SPECIAL REPORT | IMPERIAL VALLEY FARMING
is a narrow and arbitrary view of a much bigger picture. Despite drought concerns, studies have found that California actually imports more virtual water than it exports. When it comes to agricultural products, several commodities account for more water used for export than alfalfa. “We’re an urbanized, consumptive state of 40 million people,” Scheuring said. “If you were to calculate how much water is imported into California through all the manufacturing processes associ- ated with mining, manufacturing and bending steel, all the way up to creating a beautiful new Prius, that’s a lot of water.” Researchers also raise another ques- tion. “If we eliminate alfalfa here,” Montazar asked, “where do we take it?” Over the past two decades, alfalfa acreage in other parts of California has declined, largely due to water challenges throughout the state. Worldwide, Spain, the second-largest producer, is in the midst of its own severe drought. “It needs to be grown somewhere,” Montazar said, “because there is a need for it.” Farmers in the Imperial Valley argue they can grow alfalfa better than anywhere else, not only in terms of yield and quality but also with respect to the environment. “Other countries do not have regulatory structures protecting species, water quali- ty and labor standards in the same way that California does,” Scheuring said. “We need
to have a lot of alfalfa somewhere. And if we care at all about those things—the en- vironment and labor impacts—we should be farming here.” That doesn’t mean it will be easy. For the past two decades, Imperial Valley farm- ers have shipped up to 18% of their water supply each year to cities in Southern California. Now, as part of California’s plan to address the Colorado River crisis, they are set to forfeit additional supplies. Continuing to farm in the Imperial Valley may mean phasing in crops that use less water or fallowing some alfalfa fields. It will alsorequirefarmerstobecomemorewater efficientwhengrowingalfalfa.Farmershave already responded in each of these ways. But for the most part, they are sticking with alfalfa—its acreage in the region increased last year—and are investing in the infra- structure to conserve water while growing it. Since 2003, the farmers, with funding from the Imperial Irrigation District, have invested half a billion dollars to install wa- ter-conservation infrastructure such as drip irrigation, sprinklers, precision-lev- eling and tailwater return systems, which enable them to save water when irrigat- ing alfalfa and other crops. Last year, the federal government approved $4 billion in funding to address the Colorado River crisis, some of which could be used to ex- pand the Imperial Valley’s water-efficient irrigation systems.
Larry Cox, who grows alfalfa in the Imperial Valley, stands with his dog, Brody, on his farm near Brawley. Cox and other farmers are using water-efficient irrigation to grow the crop.
“We need to listen to the growers,” Montazar said. “The solution is not to eliminate alfalfa. The solution is to help them grow it more efficiently.” By cultivating alfalfa in the Imperial Valley, the growers say, they are maintain- ing an important link in global nutrition and protecting the valley’s economy.
“We firmly believe that we’ll use technol- ogy and economics to save as much water as we possibly can,” Osterkamp said. “And we’ll continue to grow the same crops and employ the same number of people.” (Caleb Hampton is an assistant editor of Ag Alert. He may be contacted at champton@cfbf.com.)
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March 22, 2023 Ag Alert 5
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