SANTA PAULA, CA - A new alliance between Limoneira Company, Yuma Mesa Irrigation and Drainage District (YMIDD), and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) has been formed. The three organizations will be working together via a water fallowing conservation program. Through the program, Limoneira will commit to fallow owned land through at least calendar 2025.

“Even after the recent non-strategic asset sales, we continue to manage approximately 11,100 acres of land with approximately 21,000-acre feet of owned water, usage, and pumping rights,” Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer of Limoneira, stated. “We are finding great monetization opportunities for our water assets by either fallowing acreage, leasing pumping rights or selling the water rights for significant appreciation over our investments. We believe this water monetization in Yuma, Arizona, is just the beginning of additional future opportunities for our abundant water assets.”

Limoneira expects to receive approximately $1.32 million annually, paid in quarterly installments, for fallowing 581 acres out of its 1,300 acres of farmland in Yuma, Arizona. According to a press release, YMIDD will refrain from diverting Colorado River water that otherwise would have been used to irrigate fallowed lands so that the saved water may be retained in Lake Mead as Colorado River System Conservation Water. This will increase the supply and elevation of Lake Mead and help to avoid water shortages in Arizona and the lower basin.

“We spent many years of striving to improve our stewardship of water on all of our properties, and this has enabled us to reduce our usage and increase our available water for future monetization opportunities,” Edwards continued.

Stay tuned for more news on this impactful program.

Limoneira Company