National Drought Mitigation Center
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National Drought Mitigation Center
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Pastures, dams drying up in Jones County, South Dakota
8/16/2017 4:32:27 PM



CATEGORIES:
Agriculture
Water Supply & Quality
AFFECTED AREAS:
Jones County, SD
Draper, SD

Start Date: 4/1/2017 - End Date: 11/30/2017
I am a farmer and rancher in Jones County, SD. The drought of 2017 has and is continuing to affect my property and operation significantly. My pastures have been grazed past my normal grazing practices and there is nothing left for the cattle to eat. And the dams are drying up and are unsafe to use for cattle, because they can get stuck in the mud and the quality of the water is bad. I have piped water both permanently and temporarily to get by. I have leased more pasture for my cow herd than I own for the next 3 months to get to winter. I also have brought cattle in for the past 15 years and they will be shipped out 2 months sooner than normal because there is no grass left. My hay production is worse than it has ever been. I normally get around 4 to 5 bales per acre; this year it is about 1 bale per acre. I will need to purchase some hay to get my herd through the winter. From Jones County, South Dakota, on August 16, 2017
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