California Drought: Rain is in the Forecast, But It’s Not Enough

Feb 25, 2014

Rain is coming…but it won’t be enough to make a dent in California’s extreme drought conditions.

Weather forecasters are predicting that Northern California could receive some rainfall this week, but analysts say it will be unlikely to have a real impact on aiding the state’s ongoing drought woes.

According to the National Weather Service, two weather systems are expected to roll in – one on Wednesday evening and one on Friday. The storms could bring several inches of rain to the coast.

The state is dealing with what looks to be the driest year on record. Government officials say that every part of the state is experiencing some degree of drought, most notably the state’s agriculture regions.

What’s more concerning is that February tends to be the wettest month for California, which means the state is still well below average precipitation expectations for the month.

Despite the gloom, there is a glimmer of hope - some experts are predicting that the chance of an El Niño event occurring this summer is growing. If that does happen, it could bring heavy rainfall to the state.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.