March 8, 2006
BY PHYLLIS JACOBS GRIEKSPOOR
The Wichita Eagle
DROUGHT IN KANSAS
Kansas farmers are keeping a hopeful eye on the weather forecast and an anxious eye on dry wheat fields, which are just now breaking dormancy to begin the grain-making growing season.
Stands of wheat fields are good in many areas and cool overnight temperatures have kept growth slow -- something that helps make the most of lingering subsoil moisture from rains in October and snows in December.
The latest state statistics reported topsoil moisture as 95 percent short to very short and 5 percent adequate across the state.
The condition of the wheat is 27 percent poor to very poor; 46 percent fair; 24 percent good; and only 3 percent excellent.
"We haven't lost the wheat crop yet, but it's drier and drier every day, and we are getting concerned," said Dusti Fritz with the Kansas Wheat Commission. "We still have a chance for timely rains to save the crop."
Kansas is the nation's leading producer of hard red winter wheat, with more than 10 million acres planted to wheat last fall. A normal harvest of those acres, around 40 bushels to the acre, would mean more than $1 billion to the state's economy at today's prices.
Dry weather, however, may have already done enough damage to reduce yields. And insects -- such as green bugs -- that flourish in dry weather, could lessen production even if timely rains arrive.
Chances for rain this week are looking better with the forecast calling for possible thunderstorms almost every day this week. But that doesn't necessarily mean significant rainfall.
The storms that drifted across the state over the weekend brought little moisture, even in areas that saw rain. Most locations received less than a quarter of an inch of rain -- moisture that disappeared quickly in Monday's wind and 70-degree-plus temperatures.
And forecasts over the next five days show an expected accumulation of only about a quarter of an inch over most of the state, with possibly more in the very eastern section.
"Certainly this is not widespread rain," said Chris Bowman, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Wichita.
"This is thunderstorm activity, which means spotty rain -- a shower here and there to give local relief in a much larger, regional drought," he said.
The crop situation is still not dire enough to send farmers into the fields with tillage equipment.
"We're definitely not seeing people give up and tear it out," said Charlie Swayze at Farmers Co-op Equity in Isabel, which has locations in Pratt, Comanche and Kingman counties. "Our stands are looking really good in a lot of places and people are holding on to hope that the rain will come. We're just watching and waiting."
Other drought-related problems are also causing concern for agriculture.
Hay supplies are becoming extremely short, in part because of severe drought and extensive fires in Texas and Oklahoma. Farmers with hay in storage also are cautious about selling until they have a better idea what this summer's potential for production will be.
Pastures across the state are dry and ponds have dried up, leaving ranchers scrambling for sufficient water for cow herds.
"It's going to take a good, solid rain before the grass will even kick off this spring," Swayze said.
http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/business/industries/agriculture/14042794.htm