Drought

Drought and heat caused some streams to run dry. Ranchers responded by stocking the ranches with fewer cattle to avoid overgrazing. KBOI-TV (Boise, Idaho), Aug 18, 2021

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department this week urged hunters to note the daily fire danger index and to be prepared to extinguish a fire should one start. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), Aug 19, 2021

Drought devastated honey production in North Dakota as there was little nectar for the bees to gather for making honey. The North Dakota and Midwestern bees were also weakened and in short supply for pollinating crops on the West Coast like almonds and apples. Drought is driving up pollination costs for California almond growers. The Dakotas, Montana and Minnesota accounted for 46% of all U.S. honey production last year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Some North Dakota apiarists expect honey production to be less than 50% of average this year. In Iowa, Sioux Honey estimates that drought could lower domestic honey production by 25% to 40% in 2021. Reuters (New York), Aug 19, 2021

Heat and drought have stressed tomato plants in Wisconsin, causing blossom drop, curled, twisted and discolored leaves, and limited tomato production. Wisconsin Public Radio (Madison), Aug 17, 2021

The lack of water for operating a cattle feedlot and growing hay puts one cattlewoman at risk of losing her farm. She intends to sell her 4,000 cattle in November. With water in short supply, she planted half of her fields with corn, hay and alfalfa and received 1 acre-foot of water for irrigation. The water allocation was subsequently cut to one-eighth of a foot and lost her corn crop. The prices of premium alfalfa was $190 to $250 six months ago, but has increased to $200 to $285 at present, according to Hay & Forage Grower. The president-elect of the Oregon Cattleman’s Association said that there was no hay available at any price after ranchers stocked up on hay this spring. Capital Press (Salem, Ore.), Aug 19, 2021

Officials from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis say the biggest impact of the drought will be on agriculture. Livestock and dairy producers will hurt worse than crop producers. KVRR Fargo (N.D.), Aug 13, 2021

After a hot, dry July, feed crops, like hay, corn silage, oats and more, for livestock were severely limited, especially in the middle of the state. Without moisture, ranchers cannot plant a fall cover crop for grazing, leaving ranchers searching for feed supplies. As a result, cattle sales were up. Rapid City Journal (S.D.), Aug 13, 2021

Drought is drying out and killing some trees and plants in the Willamette Valley. The heat wiped out a lot of trees just planted in January and February even though they irrigate the trees once every three weeks, which is not frequently enough for the new trees. Some farmers lost all of their plantings from this year. KVAL-TV CBS 13 (Eugene, Ore.), Aug 16, 2021

A San Joaquin Valley almond grower in Fresno County was using “deficit irrigation,” giving trees less water than they need because he doesn’t have enough water. He also left a third of his land unplanted to leave water for the almonds. He was also considering pulling out 100 of his 600 acres of almond trees after the harvest. California produces 80% of the world’s almonds and has a $6 billion almond industry, but the lack of water is forcing almond growers to make hard decisions about whether to continue growing them as some almond orchards were planted in areas with unreliable water supplies. Numerous growers could not afford the water and have allowed the trees to die. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 17, 2021

Livestock producers should assess pasture for weeds as drought might make toxic plants more abundant. Pastures, hay fields in drought-stressed areas will likely be weedier. Those weeds may be poisonous or higher in nitrates than is okay for livestock to eat. Fertilized fields may also be high in nitrates. Beef Magazine (St. Charles, Ill.),Aug 16, 2021

Dry conditions in Goshen County delayed dryland winter wheat planting. Kiowa County Press (Eads, Colo.), Aug 18, 2021

Platte County producers were haying areas not normally hayed in an effort to get feed for livestock. Kiowa County Press (Eads, Colo.), Aug 18, 2021

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Aug. 12 Crop Production Report indicates significant reductions in corn and soybean yields for the Dakotas and Minnesota. Comparing 2020 yields with expected 2021 yields, North Dakota expects a decrease of 24% in corn yield, South Dakota anticipates an 18% decrease, while Minnesota expects 14% decrease. Yield reductions for soybeans are 28% for North Dakota, 14% for South Dakota, and 12% for Minnesota. The Fence Post (Greeley, Colo.), Aug 20, 2021

Almost two-thirds of North Dakota’s spring wheat crop was rated poor or very poor, while about half of the durum wheat, soybean and corn crops were rated as such. The amount of pasture and range rated poor or very poor increased from 79% last week to 87% this week. The lack of forage continued to lead ranchers to cull cattle and cut drought-damaged crops like corn for hay across the state. In an indication of how desperate ranchers are, there were two reports of stolen hay southwest of Manning in Dunn County. Hay thefts did not appear to be widespread at this point, according to the North Dakota Stockmen's Association executive vice president. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), Aug 19, 2021

