BERTHOUD, Colo — A Northern Colorado farmer says this year's severe drought is forcing him to make some of the toughest decisions he's faced in decades.
Bill Markham, a fifth-generation farmer and owner of M&M Farms in Berthoud, says his family has spent more than 60 years growing barley for Molson Coors.
Denver7's Peter Choi spoke to the farmer about how severe drought are affecting his crops in the video below:
But with dry conditions persisting across the region, he says there's simply not enough water to maintain normal production.
"I've been around for a long time, but never in my life have I ever seen it this dry," Markham said. "A lot of our cropland never got planted at all because we don't have the water."
As drought conditions continue, Markham is paying closer attention than ever to every drop of water. During a visit to one of his watering spots, a sprinkler pumped roughly 880 gallons of water per minute, but he says it's still not enough to meet his crops' needs.
"We haven't had any rain, no rain at all," Markham said. "About 10 days ago, we finally got some."
The lack of water has forced M&M Farms to cut its barley production by about 50% this year.
"We don't have enough water to raise our barley allotment this year," Markham said. "We had to tell Coors that our production will probably be 50% less than normal."
Despite the reduction, Molson Coors says the drought is not expected to affect its beer production because the company sources barley from multiple states.
"The company sources barley from multiple states across the West, so it still has plenty of barley to brew its beers.” Molson Coors Spokesperson
For Markham, however, the impact is deeply personal.
Farming has been in his family for generations, and he says the land is more than just a business.
"We love the land. We love to be able to go out and produce a crop," he said. "I have a little button that I wear when I dress up, and it says, 'I feed the world.'"
Even during one of the most challenging growing seasons he's experienced, retirement isn't on his mind.
When asked if he plans to quit, Markham didn't hesitate.
"Oh, I ain't going to quit."
Instead, he says he'll continue doing everything he can to carry on a family farming legacy that has been deeply rooted in Berthoud for more than six decades.
