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More on the impact of the Californian drought:Thirsty almondsThe...

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    More on the impact of the Californian drought:



    Thirsty almonds

    The impact of the drought varies with geography and legal status; some growers have more “senior” rights or more favorable water contracts than others. Most Sacramento Valley growers are getting 40 percent of their normal allocation, while farmers south of the Delta have been told to expect no irrigation water from the two government-run networks of reservoirs and canals, the State Water Project and the federal government’s Central Valley Project.

    Many growers will have to rely on groundwater, but experts say groundwater supplies could run thin in some parts of the San Joaquin Valley. On the west side of the valley in particular, the groundwater quality is poor and could damage crops. Pumping groundwater also is usually more expensive than using surface water.

    Of particular concern in the San Joaquin Valley is California’s almond crop. As companies such as Sacramento’s Blue Diamond Growers have built a worldwide demand for almonds, the nuts have become a kind of super crop for California. Prices have risen sharply, and almonds are now almost as big a business in California as grapes. The crop in 2012, the last year for which statistics are available, was worth $4.35 billion. The number of acres devoted to almonds in California has risen by more than 40 percent since 2003.

    The problem is, almond trees are among the thirstiest crops around, and they can’t be idled for a year the way row crops can. Farmers who jumped into the almond business in the past couple of decades now find themselves desperate to keep the orchards alive. Most of growth in acreage has occurred in Coalinga and other communities on the west side of the San Joaquin Valley, where the water shortage is probably the worst in the state.

    “The trees are there. They can’t be moved, they can’t be put away,” said David Goldhamer, emeritus water management specialist with UC cooperative extension. “They can’t be put on hold for a year.”

    Most growers will be able to squeeze out a crop, although some will have to settle for sprinkling just enough water on the trees to keep them alive. Goldhamer said yields will fall by as much as 25 percent, mainly because the almonds themselves won’t grow to full size.

    “You’ll have a crop, (but) the nuts will be small,” Goldhamer said.

    That will put stress on processors like Blue Diamond. Less than a year ago, the grower-owned cooperative headquartered north of downtown Sacramento was announcing record annual revenue of $1.2 billion, a 20 percent jump from the year before. This year, Blue Diamond frets about not being able to meet all of its customers’ orders.

    “We are eating into our carry-overs already,” said director of member relations Dave Baker, referring to almonds left unsold from last year. “When you get into a situation like this, it slows demand because you can’t fulfill it.” He declined to offer an estimate of Blue Diamond’s crop this year.


    Read more here: http://www.mercedsunstar.com/2014/03/19/3556814/few-farmers-immune-to-impact-of.html#storylink=cpy
 
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