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By Stephen Nellis / Friday, February 7th, 2014 / Agribusiness, Small Business, Technology, Top Stories / Comments Off on Cloud farming : SLO firm brings sensor technology to the fields
The Tri-Counties may or may not see many rain clouds this year, but farmers around the region will be using cloud computing to manage their irrigation with San Luis Obispo-based Hortau.
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By Christine De La Cruz / Friday, January 24th, 2014 / Agribusiness, Central Coast, East Ventura County, South Coast, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy, West Ventura County / 1 Comment
The drought plaguing the Tri-Counties and the rest of the state has the agriculture industry on red alert. With 2014 forecast to be the driest year in California history, Gov. Jerry Brown has declared a drought emergency in the state, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture has designated 27 counties in California as primary natural disaster areas, including the tri-county region.
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By Editorial Board / Friday, January 24th, 2014 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: Smart management and technology could ease water woes
Gov. Jerry Brown’s timely drought declaration on Jan. 17 may become a pivotal moment in the history of California and the region. It may be the impetus needed to spur large infrastructure projects and get California’s vaunted technologists working on a problem.
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By Staff Report / Thursday, December 5th, 2013 / Agribusiness, Central Coast, Top Stories / Comments Off on Paso groups agree on water plan
With potentially expensive lawsuits looming in the background, two of the groups jockeying to shape the future of a water district in Paso Robles wine country have put aside their differences in hopes of avoiding years in court and millions of dollars in legal fees.
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By Tom Bronzini / Friday, November 22nd, 2013 / Agribusiness, East Ventura County, Top Stories, Tri-County Economy, West Ventura County / Comments Off on Dry spell: Ventura County struggles to refill from Santa Clara River
Farms, industries and municipalities in Ventura County could see a severe reduction in the amount of water they receive from the Santa Clara River watershed and sharply higher prices if a pair of environmental challenges are successful, a top groundwater manager said Nov. 16.
Tony Morgan, groundwater department manager for the United Water Conservation District, said at a symposium in Santa Paula that the district is unlikely to be able to supply anywhere near the water this year that it has in the past because of prolonged dry weather.
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By Editorial Board / Friday, November 15th, 2013 / Editorials, Opinion / Comments Off on Editorial: Find local solutions first for Paso Robles water problems
North San Luis Obispo County has become ground zero for a debate over groundwater use and storage that’s spreading across the Highway 101 corridor.
A large area that includes portions of northeastern Paso Robles and inches toward the Monterey County line has been the subject of a heated debate about future water supplies and groundwater management. These days, two groups — the Paso Robles Agricultural Alliance for Groundwater Solutions, which seeks the creation of a California Water District to add new supplies, and PRO Water Equity, which opposes the ag group — are vying for public support.
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