You don’t need to be a local to know that while Central California is a bountiful growing region that produces foods that are consumed around the world, it’s also prone to drought. It’s a reality that impacts everyone who lives here, and yes, it matters a lot to us farmers. The availability of water impacts how much water will be available for us growers to purchase each season. Of course, the more water that’s available, the better, for all residents.
So what determines how much water we can anticipate being able to access to grow our crops each year? And how will residents know what to expect for the season to come? A major tool is the official annual survey conducted by the Department of Water Resources, or DWR. The DWR monitors snowfall throughout the winter and into early spring, and around the beginning of April each year, it releases the results from that survey.
Last month, the survey told us that our snowpack for this year is 70 percent of average. The survey factors in actual snowpack and what’s known as “snow water,” or a calculation of how much water would result if the snow melted. There’s a lot to it, and while we would have loved having a higher percentage of snowpack for 2025, it’s only a slight decrease over 2024, so we’re not panicking. We’ve definitely dealt with much less snowpack over the years. And we know what we need to do to conserve every precious drop of water. Back to that annual availability of water, each season our local irrigation district calculates our area’s overall water availability and projected usage and issues us farmers what are referred to as “water allotments.” We farmers then are informed how much our irrigation district will charge us for each water unit, or acre foot. Our allotments and corresponding charges for each acre foot fluctuates each year, depending on availability. We know, lots to take in. Don’t worry, though, we’ve got this!
At Bella Viva Orchards, we have an ongoing commitment to refining our irrigation practices. We’ve been doing it since our family first began farming this land. One of the ways we conserve water while feeding the earth is through our regenerative and organic farming practices. One of the water-saving practices we incorporate is the planting of cover crops. From the country roadside, you may look at our orchards and think we’ve let those weeds get out of control, but in reality, those plants, or cover crops, are there intentionally. We prefer to think of them as plantings, not unwanted weeds! Those cover crops help retain moisture in the soil, feed valuable nitrogen and other nutrients right into the ground and create a happy habitat for beneficial insects and other wild orchard do-gooders. So when you see orchards with wild looking growth, feel good about what’s going on. Organic, regenerative, water-conscious, earth-conscious and people-friendly farming!
Somewhere at the beginning we promised news about our Blueberries. We’re talking about our beautiful Certified Organic Dried Blueberries. These Blueberries are grown locally by partners who incorporate sustainable practices that we talk about so often these days. Once you’ve had them, we think you’d have a hard time doing without them. These dark purple superfoods are very portable, easy to add to any meal or snack and packed with health-boosting nutrients. They’re completely additive-free, unprocessed and honestly California-grown! We’re so excited about their goodness – and tastiness - we’re offering our Certified Organic Dried Blueberries (Unsweetened) for a snowstorm of savings from now through the end of May. This means you can pick them up for 40 percent off, or an incredible $19.99 per pound!
Speaking of hot deals, you’re in for a treat with all the deals this month! From now through the end of May, we’re giving you plenty of good reasons to stock up and enjoy a nice 10 percent off our Certified Organic Dried Cherries, Certified Organic Dried Sweet Apples, Certified Organic Dried Cranberries, Certified Organic Medjool Dates, Certified Organic Dried Whole Strawberries and Certified Organic Mixed Fruit! But it doesn’t stop there! Now that the weather is warming up, now’s the last chance to stock up on any and all of our Chocolates before the end of the month, when we will take last orders for Chocolates until the weather cools off enough to resume shipping. We’re offering all products on our Chocolates page from now through the end of the month for a sweet 15 percent off. Shop now, shop freely and don’t feel a bit guilty about the savings and the little added touch of sweetness to your world.
Now that you have some background on snowpack, water allotments and what we’re all looking at for the 2025 California water season, we invite you to take note of what you might do in your own daily life to be a good steward of the water that flows through your own household faucets. If you’re already a wiser miser, the earth thanks you! If you just need a reason to do more, then we hope this message inspires you.
So appreciate every drop of water that you enjoy, stock up on our superfood Certified Organic Dried Blueberries, 10 percent off specials and Chocolates and congratulate yourself for adding a little water knowledge to your world.
