Water Management

Rethinking Nitrogen for Short-Stature Corn

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 21:43:32 GMT

Since its debut, the buzz around short-stature corn has often focused on standability—the promise of a crop that won’t fold like a lawn chair when a July windstorm sweeps across the field. But as these hybrids increasingly move from company test plots into real-world acres, farmers are discovering that standability is only one piece of the story.

In a recent deep dive into the technology, University of Minnesota Extension agronomist Jeff Coulter urged growers to look past the “miniature” aesthetic of short-stature hybrids, which are usually 7-feet tall or less (traditional hybrids are typically 9 to 12 feet).

Instead, he believes the way these new hybrids access and use nitrogen (N), other nutrients and moisture could be the key to their long-term fit on your farm.

A Different Architecture Below Ground

The most significant changes in short-stature hybrids happen where you can’t see them. Coulter says research from Purdue University found that these hybrids often feature dramatically larger and deeper root systems than traditional corn.

“[One] study found that the short-stature hybrids had 35% to 42% greater total root biomass and a deeper root system than the standard stature hybrids,” Coulter reports.

This expanded root zone acts like a web, allowing short-stature hybrids to capture more nutrients and water throughout the growing season.

Tactical Nitrogen Use

Farmers often ask Coulter if the smaller plants have lower nutrient requirements. He says the data suggests otherwise. While yields remain competitive with traditional hybrids, short-stature plants are more “tactical” with their nitrogen use.

Key research findings include:

Higher Nitrogen Harvest Index: Short-stature corn shows a 3.5% greater N harvest index, meaning more nitrogen ends up in the grain rather than in the stalks and leaves.
Late-Season Uptake: These hybrids show a 20% greater total above-ground N uptake from silking to maturity, as compared to most traditional hybrids.
Better Efficiency: Research indicates an 18.5% greater recovery efficiency of applied N fertilizer.

“If you have greater N uptake, that means potentially less residual nitrogen in the soil will be lost,” Coulter notes. This efficiency helps protect the environment by reducing nitrate leaching post-harvest.

Application Timing Is Important

Research across Illinois and Indiana suggests that short-stature hybrids respond exceptionally well to split nutrient applications.

“Compared to applying all of the N near planting, researchers found that splitting the application with half of the N at the V6 stage increased yield in 60% of the trials for the short-stature corn,” says Coulter.

Delaying that second application to V12 was less consistent, showing yield benefits in only about a quarter of the trials.

For upper Midwest corn growers, a base nutrient rate at planting followed by a substantial in-season application around V6 appears to be the strongest strategy.

Despite the smaller stature of these new hybrids, Coulter warns against cutting nutrient rates, especially N. Total nutrient demand is driven by plant population and yield, not just height. Because short-stature corn is usually planted at higher populations (40,000 to 50,000-plus plants per acre), the total N, phosphorus, and potassium needs may actually be slightly higher than in traditional systems.

Three Tips for Managing Short-Stature Corn

Maintain Your Rates: Do not reduce N applications based on plant size; short-stature hybrids’ larger root systems and higher populations require full fertility.
Prioritize V6: Use some base level of nutrients at or around planting. Aim for an in-season application around the V6 growth stage to maximize yield response.
Run Strip Trials: Use the crop’s shorter height to your advantage by running ground-based trials to compare different rates and timings on your own fields.

Coulter stresses that short-stature corn is still in the early stages of use and needs more research. That future work includes refining economic optimum nitrogen rates for short-stature hybrids at different populations and row spacings, understanding their response to starter fertilizers, and quantifying phosphorus and potassium use in the new architecture.

In the meantime, short-stature corn offers farmers a compelling combination: strong yield potential, improved standability, a more efficient root system, and the management flexibility to deliver nitrogen later and in ways that can benefit both profitability and environmental stewardship.

Coulter addressed the nutrient needs of short-stature corn, along with other agronomic insights, during the 18th Annual Nutrient Management Conference in Mankato, Minn. You can watch his presentation via YouTube here .

5 Water Trends to Watch in 2026

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 14:46:12 GMT

The “everything old is new again” proverb will be at play in 2026 when it comes to water trends irrigators need to know in the new year.

The Packer sat down with Melissa Lilze — who, as of Jan. 1, became senior vice president of Netafim North America, the top position for Netafim in North America, and the first woman to lead Netafim’s North America division — on the top water trends coming in 2026. Several are long-running themes from years past that will continue to dominate in the new year. Others, however, are new and potentially novel.

No. 1: Water scarcity

This one is nothing new, but Lilze notes smart water management or “digital irrigation” that involves remote sensors, automated irrigation systems and real-time monitoring of conditions such as weather, soil moisture and crop needs — once the purview of highly techy early adopters — is increasingly mainstream in the face of ongoing water scarcity.

