California Drought Continues…

Parched winter months this year have put California agriculture into a tailspin. With a third dry year in a row, the state has been forced to deeply examine its strategies for coping with dry times. Many worry this drought is a harbinger of the long-term impacts of climate change, a concern echoed recently in a warning by U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu that climate change-induced water shortages could lead to the demise of food production in the state. But California’s hardy and innovative growers aren’t going down without a fight.

Eaters across the country who depend on California’s bountiful produce will be pleased to know that farmers are starting to implement a new generation of water management practices that hold promise for helping California stay in agriculture. The California Institute for Rural Studies’ recent report, California Water Stewards: Innovative On-farm Water Management Practices [PDF], showcases ten California growers implementing a range of water-saving practices on their farms. The featured agricultural water stewardship approaches help buffer farm operations against insecure water supplies while enhancing the environment, reducing costs, and conserving increasingly scarce water resources.

via Civil Eats » Blog Archive » Hose Down on the Farm: California Growers Meet the Challenges of Drought.

What I thought when I first read this story was here is another good reason to plant that vegetable garden. If the drought continues, it will just drive up the price at the supermarkets on the produce that is coming in. Even if the growers keep the produce coming, the new water management practices will have to raise their costs…Don’t ya think?

I keep adding new blogs to my rss reader, I really need to start adding some of them to my links…

2 thoughts on “California Drought Continues…

  1. I’m also worried if farmers will get the credit they need to plant…but then, you know me–always worried about SOMETHING. (And these days, there seems to be plenty to feed my anxiety.)

    A lot to think about here, and some great links. Thanks, Gary.

  2. Gary, I love your post. As an Ag-Economist and Rancher I find our governments (federal and state) beyond belief in putting a fish over food for people.

    Your right it will increase the cost to farmers and they won’t necessarily make any more then they do now even if food prices rise.

    By the way I love the Bluebonnets you took a picture of. I so love looking at the Bluebonnets here at the ranch right now.

    Kim

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