Drought
Drought has been a topic of conversation among ranchers for several months. Join us Wednesday, July 27, 2022 at 3 p.m. CST as we discuss drought and it’s impacts on producers.
The drought in the West is producing many firsts, as farmers and ranchers grapple with dire decisions including pulling their cattle off federal lands early. Now many worry they won’t source enough feed for winter.
Sens. John Thune (R-S.D.) and Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) led their colleagues in requesting USDA to address ERP implementation issues. ERP helps producers offset impacts of natural disasters that occurred in 2020 and 2021.
The Emory Livestock Auction saw 3,494 head of livestock on July 9, drawing miles of trailer lines filled with desperate sellers, thankful for a sale while prices hold relatively steady.
UNL says heavy rains across the nation this week may have eased the drought conditions in the short-term, but they won’t be enough for the long run.
USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack announced agricultural producers have already received more than $4 billion through the Emergency Relief Program (formerly WHIP+), representing 67% of the $6 billion projected to be paid.
More than 45% of the contiguous US is currently in drought, with many parts of the southwest experiencing severe, extreme or exceptional drought. And no state has it worse than Texas.
Less than 50% of the continental U.S. is in moderate drought for the first time since November, but with another drought record still running strong, forecasts show drought could grow over the summer months.
Crucial Rains Finally Drenched Portions of Texas, Is It Enough to Save the State’s Crops and Cattle?
Texas received crucial rains this week, reviving farmers’ hopes of producing a crop this year. A dire drought situation already robbed farmers of their winter wheat, but rains are now sprouting hope for other crops.
As tender spring forages begin to grow, what happens when a late frost occurs? How should cattle producers manage the impacts?
Drought is not a new issue to cow-calf producers, but many factors make this year unique. Kansas State will host a webinar to help producers weigh options on May 19.
USDA says the launch of the Emergency Livestock Relief Program (ELRP) will address increases in supplemental feed costs in 2021. Phase 1 of the payments is expected to total $577 million.
Drought covering the continental U.S. grew by 2 points this week, now covering nearly 60% of the country. As the drought grips the Wheat Belt and key areas for cattle production, it’s creating concern for 2022.
More than 70% of the country is still covered in drought. And while the latest winter storm was packed with needed moisture for some areas, it didn’t blanket every area needing moisture to restore depleted soils.
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.
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.
Dairy families cite dramatic drop in water usage in helping state endure record water shortfall.
Join Drovers editor Greg Henderson and experts from all segments of the beef value chain to better understand the current and future dynamics of this crisis at 3 p.m. on Thursday, August 5, for this free discussion.
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.
AgDay’s Clinton Griffiths reports that evaporation has increased the salinity in stock dams in South Dakota, some to lethal levels for livestock.
Widespread drought brings comparisons to cow inventories a decade ago.
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.
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.
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.