The results are in! The American Farm Bureau Federation surveyed producers impacted by drought and here is what they found: 74 percent of farmers expect reduced yields because of this year’s dry conditions, which is up 2 percent from last year. 42 percent of surveyed farmers say they plan to switch to different crops next year. Many respondents noted the drought is forcing them to get rid of multi-year crops like orchards.
American Farm Bureau Economist, Danny Munch, says communicating the impact of drought on agriculture is crucial to mitigation efforts.
“A lot of data on drought impacts is often isolated, it’s not uniform across the country, or it’s just generally difficult to come by. So, we at AFBF recognize the gap in data and decided to run our own survey. This is the third time as drought continues to persist, and that data provides useful insights on the operational-level hurdles farmers and ranchers face in coping with that drought. That’s helpful in our communication efforts,” said Munch.
Munch said they received over 650 responses from 15 states across the western half of the country.
Related:
Checkin’ in on Sorghum: The crop is getting hit hard by drought
Drought Update: The west has a long road to recovery
How is the drought impacting rice growers in Texas?
