Valley Solutions

Colorado is just about dry

Western Farm Press. Farmers face devastating water cuts as Colorado River disappears. 
Synopsis: Editor Todd Fitchette writes that the Colorado River is within a few feet of reaching its long-anticipated “crisis stage.” Meanwhile, negotiations among the seven states that rely on the river have gone nowhere since Oct. 2. “Everybody needs to do something,” said Imperial County date farmer Gina Dockstadler. “Everybody will need to feel the pain. Everybody needs to share in that.” Upper-basin states want a complete rewrite of rights to the river, which currently favor California farmers. Lake Powell is at 30% of capacity and roughly 31 feet above minimum levels needed for hydroelectricity generation.
MAD Take: At some foreseeable point, river flows could be so low the river cannot exit Glen Canyon Dam. When that happens, roughly a billion gallons a day will stop flowing toward taps in LA, Las Vegas and San Diego. That’s 3,000-acre feet per day. If that water is not coming from the Colorado River, it will start coming from the north. That’s us.

GV Wire. Winter storms wipe out drought in CA, for now.
Synopsis: Picking up a story from the NY Times, GV Wire quotes celebrity meteorologist Daniel Swain who called last weekend’s storm “an exceptional wet period, something of the opposite of a drought.” The PPIC’s Jeffrey Mount called the storms “the second quarter of a football game. We really don’t know what the outcome is going to be.” Accompanying the story is DWR’s dashboard showing every major reservoir is above 100% of “normal” for this time of year. Folsom is at 151%, New Melones 129%, McClure 151%, Millerton 140%, Trinity 136%, Shasta 129% and Oroville 134%. A different UC professor, Michael Loik, provided the requisite disclaimer: “The next drought is just around the corner.”

Sites could help

Maven / Sites Project Authority. Drinking water for nearly 1.1 million people could have been captured.
Synopsis: If Sites Reservoir were complete today, it could have captured 168,000-acre feet of runoff through December. “This analysis continues to demonstrate the availability of water in the Sacramento River that can be safely diverted to bolster supplies for dry years and confirms the project’s ability to meet performance and funding expectations,” said the Authority. Officials are waiting for the State Water Board to grant approval to store water, adding that delays are increasing costs “by approximately $20 million per month.”

GOP backs Trump incursion

SFChronicle. Why some Democrats are staying silent on Trump arrest of Venezuelan leader. 
Synopsis: The National Republican Congressional Committee is trying to use the attack on Venezuela to bash Josh Harder and Adam Gray. Neither commented on the attack, but that didn’t stop the NRCC from criticizing them. Republicans Darrell Issa, Doug LaMalfa, David Valadao and Kevin Kiley all rushed to embrace the attack. But political consultant Andrew Acosta questioned the wisdom of jumping in on either side: “News is moving so fast, this could be forgotten in 15 minutes. I don’t know that’s the thing that voters are going to be like, ‘Aha, now I’m not voting for Adam Gray.’”
MAD Take: Just asking, but how often are the loudest voices in the room also the smartest?

Sacramento Bee. CA Democrats outraged, GOP supportive of Trump strike in Venezuela.
Synopsis: Adam Schiff and Ro Khanna were among those speaking out the most forcefully against Trump’s incursion into Venezuela that killed an estimated 32 Cuban soldiers and an undisclosed number of Venezuelans. Schiff said Trump “risks plunging a hemisphere into chaos and has broken his promise to end wars instead of starting them.” The Trump administration insists Venezuela has been shipping drugs into the US. Nancy Pelosi called the Maduro regime “illegitimate,” but said Trump offered no proof it posed a threat to US security.

A huge gap in farming

Morning Ag Clips. Gap between farm costs and prices received hits 10-year high. 
Synopsis: Based on USDA data, the price-paid index had climbed to 154.6 while the prices-received index fell to 120.5. The baseline for both measures is 2011. In practical terms, this means the cost of production is 54% higher than it was 15 years ago while the income generated is only 20% higher. That 34% gap is the highest ever recorded. Analysts from places like Terrain Ag and Farmers National Co. say the numbers are not expected to reverse this year, though both are expected to slow. Grain futures are expected to fall 4 to 8%, while fertilizer costs are expected to rise 10%.

Parasite worries farmers

Western Farm Press. Beef, dairy producers wary of flesh-eating parasite. 
Synopsis: The fly that carries the New World Screwworm has been found 70 miles from the Texas border and still has American ranchers anxious. Worse, emerging data shows there have been 140,000 cases in animals and 1,000 in humans dating back to 2023 as it moves north. California is just as worried as Texas with dairy and cattle farmers bracing for impacts on their $13 billion industry. “There is definitely concern about the screwworm,” said Brooke Latack of the UC Cooperative Extension’s livestock division. A UC Davis veterinary professor said infestations are like something found “in a horror movie” and any warm-blooded animal is a target for the flies. Often, the screwworm is joined by bacterial infection to increase morbidity.

