http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

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A third year of drought means less water for Northern California and less water for rice acreage. Rice growers along the Sacramento and Feather rivers will have to leave fields idle, according to a rice farming systems adviser and director at the University of California Butte County Cooperative Extension. In Butte County, about 60% to 80% of rice acres will be planted as usual, but in Glenn and Colusa counties, just about 10% of rice will be planted, he said. Reduced water supplies in 2021 meant that there were fewer acres of rice planted last year, too. Irrigation districts along the Feather River hold a 50% entitlement minimum according to a 1969 water diversion agreement, which Lake Oroville can provide, so 60% to 70% of rice should be planted along the Feather River. Glenn-Colusa Irrigation District manager stated that farmers in his district will likely plant only 2,000 acres of a total 100,000 acres of rice normally planted for just 2% of normal. While the irrigation district has a 75% water entitlement agreement, Lake Shasta does not hold enough water to fulfill the agreement. The district will get just 18% of their water rights. The sharp reduction in water supplies has forced some rice growers to let their employees go, increasing unemployment in the area. There will also be fewer people employed processing rice. Chico Enterprise-Record (Calif.), May 28, 2022 California’s rice acreage is expected to fall to its lowest level since 1984, according to the Department of Agriculture. It is predicted that 348,000 acres of rice will be planted this year, down from 407,000 acres in 2021. KERO-TV ABC 23 Bakersfield-Turn to 23 (Calif.), May 11, 2022