Latest News From Drought

Farm Journal
EXCLUSIVE: Ashland, KS Battles Another Fire, Declining Crops

Southwest Kansas, like many regions in the central plains, are turning into kindling for wildfires.

Wildfires are a constant risk for ranchers in the Great Plains when drought-conditions turn grazing lands into fuel.
Kansas Rancher Worries About Repeat of 2017 Wildfires

One year after massive wildfires tore through the Plains, ranchers once again are facing that dangerous threat in 2018.

Pasture forage insurance may be a risk management option for livestock producers.
Australian Ranchers Forced To Cull Because of Drought

Dangerous drought is causing some Australian farmers to make difficult decisions about their livestock.

Drought throughout the Great Plains is causing a higher than normal risk of wildfire through April.
Drought Increases Wildfire Risk In the Great Plains Through Spring

Drought in the central and southern Plains is causing a higher than normal risk of wildfire through April.

2017 A Year of Natural Disasters
2017 A Year of Natural Disasters

2017 will be remembered as one of the most destructive and costliest years for natural disasters in history.

Farm Journal
How Are Producers Recovering After 2017 Southern Plains Wildfires?

Nine months have passed since wildfires charred parts of the central and southern Plains during a three-day span of furious fire.  Now, a proposed disaster relief package may offer more help to ranchers in need. The House recently unveiled a disaster aid plan to help cover some of the cost of hurricanes and wildfires the country faced in 2017.  House Republicans are releasing an $81 billion disaster aid package, funding that’s nearly twice the request the White House made.  The money could be split between a host of federal agencies, including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Agriculture. AgDay national reporter Betsy Jibben looks at how producers in Kansas and Oklahoma are recovering and still rebuilding.  She talks with Dr. Randall Spare, a veterinarian from the Ashland Veterinary Center, and producers Jenny Betschart in Ashland, Kansas and Bernie Smith in Beaver County, Oklahoma.

Livestock producers in Montana have been battling multiple wildfires in July, including the 270,200 acre Lodgepole Complex fire.
Forest Service Using New Tech for Post-Fire Work in Montana

Forest Service using new tech for post-fire work in Montana

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South Dakota Cattle Producers Recovering From Drought

The cattle herd is finally recovering from the severe drought that the northern Plains experienced earlier this year. This drought is still a reality, hitting portions of South Dakota hard.

Drought Strips N. D. of Hay, Producers Hauling From Miles Away
Drought Strips N. D. of Hay, Producers Hauling From Miles Away

Farmers in the Northern Plains have been struggling with drought, making it difficult and expensive to scrounge up enough feed for their livestock to last through the winter.

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Study: Montana's Average Temperature Continues to Increase

Study: Montana's average temperature continues to increase

The Eagle Creek Fire in Oregon has caused the shutdown of Interstate 84 for a stretch of more than 80 miles.
Wildfires Rage in the West Burning Nearly 1.5 Million Acres

Wildfires have burned wide swaths of the western U.S. the past week forcing evacuations of communities, cattle to move pastures and highway closures.

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Minnesota Company Sends Hay Convoy to South Dakota

Minnesota company, Plains farm aid group set up hay convoy

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North Dakota Cattle, Corn Groups Launch Drought Aid Efforts

North Dakota's largest livestock group and its biggest corn organizations have launched efforts to help ranchers devastated by a summer of drought.

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Historic Drought Hammers Dakotas, Montana

Loss and risk are an assumption in farming; devastation is not. Crops in the Dakotas and Montana are baking on an anvil of severe drought and extreme heat, as growers and ranchers make difficult decisions regarding cattle, corn and wheat.

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Is 50% of North Dakota's CRP Acres Enough for Cattle Producers?

Farmers in the northern Plains are well aware of the dry conditions, and now they have to resort to drastic measures in order to deal with eroding conditions that are destroying crops and pastures.

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Great Plains Wildfires on the Rise

A new study by the University of Nebraska shows that wildfires across the great plains region are becoming more frequent.

Wildfire Threat Continues Through Holiday Weekend

Several devastating fires are currently raging in the western U.S.—and hot and dry weather will only exacerbate wildfire danger through the weekend.

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Producers in the Dakotas Continue Liquidation Due to Drought

Already short on hay and forage after a hard winter, ranchers in North and South Dakota are continuing to reduce herds in response to severe drought conditions.

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Drought in Dakotas Worsens, Selling Cattle in Mile-Long Lines

Gov. Dennis Daugaard (R-SD) has declared a statewide emergency because of the ongoing drought conditions in his state.

Northern Plains Dryness Forcing Cattle Producers to Sell Herds
Northern Plains Dryness Forcing Cattle Producers to Sell Herds

Dryness is intensifying in the northern Plains, and cattlemen and grain markets are responding.

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Parched Conditions Expand Across Dakotas

The U.S. Drought Monitor shows that most of the Dakotas are experiencing drought conditions that experts say are harming farmers and cattle producers.

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The Effects on Cattle Producers in Drought-Stricken Areas

Since the beginning of the year, the national drought picture has dramatically improved, but there are still problem areas in parts of the central and southern Plains.

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Cattle Ranchers Still Recovering After 2011 Texas Drought

The year 2011 — the driest year on record in Texas — was the stuff of nightmares for area ranchers.

