Fall 1995 (v7n4)
	RCDs Total Resource Management Outreach by Stephanie McGovern, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts In January of 1994, the California Association of Resource Conservation Districts received a $1.7 million Challenge Grant from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation to perform a three-year Total Resource Management Outreach Project. This ongoing project, called Farmers for Agricultural Resource Management (FARM), combines aspects of on-farm management at approximately 30 demonstration farms in five regions throughout California. A site manager has been chosen in each region to oversee the farms in the area. Some of the resources that will be integrated include agronomy, biology, drainage, energy, water and farm management. The goals of the project are to demonstrate total resource management on farms and to disseminate the results to California farmers and their non-agricultural neighbors. Growers who practice TRM consider the connectivity of resources and their impacts on many aspects of the farming operation. These total resource managers put seemingly external factors such as soil health, biodiversity, ecology, air quality and water quality on a similar priority as more direct aspects of farm profitability such as pest management costs, crop yield and crop quality. Total resource managers tend to examine the far reaching cause and effect of different farming practices, and therefore often exhibit somewhat of an experimental approach to parts of the farming operation. "This project is allowing farmers to test innovative practices and document what works and what doesn't. The grant helps pay for a team of specialists who analyze the innovations and reduce the risk to the grower's livelihood. These pioneer farmers are building a future model that encourages others to use sustainable and environmentally friendly farming practices," says Julie Spezia, executive director, California Association of Resource Conservation Districts. The demonstration activities are designed to consider many different aspects of resource management through an iterative process of assessment, recommendation, implementation and evaluation. The cooperating districts were given flexibility to recruit growers and design their specific project approach within the given broad guidelines. Below is a summary of each district's activities: Cachuma Resource Conservation District (CRCD) The CRCD, located in San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties, is the most recent cooperator to join the FARM Project. The RCD encompasses a service area of almost two million acres in San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara and Kern counties. The region is extremely diverse in climate, topography, agriculture, recreational opportunities and socioeconomic structure. This diversity is best reflected in five major ecological zones. These zones range from arid regions in the interior through the mountains and foothills, to a Mediterranean-like climate in the coastal regions. Topography ranges from sea level to 6,828 feet. Precipitation is largely in the form of rain, but snowfall is common at the higher elevations. Rainfall ranges from five inches in Cuyama Valley to over 40 inches in the mountains. The diversity in growing conditions supports a wide range of crops and horticultural products. Major crops include avocados, lemons, strawberries, winegrapes, apples, broccoli, lettuce, cauliflower, carrots, beans, flower and vegetable seed and cut flowers. All of the major crops are irrigated. Collectively there are about 125,000 acres of irrigated cropland. In the CRCD service area the most critical resource issues are water quality and quantity, soil erosion and the resultant sedimentation, and urban/agricultural interface problems. In addressing these concerns there are numerous environmental and human resource issues which must also be considered. Sensitive plants, animals, and their habitats must be taken into account, and farm management practices must be closely monitored for their effect on air and water quality. The CRCD has an existing Mobile Lab team which provides traditional hydraulic evaluations and scheduling assistance for irrigators. It has also developed a software program which enables growers to automate irrigation scheduling. In addition, the team also includes an analysis of certain chemical properties in the water source, and recommends management changes when they are required. The CRCD will soon start a joint venture project with the UC Cooperative Extension to measure nitrate-nitrogen bound in organic material incorporated into the soil under intensive farming conditions. The CRCD also maintains one of the most effective soil erosion control programs in the state. Kings River Conservation District (KRCD) There is nothing in the world quite like the Kings River. The magnificent mountain country in which the river begins is among the Earth's most rugged and spectacular. What water from the Kings has created on the land is equally remarkable, a garden of nearly 1.1 million acres which today is one of the most fertile and productive agricultural regions in the world. It is a living lesson in the value of water in a land of little rain. No resource is more precious to the hundreds of thousands of people who live and work in portions of Fresno, Kings and Tulare counties watered by the Kings. Today faced with enormous population growth and increased environmental concerns, entirely new challenges are confronting the Kings River's diverse interests. KRCD is striving to integrate all of the target resources on its demonstration farms. To date, it has extended the greatest effort in water management, energy management, agronomy, integrated pest management, and biology. "The goal of the project is to demonstrate and publicize solutions to farming problems that are practical, economical and healthy to the environment and farming over the long haul," says John Weddington, KRCD's project manager. KRCD is currently working with four family-owned farms that range in size from 28 to several