Archive for December 30th, 2024

After a four-hour workshop with state officials in Visalia, Punjabi American farmers were left frustrated and questioning whether California realized it had weaponized groundwater in a way that could destroy the San Joaquin Valley. “SGMA has good intentions,” said Selma grower Nick Sahota during the Dec. 5 event. “But it has become a weapon to destroy the San […]

Central Valley growers fed up with reduced water allocations and pumping penalties are seeking answers from state Water Resources Control Board officials at a workshop Thursday in Visalia. The Punjabi American Growers Group, formed in 2020, is sponsoring the event, where the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA) and its implications for farming operations are on […]

Makhan Singh had farmed in California for more than two decades when, in 2017, he bought a 300-acre ranch in Madera County. About half the ranch was planted with almonds. The other half was bare. To qualify for a mortgage, Singh agreed to plant almonds on the rest of the land, taking on more debt […]