<div>Garrett,</div> <div> </div> <div><B><I>I wish it were that easy!</I></B></div> <div><STRONG><EM></EM></STRONG> </div> <div><STRONG><EM>Best Regards,</EM></STRONG></div> <div><STRONG><EM></EM></STRONG> </div> <div><STRONG><EM>Donovan</EM></STRONG></div> <div><B><I></I></B> </div> <div><B><I>Garrett Clevenger <garrettmc@verizon.net></I></B> wrote:</div> <BLOCKQUOTE class=replbq style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #1010ff 2px solid">I spoke with the manager at WSU's organic farm about<BR>their water use and income, and did some calculating<BR>to put a figure on what the water Moscow agreed to<BR>give Hawkins would be worth in terms of growing food.<BR><BR>WSU uses about 500,000 gallons to irrigate 3 acres of<BR>organically grown produce. They produce food for 300<BR>people who subscribe to their Community Supported Ag<BR>(CSA) service, and sell a bit at farmers markets, the<BR>Coop and WSU Hospitality.<BR><BR>They
brought in $45,000 in 2007. Since they are a<BR>teaching farm, they are not producing as much as they<BR>could, so this is a conservative figure.<BR><BR>Based on the 65 acre feet of water Moscow may sell<BR>Hawkins, and the 204 acres that Hawkins plans to buy<BR>from Whitworth College for their development, here are<BR>the numbers if that water and land were used instead<BR>to produce locally consumed organic food.<BR><BR>65 af = 21,180,315 gallons. This divided by 166,666<BR>gallons needed to irrigate 1 acre times $15,000 income<BR>per acre equals:<BR><BR>$1,906,228 worth of locally produced produce, money<BR>made from something made here, as opposed to most food<BR>that is trucked in, which adds a whole other layer of<BR>costs.<BR><BR>204 acres times $15,000 per acres equals:<BR><BR>$3,060,000 worth of produce.<BR><BR>Another interesting number is if the 65 af were used<BR>to produce food, 12,708 people would be fed. If the<BR>204 acres were used to produce food, 20,400
people<BR>would be fed, about the size of Moscow.<BR><BR>If this water and/or land were used for something<BR>everybody needs (food) in a way that insures<BR>freshness, a cheaper cost (CSA subscribers generally<BR>receive more produce then they would be able to buy in<BR>a store at the same cost) and that money stays local<BR>(as opposed to most of the products that will be sold<BR>at Hawkins, which are often produced overseas, adding<BR>a whole layer of hidden costs) it seems to me we<BR>should be refocusing our priorities on how we are<BR>allocated precious and limited resources.<BR><BR>The Palouse has some of the most fertile soil in the<BR>world, yet most of the wheat grown here is shipped<BR>overseas. On top of all the development that is<BR>swallowing farmland, we are not utilizing for the best<BR>something that has way more value then is currently<BR>given.<BR><BR>What a boon it would be for our health, economy and<BR>environment if we irrigated this farmland to
produce<BR>food for ourselves, instead of bringing in stuff most<BR>people don't need, and shipping out the food that is<BR>now grown here. Who doesn't understand how<BR>short-sighted it is to use this land and water for<BR>retail sprawl instead of food?<BR><BR>gclev<BR><BR>=======================================================<BR>List services made available by First Step Internet, <BR>serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994. <BR>http://www.fsr.net <BR>mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com<BR>=======================================================<BR></BLOCKQUOTE><BR><p> 
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