Drought in California has forced agricultural growers and non-growers alike to conserve water, and as new groundwater regulations take effect in California farmers are forced to find new and innovative ways to adapt and survive. It is important to not only understand what practices farmers use to adapt, but also to investigate the reasons they choose to use such practices and what influences these decisions. Through a case study of the Tulare Basin in California, this study examines these farmers, and how they view their own practices in the context of drought and recently enacted groundwater regulations. This study hypothesizes that farmers show proactive responses during a drought when water prices are high, and reactive responses in between droughts, when water is less of an economic strain. This project uses Robbin’s political ecology and Douglas and Wildavsky’s risk culture to analyze the farmers’ network hierarchies and rationales, and the culture of risk surrounding drought in these communities. By understanding why and how these farmers choose their practices and their views on drought regulations, regulators and water districts can better work with agricultural regions for proper water management for the state and future droughts.