With the necessity for farm planning, the uncertainty around next year's water supplies and the lack of new water storage having been built in recent years, farmers are concerned.
Water woes undercut good harvest
Issue Date: August 22, 2007
By Kate Campbell
Assistant Editor
California farmers, especially those in the San Joaquin Valley, are operating on the razor's edge. Lack of water--due to dry weather conditions last winter along with this year's regulatory and judicial actions--have cut farmers' margin for error to zero. Irrigations must be perfectly executed to ensure enough water will be there to finish the crops and get them harvested.
There's just barely enough water to get through the 2007 growing season, farmers say. But they worry more about next year. There may not be enough water in the system right now to begin work for the 2008 crop year. Some are predicting a "train wreck" if there aren't heavy rains to compensate for potential water supply cutbacks.
