By Katie Fehrenbacher

Another year of crushing drought in California means new water cuts are in the works for both cities and farmers, who use up to 80 percent of the state’s water in an average year. In what is likely a sign of things to come, a group of farmers in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta recently decided to voluntarily give up a quarter of their water by either fallowing the land or using other conservation methods.

Over the years, Silicon Valley—a region which has become synonymous with tech success—hasn’t been overly interested in funding water conservation technology, despite a drought taking place right in their backyard. Almost $12 billion was invested in Internet startups in 2014, compared to a few hundred million dollars in water startups.

But, it’s tech trends started in Silicon Valley— such as the Internet of things, big data, mobile, biotech and genetics, and nanotechnology —that could truly help farmers increase water efficiency. Founder and CEO of startup OnFarm, Lance Donny said a few years ago the agriculture industry was ripe for change and is “a sleeping giant” for digital tech.

It should be noted that farmers and cities mostly plan to reduce water use through new policies and better management, but here are some technologies I’ve been keeping an eye on that could help conserve more water in the state.

Sensor networks: Sensors and wireless networks are about as low cost as can be these days. Companies like Hortau, founded in 2002, use soil tension sensors—combined with data about temperature, weather and humidity—to manage smarter irrigation systems for farmers. These irrigation systems use gathered data to find more efficient times and better ways to use water.

Farm trade group American Farm Bureau Federation says 39 percent of farmers who grow water-needy corn or wheat now use sensor tech on their farms. Companies that already build sensor networks — like ThingWorx — for a variety of other industries are now targeting agriculture as new opportunities open up in the field.

While some companies are focused on making irrigation water go as far as possible, others are concentrating on protecting back-up water sources. Wisconsin-based startup Wellntel has developed a sensor system for monitoring ground water using sound waves, which farmers can then tap into like a savings account when surface water levels are low. It’s a far cry from the more traditional ground water measurement methods used today that rely on tape and chalk to monitor underground water.

Data analytics: Some farmers aren’t willing (or able) to pay for smart irrigation systems and instead rely on companies that can provide valuable analytics. For example, young startup PowWow Energy uses electricity data from basic smart meters that are installed on water pumps and networks to detect pump leaks. There’s no hardware to install and a farmer receives a text message if there’s an abnormal spike in water use (which corresponds with the spike in energy from the meter).

The Climate Corporation, which was founded in 2006 and acquired by Monsanto in 2013, is another company that is focused on helping farmers by analyzing massive amounts of data about environmental conditions. The firm delivers insight and recommendations to farmers based on the data, which can lead to water being used more efficiently.

Management software, social media: Basic software and social networking tools that are commonly used for communication in other industries are starting to be used widely in the agriculture industry and could lead to better conservation efforts.

The Farmer’s Business Network just raised $15 million from Google Ventures, Kleiner Perkins and DBL Investors to grow its social network for independent farmers. On the platform, farmers can compare and collaborate with others in the industry on issues including water use, irrigation tools and weather information to increase yield.

Last month, OnFarm launched a new update to its farm data management software, which included new tools for water management for drought-stricken farmers. The software helps farmers manage data like real-time soil moisture, water balance information, irrigation scheduling, water reporting and more.

Biotech and genetics: It’s not just digital tools that farmers are using to battle the drought. Companies are also using sophisticated genomics and breeding techniques to make seeds and crops that are more drought-resistant and water efficient.

Chicago-based Chromatin uses gene stacking (combining more than one gene in a plant) to make different types of water-efficient sorghum, which is a type of grass that is used for animal feed, grain, biofuel and brewing. Chromatin’s investors include GE Capital and BP Ventures.

Cibus is also using gene-editing technology to create water-efficient crops. The startup makes seeds that are pest tolerant and/or drought-resistant to increase a farmer’s harvest. Another company called Arcadia Biosciences went public in April and has helped seed companies deploy water-conservative crops like rice.

Water cleaning & reuse: Water purification and desalination (a process that removes salt and minerals from water) has been around for decades and is an oft-used tool in countries around the world. Israel is a major proponent of the process and reuses about 80 percent of its municipal wastewater for irrigation.

Reverse osmosis is the standard most used for water cleaning technology, but generally uses a lot of energy and is expensive. A company called Desalitech, based in Newton, Massachusetts, hopes to change that by creating water systems that use significantly less energy and therefore accessible to both independent and commercial farms.

