By Alabama Public Radio
Huntsville, AL – A new report suggests the state's economy would improve if more money was spent on irrigating Alabama farmland. Researchers say cash crops could be planted on large tracts of barren or unproductive soil through irrigation. The report says federal funds, tax credits and farming loans could be used for such projects. The researchers suggest seeking federal money that's currently being spent to irrigate western states. The report says a 500 million dollar irrigation investment could pump as much as two billion dollars a year into the state's economy.