Drought

Hay production was down, and farmers were hauling water for cattle as ponds went dry. MissouriIndependent.com (Jefferson City, Mo.), Sept 15, 2023

Sedan in southeast Kansas was running dangerously low on water. The local water supply in Chautauqua County was so low that the drinking water for several cities and rural water districts was in jeopardy. The intake pipe to a floating pump was at a steep angle as the water level went lower, stressing a flexible joint. If the joint were to break, thousands of people in three counties would lose their water supply. The southeast corner of Kansas does not have aquifers underground and relies instead on lakes and rivers. Sedan closed its city pool mid-summer to conserve water. The town’s only car wash also closed. Schools shut off drinking fountains and provided bottled water. Residents may not use municipal water for lawn or garden watering, so air conditioner condensation was being collected and used to water plants. Sedan has trimmed its water use by about 30% since entering a stage 3 water emergency in early August. The water district was moving the floating dock further into the lake to access a deeper part of the lake. MissouriIndependent.com (Jefferson City, Mo.), Sept 15, 2023

U.S. Hard Red Winter Wheat exports were forecast to be down 10 million bushels this month to 155 million bushels, the lowest since records began in 1973-1974. Corn and soybeans have gained in U.S. acreage, while HRW have endured a downturn in acres in many areas, leaving exports in this class less competitive on the global market. Drought has also affected the crop in consecutive years, contributing to lower crop prospects and this class being less competitive with other suppliers like Russia and the European Union. DRGNews (Pierre, S.D.), Sept 18, 2023

A winery in Elizabeth, Ill. was in its second to last week of harvest of grapes that were gorgeous and free of disease and rot, thanks to the dry weather. Mildew was almost non-existent. WQAD News 8 (Davenport, Iowa), Sept 18, 2023

Historic heat, drought and plenty of dry vegetation to burn were contributing to the unprecedented wildfire season, in which more than 550 blazes burned in August alone, charring more than 60,000 acres of land, incinerating homes and causing towns to evacuate. The largest fire in Louisiana, the Tiger Island Fire, has been burning for almost a month, has blackened more than 31,000 acres, which is more land than usually burns in a year. The entire town of Merryville, population 1,200 people, had to evacuate. Louisiana is typically dealing with hurricanes and flooding at this time of year rather than wildfires. Firefighters have been overworked this summer. The Associated Press (Baton Rouge, La.), Sept 17, 2023

Residents in the City of Oronoco were asked to use less water by the Rochester Public Utilities. Residents of Albert Lea were urged to reduce outdoor water use to guard underground drinking water supplies. The people of Lanesboro were also asked to conserve water. the Upper Mississippi-Black-Root watershed has been elevated to the Drought Restrictive Response Phase. KIMT 3 (Rochester, Minn.), Sept 18, 2023

Drought in Mississippi has dried up pastures and water supplies, forcing farmers to sell cattle. A sale barn in Scott County broke a record for cattle sales the first week of September when 2,800 livestock were sold. That record was broken the second week of September and is expected to be broken again next week. Altogether, about 8,500 cattle have been auctioned at the sale barn in the past three weeks. WLBT Online (Jackson, Miss.), Sept 18, 2023 Farmers across Mississippi have begun to sell livestock, due to drought. More than 3,000 head of cattle were sold on Monday, Sept. 11 in Forest at the Tadlock Stockyard for lack of grass for the cattle to eat. Calves were being sold early at lighter weights because the calves cannot gain weight on the sparse pasture. The stockyard owner said that 90% of the cattle were sold to out-of-state buyers. Water for livestock was getting low. Cattle got bogged down in an empty pond, trying to get the last of the water. The cattle had to be moved elsewhere. More farmers have taken their lives in the past couple of years, due to stress and unforeseen circumstances. WJTV TV 12 (Jackson, Miss.), Sept 13, 2023

Sedan was in a stage 3 water emergency as water storage dropped below 50%. Outdoor water was banned, and water waste was prohibited. The goal of stage 3 is to reduce the overall weekly water consumption by 25% and reduce peak demands by 50%. KSN-TV Online (Wichita, Kan.), Aug 3, 2023

Pecan production in Texas has been affected by drought. The El Paso area in Far West Texas, for example, received rain which allowed pecan production to continue, but other parts of the state were not so fortunate. Pecan trees have died in drier parts of Texas. Drought has also reduced the number of pests typically seen in pecan trees. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Sept 12, 2023

