As drought and flooding ravages much of the countries agricultural states, Nevada’s Great Basin has remained relatively stable. Water allocation management in the many basins by the Nevada State Engineer is a top priority. This close monitoring has led to many basins being closed to any future or further allocation. As Water Shortages around the world become headline news, existing water right owners will benefit from the increased demands and limited supply. Priority dates of rights will likely come into play in many areas.

Western water rights laws go back to the time of John Wesley Powell, when he told the International Irrigation Congress in Los Angeles in 1893,
“You are piling up a heritage of conflict and litigation over the water rights, there is no sufficient water to supply the land.”
Many, many scientific studies today are clearly confirming his thoughts.
The Colorado River Compact signed on November 24, 1922 was based on a twenty study of the average river flow. We know today ninety years later, that was about one million acre MORE than it has averaged since, it was over allocated in 1922! Thirty million people now rely on the water from the Colorado, and one sixth of our nations irrigated land sits under the Central Valley in California. A recent NASA study indicates this aquifer has lost the equivalent of the water stored in Lake Mead at Full capacity. This is the largest man made reservoir in the United States. Many scientists believe the Ogallala or the Great Plains Aquifer, one of the largest in the world, covering some 174,000 square miles could be dry in the not to distant future. It is a shallow aquifer under extreme pumping pressure

Want to learn more about farming, ranching, irrigation and water supply. I am here to assist you in understanding the important questions you need to be asking if you are investing in land with water rights. Call me!

Which is the largest man made reservoir in the United States?

Chris W. Miller

Vegas Grand Realty & Property Management
435-862-5951
702-525-0585

Nevada Water Rights

Land in Nevada

Nevada Ranch Properties

Lincoln County Land Market

Mesquite NV Real Estate Market

Food production requires both energy and water. Quality food production without growth hormones, pesticides, and many other types of toxins has become high priority for many consumers. Look at Whole Foods success and the organic food craze. Who in the world would not choose a healthier diet given the opportunity?

So how do we get from old traditional farming techniques to a more efficient, productive, resource conserving food producing world? Can the free market with innovation and capitalism driven by consumer demand really make the numbers work? New innovative irrigation technology has made huge strides in recent years in both production and water consumption. We all know the government spending our money, picking winners and losers is not the answer, it up to you and me.

From the beginning of cultivation and farming, they have lived and died by the fickle and unpredictable weather, praying for rain, cursing floods and drought. Weather affects crops to the extreme. Our world weather patterns are becoming increasingly unpredictable. You can not argue with the statistics, the ice caps are melting and the last ten years have had record warm temperatures. Drought currently grips much of the world. The weather has the potential to put world food supplies at extremely vulnerable levels in the near future.

Drought and flooding today is having a dramatic affect on food production in Europe, China, Africa, America, and Russia

As the wealth effect spreads throughout the emerging markets, protein is in increasingly higher demand. This is not a fad; China and India are demanding more beef, pork, dairy, and poultry. These countries consist of billions of consumers; all who would like to eat more like Americans, less rice! The middle class in these countries is exploding and they now have the discretionary income to demand higher quality foods. China has 20 percent of the world’s population and only 7 percent of the arable farm land. They have a serious problem with drought right now compounding their dilemma.

At the same time the aquifers of the world are dropping. Much of the world’s food production is not only subject to fickle weather patterns requiring the pumping ground water. This resource may be a far greater problem than peak oil. It is a combination of dwindling availability and contamination.

The average cow will drink 30 to 50 gallons of fresh water or a bath tub full per day, and eat up 90 pounds of feed. Hogs or pork production is not much different. Growing corn requires nearly 3000 gallons of water per bushel, Alfalfa requires about one acre foot per ton of hay, which is 325,851 gallons of fresh water per ton. These farm animals are the only source of the beef and pork the world demands. Cows are of course the primary source of dairy. All protein rich foods.

Speaking of the cattle, pork, and dairy industries, if you think you can keep antibiotics out of animals, dairy, and farming, you are dreaming. Prior to penicillin people regularly died from simple infections. You or some of the people you love would be dead today if you had been denied antibiotics.

