USDA and Colorado team up to encourage water conservation

The U.S. Department of Agriculture and the State of Colorado are teaming up to encourage water conservation. The organizations met at the state Capitol to reveal a new agreement on Monday.

That agreement is aimed at farmers to empower them to use less water while still keeping up production. 

"We have to give farmers and ranchers more flexibility to conserve water and fairly compensate them as we face a 1,200-year mega-drought across the American West," said Sen. Michael Bennet, a Democrat representing Colorado.  

All of this is part of the USDA's larger "Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program" which is aimed at curbing climate change. Currently, there are 35 projects across 27 states.