LandFlex

About LandFlex

LandFlex has reopened the grower application enrollment period for Phase 2 and extended it to the following GSAs for enrollment: Pixley Irrigation District GSA, Lower Tule River Irrigation District GSA, Mid-Kaweah GSA, or Westlands Water District GSA. Phase 2 of the program has approximately $10-12 million available and will be reallocated amongst the 4 GSAs. Unlike the previous phase of LandFlex, a funding split for each GSA will not be determined until after all landowner applications are received and scored based on individual basin grower criteria. DWR, Technical Assistance Providers, and all GSAs will determine final awards at that time.

LandFlex will continue to provide financial incentives to growers for each enrolled acre. Growers will be paid for Landflex using the following combined payment sources:

Provide Immediate Drought Relief by fallowing land for 1 year. For each acre-foot of water saved in the ground, a grower will receive up to $350 per acre-foot – final amount to be determined by local GSA.
Overdraft/Sustainability Payment. A grower will receive $1,000/ per acre-foot for WY 2023 to permanently eliminate each acre-foot of annual pumping that exceeds locally determined levels of groundwater sustainability. A grower may choose to give more than one acre-foot in the agreement and will be compensated accordingly.
Transition to more climate-resilient ag practices. Depending on current land uses, the grower could receive between $250-$2,800/acre for the removal of permanent tree crops, purchasing upcycled ag waste for dairy feed replacement, and planting cover crops that use natural rainfall to grow.

Qualifications

Growers in Pixley Irrigation District GSA, Lower Tule River Irrigation District GSA, Mid-Kaweah GSA, or Westlands Water District GSA.
3-year average Adjusted Gross Income of $2.5 million or less.
- No individual grant will be greater than $2.5 million.
- A single entity may enroll up to 25% of their total acreage or 40 acres -whichever is greater.
Growers are identified based on their proximity to drinking water wells that have gone dry or are in jeopardy of going dry.

Required Documents

To apply, growers will need to submit PDF copies of:

FSA 578 for years 2021 and 2022
CCC-941 for years 2019, 2020, and 2021 (all three years)
- *If you do not have this form for all three years, have your CPA prepare a document verifying your AGI is less than 2.5 million*
Form 578 (if available) *or an alternative that verifies the land/crop you are enrolling is in production
- If no FSA documentation is available, any County or GSA documentation that could assist with verifying previously planted acreage
Copy of Lease (if applicable)
Screenshots required by your GSA (jpg or png)

Other Resources

Program Information

Key Program Documents

Public Comment Period

DWR completed a public comment period from December 9 through December 29 for the Draft Guidelines for the LandFlex program.

Program Schedule

Milestone or Activity	Tentative Schedule
Draft Guidelines Posted & Public Comment Period Begins	December 9, 2022
Public Comment Period Closes	December 29, 2022
Grant Solicitation Begins	January 17, 2023
Applicant Workshop (Eligible GSAs)	January 19, 2023
Grant Solicitation Closes	February 3, 2023
Final Awards Announced	Late February 2023

Solicitation & Funding

The LandFlex grant solicitation was open to eligible GSAs for a period of 14-business days, January 17 through February 3, 2023. There were three key eligibility requirements for the program; the GSA must be located within a critically overdrafted basin, the GSA adopted and is actively implementing an allocation plan that identifies a quantified volume of overdraft as of Water Year (WY) 2022, and the GSA must have a measurable accounting method (i.e., evapotranspiration or well metering) for WY 2022 and 2023.

DWR reviewed seven eligible GSA applications and selected the top three highest-ranking GSAs, per LandFlex Guidelines. Commensurate with the scoring criteria, these GSAs demonstrated the greatest need and readiness to meet the goals and objectives of the LandFlex Program. The selected GSAs and recommended funding amounts are as follows: