http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

I live in Perkins County, South Dakota, and we are in the ranching business. We have been in the midst of an extreme drought beginning in the winter of 2015. We received little to no snowfall and other than a few minor rains this spring we have received very little precipitation. Our native range production has been extremely limited. The forage that grew was probably at 25-30% of what is considered normal. Most stock dams/ponds are either dry or close to it. A lot of producers are facing situations where the water is also poisonous to livestock that drink it. Some producers are reporting that natural water springs that have previously never quit running are dry this year. With a limited amount of rain and/or snow, hay production was very limited, with many producers putting up no hay at all. On our operation we had the worst hay crop since the 1930s. What ground was cut for hay was 25% of normal. Most of the small grain crops were not harvested for grain due to lack of moisture to finish off the grain filling process. Many producers are looking at buying feed for their winter supplies and if things don't inprove soon there will be many looking to liquidate livestock. From an agricultural producer in Perkins County, South Dakota, on August 24, 2016