Colorado River Water Challenges and Corn Consultations with Mexico

Colorado River Water Challenges and Corn Consultations with Mexico

Bob Larson
Bob Larson
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.

**The Colorado River crisis is challenging farmers in California’s Imperial Valley, the irrigated desert region that produces the lion’s share of America’s winter vegetables.

As described in a special report in the Ag Alert newspaper, the valley is wholly dependent on water from the depleted river.

California is offering to cut the amount it takes from the Colorado, which would significantly impact agriculture.

As multiple states battle over river supplies, the federal government threatens to intervene.

**The National Corn Growers Association and a broad coalition of national and state ag and bioscience organizations sent a letter to the White House on Mexico’s GMO corn ban, thanking the Biden administration for beginning technical consultations with Mexico.

The letter says, “We look forward to these consultations beginning promptly.”

They also say Mexico’s GMO corn ban draws a non-science-based distinction between corn for food and feed and is inconsistent with USMCA obligations.

**The latest federal data shows that in 2021, the U.S. food and beverage manufacturing sector employed 1.7 million people, over 1.1% of all nonfarm employment.

Within the U.S. manufacturing sector, food and beverage employees accounted for the largest share at 15.4%.

USDA’s Economic Research Service announced the data, noting these employees help to transform raw ag materials into food products in thousands of food and beverage manufacturing plants across the country.

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