It’s been a notable start to USDA’s first Pasture and Rangeland Conditions Report. Meteorologist Brad Rippey says that it shows a very sobering portrait of the state of drought in the nation.
“We see on May 1st, pasture and rangelands in the U.S. rated 56 percent very poor to poor. That is obviously a function of the punishing drought in place in the Great Plains westward. That 56 percent for this time of year is very staggering because the all-time record going back to the mid-90s is 59 percent and that occurred in late summer of 2012, so we typically see declining rangeland and pasture conditions as you move through the mid to late summer months. Thats’ very normal, pastures tend to brownout. So to see a number like 56 percent this time of year is really sobering,” Rippey explains.
He adds that the silver lining is relatively favorable conditions in most areas from the Mississippi Valley eastward.
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