https://www.npr.org/2024/09/09/nx-s1-5002090/colorado-river-water-climate-change-beef

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Eating less beef and dairy could help save the Colorado River Nearly
half of the water drawn from the Colorado River goes to feed for beef
and dairy cows. Researchers say modest changes in American diets
could help farmers use less water -- and help the climate.
 

NPR's Climate Solutions WeekNPR's Climate Solutions Week

  * 2024: The Future of Food
  * 2023: Search for Solutions
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Can eating less beef and dairy help save the Colorado River?

September 11, 202412:00 PM ET
Heard on Morning Edition

FromLAist 89.3

By 

Erin Stone

How eating less beef and dairy could help save the Colorado River

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An aerial view of the Imperial Dam on March 3, 2023 in Winterhaven,
Calif. The farmers of California's Imperial Valley -- a stretch of
desert along the Mexican border -- use more Colorado River water each
year than the states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming
combined.

The Imperial Dam in Winterhaven, Calif., diverts Colorado River water
toward California's Imperial Valley, a stretch of desert along the
Mexican border. Farmers in the region use more Colorado River water
each year than the states of New Mexico, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming
combined. Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images hide
caption

toggle caption
Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post via Getty Images

Climate change is affecting our food, and our food is affecting the
climate. NPR is dedicating a week to stories and conversations about
the search for solutions.

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Western states and the federal government face a looming 2026
deadline to divvy up falling water levels in the Colorado River
basin. As overuse and climate change stretch the river thin, research
suggests relatively small shifts in global eating patterns could save
enough water to fend off steeper cuts for cities and agriculture --
and help reduce climate pollution.

Nearly half -- 46% -- of all the water drawn from the Colorado River
goes to growing feed for beef and dairy cows, according to a recent
study published in the journal Communications Earth & Environment.
It's the most detailed analysis yet of how the river's water is used.

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That's nearly twice as much water as the combined use of every city
that relies on the river, including Phoenix, Las Vegas and Los
Angeles.

"We could wipe all of the cities off the map that are using Colorado
River water, and we would just barely be balancing the water budget,"
says Brian Richter, lead author of the study.

Late-summer heat waves are threatening Napa Valley's famed cabernet
grapes, which produce some of the United States' most expensive
wines. To survive in a hotter climate, winemakers are realizing
they'll need to adapt.

NPR's Climate Solutions Week

Can the most popular red wine in the U.S. endure climate change?

That means as states wrestle over how to share the basin's dwindling
water supplies, major cuts will have to come from irrigation for
agriculture, Richter says.

The seven Western states that rely on the river -- Colorado, New
Mexico, Utah, Wyoming, California, Arizona and Nevada -- are in
negotiations over how to make those needed cuts. The current rules
for the river, first established more than 100 years ago, expire in
2026.

Currently, the biggest users of Colorado River water are farmers in
the Imperial Valley in Southern California.

The region is an agricultural powerhouse. Almost all of the leafy
greens and vegetables like broccoli that Americans eat in the winter
are grown in the Imperial Valley and next door in Yuma, Ariz.

Robin Morgan of Washington State University's Breadlab works to
prepare fresh loaves of whole wheat bread. Morgan is part of a team
of scientists and researchers searching for ways to make whole wheat
bread resilient to a warming world -- and more delicious.

NPR's Climate Solutions Week

Can better bread be a climate change solution? These bakers think so

But for much of the year, the region's primary crops are alfalfa and
other hay crops, which have one primary purpose: feeding beef and
dairy cows in the U.S. and around the world. The valley is also home
to cattle ranches with hundreds of thousands of cows.

So as the Colorado River becomes increasingly stressed due to all
that demand, plus the worsening impacts of climate change, could it
be saved if Americans -- and the world -- ate less beef, cheese and
yogurt?

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"We advertise 'take short showers, remove your lawn to save water,'
but we're not quite advocating diets as a society to save water yet,"
says Bill Hasencamp, Colorado River resources manager for the
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, which supplies
water from the river to cities across the region.

