Water panel: prepare for SGMA by leveraging financial incentives

Are you ready to deal with the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA)) as its being implemented between 2020 and 2025? It is already having an impact on over drafted basins in California. David Gates will share his experience managing wells at Ridge Vineyards in Santa Clara and Sonoma Counties.

Financial mechanisms are available today to help your operation prepare for the future. Conservation practices can be aligned with smart operational improvements to make the farm more sustainable, both financially and environmentally. As part of this panel, AgMonitor’s Kevin Langham will quantify the benefits of projects financed through the State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program (SWEEP) by the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) and through On-Bill Financing (OBF) by utilities from a revolving fund by the California Utility Public Commission (CPUC). While CDFA provides grants based on water conservation and the reduction of GHG emissions, CPUC provides zero-percent loans to scale based on energy savings. “Carbon credits” and “energy credits” are common tools to finance resource efficiency.

Join us for the OpenFarm panel moderated by CDFA’s Carolyn Cook who manages the SWEEP grants. She will share her experience helping farms across California achieve water and energy savings. Below is a testimonial from PureFresh Ranch in Fresno county that received a SWEEP grant in the past. It gives a look at what the future holds for agriculture in terms of control and flexibility of water and energy inputs to grow quality food while reducing GHG emissions. Testimonial: https://youtu.be/RCRqZtY0VGw

Click here to register!