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Cattle on Feed and Forage Conditions Improving

Cattle on feed continues to increase, while drought conditions go away in the Northern and Southern Plains.

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New Challenges Emerge for Cattle Ranchers After 2012 Drought

The beef industry is still rebounding from 2012's drought and now cattlemen are facing new challenges.

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Firefighters Hope to Contain Oklahoma Blaze as Winds Subside

Firefighters battling a large wildfire in northwestern Oklahoma caught a break Thursday from diminished winds, but forecasters warned that other areas of the Midwest are at risk for pop-up fires because of dry air and strong gusts.

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Hungry Cattle Help OSU Researchers Discover Drought Resistant Wheat

When drought ravages the countryside, farmers struggle to bring yields. In an effort to help farmers overcome these obstacles, a team at Oklahoma State University uses cattle to discover drought and freeze tolerant wheat variety.

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Federal Agency Negligence Leads to Catastrophic Wildfires Across the West

As massive wildfires blaze across the West this week, the need to address the increasing wildfire threat is even more apparent.

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Grass Seed Farmers Expect Low Yields Due to Drought

Drought and heat have stressed Oregon's grass seed crops in multiple ways, which has farmers expecting a substantial decrease in yields now that harvest is underway.

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Hawaii Drought, Record Temperatures Hurting Maui Ranchers

Record-setting heat and severe drought are hurting Leeward region ranchers on Maui and their cattle herds.

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Vegan DJ Moby Beefs With California Farmers Over Drought Crisis

Best known for platinum records in the early 2000s that put a techno sheen on blues and soul, the 49-year-old is taking on the drought-stricken state’s $46.4 billion agriculture industry with a petition calling for restrictions on how much water farmers may use.

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Drought's End Could Bring Cattle Herd Expansion

With the drought over, ranchers are preparing to expand U.S. herds that had shrunk to the smallest since 1952 and sent beef prices surging to records.

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Drenching Rains Green Pastures, Bode Well for Herd Expansion

Drenching rains that recently soaked the Great Plains have brought welcomed moisture to areas still recovering from droughts, greening pastures as ranchers begin the annual rite of moving cattle to the nation's summer grazing lands.

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Drought Concerns: Milo and Forage Sorghum as Potential Alternatives

The region is lacking a lot of needed moisture going into the growing season. Due to these conditions we need to start looking at potential alternatives for forage production.

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BeefTalk: Prepare for the Unexpected, Live the Expected

As producers, there is no way to control the amount of rain we get, so we are forced to develop management plans that will be accommodating to various levels of moisture.

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Climate Outlook for Pasture Conditions and Drought Management Steps

Even though we don’t know for sure how pasture conditions will turn out it’s never too early to make drought management plans.

Livestock Producers Need Stocking Rate Reduction Plan

Producers should be proactive in case drought is a problem this year.

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BeefTalk: Start Planning Now if the Summer Looks Dry

Drought and excess moisture are very frequent concerns in the agricultural community. This year appears to moving in the direction of dryness.

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Livestock Indemnity Program and the Importance of Recordkeeping

LIP provides compensation to eligible livestock producers who have suffered livestock death losses in excess of normal mortality due to adverse weather.

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Plan For Drought When Preparing Pasture Lease

Drought can play havoc on pasture leases.

U.S. Cattle Industry Will Expand as Drought Eases

Lower feed costs, record meat prices and an easing drought point to expansion in the U.S. cattle industry.

Experts say Prices and Demand for Beef to Remain High

High beef prices are here to stay for a while, as recent drought conditions in Texas and around the country have reduced the nation's cattle supply to its lowest numbers in more than 50 years, according to agricultural experts.

Falling Grain Prices, Record Cattle Prices Mark 2014 Season

Farmers and ranchers across Kansas are wrapping up the 2014 growing season, marked by rapidly changing fortunes that were buffeted by weather and markets.

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NWS Winter Outlook: Cool and Wet Across Southern Plains

Forecast calls for above-normal temps west of the Rockies, with cooler-than-normal temps from the Gulf region to the southern edge of the Midwest.

Choosing Pasture, Rangeland, Forage Rainfall Index (PRF-RI) Insurance Coverage

November 15, 2014 is the deadline to purchase or change coverage for the 2015 calendar year.

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Cattle in Colorado Benefit from Healthier Pastures

Budding plant growth across northeastern Colorado's Pawnee National Grassland serves as visual evidence of recovery and relief brought by greater rainfall this year.

Don’t Miss Deadline for Maximum Grazing Disaster Relief

Livestock producers who lost money due to droughts or fires between October 2011 and 2013 could be eligible to receive recovery assistance money through the Livestock Forage Disaster Assistance Program.

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Cow Herd Expansion Will Take Years

The nation hasn’t seen such a small beef cow herd in decades. Now many producers who survived the recent drought are focused on rebuilding. The question is, how long will it take?

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BeefTalk: Wet and Dry; There Is No Constant

The center, as with all producers, embarks on a management regime that adds and subtracts cattle, and moves cattle to take timely advantage of a plant’s response to moisture.

Texas Beef Producers can Apply for Federal Disaster Aid due to Drought

Federal disaster aid for Texas cattle producers is available and officials are encouraging producers to act quickly in applying for programs.