Water issues in ag: summary of #agchat questions from Aug 4, 2009

[John Blue]

Questions asked during the #agchat Twitter discussion August 4, 2009, 8pm-10pm ET.

Q1: What is the public’s expectation of water conservation on the farm

Q2: What states have critical water issues that impact ag and why (via @TruffleMedia)

Q3: How are various water conservation practices affecting commodity/food prices (via @WillRogersToday)

Q4: Beyond food price what are other long term implications as water becomes more scarce, expensive (via @WillRogersToday)

Q5: What are stats, implications on water use requirements for various types of ag (crop vs dairy vs meat etc) (via @TruffleMedia)

Q6: What role can/should social media play in water conservation

Learn more with the #agchat water issues summary dialog at http://bit.ly/l87OP and via all the posts at http://bit.ly/17doAJ .

Reference information

• Pioneer Press Live 07/28/2009, video, about Nestle commercial user of water in McCloud, CA community, the issues and concerns. More info at McCloud Watershed Council.
• Great chart via @jacobedenfield "Transparency: How Much Water Do You Use" from Good magazine http://bit.ly/Oh5IX
• interesting water rights blog from conversations http://bit.ly/aYxL2
• More ref info "Watching water, A guide to evaluating corporate risks in a thirsty world" http://bit.ly/42G12t via @natejtaylor
• “Army Corps says Lanier ruling should not affect nearby lakes”, The Augusta Chronicle, Aug 3, 2009 http://bit.ly/l1mCg
• “Water shortage threatens agriculture, way of life in Valley”, Southwest Farm Press, Aug 15, 2002, http://bit.ly/16i61j
• USDA Water Quality Information Center, http://bit.ly/E2Yl7

[John Blue]

Hi Nick, yes, that is one of the issues with water rights; who is top of mind in the negotiations and how do concerns about water for food get attention before it becomes a critical issue? Thanks again for the comment:)

[Nick]

What worries me is that Ag is always first in the spotlight and recreational users last...where have priorities gone? Is a golfing estate more important than a guy in Cal. growing enough tomatoes to feed a state?