Texas Rice Farmers' Livelihoods at Stake in Water Talks
BAY CITY — From Austin to this city in Southeast Texas, the Colorado River makes six twists and turns before it reaches Mike Burnside’s rice farm in Matagorda County. Through a 1,100 mile-long canal system, Burnside floods nearly 1,000 acres of rice fields, which are emerald green in June despite the drought.
Like most farmers in the area, however, Burnside is worried about the future. Rice growers harvest two crops each year, but tighter water restrictions could eliminate one of those crops, especially during dry years.
“If we got no second crop, mmm — it’s going to be ...
Comments (9)
BiffTannen
Don't grow crops that you cannot sustain without rainfall or owning the water supply. Pulling it from an aquifer doesn't count.
Rice should be grown in areas that are already inundated with water, for example Southeast Asia.
Luisa Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
probably time to switch from water-hungry rice to what, dates? or any other crops/trees that grow in arid climates?
Lisa Ahrlett via Texas Tribune on Facebook
DO you have any idea what that would do to the price of food? Switching form a highly sought after, versatile commodity to dates?
scottunzicker
Let me get this straight... Gertson says "If Austin were to take the money they spend achieving conservation and spend it in the irrigation districts instead, they could achieve conservation approximately five or more times the volume of what they achieve spending it on their own infrastructure."
Ok, Gerty, tell you what... if the rice farmers give back the $1.5+ BILLION in subsidies they've received since 1995 (source: http://farm.ewg.org/progdetail.php?fips=48481&progcode=rice&page=states®ionname=WhartonCounty,Texas ), Austin MIGHT agree to your request.
Rice farming in Texas is unsustainable, economically unfeasible (without OBSCENE subsidies), and just plain dumb. Adapt. Go do something profitable WITHOUT the help of the taxpayer, and let the populations that need that water have it for a reasonable price!!!
scottunzicker
Oh, and Mses. Galbraith and Aguilar, I do respect your reporting, but the subsidies should have been at least mentioned, if not highlighted in the story. Again, here's my source:
http://farm.ewg.org/progdetail.php?fips=48481&progcode=rice&page=states®ionname=WhartonCounty,Texas .
and another: http://www.statesman.com/news/content/news/stories/local/2009/10/14/1014rice.html
Mark Reilly
Rice versus people..........rice will lose everytime.
Same application works for rice versus energy.
Move to the Brazos River is you want to farm rice.
Otherwise change your crop.
BayouCrier News
With economic development help, energy supplies and water permit issuer the LCRA has attracted people to its watershed to its own chagrin.
skywater
The 3 rice farming counties using LCRA water grow less than 4% of the nation's rice, yet they use 70% of the Highland Lakes water in time of drought, and this year, they are set to draw record amounts since the LCRA has already approved both rice crops. Staff estimates the farmers will use about half of the volume of Lake Buchanan, which never got full from the last drought. Ask them what they would grow if they didn't receive billions in government subsidies from us taxpayers?! And they pay $6 for raw water which is supposed to be "interruptible" yet citizens of Austin and surround pay $151, and they have been asked to cut back and have done so in a big way.
It is ironic that the rice farmers would choose to grow a crop in semi arid regions to draw from arid regions where the population is 10 times that of the rice counties, which have steadily lost population in the last decade! When the lakes were built, there was no economy in the upper region. Now it is the economic engine for Central Texas, paying huge amounts of school taxes, sales taxes, and $3.4 billion in tourism revenue, greatly impacting the State of Texas. Drain those Highland Lakes, and the whole state will suffer, not just the 3 rice counties.
New water resources must be created and fast tracked, The paltry 5,000 acre foot reservoir for the proposed White Stallion plant won't put a drop in the reservoirs when the coal pllant uses 5-6 times that amount each year, which is exactly what the LCRA is planning to approve.
Texans, wake up and help before we run out of water. Don't take turning on the tap for granted!
Emily Miller via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This is when it really hits the fan for food prices, particularly meats, ad most of our produce and grain products are not grown in Texas.