“Today it’s more of a necessity,” she says.

This fits with both USDA records and data from The Packer’s 2025 Grower Sustainability Insights .

According to the Census of Agriculture’s most recent few Irrigation and Water Management Surveys, the number of farms and open-field acres under irrigation using drip, trickle or micro-flow sprinklers has grown since 2008, even as farm numbers and open-field acres under irrigation have fallen.

For example, in 2008 , 43,368 farms (14.4% of 2007’s total irrigated farms) reported using these water-saving irrigation systems on 3.76 million acres (6.84% of total irrigated acres in 2008). In 2023 , the numbers had jumped to 60,160 farms (21.14% of 2022’s total irrigated farms) and 6.43 million acres (12.11% of total irrigated acres in 2023).

The Packer’s Sustainability Insights survey responses showed similar grower attention to water conservation efforts. Water efficiency was ranked as the most important sustainability issue by produce growers, and precision irrigation ranked high on the list of sustainability investments growers are making on their operations.

No. 2: Regulations and reporting requirements

Just like water scarcity is nothing new, so too is the mounting regulatory pressure because the two are so closely intertwined.

“[Ongoing water scarcity] just changes what we will see in the next few years with regulation around water use and groundwater use,” Lilze says, pointing to regulation and reporting requirements as a major water theme in 2026.

“We have increasing regulatory pressure in different farming regions. Growers must adapt to allocation limits that they’re given, especially in the western U.S.,” she says. While California and its Sustainable Groundwater Management Act come to mind when it comes to water regulations squeezing produce growers, regulations and their attendant reporting requirements can vary wildly by state, county and even by watershed.

Lilze framed digital irrigation as helpful to irrigators regardless of the regulatory situation they find themselves in because it not only helps with water conservation efforts but documents them at the same time.

“Many times the reason you have regulation is because you don’t have the data to show that you are being conservative with the water and of your resources,” she says. “I absolutely think the more information you have available to prove that you are a steward of the land, which these farmers are, I think the better situation they’re in on the front end of things.”

No. 3: Drip irrigation expanding

Lilze reports the well-known water saving strategy of drip irrigation has been expanding into new crops, something she highlights as a trend to watch. Alfalfa is an example she’s seen with Netafim.

“With an alfalfa, we’ll do an SDI system, which is a subsurface drip irrigation system, meaning we’ll actually bury the drip 10 to 12 inches underground,” she reports. Not only has this resulted in extra cuttings and increased yields, but it has management implications as well.

“You can get into the field quicker after a cutting because we’re not having to flood irrigate,” she says.

No. 4: Return of federal funds

A welcomed “new” trend in 2026 according to Lilze is the return of federal funding for conservation and sustainability improvements, including for water.

“There’s a lot of federal funding, NRCS [National Resources Conservation Service] and EQIP [Environmental Quality Incentives Program] monies, that are available typically every year. In 2025, a lot of that money got put on hold,” she says. “We just received news that the 2026 funding will be available in January, and growers will be able to apply and access those funds for smarter, more efficient irrigation systems.”

On Dec. 15, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service announced it was opening its first funding round of key conservation programs. This includes the Agricultural Conservation Easement Program, Agricultural Management Assistance, the Conservation Stewardship Program, the Environmental Quality Incentives Program, and the new Regenerative Pilot Program .

According to NRCS, growers, farmers and ranchers have until Jan. 15, 2026, to apply for the first batching period. National and State Conservation Innovation Grants will open later in the year.

“We’re really starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel with this funding coming,” Lilze says. “There’s been a lot of farmers that have benefited from this money over the years, and having it frozen last year really prevented a lot of new irrigation systems going in because [growers] need the funding to help with that initial year return.”

No. 5: New or untapped funding sources

In addition to the return of federal funding that can go to conservation irrigation efforts, Lilze points to other, potentially more novel or unexpected sources of funding for water sustainability projects as something irrigators should look for in 2026.

On the one hand, the “partnership economy” around water — basically, applying the carbon credit concept to water — is growing. Lilze pointed to Netafim’s Corporate Partnership Program as an example, explaining that they pair companies with high water usage with area farmers and growers who still use less efficient irrigation like flooding. The company helps fund the grower’s conversion to a drip irrigation system.

“So basically, we’d put in a drip irrigation system, we’d put our automation system out, and we can track water usage over that crop and over time, we can show the amount of water that’s been saved by investing in that drip irrigation system,” she says.

Other precision irrigation or ag tech companies have similar programs, such as Phytech and N-Drip. Though Lilze says Netafim has been “leading the charge” on developing these kinds of partnerships.

