Drought

Utah farmers were under stress as water supplies were too short to offer much for irrigation. On top of that, many farmers have also seen social media and message board content critical of farmers for the amount of water used during the drought, making them feel guilty for the water use and fearing that they will lose friends over their occupation. The Utah Farm Bureau organized mental health professionals to speak to the farmers and help them cope with the challenges they are facing. KSL-TV NBC 5 (Salt Lake City, Utah), July 8, 2021

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown and Utah Gov. Spencer Cox asked the federal government for help as their states endured extreme heat, drought and wildfires. Financial assistance would help purchase aircraft to fight fires and pay for infrastructure that would allow more water storage. In 2021, 49 wildfires charred more than 524,441 acres in several states, including Oregon, California and Utah, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. For the nation, more than 1.5 million acres have burned in 2021. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), July 4, 2021

Oregon Governor Kate Brown issued an executive order July 7 directing state agencies to implement water conservation practices as several counties declare drought emergencies, bringing the total to 19 counties with drought emergencies. State agencies that own or manage land are to curtail or end non-essential water use for landscaping and other uses; implement a moratorium on the installation of new landscaping; and put up signs or other messaging in state-owned buildings to encourage water conservation. KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland (Portland, Ore.), July 7, 2021

Gov. Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency for Washington and banned most outdoor and agricultural burning through Sept. 30. His order also activated the Washington National Guard to help with firefighting efforts. KING-TV NBC 5 (Seattle, Wash.), July 16, 2021

The announcement comes as the community was looking forward to tourism season as they recover from last year’s devastating wildfires. KATU-TV ABC 2 Portland (Ore.), July 7, 2021

The Tucson Audubon Society’s annual trogon survey uncovered just 68 birds in May, or about one-third of the number found last year. The precipitous drop in the bird count was thought to be due to extreme drought and poor food supply, according to the Tucson Audubon’s bird conservation biologist who coordinates the trogon surveys. It is possible that drought in Mexico prevented some of the trogons from migrating north to Arizona to breed. Another theory is that the population of trogons was quieter and were not detected in the survey because the birds were not calling to attract mates. Sycamore trees that the birds nest in had brown leaves and were limp or withering. Numerous other trees, notably oaks, had bare branches or yellow or yellow-green leaves. Some silver leaf oaks were dead. There were fewer painted redstarts and sulphur-bellied flycatchers. Black oaks were not producing acorns this year. Even bears were munching at suet bird feeders for lack of food in the wild. Tucson (Ariz.), July 5, 2021

A gypsy moth caterpillar outbreak in Vermont was the worst in many years, stripping trees of foliage. The COVID-19 pandemic prevented aerial forest inspections, allowing the outbreak to progress undetected for months. Drought also was a factor in the outbreak. Rain would promote the growth of a fungus that kills the caterpillars and limit the population, but rainfall has been below normal. One million to ten million acres of forests may be defoliated in 2021 from this outbreak. CNN (Atlanta, Ga.), July 4, 2021

Measured vegetation moisture levels in San Mateo County were at or below historic low values for this time of year. The Cal Fire San Mateo-Santa Cruz Unit tested vegetation at various sites in both counties on July 1 and found a significant decrease in water content. In 2020, it was early to mid-August before moisture levels fell this low, according to Cal Fire. San Mateo, CA Patch, July 8, 2021

Drought and poor conditions in the Klamath River led the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to relocate 1.1 million young Chinook salmon. The fish were at the Iron Gate, Fall Creek and Trinity River hatchery facilities until conditions improve. The young salmon will likely be released in October or November, rather than this spring. KOBI-TV NBC5 (Medford, Ore.), July 8, 2021

Drought and heat were increasing the cost of electricity for Montanans this summer as hydropower production fell. NorthWestern Energy, the state’s largest electric utility, was spending possibly $25 million more than anticipated for power, which will be passed along to customers beginning in July 2022. KTVH-TV (Helena, Mont.), July 6, 2021

