Follow us for updates and ways you can help! @StandWithCuyama

Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms, the world's largest carrot growers, have been over pumping in the Cuyama Valley - one of California's most critically over drafted groundwater basins - for years. In 2022, they pumped 28,500 acre-feet of water; enough water to supply three cities the size of Santa Barbara with a year's worth of water. Now, these private equity owned farms are essentially suing every homeowner, business, small-scale farmer, rancher - even our schools - for rights to the ground water we all share and depend on. 

Cuyamans worked alongside representatives from both Grimmway and Bolthouse for years to develop a groundwater sustainability plan, but when that plan which would require everyone to sacrifice in order to save our basin was nearing finalization, Grimmway and Bolthouse backed out of agreements and instead filed an adjudication complaint - essentially suing everyone for water rights while buying them time to continue pumping at unsustainable and dangerous rates. Now, locals risk losing their water rights and are under financial stress as they are forced to engage in this legal battle. 

UPDATE - NOV 2023

Grimmway Farms and Bolthouse Farms have dropped from the adjudication lawsuit as plaintiffs, however their land leasing counterparts remain. Here is a great article that explains why this move means very little when it comes to the lawsuit and it's impact on the community, and why we are still boycotting carrots!

https://legal-planet.org/2023/11/16/why-there-is-still-a-carrot-boycott-in-cuyama-valley/

We are calling for Grimmway and Bolthouse to:

1) Stop the over pumping of the Cuyama Valley groundwater basin

2) Put pressure on the remaining plaintiffs (entities closely linked to Bolthouse and Grimmway) to drop the lawsuit they and go back to the public process (the Groundwater Sustainably Act created Groundwater Sustainability Plan). 

3) Reimburse locals the legal fees paid to defend our water rights 

Stand with Cuyama and boycott carrots! Because without immediate action, the Cuyama Valley groundwater basin risks going dry and locals face devastating health, environmental, and financial impacts. 

You can read more at our website: www.StandWithCuyama.com

Here are a recent two articles (Nov 2023) from The LA Times: 

https://legal-planet.org/2023/11/16/why-there-is-still-a-carrot-boycott-in-cuyama-valley/

https://www.latimes.com/environment/story/2023-11-13/voices-cuyama-carrot-boycott