“We’ve been successful over the last two years in matching up these companies that have this money set aside for these sustainability practices with the farmers in the region that are trying to be more efficient in their farming.”

Lilze also recommends irrigators look at other, potentially untapped local funding sources for irrigation efficiency improvements such as state, county or watershed organizations.

For example, she notes that Utah’s Department of Agriculture has a fund specifically “to help their growers become more efficient water users.” Utah growers could receive as much as $500,000 in funding for irrigation optimization efforts. Applications for the program open on Jan. 1, 2026 and run through the end of February.

“There’s plenty of state funding moving because they want people to move away from flood to drip and conserve,” Lilze says.

Why EPA Says Farmers and Ranchers Won't Need a Lawyer to Understand the Newly Proposed WOTUS Rule

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 16:10:30 GMT

Agricultural groups have been asking for a new WOTUS rule that eliminates red tape and clears up confusion for farmers and ranchers. As EPA unveiled its latest proposed Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) rule this week , Deputy Administrator David Fotouhi says the agency’s goal was simple: clarity, consistency and fewer regulatory headaches for farmers and ranchers.

Fotouhi joined “U.S. Farm Report” for an exclusive interview to break down what this new rule means and why EPA believes it hits the mark.

A Rule He Says Brings Clarity and Certainty

Fotouhi says the agency’s top priority is eliminating uncertainty farmers have faced under previous interpretations of WOTUS.

“We really emphasize the need for farmers, ranchers and all stakeholders to have clarity in terms of how broad or narrow federal regulation of waters is in this country,” he says. “From Day 1, we start working on a proposed rule to bring that clarity and certainty to landowners across the country. On Monday, we are able to announce a proposal that is consistent with the law, that provides needed clarity on the extent of federal regulation, and that recognizes the primary jurisdiction of states and localities because they know their resources best.”

He adds that the proposal strikes what he calls a good balance.

“We think we really strike a good balance between protecting our nation’s waters and making sure farmers and ranchers can do the work that feeds Americans and produces the fuel this country relies on — without adding unnecessary regulatory burden to their day-to-day life,” he says.

EPA Says Farmers “Won’t Need a Lawyer” to Understand the New Rule

Fotouhi stresses one of EPA’s biggest priorities in rewriting WOTUS was ensuring farmers no longer need legal help just to determine whether they can work their own ground. He says the agency intentionally crafted the language to be plain, practical and rooted in the realities producers face every day.

“We take a fresh look at the Supreme Court’s direction and try to apply that in language that is easily understandable. Producers should not need a lawyer to understand how this rule applies to their property. We write it in a way that lets farmers look at their land and have a clear sense of whether federal permits are required.”

Fotouhi explains past WOTUS rules often included terminology that was vague, overly technical or open to interpretation, something EPA heard repeatedly during outreach with farm groups.

He says the agency makes a conscious effort to eliminate that ambiguity.

“We listen to farmers tell us repeatedly that the rule has to be understandable,” he says. “So instead of broad definitions that leave too much room for interpretation, we focus on concrete, workable language. We take geographic differences into account, we remove subjective criteria and we make exclusions, like the groundwater exemption, explicit so there’s no second-guessing.”

Fotouhi says that level of clarity is a direct response to years of frustration in rural America.

“We know farmers need certainty,” he says. “They need to know what they can and can’t do without waiting months for an answer. That’s why we put so much effort into making this rule clear, transparent and grounded in what the Supreme Court actually tells us to do.”

EPA Pushes Back on Claims the Proposal Overpromises

Some critics argue the agency risks overpromising. Fotouhi strongly rejects that idea.

“We take a fresh look at all the critical issues the Supreme Court lays out in the Sackett decision,” he says. “We think the previous administration does not faithfully implement that decision when they revise the rule, so we come back, reassess everything and come up with a definition that fully implements what the Court tells EPA and the Army Corps to do.”

He notes the agency made readability a priority.

“We try to apply the Court’s direction in language that is easily understandable, that takes geographic differences into account, and that doesn’t impose unnecessary burdens on farmers when they’re trying to decide if they need a permit,” he says.

Groundwater Exclusion: “We Want It Crystal Clear”

One standout change is the explicit exclusion of groundwater — language EPA says is included to eliminate confusion.

“Groundwater has never been part of the Waters of the United States, but we think it is absolutely necessary to make that exemption clear as day so there is no confusion about whether someone would need a permit for a discharge that may impact groundwater,” Fotouhi says.

He says repeated questions from stakeholders and newer case law convinced the agency to spell it out directly.

