Water forecast for basin is drying up
Water outlook for this year is deteriorating. According to the Bureau of Reclamation, which monitors water resources in the Gunnison Basin, on March 10 the basin snowpack was 78 percent of average. As of April 16, the snowpack was measured at 46 percent and falling.
Whitetop is blooming
Whitetop (hoary cress) is currently in the pre-bloom or early bloom stage throughout Delta County. Photos are available at www.cwma.org under the weed information tab.
Canal closed to public
The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association is notifying the public that the South Canal will be closed to public access from Miguel Road to below tunnel one (2.5 miles downstream from Miguel Road) in preparation for work on the South Canal hydroelectric project.
Take the leap into organic
By John Crabtree
Center for Rural Affairs
The steady growth of organic farming and ranching across rural America and the economic impacts of organics on rural communities cannot be ignored. In 2012, the USDA is again investing $50 million in funding for the EQIP Organic Initiative, which provides a 75% share of the estimated cost of implementing organic conservation measures to those who qualify–90% for beginning, limited-resource and socially-disadvantaged farmers and ranchers.
Sheep initiative launched to grow flocks
The U.S. sheep industry is finding itself amidst an encouraging time: lamb prices are at an all-time high, the wool market is the highest it's been since 1989 and the cull ewe and pelt markets are very lucrative. However, from the farm gate through to the lamb and wool processing level, there is a shared concern about meeting the demand for lamb and wool production in the United States.