Drought in northern Virginia, a spring freeze and an extremely down market for apples were some of the reasons that fewer apples will be picked in Frederick County this season. some growers were leaving parts of their orchards unpicked because the low prices being offered for processing apples won’t cover the cost to harvest them this year. Apples were smaller this year, due to the drought. some apple trees even died from the drought. The Winchester Star (Va.), Sept 14, 2023

A Keezletown farm will not open for its fall harvest festival because all of the pumpkin plants died as did much of the sunflowers and evergreen seedlings. The farm does not have irrigation to sustain the crops when it’s dry. Cattle were being fed hay because the pasture was dry. The farm will open for the Christmas season. Harrisonburg Daily News-Record (Va.), Sept 14, 2023

The Town of Copan issued an Emergency Proclamation on Sept. 13 due to a water shortage stemming from drought. Copan Lake was 6.49 feet below normal, which is a critically low level that jeopardizes the town’s ability to draw water for treatment and distribution. Washington County Rural Water District #7 and Hulah Water District #20 were also affected by the water shortage. KWTV-TV Oklahoma City (Okla.), Sept 14, 2023

In an effort to get compliance with water restrictions since July 5, Travis County Water Control and Improvement District No. 17 shut off water to 232 water customers in the Steiner Ranch community. There were initially more than 1,900 water customers that were thought to be responsible for nearly 9 million gallons of water waste weekly. KUT News (Austin, Texas), Sept 14, 2023

The Augusta County Board of Supervisors declared a state of drought warning at its Wednesday night meeting. Residents were asked to conserve water. The board also adopted a resolution asking the Virginia Farm Service Agency to designate the county a drought disaster area as farmers have been dealing with drought impacts for many months. Augusta County was conserving water by suspending hydrant flow testing and the unidirectional flushing program where hydrants are opened to flush accumulated mineral buildup from the lines. Fire-Rescue will reduce all non-emergency water usage and stop all non-certified fire and pump training where it requires the flow of water. The facilities maintenance department has suspended irrigation service at the Government Center, minimized fleet vehicle washing and proactively installed automatic faucets in most county facilities. Augusta Free Press (Waynesboro, Va.), Sept 14, 2023

Louisiana’s Christmas tree farms have been affected by the ongoing drought, but good management techniques have kept mature trees alive. Farms were reporting damage to about 10% of their crop. Most tree farms in Louisiana will be open for the holiday season. Leesville Leader (La.), Sept 14, 2023

Hundreds of thousands of purple martins fly into southeast Texas during the summer from late July to September. The birds typically consume flying insects before departing for South America, but drought reduced their food supply, limited the number of birds in the state and prompted the birds to leave earlier than usual. The Houston Audubon Society canceled their last purple martin watch party scheduled for Sept. 17. Beaumont Enterprise (Texas), Sept 14, 2023

Wild pollinator plants in Iowa were struggling amid the drought and had fewer blooms. Less nectar can mean fewer pollinators, such as bees, butterflies, beetles and Monarch butterflies. A single year of drought shouldn’t affect insect populations as most pollinators produce large amounts of larvae, but another year of drought might decrease populations. KCRG Online (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), Sept 13, 2023

Wisconsin apple orchards suffered due to drought this summer which has caused apples to drop from the trees early. Environmental stressors, like strong winds, temperature fluctuations and drought often cause apples to drop early. Drought reduced the income from the orchard. Spectrum News 1 (Milwaukee, Wis.), Sept 13, 2023

An orchard owner in Gays Mills in Crawford County began watering in May, due to the dry conditions, and irrigated for nearly the entire summer. They might typically water maybe four times a year, but not for months. Drought was hard on the field crops, but fruit growers say that the dry weather was good for many trees and vines. A pumpkin grower in Door County noted that the pumpkins were more affected by drought than his apples. The pumpkin vines did not progress much during the first half of the summer. A grape grower in Vernon County reported that the dry weather led to an unprecedented bumper crop. Some grape varieties were ready to be harvested several weeks early. The new vines planted this spring were hand-watered to keep them alive, which was a large labor demand. The dry weather kept pests and diseases to a minimum and yielded grapes of excellent quality. Wisconsin Public Radio (Madison), Sept 13, 2023

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has proposed that an Arizona snail, the Quitobaquito tryonia, be listed as an endangered species after drought and groundwater pumping from the construction of the border wall decreased numbers of the snail. Cronkite News (Phoenix, Ariz.), Sept 13, 2023