Food & Water Concerns

I produce cows. We don't have many but there is always one for harvest and one or two for sale. As I was out this at beautiful morning doing my chores, I was checking irrigation dams for the flood irrigation that I am doing on the lower part of the property. I turned off the single phase electric pump that runs the sprinklers for the upper field before the sun came up and evaporation took over.

I was thinking about the water factor in keeping this place green and the cows at home. All over the mid west, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska. Places where they normally have rains to keep crops growing, they are without water. The lack of an irrigation system for these areas have left some farms to slowly become "dust bowls" of the past. Places that yearly rain for granted may not have rain as climate changes create havoc with our weather. Food shortages are going to push up food prices, and what has been an abundance of supply may be in shortage in the near future.

We who are capable need to step up and produce more. I have an eighteen acre field that should be tilled and producing some soy beans or winter wheat crop. I plan to contact my Colorado State University agricultural extention agent and get him or her out here to learn more of what I can do to make this land more productive.

More to follow on seasonal projects.