American Society of Agronomy Sponsors Thirsty Land

ThirstyLandTwitterNEWFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 16, 2015
Contact: Conrad Weaver
conrad@conjostudios.com
301-606-7794
www.thirstylandmovie.com
Twitter: @thirstylandfilm

American Society of Agronomy Sponsors Thirsty Land Film

Emmitsburg, Maryland – Will there be enough water to survive? “Thirsty Land” is an exciting new documentary that tells the story of drought, its impact on agriculture, communities and the global food supply.

Filmmaker Conrad Weaver has been traveling the country with his production crew capturing stories from farmers, scientists, agronomists, and others who are dealing directly with water and drought issues.

“The story of drought needs to be told! Our global food supply and our very survival of humans depend on clean, abundant fresh water.  I want to make the audience think about it every time they take a drink of water, enjoy a shower or water their lawn.”

ASA Final-revisedThe American Society of Agronomy has come on board with Weaver as a Silver Sponsor of the film project. The funding provided by the ASA will help with production of the film, and will support the development of educational materials and resources for teachers.

“We can’t prevent drought or make it go away, but we can try to adapt to its consequences,” says Fred Vocasek, an agronomist with Servi-Tech. “Agronomists study, implement, and utilize cropping systems to store more of the water that falls on the land surface, regardless of whether it came from the sky or from underground. Then, through crop breeding or crop management we work to produce more grain or food from each drop of that water that we captured. Problem solvers don’t just appear out of nowhere. We have to inspire and nurture them. I hope that developing a student curriculum to augment A Thirsty Land will increase the number of agronomic problem solvers to help us deal with the consequences of drought.”

Vocasek is a member of the American Society of Agronomy.

“I’m excited that the ASA is committed to helping us be a voice to the world about the issues surrounding the water crisis in the western USA,” says Weaver, “Producing films like this is costly, and having organizations like the ASA involved provides us with much-needed resources to be able to produce a high quality film that people all over the country will see.”

The American Society of Agronomy joins other sponsors, including the project’s partner,  The Water for Food Institute and the Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska, Teeter Irrigation, and others.

For interview requests and more information on the making of the film or sponsorship opportunities, please contact Conrad Weaver at 301-606-7794 or email conrad@conjostudios.com today.
###