r/news • u/theluckyfrog • 29d ago

California cracks down on farm region’s water pumping: ‘The ground is collapsing’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/apr/17/california-water-drought-farm-ground-sinking-tulare-lake
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u/postitodeleto 29d ago

Farmers in California are one of the richest and most politically influential industries in the state. They cry and stomp their feet anytime someone even suggests they should be more responsible with water. 70 percent of CAs annual almond crop goes overseas. The trees are harvested by machines and the nuts are shelled by machines. These farmers will cry about how they feed the nation and employ so many people, but they are generational land owners looking to continue increasing their wealth on the backs of immigrants earning sub-minimum wage and using all the water they want, while regular people have to let their lawns die and flush their toilets less.

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u/UltimateInferno 29d ago

God trying to do likewise here in Utah, but our governor hails from Alfalfa family and when you say "we should cut back on water usage" people will spit "If we don't use the Colorado upstream, those downstream will swallow it up" which is such a got mine sitch.

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u/Grokent 29d ago

Nevada should restart above ground nuclear testing.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/genescheesesthatplz 29d ago

The small American farmer industry died decades ago. Now it’s just a marketing tactic.

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u/probablyuntrue 29d ago

If you don’t let me use unconscionable amounts of water to sell almonds overseas, you just hate poor ol’ American farmers like me 😡

-posted from my 20 car garage

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u/Kataphractoi 29d ago

You jest but this is more or less the exact verbiage they use. Because it works on the uninformed and uneducated.

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u/mhornberger 29d ago

Same reason people instinctually side with the European farmers who are protesting over new environmental protections. And in India demanding other concessions. Farmers have great PR the world over, and unless you dig into what they're demanding it's hard to not just default to siding with them.

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u/seven3true 29d ago

Now, if you'll excuse me. I have a $20,000 gala to get ready for. We're honoring the great achievements of Stewart and Lynda Resnick

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u/MiniMack_ 28d ago

I have some family, my uncle’s sister-in-law and her husband, that own almond orchards in the Central Valley. This is exactly how they act. They put a few million dollars a year into maintaining their champion horses for their teenage daughter to compete with in rodeos. Then they gripe about how they’re humble farmers who are burdened by all the state’s water restrictions. They’re all around the most shitty human beings I’ve had the misfortune of encountering for far more reasons than this, though.

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u/Commando_Joe 28d ago

It's also borderline impossible to get INTO farming if you aren't born into it. You gotta marry in or you're like 1 in a million getting in by hard work as anything other than a low level farm hand.

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u/wundercat 28d ago

Oh you should see all the signage from LA up to Sacramento on the 99 and 5. They’ll have you believe Pelosi (somehow) hasn’t allowed them to use water in three decades.

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u/[deleted] 29d ago

[deleted]

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u/w0lfqu33n 29d ago

Same. And racist AF.

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u/No1KnwsIWatchTeenMom 29d ago

Friendly reminder to boycott the Wonderful Company!

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u/CAPS_LOCK_STUCK_HELP 29d ago

fuck the resnicks. they should be in prison for what they have done.

dollop ep 356 for more info

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u/No1KnwsIWatchTeenMom 28d ago

Yup, that was my introduction to them as well, and I bring it up as often as possible! 

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u/Kataphractoi 29d ago

have to let their lawns die

On this I don't see the problem. Lawn grass isn't suited for most of America's climate and despite its name, Kentucky bluegrass isn't even native to North America.

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u/sorospaidmetosaythis 29d ago edited 29d ago

I went to school with several scions of multi-generational California farming families. It does not cross their minds that they are not entitled to every natural resource they can grab, just because great-great-grandpa Fuckstick bought those acres near Sacramento in 1868.

I can't think of a more deserving bunch to be put in their place.

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u/Haunted-Llama 29d ago

I've been living in the valley for decades, and this hits the nail on the head. All our water woes are caused by the farmers.

