Pictured is the Roza irrigation canal snaking along the boundary of our farm. This water is tapped from the Yakima River over 60 miles upstream of Prosser. It snakes its way along the northern boundary of the entire Yakima Valley before it gets to us. It’s a remarkable feat of engineering, and since the 1940s it has enable the bountiful cropland we enjoy in the Yakima Valley.
Because this water comes from the Yakima River, and the Yakima River headwaters originate in the Cascade Mountains, we have our eyes glued on the winter snowpack for signs of what the coming year’s water supply will look like. It was looking a little perilous for the last couple months, especially with a mid-winter meltoff that prematurely released some of that water, but snowpack has been looking much better in the last week or so. Let’s hope that winter keeps delivering some powerful snowstorms to the East Cascades.
If you want a glimpse at how our tax dollars are put to work to enable the planning of farmers in the Yakima Valley (and around the country), take a look at some of the products the US Department of Agriculture puts together through its various agencies, including the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), at the following links:
Hydromet Pacific Northwest Region | Bureau of Reclamation
These are just snippets of the irreplaceable work done by government scientists that enable so much of the bounty that we take for granted. So much of our entrepreneurship in this country is built on the backs of thankless public servants who deserve our thanks, and who presently deserve to keep their jobs!
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