Dutch farmers just won’t stay home.
Two large protests unfolded in the Netherlands last week as citizens headed to vote in a provincial election yesterday. One protest was led by people with legitimate, tangible skin in the game: Farmers, fishermen, and their supporters. Dutch land, way of life, and time-tested traditions of success are under threat and being taken and destroyed. 
 
The second protest was an assembly of autonomous human drones, fueled by the information war. These victims of &#8220;menticide&#8221; are the &#8220;extinction rebellion&#8221; — brainwashed meatbots — from the same information ecosystems that created Antifa and Black Lives Matter. 

While the Dutch provincial election took a <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/world/european-farmers-fed-climate-policies-shock-political-establishment" target="_blank" rel="noopener">favorable turn</a> for the farmers, many believe the threat to their autonomy still remains. 
Dutch farmers are under a severe information attack of their own, with accusations that farming causes “stickstoff poisoning,” — nitrogen poisoning. The accusation is so fraudulent that to even discuss the merits is to lose the fight. A famous Dutch medical doctor and psychoanalyst, Joost Meerloo, wrote extensively about such menticide in his classic book on brainwashing, &#8220;Rape of the Mind,&#8221; published in 1956. In the book, Dr. Meerloo explained exactly what we are seeing today, including methods for countering this mental martial art. A paraphrase of Dr. Meerloo’s advice: Do not engage in discussion of details when the bedrock details of the argument are lies. To discuss the merits of the meritless is to lose. 
 
The nitrogen argument put forth by Dutch prime minister Rutte and his globalist friends is fake. Unworthy of discussion. Instead, they should fix their gaze higher — ad hominem in this case — on the communists and other tyrants who wield the information swords.
The argument is as prima facie fallacious as the accusation that calling Holland “Holland” is somehow wrong. Their true goal is total control. Control of the simplest acts of existence, such as eating, which words we use, and calling oneself Dutch or American. According to the Dutch government, the name “Holland” is now outdated and should no longer be used by Dutch government officials. Yes, the term Holland is now canceled.
In a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent interview</a>, Dr. Jordan Peterson pointedly and repeatedly called this country, the Netherlands, Holland. If any man understands the immense power of a single word, the man is Dr. Peterson. Dr. Peterson knows compelled speech is slavery and slavery leads to spiritual death.
Last year, I stood outside a venue in the Netherlands where Dr. Peterson was speaking to a full house. He travels with a security detail due to serious, credible threats. Antifa protested the event, attempting to intimidate those who will listen to men who study, stand, and speak the truth.
I have spent months with Antifa in the past — in Portland, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Hong Kong (yes), and Washington D.C. I know their ways and how they work tirelessly to intimidate, using an information war as their highest form of warfare. 
The information war currently spreading across the Dutch &#8220;mindscape&#8221; is the real poison. The Dutch government is openly in the grips of a beastly alliance of the WEF and the CCP — The World Economic Forum and the Chinese Communist Party. Klaus Schwab, chairman of the WEF, has publicly, effusively praised Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Netherlands version of Justin Trudeau.
These globalists need the farmland to create their planned Utopia called &#8220;Tristate City,&#8221; a megalopolis, comprising most of the Netherlands, parts of Germany, and Belgium. And while the brainchild behind the massive blueprint, urban planner Peter Savelberg, recently <a href="https://www.politico.eu/newsletter/global-policy-lab/living-cities-taking-on-period-poverty-tristate-city-conspiracy-monumental-women/">walked back his proposal</a>, it doesn&#8217;t diminish the WEF&#8217;s vision of a human farm where every movement will be tracked, recorded, and analyzed in real time by people such as Chinese agents.
<div id="attachment_513883" style="width: 570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-513883" loading="lazy" class="size-full wp-image-513883" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image.png" alt="" width="560" height="366" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image.png 560w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-300x196.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 560px) 100vw, 560px" />www.tristatecity.nl</div>
Tristate City includes the two busiest ports in Europe: Rotterdam and Antwerp. If China has its way, its new growing <a href="https://www.voanews.com/a/war-in-ukraine-challenging-china-s-train-routes-to-europe/6530632.html">Asian rail infrastructure</a> will chug across the middle of the Tristate City to Rotterdam. The Tristate City is set to become a giant Chinese port city. 
<div id="attachment_513887" style="width: 933px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-513887" loading="lazy" class="size-large wp-image-513887" src="https://www.dailywire.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/image-2-923x576.jpeg" alt="" width="923" height="576" srcset="https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-2-923x576.jpeg 923w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-2-300x187.jpeg 300w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-2-768x479.jpeg 768w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-2-1536x958.jpeg 1536w, https://dw-wp-production.imgix.net/2023/03/image-2-2048x1277.jpeg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 923px) 100vw, 923px" />Getty Images</div>
WEF/CCP needs and wants the land. Standing in the way, of course, are the farmers and a strong Dutch spirit. If the western WEF members, who now cooperate so deeply with CCP, succeed they will eventually fight over the spoils. Stated more plainly — though WEF and CCP are today wedded in unholy marriage, they are destined for bloody divorce. 
 
Why so herculean an effort to destroy Dutch culture including farmers and fishermen? Control: Control of food supply, freedom of movement, association, and commerce. Dutch farmers — among the most efficient and responsible in the world — are working in large parts on land that was reclaimed from the sea. Not primal forests, but underwater. Their family lines go back centuries. They are literally the original tribespeople, as it were. If this were any place other than Europe, the Frisians and others might be labeled indigenous, in need of protection. 

