This is What Happens When You Fallow Farm Land

The wind kicked up this week and all those fallow fields started to move. It is a little hard to see in the photos, but that line of gray on the horizon is not normal. In fact it reminded me of the air I saw in China. [Many people forget that China had air quality problems years ago. Winds would blow dust from the deserts in Western China into the populated areas in the East. It is not all vehicle exhaust, but that is another story.]

My point is, when you take hundreds of thousands of acres out of production to protect our water supply, you end up with a lot of dusty open ground. When the wind kicks up, that dirt is going to move. I don't make predictions very often, but I bet that by the end of summer there will be at least one front page article about an increase in particulate matter in our Valley air. 
   Can anyone say, "Unintended consequences"? I discovered a long time ago that liberal activists are fragmented. Food activists do not necessarily talk with environmental activists. This was a surprise because I thought they all walked in lock step. But, could someone send a note to the air quality activists and the water activists? They get a choice; they can take the water, but our air quality will suffer. Or, if they would like cleaner air, could they please arrange to send us some water?
   When farmers do what they do best we get food and cleaner air. That's a combination I like.

I hope you all have a great week.

P