WASHINGTON, D.C. – Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced next steps and selections within the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Water-Saving Commodities program to support agricultural commodity production while reducing water losses in communities across the West. Today, USDA is announcing the preliminary selection of three Congressionally-authorized Indian Irrigation Projects supported by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) and a new initiative to support acequias in the Southwest through a partnership with New Mexico and Colorado associations of conservation districts.

In August, USDA announced the preliminary selection of 18 irrigation districts for the production of water-saving commodities. USDA has entered into formal agreements with all 18 districts to implement water-saving strategies across the West. With the addition of today’s preliminary selections, these Water-Saving Commodities partnerships – which support irrigation organization projects and producers in using innovative water saving technologies and farming practices while continuing to produce crop commodities in the face of continued drought – are expected to conserve up to 50,000 acre-feet in water use across 250,000 acres of irrigated land in production, while expanding and creating new, sustainable market opportunities.

“The United States is experiencing the devastating and unpredictable effects of climate change, and in the West this often means grappling with drought and limited water availability, the staggering effects of which our agricultural communities feel first-hand,” Vilsack said. “In doing everything we can to support the health of American agriculture and our natural resources, we are leveraging this effort and the expertise in the western irrigation districts, tribes, and acequias to help not only our producers, but also the American consumer. It is paramount that we make opportunities like this accessible to all agricultural communities, including Tribal and underserved communities.”