By Jessica Domel
Multimedia Reporter

Help is on the way for Texas farmers in the Rio Grande Valley who have been impacted by Mexico’s failure to deliver the water it owes the nation under the 1944 Water Treaty.

On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas and U.S. Rep. Monica De La Cruz of Texas gathered in the Valley to announce a $280 million grant agreement to help farmers who have been unable to grow crops, or lost crops, due to a lack of reliable irrigation water.

“Farmers and ranchers in the Rio Grande Valley have worked for generations to feed communities across Texas, the U.S., and beyond,” Rollins said. “A lack of water has already ended sugarcane production in the Valley and is putting the future of citrus, cotton, and other crops at risk. Through this grant, USDA is expediting much-needed economic relief while we continue working with federal, state, and local leadership to push for long-term solutions that protect Texas producers.”

Rollins said thanks to the work of lawmakers like De La Cruz and Cruz, the U.S. Department of Agriculture will begin dispersing the funding immediately.

“The way it will work is we’ll block grant that to your great Texas Department of Agriculture here in Texas and Commissioner Sid Miller and his team. We’ll be the ones to begin immediately moving that money out,” Rollins said. “That’s only a short-term fix. We know that long-term Mexico has to abide by those terms in that agreement—that the days of ignoring it, the days of ignoring NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement) terms, the days of ignoring USMCA (U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement) terms, the day of ignoring this water treaty are over.”

Last year, Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, and U.S. Representatives Henry Cuellar, Vicente Gonzalez and Monica De La Cruz led efforts to include language in the end of year Continuing Resolution (CR) that provided assistance for producers who have suffered losses due to the failure of Mexico to deliver water to the United States in accordance with the 1944 Water Treaty.

“Farmers and ranchers are the backbone of our South Texas communities and economy. The funding deployment announced by Secretary Rollins today will provide critical relief for the South Texas agricultural industry after suffering tremendous losses due to drought conditions and the Government of Mexico’s refusal to comply with the 1944 Water Treaty,” De La Cruz said. “I am proud to work alongside the administration to deploy this critical aid and deliver solutions for the families, businesses and communities across the nation that rely on Texas agriculture to thrive.”

Under the water treaty, the U.S. delivers water from the Colorado River to Mexico, and Mexico is obligated to deliver water from tributaries to the Rio Grande River on a five-year cycle.

That water is vital to farmers and communities in the Rio Grande Valley, but right now, Mexico is hundreds-of-thousands of acre-feet of water behind in payments to the U.S.

A lack of irrigation water led to the closure of Texas’ last remaining sugar mill last year because Valley farmers were unable to grow sugarcane.

Following that action, De La Cruz and other lawmakers from Texas began pushing the Biden administration, and now the Trump administration, to take action to ensure Mexico complies with the term of the water treaty.

Texas Farm Bureau members, leaders and staff have also been working with lawmakers and other officials to bring attention to the issues caused by a lack of water deliveries from Mexico.

TFB District 13 State Director and Valley farmer Brian Jones has been vocal about the impact it’s had on his farm and Valley agriculture as a whole.

He attended a roundtable meeting with Rollins and other lawmakers prior to the announcement of the financial assistance Wednesday.

Working toward solutions to force Mexico to abide by the 1944 Water Treaty continues to be one of Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) priority issues this legislative session.

“Mexico’s failure to deliver the water it owes our nation under the 1944 Water Treaty has created an unprecedented economic crisis for Rio Grande Valley farmers,” TFB President Russell Boening said. “Texas Farm Bureau is thankful for the efforts of U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins and Texas congressional leaders who recognized this tremendous hardship and today announced $280 million in critical economic relief to help impacted farmers in the area.”

While the funding to help farmers impacted by a lack of water is helpful, Boening said TFB agrees with Rollins that it is only a short-term solution.

“It is imperative Mexico deliver the water it owes the United States,” Boening said. “Texas Farm Bureau is committed to finding solutions to force Mexico to abide by the 1944 Water Treaty and ensure annual delivery of water to the U.S.”

The Texas Department of Agriculture will oversee the distribution of the financial assistance, including managing the sign-up process.

TDA reports eligible producers who experienced water delivery losses in calendar years 2023 and 2024 will receive direct payments through the program.

“Water is the lifeblood of Texas agriculture and nowhere is that more critical than in the Rio Grande Valley. The rollout of the 1944 Water Treaty Grant Agreement is exactly the action we need to help our agriculture producers in the valley weather this prolonged drought,” Miller said.

Miller told Texas Farm Bureau Radio Network Tuesday complying with the water debt will likely also be included in future tariff and trade negotiations with Mexico.

Cruz said he believes under the Trump administration, Texas farmers will receive the water they need.

“Mexico is going to comply. Ignoring the treaty will no longer be an option for Mexico,” Cruz said at the press conference Wednesday.