Western drought has been a disaster for US livestock producers.  Ranchers in California and Arizona are seeing trees die that have been there for generations, and hay crops in North Dakota are perhaps

Forage is essential for cattle, but it is bulky and impractical to transport long distances.  This creates insurmountable challenges to producers in feeding their existing herd, prompting widespread culling.  

Regional, localized drought creates less of a challenge to producers as a whole, because some areas receive rainfall, providing a net increase of feed within trucking distance.  Hay supplies as far east as Nebraska are short this year, putting…