetary earnings of an individual. It is a communal resource, and it needs to be looked at that way. With the drought, officials in each county have seen a spike in new well applications. Vicki Jones, supervising environmental health specialist for Merced County, told Mattos Newspapers that 73 irrigation well permits were issued in 2012. That number climbed to 132 last year, she said,
See REGULATIONS | PAGE 12
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Garton Tractor serves diverse agriculture needs NEWMAN - A long-time tractor and farm implement dealership has been serving a diverse West Side ag clientele from a Newman location for the past quarter-century. Garton Tractor, located on L Street in Newman’s industrial park, is a onestop shop for ag equipment, parts and service, explained Kevin Ballard, who joined Garton Tractor four months ago as general manager of the Newman store. New Holland and Kubota are the flagship tractor lines of the dealership, Ballard said, but Garton Tractor also offers farm implements from a variety of producers. The inventory is as diverse as the ag community itself, he noted, allowing Garton Tractor to tailor tractors and implements to meet the individual needs of farmers and dairymen. When it comes to trac-
tors, he explained, the lines range from small one-acre parcel tractors to the massive New Holland T9 series - and everything in between. With price tags up to the $400,000 range, Ballard said, the equipment represents a major long-term investment on the part of farmers.....making proper selection all the more important. Garton Tractor clients range from row crop farmers to orchard growers, he said, but dairymen and hay and forage growers represent a significant percentage of the business. Garton Tractor also offers an inventory of used tractors and equipment, and its service department plays a critical role as well. In addition to inhouse service and repairs, Garton Tractor operates three field trucks out of its Newman store. As a former dairyman, Ballard said, he under-
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stands the importance of timely service. “I understand how important it is to get those tractors operating for our customers,” he emphasized. The Garton Tractor staff will go the extra mile to help a customer in need, Ballard said. For example, he said, salesman Derek Coelho made arrangements to get a loaner tractor to a customer in need over Thanksgiving. “We took care of the customer. He fed his cows over the Thanksgiving holiday, and turned around and bought a tractor from us,” Ballard said. The business is by no means immune to the ups and downs of the ag economy. When times are difficult, Ballard said, farmers and dairymen may lean toward repairing tractors that they would normally replace.
Garton Tractor offers a full inventory of tractors and implements, as well as parts and service, at its Newman location. Pictured is Kevin Ballard, general manager of the Newman store. Regardless, he emphasized, the focus remains on ensuring that customers have the tools they need for their operations. The Newman store, which employs 13, is one of eight locations for Gar-
ton Tractor. The company was founded 60 years ago in Turlock, and currently operates at locations in Newman, Modesto, Turlock, Stockton, Tulare, Santa Rosa, Ukiah and Fairfield. The company
has been a presence in Newman since 1989, when it purchased a local dealership. It moved to its current location in 1996.
See GARTON | PAGE 15
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10 | CELEBRATING west side Agriculture
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Rocha finds a niche with ag spray business GUSTINE - Cody Rocha’s work day in the orchards of the San Joaquin Valley often begins after the sun goes down. Rocha has found his niche in the ag community of the West Side - and beyond - with his own custom spray business, launched seven years ago in partnership with his father Delbert Rocha. He has seen the business blossom in the years since, and is preparing to expand to a second spray rig next year to continuing growing the company. The business, named Aww 2 Bad Spray It (derived from a license plate during Rocha’s high school years), got its start on the Rocha family farm. “My dad was thinking about buying a machine to do his own, and that was at a time when I had to decide to either get a job or go to school,” Rocha explained. “I proposed to
him that we get a big machine, and that would be my business, my work.” That original partnership has evolved to become Rocha’s enterprise, and he is in demand among pest control advisers (PCA’s) and orchard growers. “We mainly do orchards, but we also provide weed control services on borders around fields,” he explained. Rocha has worked with almonds, walnuts, apricots, olives and pistachio trees, among others. He applies a variety of materials, including bloom sprays, mite-control sprays and dormant sprays, with the pinpoint precision and accuracy the profession demands. Often, Rocha explained, a PCA will provide a written recommendation of how much material to ap-
See ROCHA | PAGE 13
Cody Rocha of Gustine has built a successful ag spraying business.
