Drought
As California farmers’ try to battle back from extreme drought, hope is coming in the form of snow. The state’s average snow water equivalent percentage of snowpack jumped from 19% on December 10 to 98% today.
Hurricane-force winds that raked the U.S. Plains belt last week appeared to cause varying degrees of damage to a winter wheat crop that was already struggling with dry conditions, Kansas crop observers said.
California could see monumental rain and snow this week. The powerful storm is expected to drench the West Coast, as forecasters say the system could bring a month’s worth of rain in a matter of days.
The U.S. is experiencing drought conditions affecting cattle, pastures, feed crops and beyond. During Farm Journal Field Days, Drovers’ Greg Henderson discussed the drought and its effect with four industry stakeholders.
Federal officials announced this week mandatory water cuts to the Colorado River, marking the first federal water cuts, and it’s the first-ever water shortage for a river that serves 40 million people in the West.
A once-a-century drought has lowered the water level of Argentina’s main grains transport river, reducing farm exports and boosting logistics costs in a trend that meteorologists said will likely continue into 2022.
California growers are speaking up about what the drought and water shortages mean for agriculture, California and the U.S. As crops are demolished and trees die, growers say farm workers are also out of work.
USDA is authorizing emergency procedures to help agricultural producers, who are impacted by extreme drought conditions, receive payments quicker.
As farmers in the West experience record-breaking heat, the continued extreme drought conditions are also taking a toll on growers, crops and livestock, with pasture and range conditions worsening.
An unprecedented heat wave and drought in the Pacific Northwest is damaging white wheat coveted by Asian buyers and forcing fruit farm workers to harvest in the night to salvage crops and avoid deadly heat.
USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey says unfavorable weather means everything from barley to spring and durum wheat are getting scorched this year. Crop condition ratings continue to tumble as dryness and heat persist.
Drought conditions are holding tight in the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies, Northern Plains, and Upper Midwest, according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor.
AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports that evaporation has increased the salinity in stock dams in South Dakota, some to lethal levels for livestock.
Rains continue to fall across portions of the Midwest this week, a sign one ag meteorologist says could mean Midwestern drought conditions have peaked. However, the news isn’t as promising for the northern Corn Belt.
Brazil’s worst water crisis in almost a century will impact river navigation and make transportation of goods more expensive in the world’s largest exporter of commodities ranging from soybeans to coffee and sugar.
The dire drought situation is one USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey thinks could last through at least the remainder of 2021. Forecasts also point to a drier weather pattern returning for Texas and the Plains.
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.
North Dakota just endured its driest September to March ever on record. On Thursday, Governor Doug Burgum declared a state of emergency due to drought. Farmers are now forced to make tough decisions, early.
The western half of the country continues to see little moisture, and after a year of record government payments to agriculture, farm groups fear financial assistance this year will be tough to get passed in Washington.
2021 is off to a dry start and one meteorologist sees dry conditions expanding in the West over the next few months. So, could 2021 be a repeat of 2012? USDA meteorologist weighs in.