The National Institute for Animal Agriculture (NIAA) held their annual conference March 23-26th in Indianapolis.  The theme this year was “Water and the Future of Animal Agriculture.”

Dr. Jay Famiglietti, Senior Water Scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Associate Professor at UC, Irvine delivered a presentation regarding ongoing drought conditions in California, Texas and throughout the world, the unregulated and rapid depletion of non-renewable groundwater (aquifers) resources and the need to mobilize technological solutions to fight what looks to be a long-term trend.

Also, Aubrey Bettencourt, Executive Director, California Water Alliance, in a fascinating presentation regarding the timeline of the current California drought, spoke regarding the nexus of environmental policy and water rights and distribution.