As of early spring, growers in California’s highly productive San Joaquin Valley didn’t expect to receive a single drop of surface irrigation water this year. That’s because of the “0 irrigation water allocation” posted by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation due to a lack of snow in the state’s mountain areas that would normally end up in canals as extremely valuable irrigation water.

Saskatchewan farmers recognize the value of leaving direct seeded crop stubble standing, since it traps more snow than cut or chopped stubble. It’s especially important in western Canada where as much as one-third of the annual precipitation can come from winter snows, says Saskatchewan Soil Conservation Association agrologist Tim Nerbas.