“It is heartbreaking, terrible, scary. What we need is no longer there.”
projects a statewide 750,000 acre-feet annual shortage to be able to meet demands driven by an expanded urban population in 2050. While maintaining “robust agriculture” remains a state goal, Colorado in the past has allowed shutting down farms as a main way to accommodate more people.Roger Wilson prepared to auction off his parents’ farm in Olney Springs on Oct. 12, 2020. “Everything sold,” Wilson later said, after the auction.
“What we’re really talking about is potential permanent change, long-term, to a whole region. It is really stressful. Already, farmers and ranchers have to have second jobs to help float agricultural operations. They might be hunting guides in the fall or winter. I worked with farmers and ranchers who are bus drivers with the school district, part-time, trying to pick up more money. ….. We are going to see really massive change to everything people think the West is.
The tribe still must pay an annual fee of $500,000 to the district for running and maintaining the canal. Staying solvent, however, may become more difficult, Martinez said, citing the scarce water. A marketing consultant whose strategy depended on increased volume was dismissed, he said, saving $20,000 a month. Being able to sell corn meal products at low volumes when possible in Sprouts and Trader Joe’s markets could make a big difference, he said.
Now treaties and water deals around the reservoir project ought to be reviewed for fairness, Knight said.