Author: Robert John
Undeniably, this year has been full of struggles because of extreme weather. From unrelenting heat, drought, and horrific hurricanes to ruinous floods and massive rainfall events, farmers kept on facing struggles. The climate disaster surely shows extensive climate change, and farmers are hard to save in terms of taking the biggest hit of the problems.
Unfortunately, farmers are not the sole victims of climate change because it affects many people since putting food on the table is getting harder.
In fact, beef shortage looms have become a primary concern and fear.
While climate change can’t be the one to directly blame for the poor harvest, its effects are noticeable more than ever. Farmers have always dealt with bad weather, and it is quite scary that we should adjust to the consequences climate change gives.
Let’s get into details about the struggles of poor harvest and beef.
Cattle in Texas
This year’s drought has forced countless ranchers to send more cows to slaughter. With that said, it will be no surprise if beef prices skyrocket in 2023 and even last till 2024. The beef shortage will definitely play a crucial role in the high prices.
In fact, it has been hard for ranchers to buy feed for cattle. Hence, cattle slaughter in the Texas region increased by 30% and 11% nationally. One thing is for sure; the increasing challenges faced by ranchers will lead to terrifying consequences.
Rice in California
Recently, California experienced a “mega-drought,” which is considered the worst in a thousand years. Part of the tremendous impact is the struggles in agriculture. Also, a big part of the place suffered from a lack of water for irrigation, so many lands have been unplanted. Since rice relies on groundwater, it was hit the hardest. Therefore, it explains the shortage of rice. The root of the crop problem lies in the problem of planting on some lands because of insufficient water for the fields.
Citrus fruit in Florida
Besides rice, there also have been problems with citrus fruits in Florida because of the recent Hurricane Ian. Due to the strong effect of the hurricane, it is no longer a surprise that the state’s citrus crops suffered significant damage together with subsequent flooding. This surely proves that nothing is spared from the challenges of climate change.
Almonds in California
Most likely, the shortage of almonds in California won’t be noticeable this year, but it might be a problem next year. The unusual frost, together with the ongoing western mega-drought, has forced farmers to prioritize the trees they need —leaving some trees uncared for. The combined drought and unpredictable weather have successfully cut the country’s almond crop by about 11%. Sadly, some farmers even go out of business altogether as they fail to face the problems.
Final Thoughts
Farmers and ranchers are great victims of climate change. While we know that they face struggles, it is still far from what they experienced. Because of that, climate change should be taken more seriously than ever. More importantly, preparation is the key to saving the future of US agriculture. Even if that doesn’t sound like a big solution, it can do more. Preparation and becoming more resilient to extremes are ways to prevent getting things worse.