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greatlaurel

(2,020 posts)

16. The percentage of food produced using irrigation in the US is huge.

Reply to Omaha Steve (Original post)

Thu Feb 6, 2014, 01:55 PM

Feb 2014

I do not have the exact figure, but it is way too high. Meanwhile, we keep paving over, fracking, strip mining, and contaminating perfectly good farmland in the eastern US. The eastern US is blessed with plentiful rainfall, but we continue to subsidize and farm marginal lands that require irrigation. Irrigation increases salt levels in the soils and can only be done for a few decades until the soil is poisoned by chemicals and nothing will grow, even the native species.

We are in a lot bigger trouble than people realize. People just call me an alarmist or a crazy tree hugger.

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Highlight:

Groundwater decline in Nebraska in 2013 'unprecedented' [View all] Omaha Steve Feb 2014 OP

States to the south of Nebraska are major fracking states. That industry uses a lot of water. Sunlei Feb 2014 #1

Exact opposite in the UK dipsydoodle Feb 2014 #2

Drought SamKnause Feb 2014 #3

And when it's all gone/ruined, Jeebus will come and rapture their butts away n/t n2doc Feb 2014 #6

Exactly SamKnause Feb 2014 #7

This is what I don't get about climate change deniers elias7 Feb 2014 #4

They are too busy making money off of climate change n2doc Feb 2014 #5

That is because nothing exists beyond the next bottom line. RC Feb 2014 #8

"Disaster Capitalism Complex", it's a winner today !!! lunasun Feb 2014 #11

once all resourses are mined and big ag. chemicals farms have ruined the lands, they will move. Sunlei Feb 2014 #17

the two pronged dead end... Javaman Feb 2014 #9

The one part of the state I'm familiar with escaped decline I see AngryAmish Feb 2014 #10

This, and in the future- fracking Titonwan Feb 2014 #12

The Ogallala aquifer has been on the downward slide for many years. L0oniX Feb 2014 #13

When the water is gone HoosierCowboy Feb 2014 #14

"American farmers". Spider Jerusalem Feb 2014 #15

cool map love to see how much is farmland today 21 years later. Sunlei Feb 2014 #18

The percentage of food produced using irrigation in the US is huge. greatlaurel Feb 2014 #16

So maybe all this hellacious snow is a blessing in disguise ... Myrina Feb 2014 #19