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North Central, NE | Interested that there's no chatter about dry conditions as we're rolling through planting season. Obviously grain markets don't care about production problems yet this past week.
Here is Central NE there's no other way to put it: it's bad. Just posted a tie for the driest April on record in North Platte and Grand Island weather reporting stations. Drought monitor from UNL doesn't have us in extreme drought (we were in it but we moved out this winter with much higher than average snowfalls). Monitor will have to move but swaths of Nebraska into the extreme category in the next 2-3 weeks.
We have both irrigated crops and pasture. Last year was dry, but we got the snow and thought the pattern might be changing early this year. But the cattle pastures aren't responding at all. Last night it got down to about 22-23 degrees for a long time. But despite the cold we're already put 100-150 hours on the pivots on the alfalfa ground.
Cattle feed is very hard to find and expensive. We take in cows (provide pasture for others) and right now are thinking we won't be able to take any cattle in until it rains. That's the first time we've ever had to consider making that decision.
Had a lot of fires around us, but avoided our place. Those burned areas look terrible with high winds all spring and are turning to blowouts in the sandhills.
Anybody around here from the western fringe of the cornbelt? Drought monitor shows we're in good shape compared to KS (I know a lot of them finally drew a rain last week) but right now it appears that we're in a real pickle in the middle of the Cornhusker states.
I'm kinda rambling here, which is partially just complaining about the cold/dry/no vegetation growth this spring. Hopefully it rains soon, but how's things look in your neck of the wood? | |
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Western Cornbelt drought
