As drought continues to plague the Western states, Arizona and California farmers are preparing to face difficult water restrictions. With a 84% of the state in drought, Arizona is expected to move to Tier 1 shortage cuts, the first in history, resulting in a loss of nearly 18% (512,000 acre-feet) of water being drawn from the Colorado river basin. In California, earlier this month, water regulators voted to restrict water access from the Sacramento and San Joaquin River watersheds for agriculture use, affecting Central Valley farmers. Farmers in this region must send a petition to the Deputy Director of the board for approval to divert 55 gallons or more from local sources, in addition to reporting water usage. As expected, farmers shouldering the burden in both states are expressing their concerns with crop conditions and food loss issues. Reach more stories of farmers affected by the extreme drought.