Kings County approved 1,238 new agricultural well permits between the start of the last drought in 2012 and 2021, according to county records. And the company maintains positions on just about every ag and water related board and commission in Kings, giving it considerable political heft. That information also isnt contained in groundwater plans for the El Rico Groundwater Sustainability Agency, which covers Boswell lands almost exclusively. Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Philipp holds a BA in Economics from Dartmouth College and an MBA from Harvard Business School.. . He and his son know their land so well they can point out which areas retain more water in which seasons and the direction the water moves underground. However, during testimony in the states Kings River proceeding, Boswell employee Mark Unruh said the company irrigates nearly year-round, from late October through the summer. But its just a cover for taking water out, Pace said. Lukas works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. The. If they pass a law saying I cant sell it, then I cant sell it. The 5th District Court of Appeal in Fresno has overturned a $73.4 million verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners involving a land. Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. Sandridge has said in court filings it intends to include a smaller sleeve within its larger pipeline to potentially take sewage water from Stratford PUD. True, Angiolas canal stops about 23 miles southeast of the project. While he was just starting out, he also enlisted in the Navy and served in the reserves for six or eight years, he cant recall the exact term. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball, Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling, one submitted by the Angiola Water District, previous story about the Tulare Lake Subbasin groundwater plan, Westlands Again Is Eyeing San Joaquin River Water. environmental, ethical and socially responsible principles and work with you to achieve the best possible outcomes for all stakeholders during the whole lifetime of our ownership, Promoting food and agribusiness products and systems that contribute to improved health and well-being, We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs. Avila, along with his wife and children, grows nearly 100 varieties of fruit trees on multiple small plots of land and sells the produce at dozens of farmers markets from Beverly Hills to San Luis Obispo. So, it went old school and blocked the pipeline with bulldozers, trucks and excavators. The companies are also at odds over groundwater. As the processing and sales branch of the organization, SunnyGem almonds are sorted, processed and sold to the wholesale ingredient industry. News, Business Mavens Notebook is an excellent daily accounting of California water happenings statewide. It will likely never be forgotten that Vidovich sold the rights to 14,000 acre feet of State Water Project water for $79 million in 2009 to the San Bernardino-based Mojave Water District. The plaintiffs, Kings County Ventures and Green Renewable Organic and Water Holdings, sued after the deal fell through in 2009 for their Quay Valley project. The agencys role is simply to review groundwater plans to see if theyre adequate. You know so I could say, Well, I didnt pass because I was so busy with this project.. But thats water from the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, not native Kings County water. nor its destination. Attorneys for Sandridge and Angiola argued the pipeline isnt an Angiola project as it lies outside the districts boundaries. Our quality commitment does not stop there. The difference, Vidovich has charged, is that Boswell continues to farm using groundwater. Independent farmers are selling out, said Kings County farmer Robert Smith, who grows walnuts, almonds, corn and cotton on about 1,000 acres. Im all for moving water around, he said. Two days after the Tulare Lake Canal Company sued Sandridge Partners, the farming and water giant owned by John Vidovich, to halt trenching work on a water pipeline set to cut across the company's south of Stratford, Vidovich turned the tables and filed suit against Tulare Lake Canal. Vidovich isnt the only pumper in that area, his supporters note. The comments dont come from Boswell and Vidovich themselves, of course, but from the groundwater sustainability agencies each farming operation essentially controls. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. Their concern is where Vidovich is taking the groundwater. And Vidovich has said if he had to do it over, he wouldnt make that sale. Enter your email address to receive INSTANT ALERTS of new articles and to be added to SJV Waters WEEKLY NEWSLETTER. As far as Walker knows, no agency, city or county board is trying to figure out whats really happening. Boswell has also transferred or sold large chunks of its surface water, both state and Kings River supplies out of the county, over the years. Hes now the president of that powerful panel. Vidovich would also get a cut of the floodwater and be allowed to use the facilities to move some groundwater, per the project contract. Farmers in Giant Game of SGMA Dodgeball. But that money enabled me to go into Angiola (a water district in Tulare County) and have other water sources.. And its that groundwater part of Semitropics agreement