Drought forces US farmers to kill crops, sell herds

More than three-quarters of farmers in drought-stricken US states have pulled farmland out of production, and 85 percent of ranchers reported selling off some portions of their herds, according to a survey.

The American Farm Bureau Federation, said on Tuesday that this year's drought conditions are taking a greater toll than last year's.

"Many farmers have had to make the devastating decision to sell off livestock they have spent years raising or destroy orchard trees that have grown for decades," said Zippy Duvall, president of the federation.

More than 80 percent of the West is in drought fueled by severe climate change this year, up from just 20 percent last year, according to the United States Drought Monitor. The drought, which has persisted since 2000, can now be considered the driest 22-year period of the past 1,200 years, according to a study published in the journal Nature Climate Change.

The drought is not confined to the West. Extreme drought－level 3 out of 4－now covers much of eastern Massachusetts including Boston, Connecticut, the entire state of Rhode Island, and nearly all of New York and New Jersey. About 50 percent of the lower 48 states are suffering from drought as well.

The federation estimated that nearly 60 percent of the West, South and Central Plains are experiencing severe drought or higher this year. The federation survey was conducted across 15 states from June 8 to July 20 in extreme drought regions from Texas to North Dakota to California, which makes up nearly half of the country's agricultural production value.

According to the survey, 50 percent of farmers in California have been forced to forgo planting or destroy orchards. California grows 80 percent of the world's supply of almonds and has many fruit crops.

This will "likely result in American consumers paying more for these goods, and either partially relying on foreign supplies or shrinking the diversity of items they buy at the store", the report said.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics' August inflation report showed that US consumers are spending 9.3 percent more on fruits and vegetables compared with a year ago.

July was the third-hottest on record for the US and ranked in the top 10 for every state in the West except for Montana, according to the National Centers for Environmental Information.

Agencies contributed to this story.

aiheping@chinadailyusa.com