California’s Rain Threatens Almond Production – And It’s a Big Deal

Ugh, California just can’t catch a break. After struggling through a four-year drought that threatened everything from wine grapes to avocados, they’ve now been hit with a record amount of rain and it’s threatening almond production and salad greens. (California is a top producer of both.)

The state has gotten almost 30 inches of rain this winter, the most that’s ever been recorded. And that rain is keeping bees from pollinating almond trees and is threatening the production of snacking almonds. Snacking almonds make up 40 percent of California’s $5.3 billion crop.

And no, the irony of this situation hasn’t escaped us either. Almonds are notorious water suckers, using up to 10 percent of California’s agricultural water supply and have been accused of messing with the environment in other ways. Makes you think twice about pouring yourself a glass of almond milk, huh?

Here’s the thing. The big deal here is not just that almond and salad green production is about to plummet. The big deal here is the ever-growing number of reports of weather weirdness and the nonchalant treatment by some of the discussion of climate change.

Artichoke producers have warned consumers about a “supply gap.” Cauliflower prices have quadrupled. A case of romaine now costs $50 (instead of $12). And how about the American diet’s emphasis on meat, which sustains environmentally harmful practices? (Or the other extreme: a militant vegan or vegetarian diet can be harmful as well.)

And that’s just food. We haven’t even begun to discuss the global water crisis that affects more than 600 million people globally.

So here’s our point: we feel for the farmers and good people of California whose livelihood is once again at stake. And we feel for everyone here (and abroad) who is so affected by the escalating prices at the grocery store. But the headline here is that our climate is changing, faster than we think. All we have to do is stroll through aisles at the grocery store to see it.