I know it's commonplace to associate drought with summer time. July and August are generally known for low precipitation and high temperatures. Yuck. I am not a fan of summer.
However, drought happens year round. While my home state of Kansas and the Ninja's home state of Ohio are faring well in terms of moisture through the cold months (I'm still waiting on snow to melt from January and NW Ohio has had a near record-breaking winter), farmers and ranchers in California are desperate for moisture. Any moisture.
California rancher Meg Brown of The Beef Jar has been blogging about the difficulties her family's ranch is facing with such an extreme drought.
Meg is not alone. As you can see, there are numerous states that are struggling with a lack of moisture right now.
So while there are many people [including myself] who are tired of snow, we should all keep those drought affected regions in our thoughts. Furthermore, that big purple portion of the map is responsible for A LOT of fruit and vegetable production in the USA and without water, it's going to be hard to get decent yields.
Just some food for thought!
Until next time,
~ Buzzard ~
Labels: cattle, crop production, drought, grazing, livestock, rain, snow, water, weather, winter
