Drought In The South Central U.S. Expected To Persist Through October, Says Climate Experts

This summer, we’ve all felt at least a few days of scorching 100 degree heat, but nowhere in the United States has it been felt more than in the country’s south central region.

 Earlier this week, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) reported that, “Persistent, scorching heat in the central and eastern regions of the United States shattered long-standing daily and monthly temperature records last month.

“The South climate region – Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma and Texas – had the warmest single calendar month for any region on record. Dallas exceeded 100° F on 30 of the 31 days in July. ”

While many states are beginning to feel a relieving cooling this month, experts are unfortunately predicting that states in the Texas and Oklahoma region will have to endure this roasting until mid-fall.

The U.S. Seasonal Drought Outlook came out last week with data from NOAA, saying that, “Climate anomalies attributed to the Summer 2010 – Spring 2011 La Niña event prompted widespread drought development and intensification across the southern tier of the United States.

“In many locations, significant deterioration occurred, with the Great Plains experiencing the worst impacts. Apart from the relief afforded by isolated thunderstorms, or a tropical system, drought conditions are anticipated to persist over the south central states through the August – October period.”

The severe conditions will continue in these states, but that doesn’t mean the hardship is over for states that have seen a temperature cool off. The devastation to crops and livestock has already been done.

The U.S. Drought Monitor reported that Texas rangelands and pastures were in very poor condition as of July 31, and that the rangeland and pasture situations were nearly as bad in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Kansas.

“Oklahoma’s row crops were in particularly bad shape, with USDA rating 88 percent of cotton and 75 percent of sorghum (used in syrups, molasses, alcoholic beverages, and biofuels) in very poor to poor condition,” according to the monitor.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has issued disaster designations for 547 counties in 30 states. So far, the USDA has given out about $520 million to those affected by the drought.

Additional assistance for livestock producers affected by the drought comes from the Livestock Forage Program, which has already provided $114 million nationwide, including about $50 million in Texas, $24 million in Oklahoma, and $11 million in New Mexico.

The Farm Service Agency (FSA) is also modifying its Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) policies to help those affected by sustained drought conditions. The FSA is now permitting farmers and ranchers in drought stricken states who have been approved for emergency grazing, (including those in Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Texas) to extend emergency grazing to Oct. 31, 2011, without any additional payment reduction.

The FSA will also allow ranchers nationwide to utilize harvested hay from the expiring CRP acres when those acres are being prepared for fall seed crops. This change will enable ranchers to feed the hay to their own livestock or to sell or donate it. The agency also said that “rental payments will be reduced by 25 percent for those utilizing this option.” This hay used to be destroyed.

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