Six-generation California farmer Cannon Michael is the newly elected chair of the San Luis & Delta-Mendota Water Authority (Authority).

Michael is president of the family owned and operated Bowles Farming Company headquartered at Los Banos, Calif.

Michael says, “It is an enormous responsibility to lead the Authority. I look forward to working with the board and the 100 dedicated employees who make up the Authority family, working to make sure it’s members have access to reliable water supplies that serve communities, wetlands, and are used to grow the food and fiber crops for much of the nation.”

Michael assumes the Authority helm from Mike Stearns who has held the post for 20 years.

“It has been a great honor to serve our diverse member agencies that are bound together by the facilities that the Authority operates,” Stearns says.

“We have faced many challenges and changing dynamics over the past two decades to deliver water to 1.2 million acres of farmland, 300,000 acres of wildlife refuges and wetlands, and 2 million people.”

Stearns calls Cannon an outstanding farmer and leader and the right person to take the Authority into the next generation.

Bowles Farming Company is an 11,000 acre organic and conventional operation including fresh and processing tomatoes; field crops including corn, melons, carrots and onions; alfalfa for local dairies; plus durum wheat, Pima cotton, pistachios, and almonds.