By Hugo Rikard-Bell | KUER 90.1 | Photo by Dave Condos | KUER 90.1

Dustin Christensen has farmed crops in Richfield his entire life.

“Farming and ranching is a tough way to make a living, but it is a great way of life,” he said. “It is a great way to raise your children. Teach them how to work, teach them about life.”

However, his grandkids are about to learn a hard lesson in sacrifice after this winter, which provided Utah with its lowest-ever snowpack. It peaked three weeks early on March 9 at 8.4 inches, half of what it usually is.

“It’s pretty depressing when you’re dependent on growing a crop, and you need water to grow a crop,” he said. “It’s financially very straining, emotionally straining, mentally straining.”

Christensen said his 1,100-acre farm relies on water from the Sevier River and winter snowpack.

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This article is published through the Utah News Collaborative, a partnership of news organizations in Utah that aims to inform readers across the state.