California Flood Aquifer Recharge and Ag Export Values Decline

**California’s historically wet winter early this year motivated greater adoption of a water management strategy known as flood-managed aquifer recharge, or flood-MAR, in which excess flood waters are diverted onto farmland to boost depleted groundwater.

State Department of Water Resources Director, Karla Nemeth says we knew from the previous drought years that our ability to respond to those kinds of intense rain events is becoming increasingly important.

**Agricultural export values in fiscal year 2023 that ran through September 30 declined while imports narrowly increased.

Ag product values from October 2022 through the end of September were reported to be $178.7 billion, down from $196.1 billion last year.

A USDA report says IMPORT values rose 0.6% to $195.4 billion.

Corn exports were the second-biggest decliner behind vegetable oils, falling 32%.

Cotton fell 28%, wheat 21%, and soybeans 2%.

**This year’s Thanksgiving Day dinner won’t be as hard on the checkbook as it was last year, but the meal will still reflect historically high costs.

The American Farm Bureau Federation’s 38th annual survey shows the average costs of this year’s holiday feast for 10 is $61.17, less than $6.20 per person.

This is a 4.5% decrease from last year’s record-high of $64.05, but a Thanksgiving meal is still 25% higher than in 2019.