Water management & Irrigation
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Recent Rains Ease Drought in Texas, Deep South
Widespread soaking rains over the past week brought relief to parts of Texas and the Deep South but left large areas still stressed by long-running dryness. The precipitation reduced drought extent across portions of Texas, the lower Mississippi Valley and the Tennessee Valley, even as Se... -
Mississippi growers cut water, raise rice yields
Mississippi State University researchers and growers are changing how rice is irrigated to save groundwater and hold or improve yields. Under traditional flood systems, rice requires about 30–36 inches water annually, and in the Midsouth rice acres use a disproportionate share of... -
Western Land Values Shift Under New Pressures
Farm financial stress and nonfarm development are beginning to alter land sales across the U.S. West, according to accredited farm manager Skye Root of the American Society of Farm Managers and Rural Appraisers. Root told RFD News the market has moved from the breakneck activity of recent years t... -
What Water Means to Farmers in Drought
As April ended, more than 61% of U.S. drought of the contiguous United States was in moderate to exceptional drought, a level the U.S. Drought Monitor says is the highest recorded for this time of year since it began tracking conditions. For producers, drought is not just weather... -
Western Land Values Shift Under New Pressures
Farm financial pressures are beginning to show up in Western land markets as economic strains and outside development reshape buying and selling activity. ASFMRA's Skye Root told RFD News he’s seeing changes in both transaction volume and in the types of buyers and sellers active... -
U.S. Crawfish Farmers Face Strong Headwinds
Few crops are as tied to a place as crawfish are to Louisiana, but the industry that fuels roadside boils and regional menus is under growing financial strain. Producer prices have been essentially flat while input costs used in recent planning budgets have climbed roughly 40% since 2014, squeezi... -
Dolores County Extension: 4-H and Ag Programs
Colorado State University Extension’s Dolores County office is rolling out local programming and resources for youth, home gardeners, and natural resource enthusiasts in 2026 and beyond. The office has launched a refreshed website to centralize program details and contact information for resident... -
Farmers begin early irrigation as Midsouth drought persists
Midsouth farmers are opening irrigation taps early this spring as a persistent drought has left fields short on soil moisture and slowed crop emergence. Growers in Arkansas report running center pivots and other systems to get corn, soybeans and rice established after a dry planting window. <stro... -
H-2A Wage Rule Cuts Farmworker Pay Up to $5
Joe Petrocco, a fourth-generation vegetable grower in Brighton, Colorado, says the spring planting season comes with mixed pressure: soaring input costs and a welcome drop in labor expenses. Federal changes to the H-2A temporary farmworker wage calculation will reduce pay in many places by a thir...
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