Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Farming. Show all posts
Friday, August 1, 2008
Now THAT is a good question!
Props to Phoebe Sweet of the LVS for her questions to the Las Vegas Valley Water Authority in their plans to pump water from Rural Nevada to Vegas. Read the article here.
Monday, July 14, 2008
Where are the Environmentalists?
State Water Engineer Tracy Taylor agreed to allow the Las Vegas Valley Water Authority to pump 6 BILLION gallons of water a year from rural Nevada to quench an overheated Las Vegas. Did you hear that? SIX BILLION GALLONS A YEAR from our farmers and ranchers AND pristine Nevada desert! LVRJ
Where are the environmentalist protesters? Where are the discussions on fish, turtles, rabbits and plants that will be destroyed with this water drainage. I don't understand how all the all this can happen without hundreds of lawsuits filed by US Fish and Wildlife, Sierra Club, Forestry Services and even Indian Reservations! This doesn't just effect the farmers and ranchers.
Every time a farmer wants to move a water right permit from one field down the road a mile to another field HE OWNS he get hit with 100 lawsuits from these groups. Now LVVWA is moving billions, and piping it a couple HUNDRED MILES there is not a peep from US Fish and Wildlife. Can someone answer where these people are on this?
Monday, June 2, 2008
Water to the FRONT
In both the LVS and LVRJ papers you will find articles on water usage in Las Vegas and the pipeline proposal.
Vegas seems to think this is a done deal. Vegas seems to think that all it will take is a little more negotiation and water will come GUSHING from White Pine and Lincoln Counties to serve Las Vegas' growth. All that SEEMS to be left is a small deal with Utah.
PRO Nevada appreciates the farmers and ranchers who cashed in on the thirst of Vegas by selling their acre-feet of water, but PRO Nevada stands against pumping the water to Vegas for billions of dollars. That's right BILLIONS of dollars. As we said in a previous post Las Vegas can build a desalinization plant in Mexico for $250 million, with no annoying California environmentalist whackos stopping it. Why use up water that farmers, ranchers and miners already use in mid Nevada when you can trade desal' plants for water out of the Colorado? It is like driving 50 miles to see a movie that is playing in your back yard FOR LESS MONEY! Why is the Vegas Water Authority even messing with northern water? It is more expensive, it is expendable as opposed to the ocean of water in Mexico, and it is more environmentally sound.
Kudos to the ranchers and farmers who cashed in on LVVWA's stupidity but, seriously Vegas, get your head out of your ass.
Vegas seems to think this is a done deal. Vegas seems to think that all it will take is a little more negotiation and water will come GUSHING from White Pine and Lincoln Counties to serve Las Vegas' growth. All that SEEMS to be left is a small deal with Utah.
PRO Nevada appreciates the farmers and ranchers who cashed in on the thirst of Vegas by selling their acre-feet of water, but PRO Nevada stands against pumping the water to Vegas for billions of dollars. That's right BILLIONS of dollars. As we said in a previous post Las Vegas can build a desalinization plant in Mexico for $250 million, with no annoying California environmentalist whackos stopping it. Why use up water that farmers, ranchers and miners already use in mid Nevada when you can trade desal' plants for water out of the Colorado? It is like driving 50 miles to see a movie that is playing in your back yard FOR LESS MONEY! Why is the Vegas Water Authority even messing with northern water? It is more expensive, it is expendable as opposed to the ocean of water in Mexico, and it is more environmentally sound.
Kudos to the ranchers and farmers who cashed in on LVVWA's stupidity but, seriously Vegas, get your head out of your ass.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Ethanol and/or Food
The LVRJ had a major editorial on Ethanol calling it"magical beans" and a scam. As the price of food goes up and the price of grain goes up I find I am torn.
My brother is an Indiana farmer and is now enjoying, for the first time in my 48 years of memory, a price for corn that he can actually make a living off of. $2 per bushel corn was the standard for almost 50 years, imagine that, imagine YOUR wages staying the same as they were in 1958! Instead of complaining and fighting (okay there has always been a little complaining and subsidies) the American farmer buckled down and became more and more efficient, and more efficient. They produced more and more grain off the same few acres. NOW suddenly we have corn at $6 per bushel because of the dream of ethanol fueling the US economy. Hooray for the farmer!
But on the other hand food is more expensive because corn also feeds animals that feed us both milk and meat. It still takes a lot of energy and water to produce ethanol and while I believe we will get better at it, there might be a better way to spend our resources. Like on Wind, Sun, and Geothermal.
PRONevada covers and area that doesn't include many corn growers, although wheat has gone up in price too. But PRONevada has to push alternative energy in Nevada and we would like to see the cost of food go down for many reasons while producing renewable energy in other ways.
My brother is an Indiana farmer and is now enjoying, for the first time in my 48 years of memory, a price for corn that he can actually make a living off of. $2 per bushel corn was the standard for almost 50 years, imagine that, imagine YOUR wages staying the same as they were in 1958! Instead of complaining and fighting (okay there has always been a little complaining and subsidies) the American farmer buckled down and became more and more efficient, and more efficient. They produced more and more grain off the same few acres. NOW suddenly we have corn at $6 per bushel because of the dream of ethanol fueling the US economy. Hooray for the farmer!
But on the other hand food is more expensive because corn also feeds animals that feed us both milk and meat. It still takes a lot of energy and water to produce ethanol and while I believe we will get better at it, there might be a better way to spend our resources. Like on Wind, Sun, and Geothermal.
