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The problems the US (and the world for that matter) will be facing soon are extensive. The desert southwest and west population might be easier to relocate than a place like NYC for example. With rising sea levels, is relocation of millions (I'm not thinking the total population of NYC- just some) realistic and where would they go?
Climatecentral.org has some interesting maps. Check out New Orleans by 2020 (6 years from now!!)
It is surprising to me how few people seem at all concerned about this.
The other question is where is our produce going to come from? It is currently grown in California (and Arizona and northern Mexico) because it can be produced at relatively high quality levels outside of normal growing seasons. Getting peppers or lettuce in January is not something you can make happen with just the flip of a switch. It requires the proper location. If this drought becomes semi-permanent, some vegetables might become extremely expensive or unavailable in the winter.
I am the head chef of a restaurant so these are things I think about. An example of what might be coming is what currently happens with asparagus. There is no place in the northern hemisphere where you can grow asparagus from October to March. When it is in season it is around $20 a case. Out of season it comes from Peru, because of transportation costs it is $60 to $ 80 a case and isn't always available. This is the future of produce if the southwest goes dry.
The other question is where is our produce going to come from? It is currently grown in California (and Arizona and northern Mexico) because it can be produced at relatively high quality levels outside of normal growing seasons. Getting peppers or lettuce in January is not something you can make happen with just the flip of a switch. It requires the proper location. If this drought becomes semi-permanent, some vegetables might become extremely expensive or unavailable in the winter.
I am the head chef of a restaurant so these are things I think about. An example of what might be coming is what currently happens with asparagus. There is no place in the northern hemisphere where you can grow asparagus from October to March. When it is in season it is around $20 a case. Out of season it comes from Peru, because of transportation costs it is $60 to $ 80 a case and isn't always available. This is the future of produce if the southwest goes dry.
That's where buying local and cooking more seasonally can go a long way in the efforts. Rather than demanding certain fruits and vegetables 365 days per year, we need to embrace eating more seasonally as it's obviously much more sustainable and doesn't strain the ecology. Also I would urge if you haven't already to utilize such local treasures as Stone's Throw Urban Farm or Garden Fresh Farm which are just a couple of local treasures in Minneapolis.
The other question is where is our produce going to come from? It is currently grown in California (and Arizona and northern Mexico) because it can be produced at relatively high quality levels outside of normal growing seasons. Getting peppers or lettuce in January is not something you can make happen with just the flip of a switch. It requires the proper location. If this drought becomes semi-permanent, some vegetables might become extremely expensive or unavailable in the winter.
I am the head chef of a restaurant so these are things I think about. An example of what might be coming is what currently happens with asparagus. There is no place in the northern hemisphere where you can grow asparagus from October to March. When it is in season it is around $20 a case. Out of season it comes from Peru, because of transportation costs it is $60 to $ 80 a case and isn't always available. This is the future of produce if the southwest goes dry.
Michigan wins this contest too. Well, we are the second most diverse agricultural state behind California ( http://farmflavor.com/us-ag/michigan/) but we all know what is going to happen when this drought goes on for another 100 years in CA
Anyway, the moderating effect of Lake Michigan allows us to grow all sorts of fruits and veggies that you can't grow elsewhere in the Midwest. Oh, and that same moderating effect will keep our temps cooler in the summer while everyone else bakes. Oh, and did I mention all of the water we have?
We should probably start building a razor wire fence at the border any day now............
Oh, but if the Great Lakes dry up then we are doomed. Goes without saying, of course.
You can't grow produce in Michigan in January. That is the point. Generally with produce it will come from region x for a few weeks while that is producing and then from region y for a few weeks and then so on. It moves like this from the north to the south when we go from summer to winter and then from south to north as we go from winter to summer. The end of produce agriculture in the southwest would open up massive winter supply gaps in that system.
That's where buying local and cooking more seasonally can go a long way in the efforts. Rather than demanding certain fruits and vegetables 365 days per year, we need to embrace eating more seasonally as it's obviously much more sustainable and doesn't strain the ecology. Also I would urge if you haven't already to utilize such local treasures as Stone's Throw Urban Farm or Garden Fresh Farm which are just a couple of local treasures in Minneapolis.
I helped open the restaurant in St Paul that started this movement in the Twin Cities so I know a fair amount about it. I use local sources whenever I can. But to a large degree this is a game of "let's pretend" aimed at bourgeoisie foodies. Nothing is in season in the upper Midwest in the winter. You can grow stuff in greenhouses but they have to be heated so the food that comes from them has a worse carbon footprint than the stuff that is trucked in from California. So you might as well eat what you want in the winter and play localvore in the summer.
I helped open the restaurant in St Paul that started this movement in the Twin Cities so I know a fair amount about it. I use local sources whenever I can. But to a large degree this is a game of "let's pretend" aimed at bourgeoisie foodies. Nothing is in season in the upper Midwest in the winter. You can grow stuff in greenhouses but they have to be heated so the food that comes from them has a worse carbon footprint than the stuff that is trucked in from California. So you might as well eat what you want in the winter and play localvore in the summer.
Well, you can spend the whole winter eating potatoes and cold-stored apples.
Great post! Everyone in the country could learn a thing or two about conserving water though.
It's utterly ridiculous. The CAP (Central Arizona Project) was an amazing feat by engineers... basically it travels water across the 5th largest state to supply water to Tucson, Phoenix... People take advantage of that. I know lots of people here with special (and expensive) kinds of grass. They buy from the Home Depot, and get mad when they die. What do you expect in a desert? Is that really necessary? I understand wanting to play football or having a dog or having small children but I think a neighborhood park would do that. We have plenty of those, and no one is ever there! They are almost always abandoned unless some soccer game is going on.
I helped open the restaurant in St Paul that started this movement in the Twin Cities so I know a fair amount about it. I use local sources whenever I can. But to a large degree this is a game of "let's pretend" aimed at bourgeoisie foodies. Nothing is in season in the upper Midwest in the winter. You can grow stuff in greenhouses but they have to be heated so the food that comes from them has a worse carbon footprint than the stuff that is trucked in from California. So you might as well eat what you want in the winter and play localvore in the summer.
It's not a game, and isn't something just for foodies. The American public needs to be educated on where there food comes from and how it gets to the table. A terrific place to start would be with tomatoes. Why is there the expectation that sandwiches and burgers must always come with a tomato, despite the fact they're usually flavorless since they're picked green out of season and "truck ripened" in route to destination. Are we okay with unripened Oranges or Apples....most likely no, so why in this instance and why at considerable expense do we continue the practice?
Well, you can spend the whole winter eating potatoes and cold-stored apples.
Plus Turnips, Squash, Parsnips and Carrots...not to mention locally produced Greenhouse/Hydroponic vegetables.
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Great post! Everyone in the country could learn a thing or two about conserving water though.
