California Farms Face $3 Billion Loss From Historic Drought
- Top US agriculture state had most idled land in recent memory
- Growers are bracing for water limits as Colorado River shrinks
Lake Mendocino during a drought in Mendocino County, California, on Aug. 10.
Photographer: David Paul Morris/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
California’s worst drought has left growers in the top US agricultural state facing losses of $3 billion, just as producers brace for more widespread cuts to water supplies.
The state’s driest three-year period on record resulted in the crop revenue losses after growers left a total of 1.3 million acres unplanted over 2021 and 2022 as compared with 2019, according to a study commissioned by the California Department of Food and Agriculture. That’s the most idled acreage in recent memory, with effects cascading down the food industry.