Viewpoints
Opinion

Modern Agriculture Dehydrates America

American agriculture is at war with water. If ever America needed more cows and fewer soybeans, it’s right now.
Modern Agriculture Dehydrates America
A combine harvests soybeans in Marion, Ky., on Oct. 14, 2025. Jan Sonnenmair/Getty Images
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Commentary

Drying lakes in the western states and a rapidly decreasing Ogallala Aquifer are gaining media and scientific attention. While the West and Midwest do not have the population densities of coastal regions, most folks realize this “flyover” country is the heart and soul of America’s agriculture. If water depletion and soil destruction continue on their current trajectory, famine is the obvious result.

Joel Salatin
Joel Salatin
Author
Joel F. Salatin is an American farmer, lecturer, and author. Salatin raises livestock on his Polyface Farm in Swoope, Virginia, in the Shenandoah Valley. Meat from the farm is sold by direct marketing to consumers and restaurants.
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