Asparagus Fields Destroyed Due to Drought

California’s drought is so severe farmers are having to fallow more and more crops in the Central Valley. One farmer didn’t see this coming after meeting with President Barack Obama last year, he thought something would be done but drought relief is yet to come.

A 70 acre field near Firebaugh would’ve produced over three hundred thousand pounds of asparagus but instead it was destroyed Tuesday morning. An inevitable decision for Joe Del Bosque who is getting rid of the crops three years before their time. 

"We don’t have enough water to carry it from here on," Del Bosque said. The lack of water is impacting California in many different ways and now Del Bosque walked through his field seeing and hearing what no farmer wants, destruction.

"It’s terrible because it’s an economic loss for me but beyond that, it’s gonna be a loss of jobs. It takes about 20 people to harvest this for two months," Del Bosque said.

Only a little over a year ago he felt excited and optimistic as he walked through his fields with President Barack Obama, showing him first hand the impact the lack of water has on California’s ag industry.

Del Bosque said "We didn’t know what he could do but he’s a powerful man, we thought he could do something but he really didn’t do a lot for us in terms of getting us water." He added that all President Obama did was provide food assistance for his farm workers.

"The food lines don’t pay for their kids school clothes, the rent and car payments. They need work and work only comes when you have water for growing crops."

Crops that are dependent upon surface water that’s captured in reservoirs and brought to farmers but they haven’t been able to get enough water through the delta. 

"There isn’t much more that we can do. What the government can do is try to be a little more efficient capturing the storm flows that go out into the ocean, just capture a little more," Del Bosque said. He is now fearful of what’s to come but still hoping for rain because if he doesn’t get any more water he’ll have to get rid of another asparagus field and wont plant any the following years.