Western Senators Worry for Drought

Western Senators Worry for Drought

Corryn La Rue
Corryn La Rue
According to the latest Drought Monitor Numbers, California continues to be designated as severe, extreme or exceptional drought.

Farmers and ranchers in many portions of the western united states are already worried they won’t have enough water this growing season. And some producers fear they won’t see water at all.

One western senator says he’s trying to get more funding for local agriculture…Oregon’s Senator Jeff Merkley…

“Lobbying support when there is drought, a natural disaster, and helping get compensation, and good crop insurance laws that support our agricultural community. We do have to realize, though, that a lot of what we’re seeing are long-term trends coming from climate change.”

Merkley added he believes that means drought will become more common, making it even more critical that irrigation districts continue piping projects…

“So that there will be more water that can be shared, to have more water in-stream, for example in the Deschutes River, and more water delivered to the farms.”

He hopes farmers in western states continue to consider adopting more water-saving strategies like changing their style of irrigation.

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