water crisis

[BUD man]

Anybody watch KVIE tonight, Fresno County farmers and water districts talking about the water "crises". They get tv access and we get radio and internet. One farmer said that on a normal year his almonds produce 3500 pounds per acre at $3.50 a pound and he has 320 acres, do the math. Even if the price is down at $2.00 a pound still a s#!t load. That is only 1 farmer! They talk about the jobs being lost in ag, didnt mention that they would put people out of business in the Central Valley/ Delta region to benefit themselves. i.e marinas and tackle shops that depend on bass fisherman and pleasure boaters to survive.

[Andy Giannini]

I did not see it, but just because you can multiply, it doesn't mean you know his actual cost of business, or to be more exact what profit margins it takes for him to be in business and provide service or goods.

People make errors assuming what profit margins are or could be.

I know, I farmed for more than 20 years.

Did not make too much, and I have the records to prove it.

Former Nor Cal 700 acre operation.

A.G.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Dang AG, I didn't realize you were a farm boy, I always thought you were a city kid..Just kidding..You are right 700 acres isn't a lot, but it sure can run up costs trying to get a crop off of it..I remember on our farm as a kid, it was most often boom or bust, with bust being the most common..Most years we would have been thankful to break even..Of course that was back in Texas and we didn't irragate..If you threw in the cost of irragation, it would have been bust every year..

mac

[mark poulson]

Water is the key to our economy.
Why does establishing a stable water supply system, like pumping water from the Mississippi to the Colorado River system at Lake Powell, so all the desert Southwest can have water, seem so hard to do?
If we can pump oil from Alaska, we can pump water from the Mississippi.

[Ringer]

Seems simple but the Colorado is 100% tapped out and when you try to build pipelines to the Mississippi or Columbia you run into the problem of getting permission from the locals to take their water.

[Barry Watson]

Where I am from, in North Central Texas, we would "Plant and Pray" If it did rain when you needed it, then a tornado would come along and wipe out your wheat and oats. When my relatives would come out to Calif. for a visit, we would go out to the rice fields just so they could watch the water being pumped into the checks. My father in law would just shake his head and say, " Boy oh Boy, look at that.

Most years you did not make anything but expenses, in good years you made enough to put some away for the bad years.

I do not miss shoveling oats and wheat though.

Had an email this week from Texas and some of my favorite small lakes are just about dry. Looks as if all the fish will be lost as they have no way of bringing in water like they can in this state.

[Barry Watson]

Where I am from, in North Central Texas, we would "Plant and Pray" If it did rain when you needed it, then a tornado would come along and wipe out your wheat and oats. When my relatives would come out to Calif. for a visit, we would go out to the rice fields just so they could watch the water being pumped into the checks. My father in law would just shake his head and say, " Boy oh Boy, look at that.

Most years you did not make anything but expenses, in good years you made enough to put some away for the bad years.

I do not miss shoveling oats and wheat though.

Had an email this week from Texas and some of my favorite small lakes are just about dry. Looks as if all the fish will be lost as they have no way of bringing in water like they can in this state.