South-central Utah is not your typical farm country. To the eye, there appears to be more red rock than green fields. To make a go of it, farms often huddle around the precious few rivers that snake across the sun-baked landscape. That’s the case for rancher Andy Rice, who raises hundreds of hungry goats and sheep in the Garfield County town of Boulder — population 227 — just outside Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. There’s no mistaking how dry it is. The area averages less than 12 inches of annual precipitation. … This ranch draws water from Boulder Creek that would otherwise be on its way to Lake Powell. Between drought and competition for the Colorado River, however, Rice knows that Utah’s water supply faces a precarious future. That means ranches like his will need to find ways to cut their water use to survive. … That’s why Rice applied for funding from Utah’s Agricultural Water Optimization Program — a big money push to help farmers and ranchers modernize their irrigation.

Other Colorado River stories:

• Inkstain: Blog: Imperial Irrigation District’s water use on track for a record low, as is US Lower Basin use
• LAist: Much of the Colorado River’s water goes to feed cows. How changing your diet could help
• Los Angeles Times: Human activity now fuels two-thirds of global methane emissions, report finds