So this brings us to the balance of the human food sources, fruits, vegetables, and grains. None of these grow without fresh water and good quality arable farm ground. Arable farm is a shrinking natural resource world wide. Aquifers world wide are dropping and irrigation pumping restrictions and reductions are becoming common in some of the most fertile and productive growing areas in the world.

The world will reward richly those who can produce quality food utilizing less water, less energy, and less land, or better yet turn today‘s unproductive lands into food producing regions.

Nevada has abundant affordable land, sunshine, and excellent solar intensity. Much of this land does not produce crops today. Can geothermal climate control coupled with solar, heat and cool green houses? Can hydroponics growing techniques reduce water consumption? Is it possible to eliminate the weather risk and seasonal limitations in farming by bringing farming indoors?

There are many ways you protect yourself and help solve the inevitable food and water shortages. Build your own greenhouse, get some egg laying chickens, get involved in your community gardening program or help develop one. Become educated about water consumption and use. Plant a garden. Move to a small farm .

If you are interested in the business opportunity utilizing affordable land to bring food production indoors in Nevada, call Chris W. Miller at 435-862-5951. We have the business plans, water rights, and the land.

Mesquite Nevada, is it at a crossroad?  The high-end housing market is a very competitive and a shrinking market. New homes being built today continue to get smaller nationally. While Mesquite has focused on expensive HOA’s, gated neighborhoods, streetscapes, and image our competition is focusing on future cost saving efficiency and sustainable living.  Even a free and clear home is not free to live in, homeowner association costs, taxes, insuran … Read More

via Mesquite Market

Water Rights, Farm Land, and Food Shortages The twentieth century was one of the wettest going back several centuries.  Remember when no one gave a second thought to children playing in the water with the hose running in the yard all day? I spent many afternoons running through the sprinkler myself. You may remember when people would have thought you were "nuts" to ask people to pay for a bottle with nothing but water in it? Things are changing, … Read More

via Land in Nevada's Blog

Water Rights, Farm Land, and Food Shortages

The twentieth century was one of the wettest going back several centuries. 

Remember when no one gave a second thought to children playing in the water with the hose running in the yard all day? I spent many afternoons running through the sprinkler myself. You may remember when people would have thought you were “nuts” to ask people to pay for a bottle with nothing but water in it?

Things are changing, water is about to get much more expensive.

University of Arizona scientist Connie Woodhouse said tree rings in the Colorado River basin indicate that the amount of moisture has fluctuated widely over hundreds of years, but has tended to be drier than was seen in the last 100 years.

This wetter period seems to be confirmed by The Lees Ferry gaged flow record.

California ranks No. 1 in population with 37 million people and No. 1 in agricultural output at $ 36.6 billion in 2007. At the present time there is not enough water to supply both those demands. California is facing the most significant water crisis in its history. June 2008, the governor declared a state wide drought.

A study released by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography in San Diego said there’s a 50 percent chance that Lake Mead could run dry by 2021. Several models by different scientist have made predictions about the future flow of the Colorado River, all of which forecast less water. The current usage is simply not sustainable said Tim Barnett, one of the Scripps study’s authors. “It’s a question of when,” he said. Lake Mead is the Las Vegas water supply.

The NASA/German Aerospace Center Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (Grace) study has found since 2003 the aquifers for California’s primary agricultural region the Central Valley and its major mountain water source the Sierra Nevada have lost nearly enough water combined to fill Lake Mead, America’s largest reservoir. This area represents nearly one sixth of all the United States irrigated land and the dropping water tables have the potential to have huge implications to the US economy. 

The Ogallala, the United States largest aquifer is struggling, since the pumps began going into the ground in the 1950′s the effects are clear. There is much written on this.

Many assume that areas of the country with abundant rain fall have no problems with the ground water supply, aquifers do not always recharge based on rain fall, take the Grande Ronde Aquifer. It is a perfect example of an area that get lots of rain, yet the water table continues to drop.

Added value to land with water rights, and irrigated farm land in Nevada. Nevada state water laws date back 100 years and are very clear. Laws vary greatly from state to state, and the Colorado River serves seven states. The control, use and ownership of water rights will dictate future development.

With many land listing that include Water Rights in Nevada, if you have questions please feel free to contact me.

What will a foreclosure freeze do to home values?

How much market manipulation can the consumer really take before they just stop buying and wait? Who do you think will get stuck paying the huge losses?

