After two bruising seasons of low nut prices, rising costs and groundwater uncertainty, the 2025 Trends in Agricultural Land & Lease Values report from the California Chapter of [the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers] paints a mixed — but not uniformly bleak — picture for the Central San Joaquin Valley. … SGMA clarity is improving underwriting. With 86 of 93 Valley subbasins now operating under approved sustainability plans, lenders and buyers have a clearer — if still tough — playbook for evaluating long‑term water budgets, replacing the uncertainty discount with risk‑based pricing. As PPIC water‑policy director Ellen Hanak reminds growers in the California Farm Bureau Ag Alert, “The law doesn’t say you have to end overdraft overnight. You can get there gradually over the 20 years — so long as you avoid ‘undesirable results’ along the way.” 

Other groundwater news:

• The Montecito Journal (Calif.): MWD’s Groundwater Sustainability Plan approved by the state
• North Kings Groundwater Sustainability Agency: News release: First-ever surface water flows into Kerman’s Lions Park Basin will recharge groundwater supplies