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Bleak water outlook outlined for Del Puerto growers Growers in the Del Puerto Water District, which runs along the Interstate 5 corridor from Vernalis to Santa Nella, will have to subsist largely on whatever carryover water they might have on account and whatever groundwater well they are able to pump this growing season. Del Puerto is among the federal water districts with junior water rights, which in this year of critical drought received a zero surface water allocation. Growers gathered recently for a district-wide meeting in Patterson, where Del Puerto General Manager Anthea Hansen outlined the bleak water outlook. “The water situation in the state, particularly in the Central Valley, is in
a state of crisis. Never before have we seen such an intense and prolonged drought, and never have we experienced drought in the current regulatory climate,” she told growers in her introduction. “Clearly our system is broken.” The immediate challenge, she said, is surviving a year that will test everybody involved. Compounding the challenge for the district’s growers, she told the gathering, is that supplemental water supplies on which Del Puerto has relied in the past have virtually dried up. Had San Joaquin River Exchange Contractor agencies received the minimum 75 percent allocation to which they are entitled under their senior water rights, and
other Central Valley Project districts such as Del Puerto received even a 10 percent allocation, the district would have accumulated an additional supplies pool of 11,000 acre-feet of water, Hansen stated. As it is, she said, “we don’t have one drop of water in our pool for the year.” Any water available on the spot market will likely be at astronomical prices, she said. A recent sale of water in storage received 72 offers, Hansen explained, with bids ranging from $500 to $2,300 an acre-foot. While the district continues to scour the market for water, she said, “I do not think we will
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REGULATIONS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
and through March 4 that county had issued another 74 ag well permits. She said the concerns relating to water supply and management are under study by two groups in which the county participates, the Merced Area Groundwater Pool Interests and the Merced Integrated Regional Water Management Program. Jami Aggers, director of environmental resources for Stanislaus County, said historically about 200 well permits (of all types) are issued annually in the county. Last year, she noted, that number nearly doubled to 382, most of which were for ag wells. “We are still seeing a high number” of permit applications,” Aggers said last week. But, echoing DeMartini’s assessment, Aggers confirmed that the West Side has not been the hotbed of new well activity.
thursday, MARCH 20, 2014
Since the county started tracking ag well permits specifically in November 2012, she said, only 21 of 340 permits issued were for West Side properties. What form - if any groundwater pumping regulations should take is sure to be a subject of contentious debate,
Kelsey conceded. “We are just going to have to stick it out and get this solved for our county,” Kelsey commented. “Not everyone will like it. If everybody is equally displeased, we probably will have reached the right solution.”
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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10 ply to a specific orchard. “It is pretty much a science,” he told Mattos Newspapers. “You have to have everything calibrated to be putting out the exact rate that you need at the exact speed. There is no room for error.” Paperwork goes with the job. “You have to file use reports on every job, and the environmental laws are getting stricter as we
NUNES
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7 “You can grow something different. If you have a bad year and a bad crop, you can disc it up and try again the next year,” Tom said. “I have always liked it being a new crop every year, and not always the same thing.” They have, though, stuck largely to the crops which they know best, with dry lima beans their primary focus. “We were always told that if you grow beans and alfalfa you might not get rich, but you are going to make a good living. It is a steady way to make a living, and not as risky (as some crops),” Tom told Mattos Newspapers. “This area is one of the best for beans. They grow well here.” The rotation of beans and alfalfa and corn
go,” Rocha noted. Regulations are not the only changes in the industry, he added, as the materials used are everevolving as well. “As time goes on, the chemicals are becoming more environmentallyfriendly as well,” Rocha said. “There have been a lot of improvements.” The spray business is not necessarily for those who like to get a good night’s sleep. Windy days often give way to calm nights, which provides ideal spraying conditions.