Individual choices may not have a direct impact on the Colorado River
in the short term, because the food system is so complex and global,
Hasencamp says. But small changes can add up in the long term.

Farmers in the region are already making changes, largely driven by
stricter water regulations. But long-term change, experts say, will
also require consumers to change how they eat.

"One person removes one lawn, it doesn't make a difference, but a
thousand people starts to make a difference, and a million people
makes a huge difference," Hasencamp says. "It's the same thing with
the diet."

Trevor Tagg, 38, grows alfalfa and other hay crops in the Imperial
Valley of southern California. He says the business is tough, and
worries increasingly strict water restrictions will ultimately
decimate farming in the region. Despite the challenges, he says he
loves the lifestyle -- and getting to ride around in his truck with
his dog, Lucy.

Trevor Tagg, 38, grows alfalfa and other hay crops in the Imperial
Valley of Southern California. He says the business is tough, and he
worries that increasingly strict water restrictions will ultimately
decimate farming in the region. Despite the challenges, he says he
loves the lifestyle -- and getting to ride around in his truck with
his dog, Lucy. Erin Stone/LAist hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

How alfalfa became king

Many farmers in California's Imperial Valley are already considering
the switch from cattle-feed crops to less-water-intensive vegetables
and upgrading to equipment that helps them use less water. But making
the change is complicated and expensive.

Trevor Tagg, 38, runs his family's 3,200-acre farm in El Centro in
Imperial County with his father and brother. He's trying to set up
the farm for the future at a moment of increasing uncertainty.

A farmer holds a radish. Behind him is a truck.

NPR's Climate Solutions Week

Regenerative agriculture is sold as a climate solution. Can it do all
it says?

"Essentially, we're taking a 40-year-old company that was fairly beat
up and trying to put it back in a position that will support my
brother and I," Tagg says.

Like most farmers in the area, the Taggs grow alfalfa and other hay
crops, which are sold to dairies and beef operations across the U.S.
He also exports about 30% of his hay to countries such as China and
Saudi Arabia. That's a trend across the valley and the Colorado River
basin. Exports of alfalfa to Asia and the Middle East have tripled in
the past two decades because of rising demand for beef and dairy.

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Tagg also grows onions. The Imperial Valley, he notes, is the "winter
vegetable capital" of America.

Vegetables require less water to grow than alfalfa and may ultimately
sell at a higher price point. But alfalfa and other types of hay are
a more reliable cash crop for farmers.

That's in part because vegetables require more human labor to
harvest. Higher labor costs in California are one reason why
vegetable growing has shifted from the Imperial Valley to Arizona and
Mexico, says Bart Fisher, a Southern California farmer and former
lead negotiator representing California on the Colorado River board.
And farmers can't turn a profit on vegetables until months or nearly
a year later because they take more time to grow before they're ready
for harvest.

Hay grown from Colorado River water in the Imperial Valley of
southern California. In the background is a farm field converted to
solar panels. Taking farmland out of production for solar panels is a
growing trend in the Imperial Valley, as a way to save water and
generate clean power for cities. But many farmers in the region say
the strategy hurts the local economy.

Hay grown from Colorado River water in the Imperial Valley. In the
background is a farm field converted to solar panels. Taking farmland
out of production for solar panels is a growing trend in the Imperial
Valley to save water and generate clean power for cities. But many
farmers say the strategy hurts the local economy. Erin Stone/LAist 
hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

Alfalfa, on the other hand, is largely harvested by machine. It's
more resilient to drought. And it can be sold pretty much year-round.

But the Imperial Valley is a desert. Farming alfalfa here requires
about as much water as the entire state of Arizona is allocated per
year from the Colorado River.

It may sound counterintuitive to farm in the desert, says Paul
Brierley, director of the Arizona Department of Agriculture and
former director of the University of Arizona's Yuma Center of
Excellence for Desert Agriculture.

But he says the soil in this part of the Colorado River basin is very
fertile. Before the river was diverted to cities and farms, it
flooded this region for thousands of years on its way to the sea,
building up layers of nutrient-rich sediment.