WATCH: New <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/episode/b">Dr. Jordan B. Peterson podcast</a>, &#8220;Dutch Farmers: Canaries in the Globalist Coal Mine, with Michael Yon &amp; Eva Vlaardingerbroek&#8221;
<a href="https://michaelyon.com/">Michael Yon</a> became one of America’s youngest Green Berets at 19-years-old. Michael has lived over half of his life abroad living or traveling to about 90 countries. Author of three books in the United States and three others in Japan, he is America’s most experienced combat correspondent. Follow him on Twitter: @Michael_Yon, and http://michaelyon.locals.com
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Farmers protest against the government in Netherlands

How A Globalist Drive For A Utopian Super City Is Pushing Dutch Farmers To Protest

China

Chinese Communist Party

Farmers

Readers Pass

The Netherlands

World

World Economic Forum

A pay-it-forward story is inspiring people after a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmer’s</a> good deeds were revealed after he passed away on New Year’s Day.
Hody Childress, a farmer and Air Force veteran from Alabama, went into a drugstore about a decade ago and asked the owner if there were people who weren’t able to pay for their medicine.
“I told him, ‘Yes, unfortunately that happens often,’” Brooke Walker, the owner, <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2023/01/19/alabama-farmer-hody-childress-prescriptions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. “And he handed me a $100 bill, all folded up.”
But he didn’t want credit for it.
“He said, ‘Don’t tell a soul where the money came from — if they ask, just tell them it’s a blessing from the Lord,’” she said.
He continued to anonymously provide resources for people in the form of a $100 bill each month for years, and was able to bless those around him with his actions.
“His kindness motivated me to be more of a compassionate person,” Walker said. “He was just a good old guy who wanted to bless his community, and he certainly did. He established a legacy of kindness.”
The money he gave her grew to thousands of dollars and Walker was typically able to assist two people each month who needed help paying for their medicine.
Walker was considering reaching out to his family, but his daughter was also getting ready to inform people about the gifts at his funeral since he had told her about it before he died.
“He told me he’d been carrying a $100 bill to the pharmacist in Geraldine on the first of each month, and he didn’t want to know who she’d helped with it — he just wanted to bless people with it,” Tania Nix, his daughter, said.
“It was just who he was — it was in his heart,” Nix added.
Childress told Nix so that she could <a href="https://www.npr.org/2023/01/23/1150716078/friends-and-family-will-keep-hody-childress-kind-deed-going" target="_blank" rel="noopener">do it for him</a> when his health didn&#8217;t allow for it. Childress survived on a minimal retirement and Social Security.
“He didn’t spend a lot of money in life, but he always gave what he could,” she said. “If he took you out to eat, you had to be quick to grab the ticket, or he was paying for it.”
He had lived through tragedy, but was still an upbeat person. In 1973, his father and son were both killed in a tornado.
“That was really hard on him, but he never complained,” Nix said. “He never lost his optimism.”
When people in the community started figuring out at his funeral that he was the one who had helped them, they were shocked, she said.
“I heard from people who said they’d been going through a rough time and their prescriptions were paid for when they went to pick them up,” she said.
His actions have inspired people to keep giving to the pharmacy.
“We’re calling it the Hody Childress Fund, and we’re going to keep it going as long as the community and Hody’s family wants to keep it alive,” she said.
The New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/25/us/alabama-pharmacy-donor.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that since The Washington Post published the story, Walker, as well as Nix and her family, have been contacted by people from all over the country who want to give. A man from Miami was even inspired to go to his local drugstore to begin a fund.
One woman, Ms. Schlageter, was able to get her son an EpiPen because of Childress&#8217; money, but she didn&#8217;t know he was behind it.
“All of a sudden it comes out that Mr. Hody did it,” Schlageter said. “What he doesn’t know, now that he’s in heaven, is that he helped a kid that works on a farm that he started. Look at that circle.”

736954D1-3A8B-45E4-8A3F-E4E6B4C7E77B_1_105_c

Pay-It-Forward Story Of Farmer Inspires People Around The Country

Alabama

Farming

General

U.S.

Farming company Deere &amp; Co., known as John Deere, signed an agreement allowing farmers to fix their own machinery or seek repairs from independent workers on Sunday. 
The American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF) and Deere &amp; Co. <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/us-farmers-win-right-to-repair-john-deere-tractors/ar-AA166A1b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> a <a href="https://www.fb.org/files/AFBF_John_Deere_MOU.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">memorandum</a> of understanding (MOU) as a culmination of the “right to repair” discussion. Some farmers have argued that manufacturing companies have used their own systems in order to make farmers go to specific places to repair their products. Deere has essentially <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/farm-bureau-deere-co-sign-mou-ensuring-farmers-right-repair-equipment-2023-01-08/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">required</a> farmers to seek repairs at their own divisions or given authorized dealers the ability to get into the technology instead of giving farmers more information about their system. 
&#8220;It addresses a long-running issue for farmers and ranchers when it comes to accessing tools, information and resources, while protecting John Deere&#8217;s intellectual property rights and ensuring equipment safety,&#8221; AFBF President Zippy Duvall <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/us-farmers-win-right-to-repair-john-deere-tractors/ar-AA166A1b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
Deere is looking forward to <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-xl/news/other/us-farmers-win-right-to-repair-john-deere-tractors/ar-AA166A1b" target="_blank" rel="noopener">operating</a> with AFBF and &#8220;our customers in the months and years ahead to ensure farmers continue to have the tools and resources to diagnose, maintain and repair their equipment,&#8221; Dave Gilmore, a vice president at Deere, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/farm-bureau-deere-co-sign-mou-ensuring-farmers-right-repair-equipment-2023-01-08/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>.
The MOU noted that a manufacturer would not be able to “divulge trade secrets, proprietary or confidential information” or “allow owners or Independent Repair Facilities to override safety features or emissions controls or to adjust Agricultural Equipment power levels” under the signed agreement. 
The MOU also said that the farm group would &#8220;encourage state Farm Bureau organizations to recognize the commitments made in this MOU&#8221; and hold back &#8220;from introducing, promoting, or supporting federal or state &#8216;Right to Repair&#8217; legislation that imposes obligations beyond the commitments in this MOU.&#8221; Deere and the group can both <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/deere-to-allow-farmers-to-repair-their-own-equipment-11673228580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pull</a> out of the agreement by providing written notice of fifteen days if right-to-repair legislation is enacted at the state or federal level. 
Kevin O’Reilly, director for the Right to Repair Campaign at the U.S. Public Interest Research Group, <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/deere-to-allow-farmers-to-repair-their-own-equipment-11673228580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> legislators “should continue pushing Right-to-Repair legislation until every farmer in every state with every brand of equipment can fix every problem with every tractor.”
At a time when farmers have been seeing high prices for necessary items, the agreement could mean they get some relief when it comes to the ability to pay less for repairs. However, high commodity costs could also <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/high-commodity-prices-feed-a-boom-in-the-u-s-farm-belt-11671595947" target="_blank" rel="noopener">bring</a> an uptick in income for the industry.
President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-order-takes-aim-at-tractor-repair-11625914801?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> an executive order in 2021 to allow more freedom for farmers to fix their equipment or turn to independent repair workers. 
Deere has noted that it offered ways for private groups to do repairs but didn&#8217;t want its technical systems changed. In the past, Deere and other equipment makers were <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/biden-order-takes-aim-at-tractor-repair-11625914801?mod=article_inline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unwilling</a> to give farmers full range to their systems. Changing the technical elements could make them not work as well, according to the companies. 
Last March, Deere also <a href="https://www.reuters.com/markets/us/fewer-us-tractor-dealerships-raise-costs-farmers-sector-consolidates-2022-09-01/">said</a> it would allow a diagnostics software item to be bought by independent repair services and farmers. 
This year, New York <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2023/01/03/new-yorks-right-to-repair-bill-has-major-carve-outs-for-manufacturers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">passed</a> right-to-repair legislation and Democratic Governor Kathy Hochul <a href="https://www.consumerreports.org/right-to-repair/new-york-right-to-repair-law-electronics-a1202339752/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">signed</a> it on December 29. Massachusetts also passed a right-to-repair law aimed at the automotive industry in 2012.