Any wind speeds over 15 miles an hour results in too much drift for spraying. Other factors come into play as well. “If there are bees in the orchard, you want them inside (the hive). That would be night work,” Rocha said by way of example. With a good water supply and ideal conditions, Rocha said, he can spray up to 70 acres a night. Each load of material covers about five acres. Sometimes, such as when rains are moving in,
the work day stretches into days in order to get the orchards sprayed before the potentially-damaging weather arrives. “Sometimes you have to run 24 hours a day. You have to get it done,” he said. Timing is critical in the ag spraying industry. Rocha said spray orders typically have to be done within four to five days. Communication with PCAs and orchard owners are a critical part of the equation, he added. “No matter which one you are talking to, we are
all three in communication,” he stated. To get his qualified applicator license, Rocha went through a certification process at the Department of Pesticide Regulations in Sacramento. The initial certification included three tests of approximately 300 questions each. Continuing education and training of 20 hours a year is required to maintain the certification. Rocha, a 2005 graduate of Gustine High, always had designs on a career in agriculture - but not nec-
essarily spraying. “It was always ag-related, but if you would have asked me growing up it would have revolved around dairy,” he reflected. “It totally changed course.” His brother Colton found a niche in a key ag support role as well with a successful bee business. In each case, Rocha said, their father’s desire to be as self-sufficient as possible proved to be business opportunities for his sons.
comes naturally to the brothers after decades of experience. “We know the crops. We know what they need,” Tony said. For a time, the brothers grew winter crops such as spinach. But that fell by the wayside as frozen foods processing firms went out of business, so now oats are their winter crop. That is not the only trend Tom and Tony have witnessed in their years of farming. The mid-1980s, for example, saw the introduction of a bush bean which flourished in more soil varieties and provided a more consistent yield than the vine bean varieties. Alfalfa varieties have also been improved to provide higher production and improved quality. Like farmers throughout the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the brothers are
keeping a close eye on the water outlook. Most of their land is in the Central California Irrigation District, which has seen unprecedented cutbacks in irrigation water supply this year, with an allocation of just over two feet of water per acre - and subject to even more drastic reductions. The remainder is in the Patterson Water District, which the brothers said is guaranteeing six inches of water per acre. “We always figured that where we farmed had two of the best water rights,” Tom reflected. “They still do, but now who knows what is going to happen.” “We had drought years, but we always got water,” Tony added. The brothers say they may have to fallow about half of their 150 acres in the Patterson district. They have access to three wells on ground they
farm in CCID, but if further cutbacks materialize may have to idle a section that does not have access to well water. “If we have another year like this one, I have no idea what will happen,” Tom related. The brothers, who are both Orestimba High graduates, said they strive to use water as efficiently as possible and have seen conservation practices evolve over the year. “When I was a kid, we irrigated twice between alfalfa cuttings. Now we all just put one (irrigation) on. Everybody does that,” they said. “You also have to know your ground, which is where experience comes in. Light soil takes more water. You have to know when and how fast to come back (with water). All farmers do that,” Tom stated. “If you waste water, that’s money and a precious resource.”
Farming has been as much a lifestyle as an occupation for the brothers, who have an appreciation for their livelihood. “I like being outside,” Tony explained. “I don’t
think I could ever be in an office.” “To me, the best part of farming is that you get to be your own boss,” Tom reflected. “We have nothing to complain about.”
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DEL PUERTO
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 11 come close to meeting our needs, and (what water is purchased) will be at prices we have never seen before.” Last year, Del Puerto delivered water to its growers for $57 an acrefoot. One of the few bits of positive news delivered to growers centered on carryover water from previous years. While there is never a guarantee that growers will be able to reschedule
water from a previous year, Hansen said, it appears that the carryover supplies will be available. “As we know today, the water supplies you have in your account are yours, they are protected and they are in storage,” she stated. But, she said, not all growers have carryover water in their accounts. District Water Operations Manager John Hansen emphasized to growers the need to stay within their limited supplies. “We don’t have a provision for over-use of your available supplies. Some
thursday, MARCH 20, 2014
growers are out of water today, and others are going to run out,” he stated. “In your account, you have a defined amount of water. When it is gone it is gone.” The district will implement more stringent operating procedures this year, Anthea Hansen noted. “Managing less water requires more effort,” she remarked. “We need to make sure that when orders are placed, we are able to validate that the water is available in the customer account, and that it is being measured
properly.” She said the district is continuing to work with the cities of Modesto and Turlock for the delivery of treated municipal wastewater for irrigation use. Del Puerto had hoped to have a temporary agreement in place with Turlock that would have delivered 900 acre-feet of water a month to the district, she said, but the Turlock City Council delayed signing off on that agreement at the request of Turlock Irrigation District. Del Puerto continues
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location, the bureau still has to make up 35 percent before they have water to give to anybody else,” she pointed out. Projections indicate that water levels in San Luis Reservoir will not begin improving until January of next year, she noted, and no carryover water will exist. “I think that next year could be worse than this year,” she cautioned. “If we have a good winter things could start to improve, but we are at the bottom (of the priority list for water allocations).”
