The Imperial Irrigation District, which provides water to farmers in the southeastern corner of California, drew a figurative line in the sand earlier this month, calling for a halt to the conversion of agricultural fields into solar panel farms. … The state Department of Conservation says that agricultural lands declined by more than 1.6 million acres between 1984 and 2018, averaging 47,000 acres a year. The most productive land experienced the largest decline. … As farmers, particularly the larger corporate growers, take land out of production, many believe that their economic salvation lies in solar panel arrays that generate the emission-free electricity that the state wants, as it phases out power fueled by hydrocarbons. However, that doesn’t sit well with farmers who want to continue production, as the Imperial Irrigation District’s call for a solar moratorium implies.
–Written by CalMatters columnist Dan Walters.

Other agricultural water news:

• The Conversation: Blog: California farmers identify a hot new cash crop – solar power
• SJV Water: Fresno County irrigation district proposes large fee hike to help it capture more Kings River flood water
• SJV Water: New director hired at Tulare County trust dedicated to preserving farmland through water conservation​