[cripplecreek]

While not mentioned, they seem to forget that much of California is a natural desert. It has been argued that man changed much of that desert into lush farmland through technology and massive irrigation.

That's exactly why I am a big supporter of keeping a fair portion of our vegetable crop farming in the places they were in a century ago. While I recognize the value of longer and multiple growing seasons of southern California, its also a vulnerability.

In the summer of 2012 the Michigan fruit crops were pretty much wiped out by drought but those same crops were in abundance in the pacific northwest. In the summer of 2013 we had bumper crops here. The orchards were picking unripe apples to prevent the limbs from breaking under their weight. My apple trees produced apples the size of grapefruits.

[DuncanWaring]

I thought the 2012 fruit crop was destroyed by the very warm March followed by frost in April.

[Lakeshark]

In the summer of 2012 the Michigan fruit crops were pretty much wiped out by drought

Fwiw, I think the 2012 fruit crop was actually ruined by an unseasonable warming in March (I have pictures of people on the beach in bathing suits during that time) and normal frosts in April.