Nevada Farmers Receive Gift From Gold Mines

Nevada gold mine industry precipitation data also helps ag.

Compiled by staff

Published: Oct 1, 2010

Nevada farmers and ranchers recently received an unexpected gift from neighboring gold mines. It isn't bullion, but precipitation data that many consider information as good as gold.

Precipitation data collected by the mining industry helps determine whether northern Nevada agricultural producers are in a drought, explains Clint Koble, Nevada Farm Service Agency state director.

The federal Drought Monitor information is a summary of weekly rainfall data that is used by various agencies as a benchmark for implementing mitigating actions to offset the effect of drought. If the U.S. Department of Agriculture can determine the intensity of drought conditions, programs are available to help farmers and ranchers deal with losses.

Lack of information from rural areas did not support a drought determination this year because there was an average snowpack in the Ruby Mountains even though producers outside the Humboldt River watershed felt that they were in a drought.

Nevada mines have been collecting data about rainfall around their sites for a year that can be utilized in making drought determinations. When apprised of this situation, Barrick Gold, Newmount Mining, Goldcorp and Jipangu Mining stepped up and contributed their previously unrecognized precipitation information to Desert Research Institute, which feeds data into the Drought Monitor.

"The Nevada FSA appreciates the contributions of all mining operations that assist farmers and ranchers in putting together a more comprehensive data base for determining drought in Nevada," says Koble.

Although mining has a very different use of resources than agriculture, that industry will make a real long-term difference to farmers and ranchers of northern Nevada, he believes.