Western Growers Shares Stories Of How Drought Is Impacting California Producers

It’s dry up and down the west coast, but in California, farmers are starting to see their water turn off. To show how the drought is impacting the farm industry in the largest agricultural production state, Western Growers is out with a series of videos showcasing the devastation left behind when the water stops flowing. Joe Del Bosque of Del Bosque Farms said at the start of the year they planned for their water allocation. But as the spring and summer dried out, it became evident they would not have enough water for all of their crops.

“So we had to sacrifice our asparagus, we had to cut back on our melons, and we’re going to go into deficit irrigation on these almonds also.  So, we’re cutting back everywhere but trying to keep enough to keep the farm going.”

Del Bosque pointed out when he took one of his asparagus fields out of production, his workers and the surrounding community were hit hard.

“Seventy people are going to lose their jobs here.  Next year, there will be no harvest here, those 70 people lose about two months of work.   It’s a very difficult hit for them and for the small towns that they live in and for their families.”

Del Bosque, like other farmers in the “No Water = No Crops” series, said deciding which crops to sacrifice has been one of the hardest decisions to make on the farm.

Click Here to check out those videos.

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