If the canals are the veins, then the water is the blood that gives life to Kern County's crops. But there's no water flowing in the canal that supplies Greg Tesch's Lamont farm.
"The water level is usually where you see the color change, so it's about three quarters of the way up," Tesch said as he pointed to the canal.
The canal's dry and so is Tesch's land. He is now borrowing water from a neighbor's reserve to keep some fruit alive for the Sunday Farmer's Market.
"Anybody who doesn't have a well just really can't do any work right at the moment," Tesch said. "That's us except we are doing it on a garden scale you might say - couple acres we are trying to keep wet, we are really hoping for rain."
January is typically a big month for snow and rain, but it's not predicted for at least another week.
"Last year we picked up just under a half inch, but so far this month, nothing," 17 weather forecaster, Kevin Charette, said. "I'm not expecting any type of rain through at least January 15th."
Curtis Creel with the Kern County Water Agency said California is going on a three year drought and water rationing is possible, but we are not there yet.
"Through the month of January, if we don't receive much precipitation or snow, then we're going to be having very different conversations next month," Creel said.
That could trickle down to the average household by way of restrictions for watering your lawn. So while most of us are enjoying a season of sun, Tesch and other growers are wishing for rain.