“Based on the case law that’s come out in the last few years and the general confusion we hear from stakeholders, we think it is incumbent on us to clarify this as clearly as we can,” he adds.

Final Rule Expected in Early 2026

EPA filed the proposal with the Federal Register , which means the rule’s comment period is officially underway.

“We publish the rule today, and it will be out for public comment for 45 days,” he says. “We know there is an absolute need for certainty and clarity and one nationwide standard, so we move quickly. We are hopeful that in the first few months of 2026, we can have a final rule out for the public.”

RFS: EPA Reviewing Comments, Aims for Certainty

Fotouhi also discusses EPA’s proposed Renewable Fuel Standard volumes, including record-setting biomass-based diesel levels.

“We understand how important it is to get this exactly right. From day one, Administrator Zeldin is laser-focused on ensuring the RFS strikes the right balance,” he says. “We know farmers and all stakeholders implicated by this program need certainty. We are working as quickly as we can to take final action.”

EPA’s Deregulatory Push: More Actions to Come

Fotouhi says the agency’s deregulatory actions announced earlier this year will have significant impact on agriculture.

“Reducing the cost of energy is one of our biggest focuses,” he says. “Many of the actions we identify are aimed at reducing energy prices for farmers, ranchers and manufacturers so we can reduce input costs and ultimately reduce the cost of the products they produce.”

This is evident through their efforts on WOTUS.

“The WOTUS proposal is a prime example; it’s designed to reduce unnecessary and illegal regulatory burden, and we are undertaking a score of additional actions across offices, working with USDA, the Department of Energy and the Interior Department, to identify ways to reduce input costs for agriculture,” Fotouhi says. “A thriving agricultural sector is a priority for the president, and lowering consumer prices is something we have to achieve.”

Water Witch Keeps Dowsing Tradition Alive on Nebraska Farmland

Wed, 12 Nov 2025 12:38:41 GMT

Last of the water witches? At 33 years young, Scott Hemmer walks Nebraska farmland, waiting on the soft twitch of brass rods held in his hands.

“Right here,” he says, pointing to the ground. “About a 450’ down and 1,000 gallons per minute. Drill here.”

The ancient art of water dowsing still lives in Cornhusker country. Hemmer claims the gift—an ability to sense and feel the pull of water in the bowels of the earth.

“All the old settlers who built this country and all the farmers without modern technology believed in witching, and they depended on it to survive.”

Wells, water lines, septic tanks, and forgotten graves, Hemmer witches them all. X marks the spot.

“It’s entirely real,” he contends. “Come see for yourself.”

Damn Near Spot-On
Since the first light of recorded history, dowsing has been the go-to location tool across continents and cultures. Whether using a y-shaped stick, pendulum, metal rods, wires, or a variety of other devices, dowsers have sought the underground location of liquids, minerals, dead bodies, lost valuables, and far more.

In Hemmer’s case, he uses L-shaped 1/8” brass rods—12” long with 4” handles. “From steel to copper to willow branches, people use all different kinds of dowsing rods. When I’ve had nothing else to rely on, I’ve even ripped the flag off utility markers and used the wires.”

On a clear November day in east-central Nebraska’s Platte County, Hemmer dowses a small tract of farmland in search of a replacement spot for a collapsed irrigation well that pumped 550 gallons per minute. He grips a rod in each hand, held like a pair of pistols.

“I’m not special and this is not magic,” Hemmer says. “I think most people could do it if they … tap into whatever connectivity is going on.”

(Photo by Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching)

Mop of brown hair under a boonie hat, clad in t-shirt, canvas pants, and steel-toe Timberlands, he crosses to the far side of the field as the rods repeatedly move inward. No big show. No dramatic gestures. No performance. Just the gentle crossing of the rods—the telltale sign of water in proximity.

Hemmer confidently informs the farmer: “This spot will pump 1,000-1,200 gallons per minute.”

“Impossible. I was only getting 500-plus on the other side.”

“It’s here,” Hemmer responds. “Bout 265’ down.”

Banking on Hemmer’s reading, the farmer prepares to drill.

Days later, Hemmer’s phone rings: “You’re damn near spot-on. We hit water at 270’, pumping around 1,250 gallons per minute.”

Blind luck? Power of suggestion? Science? The unseen hand? Untapped senses?

How did a Nebraska dowser, with no family background in witching, find the gift?

No Harm, No Foul
In 2015, riding shotgun across endless Nebraska flats in a Dodge Ram 5500 service truck, Hemmer was a willing hostage to conversation. Behind the wheel, 81-year-old Gilbert Preister, Hemmer’s co-worker and founder of Preister Well & Backhoe, rattled off tales of the trade, each story layered with rabbit trails.

