Dry Year Thoughts
Tuesday, Feb 14th, 2012
“Rain, Rain, go away. Come again some other day” The words from this childhood rhyme are not the words that go through a water manager’s mind when the winter rains come. Winter rains bring the replenishment of supplies that will be needed to meet both irrigation and drinking water demands next summer in California. Without winter rains there will not be enough water when it turns hot and dry. So, what does go through a water manager’s mind when it rains, or more so, when it doesn’t rain? Well, during winter rainy days, water managers tend to have smiles on their faces. Rainy days are good days, days that fill lakes and recharge groundwater basins. Thoughts on rainy days are of a coming summer with adequate water supplies and low stress levels because there is enough water for everyone. Then …
Sustainability
Wednesday, Jan 25th, 2012
Sustainability: It comes in many flavors: economic, social, cultural, environmental, and many other permeations. We work hard to be exceptional stewards of the natural resources which we have been blessed-the soil, the water, the geography, the wildlife-it is essential to our sense of place. In the small farming communities of the Sacramento Valley we live everyday with these many examples of sustainable resources and do not give it much thought. It is just our way of life, it’s our values, all around us, and accepted as the cultural norm in the Sacramento Valley. The intergenerational and interdependent life of our small farming community illustrates an instance of sustainability that isn’t talked about much. Farming and ranching operations that have been around for 3 or 4 generations know the importance of being interconnected. Education is an essential part of this too. …
For the Love of Farming
Friday, Dec 2nd, 2011
Being a fifth generation Californian, agriculture has always been a part of my family’s history. My father however, grew up to become a banker but fifteen years later, he traded suits and ties for jeans and work boots. Getting into agriculture was a major lifestyle change that, as a family, we grew to embrace and love. Harvest is always a busy and exciting time on the farm. Seeing the results of your hard work, love of farming, and dedication to agriculture is rewarding. Growing up on an almond ranch, harvest was a loud, dusty, and long couple of months. This year however, brought a different kind of harvest. There was no loud machinery and no large equipment. We had family and friends standing side by side with smiling faces and pairs of hands. It was our first wine grape harvest, …
Thoughts From The Rising Eagle Ranch
Wednesday, Oct 26th, 2011
We purchased our ranch in the Cascade Mountains, north of Mount Lassen and south of Mount Shasta, over a decade ago. After a career in aerospace and defense, my plan was to kick-back and enjoy the pastures, oak woodlands and pine forests. My ranch neighbors took me to local watershed group and cattlemen’s meetings and I got hooked on improving the environment while raising cattle; two mutually supportive endeavors. Ranchers and farmers I know are committed to sustainable agriculture and protecting land, water and wildlife in order to maintain a business and way of life for their family. Our creek is bordered by cow/calf ranchers who prohibit development through use of Williamson Act contracts, a very successful conservation program in the state. We self-monitor creek flow for our irrigation water needs as well as other beneficial uses of water for …
