Add drought to watchlist for 2021
As if there was not already enough uncertainty facing cattle and beef markets, worsening drought conditions have affected many important cow-calf production areas and could play a major role for…
Read More...A river used to run through it: how New Mexico handles a dwindling Rio Grande
A finite amount of water flows through the Rio Grande every year, so when there are shortages, every city along the river is affected. Now in Las Cruces, humans, fish…
Read More...When wildfire burns a high mountain forest, what happens to the snow?
Record-breaking wildfires in 2020 turned huge swaths of Western forests into barren burn scars. Those forests store winter snowpack that millions of people rely on for drinking and irrigation water.…
Read More...USDA announces availability of Quality Loss Assistance; adds drought as qualifying disaster
Today, the FSA announced a signup for the Quality Loss Adjustment Program for eligible producers affected by 2018, 2019 natural disasters. For this signup, FSA added drought as a qualifying…
Read More...Wall Street eyes billions in the Colorado’s water
Investor interest in the river could redefine century-old rules for who controls one of the most valuable economic resources in the United States. Transferring water from agricultural communities to cities,…
Read More...More must be done to protect Colorado River from drought
A set of guidelines for managing the Colorado River helped several states through a dry spell, but it’s not enough to keep key reservoirs in the American West from plummeting…
Read More...First time in years, chinook salmon spawn in Columbia River
For the first time in more than a generation, chinook salmon have spawned in the upper Columbia River system. For decades, tribal leaders and scientists have dreamed of bringing the…
Read More...Is farming with reclaimed water the solution to a drier future?
In drought-prone California, several farms are demonstrating the benefits of growing food with relatively abundant post-treatment water supplies.
Read More...Restoring wetlands near farms would dramatically reduce water pollution
Previous research has shown that wetlands improve water quality, but how much of an impact are wetlands having on nitrate removal now, and what improvements could wetland restoration deliver in the future? A new study examines the positive…
Read More...Climate change calls for better breeding, conservation and water resilience, says soil scientist
(Subscriber Only) A UC Davis soil scientist says three themes should drive research and policy in sustaining California agriculture under climate change. “We need plant breeding for traits such as…
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