Will the Mighty Ogallala Aquifer Be Mighty in the Future? Did you know that that the Ogallala aquifer spans underneath eight states? Did you know that about one-fifth of all U.S. cattle, corn, cotton and wheat depend on the Ogallala? To date, about 30 percent of the aquifer's water has been pumped out of the ground, according to a recent article from Bloomberg News Agency’s Alan Bjerga. With an additional 39 percent expected to be pumped out in the next 50 years, this could lead to a water crisis that has many ramifications. It will be hard for farmers to take out bank loans, land values will drop, farmers will look to plant different crops, incomes will drop for affiliated industry such as seed and machinery dealers. Other businesses like train and elevators will also feel the economy squeeze them as crop supplies decrease. In his article, Bjerga points out that there is little coordinated proactive measures being worked on in the Great Plains. There are some voluntary m...
Posts
Showing posts from July, 2015