with Vidovich that is raising hackles along with eyebrows. But in the ongoing legal fracas, a declaration by Sandridge Farm Manager Craig Andrew sketches out the picture. John Lewis plc, 171 Victoria Street, London, SW1E 5NN. But when the Kings does flood, as its doing now, millions of acre feet rush north to join up with the San Joaquin River and empty into the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. Understanding water, water rights and the often complex structures of water districts has become a Vidovich hallmark. About 90% of its farms are considered family owned, according to the 2017 US Department of Agriculture farm census. Indeed, as president of the board, Vidovich has a great deal of influence in directing much of the water districts business. John Vidovich, ultimately, followed in his fathers footsteps after obtaining a law degree from Santa Clara University School of Law. In fact, his detractors call him the single greatest threat to Central Valley farming ever to come down the pike. The sprawling Semitropic Water Storage District in Kern County wants Kings River flood water that it says current rights holders are letting flow to the ocean in heavy precipitation years. That act requires groundwater agencies in areas with critically over drafted water basins to draw up plans to bring aquifers into balance by 2040, meaning more water shouldnt be pumped out than goes back in. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Vidovich participates on several local water boards, even serving as chair on one. Hurley, who also serves as general manager of Green Valley, said that basin, which is separate from the Tulare Lake basin, is actually in balance. My business approach right now is to acquire as much water as I can to be diversified in water. Theyve (Vidovich and Hurley) been way out front on SGMA, Mitchell said. Later, Page would run for and win a seat on the Kern County Water Agency board. Nor the end of the clash of Kings Countys most powerful water titans. Sandridge Partners, controlled by Silicon Valley developer John Vidovich, is a relative newcomer to the region, making large land acquisitions in the last three decades. Vidovich, meanwhile, is accusing Boswell-backed groundwater agencies of dragging their feet on pumping reductions to the point their actions could sink the small, rural town of Corcoran up to another 11 feet. strategic advisory firm. Because once its pumped out, we arent getting it back.. Though he doesnt seek out media attention, when asked about water under his control, he rarely refuses to talk. Until you know whos pumping how much, its hard to make a plan, he said in February. Numbers havent been set in stone just yet, but its looking like the Kings/Tulare farming areas will settle somewhere near allowing 1.5 acre feet of water to be pumped per acre. Besides, Pace and others say, overreaching is another Vidovich hallmark. Meanwhile, Smith hopes his young children will one day take his place on the tractor. The case is being heard in Kern County by Judge David Lampe. He owns the land next to the aqueduct where the reservoir would be built and is the one who brought the floodwater project idea to Semitropic a few years ago. Four years ago, Dudley sold several thousand acre-feet of its annual State Water Project contract to. He specialised in product and growth strategy projects within the consumer and food space. In an interview, Vidovich denied sending groundwater out of Kings County. Zakaria: These Revolutions May Help India Really Take off at Last, Future of California at Risk if CEQA Environmental Law Remains Unchanged, NBA Playoffs: Star-Studded Round 2 Has Big Names, Intense Rivalries. He made friends everywhere he went, John Vidovich told the Mercury News in 2007. By locking up the land, he said, Vidovich will be able to deny smaller farmers like him and Pace the water they need for their own operations. Boswell has been woven into the fabric of Kings County since its founder, James Griffin Boswell, first set foot on the old Tulare Lake bed 100 years ago and envisioned a cotton empire. Weve all seen it, said walnut farmer Steve Walker. Home | DMCA | SJV Content Use | Contact, Copyright 2022 SJV Water. Michael is seasoned agribusiness investment and business development professional with more than a decade of experience. He was semi-retired living in Clovis when another Kings County farmer, Pat McCarthy not Vidovich called him to do some work for Angiola. According to legal briefs filed by Tulare Lake, all the floodwater that can be put to beneficial use has been, and theres no leftover water available for Semitropic. Not a chance. Nor for the man who runs it, John Vidovich, nor for his current pipeline project that will move water from various places in Kings County to various other undisclosed locations. When you first meet John Vidovich, everything from his ball cap to his dirty boots tells you hes a farmer. Now Boswell is. Ben works across all aspects of the firm from business development to portfolio company operations. A 2020 groundwater sustainability report shows that over the previous five years, agriculture in Kings County relied on an average of about 319,000 acre feet from local rivers and streams, 475,000 acre feet from groundwater and just 37,000 acre feet of state water. Vidovich dismissed the Boswell letter as throwing rocks to distract from the larger issue