There are many parts of the US that are at risk for severe drought and heat in the next 30 years due to climate change. But then there’s Kansas, where some growers pull irrigation water from a particularly vulnerable part of the gigantic Ogallala aquifer, which according to the latest science, may well be fully depleted by 2050. Western Kansas isn’t exactly the heart of the corn belt, but farming in the region does support substantial nearby livestock industries, including large confined dairy and beef cattle operations. If feed becomes sparse, or must come from more expensive, more distant geographies, the regional economic disruptions could be vast.

Dan Northrup, part of Galvanize Climate Solutions’ Science and Tech team and an Associate Professor at Iowa State University, joins us today to talk about the risks, and opportunities, that this kind of water vulnerability introduces, and where he thinks public and private investors can act now. 

Sarah and Dan discuss: 

• Why the business case for acting on water conservation in the Ogallala aquifer has reached peak actionability
• How irrigation and precision agricultural technologies can be adapted regionally to improve a diverse array of local water outcomes
• The way growers are exploring new tech and practices through Fantasy Farming 

Useful Links:

• Check out Dan’s Upstream Ag Newsletter Guest Post
• Daniel Northrup on the Convergence of Climate and Ag (Croptastic Podcast)
• Paper: Novel tech for emission reduction for negative emissions from row-crop production
• Testing Ag Performance Solutions (TAPS - Kansas State)

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