Super-6Drought and Other Ag News

The heated debate on the Great Drought in California provides a fascinating case study on how different interest groups - from john doe citizen to the olive oil industry -- view the role and importance of the state's agriculture industry. This week's Super Six shares some of these perspectives as additional states brace for drought and other limited resources issues.

  • First, the latest on the drought story from ABC News which reports that the state's Water Resources Control Board adopted even more stringent water restrictions Tuesday after California failed to reach Gov. Jerry Brown's goal of 25 percent reductions outlined in a historic April 1 executive order.drought_2

  • The Biola University Chimes publication asks the question, "Why should crops be given the priority over humans? Let us be honest, the publication says, the majority of Southern Californians do not notice their farms or even really care about them. Nonetheless, California agriculture employs one million California residents.

  • AgAlert, a weekly newspaper for California agriculture, sees the intense focus on the drought as an opportunity to explain the significance of California food production—especially in the Central Valley.

  • The Hanford Sentinel reports on a public hearing at which Craig McNamara, board president of the California Department of Food and Agriculture, states that it’s easy to cast blame, but don't forget that irrigation wells have gone dry, lifelong investments are dying in the fields and serious financial burdens are hanging overhead for many of the state's farmers and ag companies. drought_1

  • Oregonlive.com notes that there is nothing normal about the fourth year of the great drought. According to scientists, it may be the worst arid spell in 1,200 years. For all the fields that will go fallow, all the forests that will catch fire, all the wells that will come up dry, the lasting impact of this drought for the ages will be remembered, in the most exported term of California startups, as a disrupter.

  • Oliveoiltimes.com looks at how the drought has affected their particular industry. News sources estimate that, including all species, 12 million trees in California have died due to the lack of rain.  

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