Jonathan--Sorry this is on a more personal nature, but I have really enjoyed your journalism, the Land Desk. Very interesting and respectable source of local stories. I am moving to Mexico permanently, so did not renew my monthly contribution---but did give you a final kick! Keep up the great work; you are a warrior! Hey everyone, here is to Jonathan, raise your ____! Thanks!
Jonathan, you had me at alfalfa. Well, I'd been reading your work elsewhere (particularly HCN) for years. But it was those initial stories on alfalfa that compelled me to sign up for The Land Desk.
The two Colorado River Basin ag reports have me thinking about cognitive dissonance and self-justification. Neuroscience research using functional MRI scans has shown that our brains shutdown the reasoning areas (prefrontal cortex) when we are confronted with information that is dissonant to our thinking. We can easily get hard-wired and entrenched and attached to our own ideas or ideas we like. It takes a lot of work to rewire the brain and try for more equanimity. Sigh. One of the books I'm reading right now is "Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts" by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. And it kinda reminds me a great comic by The Oatmeal about the backfire effect: https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
NPR had an interesting piece about how Arizona's pension fund was invested in growing alfalfa and shipping it to Saudi Arabia and the UE. And of course I thought of you. Which isn't nearly as cool as when the robber barons themselves name you. Certainly a high-water mark (pun intended).
Nice going Thompson 2022, how fun to be an early 'splainer of alfalfa water sucakage!
2023, our sixth season at the lookout has been the driest yet with less than an 1" of rainfall from May 20th until August 11th. that was even after the "all of a sudden monsoon surge" that didn't materialize a couple of weeks ago. We got .33" up here. That being said it's been the coolest summer we've had in six summers up here with the high temperature of 84*F.
The West -- and the Alfalfa Wars -- heat up
Jonathan--Sorry this is on a more personal nature, but I have really enjoyed your journalism, the Land Desk. Very interesting and respectable source of local stories. I am moving to Mexico permanently, so did not renew my monthly contribution---but did give you a final kick! Keep up the great work; you are a warrior! Hey everyone, here is to Jonathan, raise your ____! Thanks!
Dave Mehan, Durango
Jonathan, you had me at alfalfa. Well, I'd been reading your work elsewhere (particularly HCN) for years. But it was those initial stories on alfalfa that compelled me to sign up for The Land Desk.
The two Colorado River Basin ag reports have me thinking about cognitive dissonance and self-justification. Neuroscience research using functional MRI scans has shown that our brains shutdown the reasoning areas (prefrontal cortex) when we are confronted with information that is dissonant to our thinking. We can easily get hard-wired and entrenched and attached to our own ideas or ideas we like. It takes a lot of work to rewire the brain and try for more equanimity. Sigh. One of the books I'm reading right now is "Mistakes were made (but not by me): Why we justify foolish beliefs, bad decisions, and hurtful acts" by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson. And it kinda reminds me a great comic by The Oatmeal about the backfire effect: https://theoatmeal.com/comics/believe
NPR had an interesting piece about how Arizona's pension fund was invested in growing alfalfa and shipping it to Saudi Arabia and the UE. And of course I thought of you. Which isn't nearly as cool as when the robber barons themselves name you. Certainly a high-water mark (pun intended).
Nice going Thompson 2022, how fun to be an early 'splainer of alfalfa water sucakage!
2023, our sixth season at the lookout has been the driest yet with less than an 1" of rainfall from May 20th until August 11th. that was even after the "all of a sudden monsoon surge" that didn't materialize a couple of weeks ago. We got .33" up here. That being said it's been the coolest summer we've had in six summers up here with the high temperature of 84*F.
As always, thank you for the numbers.