After a dry start to the summer, we are starting to see some rain in the Heartland.
That being said, it’s still very dry.
As of July 11, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources has Adair County now listed in the “severe drought” category, rather than the “extreme drought” category.
Counties like Knox, Schuyler and Sullivan still have some land that is in the “extreme drought” category, but conditions are better than they were 2-3 weeks ago.
That’s something that has Heartland farmer Zac Erwin very cautiously optimistic.
A little bit of reprieve. One thing I will say is that there’s still a lot of summer left," said Erwin. "And so the old adage pretty well holds true, ‘we’re only two weeks away from a drought.’" But even with the increase in rain, there’s been a lack of consistency, both in amount and location.
Some of those that may have had those three, four, five inches of rain over the last 3-4 weeks are probably going to be sitting in a little better shape than others." Erwin, also a livestock specialist for the M.U. Extension Office in Adair County, says that there is real danger being faced by livestock farmers, and the threat level has reached critical.
Source: ktvo.com
Photo Credit: istock-dusanpetkovic
Categories: Missouri, Livestock, Weather