USDA Update – January 18, 2022
Agriculture news and information from the Eads USDA Service Center in Kiowa County, Colorado.
drought
2021’s biggest climate and weather disasters cost the U.S. $145 billion
The disasters just kept coming in 2021, from Hurricane Ida's destruction across Louisiana and the Northeast to devastating wildfires in the West and damaging storms, tornadoes and floods. Nearly half the U.S. was in drought, and extreme temperature spikes disrupted power supplies.
Ag stats: December 2021 Colorado crop progress and condition report
Colorado crop progress and condition report for December 2021 from the USDA.
Boulder County homes, businesses destroyed by drought-fueled fire
Just three people remain missing after Colorado's most costly wildfire on record destroyed nearly a thousand homes and businesses in Louisville and Superior.
Utah governor recommends grocery tax credit in state budget proposal
Utah Governor Spencer Cox is proposing a grocery tax credit he said will save taxpayers $160 million as part of his fiscal year 2023 budget recommendations.
California’s water supplies are in trouble as climate change worsens natural dry spells, especially in the Sierra Nevada
California is preparing for a third straight year of drought, and officials are tightening limits on water use to levels never seen so early in the water year.
As climate change parches the Southwest, here’s a better way to share water from the shrinking Colorado River
The Colorado River is a vital lifeline for the arid U.S. Southwest. It supplies water to seven states, Mexico, 29 Indian reservations and millions of acres of irrigated farmland.
Farmers still optimistic despite study predicting southeast New Mexico will get dryer
A study predicts the southeastern section of New Mexico will only get hotter and dryer in the coming years.
Extreme rain heads for California’s wildfire burn scars, raising risk of mudslides
A powerful storm system known as an atmospheric river is heading for northern California and Oregon, a region in the midst of an historic drought.
S&P: Falling water levels could lead to higher utility bills in western states
A rating agency is warning water shortages in western states reliant on the Colorado River could lead to rate hikes that would be unaffordable for some.