My Dad died last week and I really miss him. I grew up on the farm doing something with my Dad everyday. When I came home from school, Dad and I would check fields in his truck, ride the harvester, or spend time in his office. My brothers and I could go t
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As I was driving down the country road today, I started thinking about “conservation” and what that means to our farm. Many in our state say that instead of developing new water supplies, all farmers have to do is conserve water and use it more efficientl
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How often does life get too busy that some facets run on auto pilot? I think it can inadvertently happen to most of us. Sometimes I get so focused I lose touch with some of the amazing elements of my daily environment at home or on the farm. You know how
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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
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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 neighbo
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Audubon California’s Working Lands Program recently established our Working Waterways Initiative, the goal of which is to increase habitat along agricultural water delivery and tailwater systems up and down the Central Valley. This initiative grows out of
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“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 m
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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-i
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I often get asked, “How long does it take to grow a rice crop?” Some rice varieties take 125 days to grow – others can take up to 170 days from seed to harvest. However, just because rice isn’t growing in the fields, doesn’t
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The 3rd Annual California Water Series will be presented from 5:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. on October 10 at the McConnell Foundation’s Lema Ranch Headquarters at 800 Shasta View Drive in Redding. The programs are followed by catered hors d’oeuvres. The Series is
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I’m Sandy Denn and I farm rice with my husband, Wally, near Willows, California. I’m third-generation on this property raising rice and my son’s coming along to be the fourth generation.
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What’s water use efficiency to you? Is it buying a new “efficient” dishwasher or washing machine? Taking showers with a low flow shower head? Setting your sprinklers to run at times when your lawn will drink it verses evaporating in th
2018-11-08 17:29 admin 53
Nearly twenty-years ago, the winter of 1991-92 was a very dry period in California. The pressures surrounding several dry years in a row, coupled with the lack of adequate water infrastructure …
2018-11-08 17:29 admin 59
At NCWA’s 20th Annual Meeting Joe Scalmamani and George Basye were honored with the Innovative Water Management Water Award and the Will S. Green Award.
2018-11-08 17:29 admin 64
What is it that makes people want to live in The Country? If you were raised there, you most likely want to stay…
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One of the great debates (at least among water issues) over the last few decades has been the value of water storage. Do we build more storage, re-operate existing facilities, or do we take down existing dams? Well, this winter is proving to be a very goo
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A lot has been said about one of the nation’s first most significant fisheries restoration projects located on the middle reach of Butte Creek. In 1997, Western Canal Water District (WCWD) brought together an unprecedented partnership among …
2018-11-08 17:29 admin 42
In California’s Sacramento Valley, water resources managers are actively managing the region’s precious water resources to support the rich mosaic of inter-dependent farmlands, refuges and managed wetlands, meandering rivers that support fishe
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As General Manager of the largest irrigation district in the Sacramento Valley, my job involves coordinating with area growers and other water agencies in our region to make sure our most valuable resource is efficiently used. Living in the nation’s most
2018-11-08 17:29 admin 65
It is my privilege to represent Northern California Water Association (NCWA) as the new Chairman of the Board of Directors. I enter this office with a deep sense of optimism, urgency, and resolve.
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