Incentives for Groundwater Recharge
News Reporter With California Ag Today, I’m Tim Hammerich.
This week we’ve been reporting on the potential for farmers to participate in groundwater recharge. UC Davis associate professor of integrated hydrologic sciences Helen Dahlke encourages growers to reach out to local Groundwater Sustainability Agencies, or GSA’s.
Dahlke… “Most GSA s as mentioned are planning on doing more recharge because there is an interest in getting more water underground for various purposes, not just having more water in the subsurface, but also to alleviate subsidence or improve water quality. So if your GSA has those goals, talk to them and see if they have, for example, an incentive program that you can participate. Tulare Irrigation District, for example, has a very nice one that you can take a look at. And then I would say participate in the community meetings where you have open discussions about how you can accomplish the SGMA goals.�
Ag Data Revolution
News Reporter It’s time for your Farm of the Future Report. I’m Tim Hammerich.
We often talk about data in this report and its importance to the future of farming. But data in itself is really not all that valuable. What’s valuable is when you can easily collect data in a consistent and standardized way, so that it can feed valuable tools. In that way, data is not the goal, but more of the fuel to make new technologies run effectively. Jordan Lambert says the access we have to data today makes this a special time for agricultural technology, in particular the dairy producers she works with.
Flooding Dormant Orchards for Groundwater Recharge
Tuesday Jun 8th, 2021
News Reporter With California Ag Today, I’m Tim Hammerich.
One of California’s most precious resources is below our feet: the water stored in underground aquifers. In dry years like the one we are experiencing now, surface water becomes scarce, and we rely on these aquifers to make up some of the difference. Researchers like Helen Dahlke at UC Davis believe that recharging this groundwater is an important part to a more sustainable future. This could include flooding orchards during dormancy.
Dahlke… “We ve only been able to do a few studies on perennial crops. We actually did one with the California Almond Board and we only applied about two feet of water in the winter on two almond orchards. And both of them received the water in January, so well within the dormancy period. We did not see any negative effects on yield. We actually did see a positive effect on the hydration status of t