During the first four months of 2021, hydroelectric generation in California was 37% less than in the same four months in 2020 and 71% less than during those months in 2019. Hydroelectric generation in California in 2021 is expected to be 19% less than in2020, decreasing from 16.8 million megawatt hours (MWh) in 2020 to 13.6 million MWh in 2021, according to the Short-Term Energy Outlook. U.S. Energy Information Administration (Washington, D.C.), July 7, 2021

Grass in Routt County was too thin and short to be cut, with yields down 70% to 90%. Most fields have 25% of normal growth. Hay was expensive. At the hay auction in Fort Collins in late June, hay sold for $250 or more per ton. Rather than buy hay, some ranchers were selling livestock. Steamboat Pilot & Today (Colo.), July 5, 2021

Drought and poor grass growth led to increased cattle sales since March at the Western Stockman’s Market in McFarland. Sales were up between a quarter and a third as feed costs were prohibitively high, even for alternative feed like almond hulls and cottonseed. A number of ranchers were even considering ending the family ranching business, despite a 150-year history for some. A Kern County rancher sold a third of his herd for lack of grass. The Bakersfield Californian, July 5, 2021

Maine has experienced more wildfires since its drought began in 2020 and saw 1,350 fires in 2020. In 2021, Maine has already had 534 wildfires that burned 350 acres. Bangor Daily News (Maine), July 3, 2021 The Maine Forest Service has responded to almost 430 wildfires since the start of the year. Associated Press, May 30, 2021 Wildfires continued amid the dry conditions in Maine with the Maine Forest Service responding to 379 wildfires that blackened 257 acres so far in 2021. CentralMaine.com (Augusta, Me.), May 20, 2021 Fire activity has been higher in Maine in 2021 with 163 fires burning 122 acres, compared with 2020 when 112 fires charred 94.7 acres. Reasons for the uptick in fire activity included more debris fires escaping containment and the precipitation deficit of 4 to 6 inches. The snowpack was smaller and melted earlier than usual. Portland Press Herald (Maine), April 14, 2021

Gov. Greg Gianforte declared a statewide fire emergency in Montana as numerous wildfires burned in the state. The declaration allows the governor to utilize the Montana National Guard in firefighting efforts and also permitted the activation of the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a mutual aid agreement allowing states to share resources during emergencies or disasters. As of July 14, almost 1,400 wildfires blackened more than 220 square miles in the state. Associated Press News (New York), July 14, 2021

Pastures in Dewey County were depleted and short; a pond was low and held a little stagnant water; and ranchers were thinning herds. The Belle Fourche Livestock Market sale barn sold 3,400 head of cattle in the last week of June 2021, more than 10 times the roughly 300 cattle sold in the last week of June 2020. South Dakota Public Broadcasting (Vermillion, S.D.), July 7, 2021

Drought, high hay prices and poor grass growth has Wyoming ranchers making tough decisions about buying hay or selling cattle. A late June price release from the U.S. Department of Agriculture stated that Wyoming alfalfa prices were up to $180 per ton, an increase of $5 over last May. Other hay was also at $180 per ton, an increase of $45 over last May. Sublette Examiner (Wyo.), July 8, 2021

The Middle Rio Grande Conservancy District delayed the start of the growing season by 30 days on April 1, leading some farmers to receive their first delivery of irrigation water six weeks later than in 2020. The water supply was expected to end mid-July, which would leave farmers either without water for the remainder of the growing season or relying on groundwater, which can be expensive. To cope with the shorter growing season, a chile grower purchased 300,000 partially mature chile plants instead of growing them from seeds himself. Santa Fe New Mexican, July 3, 2021

Northern California farmers who typically get water from lakes, rivers and streams were limited on how much they can use, and, instead, were forced to leave fields fallow or pump groundwater. Farmers were not getting any water from the state or federal projects. Chico Enterprise Record (Calif.), July 4, 2021

Grasshoppers and Mormon cricket infestations were being reported across the state, according to Utah's Department of Agriculture and Food. Grasshoppers were descending on 10,000 to 20,000 acres of land at densities of 100 grasshoppers or more per square yard and were devouring crops. Drought may be a factor in the insects’ population increases. Grasshoppers were more prevalent than the crickets. KSTU-FOX13 (Salt Lake City), July 6, 2021