While the last few years in farming have been defined by erratic weather and severe climatological disasters, the gradual exhaustion of water resources may pose a much more serious, albeit invisible threat to American agriculture.
Over the last several years, farmers have been battered by severe and unusual weather. A year and a half ago, for example, a devastating drought crippled production across the country (hitting the Corn Belt of the Midwest particularly hard), while last spring heavy rain drenched fields and drowned newly budding crops.
While these disasters draw the focus of the public eye, a looming disaster is gradually developing across the Southwest. With increased farm production in states like Colorado and California, Southwestern aquifers are being gradually drained, leaving farmers more and more reliant on unpredictable weather patterns.
The loss of water access not only hits farmers hard, but has serious ramification on the local businesses that rely on local produce and service local farmers.
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Written by: Justin Ellison / Farm Plus Staff Writer