BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Local farmers say they are facing a catastrophe as we go into a third year of drought, and they say their gloomy future will affect yours.

Curtis Creel of the Kern County Water Agency said, "Farmers will not be able to plant crops this year."

That's the decision farmers across the county are making. Primarily because of an ongoing drought from not enough rainfall or snow. Kern County Farm Bureau Vice President and local almond grower Don Davis said the farming industry needs nonstop, major rainfall to survive.

Otherwise, "It has the potential across all the crops to have more than a billion dollar in damages to agriculture if we don't get a very wet February and March." said Davis.

On top of that, the state has decreased farm water allocation from 70 percent down to 15 percent. So without water coming in from the state or sky, farmers like Davis are looking to the ground. They're using water wells, which can cost around three thousand dollars a week.

Not only is it expensive, "But that's just a temporary thing we can do for two or three years and then the ground water will be gone. We'll pump it all out," said Davis.

As a result, "Alot of people will not plant. Alot of farms will be set aside and left blank this year," said Davis.

And that could change the identity of Kern County as we know it.

"This whole community is dependent on our agriculture. Its part of our society," said Creel.

"If farmers don't plant their regular crops in April, it is going to affect food prices in the Valley and in unemployment because if we don't plant those crops there won't be any reason to have people work in the fields" said Davis.

So this drought could cost Kern County a lot more than we think.