Other types of next-gen water cleaning systems are leveraging the latest in nanotechnology to create processes that can clean water with less energy. A startup called NanoH20 has developed nanotech-tweaked filtration techniques that cleans water faster and as a result was later bought by Korean giant LG last year for $200 million.

Weirder ways for water conservation: There’s other, more unusual, methods startups are using to help reduce water use both directly and indirectly.

Five-year-old California startup mOasis makes a super absorbent gel polymer called hydrogel that farmers can put in soil ahead of planting seasons. The hydrogel — which is the size of a grain of sand but can soak up 250 times its weight in water — absorbs excess water during irrigation and releases it as the soil dries out.

The company says using the gel can help farmers reduce water use by 20 percent, and cut water bills by 15 percent. The gel, developed at Stanford University, lasts about a year before it starts breaking down, and the company says it doesn’t leave behind bi-products that are environmentally questionable.

Permanently changing the paradigm of water-hungry industries could be another conceptual (and drastic) way to deliver water conservation in the long term. In California, cows raised for consumption consume massive amounts of alfalfa, which is one of the most water-intensive crops. If cows raised explicitly for meat were replaced with lab-grown versions it would put less strain on water resources.

Startup Modern Meadow—based in Brooklyn, New York—is also hoping to change consumers’ eating habits by developing lab-printed meat that can be used in food or for leather goods. Another company called Cultured Beef is also working on their own version of lab-grown burgers as a way to conserve water.

California’s drought isn’t expected to end anytime soon, but because of the drought water technology is finally starting to get a little more attention, and perhaps, just maybe, push Silicon Valley to finally do more.

Link to article

The Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award Program is California’s highest environmental honor. The program recognizes individuals, organizations, and businesses that have demonstrated exceptional leadership and made notable, voluntary contributions in conserving California’s precious resources, protecting and enhancing our environment, building public-private partnerships and strengthening the State’s economy.

The annual Governor’s Environmental and Economic Leadership Award Program is administered by the California Environmental Protection Agency, in partnership with the Natural Resources Agency, the Department of Food and Agriculture, the State Transportation Agency, the Business, Consumer Services, and Housing Agency, the Labor and Workforce Development Agency, and the Health and Human Services Agency.

Who May Apply/Eligibility

The awards will be presented for voluntary achievements culminated in 2014. Competition is open to all California residents, businesses, non-profit organizations, professional and trade associations, communities, state and local government entities, tribes, and federal agencies operating in California. Projects are deemed ineligible if they are the result of mitigation, litigation, or required by legislation. Those who applied previously are welcome to apply again.

Applications & Award Categories

• Environmental Education (Apply Here, PDF)
  Unique and exemplary educational programs that raise awareness of, and involvement in, environmental issues. Applicants with programs for K-12 students must submit standards-aligned curriculum materials and/or delineate web-based, standards-aligned curriculum materials.
• Ecosystem and Land Use Stewardship (Apply Here, PDF)
  Innovative and sustainable approaches to land, water and resource management that restore or protect natural conditions, functions and processes, and provide economic, social and environmental benefits including productivity and sustainability of forests, farms or other natural resource lands, or conservation of open spaces. Examples of Ecosystem Services related to Agriculture can be found on the California Department of Agriculture’s website.
• Climate Change (Apply Here, PDF)
  Innovative and forward thinking projects/programs that 1) reduce/mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and/or adapt to the adverse effects of climate change on public health and our vast natural resources; and 2) provide economic and business-related benefits.
• Zero Emission Vehicle (ZEV) Dealers (Apply Here, PDF) Efforts made by a California automobile dealer or dealership group to enhance and promote the sale of Zero Emission Vehicles (ZEVs) within the state.
• Sustainable Practices, Communities or Facilities (Apply Here, PDF)
  Pioneering efforts and/or completed projects that demonstrate 1) efforts to integrate environmental values and conservation of natural resources into comprehensive, long-term and management of businesses and facility; or 2) effective project design or development of local communities and landscapes that make efficient use of land, which includes multimodal transportation options and connectivity, improved economic vitality, the availability of affordable housing, the protection of public health and safety, optimized energy efficiency and the conservation of local watersheds, habitats and other sensitive lands.
• Waste Reduction (Apply Here, PDF)
  Exemplary achievements in conserving and protecting natural resources and reducing costs by incorporating efforts such as waste prevention, reuse, recycling, composting, environmentally-preferable purchasing, and product design and stewardship.

