Elected officials from New Mexico, Oregon, and Colorado welcomed USDA’s announcement of $400 million to address drought through investments at the irrigation district scale in 12 states across the American West.
“Family farmers, water users, and communities across the American West are facing the effects of a historic 1,200-year drought and a changing climate,” says Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO).”With the investment, they answered our call to bring resources to bear that will help producers innovate and become more resilient to drought.”
Producers who participate in USDA’s Water Saving Commodity Program will receive payments for voluntarily reducing water consumption while maintaining commodity production. The funding will help conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production while expanding and creating new sustainable market opportunities. The new program will support innovative measures for water conservation while building resilience for long-term production in the Western U.S.
