US: Water shortages challenge how dairy farmers will feed their cows in the future

Published 2023년 3월 15일

Tridge summary

The article highlights the significant challenge posed by climate change and water scarcity, particularly in the western US, which is becoming increasingly drier and facing severe drought conditions. These conditions are expected to worsen over the next 80 years, raising concerns about the future of livestock production due to potential water shortages for crop irrigation. The article emphasizes the critical role of water in agriculture, with a substantial portion used for irrigation, especially for livestock feed. The decline in the Colorado River's flow, which is a crucial water source for the region, further exacerbates the problem. The article suggests various solutions, including improving irrigation techniques, incorporating technology like smart controllers, promoting regenerative agriculture, and alternating periods of cultivation with fallow periods, to mitigate water usage and adapt to changing conditions.

Disclaimer:The above summary was generated by Tridge's proprietary AI model for informational purposes.

Original content

The US is heating up and that could spell disaster for US livestock producers. According to the website Climate.gov, given the enormous size and heat capacity of the global oceans, it takes an enormous amount of thermal energy to raise Earth's average annual surface temperature, even by a small amount. Thomas Borch of Colorado State University shared that the western US is where the temperature is rising the fastest. The US drought monitoring map documents that much of the western US is shifting from moderate to exceptional drought "And that means 145 million people are now living under these severe drought conditions," he shared at the 20th Anniversary Milk Business Conference in Las Vegas late last year. Couple that with the alarming water scarcity problems facing the western US, and alarm bells are going off, posing a legitimate question: “How are we going to feed our cows in the future?” According to Borch, over the next 80 years, not just the US, but the entire world will get ...

Source: Milkpoint