President Barack Obama's California trip drought inaction

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- President Barack Obama's California trip is not expected to include any business regarding the drought.

Since his visit to the Central Valley eight months ago, some drought relief is being felt, but much is still in limbo.

Joe Del Bosque is a well-known North Valley grower. He is the one and only farmer President Obama visited on his only trip to the Central Valley this year.

"We're in real deep trouble if we don't get any water this year," said Del Bosque. "If we have a dry year it's going to be a huge disaster."

That's the message he told the president face to face in February. Del Bosque has fallowed one third of his farming operation. A costly move, but one he says was his only choice as he and many other farmers received a zero percent water allocation.

Del Bosque said, "Our biggest fear is what do we do next year if we have no water."

And that's why Valley growers are hoping the federal government will step in and ease water flow and other environmental restrictions in the delta to bring short term relief to local farms.

California Senator Dianne Feinstein's emergency disaster relief act that passed the senate in May, hasn't moved anywhere since then. Her office tells me senate and house staff, are negotiating a compromise bill.

"They have to negotiate some very important things," said Del Bosque. "But at the end of the day we need to negotiate something that will get us water. That's the only way we'll survive. We certainly have to have something finalized by the time the first rains come."

Federal assistance is also in place for those who lost livestock or couldn't afford to purchase feed. And growers are also looking to state for long-term solutions which could come largely in the form of reservoir storage, if prop 1 passes in November.