Hemmer, 33, dowsing in Platte County.

(Photo by Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching)

“Gilbert would tell me stories about drilling on farms and hitting nothing and having to get a water witch instead. He had wells that were drilled strictly on the word of witcher Ervin Dohmen, and Gilbert believed in it, but he couldn’t explain it. I’d heard of witching before Gilbert, but knew nothing about it. Sounded like nonsense to me, but riding in the cab made me wonder if there might be anything to it.”

“I’d talk to our customers and they’d tell me that prior to drilling their wells back in the 1980s or 1990s, those wells had first been witched. I kept thinking about it.”

Intrigue sparked, 25-year-old Hemmer dove into dowsing research after hours. No family, friends, or fellow dowsers for help. Alone, he fashioned rods and walked sites around his rural home spots already confirmed to hold water. The rods spoke.

At work, Hemmer’s successful back yard experiments blossomed. “One day we were looking for a waterline, and the customer said, ‘It’s right here.’ But the customer turned out to be wrong and we dug for an hour looking for the line.”

Curiosity building, Hemmer grabbed two flags from the service truck, shaped them into makeshift rods, and began dowsing the property. The wire rods crossed and Hemmer made his mark. “We dug right there. At 6’ down, I was within a couple inches left and right of the waterline. I started realizing I had genuine ability. This was real.”

Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching provides services in Nebraska and beyond.

(Photo by Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching)

Next step? On the job, he witched spots during drilling to see if dowsing matched actual results in the field. No harm, no foul.

“We were going to drill in those places no matter what. I started witching beforehand, making my predictions each time, with no damage to anyone. Kind of a trial to see if I could dial in.”

The result? Gangbusters. A Nebraska witcher was born. Success after success, he says.

Uncanny. But what is the link between water, rods, and mind? How does Hemmer explain the mystery of dowsing?

Hitting the Bull’s-Eye
“I claim no scientific proof, but this has worked for centuries, and everyone has a different explanation. What I’ve slowly learned is that it’s not the tools or type of rod. It’s a mental state. Everything around us gives off some kind of frequency, almost like a radio wave.”

“I set my mind to whatever I’m looking for—water, sewer line, or grave—and my mind knows the frequency. Do it over and over, and confidence builds. You become more attuned to the things around you.”

In 2020, he started Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching as a side business, offering dowsing services in Nebraska and beyond. As his reputation built, the service call volume grew in tandem: wells, septic tanks, water lines, and settler graves.

A dowser searching for water in 1942.

(Photo public domain)

On a witching call, no special environmental conditions are required. No solitude needed. “I like to be with the customer when I’m doing it. We talk the whole time I’m working, and that keeps me from overthinking. I’m going strictly off my mind-rod connection, and noise doesn’t bother me at all.”

“The rods are my visual indicator coming off what my mind and body are picking up. It’s amazing when you get that strong pull, and you know there’s water below.”

With skeptics in abundant supply, reputation is everything. In addition to pinpointing the location of significant water, Hemmer differentiates between seepage well and deep water well. Translated: Hemmer must stay tight in the bull’s-eye.

“When I get a call from a customer four hours away, and I go on their land and witch a spot for a residential well—that means money on the line for them. It’s as serious as it gets when someone pays $10,000 to drill a hole based on my recommendation. That’s how confident I am in what I do. At the end of the day, I’ve got to come in the ballpark of 95% correct.”

The Water Prophet
The hat of a dowser casts a long shadow. As in, most practitioners are up in age. The art of dowsing may by dying, but Hemmer is the exception, still in his early thirties.

“People are welcome to ask me anything about witching and believe what they will. I’ll let the results in the field speak for themselves. Doubters really don’t bother me, because those same people don’t realize that whether they live in Nebraska or Texas or Pennsylvania, their forefathers all believed in witching. Whenever old settlers wanted to dig a well, somebody with dowsing skills was used. Those were major undertakings and huge decisions because the well had to be dug by hand.”

Hemmer claims the dowsing gift—an ability to sense and feel the pull of water in the bowels of the earth.

(Photo by Hemmer Dowsing & Water Witching)

Can anyone dowse? Maybe, Hemmer says. “I’m not special and this is not magic. I think most people could do it if they could get around a mental block and know how to tap into whatever connectivity is going on.”

Eight years into a remarkable dowsing career, Hemmer is hitting stride. Rods in hand, the young water prophet is on the hunt.

“It’s pretty simple,” he concludes. “If it’s in the ground, I’ll find it.”

