Water Restrictions & National Tater Day

Water Restrictions & National Tater Day. I'm Greg Martin with today's Northwest Report.

We knew the water situation in the west was bad but California's Governor Jerry Brown made it official on Wednesday as he imposed mandatory water restrictions on the state. Under the new restrictions, the State Water Resources Control Board will enforce a 25 percent water use reduction in every city, conserving about 1.5 million acre-feet of water throughout the next nine months. Agricultural water users will be required to report more water use information to state regulators, increasing the state's ability to enforce against illegal diversions and waste and unreasonable use of water under the order. Governor Brown was adamant as he said that things are not going to be the same anymore.

BROWN: People should realize we're in a new era. The idea of your nice little green grass getting lots of water everyday, that's going to be a thing of the past.

Tuesday was National Tater Day and Idaho celebrated. Idaho is the number one producer of potatoes in the U.S. representing about one-third of all U.S. potatoes. Officially, National Tater Day is celebrated annually on March 31.  This day is set aside to celebrate the potato that is loved by almost everyone and provides us with essential vitamins, minerals and fiber. That's the official verbiage. I'm sorry I missed it but will celebrate today with a baked potato for lunch.

That's today's Northwest Report. I'm Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network of the West.