Lawmakers spar over BLM plan to weigh conservation in land-use decisions
A Bureau of Land Management rule that would, for the first time, count conservation as a legitimate use for public lands, along with mining, logging and other uses, is an “offensive” overreach of federal authority, Republicans said Thursday.
Can agriculture use less water?
The time has come to start asking the hard questions. Does an industry that adds 1% to the state GDP have the right to mine our groundwater, destroy our flowing rivers, and take water that can never be replaced? Can this industry be reformed or modernized to use less water? How do we better protect Arizona's water resources so that flowing streams and rivers are not dried out by thirsty groundwate[...]
Drought-resistant crops not taking root
As Arizona contends with a 20-year dry-spell and declining water availability, the desert may provide a solution in drought-tolerant crops. Drought-tolerant crops have been farmed by various Native American tribes for thousands of years... […]
Ask the right water question
There are thankful ranchers across Arizona, myself included, after an extraordinary monsoon season that filled our scorched dirt tanks with water and re-seeded our rangelands with knee-high green grass. But well below the surface, and just up-stream, the drought persists.
Leaders are ignoring rural Arizona, horse racing industry
Sadly, here in Arizona our governor has taken a different approach, ignoring the needs of horse racing and the multitude of rural, locally owned businesses that support the industry. There has been no meeting, no conversation, no discussion about how the state can help us modernize the industry as we can compete with other states.
Border ranchers in Cochise County feel abandoned by Washington
Border security is a hot topic on the presidential campaign trail, but Arizona ranchers who live near the border say they’ve been left out of the debate and forgotten by Washington lawmakers, who they say have done nothing about immigration reform.