[JustAmy]

"JA...what is the standby fee for a 30 HP pump used on a 30 acre vineyard? I know it has gone up significantly"

I'm not sure ..... We retired from farming about 5 years ago. Sold our share of the vineyard to my BIL for his share of the turkey ranch. When we were involved, the standby (demand) charge was getting so high that we disconnected the electricity and irrigated with irrigation district water only. Farmers pay irrigation taxes whether we are in a drought year or not. In dry years, there is enough water for permanent crops but there may not be enough water for row crops. This is the Fresno Irrigation District, other districts may get less.

Farmers have been either selling to home developers or going bankrupt in the San Joaquin for the last few years.

The farm economy is in dire straits and with the liberals who want to share the "wealth", family farms will soon be a thing of the past.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Just awful what is happening all over!

[tubebender]

My BiL gave up the lease on the Marks Ave 40 acres and the ranch across the street from them. The owner of that ranch hired him to farm the place for a fee. They are on the Fowler Ditch I believe...