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Ralph Loya was pretty sure he was going to lose the corn. His farm had been scorched by El Pasoβs hottest-ever June and second-hottest August; the West Texas county saw 53 days soar over 100Β° Fahrenheit in the summer of 2024. The region was also experiencing an ongoing drought, which meant that crops on Loyaβs eight-plus acres of melons, okra, cucumbers, and other produce had to be watered more often than normal.
Loya had been irrigating his corn with somewhat salty, or brackish, water pumped from his well, as much as the salt-sensitive crop could tolerate. It wasnβt enough, and the municipal water was expensive; he was using it in moderation, and the corn ears were desiccating where they stood.
Ensuring the survival of agriculture under an increasingly erratic climate is approaching a crisis in the sere and sweltering Western and Southwestern United States, an area that supplies much of our beef and dairy, alfalfa, tree nuts, and produce. Contending with too little water to support their plants and animals, farmers have tilled under crops, pulled out trees, fallowed fields, and sold off herds. Theyβve also used drip irrigation to inject smaller doses of water closer to a plantβs roots and installed sensors in soil that tell more precisely when and how much to water.
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