Today’s conversation is about something the denim industry rarely wants to look at directly, and that’s water. Not recycled water in factories. Not marketing claims. But the groundwater that actually makes cotton possible in the first place.

This is the first episode of a two-part Jeansland special called Water: Above and Below. For this conversation, I’m joined by Rick Kellison and Brent Crossland to talk about the Ogallala Aquifer and why it matters so much to American cotton, especially on the Texas High Plains, where cotton depends on supplemental irrigation to survive.

Rick spoke at our very first Transformers event back in 2015, where he warned the industry about water risk and the future of cotton on the High Plains. Nearly ten years later, we talk about what’s actually happened since then, how farmers have learned to do more with less, what an aquifer really is, why the Ogallala is a finite resource, and how much of U.S. cotton production depends on it.

We also talk about soil health, irrigation technology, forage systems, and why integrating cotton, cattle, and crop rotation can reduce water use while improving long-term farm viability. And we look at the disconnect between how brands talk about water, and how rarely they ask where their cotton’s water actually comes from.

This is Part One of a two-part series.

Part Two of 'Water: Above and Below' drops next week, where we dig into the work happening on the ground, the farmer-led research behind it, the endowment that keeps it going, and what brands can actually do if they want to make a real difference. We also widen the lens to look at other major water users, including AI and energy, and what all of this means for the future.

Brent Crossland Linked-In
Rick Kellison Linked-In

Texas Alliance for Water Conservation TAWC

Thank you to our sponsor Inside Denim.

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