Ag Policy Blog

WASHINGTON (DTN) -- Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins on Monday said she had secured a win for Texas farmers by securing the Mexican government to meet the current water needs of farmers and ranchers in Texas as part of the 1944 Water Treaty.

The Mexican government committed to transfer water from international reservoirs and increase the U.S. share of the flow in six of Mexico's Rio Grande tributaries through the end of the current five-year water cycle, Rollins said in a news release.

"Mexico finally meeting the water needs of Texas farmers and ranchers under the 1944 Water Treaty is a major win for American agriculture. After weeks of negotiations with Mexican cabinet officials alongside the Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, we secured an agreement to give Texas producers the water they need to thrive. While this is a significant step forward, we welcome Mexico's continued cooperation to support the future of American agriculture," said Secretary Rollins. "None of this would have been possible without the fervent support of our farmers from President Trump and his work to hold our trading partners accountable."

The announcement comes after USDA also provided Texas farmers with $280 million for water delivery shortages.

The 1944 Water Treaty requires Mexico to deliver 350,000 acre-feet of water from the Rio Grande and tributaries, or a five-year total of 1.75 million acre-feet. The U.S., in return, provides 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico from the Colorado River. During the past five years, Mexico has fallen 1 million acre-feet behind in its water deliveries. Texas farmers have criticized Mexican officials for holding back water in reservoirs to irrigate their own crops. Meanwhile, Texas farmers have missed out on seasonal rainfalls.

USDA said the agreement between the United States and Mexico solidified a plan for immediate and short-term water relief to meet the needs of Texas farmers and ranchers for this growing season. It includes water releases and continued commitments through the end of this cycle which concludes in October. The United States welcomes further collaboration with Mexico on their treaty agreements with outstanding water debts in mind, specifically additional monthly transfers and regular consultations on future water deliveries.

A study by Texas A&M University last August cited a complete lack of irrigation water in the Lower Rio Grande Valley in 2024 would result in just under $500 million in direct revenue loss. Total economic losses would top $990 million.

Chris Clayton can be reached at Chris.Clayton@dtn.com

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