Farmers across much of the American West are living through the second historic drought in a decade. The snowmelt never came this year, depleting reservoirs and forcing farmers back to their own wells and groundwater. Protecting California’s capacity to grow food has long been a top priority of American Farmland Trust. AFT opened its first field office in California, where it protects farmland, helps keep farmers on the land, and encourages environmentally sound farming practices.

In this episode of No Farms No Future, we talk with Bruce Rominger, a fifth-generation farmer in California’s Sacramento Valley. Rominger Brothers Farms is nationally recognized as a model of sustainable farming practices, but it is experiencing the same challenges caused by severe reductions in water for irrigation that other farms face. You’ll also meet Kara Heckert, a native Californian and AFT’s resilient agriculture west advisor, and Greg Plotkin, AFT's director of digital communications, who are working to help farmers adapt to climate change and drought.

No Farms No Future is a podcast created through a collaboration between Heritage Radio Network, American Farmland Trust, and The Food Voice.

Resources:

Rominger Brothers Farm website
Rominger Brothers blog
California Production Statistics
Drought in California
California Water Watch
California State Water Resources Control Board

To learn more about American Farmland Trust go to farmland.org.

Episode photo by Rominger Brothers Farms.

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