California is now in its third year of a drought that may turn out to be its worst ever. To make matters worse, the state has just had its warmest winter on record, depriving its parched land of snowmelt in the spring. Some communities are at risk of running out of drinking water, while those worst hit are ranchers and farmers. A lack of green grass means some are having to sell cows they can't afford, while the dry spell may force arable farmers to leave idle half a million acres of cropland.
