Free Republic

Arizona’s water is running worryingly low. Amid the worst drought in more than a millennium, which has left communities across the state with barren wells, the state is depleting what remains of its precious groundwater. Much of it goes to private companies nearly free, including Saudi Arabia’s largest dairy company.Thanks to fresh scrutiny this year from state politicians, water activists and journalists, the Saudi agricultural giant Almarai has emerged as an unlikely antagonist in the water crisis. The company, through its subsidiary Fondomonte, has been buying and leasing land across western Arizona since 2014. This year The Arizona Republic published...

VICKSBURG, AZ - Like a desert mirage, the Almarai hay farm about 100 miles west of the Valley sprawls out on almost 10,000 acres. Buildings rise from the dust, and an endless stream of delivery trucks come and go. The bustle of activity is from alfalfa feeds as far as the eye can see. Saudi Arabian state-run media reports Almarai bought the land last year. That was after a Saudi government directive to conserve that nation's natural resources. Experts say underground reservoirs and ancient aquifers have almost dried up in Saudi Arabia after decades of modern farming. And since Almarai...