Special Report

CDFA offers drought assistance

The State of California continues to work on ways to save water as they suffer through a fourth year of drought.  The California Department of Food and Agriculture is accepting applications for a second round of State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) funding.  Farmers can get financial assistance to install systems which save water and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.  The money can be used for a wide range of irrigation-related projects which reduce water and energy use.

Apparently the drought has not hurt California milk production that much; the latest numbers from USDA put September milk production in the Golden State at 3.3 billion pounds up 2.9 percent from a year ago and production per cow is up 55 pounds.  Milk production for the July-through-September quarter is up 2.9 percent as well compared to a year ago.