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

As California’s brutal drought continues, what are the implications for the country’s fresh produce supply? That’s the subject of “Water for Farms,” a new, online documentary series of five videos from Western Growers.

The five short videos provide first-hand accounts of how the unrelenting drought is hurting California farmers, said Western Growers in a release.

Produced in association with the California Farm Water Coalition, the videos also show the drought's potential impact on consumers via stories from Booth Ranches in Orange Cove, Calif., Del Bosque Farms in Firebaugh, Calif.; HMC Farms in Kingsburg, Calif. And Woolf Farming in Huron, Calif.

The videos are available now on the Western Growers YouTube channel, and will be rolled out on Western Growers and California Farm Water Coalition social platforms over the next month.

The five documentary videos include:

“Water for Farms” overview

The current drought has exposed what happens when we fail to prepare. California farmers are now facing drastic cuts in water. Without water, there will be less food on our grocery store shelves.

Booth Ranches: Oranges

Almost 90% of the fresh oranges consumers buy in-store come from California. This year, Booth Ranches has already pulled out 100 acres of healthy orange trees, with potentially more on the way.

Del Bosque Farms: Cantaloupes

This year, Del Bosque Farms cut back on cantaloupe production by 15%, which it says represents 3 million pounds of cantaloupes gone from grocery store shelves.

HMC Farms: Plums

HMC Farms ripped out 100 acres of plum trees this year, which equates to one million American’s annual plum consumption.

Woolf Farming: Tomatoes

Woolf Farming cut back its tomato production by 50% this year. Fewer tomatoes could mean consumers will pay more for everything from ketchup to pizza sauce to tomato soup.