Mandatory cutbacks in Colorado River water supply to hammer Arizona farmers

A harvester rumbles through the fields in the early morning light, mowing down rows of corn and chopping up ears, husks and stalks into mulch for feed at a local dairy. But the cows won't get their salad next year, at least not from this farm. There won't be enough water to plant the corn crop.

Climate change, drought and high demand are expected to force the first-ever mandatory cuts to a water supply that 40 million people across the American West depend on — the Colorado River. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation's decision this week will spare cities and tribes but hit Arizona farmers hard. They knew this was coming. Farmers have left fields unplanted, laser-leveled the land, lined canals, installed drip irrigation, experimented with drought-resistant crops and found other ways to use water more efficiently.