COPING MECHANISMS: Farmers R ecent years have brought weather challenges for farmers from North Dakota to Texas. Heavy winter snows, early spring fl ooding and late spring rains prevented about 20 percent of North Dakota’s cropland from being planted last spring. Lawren Wold and other farmers near Minot were faced with some of the soggiest soils in the state. “I seeded wheat into ground that had been in canola or soybeans the year before, but only got about 30 percent of my acres planted before the rains started,” he recalls. “Soils were already wet and then we received 4 inches of rain in mid-May.” Other growers saw 6.5 inches of rain fall on unplanted fi elds that month. Then in June, 4.5 inches fell and a record 5.62 inches fell in July — 220 percent above normal. Rainfall totaled nearly 35 inches for the year, more than double the Minot average of 16 inches. Wold says 2013 was the wettest he’s seen since 1964. “We have never had so many prevented-planting acres in two of three years in a row.” He typically uses minimum tillage, but chisel plowed most of his unplanted acres in late June and July to help soils dry, applying herbicide to control weeds. “The biggest challenge for us will be getting crops planted this spring,” he says. More Tillage Tillage was on the rise in central North Dakota last summer, confi rms Terry Herzig, general manager, Dakota Agronomy Partners, based in Minot. “Growers had been moving to no-till the last fi ve years, but with a little over half the acres getting planted last spring in our area, many felt they had to do something to dry unplanted acres. “We saw more winter wheat planted this fall — 25 to 30 percent of local acres, compared to the normal 5 to 10 percent.” Excessive moisture levels have also made growers more hesitant to apply fall fertilizer. “They’re concerned about nutrient loss and wasted input dollars,” says Herzig. “We’re seeing more spring nitrogen applications and more split applications, including sidedressing and topdressing.” Use of seed treatments and fungicides has increased too, he adds. Drought Dictates Straight south of Minot about 1,100 miles, farmers around Plainview, Texas, have been dealing with drought conditions for several years. Prior to the drought, average annual rainfall was around 18 inches, but in the last few years it’s been half that. “Just about everyone here remembers the last big rain of several inches on July 4th weekend of 2010,” recalls Mark Morris, general manager of CHS Plainview. “Last summer, a total of 4.5 inches was the most rain any location had, but it was spotty and most places had less.” Temperature Outlook These temperature and precipitation maps give a snapshot of what NOAA meteorologists expect for 2014. Shaded areas indicate chances of above or below normal temperatures or precipitation amounts versus long-term averages, with darker shades indicating higher probabilities. The higher the probability, the more confi dent the prediction. 2014 | MARCH > APRIL > MAY B EC B EC EC EC A EC A A A A 2014 | JUNE > JULY > AUGUST EC = EQUAL CHANCES FOR A, N, B A = ABOVE N = NORMAL B = BELOW Source: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration EC A EC A EC EC EC A EC A 14 JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2014 2014 | SEPTEMBER > OCTOBER > NOVEMBER 2014 | DECEMBER 2015 | JANUARY > FEBRUARY
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Coping Mechanisms: Farmers Respond to Extreme Weather
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