Latest News From Drought

More Traffic Slowdowns At The Panama Canal
More Traffic Slowdowns At The Panama Canal

The Panama Canal is now cutting its daily ship transits by half this winter due to severe drought.

John Phipps
Why water is the new oil for landowners

There are signs that water is the new oil as water rights turn into water fights across the western U.S., says columnist John Phipps. He thinks it's a battle that could only heat up in the coming years.

U.S. now has a nearly 90% chance of seeing El Niño this summer
U.S. now has a nearly 90% chance of seeing El Niño this summer

The signs of El Niño grew even stronger this month, and as the weather event looks to make its grand return, significant weather changes could be on deck for U.S. farmers this year. 

Californians receive first 100% water allocation since 2006
Californians receive first 100% water allocation since 2006

Drought pressures plagued the Golden State at the beginning of the year, but an unexpected series of atmospheric rivers this spring that inundated the state with precipitation changed the outlook for water districts.

California farm groups praise governor’s actions to recharge aquifers
California farm groups praise governor’s actions to recharge aquifers

Western Growers and California Farm Bureau are praising California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s decision to lift regulations, allowing floodwater to recharge aquifers during the ongoing weather crisis across the Golden State.

Western growers seek new ways to safeguard crops, secure stable water supply
Western growers seek new ways to safeguard crops, secure stable water supply

Growers across the western states are seeking new and novel ways to safeguard their crops and secure a stable water supply for the future.

California fruit growers relieved by projected increase to water allocation
California fruit growers relieved by projected increase to water allocation

The California Fresh Fruit Association has applauded a 35% water allocation, which was previously 0%, but is emphasizing the need for storage, management and infrastructure improvement.

Does All This Rain and Snow Mean La Niña Is Loosening Its Grip On the U.S.?
Does All This Rain and Snow Mean La Niña Is Loosening Its Grip On the U.S.?

The sudden switch from drought to too much precipitation in parts of California now begs the question: Is the weather changing, and will California start to dig out from three consecutive years of drought?

Will leaving farmland fallow save water in the long run? New Mexico researchers given $2M to find out
Will leaving farmland fallow save water in the long run? New Mexico researchers given $2M to find out

The Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research and other investors have awarded funds to New Mexico State University to explore potential water conservation from fallowing agricultural land in arid climates.

California almond acreage shrinks for first time in 25 years
California almond acreage shrinks for first time in 25 years

The reduction is due to orchards facing drought conditions and extreme weather, according to a recent report.

Senators urge USDA to improve drought support for Western growers
Senators urge USDA to improve drought support for Western growers

The bipartisan group of 14 senators is seeking help for farmers and ranchers to conserve water, improve water infrastructure and efficiency, protect lands at risk of erosion, and more.

California Farm Bureau critical of state's preliminary water allocation for 2023
California Farm Bureau critical of state's preliminary water allocation for 2023

In responding to the 5% initial water allocation from California's Department of Water Resources, the group is urging state leadership to rethink drought strategy.

Pumpkin yields down in Indiana
Pumpkin yields down in Indiana

Indiana’s summer dry weather has caused lower pumpkin yields for this year’s fall festival season.

Surviving megadrought, Southwest citrus growers manage water wisely
Surviving megadrought, Southwest citrus growers manage water wisely

Record-breaking drought continues to impact irrigation options for citrus growers in California and Arizona.

Western Growers spotlights California’s historic drought in new documentary series
Western Growers spotlights California’s historic drought in new documentary series

Western Growers has released “Water for Farms,” an online documentary series of five videos that explores the potential impact of California's ongoing drought.

Seeding The Sky: Can Scientists Manipulate The Weather To Benefit Agriculture?
Seeding The Sky: Can Scientists Manipulate The Weather To Benefit Agriculture?

Intentional or not, humans have helped shape today’s weather patterns. Now they’re looking at technology to protect their future.

John Phipps: Why Can't the U.S. Figure Out a Way to Move Water From the Great Lakes to the West?
John Phipps: Why Can't the U.S. Figure Out a Way to Move Water From the Great Lakes to the West?