For more from Chris Bennett (@ChrisBennettMS or cbennett@farmjournal.com or 662-592-1106), see:

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California's Water Crisis: Farmers Warn Water Rules Could Cripple Central Valley Agriculture

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 10:52:47 GMT

On Hansen Ranch in the Central Valley, fifth-generation farmer Erik Hansen grows a little bit of everything — pistachios, almonds, pomegranates, alfalfa, corn for silage and cotton.

“We farm 15, 16 different crops,” Hansen says. “Cotton is our biggest acreage crop, and that’s in the form of Pima cotton.”

That diversification has long been the Hansen family’s survival strategy. But in spring 2023, no amount of crop rotation could shield them from disaster.

“Where we’re standing right now was underwater,” Hansen recalls. “A mile from here, over by that PG&E substation, was the edge of the lake.”

The flood wiped out 600 acres of pomegranates and 400 acres of pistachios. One thousand acres of permanent crops gone in one season.

“It was a massive hit,” Hansen says. “We had about 5,000 to 6,000 acres under water. Some of that water lasted for over a year.”

From Too Much Water to Not Enough

The irony is hard to ignore: In 2023, floodwaters destroyed thousands of acres. Now, Hansen says it’s the lack of access to water that could cripple farms across the Central Valley.

“The last projections I heard were anywhere from 1 million to 1.2 million acres totaled in the valley,” he says, referring to farmland that could be idled by the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) .

Passed in 2014, SGMA requires local agencies to reduce groundwater overdraft and achieve sustainable use by 2040. On paper, Hansen says, that makes sense.

“To some extent it is good because you have to have a way to manage the overdraft,” he explains. “The problem is there are surface water facilities we developed back in the 50s and 60s that we’re just not using. A lot of that water is going out to the Pacific Ocean.”

For Hansen, the politics sting. He believes decades of state decisions — prioritizing fish and wildlife, reallocating water, and neglecting infrastructure — set up today’s crisis.

“I’m frustrated because the families that have been farming here for years, some decades, sometimes even more, are being footed with a bill for problems that somebody else created,” Hansen says. “If the state doesn’t look in the mirror, I think we’re going to find ourselves in the same position again.”

Young Farmers Face the Same Struggles

Forty miles south, 30-year-old Elizabeth Keenan is navigating the same regulatory headwinds. Her grandfather Charlie started Keenan Farms in 1972, acquiring one of California’s first pistachio orchards. Today, Elizabeth farms alongside her parents and brother.

“Rolling with the regulatory punches can be complicated,” she admits. “Despite pistachios being such a high-value product, despite having optimal land and weather conditions, we really have everything set up beautifully — except for legislation.”

Water, she says, is the most difficult hurdle.

“We’re up to a 50% allocation,” Keenan explains. “The base allocation is 2.2 acre-feet, so we get 1.1 acre-feet to use. Otherwise, we have to have open fallow fields. To pump more water, we have to buy it on the open market, and that’s expensive too.”

A Political Battle Over Flows

Signs line highways across the Central Valley warning that 80% of California’s river water flows out to the Pacific instead of farms. Assemblyman David Tangipa, a freshman lawmaker representing the 8^th District, says those numbers are real.

“It’s 100% happening,” Tangipa says. “Almost 83% of all water in the state is automatically pushed out for environmental purposes.”

California averages about 200 million acre-feet of water each year, Tangipa notes, but despite record rainfall, farms often get less than half of their allocations.

“We’ve prioritized so much environmental legislation that more than 80% of our water is pushed out immediately to the ocean, unnaturally,” he says. “Meanwhile, farmers get less water and more land goes out of production.”

Proponents of Current Water Flows

There are proponents of the current way the water flows, mainly for environmental reasons and to prevent saltwater contamination of freshwater sources.

California releases water into the ocean to prevent saltwater intrusion into freshwater supplies, protect endangered aquatic species and ecosystems, and maintain the delicate balance of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta estuary, a critical source of drinking and irrigation water.

A portion of released water is also used for stormwater management to prevent flooding, as it can be difficult and impractical to capture and store all of it.

And those in favor of environmental water releases say it’s essential to support broader ecosystem benefits like water filtration and carbon sequestration, which are important for overall environmental health.

The Ripple Effect

The Central Valley of California is a powerhouse in food production for the U.S. That area alone produces approximately half of all the fruits and vegetables grown in the U.S., as well as a large portion of the nation’s nuts and other foods. When you break down the numbers, the Central Valley accounts for about 60% of the nation’s fruits and nuts, and about 30% of the nation’s vegetables.

For Thomas Putzel, who works with farmers across the Central Valley, the impact of regulations isn’t just measured in acre-feet. It’s measured in livelihoods and the food supply.

