A parched piece of farm ground in Northern Utah represents a portion of the drought in the state.
SALT LAKE CITY – Ron Gibson, President of Utah Farm Bureau Federation, is inviting all residents of the state to join in a day of fasting and prayer for moisture on Sunday, May 16.
The lack of water is a major concern of people who work in agriculture.
The Utah Division of Water Resources reported Friday 76 percent of the west is in drought and 100 percent of the state experiencing moderate drought, with 90 percent of the state experiencing extreme drought.
As early as March, Governor Spencer Cox recognized the seriousness of the situation and issued an executive order declaring a state of emergency.
“On behalf of farmers and ranchers in the state of Utah and the Utah Farm Bureau Federation, we respectively invite you to join us in prayer and fasting this Sunday so that we might have the necessary moisture to take care of our animals and nurture the crops that we’ve been given stewardship over,” Gibson said. “It has been said that ‘eating is an agricultural act.’ Whether you are directly or indirectly involved in agriculture, we invite all to join us in prayer and fasting.”
Gibson received a call from Erin Sorensen (the State Young Farmers & Ranchers committee chair) and said that they had just had a meeting and they were very concerned about the drought. She said they wanted to have a day of prayer and fasting on Sunday to pray for moisture.
“As I thought about it, I realized that I had been taught by the faith of our young leaders in agriculture,” he said. “As fasting and prayer is a tenant of many religions around the world, it does not matter what religion you are, or even where or if you go to church, but the reality is that when we are in those desperate moments in our lives, sometimes our Father in Heaven is the only one that can help us.”
Gibson believes this to be the case here.
“Farmers and ranchers all over our state, and all over the west have been desperately concerned about the lack of water we’ve received this last year and what is currently in our reservoirs,” he said. “Over the last month or so I have had many farmers and ranchers throughout the state say out loud that we needed to pray for moisture.”
The Farm Bureau Federation president said the Bible says that faith without works is dead.
“I believe that with our faith, and the hard work that farmers and ranchers put forth every day, God will bless us,” he said.