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'The saving grace for agriculture': Farmers look to irrigation amid climate woes

Sean Stanford's wheat farm just south of Lethbridge, Alta. falls within the far left corner of Palliser's Triangle — an expanse of prairie grassland encompassingmuch of southeast Alberta, a swath of southern Saskatchewan, and the southwest corner of Manitoba.

The area is named for explorer Capt. John Palliser, who in 1857, famously declared the entire region a wasteland — so hot and arid that no crops would ever grow.

More than 160 years later, with parts of the prairie provinces suffering through another summer of drought conditions, Stanford's farm is certainly dry.

"I think we've had three inches of rain since we started seeding. It's been pretty dismal, honestly," he said in an interview in July.

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Legacies of the Land

Video: Legacies of the Land

Every farm has a story. Together, they tell the story of America. ???? Watch the full Legacies of the Land film — AGCO's tribute to the families who've fed and shaped America for 250 years.

From Missouri to Kentucky to Idaho, three multi-generational farming families — Lehenbauer Farms of Palmyra, Missouri; Matthews Land & Cattle of Oakley, Idaho; and Riney Dairy of Springfield, Kentucky — share what it means to live, work and pass down a life on the land. Their stories are different. The legacy is shared.

"Every farming family has a story worth telling, rooted in resilience, stewardship and love for the land." — Eric Hansotia, AGCO Chairman, President & CEO