Selection/Criteria (for all categories except Ecosystem and Land Use Services and Zero Emission Vehicle Dealers)

A Selection Committee will evaluate applications for strength in eight specific areas: Results, Transferability/Scalability, Environmental Impact, Resource Conservation Impact, Economic Progress, Innovation/Uniqueness, Pollution Prevention, Public Health, and Environmental Justice. These criteria will be considered in the competitive weighting of nominations and are described below. Evaluations will take into consideration differences in size, region, and scope of projects, as needed.

• Results: Steps taken to achieve results are described; results are defined in measurable terms; environmental and economic benefits are identified and documented.
• Transferability/Scalability: Project concept can be scaled and/or transferred to other parties such that impact (or could have potential impact) on State environmental and economic goals is measurable and significant.
• Environmental/Resource Conservation Impact: Accomplishment includes more than one environmental media or resource; project or program has long lasting and sustainable impact; magnitude of impact is described and significant.
•  Economic Progress: California’s economy is enhanced; measurable benefits are identified and realized; new/better jobs are created and new markets developed.
• Environmental and Economic Partnerships: Project or program fosters unique, cooperative and collaborative approaches between the private, public and/or non-profit sectors to achieve demonstrable results in both environmental and economic improvement.
• Innovation/Uniqueness: Demonstrates basic practice to unique, innovative practice; a paradigm shift in approach; demonstrates a “pioneer” spirit; ahead of the marketplace and profitability.
• Pollution Prevention: Achieves measurable reductions in the generation of waste through source reduction; increased public-private awareness of pollution prevention; exemplifies best practices with a cross-media focus.
• Public Health: Achieves measurable improvements to community environments (social, economic, physical, and services) that result in tangible benefits to public health.
• Environmental Justice: Significantly raises the awareness and addresses environmental issues in areas adversely affected by environmental pollution and hazards; builds and/or raises the involvement of local/grassroots communities and/or California tribal communities in the project or program; builds community leadership/stewardship to address environmental issues.

The deliberative process of the Selection Committee is confidential and all decisions are final subject to applicable California state law. A nomination may be considered in a category different from that in which it is nominated.

For any questions regarding the application process, please contact Nilan Watmore at Nilan.Watmore@calepa.ca.gov.

Link to GEELA web page

 

An upcoming webinar on the Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) will help potential applicants as they seek available funding. During the current round, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) will invest up to $235 million to improve the nation’s water quality, combat drought, enhance soil health, support wildlife habitat and protect agricultural production. Partners will match the Federal investment.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will host the webinar, open to both conservation partners and the general public, on Thursday, June 4, 2015 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. EST. To join the webinar, visit https://usdanrcs.adobeconnect.com/r75qxphcya9/

NRCS recently simplified the application process by creating new online tools: a pre-proposal fillable form, RCPP pre-application data entry tool and pre-proposal data entry tool instructions. These tools support partners as they fill out and submit their pre-proposal application.

RCPP empowers local leaders to work with multiple partners — such as private companies, local and tribal governments, universities, non-profit groups and other non-government partners — along with farmers, ranchers, and forest landowners to design solutions that work best for their region. Local partners and the federal government both invest funding and manpower to projects to maximize their impact.

USDA is now accepting pre-proposals for RCPP. Pre-proposals are due July 8, 2015. For more information on applying, visit the RCPP website.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Alameda County Fair

6/17/2015 to 7/5/2015
Pleasanton, CA

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Colusa County Fair

6/4/2015 to 6/7/2015
Colusa, CA

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El Dorado County Fair

6/18/2015 to 6/21/2015
Placerville, CA

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Kings Fair

6/11/2015 to 6/14/2015
Hanford, CA

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Merced County Fair

6/10/2015 to 6/14/2015
Merced, CA

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Placer County Fair

6/25/2015 to 6/28/2015
Roseville, CA

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Redwood Acres Fair

6/25/2015 to 6/28/2015
Eureka, CA

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San Diego County Fair

6/5/2015 to 7/5/2015
Del Mar, CA

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San Mateo County Exposition & Fair

