Western Kansas Farmer Prioritizes Conservation, Halts Irrigation to Preserve Water Resources

Western Kansas Farmer Prioritizes Conservation, Halts Irrigation to Preserve Water Resources

LONGMONT, Colo. — In the high plains of western Kansas, where water is a precious and dwindling resource, Joe Zellner Jr. has made a bold and deliberate decision: he shut off all irrigation wells on his deeded land. Zellner, a Wichita County farmer, once fully embraced irrigation. But over time, he began to witness firsthand the toll it was taking on the Ogallala Aquifer. “I really embraced irrigation in the 70s,” Zellner said. “But as the years…

How Farmers in Oregon Are Preserving Their Land for the Next Generation

Jan Wallinder and Ron Webb are the farmer-owners of Forest Edge Vineyard, an organically farmed vineyard 24 miles southeast of Portland that also has a fruit orchard and adjacent 22-acre forest. The couple, who have owned this land since 1984, are in their mid-70s and have no children. Yet they are passionate about making sure that their 45-acre property is used as farmland and forest in the future.  “It’s our belief that we have a relationship …