Smart op-ed in WSJ.
America is sending over huge amounts of alfalfa to China. Alfalfa is a VERY water-intensive crop. China uses it to feed their cattle which produce beef and dairy products.
Point of the article: why not send beef and dairy to China instead and reap the better profit margin for our valuable water?
That's how New Zealand does it. Its highest-value export is powdered milk, notes the authors of the piece.
The culprit? America's antiquated and byzantine water-regulation practices - especially in the West.