019D96BF-BDB4-4553-B792-5124347B6436_1_201_a

John Deere Signs Agreement Giving Farmers More Freedom To Repair Equipment

Business

Lawmakers in <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/south-dakota" target="_blank" rel="noopener">South Dakota</a> announced a move to more heavily scrutinize foreign purchases of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmland</a> from investors in adversarial nations such as <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/china" target="_blank" rel="noopener">China</a>.
Foreigners in the Mount Rushmore State increased their land holdings from nearly 307,000 acres in 2019 to more than 356,000 acres in 2020, meaning that foreign nationals now control 0.9% of the state’s agricultural land, according to <a href="https://www.fsa.usda.gov/Assets/USDA-FSA-Public/usdafiles/EPAS/PDF/2020_afida_annual_report.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">data</a> from the Department of Agriculture. Governor Kristi Noem (R-SD) announced support for legislation that would establish the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States for South Dakota (CFIUS-SD) to examine possible acquisitions of agricultural land by foreign interests.
“With this new process, we will be able to prevent nations who hate us — like Communist China — from buying up our state’s agriculture land,” she said in a <a href="https://news.sd.gov/newsitem.aspx?id=31923" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>. “We cannot allow the Chinese Communist Party to continue to buy up our nation’s food supply, so South Dakota will lead the charge on this vital national security issue.”
Chinese entities own slightly less than 1% of foreign-held acres in the United States, according to the Department of Agriculture. Canadian investors own roughly 32% of agricultural and non-agricultural land, while citizens of other allied nations such as the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Italy, and Germany constitute 31% of land holdings by foreigners.
Lawmakers in South Dakota are particularly worried about the acquisition of farmland near <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/pompeo-warns-communist-chinese-entities-buying-farmland-near-u-s-military-bases" target="_blank" rel="noopener">military facilities</a> such as Ellsworth Air Force Base. The purchase of 300 acres near Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, where some of the nation’s secure military drone technology is located, earlier this year by Chinese food manufacturing company Fufeng Group raised concerns of espionage among some officials.
“For those of us who have lived and worked on the land, we know that it’s our past, but also our future,” State Senator Erin Tobin (R-SD) continued. “We grow the world’s food, and we need to protect the security of that food supply for our kids.”
Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Dakota, and Oklahoma have previously banned the foreign ownership of farmland. Chinese investors, however, can circumvent such restrictions by acquiring and operating through American corporations. House Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) and Rep. Dusty Johnson (R-SD) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/congressman-warns-against-americas-enemies-taking-over-agriculture" target="_blank" rel="noopener">introduced</a> the Promoting Agriculture Safeguards and Security Act earlier this year in an effort to bar entities from China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea from buying American agricultural firms.
“China’s efforts to influence American agriculture threatens U.S. security,” Johnson said in a <a href="https://dustyjohnson.house.gov/media/press-releases/johnson-stefanik-pass-act-prevents-china-purchasing-us-agriculture-businesses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a>. “We have experienced numerous black swan events in the past few years, and we can’t risk allowing our adversaries closer access to our food and supply chains.”
The Biden administration likewise <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/white-house-quietly-probes-chinese-tech-firm-for-possibly-harvesting-data-from-military-bases-missile-silos" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigated</a> Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei over concerns that cell towers using the company’s devices are transmitting data on military bases and missile silos to the communist nation. A final rule <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/u-s-makes-historic-move-to-block-certain-chinese-tech-after-national-security-concerns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">published</a> last month by the Federal Communications Commission will block Huawei, ZTE, Hikvision, and Dahua from importing and selling certain technology that the agency considers a potential threat to national security. The new rule, however, does not apply to technology already within the nation’s borders.

Kristi Noem

South Dakota To Restrict Purchases Of Farmland By China And Other ‘Nations Who Hate Us’

South Dakota To Restrict Purchases Of Farmland By China

National Security

Politics

South Dakota

Agriculture in the United States is shifting, and could move even more in the coming years towards a new type of farming — with robotic, fully autonomous machines.
Agricultural AI can be used in various ways and for different tasks. According to <a href="https://intellias.com/artificial-intelligence-in-agriculture/#:~:text=AI%20can%20provide%20farmers%20with,minimizing%20the%20use%20of%20resources" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Intellias</a>, artificial intelligence can carry out everyday farming jobs, as well as difficult ones. It can also collect and sort through information digitally, find solutions and then carry them out when working with other tools. This type of technology is also able to give farmers information on their product, showing zones that are in need of water, fertilizer, or pesticide application. 
Agricultural expert Dmytro Lenniy is a senior delivery manager and AgriTech practice leader who helps agricultural technology businesses. He told The Daily Wire over email that “AI’s advancement of agriculture revolves around three overarching areas: forecasting, disease detection, and automation.” 

