Ranching and California's Drought – A Workshop and Webcast
Workshop Topics
• What the U.S. Drought Monitor means to you
• How California Ranchers are coping with the drought
• New feeding strategies for livestock during drought
• NOAA's forecast for the coming season
On November 7, 2014, we brought the U.S. Drought Monitor authors and the California State Climatologist to UC Davis to talk about 1) how the U.S. Drought monitor is updated weekly; and 2) how local expert knowledge, real time ranch impacts, and other relevant data can be used to inform the U.S Drought Monitor. We also shared new information on California Ranchers’ perceptions and experiences with drought, new livestock feeding strategies during drought, and seasonal weather forecasts for California.
The workshop was held on the UC Davis campus and webcast to the majority of participants at local satellite locations across California. Questions and comments from local satellite webcast locations were included throughout the workshop.
Videos and Presentations
Michael Anderson, State Climatologist, California Department of Water Resources
I provide technical support to programs within the Department related to observations, planning, forecasts, and projections of weather and climate. I have 10 years of experience in my current position and spent the previous 15 years at the University of California Davis getting my advanced degrees and post-doctoral research in the area of hydroclimate studies. For the current drought, I provide information on the historical positioning of the magnitude and duration of the drought, outlooks for future evolution of water conditions, and provide outreach in the form of presentations and interviews. I also serve on the Department’s Drought Management Team.