Putting out fires requires water, and agriculture requires water, and here is where things get hot.

I’m sure you’ve noticed the Resnicks getting the brunt of the media blame game.

Whatever kind of brand, manufacturer, producer or farmer you are, you know it takes water to grow food.

And hello — protein maxxing takes a lot of water. All that whey isolate we are cramming into every eating occasion — comes from dairy milk —

or other protein sources —

When talking about water, the stats can vary widely based on the framing. The percentage of California's water used for ag depends on the denominator:

• ~80% of water managed through infrastructure is used for agriculture.

  • This refers to water that is captured, stored, and distributed through reservoirs, canals, and other infrastructure (developed water systems).

• ~40% of the total annual water supply (natural and developed) supports farming.

  • If you consider all water available in California annually, including natural precipitation (rain and snow), the percentage of water allocated to farming decreases to about 40%.

• ~25% reflects the water farmers actually receive, relative to total water use, factoring in restrictions and actual deliveries.

  • When considering only the water delivered to farmers (as opposed to what is allocated or available), the percentage drops further to about 25%.

  • This may reflect losses from inefficiencies, unfulfilled allocations, or reductions in water deliveries due to conservation measures, drought restrictions, or legal/environmental mandates (SGMA).

Think about that last part for a minute.

---

Joan Didion wrote, “There is nothing unusual about fires in Los Angeles, which is, after all, a desert city.”

She wrote this in 1989 for The New Yorker:

I listened to James Taylor singing “Fire and Rain” between reports on how the Kanan fire had jumped the Pacific Coast Highway to go to the big blue break. On the average twelve-year fire cycle that regulates life in Malibu, the Kanan burn, which happened to include a beach on which my husband and our daughter and I had lived from 1971 until June of 1978, was coming due again. “Beautiful country burn again,” I wrote in my notebook—a line from a Robinson Jeffers poem I remember at some point during every fire season—and I got up to leave.

If you would like to help LA right now, follow these links

Many small brands are providing food relief, like Lauren Chew with Love + Chew, and Renee Dunn with Amäzi Foods:

Like so many here in LA, we are jumping into action to support our local community. We've donated over 1,300 cases of Amäzi to the LA Food Bank and participated in local drives organized by Moss Collective, FP Movement, and Erewhon. We've also supported our hardworking, brave firefighters through direct meal donations and through the LAFD. If you are based in LA, please don't hesitate to reach out and let us know of other ways we can help.

If you're looking to support from afar: Please remember to double check the timing of the call for donations, as I saw over the weekend, many shelters and donation drives are at capacity (with clothes, in particular)! Their needs are specific and dynamic, so please check before you send. Consider donating to LAFD, Humane Society, and GoFundMe pages, as well as sending gift cards to donation sites. A comprehensive list of resources linked for you here.

Brands can also donate a portion of profits to LAFD like Oat Haus —

All my best,

Jennifer