1. Stewart Resnick's successful leadership in the pistachio industry and strategies to tackle market challenges.

2. Lynda's impactful philanthropic efforts, particularly in community development and education.

3. Innovative educational programs designed by Lynda to reshape perceptions of agriculture and enhance student opportunities.

4. Emphasis on health and wellness initiatives by promoting employee fitness and well-being.

5. The Resnicks' commitment to social responsibility and giving back to communities.

Cons:

1. Past conflicts and legal battles, like the dispute over the Cutie brand, which might have strained relationships.

2. Market challenges such as foreign competition impacting sales and the need to regain lost market share.

3. The recall of Wonderful pistachios due to salmonella strains, reflecting quality control issues.

4. The unease among growers during discussions about health and wellness, indicating potential resistance to change.

5. The perception of elitism or disconnect between the Resnicks and their business partners, as seen in interactions during the conference.

The Kern County Water Agency (Agency) announces the successful culmination of Water Year 2023. The year was marked by unprecedented water levels in the Kern River and record-breaking precipitation, securing water supply for the previously drought-stricken Bakersfield and neighboring communities. The Agency and the Water Association of Kern County collaborated in commemorating this historic water year with a visual narrative video entitled “Charting The Course: Managing an Extraordinary Water Year 2023.”

Additional contributing factors to the successful water year include increased spring runoff, strong snowpack and reservoir utilization. The spring runoff was an extraordinary 429 percent of the average, equating to approximately 1.8 million acre-feet (af) of water flowing into Lake Isabella. This surge comes after enduring years of drought, signifying a remarkable reversal in water availability. Local agencies effectively managed and retained the increased water within Kern County. These local agencies successfully recharged 600,000 af of water on the Kern Water Bank, surpassing the capacity of Lake Isabella. Within the 2023 calendar year, over 1,000,000 af of water was successfully recharged within Kern County, marking a significant achievement in water management and sustainability.

Drought

Dry conditions in the area of Lake Mendocino in Mendocino County. DWR/2021.

Visit drought.ca.gov for water shortage assistance and information on drought-related financial assistance.

California is no stranger to drought; it is a recurring feature of our climate. We recently experienced the 5-year event of 2012-2016, and other notable historical droughts included 2007-09, 1987-92, 1976-77, and off-and-on dry conditions spanning more than a decade in the 1920s and 1930s.

Paleoclimate records going back more than 1,000 years show many more significant dry periods. The dry conditions of the 1920s-30s, however, were on a par with the largest 10-year droughts in the much longer paleoclimate record.

Droughts cause public health and safety impacts, as well as economic and environmental impacts. Public health and safety impacts are primarily associated with catastrophic wildfire risks and drinking water shortage risks for small water systems in rural areas and private residential wells. Examples of other impacts include costs to homeowners due to loss of residential landscaping, degradation of urban environments due to loss of landscaping, agricultural land fallowing and associated job loss, degradation of fishery habitat, and tree mortality with damage to forest ecosystems.

Unfortunately, the scientific skill to predict when droughts will occur – which involves being able to forecast precipitation weeks to months ahead – is currently lacking. Improving long-range weather modeling capabilities is an area of much-needed research.

Defining Drought

Defining drought is based on impacts to water users. California is a big state and impacts vary with location. Hydrologic conditions causing impacts for water users in one location may not represent drought for water users in a different part of California, or for users with a different water supply. Individual water agencies may use criteria such as rainfall/runoff, amount of water in storage, or expected supply from a water wholesaler to define their water supply conditions.  

Drought is a gradual phenomenon, occurring slowly over a period of time. Storage, whether in surface water reservoirs or in groundwater basins, buffers drought impacts and influences the timing of when drought impacts occur. A single dry year isn’t a drought for most Californians because of the state’s extensive system of water infrastructure and groundwater resources buffer impacts.

Drought impacts are felt first by people most dependent on annual rainfall – such as ranchers using dryland range or rural residents relying on wells in low-yield rock formations. Drought impacts increase with the length of a drought, as carry-over supplies in reservoirs are depleted and water levels in groundwater basins decline.

No one is sure how many oaks were bulldozed. Local estimates range from several hundred to as many as 8,000. The entire parcel is more than 300 acres, but the work was done on only a portion of unplanted land. Local residents say the grading wasn’t immediately apparent because it took place at locations that aren’t visible from the highway, and debris burning was done at night, when the source of smoke wasn’t easily determined.