California accounts for 15% of the nation’s crops and 7% of the nation’s livestock. Get ready for higher food prices. Here are their top 10 commodities:
- Milk — $6.9 billion
- Grapes — $4.449 billion
- Almonds — $4.347 billion
- Nursery plants — $3.543 billion
- Cattle, Calves — $3.299 billion
- Strawberries — $1.939 billion
- Lettuce — $1.448 billion
- Walnuts — $1.349 billion
- Hay — $1.237 billion
- Tomatoes — $1.170 billion
Farmers take drastic measures to deal with drought
The Fresno BeeJanuary 18, 2014
San Joaquin Valley farmers are idling thousands of acres, bulldozing hundreds of trees and shifting production of some crops out of the area as the state enters its third straight year of dry weather.
The lack of rain and snow has depleted reservoirs and reduced streams and rivers to drastically low levels. The parched conditions have forced farmers to make critical decisions about how best to use what little water they have.
The crisis spurred Gov. Jerry Brown on Friday to issue a disaster declaration, allowing state agencies to re-examine policies for how water is managed and distributed among competing interests, including the environment and agriculture. It also raises the possibility of federal relief to offset any losses.
The drought already has caused some farmers to take drastic measures by whittling the number of acres they farm. Others worry about the ripple effect the drought will have on workers and the rural communities that are dependent on the region’s multibillion-dollar agriculture industry.
The 2009 drought caused thousands of acres to be idled in the Valley and hundreds of workers to be laid off. Without jobs, unemployed workers filled food lines in communities like Mendota.
“We know what is coming,” said Robert Silva, mayor of Mendota. “Unless farmers get the water they need, things will get ugly.”
Pulling trees out
Third-generation farmer Skip Sagouspe of Firebaugh stood in a field of uprooted almond trees last week, having made the decision several months ago to tear out the trees as a water-saving step.
He farms in the Westlands Water District, which is expected to receive little to no surface water this year. District officials estimate that 200,000 acres out of 600,000 acres will not be farmed because of the shortage of water.
Tom Birmingham, general manager of Westlands, said he hopes the governor’s declaration will help mitigate some of the drought’s impacts, but it does not address the larger problem of chronic supply shortages.
He said the state must invest in new water supply infrastructure, including storage and conveyance, and fix problems in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, where Westlands gets its water supply.
Sagouspe said he was left with few options, other than to rip out 160 acres of trees, about 10% of his total acreage. He made the decision after realizing the prospect for water was drying up. He will have to rely on the less desirable water pumped from deep wells. The brackish water is high in salts and other minerals that can be especially hard on almond trees.
The last of Sagouspe’s uprooted trees were being chipped and shredded last week. “You hate to do something like this, but we had to find ways to save water,” Sagouspe said. “Now after realizing we may not get any water, it was the best decision we made. We should have taken more out.”
Sagouspe is not alone in taking out almonds, one of the fastest growing and lucrative crops on the west side. But without adequate surface water, even almonds, especially older trees, become easy targets for removal.
Sagouspe says one of his neighbors removed 1,200 acres of almonds and not far away a 500-acre block was taken out.
Economic impact
Fresno County agriculture officials say it is unlikely the region will break any crop production records this year. The county ranks as the leading farming area in the state, generating a total crop value of $6.5 billion in 2012, the latest year evaluated. But the drought is expected to put a pinch in production this year.
Les Wright, Fresno County agricultural commissioner, said the lack of water has made it difficult for ranchers to find enough natural grasses to feed their cattle.
“What is out there is probably 2 years old and does not have a lot of nutritional value,” Wright said. “Cattle are being sold earlier than they normally are and at a much lighter weight.”
To supplement the sparse rangeland, cattle ranchers are spending additional money on hay.
Also expected to take a hit will be the county’s lettuce crop. During the spring and fall, the fields around Huron supply a majority of the head lettuce sold in the United States.
Typically, the county’s fall lettuce crop ranges from 9,000 to 12,000 acres. But this fall, only 4,500 acres was planted.
“When you don’t have enough in your water budget, this is what happens,” Wright said.
The Clark family is fallowing about half of its 1,200 acres of row crops.
The Clarks have farmed cotton, tomatoes, garlic and onions. This year, they will put their efforts into onions, garlic and tomatoes — crops that they can irrigate with well water.
Sarah Woolf, a family member, said there is a market for crops that can be processed and sold as ingredients or spices.
“We are now getting calls from processors asking if we can grow for them,” Woolf said. “The problems is we have the land, we just don’t have the water.”
Woolf said the higher prices that desirable crops fetch will help, but won’t make up the loss in revenue from not farming their entire 1,200 acres.
“We are still paying for the same amount of land and our fixed costs are still there,” Woolf said. “I don’t anticipate our overall returns to be outstanding this year.”
Looking elsewhere
The drought has forced one Valley food processor — Olam International — to shift some of its production to other parts of the state to maintain a supply of product. The company is a major source of dehydrated garlic, onions, peppers and specialty vegetables.
A large share of its raw product is supplied by west-side farmers who are using their limited water resources on permanent crops, including nut trees and grape vines.
To offset the loss in west-side acreage, the company has contracted with growers in the Sacramento and Imperial valleys where water supplies are more plentiful.
“We are committed to California and have made a huge investment, but these dry cycles are making it tough on business,” said Dave Watkins, senior vice president of Olam’s agriculture operations.
“Our goal is to evaluate all our options to keep our momentum going. And we will turn over every rock to make sure we get the raw materials we need.”
For some farmers, the only option for keeping their farms going is digging new water wells. In Kern County, nut and corn farmer Greg Wegis has drilled three new wells at a cost ranging from $250,000 to $300,000 apiece.
