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Over at Salon, David Sirota reports from the frontlines of what Amanda Marcotte has amusingly dubbed “The Republican War on Vegetables.” Sirota notes that, in response to the worst drought since 1950, “food prices are expected to skyrocket, and eventually, water-dependent power plants may be forced to shut down.”

In response to what amounts to a devastating national emergency, the USDA, in an inter-office newsletter circulated to employees, suggested (but in no way required) that those employees join the worldwide campaign to refrain from eating meat on Mondays. Sirota explains:

 The idea is part of the worldwide “Meatless Monday” campaign, which the New York Times notes is backed by “thousands of corporate cafeterias, restaurants and schools.” In the face of a drought, it’s a pragmatic notion. Cornell University researchers estimate that “producing a pound of animal protein requires, on average, about 100 times more water than producing a pound of vegetable protein.” According to the U.S. Geological Survey, that means a typical hamburger requires a whopping 4,000 to 18,000 gallons of water to make.