The ability to predict certain conditions can also help farmers use the best means of growing and be as effective as possible.
Bowery Farming <a href="https://boweryfarming.com/artificial-intelligence/">notes</a> the prevalence of AI in everyday life, and points out that it is one of the major assets that helps them solve issues.
AI in farming can also help supplement work when there are not as many people entering the farming business, or looking to provide manual labor to farms. 
The United States has struggled to overcome a farmworker shortage that has happened in part due to immigration laws and less people wanting to go into the agricultural sector, according to <a href="https://agamerica.com/blog/farm-labor-shortage/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AgAmerica Lending</a>.
Almost half of <a href="https://agamerica.com/blog/2021-agricultural-outlook-for-us-agriculture/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmworkers</a> are illegal immigrants, and just 4% of immigrants who work on farms have become U.S. citizens. The shortage has led to farmers <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/farmers-pushing-immigration-reform-counter-labor-shortages-escalating-rcna45741" target="_blank" rel="noopener">backing</a> legislation that would stymie immigration reform. 
The <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/1603" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Farm Workforce Modernization Act</a> has been passed in the House of Representatives and is pending in the U.S. Senate. It includes provisions concerning alien farmworkers that would update the ways people can temporarily work in the U.S. on farms. Some worker organizations are against the bill, though, citing issues regarding inclusion of all immigrants and power inequality between farm operators and migrant workers.
A Texas A&amp;M University <a href="https://www.tamiu.edu/coas/documents/tamiu-abic.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">study</a> from this year was commissioned by the American Business Coalition, which pushes for immigration changes. It discovered that more migrant and H-2A employees was connected to less inflation, associated with higher wages and lower unemployment. 
Although AI in agriculture could fix many issues, there are also various risks to such technological development. The image of a robot working on a farm and becoming sentient is a Hollywood-esque idea that may come to mind. The concept might seem to be fictional, but it doesn’t mean there are no privacy, security, and legal concerns that are associated with such technology. 
Data processing could be a risk, as well. &#8220;The biggest risk when using AI is the possibility of incorrect recommendations or forecasting,&#8221; Lenniy told The Daily Wire. The systems must be specially programmed to be in tune with the region in which they are operating. Another major concern of using AI is maintaining the safety of a client’s private data, Lenniy noted.
The risk of cyberattacks on the food chain could increase, especially if farmers are working with a few “machine-learning programs,” per a recent <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s42256-022-00440-4.epdf?sharing_token=Ar58hegfiZ9_SWByDd0An9RgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0MWFepXeZ7UIRwLudsvzXukGTXmldGdPHOZ1xLqh-O0zjDOYjk_G0WWJP91-Le8v8EbypGimrOYIFd1AKUHSjwpgLAe-Pn2p0qObJIONmbOaZn5RBiSfucIZUfRqKXxXPPdGY1my5fqvct3yXSIdryWVegYslmPYNdFkAJ6pfJpsJYeaT01_k4NGh0lSfn43c8=&amp;tracking_referrer=www.washingtonpost.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> in Nature. 
“Under these conditions, farmers will bring substantial croplands, pastures and hayfields under the influence of a few common [machine-learning] platforms, consequently creating centralized points of failure, where deliberate attacks could cause disproportionate harm,” the report noted. The journal pointed out that AI should be responsibly implemented, and history has shown that “a focus on increased productivity carries potential risks, including intensifying inequality and ecological degradation.”
While it can help farmers determine how best to plant and harvest, this type of development could also raise concerns if government attempts to get involved.
Already, New Zealand is attempting to tax farmers based on their livestock emissions, such as the burps and urine that come from animals. Farmers have pushed back extensively on the proposed tax, saying it will be disastrous for farmers and essentially lead to farms shutting down in an economy that is heavily driven by agriculture.
John Deere is one company that has jumped into the AI agriculture game, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/02/how-deere-plans-to-build-a-world-of-fully-autonomous-farming-by-2030.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hoping</a> to be entirely autonomous by 2030.
The company showed off its 8R farming tractor at the Consumer Electronics Show last January, which propels John Deere towards its goal by acting fully autonomous. After almost twenty years of funding and strategizing technology, the tractor is the final result, according to <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2022/10/02/how-deere-plans-to-build-a-world-of-fully-autonomous-farming-by-2030.html">CNBC</a>.
The Autonomous 8R Tractor was <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QvFoRk4JsPc&amp;ab_channel=JohnDeere" target="_blank" rel="noopener">portrayed</a> in a video by John Deere, in which a farmer explained how he can check the self-driving tractor on an app on his phone. The video showed a tractor driving itself in a field.
Doug Nimz, a fourth generation farmer from Minnesota, pointed out that labor is difficult to acquire on farms, and many hours of labor are needed for brief periods of time.
&#8220;Autonomy will help because we will be able to put a tractor out in the field and let it run for 24 hours a day because it&#8217;s not manned,&#8221; Nimz said. &#8220;But it also helps us with the weather because we can run so hard when soil conditions are fit.&#8221;
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Autonomous 8R Tractor | John Deere Precision Ag" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QvFoRk4JsPc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Jorge Heraud, vice president of automation and autonomy for Deere in Moline, Illinois, told CNBC, “This comes from our realization that technology is going to drive value creation and increase productivity, profitability and sustainability for farmers.”
The move towards AI has its ecological benefits, as well. Microsoft is <a href="https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/project/project-farmvibes/">working</a> on developing technology that would add to sustainability by allowing farmers to track their farm&#8217;s estimated emissions, assist them “with climate adaptation by predicting weather variations” and “determine the right management practices that can be profitable and help improve soil health.”
The technology is <a href="https://blogs.microsoft.com/ai/microsoft-open-sources-its-farm-of-the-future-toolkit/">called</a> Project FarmVibes. 
“Project FarmVibes is allowing us to build the farm of the future,” Andrew Nelson, a farmer letting Microsoft Research use his land for the project, said. “We’re showcasing the impact technology and AI can have in agriculture. For me, Project FarmVibes is saving a lot in time, it’s saving a lot in costs and it’s helping us control any issues we have on the farm.”
Lenniy said the agricultural industry is heading in the direction of digitization, and AI is a main part of that shift. Farming operations that aren’t using AI will inevitably be behind those that do.
“That’s because the advanced knowledge will enable farmers to streamline their processes, increase efficiency and shorten supply chains. Simultaneously it will benefit food distribution, providing the public with a more steady supply of produce and increasing food security,” Lenniy said.
Lenniy pointed out that there is a shortage of experts who are familiar with all of the agricultural trends. It’s difficult for people to keep up with all of the shifting trends, so AI can help replace the “constant studying” and provide solutions.
Access to water is also a major issue and is something that the use of AI could help improve. AI can provide data about weather forecasts, so that farmers can use less water than they otherwise would need to without that information, Lenniy added. The predictions can also let farmers use less pesticides on crops.
The agricultural industry is changing and the use of artificial intelligence is ultimately something that could provide more solutions to the issues the industry is facing, but the risks and challenges of such technology should not be ignored.

