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Better Farming Ontario Featured Articles

Better Farming Ontario magazine is published 11 times per year. After each edition is published, we share featured articles online.


Irrigating precious crops equals jobs

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

Almond, stone fruit, grape and citrus owners once paid $70 an acre foot to irrigate their orchards in Kern County in California's central valley. Now they are paying as much as $1,300 an acre foot, more than 18 times as much, with very little retail increase in their products, says the December newsletter of the national crop insurance program. Yet California agriculture is surviving only because of "massive but unsustainable over pumping" according to a study published by the Pacific Institute, which describes itself as an independent global water think tank.

Farm revenue remains strong even though acreage is down by 640,000 acres. The Pacific Institute says some losses have been offset as farmers fallowed their land and sold water rights to growers of high-value crops. The study is available at http://pacinst.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/21/2015/08/ImpactsOnCaliforniaDrought-Ag.pdf

According to the study, a California acre of fresh tomatoes, melons, squash or cucumbers supports more than 160 jobs. BF

Current Issue

October 2025

Better Farming Magazine

Farms.com Breaking News

Gleaner T Series Combine Updates

Thursday, October 9, 2025

Gleaner continues to advance harvest technology with its new T Series combine, delivering major improvements in power, reliability, and ease of operation. Designed with the farmer in mind, the T Series focuses on performance, accessibility, and cutting-edge precision tools for... Read this article online

Ontario Invests $41M to Boost Agri-Food Innovation

Wednesday, October 8, 2025

The Ontario government has announced an investment of more than $41 million over the next four years to enhance and modernize infrastructure under Agricultural Research and Innovation Ontario (ARIO). This initiative, part of the province’s plan to safeguard Ontario’s agri-food sector,... Read this article online

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