“The environmentalists try to say farmers are wasting water,” he says. “But when we look at what farmers provide, we’re planting forests. One acre of almonds will capture 18 metric tons of carbon a year. That’s like taking 29 million cars off the road.”

Putzel says California voters already approved a water bond to build new storage a decade ago, but no new projects have been built.

“Not one shovel has gone in the ground in 10 years,” he says. “Actually, they took some of that money and tore dams down.”

Meanwhile, permanent crops wither when water isn’t available, leaving behind dead orchards that invite pests and rodents into neighboring fields.

“SGMA’s not necessarily a bad thing,” Putzel says. “But you’ve asked growers to run a marathon with their legs tied together. People don’t understand; food doesn’t come from a grocery store. It comes from a farmer. If California stopped shipping produce for one week, our stores would be empty.”

“Is Farming in California’s Best Interest?”

For Erik Hansen, the question is bigger than water allocations or acreage lost.

“Government is probably the biggest problem right now,” he says. “It just seems California hasn’t really decided whether farming is in their best interest. Politicians like to say they’re for small business and small farming, but virtually every piece of legislation makes it more difficult to survive.”

As the Central Valley wrestles with the challenges of floods, drought and regulations, one reality is clear: The fate of these farms is tied not just to weather and soil but to political decisions that could shape the future of food in America.

Survey Says: Smart Farming Has Big Impact On U.S. Farms, And There’s Room for More

Fri, 12 Sep 2025 15:27:29 GMT

Smart farming technologies, like smart irrigation and targeted spraying systems, are helping farms reduce water use, burn less fuel and optimize fertilizer and pesticide applications. Those gains have led to a 5% increase in overall crop production in the U.S. in just the last five years.

That’s all according to newly released data from the Association of Equipment Manufacturer’s (AEM) “The Benefits of Precision Ag In The U.S.” report. You can read the full white paper study here .

“The overarching message is precision ag enables farmers to maximize use of their inputs,” says Austin Gellings, senior director of agricultural services, AEM. “We’re maximizing every drop of what we’re putting on our crops and on our soil, and I think that’s a very powerful message.”

Gellings found two specific aspects of the study results most compelling:

(Lori Hays)

U.S. farms have achieved an overall 5% reduction in annual water usage by adopting smart farming technologies like smart irrigation systems and soil moisture sensors. Gellings says the savings equates to about 824,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools worth of fresh water saved. It takes about 5 million standard 16 oz. bottled waters to fill just one Olympic-size swimming pool, he adds.

(Lori Hays)

Farmers who adopt targeted smart spraying application systems, like John Deere’s See & Spray and CNH Industrial’s SenseApply, can reduce America’s overall annual herbicide usage up to 55% if full adoption of the technology is achieved. The study defines full adoption as 90% of the total number of active farms in the U.S.

“We also found potential for an additional 6% increase in annual crop production with higher precision technology adoption rates,” he says. “It’s clear these technologies show almost unlimited potential in reducing inputs while increasing our output.

“[Technology is] a tool in the toolbox that helps our farmers step up to the challenges they face every single day, like they’ve always done. Our farmers always find a way to meet the challenge at hand. They are always going to innovate and find a way.”

The next big thing?

For Gellings, who grew up on the family farm in Wisconsin, daydreaming about the next big technology breakthrough for ag — something truly revolutionary along the lines of how smart spraying has impacted pesticide applications — gets him fired up. He says he can only imagine what his grandfather would say if he knew you could put a camera on a spray boom and only target the weeds as you drove 15 mph through the field.

“In 5 years, will there be a new technology like that, that revolutionizes the way we’re doing things and in a way that we never thought possible? That’s what’s exciting when I think about all the innovation that’s happening in agriculture,” he says. “We’re in this technology boom, and I can almost guarantee there will be another groundbreaking technology that don’t exist today that will come along and fundamentally change the way we farm.”

The updated study findings (the original study data was published back in 2020) were released in collaboration with the American Farm Bureau Federation, American Soybean Association, CropLife America and National Corn Growers Association. Kearney, a global management consulting firm, had a team of project management professionals and subject matter experts to assist AEM in executing the study update.

The full study is available now on AEM’s Insights page at www.aem.org/insights .

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Breaking News: EPA Backs Existing Wastewater Regulations, Prevents Catastrophe for Processors and Producers

Sat, 30 Aug 2025 20:41:21 GMT

The longstanding Meat and Poultry (MPP) Effluent Guidelines and Standards will stand, announced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin on Aug. 30. He says the proposed changes to the regulation are unnecessary.

EPA determined existing federal wastewater regulations under the Clean Water Act are effective and the burdens proposed changes would inflict on meat and poultry processors are unwarranted.

