SUTTER COUNTY, Calif. — Look to the skies north of Sacramento this time of year and chances are you'll see low-flying planes seeding the rice fields. But the California drought has had a ripple effect across industries, particularly agriculture.
"We were faced with the tough decisions. Are we going to have water? And if so, how much? And where?" said Fritz Durst, a rice farmer of 40 years.
California Rice says the industry contributes more than $5 billion annually and 25,000 jobs to the state economy, but this year farmers are expected to cut back production by an estimated 20% to conserve water.
"The drought is impacting our farms in a very real way," said Cal Rice President & CEO Tim Johnson at a media event Thursday.
"This year, our initial estimates are that we will grow 100,000 less acres of rice, than we did previously. That’s really a result of multiple years of low rainfall and snowpack," Johnson said.
"I think that everyone needs to understand that we are not in a good place right now," said ABC10 Morning Meteorologist Rob Carlmark.
An update Thursday from the U.S. drought monitored indicated that 73% of the state is now in "extreme drought," up from 53% the previous week.
Carlmark said there's no serious chance for relief until the fall at this point. By then, it will be time for harvest, and the impacts of a reduced yield will be felt by many rural communities.
"They rely on farming, rice farming, rice milling, trucking," explained Johnson.
Rice farmers say they need to be reliable producers in markets around the U.S. and the world, even in the face of drought, so sitting out the season isn't an option.
"We don't want to lose those markets. So as a businessman, it's an important decision to me," Durst said.