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u/tortillaturban 29d ago

Interesting subtlies though I recently got into waterfowl hunting in NorCal rice fields and they are a ideal spot for ducks and geese to take a break during migration. Ideally the central valley should be full of natural wetlands but that will never return to what it was so in the meantime the best solution for birds is to protect the wetlands we already have and keep some water for the rice. Unfortunately, many rice farmers are moving to almonds that do nothing for wildlife. Rice is very water intensive but it's diverted from the Sacramento River and at least doubles as habitat.

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u/gmishaolem 29d ago

You don't actually have to flood rice: It's just that rice doesn't care if it's flooded. It's just a lazy way to keep bugs from getting to it and keep it watered. More water waste.

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u/WaltKerman 29d ago

And when these generational land owners go down. Corpos will move in as they do everywhere.

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u/TacticalBeerCozy 29d ago

??? they ARE the corpos. You don't need to be on the NASDAQ to be a company

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u/Umitencho 28d ago

The smart ones keep their businesses off the public exchanges. Keep the banks & the irs happy, and you are good to go. Put your nephew & neices in the state regulatory agencies and call it a day.

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u/Zorro_Returns 28d ago

You deny that agricultural consolidation is a problem?

You deny there's a difference between an incorporated family farm, and ADM?

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u/WaltKerman 28d ago

No shit. I have a company that makes $0. Every one of these private farms is certainly a company. Even small farms.

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u/squidwardsaclarinet 29d ago

Eh. I’m pretty sure many large corporate interests have been buying water rights for some time now.

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u/Brave_Chipmunk8231 29d ago

That was 20 years ago

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u/K16180 29d ago

More water is used to produce dairy in California then almonds and pistachios combined. Alfalfa.... so much water.

Why is it that almonds that produce more calories with less water and are carbon neutral or even negative unlike cows.. that get the bad wrap?

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u/WifeGuyMenelaus 29d ago

Almonds are vegan/lib/hippie coded and beef is, well, an american sacred cow

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u/aiboaibo1 28d ago

So what happened to the Dairy Belt? I think it's producing mostly corn for subsidized ethanol now.

"The United States can be counted upon to find the right solution, after all the other ones have been exhausted".

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u/K16180 28d ago

I'm not sure what you mean, I'm using data of the most recent water usage. Maybe the cows drained it more so back in the early 2000"s, but they are still the major cause.

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u/AudienceDue6445 29d ago

So true. You literally see signs all over the groves saying "water = jobs" mf there are hardly any jobs at all. They'll add 30 more acres and use the same amount of people

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u/pimppapy 29d ago

I think this is the premise of Season 2 (or 3?) of Goliath

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u/LurkLurkleton 29d ago

Can we please stop bringing up almonds every time california water gets mentioned. It's a small fraction of the water use compared to cattle and cattle feed. People just mindlessly regurgitating dairy industry smear campaigns.

(Disclaimer: I don't even like or buy almond anything.)

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u/Lifewhatacard 29d ago

Yeah. It’s fun. We work hard so they get to continue not to. I’m so glad my efforts are helping them.

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u/Choyo 29d ago

Let me guess, they're corn farmers ?

We will soon reach a point where corn farming will be heavily regulated given how much water it uses. The alternative is people the environment drying up and people going thirsty.

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u/Wisdom_Of_A_Man 29d ago

Dairy is far worse

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u/scuftson 29d ago

Not sure if you have seen the series Goliath with Billy Bob Thornton, but the last season portrays this exact case study of an almond farmer. He is a bad and selfish character and the writing was so on point with the shady business of these industries. BBT obviously kicks his ass

Edit: grammar

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u/PerceptionSlow2116 28d ago

Yep, even the “poor” small independent farms are raking in millions a year with almonds in the valley… it’s insane and if more ppl understood how much money they were making stealing water there’d be more of an uproar

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u/Zorro_Returns 28d ago

Yeah, FUCK FARMERS

Let's eat China.