The California drought continues. The red area in the image is Extreme Drought and encompasses the San Joaquin Valley, where enormous amounts of food are grown. A continuing drought through 2014 means economic devastation for California agriculture, and less crops for the nation. Prices for vegetables, fruits, and nuts will rise. 2013 was the driest record on record for much of California. 2014 looks to be about the same.
“We’re in the middle of what potentially is looking like a huge catastrophe,” said Ryan Jacobsen, chief executive of the Fresno County Farm Bureau. “We’re looking at some very harsh realities, as far as water allocations.”
“Possibly hundreds of thousands of acres of land will go fallow,” Jacobsen said.