Many people across California are thinking the same thought lately: If only I could make it rain.
The state just endured its driest year ever, according to the National Weather Service. And rainfall levels this year — at halfway through our rainiest months — aren’t much improved. Now the state has created a team to address the drought, with many waiting for Gov. Brown to officially declare it an emergency.
Farmers and ranchers are already feeling the pain.
Rancher Joe Morris in San Jaun Bautista says this drought is the worst he’s seen in decades. The water shortage got so bad in the fall, that he spent weeks trucking tap water to his cows. He says it’s causing no small amount of anxiety.
“Heart palpitations at three in the morning are kind of a fairly common experience for ranchers in this situation,” Morris says. He owns Morris Grassfed and sells beef to 900 families throughout the state.