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Much Too Dry

By Kathryn Satterfield

Shriveled, earless stalks of corn. Shrinking watering holes. Dusty, empty pastures where cattle once grazed. This is the scene across North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Texas and other Great Plains states. Farmers in the area are suffering from a severe drought. At a time when they should be harvesting crops and adding up profits, they are counting their losses. Some ranchers have had to sell off their cattle, because grazing lands are barren.

Last Tuesday, the U.S. government promised $780 million in aid to struggling ranchers and farmers. Agriculture Secretary Mike Johanns made the announcement while visiting a ranch in South Dakota. The state is among the hardest hit. "As I walked by a pasture where grass should be growing and cattle grazing, I saw only dirt," Johanns said.

A Growing Problem

This past July was the hottest in the Great Plains states since 1936. That was during the Dust Bowl, a period of devastating droughts in the 1930s. Millions of acres of farmland dried up and turned to dust.

A drought occurs when a region gets less rain than usual and water supplies can't make up for the shortage. From May to July, five states--Montana, Nebraska, Wyoming, North Dakota and South Dakota--had only 4.7 inches of rain. That is just 63% of the normal amount. Only two years have been drier, 1934 and 1936.

Recent rains have provided some relief. But drought is caused by a combination of factors that accumulate over time, not just lack of rainfall. For the states that are currently suffering, several years of dry conditions were made worse by a winter with little snow. This, in turn, robbed the soil of precious moisture reserves. Record heat this summer was the final straw.

The rains have come too late for most summer crops. But farmers will soon plant winter wheat. With a bit of luck and a bit more rain, next spring's wheat harvest will be a happier story.

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