Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education

Farmers in Utah and Idaho are facing an urgent challenge: growing more food with fewer water resources. In regions like the Cedar Valley, groundwater overpumping reaches billions of gallons annually, creating an immediate need for research to discover long-term conservation strategies that keep agricultural businesses viable.

With the support of Western SARE, teams from Utah State University, Brigham Young University, and Southern Utah University are working directly with farmers on a multi-year research project to identify ideal management techniques, with the hope that these practices will “stack” to maximize every drop.

By moving beyond small-scale trials and testing precision technology in real-world conditions, the research is proving that optimizing the relationship between water, crops, and soil can significantly reduce agriculture's water footprint. These innovations allow producers to lower their input costs and protect their yields, ensuring a sustainable future for Western agriculture.