Noodling around the Internet, I came across a year-old Scientific American article about the coming disappearance of the Ogallala Aquifer, the vast underground water source that lies under America's breadbasket and irrigates crops that supply one fifth of the total annual agricultural harvest in the U.S.   The High Plains, the area above this endangered aquifer supplies a large amount of the corn, sorghum, soybeans, wheat and cotton that America produces for itself and the world.

According to wikipedia, the U.S. Geological Survey, in its mass-balance studies of the aquifer, indicated in 2005 that 312 cubic km of water had been pumped out since irrigation and agricultural development began in the area in 1911.  That's 9% of the 3,608 cubic km left in 2005.  Serious tapping of water from the Ogallala began in the 1950's.  At the current rate of pumping, some experts estimate that the aquifer will dry up in as little as 25 years.  Of course, more efficient farming practices can slow that rate down.   

Increased focus on local food anyone?  Seriously, that was the first thought that crossed my mind as I read about the likely disappearance of the Ogallala.  Just as we work individually and collectively to shift to alternative fuels to make the transition to a world of peak oil, we also need to be shifting to relying on local sources of food because our children and grandchildren are not going to be able to rely on America's breadbasket for their food supply.