Eli5: how do farmers water their fields? If it doesn’t rain are they just screwed over for the year?
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Modern farms use mobile [irrigation systems](https://ruralwaterdirect.com/media/magefan_blog/RuralWaterDirect-120531-Farm-Irrigation-System-Blogbanner1.jpg) to ensure that their crops get enough water. They factor in how much water the crops have gotten from rain and use artificial systems to augment that to get the crops what they need.
Modern farming is actually incredibly scientific and complex. Soil additives, pesticides/herbicides, water levels, even the seeds themselves are all carefully selected and monitored to maximize crop yields in a given area.
Some farms use irrigation to water the crops. But many crops are just left to the elements. And , yes, in times of drought it can be devastating. But farms also have crop insurance to mitigate their loses.
Some farmers do have the ability to water the fields, some don’t.
For those that do, central pivot irrigation is one of the main ways. They have sprinklers with wheels, that pivot on a central point.
If you ever fly out west in the US, you will see a lot of circle shaped fields. This is because land is relatively cheap, and water is needed, so crops are planted in a giant circle where they can be watered.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center-pivot_irrigation
That is just one common method, of which there are many. Drip irrigation is also common. It just depends on what they are growing, and where they are at.
Irrigation has been explained very well already, so I’ll just add that the most farmers take crop insurance policies that protect them against crop failure. There are also federal disaster programs that provide aid for widespread crop failures.
Farms can use groundwater from wells to water crops. In California I believe half or more of irrigation is done with groundwater.
This is one of the reasons why the family farm has nearly disappeared. Corporate farms can afford giant irrigation systems due to economies of scale. They don’t have to worry about losing an entire season due to a drought. But if you are just some guy with a small farm that has been in your family forever, the cost of setting up an irrigation system is prohibitive. This means you can’t compete, because people who lose a year or two every decade can’t compete with corporations that never lose a crop.
A lot of farmers depend solely on the rain. They have crop insurance to help provide income during a drought.
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