{"id":33106,"date":"2023-07-04T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-07-04T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/seeding-a-sustainable-future\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T02:06:10","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T08:06:10","slug":"seeding-a-sustainable-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/seeding-a-sustainable-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Seeding a sustainable future"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Michael
Michael Vicenti, Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch irrigation and operations manager, demonstrates how new irrigation sprinkler heads installed on the farm\u2019s 110 center pivots work on Wednesday. The nozzles will reduce water consumption from 8.2 to 7.5 gallons per minute. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

TOWAOC \u2013 From behind the wheel of a Ford pickup, Michael Vicenti traverses a network of dusty roads that snake around the circular fields on Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch, rattling off numbers.<\/p>\n

The irrigation manager of the 7,700-acre farm can recite exactly how many pounds per square inch of pressure his outflow pipes are under, and how much water any given field \u2013 whether it bears bursting dark green corn stalks or undulating amber stands of wheat \u2013 will receive in the next hour.<\/p>\n

When Vicenti turns toward field No. 2180, the condition of the road deteriorates and his knowledge of the plot before him starts and ends with water. He can\u2019t tell the two crops planted there apart, he said.<\/p>\n

The field was planted for the first time in four years last month because the farm lacked adequate water to irrigate it until this spring.<\/p>\n

Now, among abundant patches of weeds, tender seedlings are sprouting in neat rows.<\/p>\n

\"A
A field of sainfoin sprouts Wednesday at Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch. The forage crop has similar nutritional value to alfalfa but does not cause bloat in grazing cattle and uses about half as much water. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Half the field, just 23 acres, is planted with sainfoin, a forage legume for animals. The other half bears Kernza, the trademark name of an intermediate perennial wheatgrass developed by the Land Institute in Salina, Kansas.<\/p>\n

Those delicate sprouts are an experiment on every level, says the farm\u2019s general manager, Simon Martinez. But they hold the promise of water reduction, increased drought resiliency, and the opportunity to be on the cutting edge of adaptation to the changing climate.<\/p>\n

\"Kernza
Kernza sprouts push out of a field Wednesday at Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch. The 7,700 acre farm is one of the first in the area to experiment with the crop, which has potential as forage for cattle or as a grain to be used to produce beer, whiskey, bread and other products for human consumption. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

With the farm\u2019s full water allocation \u2013 24,500 acre-feet \u2013 flowing down the canal from McPhee Reservoir, this year was the time to test out these two new drought-resistant crops.<\/p>\n

A wet year in a dry desert<\/div>\n

Martinez is no rookie when it comes to facing off with the challenges of farming in the desert. In 2021, he had to lay off 20 people, <\/a>half his staff, because of drought conditions that cut the farm\u2019s water allocation by 90%.<\/p>\n

The farm employs primarily tribal members and is critical to the stability and future food security of the tribe, said Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Chairman Manuel Heart.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s crazy to look at a map (from) last year with over 6,000 acres of fallow ground and then to see color,\u201d Martinez said, pointing to a copy of the crop plan on his desk.<\/p>\n

Each field is color-coded by crop. This year, only 910 acres are fallow.<\/p>\n

The farm has 783 acres of alfalfa, fresh in the ground, which will produce a premium product.<\/p>\n

Thousands of acres of wheat fields stand ready for cutting; knee-high stalks of blue and yellow will eventually supply raw material to the on-site mill, which produces non-GMO gluten-free cornmeal for the Bow and Arrow brand.<\/p>\n

The farm also supports a 700 cow-calf herd, which make a small dent \u2013 roughly 10% \u2013 in the alfalfa cash crop.<\/p>\n

\"Irrigation
Irrigation ditches flow into the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch land on Wednesday west of Towaoc. The farm will receive its full 24,500-acre water allocation this year, although Irrigation Manager Michael Vicenti projects it will use only 80% of the full allotment. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

But not every year brings ample snowfall to the peaks above McPhee, and as the Colorado River basin charges through year 23 of a historic megadrought, Martinez is starting to tinker Kernza and sainfoin as possible resilient alternatives to alfalfa and wheat.<\/p>\n

The experiment is just one step of several the farm has taken.<\/p>\n

\"Michael
Michael Vicenti, Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch irrigation and operations manager, flushes the water filter outside one of the micro-hydroelectric units that uses irrigation water to produce electricity on the farm west of Towaoc. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Outside grants have helped fund micro-hydroelectric units,<\/a> which harness the power of the irrigation canal\u2019s natural downhill flow. The farm was also outfitted with new nozzles on its center pivots that reduce water delivery from 8.2 gallons per minute to 7.5.<\/p>\n

Corn, for example, is watered in a pattern of three days on, two days off. By reducing the flows from each nozzle by 0.7 gallons per minute, Martinez said the farm is saving thousands of gallons of water across the farm.<\/p>\n

Although it cannot be attribute only to the water-saving nozzles, Vicenti and Martinez estimate the farm will use only 80% of its allocated water this year, leaving roughly 4,900 acre-feet in McPhee.<\/p>\n

\"Blue
Blue corn grows Wednesday on the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch land west of Towaoc. The farm produces nationally sought-after sweet corn and cornmeal. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

