Why California's Drought Makes Your Tomatoes So Expensive

Why California's Drought Makes Your Tomatoes So Expensive California has the largest agriculture industry in the nation, producing $44.7 billion a year in revenue. However, last year's low rainfall (2013 was the driest year in the state's history at only about 7 inches) and grim predictions for the year ahead are threatening the agricultural powerhouse's lucrative industry -- and driving up prices for consumers. California Produces Lots Of Food, Using Lots Of Water Gallons of water used to produce: Percent of U.S. production coming from California, and most productive county 100% Milk: 21% Tulare County 1 gallon milk 50% 880 10% Potatoes: 3% San Joaquin County 1 pound potatoes 119 Rice: 23% Colusa, Butte, Sutter and Yuba Counties 1 pound rice 449 Tomatoes (processing): 90% San Joaquin County 1 pound tomatoes 24 1 pound lettuce 30 Leaf lettuce: 85% Monterey County 1 loaf bread 288 Wheat: 2% Kings County 1 pound beef 1,799 Cattle and calves: 5% Tulare County Eggs: 6% San Diego County 1 dozen eggs 636 Most Of California Has No Water Percent of California experiencing drought* 4.27% Moderate drought 58.36% Extreme drought 8.77% Exceptional drought 4.39% Abnormally Dry 22.78% Severe drought 1.43% Nothing *As of Jan. 30, 2014 Your Food Costs More Inches of precipitation Price in 2013 dollars 40 $4 100% ground beef, January price per pound Whole wheat bread, January price per pound 1901-2000 average annual precipitation California average annual precipitation 12% 35 $3.50 30 Farmers will probably leave about 12 percent of last year's principal crop acreage unplanted 25 $2.50 20 $2 15 $1.50 $5B 10 $1 $.50 Lost revenue in 2014 from farming, including farmworker wages, processing, and transportation, could reach $5 billion $0 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 THE HUFFINGTON POST Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Labor Statistics, NOAA National Climactic Data Center, University of California at Davis, Bloomberg, California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, National Drought Mitigation Center, GRACE Communications Foundation, Milk designed by Jeff Seevers from the Noun Project, Bread designed by Jon Testa from the Noun Project, Cabbage designed by Jose Eduardo Ayala from the Noun Rroject Photo: Gety