It\u2019s official: California drought, which began in 2011, has entered a fourth consecutive year of severe drought. Almost 80 percent of California is now in the state of \u201cextreme or exceptional\u201d drought. Low snowpack in the mountains and record high triple-digit temperature heat waves surrounding the state even in the midst of autumn are telling us that coming months will do little to improve the dehydrated state. In drought-stricken California, people engaging in businesses anywhere from breweries to golf are struggling hard to prevent their companies from shutting down by fighting water-shortage. Among all industries however, farming is the probably the most negatively impacted in California\u2014the nation\u2019s biggest agricultural state by value.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Shocking image of cumulative water storage changes in California captured by NASA satellite over the last 12 years.<\/em><\/p>\n http:\/\/mashable.com\/2014\/10\/03\/nasa-satellites-california-drought\/<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n The fact that farmers need water to grow their products is pretty intuitive. However, the state has faced a net water shortage of 1.6 million acre-feet this year, resulting in $810 million loss in crop revenue and $203 million worth of damage in dairy and livestock products. California drought is causing the agricultural business to shrink. The dwindling farming business is negatively affecting the California economy in many ways. The severe and historic drought in California is expected to have a huge financial and economic influence in California\u2019s agricultural sector\u2014and lead to thousands of jobs being cut. To make matters worse, it will also likely to have negative impacts on nation\u2019s food prices and foreign exports.<\/p>\n According to data released by Beacon Economics, exports of California fruits and tree nuts dropped by 8 percent compared to last year and vegetables by 7.8 percent this August. In terms of rice crop, almost 25% of California\u2019s $5 billion will be lost this year due to drought. It is said that 2,500 rice farmers planted just 420,000 acres of high-quality rice used in sushi this year\u2014a significantly lower number than usual. California\u2019s Sacramento Valley produces most of the sushi rice and exports a huge amount of rice countries outside U.S., especially in Asia. According to U.S. Drought Monitor, 58% of California, including all of Central Valley, where a lot of agriculture happens, is currently going through \u201cexceptional drought\u201d, the most severe level of drought. In other words, sushi lovers will either see a spike in the price of sushi or a shorter roll.<\/p>\n Among the biggest losses in California agriculture are almonds, hay, corn and oranges. The state\u2019s dairy farmers are struggling too because there is not even water to grow hay to feed their cows.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Empty docks as a result of severe drought<\/p>\n