Food grows where water flows – London Cowgirl

Pictures

“Food grows where water flows” – The Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) will restrict how much water can be pumped from the ground for irrigation in California’s Central Valley, one of the most productive agricultural areas of the world. Between 20% - 30% of agricultural land will have to be fallowed. Can grassland and ranching make a comeback?

Water woes in the valley

Canals supply water for agriculture and cities like LA

Northern California delivers water south

One of the Valley’s water ‘highways’

The San Luis Reservoir holds water pumped up from the Delta

A site with a long history

An upgrade is under way

In late fall the ‘bathtub’ water rings are clearly visible

Nothing grows without irrigation

Pumping infrastructure

Water is also be pumped from the ground

To drill wells that go down 3000ft and more…

… oil drilling equipment is needed

SGMA will severely restrict water extraction from 2040

Because of over pumping domestic wells have fallen dry

Whole towns have to rely on deliveries from water tankers

Part 1: More heat, less water – the new reality of almond growing in the San Joaquin Valley

Have you been to Burroughs Family Farms?

The 5^th generation: Christina Bylsma and Benina Montes

No bare ground under the almond trees

Volunteers coming up through the mulched grasses

Walnut trees have been added for more diversity

Excellent soil health has halved the irrigation water need

The sheep have to be out long before the harvest

Ready to be harvested and processed

Almonds stored before processing

Dehulling

Hulls are good dairy feed

The shells can be used for bedding

Sorting needed

Not everyone passes muster

Analysis in the lab

Different varieties, different sizes, different purposes

Ready to be shipped around the world

No U-Turn here….

Most orchards still have bare ground

Replanting fewer acres

Three years to the first harvest

Clearing an acre of almond trees costs $1000

It’s cheaper to just walk away…

… leaving the trees to die.

Dead but not gone

Farming the west side of the valley

Solar farm south of Mendota

Bare soil

Is this the future?

Or this?

Seeds being loaded. John Lasgoity is getting ready to play.

The ‘table’ at Lasgoity’s ‘casino’

Fallow land is waiting for a dust storm to happen

Lambing on irrigated pasture

Where the shepherds live while the sheep glean ‘the casino’

Part 2: Ranching is making a comeback in the San Joaquin Valley

Diane Bohna

The cows were here

Recovery after just three years

Rich in lignin

Spot the cows in the distance

Ready to join the herd

Delivering extra nutrients

After giving birth the cows need some supplements

Under supervision

Under supervision

The ‘mountain cows’ are good mums

Ready to protect her calf

Bohna explains the grazing system

One of the oldest dams in the Valley

Today the San Joaquin carries water once more

Clusters of oaks in the Sierra foothills

Normally the rangers are on horseback

Billy Freeman meets us at the gate

Crash course in grasses: C4 Deer Grass

High impact grazing restored the habitat near the creek

Non native species compete heavily with native grasses

Tar weed, a native summer annual

Cold turkey mullein

Even in fall there are flowering plants such as buckwheat

Pollinators find them – vinegar weed, a summer annual

Regeneration grazing benefits the whole habitat

The cattle know when the new grass is out on the mountain top

Freeman spends a lot of time on horseback assessing grass growth

Will a layer of compost help native grasses to establish faster?

Here for the winter

Acclimatizing after returning from pastures as far away as Utah

Part 3 Wanted: land managers – only sheep and cattle need apply

Overlooking the Dairy Creek Golf Course

The sheep were brought to this pasture just hours ago

Dorpers are a wool shedding breed

Italian Thistles don’t stand a chance

Good fencing is a must – sheep are escape artists

Habitat creation increases biodiversity, including hummingbirds….

… and insects

Katie Brown now runs her own company Holistic Energy Solutions

Part 4: “Land needs cattle more than we need meat”

Ranching on the San Andreas Fault – ‘not my fault’ quips Morris

The ranchland is stunningly beautiful

San Juan Bautista in the background

The oaks recovered….

… once the cattle were taken out

Oaks grow bushy until the lead stem has properly developed

It has not rained in six months….

… but there is water in the vernal pool

Joe Morris’ job description: ‘manager of relationships’

The vernal pool is covered in green plants with fresh growth

Room for butterflies and other pollinators

Salt grasses

The ground underneath is wet

“The land needs cattle more than we need meat”

Pelican fly past near Pescadero

Entrance to the ranch

Dakota Glueck, rancher and cattle coordinator at TomKat

One acre bale grazing trial

Energy for the hot wire

High stocking density for one month

All looking good today

Grassfed beef is nutrient dense and healthy

To get animals to slaughter Glueck drives through downtown SF

Scrub

Controlled burn…

… with Cal Fire in charge

‘safety strips’ were mowed and grazed hard

Ash ‘seals’ the ground, preventing water infiltration

Hayley Strohm, the farm’s Regenerative Coordinator

What you need for a water infiltration test

Strohm is happy, water infiltrates fast when the soil is good

At TomKat everything gets mapped and monitored

Next to the TomKat Ranch office…

…no hummingbird feeder needed

London Cowgirl

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