"There's not much anyone can tell Barry Sorensen about Idaho's Big Desert that he doesn't know. Sorensen, 72, and his brother have been running cattle in this sere landscape all their lives, and they've weathered every calamity man and nature have thrown at them — until this drought came along.

Sitting recently in a rustic cabin where he spends many months looking after his cattle, Sorensen's voice was tinged with defeat.

'To be honest with you,' he said, 'I think our way of life is pretty much going to be over in 10 years.'"

Julie Cart reports for the Los Angeles Times June 16, 2014. [2]