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On January 22, 2025, university, agency, and industry water experts gathered in Albuquerque, NM, to discuss groundwater and agriculture. The University of California-Davis Agricultural Water Center hosted its 3rd Annual USDA/UC-Davis Project Symposium, Southwest Groundwater and Sustainable Agricultural Systems, which reported on research carried out within the multi-university project.

Visit the link below to listen to the podcast:

1/3/25 - MyAgLife Episode 244: Interview with UC Davis' Srinivasa Rao Peddinti on Precision Ag for Water Management by MyAgLife

Crop water use refers to the amount of water that is lost from vegetation, soil and other surfaces to the atmosphere through evapotranspiration. In this process, the liquid water is released as water vapor. Once it rises into the atmosphere, it becomes invisible, mixes in all directions, thus evading our ability to manage it.

Water management is becoming more challenging with increases in both very dry and very wet years — often back-to-back. This dry-wet-dry “weather whiplash” can be especially challenging to manage in perennial crops like nuts and wine grapes. One emerging strategy and philosophy for coping with weather whiplash is regenerative agriculture.

Extreme weather spurred by climate change, including droughts and heavy rains, may increase the risk of nitrates from fertilizers ending up in groundwater, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of California, Davis. The study found heavy rains after a drought caused nitrates to seep 33 feet under farm fields in as little as 10 days.

Anew report from the University of Arizona looks at the challenges that a drying climate poses to agriculture, particularly in arid places such as Arizona. The Future of Agriculture and Food Production in a Drying Climate makes wide-ranging recommendations to help agriculture adapt to an uncertain future, including developing new drought-tolerant crops, improving soil moisture retention, and expanding partnerships with tribal farmers.

Arizona is one of the fastest-growing states in the U.S., with an economy that offers many opportunities for workers and businesses. But it faces a daunting challenge: a water crisis that could seriously constrain its economic growth and vitality.

On a warm February afternoon, Kirk Pumphrey walks down his rows of almond trees at Westwind Farms in Yolo County. He notices the buds on the branches have already sprouted pink. It worries him. The earlier the trees bloom, the more likely winter frost will damage the nuts. Early blooms are occurring more often as higher temperatures from climate change stimulate plant growth.