PRONevada covers and area that doesn't include many corn growers, although wheat has gone up in price too. But PRONevada has to push alternative energy in Nevada and we would like to see the cost of food go down for many reasons while producing renewable energy in other ways.
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Local Toad
I have just read a quote that completely summarized what PRO Nevada is all about. This comes from the Pahrump Valley Times and it is out of a story entitled "Beatty Group Opposes Amargosa Toad Listing"
It seems there is a local group of volunteers that have been working to preserve the natural habitats along the Amargosa River in Beatty and suddenly the feds have come in and declared the Amargosa Toad an "Endangered Species." Ryan Tweney is the chairman of the group of local volunteers and he is opposed to the listing. Now comes the great quote:
"Listing as an endangered species would make this harder, not easier. These things are best done locally and with the cooperation of everyone involved," said Tweney. "We don't want our work hampered by all of the bureaucratic obstacles that listing would bring." (PVT)
Let me say that again, with emphasis: "Listing will make (protecting the toad) HARDER!" And "(Protecting the Toad) is best done LOCALLY with COOPERATION" and "(Protecting the Toad is) HAMPERED by all of the BUREAUCRATIC OBSTACLES!"
This is what PRO Nevada is all about. WE in Rural Nevada should have the opportunities to do what needs to be done without the bureaucratic obstacles of outsiders. Sure there are people who will sometimes abuse the privilege of rural land ownership and predetermination but we at PRO Nevada believe that it is the rights of the rural landowners to work cooperatively together to preserve rivers, streams and toad AND to grow alfalfa, mine gold and silver, and raise herds at the same time. IT IS POSSIBLE to be good stewards of Nevada and put food on your table AND make a profit! That is PRO Nevada!
It seems there is a local group of volunteers that have been working to preserve the natural habitats along the Amargosa River in Beatty and suddenly the feds have come in and declared the Amargosa Toad an "Endangered Species." Ryan Tweney is the chairman of the group of local volunteers and he is opposed to the listing. Now comes the great quote:
"Listing as an endangered species would make this harder, not easier. These things are best done locally and with the cooperation of everyone involved," said Tweney. "We don't want our work hampered by all of the bureaucratic obstacles that listing would bring." (PVT)
Let me say that again, with emphasis: "Listing will make (protecting the toad) HARDER!" And "(Protecting the Toad) is best done LOCALLY with COOPERATION" and "(Protecting the Toad is) HAMPERED by all of the BUREAUCRATIC OBSTACLES!"
This is what PRO Nevada is all about. WE in Rural Nevada should have the opportunities to do what needs to be done without the bureaucratic obstacles of outsiders. Sure there are people who will sometimes abuse the privilege of rural land ownership and predetermination but we at PRO Nevada believe that it is the rights of the rural landowners to work cooperatively together to preserve rivers, streams and toad AND to grow alfalfa, mine gold and silver, and raise herds at the same time. IT IS POSSIBLE to be good stewards of Nevada and put food on your table AND make a profit! That is PRO Nevada!
Friday, March 7, 2008
More on the Water Grab
Jim Sanford has a good (long) article where he very clearly articulates many of the issues related to the need and use of water in Nevada. Give it a read.
Especially fun to read is Las Vegas Mayor Goodman who claims that CA farmer will let their cropland go fallow before Las Vegas drys up. Jim seems to be pushing a few proposals on reversing some rivers and building some canals that would send "unallocated" water into the arid West. I don't quite understand what he is proposing but I have started an email dialogue with him and will keep you informed as to whether this is PRO Nevada or not.
Especially fun to read is Las Vegas Mayor Goodman who claims that CA farmer will let their cropland go fallow before Las Vegas drys up. Jim seems to be pushing a few proposals on reversing some rivers and building some canals that would send "unallocated" water into the arid West. I don't quite understand what he is proposing but I have started an email dialogue with him and will keep you informed as to whether this is PRO Nevada or not.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Dairy Farmer gives another GREAT reason to stop Yucca Mountain
The LVRJ is doing a series called "On the Road" where they are taking US 95 from South to North and interviewing people in the towns along the way. FIRST we at PRO Nevada are grateful to the RJ for getting out of it's Vegas towers to get into rural Nevada. Their articles so far have stayed away from the quirky and gotten into the true rural Nevadans. SECOND I do believe they are showing their prejudices by who they pick and print but we understand a newspaper trying to stay a bit balanced even though rural Nevadans are pretty predominantly Republican and have counterweighted the predominantly Democratic cities of Vegas and Reno.
Tuesday's "On the Road" stopped at the Dairy farm within a few miles of Yucca Mountain. They interviewed the managers there and talked about Yucca. Read article here.
Can you imagine 45% of Nevada's milk coming from a location near Yucca Mountain? I really don't care if you can find 50 "experts" who will tell me that there is no way nuclear waste can get into the cows system and into our milk. Just the thought of it makes you think twice about purchasing milk. We might have to start getting our milk from China or something. It is kind of like having a drinking fountain right next to a urinal in the men's restroom. It just isn't right!
PRONevada.org
Tuesday's "On the Road" stopped at the Dairy farm within a few miles of Yucca Mountain. They interviewed the managers there and talked about Yucca. Read article here.
Can you imagine 45% of Nevada's milk coming from a location near Yucca Mountain? I really don't care if you can find 50 "experts" who will tell me that there is no way nuclear waste can get into the cows system and into our milk. Just the thought of it makes you think twice about purchasing milk. We might have to start getting our milk from China or something. It is kind of like having a drinking fountain right next to a urinal in the men's restroom. It just isn't right!
PRONevada.org
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