Californias push to limit groundwater pumping could leave small farmers in the dust

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Set us as preferred MERCED, Calif. — Last year, Rosie Lee’s 19-acre farm was filled with crops including corn, beans, squash, tomatoes, melons, onions and bok choy — so much that she and her husband had plenty to sell at a farmers market.Now, she is leaving half her land dry and unplanted.She’s uncertain how much water she can afford to pump from her well this year because the local groundwater agency has imposed pumping restrictions and fees, which could end up costing thousands of dollars.“It’s preventing me from growing what I used to grow,” Lee said as she stood beside a bare-dirt field.

“We’re afraid that we do not make enough to pay for the water.”While California’s landmark groundwater conservation law was designed to rein in massive agricultural overpumping, Lee and other small-scale growers say its implementation is doing the opposite — penalizing small farms while favoring industrial agribusinesses.According to a new report, rigid fee structures and complex regulations threaten to harm California’s smallest growers, driving land consolidation in favor of deep-pocketed corporate orchards.The report by the University of California Small Farms Network and the nonprofit group Community Alliance with Family Farmers warns that without immediate action by state and local agencies, many family farms could be forced out of business.“Small-scale farmers across California are navigating an increasingly difficult environment,” researchers say in the report.

“They are among the state’s most vulnerable groundwater users and have fewer pathways to adapt and less capacity to absorb new costs.”Special accommodations should be made for those farming less than 200 acres, who often have limited resources compared to larger growers, the researchers said.“The issue is that agencies are using a one-...