Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

As an almond farmer in the central valley I'd like to through in my .02 bare with me...
The idea of ap orchards is novel but it misses on the scale, at almost 200 acres ours is considered a small farm, how many fish would that require? Also Idk if the collection of rainwater matters that much as any that hits the ground is theoretically returned to the groundwater system. We use a traditional flood irrigation, but it's said that 70% of almonds are now on drip/micro irrigation, and remember any of the water that evaporates isn't wasted, what is rain after all? I've been told by the old timers that our irrigation effects weather in other areas

Thank you superdave! I would imagine quite a few fish at that scale. A lot of fish that could feed a lot of people. Maybe reduce the number cows that are grown there.

Most of the cattle in central cal are dairy cows not beef, so unless you want fish milt instead of milk on your breakfast cereal, they won't be replacing many cows. While I love the idea of large scale commercial AP in the valley(its actually an aspiration of mine) a quick search for santa cruz aquaponics makes one apprehensive of viability, specifically with the ban on the most effective fish stock (tilapia).

HAHAHAAHAHA!!!! oh boy.

All I know is that when I drive through parts, the stench of cattle permiates everything. That can not be good. Waaaay too many cows crammed together. Of course they are all fed corn, because whatever pasture they were on is too trampled to grow grass. The easy excuse for it is that it is needed to feed the population of the world, but the population of the world is only as large as it is because the food is there. Yes we need to make sure that famine is not an issue for anyone, but we need to do it responsibly. That means real actual pastures with real actual grass for the cows to feed on. That also means that there can not be too many cows on said pastures. Perhaps the important mycilial network that is destroyed with additives in cattle feed designed to "prevent psychedelic mushrooms" can be restored to clean up the runoff. Then maybee the salmon can actually spawn again in their rivers without agricultural runoff killing them. Just my opinion.

they do that ron??? the killing off the mushrooms i mean.... how stupid, just to stop a few people doing a few drugs they are willing to wipe out important species, typical.

I have to agree with everything ron said. If you cannot support the cows naturally, the cows should not be there to unnaturally support the humans....

Yea, it is a very Bunson Honeydew thing to do. So focused on one small problem, magic mushrooms, that they lose sight of the big picture, the important mycilial network that serves many, many functions. I'm sure it makes Paul Staments cringe. Of course it was magic mushrooms that got him into mycology in the first place...

Whoa, took a left turn there... you must be talking about a feed lot? The parts you"drive through" and the parts I live in sound way different. Pastures are used extensively here, supplemented by hay and other commodities most of which are byproducts such as distillers grain from ethanol production, cottonseed hulls, and almond hulls. Idk anything about the mushroom deal. Run off is highly regulated here and only a small percentage of rain makes it to a river from farmland.

To bring it back to the OP... There would have to be a change in the dfg regulations to add that species of smelt to the aquaculture accepted species list and also to allow stocking the fish back in state waters