6/6/2015 to 6/14/2015
San Mateo, CA

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Shasta District Fair

6/17/2015 to 6/20/2015
Anderson, CA

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Sonoma-Marin Fair

6/24/2015 to 6/28/2015
Petaluma, CA

By Amy Graff

Slide show with the 10 myths 

California is in the midst of a four-year drought, the worst in 106 years. The Sierra snowpack is dwindling; lakes and reservoirs are reaching historic lows. The lush green lawns of the suburbs are turning brown and parched. Vast swaths of the Central Valley farmland are sitting idle. Mandatory water cutbacks are now in place for both residential consumers and agricultural users.

What does the future hold for the drought-gripped Golden State? What can we do to solve the problem?

The answers to these questions are spreading across the Internet like a wildfire blazing through the water-starved Santa Ana brush. Some of them are true, others exaggerated, and many downright wrong. No, you won’t be paying $20 for a little carton of California-grown strawberries this summer, even at that ubiquitous grocery store that loves to suck up whole paychecks with beautiful produce.

To help you determine fact from fiction, we checked in with Jay Lund, a University of California at Davis professor in civil and environmental engineering. Lund is on the forefront of drought research, predicting our state’s future and determining the best plans of action. He helped SFGate debunk a few of the most common California drought myths and the good news is that he says, “Don’t panic.”

“Water is going to get tighter,” Lund says. “We’re going to be reminded that we live in a dry state. But we can make some changes to better manage our water and we have a lot of ground water to help us out.”

The Myths:

1) Farmers suck up the majority of the state’s water. Of the water available, roughly 40 percent goes to farmers, 10 percent to urban uses and 50 percent environmental uses such as rivers, lakes, wetlands and refuges. There’s no true villain in California water policy. All sectors need to better use and manage water.

2) Treated sewage water is undrinkable. “Toilet to tap” water can be cleaner than bottled water, some experts say, and many Californians are already drinking it. Orange County has an indirect potable reuse system to purify human wastewater. More than 200 wastewater treatment plants dump effluent into the Colorado River, a primary source of drinking water for Southern California.

3) Food prices will go through the roof. When farmers face higher prices due to drought conditions, retail prices rise only slightly. A 10 percent increase for the farmer, usually means about a 2 to 3 percent increase for the consumer. Four years into the drought, many farmers aren’t even facing higher prices as they’re dealing with the conditions by pumping ground waters and shifting crops, most of which are buffered by being part of a global market.

4) Agriculture hasn’t faced water supply cuts. Last year, residential consumers made voluntary cuts while many farmers with junior water rights saw 100 percent reductions. This year residential consumers face mandatory 25 percent cutbacks while agricultural users are being cut back far more.

5) Shorter showers will save us. Water conservation is important, but its effectiveness is often overstated. Consumers can make the biggest impact by not watering their lawns.

6) We have an endless supply of groundwater that we can depend on. The water tables are dropping so the supply is not infinite but there’s enough to get us through a few more years of drought. Right now, some 70 to 80 percent of lost surface water in agriculture is being made up by pumping ground water. The key is to adopt better methods for managing this crucial water supply.

7) Building more desalination plants will fix the problem. Only if you want to spend a lot of money. In the midst of a 12-year drought in Australia, many big cities built big expensive plants that are now sitting idle while taxpayers still pay them off. Residential customers typically pay $900 to $1,000 per acre foot for water while they’d pay $2,000 to $3,000 for water from a desalination plant.

8) An El Nino year will end the drought. We need several years of heavy rain, not just one, to replenish surface supplies. This weather phenomenon that brings a warm band of water to the Pacific Ocean doesn’t always lead to storms on the West Coast but when it does, our past records show that it doesn’t put an automatic end to drought conditions.

9) California knows how to manage droughts. “We do and we don’t,” says Jay Lund, a University of California at Davis professor in civil and environmental engineering. “Every drought is different as California is a dynamic place. You never step into the same drought twice. We still have a lot to learn.”

10) Environmental regulation is causing the water shortages. Yes, the environment uses the largest share of California’s water with 50 percent going to everything from wetlands to Delta outflow. But it’s important to know that a lot of the water that’s allocated to the environment is reused by humans for drinking water and irrigation.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now accepting applications to provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas.

