California Drought Worsens and Argentina Wheat Challenges

*Water supply challenges for California farmers are worsening as the drought deepens.

Unlike other dry years, farmers are facing troubles finding water to acquire in secondary transfer markets, says Ellen Hanak, director of water policy for the Public Policy Institute of California.

Tim Johnson, president and CEO of the California Rice Commission, says growers will plant just 250,000 acres this year, half of the normal 500,000.

**It appears Argentina won’t be able to capitalize on the interruption of wheat supplies from the Black Sea, according to AgriCensus, a London-based Price Reporting Agency.

The agency says weather, inflation and political uncertainty all combine to be detrimental to wheat exports for the nation.

Argentine farmers face dry conditions with the second consecutive La Nina and worries of a third consecutive event.

**The USDA extended the comment deadline regarding its “Access to Fertilizer: Competition and Supply Chain Concerns.”

Published in the Federal Register in March, the previous deadlines for comments were May 16, and June 15.

USDA has now extended the comment deadline another month to July 15.

Andy Green, USDA's Senior Advisor for Fair and Competitive Markets, says the new deadline allows commenters to provide additional feedback to directly enhance competition in the fertilizer market."