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Hay grown for cattle consumes nearly half the water drawn from Colorado River, study finds
(www.latimes.com)
this post was submitted on 28 Mar 2024
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I do not understand why we don't just plant switch grass and be done with it? It's native to a large swath of the arable land, doesn't require as much (in some areas any) irrigation and it's good for the soil. https://cropwatch.unl.edu/benefits-switchgrass-hay-and-forage
https://utia.tennessee.edu/publications/wp-content/uploads/sites/269/2023/10/SP701-B.pdf
Edit: Also 6.24 is closer to a third of 19.25 than it is a half. Which is still a massive amount of water. Why inflate the numbers by saying nearly a half?
It's because you have to use your water to keep water rights. Flood irrigating alfalfa is an easy way to use up a lot of water to keep the rights without having to manage more complex farms. The current way that water rights works creates perverse incentives.