Two over-arching challenges confront Great Plains agriculture: 1) How long into the future can the aquifer’s inevitable depletion be extended? 2) Are farmers & business executives capable of scuttling decades of habit, legal precedence & cultural influences in order to establish a durable water conservation ethic, & new production practices, that slash water consumption & are profitable? The region can’t dawdle long in developing responses. Prime farming regions in Kansas & Texas have less than two decades of economical water.

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