Fire activity continued to be high in the state with 2,186 wildfires burning 122,724 acres, according to the acting outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Forest Service. The number of fires is more than twice the 2020 total, while the area burned was already more than 10 times the area burned in 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), Aug 19, 2021 Statewide, 2,009 wildfires burned 118,831 acres, according to the acting outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Forest Service. The number of fires was more than twice last year's total, and the charred acres were about 10 times what burned in all of 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), Aug 12, 2021 The North Dakota Forest Service reported 69 fires statewide in the past week burning more than 3,200 acres. KX News (Bismarck, N.D.), July 8, 2021 Dry conditions in North Dakota have driven up fire activity, with nearly 1,400 fires blackening about 156 square miles since the start of 2021, according to North Dakota Forest Service and the state Department of Emergency Services. In 2020, about 921 blazes charred roughly 18 square miles. The Associated Press (N.Y.), June 16, 2021 North Dakota has had more than 1,370 wildfires since the start of 2021. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), June 14, 2021 Fire activity continued in North Dakota, although rain slowed things a bit. Since the start of the year, 1,189 fires burned 92,963 acres in the state, according to the North Dakota Fire Service. The area burned in 2021 was already eight times the acreage burned in all of 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), May 27, 2021 North Dakota continued to experience high fire activity with 1,103 wildfires burning 91,611 acres, which is more than seven times the amount of land that burned in all of 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), May 21, 2021 More than 800 wildfires in North Dakota blackened nearly 80,000 acres, or 8 1/2 times the number of acres that burned in all of 2020, according to the acting outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Forest Service. Rapid City Journal (S.D.), May 9, 2021 North Dakota began seeing wildfires in January with no let up since then as drought intensified. Through May 3, at least 797 known fires consumed 76,474 acres since the start of the year. The area burned so far is nearly six times the roughly 13,000 acres that typically burn annually. The Dickinson Press (N.D.), May 3, 2021 Since the start of the year, 243 fires charred more than 43,000 acres in North Dakota, according to the acting outreach and education manager for the North Dakota Fire Service. The area already burned in 2021 is more than thrice the amount burned in all of 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), April 17, 2021 Fire activity remained high with 194 fires consuming nearly 34,000 acres, per the North Dakota Forest Service, which is triple the acreage burned in 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), April 8, 2021 More than 140 wildfires in North Dakota have burned over 46 square miles, according to the North Dakota Forest Service. A statewide fire emergency was declared on April 1. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), April 2, 2021 Eighty wildfires have already burned more than 24,000 acres, according to the North Dakota Forest Service. The fire activity in the first part of 2021 already exceeds the roughly 11,500 acres burned in all of 2020. The Bismarck Tribune (N.D.), March 25, 2021

The Town of Strasburg declared a drought warning and urged residents and businesses to voluntarily conserve water. The seven-day average river flow was 103 cubic feet per second. The Northern Virginia Daily (Strasburg, Va.), Aug 9, 2021

Grand Valley water suppliers in western Colorado have enough water for this summer, but are planning for another dry year. Grand Junction does not expect to meet water storage goals for the coming winter. The City of Grand Junction was working with Clifton Water District to keep more water in storage using their interconnection. Grand Junction officials also drained two reservoirs and shifted the water to Juniata Reservoir, the city’s main storage reservoir, to limit evaporation losses. Ute Water Conservancy District on July 1 began charging a 2% drought pumping rate to cover the cost of drawing directly from the Colorado River. Ute Water pumped from the Colorado River from June 10 through July 7. Palisade stopped watering the lawn in front of the old Palisade High School and gymnasium to conserve water. The Daily Sentinel (Grand Junction, Colo.) Aug 11, 2021

Fort Bragg was in a Stage 3 drought emergency, requiring the savings of 20% to 30% of typical water use. A desalination plant was ordered for times when sea water pushes up the Noyo River, making it too salty to be processed by the city water treatment plant. The Mendocino Beacon (Calif.), Aug 10, 2021

Some wine grapes in the Napa and Sonoma Valleys were struggling amid the intense drought and were stressed with the backs of the leaves showing. The fruit and leaf canopies are smaller this year. One vineyard's well went dry. KPIX-TV CBS 5 San Francisco (Calif.), Aug 10, 2021

Signs around Mendocino plead with visitors to conserve water as its wells run dry. Nearby, Fort Bragg, Mendocino’s backup water supplier, is very low on water as the Noyo River barely flows. Residents and business owners were purchasing water from ever farther away to refill their tanks. Some restaurants were cutting their hours to reduce costs. Since February, the cost of water has doubled. Associated Press News (New York), Aug 10, 2021 Mendocino residents and business owners were purchasing water as the town’s groundwater wells ran low. Mendocino’s main water supplier, the City of Fort Bragg, stopped providing water for Mendocino as Fort Bragg had to guard supplies for its own citizens first. Mendocino leaders have entertained a number of possible methods of bringing potable water into town—barge, railway or even by wine tankers. The Santa Rosa Press Democrat (Calif.), July 22, 2021