Drought

Apples are smaller in Niagara County due to the lack of rain. But, on the upside, apples should be sweeter. WGRZ-TV Channel 2 (Buffalo, N.Y.), Aug 23, 2022

Heat and drought are taking a toll on Texas’ peanuts, particularly in West Texas. Subsoil moisture was negligible to begin with, crops were not doing well, and irrigation was not able to keep up with water demand. The yield loss could reach 45% to 50%, according to the executive director of the Texas Peanut Producers Board. A farmer expects a yield reduction of about 30%. Texas Farm Bureau (Waco, Texas), Aug 22, 2022

Texas ranchers continued to send cattle to slaughter, which will drive up beef prices in the long term as the herd shrinks. Cattle were losing weight as pastures were dry, depriving the animals of an important food source. Supplementing livestock’s diet with hay and feed when they should be grazing on green grass is costly. Lots of cattle were being sold at auction in Crockett in East Texas. About 75% of the cows sold at auction the past two months have been sent to the slaughterhouse, according to a co-owner of the auction, up from 30% to 40% in normal years. Reuters (New York), Aug 24, 2022 Texas ranchers are making difficult decisions as drought conditions force them to cull cattle herds due to lack of forage. Choices must be made whether to continue feeding by finding hay or seek other economical feed options, or simply pare down the herd. Prices for supplemental feed like range cubes and hay have continued to rise, according to AgriLife Extension reports. Range cubes rose to $400 per ton near College Station in recent weeks. Round bales cost $75-$80. In recent weeks, bales in drier areas of the state have brought $80-plus. Hay production in East Texas was only 25% to 50% of normal. Water availability could become a worry in the next two months. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), July 20, 2022

At Lake McConaughy in western Nebraska, the remnants of Lemoyne have resurfaced. The town was flooded in the late 1930s when the 30,000-acre reservoir was created. KCUR-FM 89.3 (Kansas City, Mo.), Aug 25, 2022

The low level of the Missouri River has exposed the remains of a steamboat that was delivering winter supplies to military outposts in October 1870 when a log tore into the bottom of the boat and sank it. KCUR-FM 89.3 (Kansas City, Mo.), Aug 25, 2022

Most summer crop harvests in Massachusetts will be smaller this year, due to drought. Peaches are sweeter this year, and the apple crop is smaller. An irrigated field on a Granby farm was thriving until the stream that provided irrigation water went dry. While the grower was able to irrigate, it took an hour and a half to set up the giant sprinkler and hose, making a lot of extra work when irrigation is needed. An organic farm in Wilbraham lost a few thousand dollars in crops as the salad greens bolted early and went to seed. WNPR (Hartford, Ct.), Aug 25, 2022

A Buffalo County farmer described the drought situation as being in "survival mode." The soil was very dry as no rain had fallen since mid-June. He swathed and baled his 100 acres of earless corn for cattle feed. His pastures and ponds were drying up. He culled his nearly 300 cattle and is getting ready to sell his calves three months early. He is selling the livestock because he simply does not have enough feed for all of them. KETV-TV (Omaha, Neb.), Aug. 25, 2022

A Delaware farmer expects a yield of 250 bushels per acre on his irrigated corn. The unirrigated corn, however, may yield just 50 to 75 bpa, he estimated. Delaware Business Now (Newark, De.), Aug 23, 2022

Several Minnesota orchards had to postpone their opening day due to a delayed harvest. Drought has slowed sunflower growth in Hastings by about a week. CBS Minnesota (Minneapolis), Aug 21, 2022 The Minnesota apple crop has been delayed by a couple of weeks. The apples were not turning red at a Minnetonka orchard. Apples may be smaller this year, but could have a better taste, according to the Minnesota Department of Agriculture. KSTP-TV ABC 5 Minneapolis/St. Paul (Minn.), Aug. 22, 2022

An organic beef farm in Addison County has not received steady rain since May, and pastures were not growing back. After five weeks of rest, one pasture was just three inches tall, when it ought to be eight to 10 inches tall after that time. Cattle feed quality and volume were both down about 50% from a normal year. The corn crop was also not optimal and may be harvested early. The high fuel prices to harvest a subpar crop just adds insult to injury. WCAX-TV CBS 3 (Burlington, Vt.), Aug 24, 2022

