At the risk of being accused of having too parochial a
view, I think PEN-Lers might find this interesting:
The following facts may lead to the end of rice
production in Butte County:
Rice farmers in southern Butte County are making about
$200/acre on their crop.
It takes 3 acre-feet/acre to grow rice.
The Western Canal District, the principle irrigation
district for the rice fields, has just entered into
contracts with three cities in Sonoma County for water
at $85/acre-foot.
With a higher return through water sales than through
farming, ($85/acre-foot vs. $67/acre-foot), the canal
district is trying to leave as much land as possible
fallow. This year only about 20% is fallow, because
the Metropolitan Water District (Los Angeles) got a
one time delivery of Feather Water river into a new
resevoir, meaning it didn't have to purchase water.
But since this is a low-rain winter, water purchases
will likely accelerate later this year. If so, it's
possible that no rice will be grown at all in Butte
County, with the exception of speciality crops.
The canal district's water rights date to 1914, when
it simply registered them with the state. It pays
nothing for the water. I can envision a situation
where the property holders give up on farming
completely, giving environmental easements to all of
their property to land trusts in return for tax
breaks, but continue to hold the water rights, which
they will sell each year to the urban water districts.
Incidently, the common view in California ag circles
is that _every_ crop is "over grown." Commodity prices
are as low as they were in the 1930s. $200 an acre for
rice is the low end, almonds are the high end at about
$1500 an acre.
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