May 13, 2009
Water crisis jeopardises California dairy feed supply
The water crisis in California continues to worsen, putting feed supply at risk and affecting dairy farmers in the state.
Some farmers in California have been forced to fallow their land, and the lack of water is having a direct impact on the dairy industry. Feed availability could be in short supply to non-existent by this autumn, according to Californian dairy producer Tom Barcellos.
Farmers who grow corn and sell it to dairy producers are wary because corn prices are 50- to 60-percent lower from last year, while available water is also becoming increasingly expensive, he said.
As a result, some farmers may plant Sudan or Milo as an alternative to corn, as the crops can handle the stress of little to no water, and many cropping changes could be at hand, Barcellos said.
He also said farmers who are harvesting wheat right now are not going to double crop back with corn.
No amount of money can buy non-existent feed, he said.