The latest U.S. Drought Monitor revealed not only contracting drought coverage across the nation, but also shrinking levels we haven’t seen in years.
And that is ringing true for many of the country’s top commodities. USDA Meteorologist, Brad Rippey, breaks down the numbers.
“Coverage of the corn production area in drought for the U.S. is just 19% at the end of April, down five points from the beginning of the month, pretty much the same with soybeans, 17% drought coverage, soybean production area at the end of April, down also five points from the beginning of the month. And then as we shift to the South, news for the cotton belt at this time just 8% of the U.S. cotton belt in drought at the end of April. No change from the beginning of the month our current. For for the U.S. hay production area in drought is just 12% at the end of April. That’s down two points from the beginning of April and also down from last autumn’s peak of 42% of the hay production area and drought.”
Brad Rippey, USDA Meteorologist
It’s a very similar picture for cattle producing areas. Just 17% of the U.S. cattle inventory is in drought. That’s up slightly from April where we saw 13%, but this is a major improvement from last fall when almost half of the nation’s herd was in a drought.
Related Stories
Record ethanol production and improving blending demand continue to support corn usage despite rising short-term inventories.
Alissa White with American Farmland Trust joined us to provide insight into climate resilience efforts and strategies to help farmers manage weather-related risks.
Agronomy experts explain why standing crop residue protects soil and reduces costs for crop growers, while shredding often yields little benefit at higher costs.
Freight volatility increasingly determines export margins, making logistics costs as important as price in marketing decisions.
Secretary Rollins also met with specialty crop producers at a local strawberry farm to discuss workforce needs and the Trump Administration’s recent wins related to significantly cutting the cost of H-2A labor for California farmers.
USDA flash corn sales, Cattle on Feed and Inventory reports, and beef packer antitrust concerns dominate January agricultural market news.
