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I am glad each state kind of has it's own commodity in agriculture, California has it's avocados and almonds, Iowa has it's swine and corn, Florida has it's oranges, Wisconsin it's cheese production, Georgia it's peaches, Idaho has it's potatoes. Those things help each economy in each state. I know for a fact Wisconsin's biggest economic producer is dairy the same with Idaho and it's potatoes.
This is because of the land, Wisconsin grows corn, and soybeans really well so naturally we have more cows. Idaho has perfect soil for potatoes, Maine has perfect soil for blueberries, California has perfect soil for Almonds there is a reason why some plants and animals dominate in certain areas of the country.
Actually, California is the king of peaches, (60% of all the peaches), followed by South Carolina, and then Georgia.
Another useless fact, since cows can be bred and kept pretty much in every state the reason the dairy belt is from Wisconsin to New England, was due to the fact of the perishable nature of fluid milk, they needed to get the milk to the store/homes that day and that region from Wisconsin to New England (Milwaukee/Chicago to Boston) had the the most amount of people in the US during that time.
What you are talking about here is not California, but the Central Valley which happens to be located in California. It is one of the most fertile regions in the world, and provides huge veggie crops annually as well as nearly 100% of US production of many fruits and nuts that people take for granted. You can't grow this stuff just anywhere.
Wetter doesn't mean better. You need the right time and temperatures too. In some states the time to grow crops is shorter and you can only grow certain crops within that time. Not to mention what good does it do to have a crop that can get flooded over.
Look at Avocado prices. Once the drought had a effect on the avocado crop, the avocado growers in Mexico held out and waited for the prices to go up. But people don't understand what would happen to crop prices if California didn't grow crops anymore. California is more than SD LA SF
Drought is happening west of the Mississipi like California, and has in the past before.
With our tech I am sure we can prevent flooding unless it is like a Hurricane Katrina level disaster.
Groundbreaking thoughts. Now that you mention it I'm sure people who have been in this business for decades completely overlooked this and will now get on the ball
I am asking what those people who have been in business know that I dont.
I just didnt want to start this thread with just one measly sentence, so I put down some ideas I plucked out of nowhere.
I am not necessarily trying to make an argument for doing all our farming elsewhere.
Wetter places are not better for growing. Wet means fungus and mildew that destroy crops. Wet means a heavier insect pest load. Wet means you can't plow or run heavy machinery on the mud with out compacting the soil.
Water is important but so is daytime temperatures, nighttime temperatures, growing season, and chill hours.
And California does not provide all the food. California provides fruit and vegetables. Other states provide the grain that we eat and the cattle and hogs for meat. California provides milk, because it is much easier to keep dairy cows if you can keep them dry.
Each location has crops that are best suited for the conditions in that location and each location has crops that won't grow there.
True every place has its disadvantages, but I always thought water and fertilizer is first priority for plants. The east does have denser natural vegetation than the west. Cant our herbicides, and pesticides take care of the weeds and fungi?
That docu Water and Power makes it seem like if the San Andreas fault did break we are all totally starving.
I just thought with our tech, and right fertilizer, we can make anything grow in any temperate zone.
Like other posters said wetter isn't better. Avocados for example like no wind, no frost, and very little humidity California is a great place to grow Avocados. Almonds grow the best in warm temps, and wet winters like California.
The one thing I think is crazy that California should probably not have In terms of land use and water consumption are huge mega dairy farms with 30,000 cows a farm. Dairy cows use crazy amounts of water and I think it's crazy the state allows these mega dairy farms to continue.
I am glad each state kind of has it's own commodity in agriculture, California has it's avocados and almonds, Iowa has it's swine and corn, Florida has it's oranges, Wisconsin it's cheese production, Georgia it's peaches, Idaho has it's potatoes. Those things help each economy in each state. I know for a fact Wisconsin's biggest economic producer is dairy the same with Idaho and it's potatoes.
This is because of the land, Wisconsin grows corn, and soybeans really well so naturally we have more cows. Idaho has perfect soil for potatoes, Maine has perfect soil for blueberries, California has perfect soil for Almonds there is a reason why some plants and animals dominate in certain areas of the country.
( last paragraph).......not the reason Wisconsin has dairy.
If the criteria is you have to be able to grow corn and soybeans well, Iowa and Illinois would be the leading dairy states.
You usually find the most dairy farming where there are not nice big fields of rich land.
Very few cows in southern MN either.
You see more dairy cattle where the fields are not as adapted to huge corn and soybean fields and where alfalfa grows well. Alfalfa grows well on well drained rolling topography.
Of course, the mega dairy feedlot types prefer sandy,dry areas so mud in the cow yards is not a problem.
Nj brazen there is a multi quote function in the bottom right of each post where you can click as many posts in a row that you want to respond to and then hit quote on the last one and you can respond to all at once so you don't have to wait 60 seconds in between each post to reply
Depends ont he crop. Most of the world's corn is grown in five Midwestern states. Most of the USA grain in another three or four. California produces little corn (and it is not very good) and not much grain either. Cotton and tobacco are also not grown much in California. (And the Brocolli they grow there is blue - wth? Blue brocolli? It turns green when cooked though so all is well)
It is odd though. The biggest lettuce growing location is Yuma Arizona. Lettuce is a very watery vegetable. That makes little sense. I also thought it was funny that California is a major producer of nuts. I wonder if they include both edible nuts and the human kind. I think the latter is a larger product of California than the former.
Two years ago I drove to Calexico/Mexicali, and all I saw was desert for most of the trip until I got closer to town. That is were I saw low lying farm fields. I was quite surreal actually. Yuma is like 70 miles east.
Southern China, Southeast Asia and Florida and Cuba are major regions, and they are wet and humid. But also North Africa, and Southwest USA which are dry.
California has, overall, the best variety of produce over the longest growing season, but some of the best individual examples of produce, i.e. tomatoes, sweet corn, cucumbers, apples, blueberries, and more, that I have ever had came from NJ, NY, PA, and OH.
But the length of the growing season and other economic factors mean that farming is less economical in those states so the produce is usually only available locally and in season whereas California, along with Mexico, can supply leathery, mealy tomatoes, huge, flavorless strawberries, and rock hard avocados to your Anywhere, USA Walmart all year round.
But does the lack of water not also factor into the economy of it? Does it not cost lots of money to locate and then pump the water to the location you want? In the Northeast you just wait for rain.
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