Farm Bureau Upset With BOR

Sacramento, CA — The Bureau of Reclamation announced yesterday it will release no water this year to Central Valley farmers.

It will mark the second year of no federal water to help with irrigation, through its Central Valley Project. Many farmers will continue to rely on depleting wells. California Farm Bureau President Paul Wenger says, “The CVP announcement is both saddening and maddening. It’s saddening because the continued cutoff will prolong the impact of water shortages on farmers, their employees and rural communities. It’s maddening because California still struggles to manage water wisely, and flexibly, especially in dry years.”

Wenger feels that too many decisions are made to help protect the fish population, at the expense of farmers and food. He says it reinforces the need to move quickly on water projects authorized by the Proposition 1 bond passed by voters in November.

The California Farm Bureau has around 57,000 members, statewide.