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to work toward a 40-year agreement with the cities to bolster its water supply, with a target date for completion in 2018. In the meantime, the crisis continues to grow as water supplies shrink. Even if the water supplies improve next year, Anthea Hansen said, she expects that senior water rights district will be made whole - at least to the 75 percent minimum requirement - before water is made available to districts with junior rights. “If they stay at the (current) 40 percent al-
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State legislators sponsor water bond proposal $2 billion off the bond amount while keeping the focus on elements critical to addressing California’s water crisis. Cannella said the bill eliminated funding for earmarks that do not provide additional water, and also takes environmental funding out of the package. Environmental concerns and conservancies have been major beneficiaries of the several water bonds passed by California voters since 2000, the legisla-
tor pointed out, but none were for new water. The bill maintains $3 billion for water storage - and includes continuous appropriation to ensure funding is in place. “I will not support a bond unless it includes additional storage,” Cannella emphasized. “We are feeling the strain of a water system built 50 years ago for a population one-half of today’s. That is compounding the drought.” The senate bill also includes $2.5 billion to
protect the SacramentoSan Joaquin Delta water supply, and sets aside $1 billion for clean drinking water projects. The bill would include $400 million for water quality improvements in disadvantaged communities.” A similar bill was introduced in the Assembly by Gray, Rudy Salas (DBakersfield) and Henry T. Perea (D-Fresno), with Cannella as a bipartisan co-author. “Our decades-old water infrastructure is failing to
meet the demands of agriculture, increased populations and environmental regulations,” Gray commented. “It is time for us to step up and make this critical investment in California’s future.” Ultimately, Cannella said, he believes bills will be adopted in the Assembly and State Senate, “and then we will come together and try to reconcile the differences.” The final form of the State Senate bond bill might not mirror his leg-
islation, Cannella said, but he is optimistic his bill will help influence the final outcome. “I believe that a lot of what I propose will be in the new bond,” he stated. “We will all stake our positions, and then craft our compromises.” While there is room for flexibility on some elements, Cannella reiterated, he will only support a final proposal which has funding for new water storage and water quality improvements.
needs, but we also work together to satisfy the CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 customer needs,” Ballard explained. “If our StockThe stores operate inde- ton store has a tractor in pendently, with a focus on stock that a Newman custhe ag needs unique to that tomer needs, we can have area. it transferred down.” “Each store orders and Changing dynamics carries their own equip- within the ag industry are ment for the particular reflected in the equipment
industry. The shift from row crops to more permanent crops such as orchards is one prevalent trend. “It just changes the needs of the customer base, and we have to be flexible and carry the products which we need to satisfy those needs,” Bal-
lard said. The equipment itself reflects changing trends and new technology. New tractors meet more stringent emissions standards without sacrificing horsepower - and are more fuel efficient as well, Ballard explained. Available features in-
clude GPS systems which allow pinpoint precision when working the fields, and auto-command capability which allows the operator to program in operational settings for the tractor to repeat with each pass through a field. As the tractor and implement options have evolved
through the years, Ballard said the company’s mission remains one of best serving each customer. “There is a vast assortment of options out there,” he reflected. “The main focus is to make sure that we get the right tractor for each customer’s needs.”
California voters will have their say on a statewide water bond in November of this year - but the final form of the measure is still being hammered out in Sacramento. A number of legislators - including State Senator Anthony Cannella and Assemblyman Adam Gray have proposed changes to the $11.2 billion measure going before voters. Cannella said his bill, SB 927, which is co-sponsored by State Senator Andy Vidak (R-Hanford), will trim
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