In a first, researchers have identified the nation’s roughly 8,700 cattle feeding operations, and the map shows California has more of them than any other state. California also has the most feedlot acreage: over 85,000 acres. … For decades, such operations have been associated with degraded air and water quality. … The lack of precise location data has meant that local governments, academics and nonprofit organizations have struggled to document the effects of these facilities on the environment and community health. So the researchers decided to build a database and map combining existing data sets. … The study was published Tuesday in the journal Communications Earth & Environment. 

Other agricultural water news:

• SJV Sun: Opinion: Families and farmers deserve priority in California’s climate future
• Agricultural Water Management: Adaptive crop switching for irrigated agriculture in response to climate change in the Western U.S.
• CBS News: California peach harvests are down after warmer winter disrupted trees’ sleep cycles