over-pumping. Muriel joined in 2022 and provides executive assistant support to the partners. It agreed to pay Pixley/Lower Tule $240,000 a year to bring in federal water to recharge the groundwater. The trenching was blocked in late January by heavy equipment bearing the diamond B Boswell logo after negotiations between Sandridge and Tulare Lake Canal Company stalled over an operating agreement. Thats partly due to drought but also greater use. That leaves smaller farmers with mostly groundwater, which Walker said has dropped 100 feet to 120 feet just this year. var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; Boswell and Vidovich also find themselves on opposite sides of whether the Kings River is being fully utilized by all of its rights holders. We amalgamate our water to use on our most productive land. Over the past 12 years, hes moved about 137,000 acre feet of his state water from Kings County south to nut orchards he owns on the west side of Kern, according to state and other water district records. Yes, locals have a bad taste in their mouths from Vidovichs water moves, I was told by several people, many of whom said they were too afraid of retaliation to use their names. Crime The project was made possible by a grant from the Water Foundation with additional support from INN and the Fund for Investigative Journalism (FIJ). I dont believe we should be sending water to LA, he said. The Fresno Bee reported the verdict against McCarthy Family Farms and San Francisco Bay Area developer John Vidovich and Sandridge Partners. They argued that McCarthy Farms breached a contract when they sold the land and water rights to Vidovich and Sandridge Partners, which included members of Vidovichs family. Every step would require environmental oversight, permitting and public hearings. They are now the driving forces behind two major legal battles over Kings River water. Legendary Valley Thoroughbred Elected to Racing Hall of Fame, Collision Ends Smyly Perfect Game Bid, Cubs Top Dodgers 13-0, Analysis Less surface water creates a greater need to pump from underground, which lowers the water table for all users. No, no, Im not selling water to LA, he said. The corporations and the bigger guys are buying up land left and right for astronomical prices, Smith said. But its difficult when right next door theyre dropping [water levels] 60 to 100 feet, Russ Freeman, Westlands Deputy General Manager for water resources, said in a previous SJV Water article. Water that he will take, critics fear, and eventually sell to Southern California cities. Vidovich has said he only moves local groundwater to other lands he farms in Kings County. When asked about the pipeline Wyrick mentions in his June 2020 letter, Vidovich says only floodwater from the Kings River may have been shipped out of the county. Lukas holds an MA in Natural Sciences, an MPhil in Management, and a PhD in Plant Sciences from the University of Cambridge. Like its neighbors, Kings is intensively farmed. What is clear is that over the past 12 years, Boswell and Sandridge have moved a combined 239,000 acre feet of State Water Project water out of Kings County all with approval from the states Department of Water Resources (DWR). We have an exceptional and experienced customer service and quality control team that supports our efforts and assist our customers with any questions they may have about our products. You put 20 straws in it, it dont take very long.. To do that, the state requires each area to form Groundwater Sustainability Agencies (GSAs) to account for whats going in and coming out of the aquifer. The purpose of the pipeline is irrelevant, said Sandridge Attorney Marshall Whitney. She can be reached atlois.henry@sjvwater.org. It shows something about the thought process that we dont usually get to see, she said, wondering if the letter is a kind of smoking gun that exposes the true intent of the pipeline as a public project thats being hidden.. First off, Hurley said, hes not Vidovichs henchman. Gianquinto and Vidovich have repeatedly said that it would be nearly impossible for an individual to use state facilities to create a private water market using any water, let alone groundwater. s.parentNode.insertBefore(gcse, s); In one battle, the Kings River Water Association, where Boswell is a major rights holder, is suing Tulare Lake Reclamation District 761 and Sandridge Partners, run by Vidovich, for shipping its Kings River water to lands it owns in western Kings County. Our team includes leading industry operators and executives as well as a seasoned board of advisors from across the food and agriculture industry. But a portion of the Sandridge pipeline has been laid on land owned by Stratford PUD, Chrissakis noted. Related Story: Groundwater Plan Could Give Corcoran More of a Sinking Feeling. Through Sandridge, Vidovich owns about 130,000 acres with 38,500 acres in Kern, 82,000 acres in Kings, 9,500 acres in Tulare and 300 acres in Fresno county, per ParcelQuest. SunnyGem is the one-stop-shop for your almond needs, packing and shipping California varieties worldwide. Under his leadership, Buena Vista has installed a pipeline system to reduce reliance on canals, which lose a lot of water to seepage and the district has become extremely active in buying up land for water banking. If the little guys disappear, we lose business diversity and expertise, Zetland said. Our farming