As Central Valley farmers start mapping out plans for their
crops for the New Year, they do so with an eye to the sky. So far, the early
winter storms and snowfall in the Sierra Nevada are putting a little twinkle in
their eyes.
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Water Resources surveyors measure the winter snowpack. - Department of Water Resources photo |
Here’s why: state Department of Water Resources surveyors took
a trek up Echo Summit a few days into 2013 and took their first measurements of
the Sierra snowpack. The good news is the statewide water content came in at
134 percent of average for this time of year. Moreover, the snowpack is almost
half way to the April 1 average – the date when the snowpack usually hits its
peak before the spring melt.
Why is this important? Well, the snowpack provides about
one-third of the water for our farms as well as residences and businesses. Last
year, thanks to a series of late spring storms, farmers south of the Delta
received a 40 percent water allocation from the Bureau of Reclamation.
So far, 2013 is off to a nice snowy start. Let’s keep doing
our storm dance.
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Dr. Pete Goodell, integrated pest management cooperative
extension advisor with the UC Statewide IPM Program, has this rainy day advice
for cotton growers:
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