farmland
Newsletter
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Nebraska's water ownership quandary amid farmland investments
Nebraska grapples with the implications of out-of-state investments in farmland, spurred by the valuable groundwater resources of the Ogallala Aquifer.
Yanqi Xu reports for Flatwater Free Press. Storyrepublished by Investigate Midwest.
In short:
- John Childears, a local farmer, highlights the critical value of water in Nebraska, where regulations restrict new irrigation wells.
- Groundwater rights in Nebraska don’t equate to ownership, meaning the water under the land can be used but with stringent controls.
- Rising farmland purchases by out-of-state investors raise concerns over water usage, but legal experts note strict regulatory measures prevent misuse.
Key quote:
“It’s what I call, ‘The guy with the deepest and biggest well wins,.”
— Dean Edson, Executive Director of the Nebraska Association of Resources Districts.
Why this matters:
The issue of water rights affects not just agriculture and property values but also broader health outcomes linked to sustainable water resources management. This issue is particularly salient as climate change exacerbates water scarcity, making stewardship over such resources a matter of national concern.
Do rivers have rights? A movement to grant rights to the environment tests the power of local control.
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Newsletter
Photo by Urlaubstracker on Unsplash
Deal is reached to keep Colorado River from going dry, for now
Arizona, California and Nevada have agreed to take less water from the drought-strained Colorado River, a breakthrough agreement that, for now, keeps the river from falling so low that it would jeopardize water supply for major Western cities like Phoenix and Los Angeles as well as for some of America’s most productive farmland.
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash
A first step toward decoupling livestock feed from the land
In a double-win for the environment, a team of researchers have managed to turn greenhouse gas emissions into an ingredient that could be used to feed livestock—potentially bypassing the need for vast tracts of farmland to grow crops.
Newsletter
Photo by Ivan Bandura on Unsplash
California farmworkers are underwater in more ways than one
Farmworkers who can’t work in flooded, damaged fields are losing out on weeks—or months—of wages.
The year in Civil Eats investigations
From farmland loss due to silica mining to investor water-grabs in Colorado, our reporters uncovered the front end of troublesome trends this year, and highlighted labor concerns and risks across food and farming.
Climate change threatens to drown Egyptian city of Alexandria, destroy key farmland
Rising sea levels are threatening the ancient port built by Alexander the Great and changing the chemical balance of farmland that Egypt cannot afford to lose.
Photo by Justin Wilkens on Unsplash
A notorious invasive plant shows promise in green construction
Imported from Japan in 1876, kudzu strangles forests and farmland throughout the South. Could it build cities instead?
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