Plus, with year-round sunshine and little rain, it's possible to grow
more food and there are fewer variables that could ruin a crop.

This photo shows Juan Rodriguez and his cousin Orlando Flores
checking on their 2-acre agave field in Vacaville, Calif., on June
26, 2024. They are walking among rows of aloe-looking agave plants,
with their backs to the camera. In the background are a fence and
yellow-orange sky.

NPR's Climate Solutions Week

California farmers turn to agave amid drought conditions and climate
change

"I like to say we farm in the desert not in spite of the desert, but
because of the desert," Brierley says. "It turns out that we have, in
most crops, really the highest productivity per acre and per
acre-foot of water that you get anywhere -- even alfalfa."

Tagg and his neighbors are intimately aware of changes on the
Colorado River.

"We're probably more conscientious than anybody because we're
directly related to the river, as opposed to, with all due respect,
someone who just turns on a tap or waters their lawn," Tagg says.

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But the way farmers receive water in the Imperial Valley, through a
system of canals drawing from the Colorado River, is more like
turning on the tap than in other regions. Higher up in the river's
basin, like in Colorado, farmers and ranchers go out of business if
streams and wells run dry.

And Imperial Valley farmers such as Tagg are first in line to get
Colorado River water. They have senior legal rights to the river, so
they get the biggest bucket of water -- and they're the last to face
cuts.

But Tagg says stricter water limits are starting to change his
business.

It's one reason he's prepping some of his land to grow
less-water-intensive onions, instead of alfalfa.

"Obviously it's better for our ranch to have more diversification,
different revenue streams, but we're also creating a way for us to
conserve water," Tagg says.

The irrigation gate of the Acacia Canal in the Imperial Valley near
El Centro. It's one of the canals that delivers Colorado River water
to Tagg's, and other farmers', fields. The Colorado River is the only
source of water for the Imperial Valley.

The irrigation gate of the Acacia Canal in the Imperial Valley near
El Centro delivers Colorado River water to Tagg's fields and other
farms. The Colorado River is the only source of water for the
Imperial Valley. Erin Stone/LAist hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

He's also invested in pipe irrigation, which uses less water than
traditional flood irrigation but is more expensive to install. He was
able to recoup about half of the roughly $5 million he's spent on
pipes through state grants.

At times, Tagg sublets alfalfa plots to farmers who specialize in
other vegetables that use less water, like carrots. That crop
rotation makes for healthier soil, he says, which also needs less
water. Such crop rotation partnerships are becoming more common in
the area, Tagg says.

Federal policy is also making that bet more attractive.

Tagg plans to participate in a new program in the Imperial Valley, in
which the federal government will pay him not to grow alfalfa and
other hay crops during the driest months of the year. It's part of a
major deal recently struck with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
Imperial Valley farmers agreed to cut their water use through 2026,
with cuts adding up to more than twice as much as the entire state of
Nevada uses in a year.

Eric Brandt runs a 125-acre organic beef ranch near El Centro in the
Imperial Valley. He's part of one of the region's largest farming
families, which receives significant allocations of Colorado River
water. He says farmers and ranchers in the region are becoming
increasingly efficient at using less water.

Eric Brandt runs a 125-acre organic beef ranch near El Centro in the
Imperial Valley. He's part of one of the region's largest farming
families, which receives significant allocations of Colorado River
water. He says farmers and ranchers in the region are becoming
increasingly efficient at using less water. Erin Stone/LAist hide
caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

Meeting the demand for beef and dairy

The Imperial Valley isn't just home to hay crops like alfalfa. There
are also hundreds of thousands of cows.

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Eric Brandt runs a 125-acre, grass-fed cattle ranch, raising some 250
beef cattle and selling mostly to high-end organic markets in the
U.S. His brother grows alfalfa, and his dad runs a larger ranch
nearby. The family is among the biggest users of Colorado River water
in the valley.

The region's cattle ranchers argue that as global demand for beef
grows, it's better to raise beef in places like the Imperial Valley
than in parts of the world with more lax regulations, such as Brazil,
where cattle ranching is a major driver of deforestation.

