June 19, 2019 - Did you know that it takes 507,000 ounces of water to produce only 2.2 pounds of beef? What is more amazing is that takes 3,380 ounces of water to make just two slices of bread and 2,197 ounces to make the cheese filling in your sandwich. And for us coffee drinkers, it takes 6,720 ounces of water to produce the coffee beans for one cup of coffee. As native Texan Lyndon B. Johnson once stated “Saving the water and the soil must start where the first rain drop falls.”
In 2013, the United States Census Bureau released data that states that Texas has seven of the most rapidly growing cities in the nation. With this population explosion of more than 500,000 new residents annually Texas and our nation need to have a plan to not only conserve water but protect our most important resource, our land. Texas is home to 167,624,960 acres of land and 130,153,438 are used for farm land. But from 1997 to 2012 there was a net loss of approximately 1.1 million acres of working land, converted to roadways, urban sprawl and concrete that is now covering our farmland.
Our most precious resource, our land is evolving into smaller and smaller parcels. Land ownership fragmentation will be the detriment of agriculture as we know it. The result will be rural acreage sizes to small to maintain the economy-of-scale for traditional farming, ranching, forestry and wildlife uses. We will lose open space, effective wildlife habitats, deforestation, and localized loss of farmland.
Research has shown that there will be forty million Texas residents by 2050, therefore water use will increase from seventeen to twenty million-acre feet. Studies show that currently irrigation practices account for about 57% of that annual use and the next largest use is municipal at about 25%. Research shows that in fifty years, that gap will close to 42% for irrigation and 35% for municipal. People and agriculture need water and people will pay for it as supplies diminish.
Texas working lands are undergoing important changes, one that has implications for rural economies, national security, food security, and conservation of water and other natural resources. Working lands are privately owned farms, ranches and forests that produce food and fiber, support rural economies, private land habitat, clean air and water, and recreational opportunities. Native landscapes are increasingly threatened by suburbanization, rural development and land fragmentation driven by rapid population growth. This loss has economic, social, and environmental consequences. It threatens Texas’ dominant position as a food producer, its sources of drinking water and the privately managed habitats which 15.8 billion dollars of the wildlife-recreation industry depends upon.
As state agencies continue to research and gather data in regards to water demand, the ever-growing fear is that there will not be enough land to sustain our water needs. With municipal, manufacturing, mining, steam electric, irrigation and livestock water demands our need for accurate and well researched water conservation methods are crucial. Water demand in all water use categories is projected to increase by seventeen percent from 18.4 million acre-feet in 2020 to 21.6 million-acre feet in 2070.
Our current water supply is sufficient to meet our water demands, but by 2070 Texas would need to provide 8.9 million-acre feet of additional water supplies. To put this number into perspective, one-acre foot is 326,000 thousand gallons or enough water to cover one acre which is about the size of a football field one foot deep. I have always heard it takes a lot of blue to stay green. As agriculturalists, we must be vigilant in preserving the land. We have to ensure a quality and abundant water supply for the future.
As Texas continues to lose working farmlands at an alarming rate of 590,000 acres over a five-year period, this equates to 4.1 million acres from 1992 to 2007. In Texas, only 83% of the 95% of privately owned land is rural farms, ranches, and forests. So where is the rest of the land you may ask? Dr. Roel Lopez said it best, “Many see rural open land as an empty lot. We have to be able to change their perspective and tell the story of the interconnectedness between land and water.”
Texas has a strong tradition of private land stewardship and production, and the majority of conservation and farming success happens on private land. Texas being the second largest agricultural state in the United States accounts for approximately seven percent of the total U.S. agricultural income. Our agricultural lands produce food and fiber, host diverse wildlife and a clean abundant water supply. As we lose our rural land we also risk the loss of our rural heritage of successful private land ownership.
The State of Texas and agriculture are intertwined ever so intricately. But the face of Texas agriculture is ever changing. Changing demands from the consumer are challenging the current way and traditional ways of doing business. The consumer driven agricultural markets are placing more and more emphasis on convenience, lower priced and healthier options. Therefore, consumers are driving the market with worries about genetically engineered crops and their impact on both human health and the environment.