As the Western U.S. faces a megadrought, why can't the U.S. move water around the country like it's done with energy? John Phipps explores the physical and political hurdles potential water infrastructure would face.

USDA Reveals Farmers Have Received More Than $4 Billion in ERP Payouts to Date
USDA Reveals Farmers Have Received More Than $4 Billion in ERP Payouts to Date

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced agricultural producers have already received more than $4 billion through the Emergency Relief Program (formerly WHIP+), representing 67% of the $6 billion projected to be paid.

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This Week's High Heat Brought On By Ridge of High Pressure, Is It a Warning Sign of What's to Come?

Record-breaking heat. Unprecedented flooding. Hail that proved to be devastating to corn fields in Nebraska. The extreme weather can all be attributed to a ridge of high pressure parked over the country.

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The U.S. Just Broke a 27-Week Drought Streak, But Forecasts Don't Look Promising

Less than 50% of the continental U.S. is in moderate drought for the first time since November, but with another drought record still running strong, forecasts show drought could grow over the summer months.

Water woes hit hard in Southern California
Water woes hit hard in Southern California

About 6 million Southern California residents near Los Angeles must restrict outdoor watering to one day a week, starting June 1. The unprecedented action was unanimously adopted by the Metropolitan Water District.

Desperate for Rain, Widespread Winter Storm May Not Be Enough to Cure Concerns in Areas of Texas
Desperate for Rain, Widespread Winter Storm May Not Be Enough to Cure Concerns in Areas of Texas

More than 70% of the country is still covered in drought. And while the latest winter storm was packed with needed moisture for some areas, it didn't blanket every area needing moisture to restore depleted soils.

California Sees Wettest Start to Water Year in 40 Years, Still Not Enough to Cure Concerns Over Drought
California Sees Wettest Start to Water Year in 40 Years, Still Not Enough to Cure Concerns Over Drought

As California farmers' try to battle back from extreme drought, hope is coming in the form of snow. The state's average snow water equivalent percentage of snowpack jumped from 19% on December 10 to 98% today.

Wild Weather This Week Could Bring Needed Drought Relief to Withered West
Wild Weather This Week Could Bring Needed Drought Relief to Withered West

California could see monumental rain and snow this week. The powerful storm is expected to drench the West Coast, as forecasters say the system could bring a month's worth of rain in a matter of days.

First-Ever Mandatory Federal Cuts to Colorado River Cripples Critical Water Source for Arizona Agriculture
First-Ever Mandatory Federal Cuts to Colorado River Cripples Critical Water Source for Arizona Agriculture

Federal officials announced this week mandatory water cuts to the Colorado River, marking the first federal water cuts, and it's the first-ever water shortage for a river that serves 40 million people in the West.

Harvesting cherries at night to protecting apples with nets, record heat takes toll on fruit crop
Harvesting cherries at night to protecting apples with nets, record heat takes toll on fruit crop

Heat and extreme drought are causing orchards and farm workers to change their schedule in order to beat the heat. NOAA says last month was officially the hottest June on record, as heat continues to blast the West.

High Heat and Drought Could Spur Electricity Shortages in the Western U.S.
High Heat and Drought Could Spur Electricity Shortages in the Western U.S.

As weather continues to be a factor for farmers and producers, growers across Western U.S. see the impacts of drought first-hand. Now, access to electricity could also be challenged as hydroelectric power dries up.

10% of Contiguous U.S. Experiencing Exceptional Drought, Highest Since 2011
10% of Contiguous U.S. Experiencing Exceptional Drought, Highest Since 2011

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an "exceptional drought," which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.

As Heat Builds, Current Drought Conditions Already Exceed Devastating 2012 Season
As Heat Builds, Current Drought Conditions Already Exceed Devastating 2012 Season

As drought conditions in the West are continuing to expand, hotter temperatures aren't helping things. Heat that started building over the weekend is not good news for areas already dealing with that drought.

Drought Conditions Worsen in High Plains, West
Drought Conditions Worsen in High Plains, West

Some parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska saw precipitation this past week, but dry weather prevails in many areas.

