Drought
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The latest National Drought Monitor map is out and shows only a very slight increase in dry conditions across the Southeast. Abnormally dry conditions expanded from 17.7 to 19.0 percent of the Southeast, while moderate D1 drought in the southern tip of Florida also expanded slightly. The dry conditions were reduced in Alabama but expanded…
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Harvest Public Media posted a story online today about the “elusive” impacts that the California drought has had on Midwestern farmers. According to the story, so far benefits to the Midwestern farmers have been limited in spite of the four year drought in California because the CA farmers are mining ground water to keep their…
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AgWeb posted an article this week on changes in the dairy industry across the US. California is still the number one dairy producer, but dairy production has remained flat in California due to the 4-year drought. Growth in other states has been significant, particularly in places where processing capacity has increased. Colorado, Kansas, Texas, Michigan and Indiana are…
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The Los Angeles Times published an article this week discussing the impact of the El Nino on California’s drought. Typically El Nino brings plentiful rain to the area. In the last big El Nino in 1997-98, it brought floods and a lot of destruction as well as 17 deaths. Now that NOAA has predicted that…
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Slate.com posted an article this week on the dire state of water in Arizona as Lake Mead set a new record low level. Because of the way water is allocated in the West, Arizona farmers are arguably worse off than California farmers in terms of how their water may have to be cut this…
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California’s four years of drought is now having another agricultural impact on farmers besides the shortages of water for irrigation in some areas. Livestock producers are starting to find their springs and wells drying up, sometimes for the first time since their families purchased the properties back around 1900. This makes it more difficult to…
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Water availability has always been a key factor in determining where people live and what they grow. As populations grow and temperature patterns change, demand for water for both drinking and agriculture is expected to grow. Here are some stories related to this topic I’ve seen over the last few weeks which point out…