Drought
As 2024 comes to an end, roughly 70% of the U.S. is experiencing some level of drought and dryness. What does that mean for 2025? According to one meteorologist, in six of the past 10 years with a really dry fall, the spring to follow was also dry.
Get ready for the months ahead to look a lot different than last year.
The agricultural headlines of 2023 have issued a steady drumbeat of drought – particularly in the Corn Belt, where so much U.S. livestock feed is grown. But just how bad was it?
Crop conditions continue to fall as extreme weather plagues this year’s growing season.
If new predictions hold true it could be a hotter than normal summer across much of the U.S
There’s now a 60% chance La Niña will develop between June and August and an 85% chance it’s in effect by November 2024 to January 2025, according to NOAA.
The U.S. Drought Monitor shows drought coverage is now at its lowest level since spring of 2020, but USDA’s topsoil moisture map shows it’s still extremely dry in areas of the west and too wet in the east.
Jim Rothermich of Iowa Appraisals shares what he expects from land values in the year ahead.
From the intense heat in the South to drought blanketing much of the U.S., weather stole headlines again in 2023. What caused such extreme conditions? One meteorologist explains the culprits of the heat and drought.
Some Republican House and Senate members have expressed their concerns to USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, particularly regarding the new payment formula used for ERP in 2022.
What’s often called the “white combine” is hammering western Kansas this year, an ugly reality for an area that’s finally receiving rain after nearly five years of drought.
With drought bearing down on much of the country this summer, the incoming corn silage crop is going to require some close nutritional evaluation.
John Phipps says there are signs that water is the new oil as water rights turn into water fights across the western U.S. He thinks it’s a battle that could only heat up in the coming years.
Hurricane-force winds swept from northern Missouri and Iowa all the way east to Illinois and Indiana. The derecho brought wind gusts up to 100 mph, flattening cornfields, but it also drenched soils with crucial rains.
Dry conditions spurred by La Nina weighed on areas of the Corn Belt in 2022. As La Nina fades, and El Nino starts to make a return, meteorologists say the weather shift could also signal better crop production in 2023.
The U.S. is heating up and that could spell disaster for U.S. livestock producers. Drastic changes will need to be implemented to ensure we have enough feed for our cattle in the future.
A mega drought is crippling feed and water availability for California farmers. And as the dire drought continues to grip producers, some fear it could spur dairy farmers to leave California and relocate farther east.
Water was once taken for granted in western states, like California. But now the tides have changed, and dairy farmers understand all too well the need for water is vital but also one that is not always guaranteed.
As much of the U.S. struggles with drought this year, China is doing the same
Two dairy farmers from opposite ends of the country share how they push past the trials and tribulations Mother Nature throws their way.
Mother Nature has been active across the U.S., with a tale of two weather stories unfolding this summer that has greatly impacted dairy farms.
Water is essential. So, understandably, worries are mounting, and farmers are growing frustrated at the federal government for cutting off their main water supply source in Klamath County, Oregon.
The drought out west isn’t just impacting grain and livestock producers. It’s also impacting California’s dairy industry.
The skies might be blue, but the mood of some central California dairy producers has turned grey, as another season of drought returns to The Golden State.
The Feed Emergency Enhancement During Disasters Act (FEEDD Act) would allow producers who are utilizing prevent plant to at least graze, hay or chop a cover crop to feed livestock.
While dairy producers are seeing profitability from milk checks there is also a tremendous opportunity to market cattle into the beef supply thanks to record high beef prices.
Pasture and range condition in the drought-stricken western states is anything but pretty.
Farmers in California’s Central Valley, the world’s most productive agricultural region, will get none of the water they requested this year from a federally controlled system because of the drought gripping the state.
Many beef farms across the Midwest have experienced difficulty harvesting high quality forage. Finding opportunities to double crop forages could help producing high quality forage.
Program includes expedited review for drought-related loan requests, support for affiliated associations’ local drought-assistance efforts.