I was talking to a couple of local farmers today about this drought. Old timers

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38. There could be another explanation.

There is very little Commercial Agri-Business in our rural area,
but almost everyone has a big Veggie Garden.
If you drive down the rural highways and back roads here,
you will see the same thing...
some gardens healthy and productive,
and some dried up and dead.

The explanation here is that some people have access to water for irrigation,
either from natural springs and ponds, or deep (expensive) high-flow wells with which to irrigate their crops.
Those who have marginal wells on their property can't irrigate,
and have to watch their hard work dry up and die while their neighbor down the road
enjoys a good harvest.

We are lucky.
We irrigate from a natural spring/well, have plenty of water,
and are having a good year.




It is heartbreaking to drive around and see the drought damage our neighbors are suffering.
I thought about posting a photo essay on this topic,
but don't have the heart to photograph the ugliness of the drought, now "Severe" in our area.
Some of these people depend on their Summer Gardens to feed the family.

I don't know about your area, but access to good water for irrigation could be part of the problem.

Access to abundant WATER is the key.
We never intended for our spring to be our sole water source, only a supplemental.
If the water table drops, and we lose our spring, then we, along with the rest of the country,
are in a lot of trouble.
It won't make any difference how much nitrogen we have in the soil if it dries up and blows away.

We are thankful every day for the cold, clear water that comes up from the ground in the back yard.