BISMARCK, N.D. (KFYR) - The recent rain event was a far cry from being enough for North Dakota’s farmers and ranchers.
Nearly 70% of the state remains in an extreme drought, according to the National Integrated Drought Information System.
Crops, cattle, fields, and farmers are suffering, but everyone is running out of time to make whatever money they can.
This field in Oliver County is in a D4 drought, which is the most severe kind.
By this time of year, this crop should be knee high, but it’s barely going over my boots.
And even though this field would be considered a failure, it’s almost cutting time, and farmers need to salvage whatever they can.
The view from the road is very different from the view in the fields.
The color of this wheat looks good, but if you take a closer look, the dirt is cracked and powder dry.
“The drought this year is magnified by the fact that we have nothing under the ground to help us survive. And so... this is tough. Last year was dry. This year, it’s a nightmare. It really is,” NDSU Ag Extension Agent Rick Schmidt said.
Time is running out for producers to make difficult decisions.
If they wait too long to harvest what little they have, the wheat turns into a less-valuable hay.
Schmidt says farmers in central North Dakota only have a week before that happens.
And there’s no amount of rain that’s going to help them now.
“You probably have healed that pasture and that rangeland a little bit, but you aren’t producing any vegetation. It’s going to stay status quo. It’s gonna be only so tall,” Agriculture Commissioner Doug Goehring said.
But can they even harvest what’s there?
Ag leaders are worried the extremely short heights may be too low for equipment to collect, meaning they’ll have to survive with whatever they can scrape out of the fields.
And for many, it will be literal scraping.
With many seemingly up against the clock, Schmidt says farmers should talk to any and all resource agents and each other, because no one is going to get through this alone.
Copyright 2021 KFYR. All rights reserved.
"difficult" - Google News
June 18, 2021 at 04:01AM
https://ift.tt/3q4OGUY
Difficult decisions coming for producers - KFYR-TV
"difficult" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2VWzYBO
https://ift.tt/3d5eskc
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Difficult decisions coming for producers - KFYR-TV"
Post a Comment