"It could break us": Valley farmer says Chinese tariffs have crushed the alfalfa export market

Answer:

• The water-intensive farming is absolutely fucking the ecology of the American southwest in a way that's effectively irreversible on human timescales.
• The money being generated by this farming is going to a select few completely undeserving, morally bankrupt people who know the damage they're doing and are hoarding swathes of land and water rights they were given for effectively nothing generations ago.
• This alfalfa is then shipped internationally to Saudi Arabia literally halfway across the world, generating greenhouse gas emissions and other forms of pollution.
• This alfalfa is then used to grow cattle, meaning that value is being extracted from the US – at a meager cost compared to the externalities we bear – and given to the theocratic shithole whose entire economy is based on destroying the planet that is Saudi Arabia.
• Edit: the cows produce a bunch of methane over their lifetime.
• The cows are then brutally murdered for food despite extensive evidence that cows can feel pain and do feel emotions like fear.
• This cow meat is then fed to people despite the fact that 1) red meat is a class 2a carcinogen (and frankly in light of evidence that vegetarian and vegan diets reduce risks of certain cancers by double-digit percentages, we're all just waiting until it's confirmed rather than heavily suspected as a carcinogen), 2) it substantially increases the risk of heart disease, and 3) it elevates the risk for diabetes when compared to plant-based foods which are cheaper and less resource-intensive to create.

It's a benefit to essentially everyone if alfalfa farming becomes less profitable. The entire chain from water to cow meat is unjust, cruel, and otherwise fucking terrible.

RFK jr has plans to fix the fresh water supply situation.

Alfalfa is a great crop. It has deep roots which store carbon in the soil, it is drought tolerant, it's high yielding and it's nitrogen fixating meaning it improves the soil quality and does not require nitrogen fertilizer which normally is a huge carbon footprint. Overall fantastic crop if you need fodder for ruminant animals. The big problem is farming it on an absurd scale in the middle of the damn desert. Alfalfa does not require irrigation in regions with ample rainfall.

He will, because HitlerPig will bail him out.

What is the reference?

Not quite, well at least not for the US as a whole, but could be different for California/Arizona specifically if anyone has the numbers?

As for US, China exports were still about the same as next two countries combined, so by far the largest market. Good riddance anyway. Source: https://hayandforage.com/article-5229-Hay-exports-flatlined-in-2024.html

I don't think the average poster eats alfalfa.