Drought

Meat prices are high due to post COVID-19 issues and a drought ahead of Super Bowl weekend. KIII (Corpus Christi, Texas), Feb 5, 2024

SLEMCO electric customers were notified that there will be a temporary increase on the fuel portion of their bills due to drought in Louisiana. The electricity is generated from coal that was transported down the Mississippi River to a power plant in New Roads, Louisiana. The unusually low water levels significantly increased transportation costs for the past several months. The additional fuel costs will be levied over the next twelve months. KADN-TV (Lafayette, La.), Feb 5, 2024

The U.S. beef cow herd was 28.2 million head on Jan. 1, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service cattle report. The beef cow inventory has decreased for the fifth consecutive year. Drought severity in 2023 led some producers to sell livestock. The states with the biggest drops in cattle were Texas, down 4.3%; Oklahoma, down 3.5%; Missouri, down 5.9%; and Nebraska, down 3.9%. Farm Progress (St. Charles, Ill.), Feb 5, 2024 On Jan. 1, the U.S. cow herd amounted to 28.2 million head for the smallest herd since the report was established in 1972 and 2% lower than one year ago. Ongoing drought in key cattle-producing states, in addition to high input costs, have led to liquidation. Successful Farming Online (Des Moines, Iowa), Feb 2, 2024

More West Texas cotton gins were closing or merging as drought has limited cotton production, and there was not enough cotton to support all of the gins. The price of many things has doubled, making it harder to turn a profit. KCBD (Lubbock, Texas), Jan 21, 2024

Cheney Lake, Wichita’s water source, was 5 ½ feet below normal for this time of year. The low water level has discouraged recreationists who typically book all of the campsites for the holidays as soon as it is possible to reserve them. KWCH 12 (Wichita, Kan.), Feb 1, 2024

Hay prices have risen sharply after drought, heavy snow and bitterly cold temperatures in January. At auction in Dyersville, hay has sold for $250 to $300 per ton, topping 2013 records. RFD TV (Nashville, Tenn.), Feb 2, 2024

Drought in northeast Missouri in 2023 has kept the feed inventory low. An intense January snowstorm and bitterly cold temperatures have strained the feed inventory as livestock need additional feed to keep warm. KTVO-TV ABC 3 Kirksville (Mo.), Feb 1, 2024

Saltwater intrusion in the Mississippi River has left crawfish farmers in south Louisiana without any crawfish to sell, according to a crawfish distributor in Cottonport. KALB-TV (Alexandria, La.), Feb 1, 2024

There has been a spate of water main breaks across Louisiana in recent weeks that can be attributed to aging and a variety of weather conditions. Drought is one of the factors that likely stressed the pipes when it caused the ground to shift and contract. The cold spell caused the ground to freeze, which was followed by heavy rain and mud, which all likely stressed the pipes a bit. As of February 1, boil water advisories were in effect for parts of Thibodaux, New Orleans East and Covington. FOX 8 (New Orleans, La.), Feb 1, 2024

Hay supplies remained extremely tight for winter feeding across Texas, according to Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service experts. While supplies have improved, stocks still remained below pre-drought averages. The tight supplies and higher demand were leading to higher hay prices, according to an AgriLife Extension economist and Texas A&M economics professor. Dec. 1 hay stocks were the third lowest on record behind 2022 and 2012, respectively. AgriLife Today (College Station, Texas), Jan 30, 2024

Lee County enacted irrigation restrictions for unincorporated areas of the county that will start in February and remain through the end of May. Fort Myers News-Press (Fla.), Jan 19, 2024

Drought through most of 2023 left the water level of the Shenandoah River below average, preventing hydroelectric power generation at the dam in Woodstock. WHSV (Harrisonburg, Va.), Jan 31, 2024 The Burnshire Dam in Woodstock had to stop generating power as the Shenandoah River dwindled because some amount of water had to be sent downstream. There was not enough water to produce hydropower. Water stopped flowing over the dam in early September. The low flow of the river has resulted in a loss of $15,000 to $20,000 over the past two months at a time of year when the power company pays the most for power. WHSV Online (Harrisonburg, Va.), Sept 21, 2023

