Economy

and I doubt cattle meat and dairy farms had adequate storage facilities for what they'd need this year.

I'd love to see the dairy herds moved north and the meat herds moved to the east. Cattle farming in the far west is getting to the point of being impossible, cowboy mystique and all. There's just not enough water to sustain it.

Chicken farming is more efficient in the amount of feed per pound of protein, but still only a little more sustainable than growing cattle.

Water shortages out west have been catastrophic. That's what this is about, not an admittedly stupid business model.