UPDATE: DROUGHT WEBINARS
Recordings and resources from our two-part webinar series on coping with drought are now available here.
SEMINARIOS WEB SOBRE LA SEQUÍA
Hay grabaciónes y recursos aquí de nuestros dos seminarios en línea sobre la sequía.
California is home to some of the most variable rainfall in the United States. Wide swings from year to year are not uncommon, and as our climate continues to change, the extremes of flood and drought are predicted to get worse. This page includes resources for coping with a drought emergency and building your own resilience in the face of future droughts.
Livestock Operations
- English y Español: 2021 Webinar on livestock practices during drought / Seminario en web sobre la sequía y prácticas para las lecherías, ganaderías y pastizales
- English including "questions and answers"
- Español incluye "preguntas y respuestas"
- University of California's Institute for Water Resources "Drought Tip" series. Includes titles like:
- "Drought Strategies for Beef Culling"
- "Supplemental Feeds for Cattle Operations During Drought"
- Livestock Management During Drought - UCANR Rangeland Management Series
- UCCE Sonoma County Drought Resources page. Includes links like:
- Drought Management Strategies (presentation)
- Drought Strategies for Livestock & Range Management
- Drought Assistance Programs & Resources - NCAT-ATTRA
- FACTSHEET - Rainfall Capture and Storage for Marin Agriculture
- Avoiding Nitrate Toxicity in Forage During Drought, UC Small Grains Blog
Vegetable/Fruit Operations
- English y Español: 2021 Webinar on practices during drought for vegetable and crop production / Seminario en web sobre la sequía y prácticas para los cultivos y huertos
- English including "questions and answers"
- Español incluye "preguntas y respuestas"
- University of California's Institute for Water Resources "Drought Tip" series. Includes titles like:
- "Drought Tips for Vegetable Production"
- "Irrigating Citrus with Limited Water"
- "Keeping Plants Alive Under Drought or Water Restrictions"
- Water & Drought Online Seminar Series. Includes videos like:
- "Managing Deficit Irrigation"
- "Water-Use-Efficient Tillage, Residue and Irrigation Management"
- "Surface Irrigation Management Under Drought"
- UCCE Sonoma County Drought Resources page. Includes links like:
- "Farming in Drought Conditions" (video series)
- "Dealing with Drought" (presentation)
- Drought Tip: Field Irrigation Management Water Management in a Nutshell - UCANR
- Irrigation Scheduling of Surface-Irrigated Crops During a Drought - UC Davis
- Water Balance Irrigating Scheduling Using CIMIS EtO - UC Davis
- Irrigation for Wheat & Small Grains in a Drought - UCANR Small Grains Blog
- Managing Soil & Irrigation for Drought (webinar) - NCAT-ATTRA
- Drought-Resistant Soil factsheet - NCAT-ATTRA
- Drought Assistance Programs & Resources - NCAT-ATTRA
- FACTSHEET - Rainfall Capture and Storage for Marin Agriculture
- Dryfarming Benefits & Methodology (lots of links) - CA Ag Water Stewardship Initiative
- Irrigation Management Resources (lots of links) - CA Ag Water Stewardship Initiative
- Drought-Proofing Your Farm Checklist - EcoFarm Conference, 2010
- Oregon State University Dry Farming Resource Page. Includes tons of links including variety trails and other documents like:
- "Evaluate Your Site for Dry Farm Potential"
- "Innovations in Dryland Farming"
- "Common Misconceptions and Key Points About Dry Farming"
- Track and compare your precipitation and temperature over the years, UC Agronomy Research & Info Center Weather Web-Tool
- Water-Smart Farming, Presentation by Keith Ables, Sonoma County RCD, at CAFF Webinar, 4/19/2021
- "Dry Farming on the Central Coast" Primer on dry farming practices, Jim Leap, CASFS Curriculum Manual, 2019
- Irrigation & Nitrogen Management Trainings (including self-study videos on irrigation calculation) - CDFA FREP
Financial Assistance
- English y Espanol: 2021 Webinar on financial assistance during drought / Seminario en web sobre la sequía y programas de financiamiento y ayuda
- English including "questions and answers"
- Español incluye "preguntas y respuestas"
- USDA Disaster Assistance Discovery Tool: 5 questions to identify whether and what you might be eligible for
- See also Farm Service Agency (FSA) program for livestock feed losses and replacement costs - Livestock Forage Program
- See also Farm Service Agency (FSA) program for expenses associated with hauling water for livestock and other losses not covered by LFP (above) - Emergency Assistance for Livestock, Honeybees and Farm-Raised Fish Program (NEW FOR 2021: includes aquaculture)
- FSA Emergency Farm Loan Program: During times of declared disaster, including drought
- Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) DRAWS Program: 85% reimbursement up to $15,000 on water projects for all West Marin ranches.
- Marin County Department of Ag, Weights & Measures Drought Relief Fund for Dairies: Cost-sharing for some water-hauling expenses not covered by FSA ELAP Program. Email Ag Commissioner, Stefan Parnay at SParnay@marincounty.org or call 415-473-3217
Resource Organizations
Who else can help? Quién más puede asistirme?
This document - in both English y Español - identifies the local organizations that support Marin farms and ranches during drought and the kind of assistance they can provide.
Hay organizaciónes regionales que asisten los ranchos de Marin con la sequía. Haga clic en "Español" abajo para descubrir estas organizaciónes y la ayuda que pueden compartirle.
This includes organizations such as:
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT)
- Drought Resilience & Water Security (DRAWS) Program - funding for conservation-related water development and accessibility projects
- Stewardship Assistance Program (SAP) to fund soil and water improvement projects
- Technical assistance with CDFA Healthy Soils applications
Marin County Department of Agriculture, Weights and Measures
- Coordinate logistics and funding for local relief efforts - email Sparnay@marincounty.org for information on water-hauling
- Organize County agencies, local/state legislators for additional assistance
- Collect data to support drought declarations, relief funding
Marin Resource Conservation District (RCD)
- Technical assistance with engineering for water projects
- Technical assistance with CDFA Healthy Soils applications
- Advocacy and communication to members about what resources are available
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - Sonoma/Marin
- Technical assistance with drought management projects
- EQIP grants to fund water projects including livestock water and expansion of water systems
USDA Farm Service Agency (FSA) - Sonoma/Marin
- Low-interest Disaster Loans
- Payments for water hauling and forage losses on livestock operations
- Crop insurance is available for operations that signed up previously
UC Cooperative Extension - Sonoma County
- Technical assistance for producers filing for disaster relief and drought resilience grants like CDFA's Healthy Soils Program
- Outreach and education: Drought Resources Page
- Data collection to support drought declarations, relief funding
- Matchgraze.com to increase potential grazing acreage for producers
California Department of Food & Agriculture
- Links to relief funding programs like USDA and FSA
OTHER USEFUL LINKS: