Proposal to cut off water to farmers from Colorado River could devastate Texas rice industry

Barbara Corporon and her husband Victor depend on water from the Colorado River to grow rice, a staple of their farm near the Texas coast. But as the Lower Colorado River Authority contemplates cutting off that water because of one of the worst droughts the state has ever seen, the Corporons and hundreds of other South Texas farmers are trying to figure out how they'll keep their farms going. "With the amount of money that it takes for us to farm, one bad year is all you can stand and then you're bankrupt," said Barbara Corporon, 46. "We're too old for anybody to hire us. This is what we've done all our life ... He's too young to retire, but he's too old for anything else. We're in a pickle." While most of Texas and the Southwest are under moderate to extreme drought conditions, agricultural water rationing and curtailment proposals are becoming more widespread, even affecting parts of the Deep South. "We know that the scope of the situation is huge," said Matt Herrick, a spokesman for the United States Department of Agriculture. In Texas, the board of directors for the LCRA, which manages the southern part of the massive river, is considering a proposal that could cut off water to about 250 farmers in the state's three biggest rice-producing counties _ Matagorda, Wharton and Colorado. They say it's an emergency measure to protect the water that's left. Several Central Texas communities, including Austin, depend on the reservoirs for drinking and other utilities...more

The Urban Brand Is On The Land - When it comes to competition for water, ag will lose to city folks.  They have the votes and the politicians will respond.