Utah is currently experiencing one of its worst droughts in history, and authorities fear that this event might even lead to more wildfires as 80 percent of the state suffers from drought. In light of the situation, Utah Governor Spencer Cox has proposed a couple of solutions: fasting and praying, with no recent mention of how he plans to save all the water he uses up on his alfalfa farm.
The statement came directly from Cox himself during the State of Emergency announcement. Praying for rain is one of Cox’s advice to the struggling Utah populace, while the other is supposedly fasting. For the record, fasting is voluntary and driven by choice; drought notably causes famine, which means people don’t have a choice but not to eat since there will be a shortage of food regardless. In any case, here’s Cox’s statement:
“I invite every Utahn, whatever your faith or belief system, to join me this Sunday in a unified fast and prayer for rain. And while we look heavenward, let’s do our part here at home — fix leaks, water lawns less and use every drop wisely. Small actions, taken together, can make a big difference for our state,” says Cox, transcript courtesy of The Salt Lake Tribune
Additionally, Cox reached out to religious organizations all over Utah, inviting them to join the unified fast and prayer. For now, Utah’s water supply for April to July is lower by 35 percent than its usual average. As for the wildfires, nearly 400 of them have burned over 43,000 acres of land across the state.
It’s also worth noting that Spencer Cox owns a large alfalfa farm in the state. The alfalfa crop itself consumes 70 percent of Utah’s yearly water supply, and Cox was even accused of taking water directly from the Great Salt Lake to funnel into his farm.
Cox Grows His Farm Regardless of the Drought
That isn’t to say Cox didn’t do anything about his alfalfa farm. Earlier in the year, the Utah Governor announced that he had made “changes” to his farm to save water. He apparently supported efforts by the state to help improve farmers’ technologies so that crops grow with less water needed.
Many people online, however, don’t buy into Cox’s efforts to save water on his farm. Alfalfa farms, for the record, don’t even account for much of Utah’s GDP (around 0.2 percent) despite disproportionately using most of Utah’s water. Alfalfa is either exported or fed to cattle.
Other complaints from Utah residents about Cox’s management point to how some of the rich people are building private artificial surfing communities in the state despite the yearly droughts. For the record, most of Utah is a desert state, so every drop of water is precious, especially since droughts and wildfires happen too frequently.
“Utah is one of those states that I just refuse to believe is real 90% of the time,” states TaleOfDash
“Stop growing alfalfa grass in the desert, ***hole,” fumes WasatchSLC
“No, Cox, you misunderstand. When you choose not to eat, it’s fasting. When you can’t because you can’t grow food, it’s famine,” criticizes Pavlock
