Siskiyou County Farm Bureau member, Jim Morris is working with a University of California research project to use his alfalfa field for groundwater recharge.
His operation, the Bryan-Morris Ranch in Etna, Calif., has emphasized environmental stewardship since his wife’s family started it in the 1850s. The ranch was the site of soil conservation and other studies as long ago as the 1940s.The alfalfa research was the latest in a series of projects by UC researchers studying the effects of using farmland to capture and bank winter storm water. Other scientists are looking at recharge efforts in almond orchards and vineyards. Such projects have great promise but also often require collaboration among numerous jurisdictions and agencies, the UC explains in a news release. Read more.