Easing drought lifts farmers spirits - December 23, 2010

The drought has been a huge boon to farmers, even as it continues to damage agricultural land in places like the Sierra Nevada, the East Valley, and the Mojave deserts. "Now it's easier than ever for me to work with farmers, especially ranchers and ranchers who have been doing this for many years," said Bob Williams, owner of Cactus Harvest, a cattle and herd management company. "It's helped them to see the benefits of reducing risk, and the costs of loss of potential and livelihoods." For example, the recent cold snap caused by El Niño forced more cattle to graze across the Mojave Desert. That's helped farmers with extra water on hand to grow more food.

"I think we're seeing something new, a little bit of an upside here," said Bob Taylor, general manager of the California Gold & Silver, which sells the precious metal tungsten-fiber jewelry. "You got people who, once they've had more of an opportunity, want to take advantage of it."

And now, farmers are feeling more relaxed about their crop yields.

The New York Times interviewed farmers who say they are making better use of more water they can use. A man in Northern California who asked that his name be withheld said, "I think we are much happier because of what we've been able to do." When he first saw some of the new irrigation methods, he said, "It's good to see some rain coming in but we haven't seen any. I think we're happy it's starting to come in now."

New studies found that farmers raised crops with drought-friendly irrigation methods were able to save more money and time than those who did not. The Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry reported the new technology improved yield by 15 to 25 percent. The study was funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, the National Science Foundation, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the National Institute of Standards and Technology. The study also found water use had dropped by 16 percent.

Some conservationists argue that more irrigation techniques have helped farmers grow more food while making the cost of production higher. For example, California's farmers will save money with irrigation techniques that let them use less water but keep costs high. In a study that followed the farmers and the city water department in Sacramento, conservationists predicted that by making a bigger difference in crop costs, farmers could save 10 million to 30 million dollars per year.

In one experiment, researchers at the University of Iowa showed the benefits of increased water use for farmers by controlling temperatures on fields irrigated with drought-friendly irrigation techniques. They observed what happens if farmers keep their farm water bills at home during heavy and dry spells
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Dept defends bushfire precautions

The deputy prime minister said there would be no cuts to fire service services.

"The department will provide fire and rescue services for life," he said.

"As in past years, we will be using appropriate equipment and staff to respond to severe fires and provide support to residents and businesses.

"There has been no planning or change to the services that have been established and they are being delivered in an efficient manner to ensure the fire service delivers a good service for every resident."

Mr Hunt described the recent bushfire warnings issued by the Bureau of Meteorology in Queensland as "disturbing".

"There was nothing to suggest it was because of lack of bushfires," he said.

'I just hope it's not because of what's happening around here'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has urged Queensland to implement the same bushfire management policy as the rest of Australia, including allowing residents to take shelter from bushfires in a garage.

"I just hope it's not because of what's happening around here. I hope it's not because we have a problem here," she said.

Ms Palaszczuk said many residents had already moved to homes in the state's southern communities such as Bundaberg and Goolwa because of the recent bushfire.

"I think the reason why we haven't been flooded [with evacuees] is because, as much as it could be difficult to move people, we can't expect people to move away. So it's really good that people are coming, even if they have moved already," she said.

"When you look at this is a very, very unusual fire, it's very unusual terrain."

Ms Palaszczuk said there is a chance the fires might recur in Bundaberg and Goolwa.

But the fire's size and severity left Ms Palaszczuk with no choice but to act.

"We have to act now... it's just difficult because we don't have the time and the funding," she said.

Topics: fires, emergency-incidents, environment, quebec, adelaide-5000, sa, australia