Caryle Currier, a 4th Generation farmer in Mesa County. He leases land that had been bought by a local water authority. The land didn't dry out because Currier has other water rights he can use on the land. That case is the exception.
Credit Maeve Conran
Carver Ranch in Mesa County was bought in the 1970s by Ute Water District for its water rights.
Over the last 20 years, the number of sheep in this country has been cut in half. In fact, the number has been declining since the late 1940s, when the American sheep industry hit its peak. Today, the domestic sheep herd is one-tenth the size it was during World War II.
The decline is the result of economic and cultural factors coming together. And it has left ranchers to wonder, “When are we going to hit the bottom?”
The world’s soil is in trouble. Ecologists say without dramatic changes to how we manage land, vast swathes of grassland are at risk of turning into hard-packed desert. Farmers and ranchers know in a few decades they’ll have to feed a lot more people, while at the same time, keep the soil healthy and make money doing it. KUNC and Harvest Public Media reporter Luke Runyon takes us to eastern Colorado, where researchers are turning to some unexpected partners to revive the soil.