FRANKLIN PARISH, LOUISIANA (This Week in Louisiana Agriculture) — Portions of the Deep South are already dealing with drought, raising concerns for producers across the region. Cattlemen and hay contractor Jarred Pugh says the dry conditions have him worried, especially this early in the year.
“I’ve never seen a crack in April, never. This is the first time, so that’s got me a little spooked, and I think it’s got everybody a little spooked,” Pugh says. “The people who make a lot of hay, kind of like we do, they’re all in the same boat. We’d better get what we can while we can.”
Jay Grimes, state climatologist with the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, as well as the Director of the Office of State Climatology at Louisiana State University, says the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows worsening conditions, with impacts already being seen in pasture growth and river levels.
“This is the time of year where we’re supposed to be running well above normal in terms of an annual average, not at base flow,” Grimes explains.
Even if Louisiana sees normal rainfall in the coming weeks, he says, it may not be enough to pull parts of the state out of drought.
