Soils are much, much drier now than they were at the start of last year’s planting season, says University of Missouri Extension climatologist Zachary Leasor.
Despite gains in December and January, soil moisture sits below average for most of the state, Leasor says. Soil moisture plays an important role in the upper part of the soil but is even more important in the root zone.
“Compared to last year, soils are much drier this spring, and this leaves us vulnerable to rapid agricultural drought impacts if we don’t see above-normal precipitation over the next month,” says Leasor.
from the NASA gives the one-year difference in soil moisture from March 2023 to March 2024. It shows that almost all Missouri soils are seeing a major moisture deficit, even worse than at the start of 2023.
“The one-year change really sticks out to me given that, anecdotally, a lot of farmers felt that 2023’s drought came on so fast because we never fully recovered from 2022. With even drier conditions this spring, this is a major concern,” says Leasor.
Also, scattered, inconsistent precipitation means that one part of a farm could experience a greater lack of moisture than another part.
Knowing this, farmers may want to change their strategy as planting season nears, says MU Extension agricultural engineer Charles Ellis. Changes might help to prevent poor emergence and patchy germination.
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Categories: Missouri, Crops