US-TECHNOLOGY-SCIENCE-LIFESTYLE-COMPUTERS-ELECTRONICS

‘Let It Run 24-Hours A Day’: How Artificial Intelligence And Automated Tractors Will Change The Face of Farming

[HOLD FOR GW/READERS PASS]

Agriculture

Artificial Intelligence

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Farmers</a> in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/new-zealand" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Zealand</a> are taking their frustrations to the streets in protest over the government’s newly proposed tax on emissions from animals, such as burps and urine.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-zealand-farmers-fume-after-government-proposes-animal-gas-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> last week, New Zealand proposed the first-ever tax on farm animal emissions. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-zealand-animals-emissions-reduction-climate-and-environment-6f8847bc10ecdd0ba4d5c23bdab5617d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">It claimed</a> that those in the agricultural industry could recoup that tax money by charging customers more for their eco-friendly items. 
Thousands of people in the agricultural sector <a href="https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/20/new-zealand-farmers-protest-worlds-first-livestock-burp-tax" target="_blank" rel="noopener">protested</a> the potential tax on Thursday. Groundswell New Zealand organized the event, and its co-founder, Bryce McKenzie, said rural areas would be harmed.
“The government’s ideological commitment to punitive and counterproductive emissions taxes on food production is an existential threat to rural communities,” McKenzie said, adding that the move would be counterproductive. He said whatever reductions that occur “will be replaced by less efficient foreign farmers.”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor acted as if the tax would essentially be a good thing for farmers, but the people who would potentially be impacted don’t appear to feel the same way. 
“New Zealand’s farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food,” Ardern said, noting that the fees garnered from the tax would go back into the farming industry.
“Farmers are already experiencing the impact of climate change with more regular drought and flooding,” O’Connor said. “Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy.”
Farmers spoke out at the time, with the Federated Farmers lobby saying the proposal would “rip the guts out of small-town New Zealand” and reduce the number of farms in the country, which has <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2022/10/20/new-zealand-farmers-cow-burp-protest-00062675" target="_blank" rel="noopener">10 million dairy and beef cattle</a>, as well as 26 million sheep. The nation itself only has around 5 million people.
Critics say the end result of the tax would likely be more farmers leaving the industry altogether. 
Dave McCurdy, a farmer protesting on Thursday, said farmers care about the environment and treat it well. 
“It’s our life, our family’s lives,” he said. “We’re not out there to wreck it, we wouldn’t make any money. We love our farms. That’s what annoys us. We’re painted as these bad guys, but many farmers have spent generations looking after that land.”
McCurdy said that many farmers would suffer if the proposal and herd cutbacks move forward. “I’m out,” he said. “Waste of time.”

C0CEA3F5-3E3D-46F0-9D99-AEFACEC19470_1_201_a

New Zealand Farmers Protest Proposed Farm Animal Emissions Tax

New Zealand Farmers Protest Proposed Tax On Farm Animal Emissions Like Burps And Urine

Animals

New Zealand

Taxes

New Zealand farmers fumed about a new tax proposed by government officials Tuesday that would charge agriculturalists for greenhouse gases, biogenic methane, and nitrous oxide belched or urinated out from cows and sheep.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said such taxes would fuel the industry by funding new technology, research, and incentives for the farmers, The Associated Press <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-new-zealand-animals-emissions-reduction-climate-and-environment-6f8847bc10ecdd0ba4d5c23bdab5617d">reported</a>.
“New Zealand’s farmers are set to be the first in the world to reduce agricultural emissions, positioning our biggest export market for the competitive advantage that brings in a world increasingly discerning about the provenance of their food,” Ardern said.
Reuters <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/new-zealand-price-agricultural-long-lived-gases-methane-separately-2022-10-10/">reported</a> that the proposed plan would go into effect in 2025, making New Zealand the first country to impose a livestock emissions levy on farmers.
But farm workers feel unsettled about such plans, claiming it would “rip the guts out of small town New Zealand,” adding the country would see fewer farms and more trees.
Andrew Hoggard, president of the lobbying group Federated Farmers, said farmers have attempted to work with government officials since 2020 on a plan to reduce emissions while maintaining current food production levels. Still, the new plan would force them to sell their farms “so fast you won’t even hear the dogs barking on the back of the ute [pickup truck] as they drive off,” he said, per The Associated Press.
Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said that while farmers are already experiencing regular droughts and flooding, it poses an good opportunity for them and the country.
“Taking the lead on agricultural emissions is both good for the environment and our economy,” O’Connor said, according to The Associated Press.
However, opposing lawmakers said the plan would increase worldwide emissions by forcing other countries to make up for the lack of farming in New Zealand, which produces dairy products that are vital to its economy.
The Associated Press reports that while the country’s population caps at around 5 million people, the number of beef and dairy cattle in the country is double that size.
According to Reuters, the proposal goes to consultation before officials can pass and impose the law.
Government officials have pledged to reduce methane emissions from farm animals by 10% by 2030 and up to 47% by 2050, at which point they hope the country will be carbon neutral.

