Drought

A sheep farmer in Augusta County spent from $150 to $200 weekly feeding her sheep when there were no second or third cuttings of hay. Dry weather in June, combined with high nighttime temperatures kept the corn from pollinating to produce an ear. Virginia Mercury (Richmond, Va.), Oct 21, 2024

The development of a La Niña pattern could lead to a warm, dry winter for the South, and fires may be even more problematic than they are at present. Without moisture from a major hurricane in August and September, South Mississippi was very dry as fall began. Vegetation was also dry and ready to burn. The Mississippi Forestry Commission is preparing for a long, active fire season and asked the public to be very cautious about burning, to monitor weather conditions and to observe burn bans. The Carson Six fire in Harrison County burned 1,333 acres in the De Soto National Forest and took three days to contain. The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Oct 22, 2024

A farm in Burlington County, New Jersey has six bee hives, which had mostly empty combs. There was barely enough honey to sustain the bees through the winter. The pond was dry, pasture was dry and cracked, so producing silage and growing crops was hardly possible. The farm needs significant rainfall soon for fall planting. "We need to get our fall crops in the ground to sprout this spring. We've tried planting some. If they sprout, are they just going to die because there's not enough moisture to continue? All we can do is pray and hope. That's a hard one to wrap your head around if this continues," stated one of the farm’s co-owners. KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia (Pa.), Oct 21, 2024

An orchard owner in Media worried about the thousands of peach, pear and apple trees as it has been 23 days without measurable rain in the Delaware Valley. Without enough rain, the trees will not produce as many flower buds, which could lead to less fruit in 2025. Christmas trees may be stressed by the dry conditions and not retain their needles as well as usual. KYW-TV CBS 3 Philadelphia (Pa.), Oct 21, 2024

An apple orchard owner in Sewell irrigated his trees to keep them from showing stress from the lack of moisture with drying, shriveling leaves. The popular fall activity of picking apples ended early this fall because there was concern about leaving the apples on the branches too long for fear that next year’s crop may be affected. The orchard owners were praying for rain. WPVI-TV ABC 6 Philadelphia (Pa.), Oct 21, 2024

Murfreesboro has a mandatory ban on outdoor burning within city limits due to drought and the absence of rain in the forecast. The Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department fire marshal issued the ban which will remain in effect until further notice and will not end apart from a significant amount of rainfall. Rutherford Source (Franklin, Tenn.), Oct 21, 2024

As drought worsened and forecasts called for continued dry conditions, more Oklahoma counties were adopting burn bans. On Oct. 21, Tulsa, Wagoner, Creek and Rogers counties enacted burn bans, bringing the total number of counties with burn bans to 30. The Tulsa burn ban took effect for seven days and could be extended. KRMG AM-740 & FM-102.3 (Tulsa, Okla.), Oct 21, 2024

Ongoing drought and above-normal temperatures have depleted Lake Hefner, which is one of Oklahoma City’s main water sources. Consequently, the Army Corps of Engineers, with the Oklahoma City Water Utilities, approved the transfer of 16,000 acre-feet of water from Canton Lake to Lake Hefner that began Oct. 22. KOKH FOX 25 (Oklahoma City, Okla.), Oct 21, 2024

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a drought watch on Oct. 17, urging the public to conserve water as rainfall has been below normal for the past 90 days. Asbury Park Press (N.J.), Oct 17, 2024

Voluntary water conservation was urged in northern Delaware as surface water is the main source of drinking water in the northern part of the state. WDEL.com (Wilmington, Del.), Oct 17, 2024

Below normal rainfall during the growing season reduced crop yields and in more extreme cases left no crop to harvest. Some corn was cut down without being harvested, according to the Delaware Farm Bureau executive director. Some soils were so dry that cover crops and small grains that are being planted cannot germinate for lack of moisture. WDEL.com (Wilmington, Del.), Oct 17, 2024

Drought in Texas stressed the corn and sorghum, but allowed harvests to begin earlier than normal, which generally is not a good sign, according to an AgriLife Extension economist for grain marketing. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Oct 1, 2024

Due to drought and little grass in their pastures, cattle producers in Palmyra opted to use stored feed and creep feed to sustain the cattle through the fall before weaning. They began feeding hay, hauling water and supplementing first-calf heifers in August, which was much earlier than usual. DTN – The Progressive Farmer (Minneapolis, Minn.), Oct 16, 2024

The dry weather at harvest time allowed Iowa farmers to get crops out of the fields quickly. Dry pastures forced some ranchers to begin feeding hay in August. Dry conditions raised the danger of field fires. Fifty-eight of Iowa’s ninety-nine counties had burn bans. Southwest Iowa News Source (Atlantic, Iowa), Oct 16, 2024

Drought conditions prompted officials in Wicomico and Worcester to implement burn bans to reduce fire risk in the counties. The Wicomico County burn ban will be extended if needed every seven days, while the Worcester County burn ban will be in effect indefinitely. Coast TV (Milton, De.), Oct 16, 2024

The Wallowa County Commission was hoping to receive a drought declaration from Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek as the area coped with extreme heat and lack of precipitation. Many of the water sources for livestock were very low or entirely depleted. Ranchers urged the county commissioners to act. Natural resources, recreational tourism and related economies were also facing widespread and severe damage due to drought, the commissioners wrote in an Oct. 7 letter to representatives of state agencies. The Wallowa County Commission formally declared a drought and a state of emergency with a resolution on Oct. 2. Bend Bulletin (Ore.), Oct 15, 2024

Cass and Barnes counties have temporarily banned campfires due to intensifying drought conditions. WDAY-FM (Fargo, N.D.), Oct 15, 2024

Water users in Pikeville were under a mandatory water restriction until further notice due to drought. Water should not be used for washing vehicles, driveways, watering lawns, etc. Sequatchie Valley Now (South Pittsburg, Tenn.), Oct 15, 2024

Crop yields were down in southeast South Dakota due to drought. Drought-tolerant corn and bean hybrids have been helpful. KSFY-TV ABC 13 Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, S.D.), Oct 4, 2024

Rain from Hurricane Helene came too late to salvage the soybeans. Many of the pods produced no seeds. A Meade County farmer expected his soybean yield to be halved. The size of corn ears varies, and the kernels were small. Corn yield will be reduced also. Cattle have been eating hay that would typically not be fed until the end of November. WAVE-TV NBC 3 Louisville (Ky.), Oct 4, 2024