The September 19 edition of the AgNet News Hour wrapped up the week with powerful insights into California’s most pressing issue: water. Hosts Nick Papagni and Josh McGill welcomed Edward Ring, Director of Energy and Water Policy at the California Policy Center, for what they called one of the program’s “top powerhouse interviews.”
The show opened with lighter conversation about the weekend ahead and then touched on national food issues, including McDonald’s pledge of $200 million toward regenerative agriculture practices. Partnering with Cargill, Coca-Cola, and USDA, the company is funding projects aimed at improving rangelands and promoting more sustainable cattle production. While Josh and Nick joked about whether fast food could ever truly be “healthy,” they agreed that corporate investment in soil health and pasture resilience is a step in the right direction for agriculture.
From there, the conversation turned to water, where Ring wasted no time laying out bold ideas. He argued that California’s chronic shortages are not the result of climate change or drought trends, but of policy failures and regulatory overreach. “Water means everything,” Ring emphasized, noting that abundance leads to affordable crops, healthier cities, and stronger manufacturing.
Among his proposed solutions:
- Dredging the Delta to restore deeper, cooler channels that would help salmon populations while allowing more efficient pumping of floodwaters.
- Forest management, thinning overcrowded stands to reduce fire risk and increase runoff by an estimated two million acre-feet annually.
- Desalination and wastewater reuse, powered by hydropower and even modular nuclear reactors.
- New and expanded reservoirs, including Sites, Shasta, and Temperance Flat, to capture rain and snowmelt during wet years.
Ring also highlighted the political roadblocks, pointing out that California received $7 billion from a past water bond yet failed to build meaningful infrastructure. He believes federal investment, combined with private-sector innovation from Silicon Valley, could break the logjam if state leaders finally prioritize abundance over scarcity.
For farmers in the San Joaquin Valley frustrated with half water allocations despite record rains, Ring’s message was clear: the problem is manmade — and solvable.
Catch the full interview with Edward Ring below or on your favorite podcast app.
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