Comments on: Switch to almond farming hits water policy https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/ Wed, 25 Mar 2015 06:23:01 +0000 hourly 1 By: Ian Random https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/#comment-91975 Thu, 21 Aug 2014 20:10:16 +0000 http://calwatchdog.com/?p=66751#comment-91975 Why not cut the excess trees?

“… Helen Poulos, a fire ecologist at Wesleyan University and I have estimated, conservatively, that excess trees in the 7.5 million acres of Sierra Nevada conifer forest are responsible for the loss of 58 billion liters per day, or 17 million acre feet of water per year. That’s more than enough water to meet the needs of every Californian for a year.”

http://www.edf.org/blog/2013/05/22/if-12-trees-are-good-are-100-trees-really-better

]]> By: Wayne Lusvardi https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/#comment-91671 Mon, 18 Aug 2014 23:17:45 +0000 http://calwatchdog.com/?p=66751#comment-91671 Ken
Thanks for the correction. Apparently I relied on wrong sources and will know next time to contact your board.

WL

]]> By: Ken https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/#comment-91300 Fri, 15 Aug 2014 21:18:42 +0000 http://calwatchdog.com/?p=66751#comment-91300 Your first sentence “California rice farmers are shifting to growing higher-priced almonds, whose acreage jumped by more than 50 percent last year, to offset the high price of water during the drought.” is so far from the truth that I debated not even reading the rest of the article. If you get your facts straight, you will be much more persuasive. Here is the truth on how many acres of almonds are planted and added each year.

http://www.almondboard.com/Growers/Documents/2014%20NASS%20Nursery%20Survey.pdf

Bearing Almond acreage increased a little more than 2% last year and total acreage including non-bearing less than that.

You are right, almonds need water to grow, but compare the 1gal per gram of almonds figure to almond figure with the resources needed to grow 1 g of beef(both protein), and you’ll see almonds are a very efficient way to prodcue protein.

On the positive side, I agree that we need to get a handle on groundwater or we’ll be killing the Goose that laid the goldne egg here in Californias central valley.

]]> By: californianative https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/#comment-91129 Wed, 13 Aug 2014 18:36:32 +0000 http://calwatchdog.com/?p=66751#comment-91129 California, largest exporter of vegetable fruits and nuts, and the largest importer of human fruits and nuts!

]]> By: jerrybrown https://calwatchdog.com/2014/08/12/switch-to-almond-farming-hits-water-policy/#comment-91060 Wed, 13 Aug 2014 01:18:45 +0000 http://calwatchdog.com/?p=66751#comment-91060 Let’s stop growing almonds, and increase the population by 75 percent with undocumented.

]]>