Why is so much of Americas fresh produce grown in the Midwest and California?
Access to irrigation water is a big factor in creating agricultural regions. The Ogallala Aquifer (sometimes called a “fossil aquifer” because much of its water has been sitting underground for 10,000 – 25,000 years) makes agriculture in the Midwest possible. The Ogallala irrigates at least one-fifth of all U.S. cropland. The water in this aquifer is being used much faster than nature replaces it. California farming leans heavily on the Colorado River and the huge infrastructure that diverts its water hundreds of miles to farm fields. Without irrigation, the type of agriculture practiced in the Midwest and California would be impossible.
