Colorado State University researchers are counting greenhouse gases released from irrigation for the first time, making top-emitting counties more visible alongside ways to help cut emissions. Agriculture relies on irrigation, the CSU researchers said. It’s a vital tool for farmers and ranchers to water crops when the rain just isn’t there — an increasingly common problem with over two decades of drought and a changing climate in Colorado. But the process of pushing water through pumps, canals and center-pivot sprinklers into soils can add to greenhouse gases in the atmosphere.

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