VIDEO: The uncertain future of valley farmland

November 9, 2021
Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern
by Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern
Daniel Hartwig manages farmland in the Westlands Water District in Fresno County. With groundwater restrictions coming, his company, Woolf Farming, is looking for new uses for its land. CREDIT: Jesse Vad
Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern
Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

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Valley farmers have relied on groundwater for generations.

That is changing under the state’s new Sustainable Groundwater Management Act, SGMA, that mandates aquifers be brought into balance by 2040. That means more water can’t be pumped out than is recharged into the aquifer.

Pumping restrictions could mean significant portions of the valley’s farmland will have to be fallowed, or taken out of production.

Farmers are now trying to find new uses for land that may no longer be used for food production.

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Jesse Vad, SJV Water reporting intern

SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Get inside access to SJV Water by becoming a member.

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