These efforts are both a critical, but relatively young enterprise for the Ute people, who have resided in this region for many centuries.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve never, as Ute people, never been farmers,\u201d Chairman Heart said. \u201cWe were put into the position of becoming ranchers and farmers in the 1800s (after) what happened up in Meeker and as a Ute people in general. \u2026 It\u2019s (Farm and Ranch) trying to do what we can in this arid soil reservation that we\u2019ve been put in.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the \u2018cutting edge\u2019<\/div>\n

The new, lower-flow nozzles still leave an unknown with respect to crop yields \u2013 but the Kernza and sainfoin crops have yielded only questions in the month and half since they went into the ground.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is brand, brand-new for me,\u201d said Vaughn Cook, a former manager of the farm who occasionally consults for the enterprise.<\/p>\n

Cook returned to the farm in May to seed field No. 2180 with the experimental crops. He said he was unsure of everything, from how much seed to put in the ground to planting depth, given the lack of research into growing the Kernza in this region.<\/p>\n

The crop was developed over the last 20 years and has been lauded for its sustainability. Unlike most wheat, Kernza is perennial and is better for the soil because it can live for many years.<\/p>\n

By late June, small sprouts had just become visible in the field.<\/p>\n

Kernza is projected to use about 30% less water than alfalfa, a crop that gulps up 37% of all the water used from the Colorado River basin in a given year, according to a 2020 study published by Nature Sustainability.<\/a> Kernza is unlikely to fully replace alfalfa, which has a long season and can yield multiple cuttings (which contributes to both its high water consumption as well as it\u2019s profitability).<\/p>\n

\"A
A field of Kernza on Wednesday at Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch. Buy-in from larger producers such as the 7,700-acre farm are important in showing proof-of-concept with respect to the crop\u2019s viability as a drought-resistant alternative to alfalfa or wheat. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Martinez said Farm and Ranch has no intention of replacing alfalfa with Kernza entirely.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur hope is to utilize this product to use less water and to offset some costs of feed alfalfa that go to the Bow and Arrow herd \u2013 to be able to sell that outright and use this for a feed purpose for the cattle operation,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

In years when water does not flow, the Kernza could make an even bigger impact in the farm\u2019s bottom line.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s where maybe the biggest water savings is in these years (when) we have minimal water \u2013 you may get some kind of a crop with very little water application,\u201d Cook said.<\/p>\n

The grain has also gained attention as a sustainable alternative in beer, whiskey and bread production, but its viability as forage for cattle remains the largest mystery. Anecdotally, ranchers around the country have noted that cattle enjoy both Kernza and sainfoin.<\/p>\n

The latter is valued as forage for its no-bloat properties<\/a>, decent nutritional value and enormous water savings \u2013 50% compared with alfalfa.<\/p>\n

If all goes well, Martinez said he plans to ramp up Kernza planting from 23 acres to 150 or 200 acres (still small-scale compared to the 1,500 acres of alfalfa on the farm). But Kernza\u2019s slow progress to poke through the ground has had him anxiously waiting.<\/p>\n

The Colorado State University\u2019s Agricultural Experiment Station is testing Kernza\u2019s viability<\/a> in a variety of conditions in Colorado. Katie Russell, the manager and research scientist at the Southwestern Colorado Research Center north of Cortez, has 5 acres of both Kernza and sainfoin.<\/p>\n

She said the crops appear to do well in the region, in spite of the last few years of drought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it has a lot of potential,\u201d Russell said.<\/p>\n

\"Grain
Grain bins at the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch operations west of Towaoc sit with Shiprock in the background. The farm is an important employer and enterprise for the tribe, which has over 2,000 members. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Blue
Blue corn grows Wednesday on the Ute Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch land west of Towaoc. The farm\u2019s cornmeal is used as an ingredient by companies across the country. (Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald)<\/span>cca<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Russell is pleased to see large enterprises such as Farm and Ranch making forays into this new field. She said it is great to have producer buy-in, especially one with the stature of the Ute\u2019s enterprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cBetween a forage or a grain crop, I think it has a lot more tried and true potential,\u201d she said of Kernza, comparing it to other exploratory crops that have slumped.<\/p>\n

Of the Ute Mountain Ute\u2019s 7,700 acres of farmland, a 46-acre experimental test-plot is a small investment. But it is nonetheless an investment in a more sustainable future \u2013 one in which an ample water supply is all but certain.<\/p>\n

Martinez, unwilling to count seeds before they\u2019ve sprouted, is more matter-of-fact about the experiment.<\/p>\n

\u201cKernza is just something we\u2019ve decided to utilize because it was available and we would like to be on that cutting edge,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

rschafir@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mountain Ute Farm and Ranch using water allocation to prepare for a dry future<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":33107,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1737,281,2547,1357,402,28,1398,1263,144,547,295],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-33106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-agricultural-research-and-technology","tag-agriculture","tag-arable-farming","tag-contests","tag-drought","tag-headlines","tag-livestock-farming","tag-ranching","tag-towaoc","tag-ute-mountain-ute-indian-tribe","tag-water"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33106"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":82051,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33106\/revisions\/82051"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33107"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33106"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=33106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}