Do you think you can trust market values when the banks and the government are controlling interest rates, down payments, underwriting standards, inventory, and the media’s presentation of the news?

Chris W. Miller
Independence Realty
435-862-5951
702-733-9337

Land in Nevada
Nevada Ranch Properties
Lincoln County Land Market
Mesquite NV Real Estate Market
Nevada Water Rights

Ranch Land in Nevada Nevada Ranches and Farms, in general own their water rights. These water rights are sold as an appurtenance to the land. Land in Nevada without water can be desolate. Most every Nevada Ranch and Farm has water rights. For more information on Nevada water rights the Nevada State Engineers office is your best bet. The State Engineers office regulates and controls water rights in Nevada. Water rights being sold with Nevada farms … Read More

via Land in Nevada's Blog

http://noir.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601010&sid=ayR3PjEbMErM

Food Shortages, Fresh Water Shortages, Population Growth, Serious Bubbles Irrigated Farm and Ranch Land with Water Rights in Nevada Many more of the world’s population will be living with malnutrition and starvation in the not to distant future. As many as one billion people today are considered under fed. Ultimately many do not survive due to inadequate clean fresh water supplies and current poor crop production. The Potash and BHP merger potent … Read More

via Water Rights in Nevada's Blog

Many more of the world’s population will be living with malnutrition and starvation in the not to distant future. As many as one billion people today are considered under fed. Ultimately many do not survive due to inadequate clean fresh water supplies and current poor crop production.

The Potash and BHP merger potential may be the headline of the day on Wall Street but the real story is about the World’s food supply, and the water required to grow it. The world’s population is projected to increase by an extra 2.2 billion people by 2050, according to UN projections. Food production needs to increase by 70% by some estimates.

Potash is all about fertilizer and increased crop production, and fertilizer has a hot future. Food demand may prove to drive the largest M & A deals of 2010.

However, fertilizer without water is not going be much help for the extreme demand on limited food supplies.

Water is the life blood of it all, and water rights are going to be the ultimate bottom line issue.

Floods, drought, warming climates can and are wiping out huge harvests this year. India, China, United States, Russia, Africa, and most recently Pakistan all have issues.

Water tables are falling in agricultural regions around the world. In the United States nearly every region of the country has some area of concern.

California’s Central Valley and the drainage basin that supplies that water have lost enough water fill the nations largest reservoir Lake Mead since 2003. The California Central Valley is one sixth of this nations irrigated land.

Over drafting and the falling water tables of the Ogallala aquifer are clear. If they continue to over pump the nations largest aquifer, its days of supplying ancient water are numbered.

An eleven year drought is ravaging the Southwestern United States, the Colorado River basins Lake Mead recently fell to a level not seen since the mid 1950s. Las Vegas could run completely out of its water supply and Hoover Dam could stop generating electricity. Demand on this water supply has increased dramatically since the 50’s.

So while merger and acquisition news dominate Wall Street, the real story behind the news is the demand for increased agricultural production and the increased demand is expected to grow rapidly over the next few decades, as the global population expands. Potash is seen as crucial to increased crop yields to help prevent these future food shortages.

According to Potash Corp, many more people are consuming more protein and meats like Beef Cattle and as incomes rise in developing nations, millions more people will switch from starch based diets to protein based diets. “Every pound of beef requires seven pounds of grain to produce, and hundreds of gallons of water, this will have a substantial impact on food demand.”

All the potash in the world is not going to do us much good without the fresh water required to sustain life and raise crops. Nevada water rights are considered an appurtenance to the land, they can be sold with the land. Irrigated farm and ranch land with water rights is available for sale today.

China has 20% of the world’s population but just 6% of its arable land. The ratio between the number of people and the amount of productive arable farm land continues fall. World wide the falling amount of productive land per person will soon begin to accelerate, do to climate change, soil erosion, water shortages, and population increases.

So with the supply of productive arable farm land with adequate fresh water shrinking everyday, while demand is exploding. The future is very clear.

If you think the real estate bubble and current economic down turn is traumatic, just wait. The impending food, water, and population bubble is going to leave us all longing for the good old days when all we had to worry about was asset values and money! Perspective on what is truly important and what is superficial.

Water will prove to be more valuable than all the money and fertilizer in the world.