Pinal farmer deals with water limits, urban growth
by Angela Mendoza | Cronkite News
As water supplies in Arizona dwindle due to drought, groundwater pumping and a warming climate, farmers increasingly are facing poorer crop yields and, in some cases, resigning once-fertile farmland to unusable barren ground.
“About two-thirds of this farm isn’t being used because of our water limitations,” Travis Hartman said of his family’s 247-acre cotton and alfalfa farm.
Hartman, whose belt buckle is emblazoned with the word “Cotton,” is the fourth-generation owner and operator of Caywood Farms, a Casa Grande business that used to be a lot bigger.
