Spring 2023 flooding file photo

Last year, farmers would have begged for a fraction of the water now on their land. But deluges have saturated the ground and now they wait to see what remains of their livelihoods as record snowpack looms in the Sierras.

For growers of row crops, March is planting season. But water running through the Central Valley has the ground so wet that prep work can’t be done.

Farmers have already missed the window for the first tomato planting, says Danny Koolhaus, director of ag services with Wells Fargo. Tomato plantings are staggered throughout the year, but right now, the ground is too wet.

Farmers have already made orders for tomato transplants, Koolhaus said. Those transplants are waiting in greenhouses with nowhere to go.

Cotton this year may be a complete loss, according to Roger Isom, president of the California Cotton Ginner and Growers Association in Fresno.

“Essentially no planting has occurred,” Isom said. “Most likely it won’t for at least another three weeks given this week’s storm and low temperatures for the long-range forecast.”

Pima cotton — high quality cotton with good returns — needs to be in the ground by April 20 at the very latest. After that, it is too short of a season, Isom said.

Given flooding in the Tulare lake basin, there won’t be any planting in that region at all.

For permanent plantings, flooding isn’t as much of an issue so long as days don’t turn into weeks or months, said Ryan Jacobsen, president of the Fresno County Farm Bureau.

The problem, however, has been with pollination. Bees don’t typically go out in the rain or the cold. There have been more non-pollination days than there were pollinations days, Jacobsen said.

“In all likelihood, there’s going to be a substantial decline in almond production this year based on the wet weather events,” Jacobsen said.

Almond trees go through a shedding period in May. Until then, growers won’t know what the crop will look like.

Koolhaus said prices have already risen 25 cents in anticipation of a short crop. Prices have collapsed over the past few years following congestion at ports.

Flooding in Fresno County has not been as drastic as in Tulare and Kings counties, but a heat wave could change that. An aerial snow survey estimates 3.5-million-acre feet of water in the Kings River watershed, which will melt off soon, said Adam Claes, assistant general manager of operations with Fresno Irrigation District. In Pine Flat Dam, there is only 200,000 acre-feet of storage remaining.

“We want this to melt slowly and hold off as long as possible, but we know it’s coming,” Claes said.

They’ve opened the head gate at the Kings River, which is running at the maximum 1,800 cubic feet per second. They are trying to find growers willing to take on recharge, but not many can do that on their own property, Claes said. The district has about 35 basins totaling 900 acres.

Since the water year began Oct. 1, 2022, almost 1 million acre-feet of water has flown through the Kings River and besides some low-elevation snow melt, waterways have not yet seen what is in store when warmer weather hits.

Farmers not being flooded are looking at water banking. To get access to excess water from the Bureau of Reclamation, board members with Westlands Water District were told they need to clear out 70,000 acre-feet of water from San Luis Reservoir. Excess water — called Section 215 water — can be sold for as little as $170 an acre-foot, markedly less than market-rate water, which during the drought went for over $2,000 an acre foot in some cases.

To incentivize recharge on farmland, Westlands offered up 20,000 acre-feet for free for storage. Westlands and the farmer would both share a water credit for later pumping.

Justin Diener, farmer and board member with Westlands, said in the meeting he and many other farmers aren’t ready to begin recharge until later in the summer. Irrigation done now, however, opens recharge for later in the year.

There have been some bright points, however.

The Bureau of Reclamation this week increased the allocation for Westlands to 80% from 35%. Growers can also look forward to refreshed soil as rain has flushed salts out, said Koolhaus.

Grass in the hills looks fantastic, which will be a big relief for ranchers, Jacobsen said.

“Hopefully right now, we can continue the preparation to get ready for what’s coming,” Jacobsen said.