Cal Water Supply Benefits from Storms & Formal Ed. in Rural USA

**California’s water supply is benefitting from continued storms and flooding.

Heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada brought snowpack levels to 222% of normal as of March 16.

The State Water Project will conserve 237,0000 acre-feet of water to help restore depleted aquifers, and the Bureau of Reclamation is diverting another 600,000 acre-feet to boost groundwater supplies.

**Formal educational in rural America has grown, but still lags behind urban areas.

USDA’s Economic Research Service data shows the share of adults 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased in rural areas from 15 to 21 percent.

But, adults in urban areas with a bachelor’s degree or higher increased from 26 to 36 percent, widening the rural-urban gap from 11 to 15 percentage points.

The gap is even larger for younger age groups.

**The United Nations Secretary-General announced a 120 day extension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative as the agreement was set to expire.

The Initiative facilitates the safe navigation for the exports of grain and related foodstuffs and fertilizers, including ammonia, from designated Ukrainian seaports.

During the first two terms, some 25 million metric tons of grain and foodstuffs have been moved to 45 countries, helping to bring down global food prices and stabilizing the markets.