hundred acres and include table grapes, citrus, almonds and stonefruits. The growers were chosen based on their interest in the objectives of the program and their seemingly progressive natures. All four cooperating growers aspire to reduce dependence on fossil fuel and agricultural chemicals, but approach their aspirations in different ways. Some of the practices implemented to date include irrigation scheduling, pump rehabilitation, cover crops, IPM monitoring and releases, and installation of owl boxes. Pond Shafter Wasco Resource Conservation District (PSWRCD) The PSWRCD is notable for its successful Mobile Irrigation Laboratory program, which has been providing irrigation management support to growers in Kern County for several years. More recently Kern County growers have been confronted with reduced water supplies, increased water prices and intense pressure from regulatory agencies to alter chemical use and avoid impacts to endangered species habitat. Because many farming changes have been thrust upon area growers, PSWRCD has advanced delicately in its pursuit of integrated resource management by focusing on the growers' primary resource concerns and constantly looking for opportunities to introduce other technologies. "We want to look at all aspects of farming and offer our growers some expert recommendations on how to improve the overall efficiency of their farm," says Brian Hockett, PSWRCD's project manager. The almond producers in the PSWRCD program include a 300 acre family farm, a 2,100 acre partnership and a 15,000 acre corporation. Each of the four sites has a different irrigation method, including two types of micro-sprinklers, border strip and undertree impact sprinklers. Over the three-year time span, workshops will be held for other farmers to learn results from the study. A public outreach program will also be implemented in order to inform urban residents of the value of maximizing resources in agriculture. West Stanislaus Resource Conservation District (WSRCD) The West Stanislaus RCD and its cooperators on over 30 farms are incorporating ways to support and improve California's Central Valley. Irrigation of this area has transformed the environment of a once semi-arid valley into a thriving agricultural garden. "Water not only enables growers to cultivate many crops, it also supports the economy of many agriculture-related industries and provides the general population with an abundance of economical, high quality food and fiber," states Keith Azevedo, project manager from the WSRCD. Unfortunately, the primary source of sediment reaching the San Joaquin River comes from eroded soil on furrow irrigated cropland. Much of this sediment comes from the West Stanislaus Area. Often this sediment is polluted with agricultural chemicals that could impair domestic, industrial, recreation and fish and wildlife water uses. The contaminated water can be toxic to animals and humans alike. Based on 16 years of past efforts, the focus of the WSRCD has been to improve the quality of surface runoff entering the San Joaquin River. Given the reduced availability of water, mandates to reduce nutrient and pesticide use, urban expansion into agricultural areas and interest to improve wildlife habitat, the WSRCD and many cooperators will demonstrate new techniques of using existing practices to manage water, energy, chemical and biological resources within a profitable farm setting. Yolo County Resource Conservation District (YCRCD) The YCRCD has been active for several years in a variety of projects, the most notable of which involve increasing levels of biodiversity in agricultural settings. Its cooperators have introduced native grasses to roadsides, field edges and canal banks, which also serve as habitat for beneficial insects. They have installed irrigation and runoff detention ponds which provide plant and animal habitat, and they have helped introduce new rice production practices that increase waterfowl habitat and reduce agricultural burning. The primary focus of YCRD's program is the integration of resources, with special attention being paid to biological and farm management resources. The influence of previous efforts to increase biodiversity are evident in many of the practices that are being considered such as cover crops, tailwater ponds and release of beneficial insects. "We are trying to show growers how to handle a wide range of conservation questions rather than simply addressing water or erosion," says Rich Engel, YCRCD's project manager. "Our model farm program will show producers how they can set up their practices to preserve all resources like soils, energy, water and air while farming their operations efficiently, reducing pesticide use and preserving wildlife habitat." In addition to their current work on demonstration farms, the YCRCD FARM team is also focusing on developing an integrated resource method that will outlive the current FARM project. By refining the NRCS model for local conditions, the District is attempting to develop a streamlined way of assessing, recommending, implementing and reassessing sustainable agricultural practices. The seven selected farms include a vineyard, walnut orchard, hay operation (alfalfa and oats), two cattle operations and two field crop operations (tomatoes, wheat, corn, etc.). Farm sizes range from a relatively small orchard to 9,000 acres of rangeland. In addition to the wide variety of crops, the selected growers also represent a variety of farming approaches, from fairly conventional to a grower that is considering conversion to organic status. "We will not be looking strictly at the management of conventional resources, but at the attitude of the farmer and whether he or she is inclined to continue to risk capital on these practices after the program ends. There is a lot of pressure on farmers to have fields that look good to their neighbors. We'll be asking how these growers feel about seeing a few weeds out there," Engel says. For further information regarding the FARM project please contact Stephanie McGovern at (916) 447-7237. [ Back | Search | Feedback ]