Since arriving in Colorado, and now in Utah, I’m surprised at how much irrigation is used for farming. Even the production of hay for fodder is heavily dependent on irrigation. This is an especially dry year we are told, but still I wonder at the dependence on irrigation. The landscape stretches for miles in every with only parched dusty desert plants until suddenly a bright green field of irrigated hay is spotted. How much longer can this kind of water use be supported?
Every Day is a Winding Road 
Wait til you see the fertile Salinas Valley, Salad Bowl to the World, and all irrigated! Agriculture in the West has always been a battle for water!
I suppose on one hand, irrigation may help with efficient use of water as a resource, but the bigger questions I have are: where is the water coming from, at what price, who loses when big agriculture wins, and how long can this be sustained?