“The National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) applauds the Trump administration and EPA Administrator Zeldin for taking a common sense approach on the Meat & Poultry Processing Rule,” says Duane Stateler, NPPC president and pork producer from McComb, Ohio. “As proposed by the previous administration, this rule—which provides no environmental benefits—would have been devastating to small- and medium-sized meat processors across the country and the livestock farmers who rely on them as markets for their animals.”

EPA’s action will save not only the nearly 100 local meat processors that EPA itself identified would have to close down but also the thousands of family farmers who rely on them to stay in livestock production, Stateler points out.

“It will help ensure affordable, nutritious American-grown pork can continue to be served on dinner tables across the country,” Stateler says.

Moving Forward
The decision closes the book on a nearly two-year comment and consideration process in which NPPC and other stakeholders have worked with EPA to better inform the agency’s decision and preempt unnecessary harm.

“Under the prior proposal, if it were finalized, major pork processors would have faced significant costs to install new waste water management systems,” explains Michael Formica, NPPC chief legal strategist. “During that period of construction, some plants would likely have needed to temporarily shut down. Others might have had to cut back on how many shifts they run.”

EPA’s internal analysis showed that dozens of facilities, likely small and medium-sized, would be forced to shut down because they would be unable to afford the cost of the technology required to comply, Formica says. Overall, the industry would have realized additional costs estimated at greater than $1 billion a year.

“Producers who rely on those processors would have then been without a market for their livestock,” Formica adds.

Unnecessary Expansions
The Meat and Poultry Products Effluent Guidelines and Standards was enacted in 1974 by the EPA and amended in 2004 to cover wastewater directly discharged by processing facilities. NPPC says the proposed amendment would have established more stringent technological requirements for controlling discharges from processors and significantly increased the scope of plants that were covered by the rules.

While the agricultural industry and the meat and poultry processing sectors support clean water efforts, EPA found these expansions were unnecessary.

NPPC says it appreciates EPA taking no action on the proposal, which would have disrupted packing capacity and livestock markets, in turn inflicting additional financial harm on producers and leading to further industry concentration and the loss of independent farmers.

The Meat Institute says the proposed rule would have also harmed the relationship between meat and poultry processing (MPP) facilities and publicly-owned treatment works (POTWs).

“Indirect discharging MPP facilities often make significant financial investments in maintaining and upgrading the POTW or shouldering major surcharges for the POTW’s continued operation and maintenance, which reduce public treatment costs for residential ratepayers and improve the quality of local and downstream waters,” the Meat Institute wrote in a statement.

New Tool Helps Farmers, Ranchers Identify Conservation Incentive Programs

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 23:55:23 GMT

Conservation incentive programs that fit your farm and specific agronomic practices and/or livestock are not always easy to identify and sign up for online.

But those hurdles could soon be problems in the past, thanks to a new online platform, the Conservation Connector, which was just launched this week by the Conservation Technology Information Center (CTIC)

The new tool allows farmers, ranchers, and farm advisers to easily evaluate conservation incentive programs and connect with technical support at one online site, according to Ryan Heiniger, CTIC executive director.

As a fourth-generation farmer, Heiniger says he knows firsthand how challenging it can be to identify programs, companies and the individuals in charge of them who can provide more details in a phone call or an email.

“You might visit four or five government offices and a dozen websites, only to collect bits and pieces of information on those programs that would be a good fit for you. Our goal with the Conservation Connector is to bring all of that under one roof, so to speak, to help farmers, ranchers and advisers more easily find what is available in their area and fits with their needs,” Heiniger says.

The platform currently has around 500 programs and service providers in the Midwest that are participating, Heiniger says. He notes the tool is continually updated with the latest program offerings from trusted agencies, organizations and conservation partners. In addition, Connector.ag has no associated costs for farmers, ranchers and advisers to use.

“I want to underscore that it’s free for farmers; none of the information is behind any kind of paywall,” he says. “It’s also free for people who want to create a listing.”

The Conservation Connector is easy to navigate – it’s searchable by geography, commodity, incentive type, and/or management practice.

“We’ve made it easy for people who are on a specific mission to filter through,” Heiniger says. “You might be in New York looking for help with pasture renovation, and you don’t want or need to see what programs are available in Iowa. So, you can default right to New York. Or, you can default to a specific crop. The filters can help you ratchet down to the specific information you want to dive deeper into.”

Heiniger says the idea for Conservation Connector originated from Houston Engineering, the Nature Conservancy, and Open Team, and the CTIC invested the past 18 months in developing it.

CTIC invites farmers, ranchers, technical service providers, and conservation partners across the country to explore the platform at Connector.ag . You can provide feedback about your experience to help inform future iterations of the platform here .