The Utah Farm Bureau Federation responded to media reports covering a study that made recommendations for helping recover the Great Salt Lake. The report's recommendations largely focused on agriculture. Unfortunately, the recommendations and media coverage failed to take many items into consideration. Utah Farm Bureau continues to work with its media partners and others to inform them on the contributions of agriculture, the efforts being made in conservation currently, and the consequences of certain recommendations.

“Farmers and ranchers truly do heroic work in feeding and clothing our nation. But relying on other regions for food production because of fallowing or paying farmers not to farm, rather than improving the diversified system of growing food throughout our country that we have now, is not a smart strategy. Why trade one environmental challenge for another? Farmers are focused on being the best users of water that they can be. This can be seen in the large – and increasing – numbers of applicants for the State of Utah’s water optimization grants.

At the same time, farmers follow global market demands closely, which call for increased animal protein products – like meat and dairy. Upending the economic systems of agriculture, where local alfalfa feeds local animals, could lay waste to our rural communities and make our food system less resilient.”