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Agriculture programs and $275 million in state support highlighted in plan discussion
Summary
Agriculture officials described programs that help producers improve irrigation, measurement and water use; the department said roughly $275 million was allocated for water optimization with producers providing matching funds.
Agriculture remained a major topic at the open house, with state agriculture officials describing efforts to help producers adopt more efficient irrigation and measurement. Kelly Pearson, commissioner of the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, pointed to programs such as the Water Optimization program, AgVIP and soil‑health initiatives that provide technical assistance and incentives for producers to improve efficiency.
"We got around 275,000,000, for water optimization, but our ag producers are matching that 50/50," Pearson said, describing the state allocation and producer matches that fund infrastructure improvements such as reconfiguring wheel lines and installing meters.
The presentation also highlighted conservation easements and the agricultural water optimization program, which assists producers with canal‑to‑pipeline conversions, installation of more efficient systems and improved water measurement.
