[Vision2020] 65 acre feet of water equals $2 million of food

[Garrett Clevenger]

Yes, it isn't easy, but it is something that is worth
working towards.

To help this, we are offering subscriptions to our
CSA.  We have a few slots available, so if anybody
here is interested in receiving weekly shares of our
harvest, please reply to me offlist and I will give
you more info about our endeavor.

Thanks,

Garrett

--- Donovan Arnold <donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>
wrote:

> Garrett,
>    
>   I wish it were that easy!
>    
>   Best Regards,
>    
>   Donovan
>    
>   Garrett Clevenger <garrettmc at verizon.net> wrote:
>   I spoke with the manager at WSU's organic farm
> about
> their water use and income, and did some calculating
> to put a figure on what the water Moscow agreed to
> give Hawkins would be worth in terms of growing
> food.
> 
> WSU uses about 500,000 gallons to irrigate 3 acres
> of
> organically grown produce. They produce food for 300
> people who subscribe to their Community Supported Ag
> (CSA) service, and sell a bit at farmers markets,
> the
> Coop and WSU Hospitality.
> 
> They brought in $45,000 in 2007. Since they are a
> teaching farm, they are not producing as much as
> they
> could, so this is a conservative figure.
> 
> Based on the 65 acre feet of water Moscow may sell
> Hawkins, and the 204 acres that Hawkins plans to buy
> from Whitworth College for their development, here
> are
> the numbers if that water and land were used instead
> to produce locally consumed organic food.
> 
> 65 af = 21,180,315 gallons. This divided by 166,666
> gallons needed to irrigate 1 acre times $15,000
> income
> per acre equals:
> 
> $1,906,228 worth of locally produced produce, money
> made from something made here, as opposed to most
> food
> that is trucked in, which adds a whole other layer
> of
> costs.
> 
> 204 acres times $15,000 per acres equals:
> 
> $3,060,000 worth of produce.
> 
> Another interesting number is if the 65 af were used
> to produce food, 12,708 people would be fed. If the
> 204 acres were used to produce food, 20,400 people
> would be fed, about the size of Moscow.
> 
> If this water and/or land were used for something
> everybody needs (food) in a way that insures
> freshness, a cheaper cost (CSA subscribers generally
> receive more produce then they would be able to buy
> in
> a store at the same cost) and that money stays local
> (as opposed to most of the products that will be
> sold
> at Hawkins, which are often produced overseas,
> adding
> a whole layer of hidden costs) it seems to me we
> should be refocusing our priorities on how we are
> allocated precious and limited resources.
> 
> The Palouse has some of the most fertile soil in the
> world, yet most of the wheat grown here is shipped
> overseas. On top of all the development that is
> swallowing farmland, we are not utilizing for the
> best
> something that has way more value then is currently
> given.
> 
> What a boon it would be for our health, economy and
> environment if we irrigated this farmland to produce
> food for ourselves, instead of bringing in stuff
> most
> people don't need, and shipping out the food that is
> now grown here. Who doesn't understand how
> short-sighted it is to use this land and water for
> retail sprawl instead of food?
> 
> gclev
> 
>
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