http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

Drought-stricken crops in North Dakota were being fed to hungry livestock as poor hay growth led to cattle sales. Wheat and barley were being baled as drought limited their growth, leaving them unworthy of harvesting. The forage was badly needed as the hay crop was just 10% to 25% of normal, leading ranchers to cull cattle, according to the president of the North Dakota Stockmen’s Association. Grains that under better circumstances would be “armpit high” were just “boot-high at best.” Many fields never greened up in the spring, leaving cattle on brown grass come June. Fifteen or more percent of the spring wheat crop may be abandoned, for the highest abandonment rate in nearly 20 years, stated a chief commodities economist with StoneX. Bloomberg Green (N.Y.), July 22, 2021