California's Drought Situation So Dire Growers are Plowing Under Fields
California's Drought Situation So Dire Growers are Plowing Under Fields

Federal and state water projects say they will provide little to no irrigation water to many agricultural customers, so farmers must calculate how much food they can grow with their limited supplies.

Devastating Drought: Texas Farmers Say 2021 Drought Already Rivals 2011
Devastating Drought: Texas Farmers Say 2021 Drought Already Rivals 2011

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows from North Dakota to Texas, all the way west to California, the most severe levels of drought didn’t ease across the U.S. this past week. 

California Drought Lowest in Seven Years
California Drought Lowest in Seven Years

The latest Drought Monitor shows California is free of drought for the first time in more than seven years.

"Grass and brush are just tinder, they are like a fuse for these wildfires.” an official with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said this week, raising doubt that there'll be fewer wildfires in 2018.
2018 Wildfire Season on Track to Surpass Last Year in CA

California’s drought is worsening, and blazes have charred more acres in the first six months of this year than they did in the same period in 2017, a year that ultimately set records for destruction and deaths.

Wine Production
Weather Impacts 2017 Global Wine Production

The world may produce the least wine this year in half a century,

irrigation blue sky
Nebraska's Water Management Catches Eye of Other States

Nebraska's unique system for managing its groundwater is catching the eye of other states that are running dry and threatening farmers with restrictions after decades of overuse.

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Water Risk Issues Approach Boiling Point

“Ag and food production as we know it in the U.S. is perhaps at a far greater risk than we even realize."

Drought Pond Cattle California 2
California Proposes Restrictions to Ease Record Drought

California is working on the regulations designed to curb water use. Under proposed regulations, the state’s 411 urban water suppliers would have to cut use by as much as 36%, with those that conserved less facing tougher restrictions, under the rules released Saturday.

Water-Guzzling Californians Turn to Dusty Australians for a Hand

Australia, the dusty continent, has permanent measures in place to deal with drought. Perhaps toughest to adopt is separating water rights from land ownership to allow water trading, which puts a high value on the resources. Conservation and mandatory use reporting also play a role.

Drought Pond Cattle California 2
California Seeks Salvation in Desalination as Drought Drags On

As California battled its last severe drought in the early 1990s, Santa Barbara spent $34 million on a desalination plant that proved too costly to keep running when rain returned. Now, the city can’t afford to keep it idle.

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The Secret Weapon Against Climate Change

Time is not on our side, but something else is.

Where is Our Groundwater Going?

Recent data reveals that Earth’s groundwater supplies may be under some serious strain.

California’s Brown Negotiates $7.2 Billion Drought Bond Deal

Governor Jerry Brown and California Democratic lawmakers enlisted business support of a $7.2 billion plan composed mostly of new bonds for water storage and delivery to drought-stricken cities and farms.

California Drought Transforms Markets as Growers See Dry Future

Such crop switching is one sign of a sweeping transformation going on in California--the nation’s biggest agricultural state by value--driven by a three-year drought that climate scientists say is a glimpse of a drier future.

Cargill Earnings Decline on Effects of Drought
Cargill Earnings Decline on Effects of Drought

The company posted a 12 percent drop in fiscal fourth- quarter profit as its trading and processing business continued to feel the effects of drought in the U.S. and a shortage of railcars.

Water Wars Could Redraw State Lines

Georgia wants more water. Here's how they want to get it.

pW6 Gunning For Gluten
Gunning For Gluten

Wheat farmers are generally prepared for any type of calamity like drought, flooding, weeds and insects but are they prepared to face the newest rising problem?

Should I Quit Dairying Because of the Drought?

Only the individual dairy farmer – after much discussion with family members and input from lenders and other key advisers – can make the decision to exit.

South Dakota Drought Worse Than Dust Bowl

The far southeast corner of the state will set all-time records for precipitation. These stations have data for over 100 years, including the Dust Bowl.

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You Can See the Drought from Space

The cumulative effects of sediment deposits from last year’s flood, coupled with receding waters this summer, are visible from space.