“These grants will help socially-disadvantaged business owners develop the tools and skills they need to grow their enterprises and succeed at creating jobs and expanding economic opportunities in rural areas,” Vilsack said. “American agriculture is becoming increasingly diverse in many ways, with more minorities and women seeking to enter the field, as well as greater diversity in the age of farmers, the size of operations, in production methods, and in the types of crops being grown. All of these forms of diversity help strengthen U.S. agriculture for the future.”

Funding will be made available through USDA’s Socially-Disadvantaged Groups Grant Program (formerly the Small, Socially-Disadvantaged Producer Grant Program), which assists organizations that provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups in rural areas. Examples of technical assistance are conducting feasibility studies, developing business and strategic plans, and providing leadership training.

USDA plans to make up to $3 million in grants available. The maximum award under this notice is $175,000. More information on how to apply can be found on page 28937 of the May 20 Federal Register. Applications submitted by mail must be postmarked by July 20, 2015. Electronic applications must be submitted atwww.grants.gov no later than midnight Eastern Time July 14, 2015.

Eligible applicants include groups of cooperatives, cooperative development centers and individual cooperatives that serve socially-disadvantaged groups. The cooperatives or centers can be located in any area, but the groups assisted must be located in an eligible rural area. Also, the majority of the governing body of the organization must be compromised of individuals who are members of socially-disadvantaged groups.

USDA Rural Development is encouraging applications for projects in census tracts with poverty rates of 20 percent or higher. All grants are awarded through a national competition.

The program is making a difference in many rural areas. For example, in 2013, the Southern California Focus on Cooperation (SCFC) received a $200,000 Small, Socially-Disadvantaged Producer Grant to provide technical assistance to help 95 refugee immigrant and minority farmers improve their productive capacity, increase revenue, and strengthen their ability to govern and manage their cooperative businesses.

Many of the farmers benefiting from the project had little or no access to formal schooling and had been persecuted and oppressed for years in their native land. The International Rescue Committee (IRC), in concert with SCFC, developed marketing channels including various farmers markets and restaurants where the refugee farmers could sell their produce. Farmers have learned how to manage these marketing channels themselves, without assistance from IRC, and have gained new clients. They have also increased the level of cooperation among Hispanic, Korean and African farmer groups. These groups are working toward merging their efforts to form a single cooperative. The technical assistance provided by SCFC has enabled these farmers to build skills that have truly been life changing.

Link to news release

During the next several weeks, U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will conduct two major mid-year surveys, the June Agricultural Survey and the June Area Survey. The agency will survey more than 2,600 operations across California and Nevada to determine crop production and supply levels in 2015.

“Due to the widespread impact of its results, the June Agricultural Survey, also known as the Crops/Stocks Survey, and the June Area Survey, are two of the most significant surveys NASS conducts,” explained Vic Tolomeo, director of the NASS Pacific Regional Field Office. “Information growers provide serves as the first clear sign of the prospective production and supply of major commodities in the United States for the 2015 crop year.”

NASS gathers the data for the June Agriculture Survey online, by mail and/or by phone. For the June Area Survey, agency representatives will visit randomly selected tracts of land and interview the operators of any farm or ranch on that land. Growers will provide information on crop acreage – including biotech crops—as well as grain stocks, livestock inventory, cash rents, land values, and value of sales.

NASS will compile and analyze the survey information and publish the results in a series of USDA reports, including the annual Acreage report and quarterly Grain Stocks report, both to be released June 30, 2015. Survey data contribute to NASS’s monthly and annual Crop Production reports, as well as the annual Small Grains Summary and USDA’s monthly World Agricultural Supply and Demand Estimates.

As with all NASS surveys, information provided by respondents is kept strictly confidential, as required by federal law.

“NASS safeguards the privacy of all responses and publishes only state and national-level data, ensuring that no individual operation or producer can be identified,” stated Tolomeo. “We recognize this is a hectic time for farmers and ranchers, but the information they provide is essential to everyone involved in U.S. agriculture. I urge them to respond to these surveys and thank them for their cooperation,” said Tolomeo.

All reports are available on the NASS website: www.nass.usda.gov. For more information on NASS surveys and reports, call the NASS Pacific Regional Field Office at 1-800-851-1127.