Open Letter to the Governor

Another interesting week on the farm-

As I have mentioned before, my entire exercise program is Indy and Toby taking me for a walk every morning. On some walks we have a visitor, Sir Coyote. It is interesting, he will only come so close, but he of course he runs when Indy chases him. He has never threatened the boys and will even follow us closely on the way home. 
   Now that we are not running cattle any more and I don't have to worry about protecting calves I can say they are beautiful animals.

I am concerned. The almonds are pushing early this year. I hate when they do this. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing trees bloom. I just worry when they do it too early. There is still plenty of crappy weather between now and Spring. It can freeze. I can rain. And, it can hail. It can probably do all three at once if it wants.
    My sister's birthday is early March. One year while I was visiting the family for her birthday we had a black frost that weekend. I was back in the field Monday morning and it was raining almond buds. The floor of the orchard was thick with them and my heart broke. That season was done. One weekend of bad weather and a crop was lost. So, prefer when bloom is a late as possible. ANythign to give those little buds a chance.

Recent news has prompted the letter below. After waiting for two years for some decent rainfall we are finally getting some storms, and they are letting it run out to the ocean. Drives me nuts.

Open Letter to the Governor

Dear Gov. Brown

With all due respect, are you kidding me?

150% rainfall and 0% for farmers?

Yes, I am aware there is a difference between the state and federal water systems. I am also aware that state water users will get somewhere between ten and fifteen percent of their water. But, can you see how that makes my point? 150% normal rainfall and the people get 15% of their normal allotment.

As I write this, 100,000 acre feet of water a day are washing out to sea. We could refill the San Luis Reservoir in less than ten days with that water. We could refill Shasta in less than a month. And next June I am willing to bet you are going to be telling California why we still need water restrictions.

It is hard to see how you have any credibility left. You have spent the last two years getting Californians to conserve water and here you are letting billions of gallons of water per day wash back into the sea.

Since early last summer people have been signaling that if El Nino hit that would not be the end of the drought. Actually, yes it would. A drought is when there is no rainfall. Then end of a drought is when it starts raining. It really is that simple.

            Now the argument can be made that the impacts of the drought are not over with one wet winter. That may be fair. But, the impacts of the drought would be over much sooner if you weren’t running all the rainfall out to the ocean!

I have long said there are wet years and there are dry years in California and we are fools because we do not save the water from the wet years for the dry years. Yes, I know there are environmental concerns. I have written about this subject in my book, “Ten Reasons: Finding Balance on Environmental Issues”. We need a healthy environment and a healthy economy. Right now we have neither. After a decade of flushing water through the Delta the smelt are still in trouble and the pelagic organisms still are declining. In the meantime California’s farmers are getting crushed. Are we willing to admit our current plan is not working?

Since we have been doing this in the name of the environment let’s take a look at the bigger picture. What is your bigger concern water in the Delta or climate change? If we collapse California agriculture through water restrictions we will increase the carbon footprint of 38 million Californians. The United Nations estimates it takes 800 gallons of water per person per day to produce food. For 38 million Californians that is 31 million acre feet of water per year. Importing food from overseas will create a huge increase in transportation costs for our food and those farmers will not be under California regulations will they?

            My fellow farmers and I can lower the carbon footprint for 38 million Californians by growing our food here, but we are going to need some water to do it.

Yes Gov. Brown, I know a lot of this is driven by federal law, but this is happening on your watch in your state, this is your responsibility.

So, what do we do?

Of course we all still keep conserving water. Water is a rare and precious gift.

Second, Fill the reservoirs. If your credibility is important to you it is past time to crank up the pumps. You cannot expect people to make sacrifices when you flush this much water out to sea.

Third, I will be voting for the Water Priorities Constitutional Amendment on the ballot this Fall. (https://cawater4all.com/) I know high speed rail is important to you. That is a beautiful dream for the future. I love the train system and I ride it regularly. But, for one tenth the cost of the train we can fix the water system for every Californian starting now.