Tuesday Top of the Scroll: California drought leaving more farmland unplanted, data shows
The years-long drought and dwindling water supply are estimated to have left more than 531,000 acres of California farmlands unplanted without harvest this year — a 36% increase since August of last year. The new estimates on acres farmed from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reflect the struggles of some California farmers to procure water to irrigate their crops as major government water projects supplying their water remain thirsty as drought continues for a third year. … The crops that are likely most affected by water shortages are water-intensive field crops, such as rice and cotton, which have been declining in the state.
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- Fresh Plaza: Drought stays severe to extreme for California growing regions
- CBS Sacramento: California farmers turning to drought-resistant plant agave
- Manteca Bulletin: Just the dry facts & nothing but dry facts