Nolan Doesken used to have a hard time talking about climate change. The topic has become so politically combustible that some scientists and researchers find it difficult to speak of or write about. But, after the High Park Fire swept the foothills in 2012, Doesken decided to talk more openly about the reasons behind Colorado’s changing weather when talking to the agriculture community.

Farmers and ranchers in Montezuma, Archuleta, San Miguel, La Plata, and Dolores counties may be eligible for low-interest emergency loans to help cover losses they sustained as a result of the effects of drought conditions according to Rick Cervenka, senior farm loan officer, with the Farm Service Agency. People must apply no later than Sept. 9, 2013.

As the second of year of drought worsens on Wright’s Mesa, the Norwood Water Commission (NWC) has implemented an outdoor watering conservation plan, effective immediately. The plan is a familiar one for locals who’ve suffered through dry conditions before: town NWC customers are asked to water lawns and gardens on even-numbered calendar days.

In this arid corner of La Plata County, the trite observation that every drop of water counts is more than a cliché. It’s gospel. It’s logical then that the dam under construction a mile or two south of here to hold back water against hard times is a popular project.

Rep. Scott Tipton had one of his greatest successes in his two years in Congress last month when the House overwhelmingly passed his bill to promote small hydroelectric projects on canals and pipelines. But it turns out the bill will not help one of the dams in the Cortez Republican’s own district.

Joel Craig sat quietly among the audience of ranchers as dozens of cows shuffled in and out of the room, propelled by the fast-paced babble of the auctioneer. Craig was at the Hi-Country Cattle Auction to sell six of his pure-bred Limousin cattle because he doubts he will have the irrigation water to grow enough hay for all of his animals. “The outlook isn’t good,” he said.