Continued drought could mean higher produce prices!

The drought that’s currently gripping California which follows the state’s driest year on record, is likely to boost the prices of everything from broccoli to cauliflower nationwide. Farmers and truckers stand to lose billions in revenue, weakening an already fragile recovery in the nation’s most-populous state.

The fallout may be felt on grocery shelves throughout the country in the coming months as 'prices for produce like artichokes, celery, broccoli and cauliflower could rise at least 10 percent', this according to Milt McGiffen, a vegetable specialist at the University of California at Riverside. The state of California grows more than 80% of the nation’s supply of these crops.

Down here, in southwest Missouri, where I live near the small town  of Forsyth, we have also affected by drier than normal weather over the past several months.  According to historical records, we should have received something like ten and a quarter inches of rain by the end of March, when in point of fact we stand at just over four inches as of this post! And, while this is not as bad as the exceptional and long standing drought that is affecting the Central Valley in California, it still bears watching as we enter into the months of April and May when traditionally, heavier rainfall has occurred.

You can visit www.taneyservices.com for more live weather information for Taney County Missouri!