As High Temperature Continues, Drought Threatens Indigenous Tribe’s Farms in Colorado

A tiny tribe's way of life and livelihood in the high desert of southern Colorado is threatened by the Western drought, which has left a reservoir used to irrigate farms dangerously low.

For four decades, the 7,700-acre Ute Mountain Ute Tribe Farm & Ranch Enterprise has produced alfalfa and corn, irrigated by snow melt from the nearby San Juan Mountains.

However, increased temperatures and less runoff streaming into the neighboring McPhee Reservoir have caused a two-year decrease in productivity, costing the farm between $4 million and $6 million last year.

The company's losses, combined with the epidemic, prompted it to lay off more than half of its 50-person crew.

Drought threatens an Indigenous tribe's farm in Colorado

(Photo : YASUYOSHI CHIBA/AFP via Getty Images)

The remaining 20 or so employees, who make $15 to $25 an hour, are members of the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, which is part of the Ute Nation's Weeminuche band, as per NBC News.

Many see their job as a contribution to their Indigenous society, and they are glad that the results of their labor can be seen in grocery stores.

Members noted the farm's significance extends beyond dollars and pence because the tribe obtains the majority of its revenue from the Ute Mountain Casino Hotel.

"It means we have our own thing," said Kolton Begay, 22, who has been working at the farm for six years. "It offers work for some of the folks around here. It means a great deal to a lot of individuals."

The Navajo Nation, which has the largest reservation in the United States at more than 25,000 square miles in parts of Arizona, New Mexico, and Utah, uses about 2 million gallons of water per day to feed livestock, but more is needed, according to a 2021 report from the Navajo Nation Department of Water Resources.

The department's director, Jason John, said it would take $10 million to address drought and mitigation.

According to officials on the department's website, reliable water supplies are critical for starting and sustaining economic development throughout the arid Southwest, particularly in the Navajo Nation.

The 2,100-member Ute Mountain Ute Tribe has lived in the present-day Four Corners region, which includes Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, and Utah, for 10,000 years, according to tribal elders.

For food, the previously nomadic clan hunted big wildlife and collected grasses and fruits.

The people traveled with the seasons, following wild animal herds to support their family, said tribe head Manuel Heart.

"As stewards, we roamed these mountains," he explained. "We are the mountain people. We take care of these mountains based on the seasons and the game."

The Utes were eventually driven to the southwestern boundary of Colorado by federal laws that established reserve boundaries.

Also Read: Air Pollution vs. Ozone Pollution Seesaw: Impacts on Health, Agriculture, Environment, Scientists Warn

The Effects of Drought on Agriculture

The agricultural industry contributes significantly to the US economy in a variety of ways, from supporting food and energy security to creating jobs in rural regions, as per NOAA.

In 2015, farms provided $136.7 billion to the US economy and supported 2.6 million employment, with livestock accounting for about half of farm earnings.

Other agriculture and food-related sectors generated an extra $855 billion and employed 21 million people.

Drought is the third most common environmental phenomenon linked to billion-dollar weather catastrophes since 1980, after only tropical cyclones and severe storms.

Drought occurrences cost more than $9 billion per year on average, with an annual cost of more than $6 billion, making it a critical danger with significant social effects.

Drought has a significant negative impact on crops and cattle, including decreased productivity, property destruction, and livestock sell-offs.

In 2012, for example, a severe drought affected 80% of agricultural land in the United States, prompting more than two-thirds of the country's counties to be declared disaster regions.

The drought harmed livestock and field crops such as wheat, corn, and soybean output in the Great Plains and Midwest, costing the government crop insurance program $14.5 billion in loss payments.

Drought consequences on California's agriculture industry resulted in $1.84 billion in direct expenses, the loss of 10,100 seasonal employment, and 8.7 million acre-feet of surface water shortages in 2015.

The National Integrated Drought Information System collaborates with USDA Climate Hubs across the country to provide agricultural producers and ranchers with early warning of drought onset and intensification; assessing the effects of drought on the sector and the economy, and train and raise awareness among farmers and ranchers about how drought is portrayed in the United States.