It just perks them up
At least one Front Range irrigator is borrowing water based on next year to satisfy farmers needs this year, according to the Greeley Tribune. From the article, "Farmers on the North Poudre Irrigation Co. system will get enough water to get them through the remainder of the season. And recent Front Range thunderstorms have helped some farmers coping with what it turning into the worst drought year on record. Gary Simpson of Ault, president of the North Poudre's board, said a deal has been worked out with the Fort Collins-Loveland Water District, the East Larimer County Water District and the North Weld Water District to provide an additional 6,000 acre feet of water to the irrigation company...
"'We agreed to pay that back with next year's water, which might be a tough deal, but at least we can get through this year,' Simpson said. Most of the water will go to farms north of Fort Collins, Simpson said, which faced the possibility of losing irrigation water after Aug. 1 due to the warm spring which depleted mountain snow faster than expected. The system provides irrigation water from the Wellington area east to north of Windsor...
"Meanwhile, thunderstorms that have rolled out of the Front Range for the past few days have helped alleviate the lack of irrigation water in several areas of Weld County. Simpson said he got about an inch of rain Monday, and heavy rains in the Cheyenne area brought water down Owl Creek for 'the first time in a long time,' he said. But there was no rain reported in the Wellington area, Simpson added...
"Spotting rain storms have peppered central and southern Weld, with the Platteville area getting upwards of 2.5 inches of rain earlier this week. And heavy rains in the Denver area have put more water in the South Platte River which has helped some of those farmers able to draw water from the river, said Frank Eckhardt who farms in the La Salle/Gilcrest area."
More coverage from the Fort Collins Coloradoan. They write, "Area water districts and municipalities have agreed to loan thousands of acre feet of water to the North Poudre Irrigation Co. to help meet its promised allocations to local farmers through the growing season. The irrigation company will work out exchanges with supply companies that have water stored in high-elevation reservoirs to get the offered 10,500 acre feet from the Poudre River to the fields, said operations manager Steve Smith...
"The additional water will come from the East Larimer County, North Weld County and Fort Collins-Loveland water districts as well as the cities of Fort Collins and Greeley, Smith said. The loan amount is in the form of Colorado-Big Thompson water stored in Horsetooth Reservoir. The entities will be paid back next year when North Poudre gets its allocation of Colorado-Big Thompson water, Smith said. Farmers planted crops such as corn, beans and sugar beets based on the projected availability of water. Without enough water the crops could fail and farmers could lose hundreds of thousands of dollars. Dale Sipes, who farms in the Wellington area, said getting the water is good news for farmers. Sipes said he is not concerned about borrowing water against next year's allocation. 'Let's worry about this year,' Sipes said. 'We don't have money invested in next year's crop.'" Year to year - what a business.
Here's another story about this week's rain from the Pueblo Chieftain. From the article, "Heavy rain can be a mixed blessing for farmers with crops in the field, but area growers said the rains in Southeastern Colorado the past few days have been welcome relief from a hot, dry summer. Carl Musso of Musso Farms in the Vineland area acknowledged that rain can make it harder to pick vegetables. But coming after such dry weather in June, he said, it's worth the trouble. 'We've had plenty of irrigation water, but there's just something about rain,' Musso said. 'The chile, tomatoes and watermelon really respond well to rain. It just perks them up.'"
"colorado water"
7:47:22 AM 
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