California’s ‘Cantaloupe Capital’ struggles as drought pummels agriculture across West
This small town [Mendota] in California’s agriculture-rich Central Valley advertises itself as the “Cantaloupe Center of the World.” But as relentless drought punishes California and the West, the land is drying up and the cantaloupes are disappearing. Farmers have let large portions of their melon fields lie fallow as they struggle to get by on dramatically curtailed water supplies. Some are giving their vines barely enough water to stay alive in an effort to conserve. In other cases, fields that have already been planted will never get harvested because there’s not enough water for the fruit to survive.
Related articles:
- Porterville Recorder: Bill would help lost farmland be used for other purposes
- Visalia Times-Delta: Food and Ag Secretary Karen Ross talks water, sustainable workforce
- 9 News: Despite a drought, California farmers have to continue to pull water
- Fresh Plaza: What’s ahead for California and water?