TO GO WITH AFP STORY “NZealand-farm-emis

New Zealand Farmers Fume After Government Proposes Animal Gas Tax

carbon

Climate Change

Gas Tax

As the agricultural industry around the world gets smaller, young farmers in the United States are rising to the task, even as they face hostile regulations and challenges.
The number of people <a href="https://www.bbc.com/future/bespoke/follow-the-food/the-reason-we-are-running-out-of-farmers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">working</a> in the global agricultural industry has decreased over the past several decades — <a href="https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SL.AGR.EMPL.ZS">from 44% in 1991 to 27% in 2019</a>, according to the International Labor Organization.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture reports that <a href="https://www.nass.usda.gov/Publications/Highlights/2020/young-producers.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">between</a> 2012 and 2017, the number of young producers rose by 11%, and the total amount of producers in the United States went up by 7%.
“According to the 2017 Census of Agriculture, 27% of farmers were categorized as new and beginning producers, with 10 years or less of experience in agriculture,&#8221; Sarah Campbell, USDA Farm Service Agency National Beginning Farmer &amp; Rancher Program Coordinator, told the Daily Wire over email. &#8220;The 2022 Census of Agriculture is underway and we&#8217;re looking forward to those results to help us monitor the number of new farmers, especially in light of the global pandemic and rising farmland prices.”
According to the 2022 National Young Farmer <a href="https://www.youngfarmers.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NationalSurveyReport2022.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">survey</a>, the average age of farmers is around 60 years-old, and almost half of the agricultural land in the United States is about to switch ownership over the next twenty years.
Jeff Mitchell, a professor with the Department of Plant Sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences at the University of California, Davis, told The Daily Wire that things are being done to help people pursue a career in farming.
In California, farmers say they see agricultural interest in the younger generation, but it all depends on several factors, including whether a person has a family history of farming.
Cannon Michael of Bowles Farming Company told The Daily Wire that “context is important &#8211; farms and regions are so very different it is hard to generalize on [whether the younger generation of farmers is more or less willing to enter into the business of agriculture].”
Dennis Jizmejian is a fifth-generation California family farmer on his father’s side. He says, “[i]]nterest is hard to tell. Obviously we live in a very farm-rich community. I would think there would be a lot more interested if it was easier to get into. It&#8217;s just really hard to get in and get started. It really is.”
Jizmejian said the amount of money needed to get started, “especially in California, is pretty crazy,” and there aren’t very many young people who have that kind of money. 
“The data I have seen is that the farming population for the most part is aging more not less — so the younger generation are not flooding into the business. Around me I see examples where younger generations are taking over and entering and then I see plenty of farms where the land is being sold due to lack of family engagement and high prices,” Michael said. 
The survey found that the biggest challenge for young farmers today is discovering land to buy that they can afford, with 59% of young farmers saying that finding an affordable property to purchase is “very or extremely challenging.” More than half of the participants — 54% — said they need additional &#8220;access to land&#8221; right now. 
The second leading challenge was access to money to expand their business, as many farmers deal with healthcare prices, production costs, housing, and student loan debt. The survey also took into account the challenges of different demographics, but across all races, young farmers in the survey said housing, land, and water were major issues over the last year.
Farmers are naturally eco-friendly, and the profession draws people to it for this reason. In the survey, 83% of young farmers said, “one of their farm’s primary purposes for existing is engaging in conservation or regeneration.”
It’s something that might push more people into the farming business. The Biden administration <a href="https://www.usda.gov/media/press-releases/2022/09/22/historic-investment-partnerships-climate-smart-commodities-and" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently</a> put $2.8 billion towards certain projects as part of its “Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities funding opportunity.”
“There is strong and growing interest in the private sector and among consumers for food that is grown in a climate-friendly way,” Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said.
Joel Currier, a Colorado rancher, told The Daily Wire that the younger generation &#8220;is more willing to enter the business of agriculture. Even if they are not interested in taking over the family farm or ranch, they end up working in another aspect of the agriculture industry.&#8221;
As far as challenges go, Currier also said that one of the most considerable hardships young farmers have to face is the massive beginning costs of starting out in the industry.
&#8220;For farmers and ranchers like me that are working on taking over a family business we can be faced with estate taxes and inheritance taxes. In some cases, these taxes can be so large the only option we have to come up with enough money to pay the taxes is to sell the farm or ranch,&#8221; he added.
Bill Diedrich, a farmer in the Central Valley of California and Jizmejian’s father, told The Daily Wire that “one of the large predeterminers” of someone continuing in farming is a love of the outdoors. He said some people might “dabble” in agriculture if they are interested in the economic side but do not love “dirt and machines.” In this case, “during the downswings, the fire to farm may fade.”
Diedrich added that “water, capital, market conditions, regulations, energy affecting inputs, all are determinates to their success.” He also said it’s a much harder road to get into farming without family money or gifts than in 1980 when he was beginning.
Trent Diedrich works at the Diedrich family farm, as well as Jizmejian. He said that initially, getting into agriculture is a substantial financial feat and is challenging to do, and even friends of his that would like to get into agriculture can’t do so due to the financial aspect.
He said that water is a significant issue making it hard for farmers, as well as the high cost to farm and decreasing prices for commodities. 
Daniel Sumner, a professor in the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, at UC Davis, said younger family members are eager to take over family farms, but consolidation is also a factor. Young people are entering the agricultural business at a lower rate than in decades past because of this consolidation, he noted.
“[W]ith consolidation there are fewer farm operators in each generation and more hired managers, who may not invest their financial capital but rather invest their human capital. Some families have none of the next generation willing or able to farm… [w]hat usually happens is that a nearby farm neighbors or the cousin down the road consolidates that operation into a unified business,” he said. 
Sumner also said the number of female farmers has continued to rise. He said this is partially a “recognition that women have always been active participants in management of farms,” but there are also more opportunities for women in farming roles. 
The survey found 63.5% of respondents identified as “female, nonbinary, or a gender other than cisgender male.”
“That allows farming to draw on much more talent and suggests another generation of talent. We have seen female leadership in farm organizations, industries and farms for more than a generation, but now it has become routine and that is really excellent for the productivity of agriculture,” Sumner added. 
Different regions face distinct issues. Water is the main issue for California farmers, and Jizmejian said it is “drastically affecting” them. “Water availability is number one priority. [If] there’s ground you can find, you can farm. But some of it doesn&#8217;t have water or it&#8217;s very limited. It&#8217;s year to year,” he added.
He said the economic atmosphere is “not favorable,” as fuel, fertilizer, and labor costs have increased. “The regulatory environment in California is not on our side at all. It&#8217;s just death by a thousand cuts right now.”
Sarah Woolf is part of a third-generation farming family and also has a water consulting business specifically for agriculture.
&#8220;I would say [agriculture in California is] extremely challenging, specifically around water. We simply do not have enough water in California to support the cities, the environment, and the agricultural production that we&#8217;ve historically done,” she said. “And so all of those factions are being constricted and agriculture is probably going to take the biggest hit.”
She believes it’s “very difficult” to buy a farm and begin farming.
“In California agriculture is often demonized and vilified so I see a hesitancy and some younger people to want to get into an industry that is not well understood and not well respected in some circles,” Cannon Michael added.
Trent Diedrich said he jumped at the chance to work at his family’s farm, but he’s “heard stories of people younger than me selling everything they got and getting into other lines of work because the outlook is bleak,” adding it is on a case-by-case basis.
“It looks difficult, the long-term outlook of [agriculture] in the Central Valley is. It’s difficult to project what it&#8217;s going to be like in ten years, given the rate of change in the last five,” he said.
Still, the desire to farm is engrained in some people&#8217;s blood.
&#8220;If you grow up on a family farm you grow up used to a certain way of life,&#8221; Currier, the rancher from Colorado, said, noting that many of his family members who are beginning their families and live in the city &#8220;hope to return home to the ranch later in life with their kids.&#8221;

