http://droughtreporter.unl.edu/

v 2.4.3.0

The fall drought in South Carolina forced an Oconee County farmer to plant her grass later than ever before in December. That grass, which would normally be six to eight inches tall, was barely two inches tall as of February 2024. The 2023 drought led her to spend $7,000 more on hay than in the year prior. Farmers attest that drought in the state began well before it was officially declared by the South Carolina Drought Response Committee. In October 2023, the committee recognized 23 of the state’s 46 counties as being in drought. But the Oconee County farmer noticed dry conditions as early as June 2023. The committee considers water levels in lakes and streams, wildfire threat level, precipitation and soil condition when monitoring drought. A grower in Greenville County planted and fertilized his pasture as usual in the fall, but the lack of soil moisture left the grass just two inches high in 2024. Greenville News (S.C.), April 2, 2024