Farming

A new report shows the federal government is paying billions of dollars to farmers who are losing crops to extreme weather – and the payouts keep growing.

Last year, federal crop insurance payments to U.S. farmers reached a record $19 billion. A new report shows most of that money went to only a small share of producers.

Farmers and ranchers in the West are being pressured by rising production costs, increased workloads and extreme weather. No wonder they face higher levels of stress and mental health issues than other Americans.

Farming produces 10% of the nation’s greenhouse gas emissions, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is taking new steps to lower that number, but some experts warn it might not be enough.

Rising temperatures across the Southwest are hurting farmers’ crops, and that’s escalating crop insurance costs for heat-related impacts, according to a new report by the Environmental Working Group, a nonpartisan research and advocacy group.

Water is scarce in much of the Mountain West. That’s why, every spring, one tribe spends days cleaning ditches that are vital to irrigating their farmlands. But aging infrastructure and the effects of climate change are making it harder for farmers to get enough water – even after the cleanings.

For 40 years, the Jemez Pueblo in New Mexico has been working to access the water they feel they’re owed by the federal government. And those efforts are more urgent than ever as climate change and development continue to affect their water supplies.

Sharing the pain of scarcity goes against Western water law – but this Nevada farm community is trying it anyway.

The Sierra Nevada’s elevated snowpack has been embraced by many people in the region. That includes farmers, who are working to bounce back from consecutive drought years. KUNR business reporter Kaleb Roedel spoke to one local farmer to learn more.

Drought has drastically impacted water levels at the Lahontan State Recreation Area, and the effects are being felt by farmers, wildlife and…