What’s it take to be a California farmer? You gotta be crazy, irrational and hopeful

One-hundred-year-old water rights? Irrelevant. Fish are more important, they’re the priority. Felicia Marcus, State Water Resources Control Board chairwoman, has some suggestions:

1. Switch crops: Avoid peaches, vines, berries and almonds that require assured water. Back to dry farming.

2. Be more water efficient: This suggestion comes at the same time we are advised to flood irrigate more to recharge the water table – water going out to the Pacific does not recharge the aquifers.

3. Store more water: A bond was approved in 2016. But state experts say “no public interest is served” by building additional storage sites.

4.Groundwater: Another state agency wants to stop our pumps.

Which way to turn? We do not have to pass an I.Q. test to farm in California. Just being stubborn, a little crazy and irrationally hopeful has worked to far. I hope our community is up to the latest inconsistent challenge.