Young Farmers Step Up To Feed The Nation As Ag Business Shrinks

California

Colorado

Video from a Hispanic Texas farmer shows illegal immigrants fleeing Border Patrol first trying to get in his house, but when unsuccessful, entering his elderly grandfather&#8217;s home next door.
The farmer’s 150-acre ranch, which his family has owned for more than 100 years, abuts the U.S.-Mexico border.
“Well, this is my house. My house where I live with my children in this house right here,” the farmer narrates in the video. “There’s your freaking border wall. &#8230; Eight individuals just crossed the freaking border wall, running. &#8230; Tried going in my door but the door was locked. So what did they do? They ran right inside my grandpa’s house. Four of them made it inside the barricades themselves inside my 95-year-old grandpa’s house. You want to tell me it’s okay?”
“They tried to break into my house, that&#8217;s locked. They tried to razzle-dazzle my porch and my laundry room door and that&#8217;s locked,” he added.
“These guys just bull-rushed our houses. I mean trying to open doors, trying to get in,” the farmer told <a href="https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-farmer-near-border-says-migrants-bull-rushed-property-broke-elderly-grandparents-house">Fox News Digital</a>. “Not everyone is that and I’m in agreement with that, but these guys were trying to get away and get into our houses. That was pretty bad.”
“When they have zero respect and barge in your home on a Sunday at four o’clock in the afternoon when you’re sitting down, rest and relaxing, recliner up and your door flings wide open and three people that you don’t know just come running through the kitchen, it’s unfathomable,” he added.
“I feel that we’re at an all-time peak right now. We’re at the highest we’ve seen this in, ultimately, 90 to 95 years,” he concluded.
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On Monday, the New York Times <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/19/us/politics/us-border-arrests.html">acknowledged</a> “the historic pace of undocumented immigrants entering the country.”
Earlier this month, the executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) Corey Price issued a stunning and revealing response when asked by Florida Chief Deputy Attorney General John Guard about ICE deportation rates in the past decade.
“I do not have the last ten years’ data available. But it is less than at least the last four years that I have here,” Price answered.
“In 2012, a decade ago, under President Obama, ICE removed almost eight times or, excuse me, almost seven times the number of aliens than the Biden administration did in either 2021 or 2022, right?” Guard followed up.
“That appears correct,” Price admitted.
“From 2008 to 2016, ICE removed up to 400,000 aliens per year and never less than 230,000. In 2021 the agency removed only 55,598 aliens,” The Daily Mail <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11241771/Farmer-near-border-says-migrants-bull-rushed-property-broke-elderly-grandparents-house.html#comments">pointed out</a>.

Mesquite fence post with long prairie grass and sky

WATCH: ‘These Guys Just Bull-Rushed Our Houses’: Texas Farmer’s Video Of Illegals Barging Into His Grandpa’s Home

Texas Farmer’s Video Of Illegals Barging Into His Grandpa’s Home

Illegal Immigration

Southern Border

Texas

Some railroads are going to stop shipping crops on Thursday in anticipation of a possible railway <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/labor-unions?_gl=1*1eczayp*_ga*MTkxMzA0ODkzMS4xNjQ0MDIxMjI4*_ga_CZKR9ZYKJP*MTY2MzE4OTk1Mi42NzcuMS4xNjYzMTkwNzkyLjUyLjAuMA.." target="_blank" rel="noopener">strike</a>, according to <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-railways-halt-grain-shipments-ahead-potential-shutdown-agriculture-sources-2022-09-13/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sources via Reuters.</a> 
Upsets in shipping could lend to the already steep <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/inflation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inflation</a> as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farming" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmers</a> are beginning to harvest and send fall crops to producers. Farmers are also reportedly set to put fertilizer on their land following the harvest, but fertilizer shipments are being stalled, Reuters noted. 
According to the Consumer Brands Association via <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2022/09/14/congress-freight-rail-strike/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Washington Post,</a> railways in the country are ready to pause crop shipments on Thursday.
Max Fisher, chief economist at the National Grain and Feed Association, told the outlet that rail customers said at least one railway would pause accepting shipments of grain on Thursday morning.
Fisher said that some of the people who pay to use the railways and feed animals don’t have an adequate amount of soymeal, which could result in some producers needing to cull livestock. 
The majority of major railways in the country have already halted taking in new shipments of items that could be dangerous, such as ammonia fertilizer, according to Justin Louchheim, senior government affairs director at The Fertilizer Institute, an industry organization.
The possible strike is coming six weeks ahead of the time that many midwestern farmers start putting down fertilizer, according to Josh Linville, fertilizer director at StoneX Group. He also said that around 40% of U.S. fertilizer travels via rail during some time before it gets to a farm. 
A strike would reportedly especially hurt states such as North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, and Nebraska. Grain is taken by rail from those states to areas in the pacific northwest to be exported, according to Thomas Lahey, domestic freight manager at Columbia Grain International, per the outlet. 
Poultry producers in the U.S. need around 27 million corn bushels and 11 million soymeal bushels each week for bird feed, according to the National Chicken Council, much of which is transported via railroads. 
&#8220;Any disruption of service could negatively impact the welfare of the birds, and ultimately impact production at a time when Americans are already dealing with record food inflation,&#8221; council spokesman Tom Super said.
North Carolina’s grain producers don’t grow enough corn to offer feed for all of the livestock, Bob Ford, executive director of the North Carolina Poultry Federation, said, per the outlet. 
&#8220;We&#8217;d be in trouble if they went on strike for very long,&#8221; Ford said. &#8220;We&#8217;d run out of corn.”
The start of the corn harvesting season in the south &#8220;will relieve some of the pressure&#8221; on feed resources, Wayne-Sanderson Farms spokesman Frank Singleton said. Wayne-Sanderson Farms is working alongside corn growers to provide feed if it becomes necessary during railway delays. 
Railways also move hexane, which is utilized to get the oil out of soybeans, according to Mike Steenhoek, executive director of Soy Transportation Coalition.
&#8220;Any slowdown or stoppage of rail service – especially on the eve of harvest – would significantly impact farmers&#8217; ability to meet customer demand – both domestically and internationally,&#8221; Steenhoek said.

