Drought
As drought conditions in the West are continuing to expand, hotter temperatures aren’t helping things. Heat that started building over the weekend is not good news for areas already dealing with that drought.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows nearly 10% of the contiguous U.S. is now under an “exceptional drought,” which is the highest the rate has been since 2011.
As weather continues to be a factor for farmers and producers, growers across Western U.S. see the impacts of drought first-hand. Now, access to electricity could also be challenged as hydroelectric power dries up.
T.J. Atkin, a cattle rancher in Arizona and Utah, says the drought is worse than he’s ever seen, as area ranchers cull or relocate cows from reservoirs running dry.
Some parts of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska saw precipitation this past week, but dry weather prevails in many areas.
Federal and state water projects say they will provide little to no irrigation water to many agricultural customers, so farmers must calculate how much food they can grow with their limited supplies.
The USDA Crop Progress Report revealed 70% of South Dakota’s subsoil moisture is considered short to very short. One South Dakota farmer says it’s a dire situation, one keeping him from planting his corn crop yet.
Drier weather helped aid major planting progress for U.S. farmers last week, but it didn’t help the topsoil moisture situation. USDA’s Crop Progress report indicates 55% of the U.S. topsoil is considered ‘adequate.’
Much of the Ohio Valley states, and Iowa to Lower Michigan, had little to no precipitation this past week.
The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows from North Dakota to Texas, all the way west to California, the most severe levels of drought didn’t ease across the U.S. this past week.