If you’re a farmer, dairy owner or rancher in Eastern New Mexico or West Texas, you may want to attend the “Managing Risk and Thinking Ahead” workshop from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. April 26 in Clovis, New Mexico.
The workshop is at the Curry County Events Center Indoor Pavilion, located on the Curry County Fairgrounds at 900 E. Brady Ave.
State climatologist Dave DuBois, assistant professor in the NMSU Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, will speak about recent weather events and impacts.
Attendees will discuss challenges related to weather and climate, as well as the resources and research needed to support farm-level decision making.
Presentations will highlight the potential impact of drought and limited water conditions on agriculture in the Southern High Plains in New Mexico and West Texas.
Information will also be provided about local and regional resources that are available to help manage and monitor impacts from drought and other severe weather events.
The workshop is supported by the National Integrated Drought Information System and the USDA Southwest Climate Hub.
“We are very pleased to be able to offer a workshop that covers some important issues facing agricultural producers in the Southern High Plains,” said Caiti Steele, USDA Southwest Climate Hub Deputy Director.
“Drought, extreme weather and limited water resources present very real challenges to profitable agricultural production.
To register, go to http://swclimatehub.info.

Solvang rescinds Stage 2 drought restrictions.
Solvang residents can water their landscapes on any day they choose and can wash their own vehicles at home after the City Council rescinded the Stage 2 drought water restrictions Monday night.
Council members voted 4-1, with Neill Zimmerman dissenting, to rescind the mandatory Stage 2 restrictions but keep the Stage 1 restrictions after modifying one of them to make it align with the new state regulations.
His executive order rescinded most of the statewide water use restrictions, including the mandatory conservation targets he previously set, although restrictions on certain wasteful practices remain, City Engineer and Public Works Director Matt van der Linden said in a report to the council.
In his report, van der Linden noted the state water allocation for 2017 is 85 percent, Cachuma Lake is more than 50 percent full, the city’s new HCA South Well is in service and the water supply seems to be stable, at least for the near term.
The city’s Stage 1 restrictions prohibited people from washing their cars at their homes and required them to take them to a commercial car wash.
Van der Linden told council members they could modify the Stage 1 restrictions to allow car washing with automatic shut-off nozzles to make them consistent with the state’s restrictions.
Councilman Hans Duus echoed Jamieson’s concerns about residents starting to waste water once the restrictions were lifted.
“We live in Southern California,” Duus said.
If that means making Stage 1 restrictions a way of life with Solvang, so be it.” Van der Linden told the council he will also prepare a trifold brochure explaining the city’s Stage 1 restrictions that will be mailed to residents in their water bills.

The drought before and after.
Just a few years ago, California seemed well on its way to becoming Mars thanks to a prolonged drought.
It started in January 2014 and didn’t really begin to ease until a year ago.
Now, there are no areas of the state in drought, the first time that’s been the case since 2011.
Justin Sullivan, of Getty Images, recently returned to all of the spots he documented during the drought.
His images show that nature is pretty grand, if occasionally unrelenting.
Woodacre, Calif. Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images **BOTTOM IMAGE** WOODACRE, CA – APRIL 10, 2017: Horses graze in a field on April 10, 2017 in Woodacre, California.
Jerry Brown signed an executive order Friday to lift the State’s drought emergency in all but four counties.
The drought emergency had been in place since 2014.
(Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Tulare County officials said last week the state has indicated it is cutting off its Disaster Assistance on June 30, just two months from now.
What that means is the county and non-profits will no longer be reimbursed for their efforts to deliver both bottled water and install and fill large water tanks at homes where the well went dry.
According to county officials, more than 400 residents of the county still rely on that large tank to supply their home with running water and most of those also rely on bottled water for drinking.
Gov.
Jerry Brown this month declared the drought over in California, with the exception of Tulare County and three other counties.
It has been estimated at one time the state was spending more than $600,000 a month on the water relief program just in Tulare County.
That promoted the state to come up with a permanent solution in East Porterville — the poster child of the drought in California because of the concentration of domestic wells which went dry there.
That effort is about 50 percent complete and nearly all of those who had lost their well, are now connected to the City of Porterville’s water system.
It has been estimated a new well cost about $27,000 and to keep filling the large tank is about $600 a month.
We agree the state must put an end to the relief effort at some point, but we would also like to see help for those who need to drill a new well in the form of low-interest loans or grants, and we’d encourage the state to consider stretching funding to help those areas where a permanent solution is in the works, but won’t be completed by June 30.

For the week ending April 23, most of Oklahoma received 1 to 3 inches of rainfall, which significantly reduced drought across the state with exception of East Central Area, according to USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, Southern Plains Regional Field Office, Oklahoma.
According to the OCS Mesonet, drought conditions were rated 32 percent moderate, down 19 points from last week and 10 percent severe, down 4 points from last week.
Statewide temperatures averaged in the mid 70s.
There were 4.5 days suitable for fieldwork.
Winter wheat jointing reached 93 percent, down 1 point from normal.
Canola blooming reached 94 percent, up 7 points from normal.
Canola coloring reached 20 percent, up 20 points from normal.
Rye jointing reached 95 percent, 9 points from normal.
Oats headed reached 20 percent, up 20 points from the previous year and up 13 points from normal.
Cotton planted reached 6 percent, up 4 points from the previous year and up 5 points from normal.

