Drought hitting California’s top dairy counties

USDA has declared Fresno and Madera Counties in California primary natural disaster areas “due to losses caused by drought that occurred from Jan. 1, 2009, and continuing.” Farmers in nine contiguous counties also qualify for federal disaster benefits including the top three dairy counties in the state, Tulare, Merced and Kings. Those three counties account for 50 percent of California’s total milk production.

Milk production in the Golden State has been declining steadily. Compared to a year-earlier numbers, May production was down 1.9%, April was 2.3% lower, March declined 3.8%, February was 5.8% lower and January output was 1.2% below January of 2008. In fact, the last year-over-year increase in California was last September when it was up .8%.