company, Sandridge Partners, farms thousands of acres of almonds each year in the central region of California providing an ever-increasing supply of almonds. Trucks and heavy equipment emblazoned with the distinctive diamond B logo parked on the banks of the Tulare Lake Canal late last month werent sending a subtle message. Page had been a longtime board member of the Semitropic Water District and Vidovich wanted that kind of expertise. Sandridge filed a restraining order to have the excavators, bulldozers and trucks removed but Kings County Superior Court Judge Valerie Chrissakis denied that request on Thursday. Those are just some of the indirect costs attached to moving large amounts of water out of a region, Zetland said. The sale is still considered a blow to Kings water portfolio by other farmers. It wanted an operating agreement and hefty insurance coverage. Local Education Michael began his career in commodities trading at Dominion Resources, one of the largest physical and financial traders of natural gas in the US. Michael holds a BSE in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan and an MSc with Distinction in Shipping, Trade, and Finance from Cass Business School. Boswell and Vidovich are also on opposite sides of whether Kings River flood water is being fully utilized by its rights holders. The boundaries of that service area, however, have yet to be determined. Clearly, much more can be done to slow down this undesirable result.. Its really, really not cool, Vidovich said. He asks DWR to demand a full accounting of how much water Sandridge moves, where it comes from and where it ends up. Bilyana is involved in the financial oversight of Sunridge Parners and its portfolio companies. Other water districts contended it was much more. Ben also has experience working in the investment banking division of Credit Suisses general industrials team. To bring it to fruition the district would have to apply to the United States Department of Agriculture or California state revolving fund for money, then build a new treatment facility and construct a line to get its wastewater to the Sandridge line. Local So, if i cant make money on that water farming, I will sell it eventually to an urban area and thats a right I have. Vidovich is gobbling up all the parcels he can so he can keep on pumping, Mitchell said. It just doesnt look very good for us right now, Smith said. At the center of the controversy, a physical barrier stopping Sandridge Partners, the diversified farming and water giant owned by Santa Clara County native John Vidovich, from constructing a water pipeline in southern Kings County. We are a specialist agribusiness investment group, with deep industry expertise and hands-on operating experience, helping mid-sized food and agriculture companies grow to become clear industry leaders. Last month, the Tulare Lake Canal Company sued Sandridge Partners, the farming and water giant owned by Santa Clara County native John Vidovich, over the construction of a water pipeline in southern Kings County. Theres nothing hidden about how Sandridge moves water, he said. Enforcement could involve pumping limits, fines, and large pumping fees per acre-foot. Founded in 1966, with legacies dating back more than 100 years; our highly trained staff provides value-added, client-centric investment sales, leasing, advisory, management, and financing services to clients across the . Both men saw Hurleys involvement in numerous local districts including Angiola, Deer Creek Storm Water District, Green Valley Water District and the Tri-County Water Authority, a newly formed GSA, as more Vidovich control. Its principals and employees are rarely quoted in the media. It would involve a public permitting process and be very difficult, not to mention expensive, both men said. Vidovich is, after all, a powerful landowner in the Central Valley. We pioneer innovative approaches to solve many of the headwinds facing modern agriculture and always put environmental, social and governance considerations at the heart of our investments and operations. Farming runs deep in the blood of growers like Jeff and Karen Gilcrease. Vidovich continues to run De Anza and in a surprisingly hands-on manner. What we do not agree with is the assessment that the (plan) is managing subsidence effectively. News, California Attorneys for the Tulare Lake Canal Company, controlled by the giant J.G. Not according to Jeoff Wyrick, Chairman of the El Rico GSA, the largest GSA in the Tulare Lake Subbasin. SANDRIDGE PARTNERS | 16 followers on LinkedIn. We are one of the largest vertically integrated almond suppliers in the world. He has let large swaths of his 100,000+ acres in Kings County go fallow in order to move groundwater to more productive land, typically fields he owns in the Dudley Ridge Water District, in western Kings County. SJV Water is an independent, nonprofit news site dedicated to covering water in the San Joaquin Valley. Sandridge sent a hold harmless letter and refused the rest. Water Resources Director Karla Nemeth acknowledged she had met with representatives of groundwater agencies regarding allegations that Boswell is aggressively pumping its Kings County lands, because its selling off its state water. We have also made a commitment to meaningfully contribute to and find solutions in our investments to the SDGs.
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