“This is going to be an expensive year to get through, but all our neighbors are going through the same thing,” said Wegis, who farms 9,000 acres of almonds and pistachios. “We have too much invested in this operation to let things go.”
While Wegis was able to get his wells drilled in time for this season, others are being put on a waiting list.
Well drilling up
“To say that we are busy right now is a huge understatement,” said Kim Hammond, a co-owner at Arthur & Orum Well Drilling in Fresno. “We have six rigs and two crews that are running 24 hours a day.”
Hammond said customers who contact their office now will have to wait until March or April for a new well.
“And it isn’t that we are getting a lot of new customers. What’s happening is that people are going deeper with their existing wells,” Hammond said.
Deeper wells also mean higher electricity costs for pumping the water out. And it raises a concern about depleting underground resources.
“We are pumping more out, but we are not recharging the supply,” Woolf said.
Sagouspe, whose family used to farm only row crops, says it is tough to remain optimistic about the future.
“I have a son who is really interested in farming and it is really sad that we just can’t farm the way we used to,” Sagouspe said. “It seems like it is a fight for everything — a fight against regulations, a fight against government and now a fight for water.”
“We know what is coming. Unless farmers get the water they need, things will get ugly.” — Robert Silva, mayor of Mendota
Food shortage around the corner and radiated fish in the sea.
May as well throw a war in the mix too, sprinkle in a economic collapse, flu pandemic, a couple of volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, locusts, did I just see JC?
If this drought gets any worse the only thing left for the Mexicans to pick will be their noses ….. which the Chinese, no doubt, will package and eat.
Funny shit Stuck, and not far fetched.
Perhaps some agricultural activity will shift back to the midwest and northeast, where too much good farmland lies fallow, and vulnerable to being developed into more suburban sprawl.
California has always been vulnerable to drought and in fact would be barely arable were it not for trillions of dollars of US taxpayers’ money shoveled into pharoanic water reclamation projects- all the 1,300- plus hydro dams, aquaducts, and reservoirs that make it possible for 40 million people to live there, and for this to be one of the most productive agricultural regions in the country.
Is this the Black Swan?
I’m sure this has nothing to do with geo-engineering plots and the permanent movement of magnetic north! (wandering pole theory)……This fits neatly into the plans for Agenda 21 btw.
But as I have said before, as California goes, being the 7th largest economy in the world, so does the United States; at least economically.
I am wondering when this Arkstorm shit they have been spewing since 2011 will happen..
Higher food prices will not be factored into the government inflation number as the presumption will be that you switched to eating cow shit and dirt.
Not trying to brag here, but I’m starting to think that buying this little farm with the goal of being as self-sufficient as possible was the second best decision I have ever made… the first being marrying who I did.
On a related note, I was planning on putting in almond trees this spring, along with several other fruit and nut trees… that might be the most accidentally awesome idea I ever had.
Non-perishable foodstuffs is an excellent investment right now. It is still relatively cheap and abundant right now. Currently, packaged organic flavored oatmeal, packaged organic pasta, organic soups and vegetables in cans still available in quality and quantity. How much longer will right now and currently last?
Errr, California has more than just water problems methinks; it also has Fukushima problems.
Anon
We’re planning on augmenting our food supply this year with at least a year’s worth of basics. Wheat, barley, sugar, honey, oats, etc.. all in 5 gallon foodsafe buckets. Couple 50lb bags of salt, too.
We’ve started ‘sample-buying’ when we go to the grocery store. We see something, like some type of canned fish or whatever, we’ll buy one can of each and then have taste tests when we get home. Anything we really like gets written down so we can buy a case of it later on.
Lucky for us, the Amish run a store just down the road. They sell in bulk, and they also sell a lot of stuff you can’t get anywhere else. Like peach cider.
It’s like you guys are in my head except much funnier! You have to find humor in everything. Laughter is the best medicine. THX TBP folks! I hope to see you all on the other side.
Billy,
I like what you’re doing in Kentucky. Farm’s in Kentucky right? I lived in Lexington for a few years. Thoroughbred horses, Keeneland Race Track, UK Wildcats and all that. Winters were very icy instead of snowy as I recall.
At least a diet of cowshit and dirt is organic. I think the protests won’t start until we’re forced to switch to Monsanto’s unlabeled GMO rocks.
Hmmm. Water shortage leads to higher food prices AND higher electric bills (more energy needed to pump water from deeper water wells). But wait, California is not yet finished with its slow, but steady march to economic suicide.
“The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power took historic steps today towards eliminating coal from LA’s power supply when it announced that representatives of LADWP and Salt River Project have reached sufficient progress on the principle terms to sell its stake in Navajo Generating Station near Page, Arizona that would end LA’s use of coal-fired power from the plant by the end of 2015. On this same day, the LADWP’s Board of Water and Power Commissioners approved a contract that will enable LADWP to completely transition out of coal power from the Intermountain Power Plant in Delta, Utah by 2025 at the latest. The Navajo announcement and action on Intermountain Power Plant continues LADWP’s transformation of the city’s power supply to create a cleaner and more sustainable energy future.”
“The era of coal is over. Today we affirm our commitment to make Los Angeles a cleaner, greener, more sustainable city,” said Mayor Villaraigosa. “By divesting from coal and investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency, we reduce our carbon footprint and set a precedent for the national power market.”
I hope the mayor and residents of Los Angeles County enjoy their ZERO CARBON FOOTPRINT when the fucking lights go out.
From where we live, we can see three privately – owned wind turbines. ALL are no longer working (ALL having missing or damaged blades), and one assumes they are not repaired because the cost of repair outweighs the benefit to the owner.
Most have been non-functional for at least two years