"You're not going to change demand, it's just going to come from
other sources that you don't have the ability to regulate," Brandt
says.

He points to efforts to mitigate the environmental impact of farming
in the Imperial Valley. On Brandt's 125-acre ranch, the cows' manure
is used as compost on alfalfa fields, which helps lessen the use of
fertilizers derived from fossil fuels and helps reduce water use.
They recently received a permit to recycle water used at their beef
processing plant to meet water restrictions.

"Would you rather consume beef or American products," Brandt asked,
"versus importing beef or produce from other countries that don't
share the same values and don't have the same regulations, that might
be deforesting land?"

Alfalfa seed growing in the Imperial Valley of Southern California.

Alfalfa seed grows in the Imperial Valley of Southern California.
Erin Stone/LAist hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

Producers like Brandt and Tagg say that instead of pointing the
finger at farmers, part of the solution is for consumers to better
understand where their food comes from.

Small dietary changes, big impact

Climate scientists say the current global appetite for beef and dairy
is unsustainable in the long term, but even modest changes could have
a major impact.

Beef demand is rising around the world. In the U.S., per capita beef
consumption has leveled off. But Americans' growing demand for dairy
products like yogurt and cheese is driving demand for more alfalfa in
the Colorado River basin, says Brian Richter, the lead author of the
study on Colorado River water use.

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The rising global demand for beef and dairy products means there are
now so many cows on the planet that they've become a major source of
greenhouse gas emissions.

Through their burps, farts and manure, cows are the largest source of
methane emissions in the U.S. and the the world. Methane is a
greenhouse gas that's heating up the planet even faster than carbon
dioxide.

The U.S., which has the fourth-largest cattle population in the
world, plays a role in reducing that demand, says Jessica Fanzo,
director of the Food for Humanity Initiative and a professor who
studies climate and diet at Columbia University.

"If you look at the countries who emit the most greenhouse gases from
their food system, it's the United States, Brazil, China, Indonesia,
the EU and India," Fanzo says. "[Red meat] is quite cheap in the U.S.
It's culturally normal. It's almost hard to not eat meat."

Americans consume more meat and dairy than most people across the
globe, and above the recommended amount for good health, Fanzo says.

"In places like the United States, we have a lot of room to move. We
can reduce our meat consumption and still be very healthy," she says.

Researchers stress that small changes in eating habits can add up and
make a big impact.

In general, Fanzo says, a good rule of thumb for a climate-friendly
diet is to eat more plants and plant-based foods and less red meat
and dairy.

"I don't think everyone has to become a vegan or even vegetarian,"
Fanzo says. "It's this reducing."

One strategy is to skip beef at breakfast and lunch and instead get
your protein in other ways, Fanzo says, such as with canned beans,
oysters or sardines. She suggested making eating beef a special
occasion.

A canal of Colorado River water in the Imperial Valley runs beside a
cattle feedlot.

A canal of Colorado River water in the Imperial Valley runs beside a
cattle feedlot. Erin Stone/LAist hide caption

toggle caption
Erin Stone/LAist

Eating more vegetables would also help, says Brierley, the director
of the Arizona Department of Agriculture.

If more Americans chose diets better aligned with federal health
recommendations, he says, that could help shift the market to
less-water-intensive and lower-emission vegetable crops.

"I've had produce growers say, even if people would get just a little
bit closer to what they're supposed to as far as number of servings a
day of vegetables, it would really spur demand and more people would
switch to growing produce," Brierley says.

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Diets are personal -- they're connected to cultures, individual health
and tastes, as well as how much money and time households have.

But when enough people make a few changes in their individual lives --
and support policies and farmers that produce food more sustainably --
experts say it can lead to significant large-scale shifts down the
line.

"Climate change is daunting, but you can make changes that do
matter," Fanzo says. "As climate change continues to barrel down on
us, and people learn about the connection that food is contributing
to climate -- and livestock is one of the big issues in the food space
-- I think more people will come to the table."

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