agriculture News

California Drought Deepening as Wet Season is Anything But

California is experiencing one of the driest starts to spring in decades, data showed Friday, and absent a heavy dose of April and May showers the state’s drought will deepen and that could lead to stricter rules on water use …

5th Oregon County Declares Drought Emergency

Low water storage and snowpack levels in southern Oregon have prompted a fifth Oregon county to declare a drought emergency. Oregon Public Broadcasting reports Jackson County commissioners made the drought declaration, which follows declarations by Klamath, Jefferson, Morrow and Crook …

California Imposes New Round of Water Cuts to Deal with Severe Drought

California’s urban water users and farmers who rely on supplies from state reservoirs will get less than planned this year as fears of a third consecutive dry year become reality, state officials announced. Water agencies that serve 27 million people …

Chemical Analysis Shows Effects of Wildfire Smoke on Grapes and Wines in Western U.S.

NEWSWISE – As wildfire season in the West grows in length and severity, it is taking a toll on the wine industry through the effects of wildfire smoke on the quality of wine grapes. Volatile compounds in the smoke from …

Climate Experts Say Much of Northwest May Stay Drought-Stricken

Climate experts from Oregon, Washington and Idaho say most of the Northwest remains locked in drought and that the region is unlikely to get enough rainfall to end drought conditions. Britt Parker, regional drought information coordinator for the National Oceanic …

Commercial Farm Coverage Now Available Through California FAIR Plan

The California FAIR Plan on Tuesday began offering basic property insurance for farmers unable to obtain coverage from traditional insurance carriers. The new coverage fills a gap in California’s insurance marketplace as more farmers experienced policy nonrenewals due to increasing …

New Mexico Should Brace For Worsening Drought, Forecasters Say

The last three months have been very dry in New Mexico and it’s only going to get worse. That’s the word from forecasters with the National Weather Service and other climate experts in the state. They said during a meeting …

California Labor Shortage Compounding Complex Agriculture Landscape for Insurance Pros

The labor shortage in California has hit the agriculture industry particularly hard, creating a tougher environment all around – including for insurance professionals who deal in that sector. The lack of labor in the Golden State’s agriculture industry further compounds …

California Still in Deep Drought Despite Big Storm

The deluge California received from a powerful atmospheric river made streams and waterfalls come alive while coating mountains with snow, but as the storm headed east to the Plains on Tuesday it left the Golden State still deep in drought. …

Climate Change Makes Drought Recovery Tougher in Western U.S.

Californians rejoiced this week when big drops of water started falling from the sky for the first time in any measurable way since the spring, an annual soaking that heralds the start of the rainy season following some of the …