July 2020 - 15

IRRIGATION & WATER MANAGEMENT
San Joaquin water ditch used for farm irrigation.
Collaboration set to protect San Joaquin Valley
By Kara Heckert
California Regional Director
American Farmland Trust
It's hard to overstate the importance
of California's San Joaquin Valley toward
providing food for the nation. More
than 300 crops and livestock products
are produced here, accounting for more
than half of the agricultural output of the
country's leading farming state. It's one of
California's fastest growing regions, with
a population of 4.3 million that's expected
to increase more than 50% by 2050.
There is an urgent need for
coordinated action toward protecting
the region's farmland while conserving
water resources. This is particularly
true in prolonged drought years and
with the implementation of California's
landmark Sustainable Groundwater
Management Act.
For more than 35 years, American
Farmland Trust (AFT) has worked
alongside the agricultural community,
public officials and partner
organizations to promote economic
growth that
minimizes
the loss of the
region's best
agricultural
land while
demonstrating
environmentally
sound
agricultural
practices. In fact,
our first regional
KARA HECKERT
office was in Visalia in southern San
Joaquin Valley.
Now, AFT is excited to announce
the creation of a new San Joaquin
Valley Land and Water Conservation
Collaborative as the next stage of its
comprehensive San Joaquin Valley Land
and Water Strategy. This will be funded
by a $10 million Regional Conservation
Partnership Program, or RCPP, grant
from the USDA's Natural Resources
Conservation Service, NRCS.
AFT will collaborate with The
Freshwater Trust, Conservation Biology
Institute, California Farmland Trust,
and Resource Conservation Districts in
East Stanislaus, East Merced, Madera/
Chowchilla, Sierra and Tulare counties
on the ambitious five-year initiative. AFT
and partners are matching this investment
with another $14.2 million for local and
state funding sources.
There is an urgent need for
coordinated action toward
protecting the region's
farmland while conserving
water resources.
AFT's extensive research, planning
and policy work, coupled with effective
local partnerships have set the stage to
rapidly scale up regenerative agricultural
practices and farmland protection
throughout the region. The San Joaquin
Valley Conservation Collaborative is
a group of partners, funders, farmers
and ranchers working to protect and
restore agricultural land in the San
Joaquin Valley to ensure resilience to
climate change through healthy soils,
high-quality surface and groundwater
supplies, environmentally sound habitats
for fish and wildlife and a thriving
agricultural industry.
The collaboration will focus on four
elements: data analysis, agricultural
conservation easements, conservation
planning and on-farm conservation
practices. It will deliver conservation
plans for increasing groundwater recharge
potential and water conservation on
lands encompassing at least 100,000 acres
with 150 to 200 producers. It also will
PEOPLE
APPROACH
At Michigan Valley Irrigation, we strive to fulfill each farm's
unique needs with the best possible solution. From start to
finish, big project or small, it's our people and their approach
that make the difference. A project done right and backed
up with people who care, adds value to your business.
Vassar
Phone: 989-673-6741
McBride
Phone: 989-762-5028
Battle Creek
Phone: 269-565-4426
PARTS
SERVICE
demonstrate the economic benefits of
regenerative agricultural methods, as well
as implement best practices for increasing
water infiltration and water conservation
on at least 23,565 acres of land with at
least 80 producers.
AFT is thrilled to be spearheading
this effort in the nation's largest
agricultural region.
American Farmland Trust is a
national organization dedicated to
saving America's farm and ranch land,
promoting healthy farming practices and
supporting farms and farmers. VGN
Pivots.....
and a whole lot more.
www.mvi.farm
VGN | JULY 2020 | 15
http://www.mvi.farm
July 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of July 2020
