If you live almost anywhere in the South, Southwest or Western states you know how serious our long running drought has become.
Wells, creeks, rivers, ponds and lakes are drying up. Farmers are not planting millions of acres of prime farm lands, vineyards, fruit and nut orchards, vines and trees are dieing. Ranchers are selling off their livestock herds, poultry growers are going out of business because they do not have water, pasture grass or hay to feed their herds or poultry flocks.
Price hikes and limited supplies of berries, fruits, vegetables, beef, pork and poultry will become common in supermarkets this year.
You may find 90 percent of your fresh produce is coming from foreign producers in places like Mexico, Argentina and such.
Even those not directly affected by drought conditions will feel the sting of supermarket price increases.
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Sad to say, but, NOAA and the NWS 6 month long range forecast is calling for little or no rain and higher than normal temperatures during the next 6 months April – October 2014.
Don’t forget to proudly display your American Flag on May 5, 2014 National Freedom Day
Not from the USA Please leave me comment about your home town and country.
Why is common sense so uncommon?
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Town & Country Gardening 
The issue we often face in Australia is that drought never affects people in cities in the same way it does in remote areas. People can still go to a supermarket and buy fresh produce, even if it does cost a little more or perhaps comes from overseas. In third world countries natural disasters have an immediate impact on agricultural production. We need to find better ways of linking farmers with consumers – like you excellent blog!
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Re debhuntinbrokenhill Thanks for your comment(s). I think it’s the same world wide, city dwellers never consider how a drought affects farmers and ranchers as long as long as water runs out of the tap on demand. They (city dwellers) never consider the hard ships of trying to make a wheat crop, raise a livestock herd or produce fruit and vegetables with a limited water supply.
Thanks
Happy productive gardening
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I’m in that little red blob in So. Arizona. All week long I’ve been watching the clouds pass me by, and headed your way. Hope they drop some water on you!
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Re yellopig Sad Smile … I think those clouds made a wrong turn in Denver and went to Iowa!
Happy sometimes rain filled summer gardening
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I hope you get some rain soon! We had a pretty bad drought here in Alabama a couple of years ago, but it was nothing like what you’re facing out West.
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Re laughingbirdfarm – Thanks for taking time to visit my humble little blog and for your kind comment(s)
Grin … Those of us that have been raised in southwest Oklahoma and Texas are well aware of our sometimes harsh weather conditions. We sometimes whine about the weather, but, truth be known we wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
Happy gardening
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I actually grew up in Southwest Oklahoma. I miss it terribly sometimes. And here I thought you were in California!
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Eeeeek !
🙂 No I’m one of those guys that like to be punished by attempting to raise a dry-land garden.
Happy gardening
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Here in the UK we have had the opposite. It has rained nearly every day since November, but this in itself has been damaging to the land with a lot of the UK suffering severe floods. The ground is so saturated that our farmers have not been able to access the land to plough or seed. The soil has also gone sour, a lot of bacteria and worms etc have perished, and any goodness and nutrients there were have leeched from the soil leaving it infertile.
The rain has eased a little in the last week or so but the water table is so high that it only takes a small rain shower to bring it up to the surface again.
I feel it is going to be a very tough year for farmers all over the world with the adversities they have been up against this winter.
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Your right. Wet soil can’t be plowed or planted and dry soil can be planted but you can then only hope for a rain to germinate your seed. Either way timing is all important if you hope to plant and make a productive cash producing crop.
Hope you dry out enough for you and your farmers to plant and make a crop.
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I don’t see how things will get better, we use deuce the amount of water in this country than anywhere else in the world. I’m collecting my shower water for my plants. I hope we are all able to continue with happy gardening!
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😦 It takes a lot more water than most of us think. My 2 longhorn cows, 2 yearling calf’s, 2 sucking calf’s, 1 horse, 1 donkey and a small flock of laying hens require 200 or so gallons of ‘fresh clean’ drink water everyday. Add water used in the house for cooking and washing. Recycling shower and dish wash water is helpful, but, sometimes I feel like it’s almost a waste of time and effort.
Happy productive summer gardening
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I had no idea that you have drought conditions in the US. In Australia where I live drought seems to cycle around the country. Some places don’t see rain for years, yet we have desalination plants standing idle. 😦
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Re Robert – Thanks for visiting my little blog and for your comment(s)
To be truthful, I have lost count. I don’t know if this is the 5th or the 6th year of our dry spell. But like you, droughts come in cycles every few years.
Happy gardening
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Re thatoldschoolgirlagain Thanks for your visit and your comment(s)
Yes, Almost all of the western and southwestern states are suffering drought conditions. Some places are just dryer than other places.
Happy rain filled summer gardening
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Wow I had no idea that there was still a water issue. I hadn’t heard anything on the subject since last summer so I figured things were better.
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