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Western Slope farmers reduce water usage -- and improve water quality in the Colorado River

Deer Tree Farm, Hotchkiss, Colorado

The Colorado River and its tributaries irrigate some of the country’s most productive farmland, in Western Colorado. But agriculture in this arid region is made more difficult by its salty soil, and old-school irrigation methods that send harmful minerals into streams. KVNF's Jodi Peterson has more on a program that’s helping upstream farmers use water more efficiently … to help keep downstream growers in business. 

Jodi Peterson grew up on Colorado’s Front Range and attended Colorado State University, earning a B.A. in English and an M.A. in communication development. She spent 16 years working as a technical communicator with computer company Hewlett-Packard, then made a career shift to journalism. In 2005, she became news editor for the award-winning nonprofit newsmagazine High Country News; later she served as its managing editor for five years. In 2017, she went part-time as a contributing editor. Jodi was hired as KVNF’s news director in April 2019, and shifted to the news editor role in November 2020, before going freelance in January 2021.
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