Roy Anderson: Why hasn’t state told farmers to quit planting almond trees?

At the risk of making the entire agricultural industry mad, some of us would really like to know why the Sun-Star and the State Water Resources Control Board are ignoring the big elephant in the room – pumping groundwater.

Some farmers say they pump because “we supply food for the masses,” which is real difficult to defend considering a lot of the new plantings are mostly almonds, walnuts and some grapes. There’s nothing wrong with investing money and expecting a return, but to have all city dwellers under “water management” directives from Sacramento without any control on large acreage that hasn’t been irrigated in the last 100 years is wrong –morally if not legally.

There are many examples, but one of the largest is north of Highway 59 where hundreds of acres of foothills have been used for cattle grazing but now is planted in walnuts, almonds and, nearby, grapes. Some fields were planted just this year! Why hasn’t the state told us not to plant on acreage that’s never been planted until the drought is over? Instead, they just dig a deep well and keep pumping for profits while the rest of us let our lawns die.

Come on county supervisors, State Water Board, state representatives, etc., say something!

Editor’s note: Farmers choose crops based on the costs of inputs (seeds, fertilizers, irrigation water, operating pumps, etc.) and anticipated prices. Irrigated pasture requires more water than grapes and most orchard crops. The state has no authority to tell farmers what crops they can plant.

This story was originally published November 7, 2016 at 1:20 PM with the headline "Roy Anderson: Why hasn’t state told farmers to quit planting almond trees?."