3F8D0CA3-041D-40E9-A4EE-AD8C5D9786D4_1_201_a

Report: Crop Shipments To Stop At Some Railroads Thursday

Report: Crop Shipments To Stop At Some Railroads Thursday In Anticipation Of Possible Railway Strike

The majority of Californians find the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drought" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drought</a> to be serious, according to a new poll.
A poll by UC Berkeley Institute of Governmental Studies and co-sponsored by the Los Angeles Times <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-25/drought-poll-california-water-shortage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">included</a> over 9,000 voters across the sate. It showed that 71% of respondents said California’s water shortage is “extremely serious,” and 23% said it was “somewhat serious.”
Of the respondents, 9% said they and their families have been impacted “a great deal” by the current drought, and 32% said they have been somewhat impacted. Fifty-seven percent said they have been impacted “only a little” or they have not been impacted at all.
In 2015, a similar poll was conducted and showed that 58% of respondents said they were impacted at least somewhat by the drought, while 76% said it was extremely serious.
“What’s striking to me is that it’s not really directly affecting as many voters as you might think,” said Mark DiCamillo, director of the Berkeley IGS poll. During this drought, he said, the water shortage “really hasn’t been as broadly felt by voters, at least not up to this point.”
When the 2012-2016 drought was at its peak, then-Governor Jerry Brown (D) mandated water cuts across the state by 25%, the Los Angeles Times reported. Instead, this time around, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/gavin-newsom" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Governor Gavin Newsom</a> (D) has asked Californians to cut water usage by 15% and has provided local water supplies with more options in taking conservation actions.
Los Angeles County is one area that has seen intense water <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/water-agency-cracks-down-on-water-use-in-southern-california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">restrictions</a> with regard to outdoor water use.
The main agency cracking down on those who break the rules in the area of Southern California is the <a href="https://www.lvmwd.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Las Virgenes Municipal Water District</a>, which operates in some of the wealthiest areas, such as Calabasas, Hidden Hills, Agoura Hills, Westlake Village, and areas of Malibu, according to <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2022/08/21/california-drought-water-restriction-enforcement/10174631002/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">USA Today</a>.
The agency has even begun putting flow restrictor devices on people’s homes who use a lot of water. The devices shut down the water for the outside, and limit how much can be used inside one’s home. Violators can get their names taken off of the list prior to getting a restrictor put on their house if they sign a form and lower their water use.
In the poll, 44% of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/los-angeles" target="_blank" rel="noopener">L.A. County</a> voters said complying was easy, with 13% saying it has been hard. However, 72% said they are doing all they can to cut down on water use.
While citizens in cities might not be feeling the effects of the drought, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/farmers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">farmers</a> are struggling under the lack of water. In recent years, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/environmental-policies-are-leaving-california-farmers-in-the-dust" target="_blank" rel="noopener">many have left their land fallow</a>, or uncultivated, while making hard decisions on which crops to plant. The situation could even lead to small family farms needing to close down and move out of the region.
The poll showed that in the San Joaquin Valley, where farmers are struggling, 18% said they had been impacted “a great deal” by the drought, which was the most of any area of the state.

B79D6F00-2EC9-46C3-A384-ED04514B57D3_1_201_a

Poll: Most Californians Find Drought To Be Serious, Rural Communities Feel Impact More Than Others

Poll: Most Californians Find Current Drought To Be Serious, While Rural Communities, Such As The San Joaquin Valley Feel The Impact More Than Others

drought

Gavin Newsom

Farmers and ranchers located near the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/oregon" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oregon</a> state line in Northern <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/california" target="_blank" rel="noopener">California</a> have been informed by the government to stop diverting water from a region dedicated to protecting fish.
On Friday, the State Water Resources Control Board sent a draft cease-and-desist order to the Shasta Water Association, informing the group they needed to stop collecting water from the Shasta River watershed, according to the <a href="https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2022-08-23/ranchers-told-to-stop-diverting-water-in-drought-hit-area" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Los Angeles Times</a>. The group is an irrigation organization exempt from taxes and has around 80 members.
The Shasta Water Association has twenty days to ask for a hearing or the order will be complete, which could mean that the group has to pay fines of up to $10,000 per day, the state water agency said.
Ailene Voisin, a state water board information officer, told the outlet that the water diversions were still happening as of Tuesday of this week.
The state agency has decreased water use in the specific watershed since last year to allow water to keep pouring into the Shasta River, which is a tributary of the Klamath River. It is also a safe place for a specific vulnerable species of salmon that is federally protected.
The region has already suffered from other recent events as salmon and other fish died in the Klamath river. Scientists believe the event was caused by a flash flood that carried waste from a wildfire and affected the oxygen quality of the water, according to Craig Tucker, a consultant on natural resources for the Karuk Tribe, per the outlet. He noted that around 50,000 to 100,000 suckerfish are estimated to have perished, as well as salmon and other fish.
The Shasta River then fell to around half of the minimum emergency flow necessity for the fish, which is 50 cubic feet per second, according to the state water agency. On Tuesday, that number was down to 14 cubic feet per second.
Tucker said that ranchers seem to be taking water from the river or diverting water on or near their property in order to use the water for their agricultural fields and pastures. However, the tribal groups haven’t gone onto their land in order to look into this claim.
The <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/drought" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drought</a> in the region has severely impacted agricultural output. In a letter to the water board on August 17, the agricultural group said it thought the exemptions permitted it to cut down its diversion of water by just 15%, and also stated it would begin using water for animals when the weather reaches high temperatures, and also to use for ponds in order to suppress fires.
“The curtailment has dried the Shasta Valley to the point of endangerment to health and life of the public and residents who live here, with apparent disregard to the livestock and pet health within this watershed,” the letter said.

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California State Water Board Tells Ranchers To Stop Taking Water For Agriculture

California State Water Board Tells Northern California Ranchers To Stop Taking Water For Agriculture In Shasta River Watershed

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