BLOG ROUND-UP: Bloggers weigh in on Delta tunnels and science; Flawed California water economics; outdated water rights; drought emergency ends; late fall-run Chinook status; in other words water; and more ….
Independent science review panel finds problems with Delta tunnels biological opinion: Restore the Delta writes, “An analysis by an Independent Review Panel has been made public by the Delta Stewardship Council (DSC).
During the question-and-answer session (VIDEO) at the end of the meeting, Feinstein tells the crowd… … ” Read more from Restore the Delta here: Feinstein on Delta tunnels at town hall meeting Scientific integrity in DWR’s engineering: sea level rise: “The WaterFix tunnel design assumes 18 inches of sea level rise by Late Long Term (2065.)
… ” Read more from the California Water Research blog here: Scientific integrity in DWR’s engineering: sea level rise Yet another flawed study on California water economics: Doug Obegi writes, “David Sunding prepared yet another flawed analysis of the economics of California water earlier this week.
… ” Read more from the California Water Blog here: GRA’s Contemporary Groundwater Issues Council weighs in on BMPs for groundwater sustainability plans Determining how many fish a long dammed river can sustain: “On a long dammed river in northwestern California, researchers are determining how many Chinook salmon and steelhead trout could live upstream of the dam if given the means to pass.
Historic estimates of salmon and trout populations are upwards of one million fish running the river and its tributaries annually as they migrated from the Pacific Ocean and back to spawn.
They migrate upstream to spawn below Shasta Reservoir in the Sacramento River in the late fall and early winter.
… ” Read more from Medium here: Cadiz needs scrutiny by the USGS Oakdale: Will the water district double down on dumb?
The storm hovered over California for a steady month with small breaks, a little rain, and then more storming into February.
… ” Read more from the … & the West blog here: In other words, water And lastly … “Pretend you are a river.

City of Auburn under Phase I Drought Watch.
More specifically, Dunn said the city is seven inches of rain behind where it should be this time of year.
Dunn said Lake Ogletree, the city’s primary source water supply.
“We have plenty of water,” Dunn said.
“This is more making sure we are being proactive to manage our reservoir throughout the year as well as to make sure our customers are being smart with their water use.” Customers are also reminded of the following steps to make the most efficient use of watering year round and especially during voluntary restrictions: Water at efficient times of the day to prevent evaporation due to heat and wind (after 8:00 PM and before 8:00 AM).
Check your sprinkler timer and make adjustments as needed.
Check your sprinkler system for leaks and make repairs in a timely manner to minimize water losses.
Do not let the water run while brushing your teeth, washing your face or washing dishes by hand.
Only run full loads of laundry or dishes.
By working together we can preserve the water supply and possibly prevent the need for mandatory restrictions.

The Kenyan government is scaling up an innovative livestock insurance programme that uses satellite imagery of drought-hit areas to offer a safety net to vulnerable farmers.
Mid-March 2017 December 2015 In the largest payout yet, in February £1.7m was paid to 12,000 pastoralists – an average of nearly £140 per household – to compensate for last season’s drought, which caused the worst forage scarcity in Kenya for 16 years.
With April’s rainy season starting late and predicted to be poor, the Klip programme could bring crucial relief to thousands of families on the brink of hunger.
The programme is modelled on a commercial scheme, the Index-Based Livestock Insurance programme, which was found to have increased milk productivity and reduced indicators of malnutrition for those who had it.
With poor rains predicted again this spring, the UN projected in March that this figure would reach 4 million by this month.
Near the Ethiopian border, residents of Dabele village say they have lost 40% of their livestock.
Some herders are feeding them cardboard soaked in water just to fill their bellies.
“It’s the worst drought we’ve ever seen,” says Hussain Fofle, conferring with tribal elders who watch over the village well.
“There’s nowhere to go.” Fatouma Diba, 25, says her family of seven is surviving on payments from the UK government’s hunger safety net programme and the little money her husband makes selling firewood.
“We can’t eat every day.” Diba is eight months pregnant.

Drought concerns return across Alabama.
A major drought affected much of Alabama last fall and into the new year.
The majority of the state never really recovered from that dry spell and could soon be back in emergency drought levels.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 93.16 percent of the state is considered abnormally dry.
In fact, this time last year, not a single area of Alabama was listed as dry on the drought monitor.
The lack of raindrops have farmer Richard Edgar closely looking at the crops he’s about to start planting.
Considering where the state was just a few months ago though, Edgar says a little rain is better than nothing.
"There is some soil moisture from the earlier rains that we had still in place and if we get rains later in the week, we can still go ahead with our planning and with preparations that we’re making to produce the crop," Edgar said.
ADECA says the below normal rainfall levels have resulted in reduced stream flows and drier soil conditions.
Edgar says he’s more concerned right now about low prices than low rainfall.

Manchester lifts water restrictions as drought condition improves.
Water sources for the Queen City are back at normal levels, prompting city officials to lift voluntary water restrictions put in place last fall.
Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas announced Monday that the Queen City would be lifting any restrictions on water use, allowing people to freely water their lawns or fill their pools.
Officials announced that Lake Massabesic in Manchester and Tower Hill Pond in Auburn are finally at full capacity after severe drought conditions led to restrictions.
“Everything will be green and spring is finally here, so it’s exciting,” Gatsas said.
The Department of Environmental Services releases an updated drought monitor map every Thursday.
The most recent map is virtually unchanged from the week before, but it shows the northern half of the state is no longer in a drought, while southern New Hampshire is still in need of more water.
Manchester Water Works runs the state’s largest water supply system, serving the Queen City and surrounding communities — an estimated 160,000 customers.
“We’re just paying attention now and making sure the lakes are up to capacity — and they are — and there’s supposed to be some more rain coming this week,” Gatsas said.
While New Hampshire could see some rain this week, experts say we would need at least average rainfall for many months to make a difference in the drought facing southern parts of the state.