USDA’s resolutions for ’26

Ag Daily. Rollins releases 5 USDA policy priorities for 2026. 
Synopsis: Again blaming the Biden administration for all the problems besetting farmers, Brooke Rollins laid out plans for her agency in 2026. 1) Focus on increasing profitability, 2) expand markets for US-grown products, 3) protect ag from invasive species such as the spotted lanternfly and New World Screwworm, 4) promote soil health, 5) improve human health through “precision nutrition and food quality.” Unnamed critics asked how profitability and market expansion square up with tariffs and greater importation of food from South America. The “soil health” promise also “raised some eyebrows” since the Natural Resources Conservation Service was gutted by DOGE and has almost no employees.

We all need heroes

Turlock Journal. Valley Life: Busy holiday season ends a wild year.
Synopsis: Columnist Mike Lynch looks back on a year of political and personal challenges – from being unable to speak after surgery to the government shutdown. He recalls the Stanislaus Civil Grand Jury uncovering malfeasance at StanCOG. But he was more impressed with Supervisor Mani Grewal’s efforts to identify and celebrate the region’s many heroes.

GV Wire. Meet Fresno leaders, innovators, champions and volunteers making a difference. 
Synopsis: A group of local leaders are “quietly shaping a different future” for the Fresno region. GV Wire wants to introduce you to some, starting with Matthew Dildine, the former attorney who now leads the Fresno Mission. “Nashville does music, Silicon Valley does tech startups, Hollywood does movies. I would love it if people looked at Fresno and said, ‘that’s the place that has all these different facilities and systems that provide the best possible care when somebody’s experiencing a crisis.’” Others: Dr. Sony Sidhu, Madera Community Hospital; Alcidia Freitas of Fresno State’s Ag One Foundation; Taylor Long, founder of Philanthropy Inspired by the Needs of our Community; Jonny Field of Field Van, creator of mobile therapy and educational vans; Tyrone Roderick Williams, CEO of Fresno Housing; Paul Loeffler, director of the Central Valley Honor Flight; Frank Nein & Loel Wood, founders of After-School All-Stars; Michelle Ellis Pracy, executive director of the Fresno Art Museum; Julian Banda, CEO of Fresno Grizzlies and proud Firebaugh native; Deputy Sabin Henderson; Bernard Mendoza, Bensmokin BBQ; Dr. Nupur Hajela, Mobile Health Team; Jack Roberts, environmental advocacy.

Higher pay, lower masks

Merced Focus. New CA laws that will impact the Valley in 2026. 
Synopsis: Looking at CalMatters and EdSource, Merced Focus staff put together a list of important changes this year, starting with an increase in the minimum wage to $16.90 an hour. Other changes: Streamlined farmworker housing applications, water targets for public agencies, unmasking of law enforcement, limits on cellphone use in schools, enhanced penalties for healthcare workers who abuse patients, broader admission standards for CSU campuses.

A milk toast to good data

Farms.com. Americans drank more milk in 2024, reversing decade-long decline. 
Synopsis: For a decade, Americans have consumed less milk each year. But that trend reversed this year, according to the USDA. The agency showed consumption up by 358 million pounds, or 1% from 2023’s 43.2 billion pounds. The biggest bounce came in whole milk. And “cottage cheese is having a real moment right now,” said an analyst at the Univ of Wisconsin.

Bee picks RC coach

Modesto Bee. After leading turnaround season, Phil Grams is Bee’s Coach of the Year.
Synopsis: Ripon Christian’s football team had been picked to finish no better than sixth in the Trans-Valley League. But they finished 10-3 overall and 4-2 in league, advancing to the Division VI final before losing to undefeated Sonora, also of the TVL.

Good harvest … for the CHP

ABC10. Over 15 pounds of weed seized after CHP Modesto-area officers make traffic stop.
Synopsis: The CHP pulled over a suspected drunk driver on Saturday and found 15+ pounds of weed in the vehicle. The driver, who was not identified, was arrested and his car impounded.

Is Devil a good dancer?

Stockton Record. Devil at the Flamingo Club? Stockton’s spiciest urban legend.
Synopsis: In 1995 there was supposedly a ruckus at the Flamingo Club – aka, Rancho San Miguel at Charter and Airport in Stockton. People in the club say a well-dressed man was quite a dancer, but when the woman he was dancing with noticed he had hooves instead of feet she screamed and soon was covered in blood. Others say he was levitating, not dancing at all. The Record is trying to collect the “testimony” of those who have heard the story.
MAD Note: The Record is also trying to collect clicks, since this story is tailor-made to attract them.