August 2026 (September 2026 Update located further below)
As many of you know, we dry farm at Condor’s Hope for two important reasons: (1) to conserve water and (2) to produce high quality wine. The Cuyama Valley is one of 21 critically overdrafted Basins in California. Of these 21 Basins, we are one of only two that are completely dependent on water pumped from underground. We have no other source of water for drinking water, irrigation, and the needs of our natural habitats. Due to the 2014 law, the Sustainable Groundwater Management Act (SGMA), our Basin needs to be “sustainable” by 2040. Cuyama Basin’s sustainability goal is to reduce pumping to just over 20,000 acre-feet of water per year, less than half of what is currently being pumped. The two largest pumpers in the Valley, the carrot growing corporations Grimmway and Bolthouse currently pump over twice that amount on their own. Their pumping has depleted our Basin putting all “beneficial users” access to water in jeopardy. In addition and separate from SGMA, in 2021 Grimmway and Bolthouse filed a lawsuit called a water adjudication against every landowner in the Valley, even if a landowner has no irrigated land or as a small pumper has no impact on the groundwater level. Farmers and ranchers like Condor’s Hope, who practice conservation methods such as dry-farming are being negatively impacted by the adjudication. Instead of being rewarded for our conservation efforts, we will be limited in our water allocation because the amount will be based on historical use. Those who have pumped the most, will stand to gain the highest allocations. The rest of us could suffer cutbacks to the already small amount of water we use. You can find out more at this link on the website Stand With Cuyama.
Among the large pumpers in the Cuyama Basin are other investment growers. Many of you supported us several years ago when a 1000-acre vineyard, planted as an investment by Harvard University’s Endowment Fund, applied to Santa Barbara County to install 3 large reservoirs that would be filled with pumped groundwater. Together we made our case to Santa Barbara County’s Planning Commission and Board of Supervisors. After multiple hearings and appeals, we won and Harvard was not allowed to construct the reservoirs. After their 14-year effort to convert dry rangeland to intensely irrigated vineyards, they recently sold their land for half of the original purchase price. Imagine the difference if they had engaged with the community and given attention to the natural limits of the land? We are not sure what the new owners will do. We expect their water allocation from the adjudication will be very limited. You can read about the sale here and we will keep you posted about the future of this land. In the meantime, please continue to support conservation farming efforts through practices like dry farming. Know where your food (and wine) comes from, how it is grown, and join us in boycotting Grimmway and Bolthouse baby carrots.
Update, September 2026:
Cuyama Groundwater Update: Small Pumpers Excused from Court Adjudication
Many of you have followed the issues of Cuyama Valley’s critically overdrafted groundwater basin. This is truly a story of the ‘haves’ (those who have almost pumped the Basin dry and are likely to receive the largest allocations) and the ‘have-nots’ (those who pump minimal water). This update has some relatively good news for the ‘have-nots’. Those who pump less than 5-acre feet per year and have filed the necessary court papers have been excused from the Court adjudication case. This is positive news for many homesteaders, ranchers and small-scale farmers. Each will be allocated the highest amount they pumped between 2010-2021. In addition, these landowners will be able to apply for usage up to 5-acre feet from a limited 400 acre-feet pool, which accounts for less than 2% of the basin’s sustainable yield.
For Condor’s Hope this is good news. Since we dry farm our 5 acres of grapes and olives, we use less than 2-acre feet a year. (A conventional vineyard our size would use approximately 15 acre-feet a year.) We are now guaranteed to have the 2 acre-feet a year to meet our farming and household needs with the opportunity to apply for an increase up to 5 acre-feet if we were to expand. After years of the community advocating for fairness for small pumpers, this court order brings a sigh of relief and a sense of security to us and other small pumpers in the Valley. The adjudication process will continue for all of those who pump over 5-acre feet a year.
As part of the implementation of statewide ground water management, The Community Alliance for Family Farm and the University of California’s Small Farmers Network released their report in July: Managing Groundwater with Small Farms in Mind: Risks, Barriers, and Opportunities of the Sustainable Ground Water Management Act. Robbie had the opportunity to represent the Small Farmer and Rancher Network in sharing the Cuyama story when the report team presented their findings to staff of California state legislators in July. Cuyama Valley continues to make our voices heard. Stay tuned.