The Back 40

As the bluebonnets bloom in Texas, the wildflower’s popularity creates some concerns for Texas residents. The state flower of Texas, this time of year causes a fanaticism among Texans and tourists who absolutely must have a photo of themselves basking in all of the bluebonnet goodness. It’s not all wine and bluebonnets, however. Given the [...]

Beverly Bell and Tory Field recently wrote an interesting piece for the Huffington Post about the global food market and the impact it has on producers and consumers at the local level. They write that food is a great unifier for the world’s citizens, but control of food production and distribution is increasingly being taken [...]

As an example of the problems the Endangered Species Act can cause for America’s farmers and ranchers, this article discusses the Utah prairie dog, listed as a “threatened” species under the Endangered Species Act, and its impacts on ranchers in southwestern Utah. Utah prairie dogs, and their destructive nature, have traditionally been a thorn in [...]

A recent report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture entitled, Agricultural Resources and Environmental Indicators, 2012 examines “trends in economic, structural, resource, and environmental indicators” in the agricultural sector that have developed since the previous report was published in 2006. We are encouraged to see improvements in water efficiency, conservation tillage, nitrate recovery, as well [...]

Anyone who thinks water conservation on private, rural lands doesn’t impact metropolitan areas, needs to look at the situation in Las Vegas. Facing a quickly diminishing water source in Lake Mead, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) recently backed a plan to divert groundwater to Las Vegas from three farming and ranching counties in eastern [...]

In what amounts to the largest conservation easement ever provided to the federal government, billionaire Louis Bacon, has pledged to protect 90,000 acres of his ranch in Colorado under a conservation easement. The easement, which provides tax benefits to Mr. Bacon would be part of the “Sangre de Cristo Conservation Area” proposed by the U.S. [...]