SACRAMENTO, CA — Federal water managers said Friday that they plan to cut off water, at least temporarily, to thousands of California farms as a result of the deepening drought gripping the state. U.S. Bureau of Reclamation officials said parched reservoirs and patchy rainfall this year were forcing them to completely stop surface water deliveries for at least a two-week period beginning March 1. Authorities said they haven’t had to take such a drastic move for more than 15 years. The situation could improve slightly if more rain falls over the next few weeks, and officials will know by mid-March if they can release more irrigation supplies to growers. Farmers in the nation’s No. 1 agriculture state predicted it would cause consumers to pay more for their fruits and vegetables, which would have to be grown using expensive well water. ‘Water is our life – it’s our jobs and it’s our food,’ said Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the farm bureau in Fresno County. ‘Without a reliable water supply, Fresno County’s No. 1 employer – agriculture – is at great risk.’ The drought would cause an estimated $1.15 billion dollar loss in agriculture-related wages and […]