Farmers tell Cornyn 'act now' on water issues with Mexico

MISSION, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Texas Senator John Cornyn met with farmers and ranchers in Mission on Tuesday to discuss the ongoing water crisis in the Rio Grande Valley and Mexico's delayed water deliveries.

Many farmers at the meeting hope it means something new in the push for Mexico to do its part. The farmers say the time to act over water issues is now.

Cornyn discussed the matters with them to see what products can grow in the Valley. It was determined that vegetables and fruits are not the only crops being affected.

La Feria Farmer Josh Ruiz says his cotton crop is suffering as well.

“Our local gin we are scrapping by, and we are losing twenty-five to thirty thousand bales this year just because of the lack of irrigation," Ruiz said.

The farmers also described what things they would like Congress to take action on. Bret Erickson is a farmer from Edinburg and says taking care of the water currently available is a priority

He hopes federal funds are invested to better the infrastructure of local water districts.

“Most of the infrastructure was built in the forties and it is in existence today and it is made of open-air ditches, unline ditches where there is no concrete," Erickson said. "Ideally, all of the water being delivered here in the Rio Grande Valley should be underground through pipelines, so you don’t have losses with evaporation and sweepage out of the lines.”

Erickson says if things do not change, then he and other Valley farmers will be out of the business in two years.

Cornyn says he hopes Mexico’s new president-elect, Claudia Sheinbaum, will work better with the United States to fix this matter. He will be heading to Mexico City on Oct. 1 for the inauguration and also deliver a message.

“We are not going to accept the status quo," Cornyn said. "We're going to demand and insist on Mexico living up to its obligations, and we will look to whatever tools are necessary in order to achieve a just and correct result.”