From the Fields - Brandon Fawaz

By Brandon Fawaz, Siskiyou County farmer

We’re not seeing near the water here that the rest of the state has seen. What we are getting is going to the ocean and some soaking in. We are experiencing what feels like a lot of rain, but realistically, it is probably somewhat close to a normal year that we would have received years ago. Right now, we have a lot of water going to the ocean and not staying around for beneficial uses, whether it is for agriculture or anything later in the season.

Because our river system was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers to effectively drain Scott Valley because Scott Valley used to be wet and marshy, engineers made changes in the river so that it would drain, and the system is doing a good job draining. On the north end of the valley, even though we’ve had good rain, we’re still not seeing any of the creeks run yet.

Farmers are looking now to start locking in fertilizer for the upcoming season. The fertilizer market has taken a dip, maybe not as large as some hoped, but it is time to start moving forward. There’s a lot of decisions to be made on what type of crops we’re going to plant, and for some, this will be balanced a little bit with seed availability. There is limited seed availability for cereal grains, which is what we use for a rotation crop. I suspect the lack of seed is because of the water restrictions and pressure on other parts of the state.

We had reduced crop yield due to water restrictions last summer, but the price on our hay has been strong, so farmers are optimistic going into the new year. Anytime you have rain happening and a decent commodity price, it’s a good feeling.