Some of the corn in South Dakota and Nebraska did not produce ears, due to extremely hot, dry conditions this summer. The issue was not widespread. Some of the corn was withered, brown and just 5 feet tall, rather than 8 feet tall. Bloomberg (New York), Aug 22, 2022

Corn growers in southeast South Dakota have observed the corn curling and worry that the heat will reduce yield, preventing him from meeting his contracts. His corn yield is typically 170 to 180 bushels per acre, but hoped to be able to make 60 to 80 bpa. KELOLAND Media Group (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Aug. 3, 2022

Wichita is experiencing one of the driest summers on record, leaving many fields seared from the heat and lack of rain. Several crops failed, due to drought. Corn has been chopped for silage, and beans were being swathed and baled. Hay and pastures are suffering. KWCH 12 (Wichita, Kan.), Aug 23, 2022

There were 186 restrictions on non-essential outdoor water use statewide, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. Drought continued to worsen in Massachusetts, despite recent rain. Many rivers and streams are at record low flows. Photos were presented to the State Drought Task Force documenting the low flow in the Charles River in Needham; exposed infrastructure and rock in Dedham; a dry fish ladder in the Jones River in Kingston; and shallow areas of the Blackstone River in Uxbridge where kayakers have to get out and walk. NBC Boston (Mass.), Aug 23, 2022

California’s State Water Resources Control Board warned Shasta River watershed farmers and ranchers in Northern California to stop diverting water. If the association does not request a hearing within 20 days, the order becomes final. The organization could be fined up to $10,000 daily. The diversions continued. On Aug. 17 and 18, the Shasta River flow fell to about half of the minimum emergency flow requirement of 50 cubic feet per second, per state data. The Associated Press (New York), Aug 24, 2022

The Klamath Irrigation District complied with a government order to end water deliveries to farmers in southern Oregon and Northern California. A federal official warned that millions in drought funding would be withheld if they did not close the canal. The Associated Press (New York), Aug 24, 2022 The Klamath Irrigation District is out of water, according to the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, but the irrigation district’s water managers authorized the district’s manager to continue operations, as reported by Capital Press. The Bureau said that irrigators would receive 15% of full demand starting on April 15. If inflows to Upper Klamath Lake exceeded expectations, irrigators would receive 50% of the additional water. Precipitation was above average in May and June. Losing water at this point in the growing season could mean severely reduced alfalfa production and the loss of row crops like potatoes and onions. The Klamath Tribes sued the Bureau in May, claiming any water diverted from Upper Klamath Lake for irrigation in 2022 threatens the survival of suckers amid the drought. The Associated Press (New York), Aug 23, 2022

Klamath Basin farmers along the Oregon-California border learned from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation on Aug. 18 that they were at the end of their water from Upper Klamath Lake for the 2022 irrigation season. The executive director of the Klamath Water Users Association stated that irrigators were frustrated because they have gotten mixed messages about water delivery amounts this year. “There’s been just quite a lot of changing of information and expectations created and changed that have made this extremely troubling and not well received,” he said. The wet spring gave farmers hope that more irrigation water could be offered, but in the end, farmers received just 20%. Crops may die prematurely this season. Oregon Public Broadcasting (Portland, Ore.), Aug 19, 2022

Water use restrictions were in place in Connecticut to conserve water amid the drought. East Lyme officials enacted mandatory, twice-weekly irrigation schedule for residents and businesses as of Aug. 15. The Aquarion Water Company issued a mandatory water conservation schedule for its customers through Oct. 31. The Connecticut Water Company and Regional Water Authority of New Haven asked customers to curb their water use by 15% and 10%, respectively. Norwich Public Utilities urged its customers to “make reasonable adjustments to their water use" while drought persists. A water usage restriction was also issued in Putnam to discourage car washing and lawn watering. CT News Junkie (Hartford, Conn.), Aug. 23, 2022

Dover's city manager ordered a citywide ban on outdoor water use as of Aug. 22. The mandatory ban was enacted to "ensure an adequate and sustainable water supply throughout the city into the fall and winter months." Prohibited activities include automatic lawn watering and the use of sprinklers, vehicle washing and the filling of pools with a capacity of 100 gallons or more. Foster’s Daily Democrat (Dover, N.H.), Aug 22, 2022

More than 531,000 acres of farmland in California were estimated to have been left unplanted, due to drought and inadequate water supplies. When farmers cannot plant, farm laborers, processing and distribution centers, harvesters, drivers and others have less work. San Francisco Chronicle (Calif.), Aug 22, 2022