The sugarcane yield in some Acadiana parishes in 2023 was down 25% to 50% due to drought. The crop was planted in September and October in the middle of the drought, which could affect the 2024 crop. There are likely to be some acres with dried stalks that will not produce an adequate stand. KLFY News 10 (Lafayette, La.), Jan 30, 2024

Buhlow Lake reopened on January 29 after recent rainfall refilled the lake. While the lake was closed the boat ramp was leveled, the dock was extended and the stage was renovated. KALB-TV (Alexandria, La.), Jan 27, 2024

Two major water main breaks have occurred in southeastern Louisiana. One disrupted water to the east bank of Jefferson Parish, and the other has interrupted water to residents in Lafourche Parish. A civil engineer suspected that the drought and the hot summer were behind the problems with the soil shifting and shrinking, leading to water main breaks. WWL-TV (New Orleans, La.), Jan 26, 2024

The Edwards Aquifer Authority eased pumping restrictions for the San Antonio area after recent rainfall bumped up groundwater levels. Under Stage 2 restrictions, permit holders can withdraw up to 70% of their allotted amounts. Under the Stage 3 restrictions that took effect in early November and just ended, withdrawals of 65% were allowed. San Antonio Express-News (Texas), Jan 26, 2024 On Friday, Aug. 18, the Edwards Aquifer fell to its lowest point since July 1990. The J-17 well was 625.7 ft. above sea level, which is lower than the recent lowest measurement in September 2014, when widespread drought slowed local rivers to a trickle and Medina Lake nearly went completely dry. Stage 2 water restrictions remained in effect for San Antonio Water System customers. KSAT 12 (San Antonio, Texas), Aug 18, 2023 The Edwards Aquifer Authority enacted Stage 4 restrictions because groundwater levels and flows in the groundwater system continued to fall. The index well in Bexar County was at 629.1 feet, which was low enough to trigger the stage 4 restrictions. Comal Springs was flowing more slowly at an average of 88 cubic feet per second over the last 10 days. The counties affected by the restrictions are Atascosa, Bexar, Caldwell, Comal, Guadalupe, Hays and Medina. San Antonio Express-News Online (Texas), July 24, 2023

Fire restrictions for the Kisatchie National Forest were lifted after being in effect for more than four months. KALB-TV (Alexandria, La.), Jan 19, 2024

A restaurant in Gulfport has not received any crawfish yet, but normally has them by the start of the year, making this the latest start to the crawfish season in at least 16 years, according to the restaurant’s sales records. Prices were more than triple that of previous years with the boiled mudbugs selling for $12 to $15 per pound, compared to $3.89 in January 2023. The Sun Herald (Biloxi, Miss.), Jan 24, 2024

This could be one of the roughest years for crawfish farmers, according to a crawfish aquaculture and coastal resources specialist for the LSU AgCenter, after drought and heat reduced the crawfish population. "I don’t see the catch picking anytime soon, especially considering the freezing temperatures in January,” he said. “Some farmers still have not put out traps, mainly because test traps show no sign of crawfish.” The spring crop is expected to be a fraction of the usual catch. In addition, production costs like that for pumping costs to flood the field and keep it flooded were higher, as much as three to four times higher. The cost of labor, bait and supplies means that the upcoming crop will be difficult to accomplish. Early estimates indicate that crawfish might sell for up to $13 per pound. More than 45,000 acres of crawfish habitat could not be flooded for lack of water or due to water supplies being too salty. No crawfish will be harvested from another 45,000 acres that was flooded but will not yield any crawfish. Plaquemine Post South (La.), Jan 24, 2024

Rainfall in Suffolk County was below normal in May, leading the water authority for Southampton Town to issue a water advisory on June 12. The East Hampton Star (N.Y.), July 6, 2023