Drought in Sonoma County

Strategies for Drought in Sonoma County

• Livestock & Range Management drought strategies
   
• Match.Graze find livestock or land to graze
   
• Master Gardeners for home gardeners
   
• Specialty Crops - Farming in Drought Conditions video series
   
• Vineyards irrigation strategies

CA Water Boards and Russian River Watershed Diversions

• Draft: Article 24.Curtailment of Diversions to Protect Water Supplies and Threatened and Endangered Fish in the Russian River Watershed
• Water Boards Drought Information and Updates  
• Subscribe to updates – scroll down to Water Rights, click on Russian River Drought.

Drought Resources for Sonoma & Marin Counties

• Drought Resources - English
• Recursos de Sequía - en Español

June 2021 - North Bay Drought Webinar: Drought Resilience

• Webinar recordings - click on video then click on YouTube to view full screen:

  Crops & Orchards	Dairy, Livestock and Rangeland

May 2021 - North Bay Drought Webinar: Actions to Take Now

• Q&A from webinar - English
• Preguntas y respuestas - en Español
• Webinar recordings - click on video then click on YouTube to view full screen:

  Crops & Orchards	Funding and Relief Programs	Dairy, Livestock and Rangeland
  Cultivos y huertos	Programas de financiamiento y ayuda	Lechería, ganadería y pastizales

• California Institute for Water Resources: California Drought Resources covering topics including row crops, permanent crops, livestock, rangeland, and gardening.
• Drought Publications for agriculture production, natural resources and home gardening.
• Managing for Drought by UC Davis Rangeland Watershed Laboratory
• Press Kit for Drought for media
• *NEW* Targeted wintertime flooding on ag fields could improve the water supply for rural Californians. Interactive map that identifies 3.6 million acres of California farmland with the best potential for replenishing the aquifer based on soil type, land use, topography and other factors. 
• UCCE Marin Drought Management resources.

California Department of Food & Agriculture (CDFA) - Drought Resources for farmers, rangers and farm workers. Includes grant information.

California Agricultural Water Stewardship Initiative (CAWSI) viable approaches to ag water management.

California Water Boards - FAQs about water rights, pre-1914 appropriative water rights, obtaining water right permit, rainwater harvest, stockponds and more.

Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies Drought Research. University of Nebraska Institute of ANR.

National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service - Drought Programs & Resources. The support programs and resources included in this publication are geared specifically to the California drought, but do contain links and information to national resources good for the whole country.

Resource Conservation District's: the RCD's work with landowners on a variety of land and water resource management issues:

• Gold Ridge RCD
• Sonoma RCD

Water Stewardship for agriculture with California Agriculture Water Stewardship Initiative.

USDA programs for drought relief:

• Farm Service Agency Disaster Assistance Programs
  Email: lisa.velasquez@ca.usda.gov, ana.medina@usda.gov
  Phone:(707) 794-1242
• NRCS - Natural Resource Conservation Service
  EQIP Environmental Quality Incentives Program for long term solutions
  Email: andrew.loganbill@usda.gov; kristan.norman@usda.gov 
  Phone: (707) 794-1242

U.S. Drought Monitor map released every Thursday. Many relief agencies use this map to determine the programs they will offer.

• Drought Survey Results by Tony Linegar, Sonoma County Agricultural Commissioner 
• Emergency Watershed Protection Program (EWP) by John Harrington, USDA-NRCS
• Livestock & Range Management: Drought Management Strategies  by Stephanie Larson, Livestock & Range Management Advisor for UCCE Sonoma and Marin Counties
• Specialty Crops & Orchards by Paul Vossen, UCCE Specialty Crop Farm Advisor 
• Vineyard Irrigation with a Limited Supply of Water by Glenn McGourty, Viticulture Advisor for UCCE Mendocino and Lake Counties
• What's Your Drought Vulnerability? Surviving the Drought of 2012-2014 Surviving the Drought of 2012-14 by Jay Jasperse, Chief Engineer for Sonoma County Water Agency
• Winery Water Conservation by John Nagle, Environmental Manager for E&J Gallo Winery

As the effects of California's historic drought continue to persist, farmers and ranchers of all experience levels are looking for better ways to prepare for the future. FarmsReach created a Water & Drought Management Series:

• 
  American Farm Trust’s Outstanding Leaders in Drought Management
• Livestock Strategies To Withstand A Drought: Options & Tips from Flying Mule Farm
• Practical Tools & Resources ~ FarmsReach Water & Irrigation Toolkit!
• Checklist to Drought-Proof Your Farm
• Drought Adjustment Strategies from Mendocino Organics
• Understanding Groundwater Management ~ Tips from UCCE Advisor, Allan Fulton
• Managing Energy & Lowering Costs with Irrigation ~ Tips from Derek Moffitt, Farmer and Rain Bird Sales manager
• Drought Effects & Tips from Lonewillow Ranch goat dairy in Firebaugh, CA