By Brian Wahlbrink, almond farmer
Special to The Sacramento Bee
Of all the issues that have crossed Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk during his first 100 days in office, water might very well be the most complex. How the state manages this precious resource is an urgent concern for residents, businesses, environmentalists and the agricultural sector.
I am an almond grower from Merced County, and we in the California almond community are all rooting for the governor, his fellow policymakers and regulators to succeed in finding viable solutions and common ground.
One of the biggest impediments to progress for far too long has been that those four constituencies – residents, businesses, environmentalists and agriculture – have been cast as antagonists whose interests are exclusive from each other. It doesn’t have to be that way. People don’t always fit into isolated boxes. The California almond industry, for example, is one big community made up of all four of those constituencies – and we’ve shown that it’s possible to make advances in responsible water use. Read Brian's full op-ed here.
Watch the short video below to find out more about almond farmers’ commitment to responsible water use.
