# Exceptional Drought



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Hard here and several other states in the Southeast.

Regards, Mike

https://www.dtnpf.com/agriculture/web/ag/news/livestock/article/2016/11/14/rain-two-months-counting


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Really hard all across the state of Georgia....it's been 9 weeks here with 0 precipitation and we are much better off that most of the state. We did get 4-5" back with "hermine" (I think) but it was only the southeast, we were included in that, but it was back in late August. The rest of the state didn't get any part of that and the last recorded precept was August 4-5th for a lot of counties. Most cattle operations are selling off the herds and dwindling down. Streams in north Georgia are almost stagnant, rivers, ponds, reservoirs are all very low. North Floridian aquifer is holding up for us right now in South Georgia but we need to replenish it during the winter or there will be hell to play next spring.....
I've been hauling hay all across the state, especially north and west......


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## barnrope (Mar 22, 2010)

Sorry to hear that!

I wish you could have had some of our rain. Since April 20th we have received 59". I didn't keep track of any snowfall or spring rains. Normally in the entire year we have 34". I am sure we have had well over double our average this year.


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

The visibility in E TN is very low now due to several forest fires in mountainous terrain that are not completely contained. I spoke with the wife the last few days and she said many have to stay indoors it has gotten so bad.

Regards, Mike


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

It says good quality alfalfa hay out of Oklahoma 70 to $100 a ton. WOW


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

It is bad.

Drought is worse in a region accustomed to ample rain. the plants and the soil can not adjust over night.

No grazing since August. Hauling 1200 - 1500 gallons of water per day since the first week in August.

This quit being fun a long time ago.


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## NewBerlinBaler (May 30, 2011)

Perhaps the HT moderators could get the drought map on the home page updated. It still shows the map from January 2015. Almost 2 years old now.

Gary


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

NewBerlinBaler said:


> Perhaps the HT moderators could get the drought map on the home page updated. It still shows the map from January 2015. Almost 2 years old now.
> 
> Gary


The last time the drought map was updated was when Puritanize was in charge of our site.....the new operators seldom check in now.

Regards, Mike

http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Fires...

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/southeast-wildfires-surpass-80000-acres-naa-associated-press/


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

The closest fire here had ash falling like snow. Thankfully no embers.

I have a fire alert app on my phone now. It is from the state forestry department and keeps us updated on the location of the fires and what stage of control the fire is under.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

We are not that dry that we were having forest fires or anything like that here. But we are in a pretty serious drought in the area where I Farm Way on behind with rainfall


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## olschoolsteel (Mar 6, 2016)

This is one of the reasons I wanted to move back to Southern Illinois from Ogden Ut. Yea the mountains are pretty on occasion, but I tell you the air out there is not fit to breathe. 3-4 months of the summer you are under a reddish brown haze from any range fire in the area. Then in the winter, the inversion sets in and you are stuck in a milkshake thick haze of shit air. Every mountain state I lived in I had to deal with summer time range fire smokey air, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Las Vegas Nv. Sometimes it would blow in from Cal, other times it was local.

I didnt realize how nice it was here in the Midwest until I had to put up with that stuff out there. Now if there is smoke in the air, it moves out in a few hours, maybe a day. Harvest days when its warm and dry you can see the haze when the sun is setting. Other than that, we dont know how nice our air is till it get spoiled. I'm sure you guys down South know all about this right about now.


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

Vol said:


> The visibility in E TN is very low now due to several forest fires in mountainous terrain that are not completely contained. I spoke with the wife the last few days and she said many have to stay indoors it has gotten so bad.
> 
> Regards, Mike


 The air here has been smoky for about a week now......some days have been much worse than others......a couple days ago visibility was less than a mile here at the house. The closest fire is about 8-10 miles south of me and has burnt 5,000 acres........thankfully I'm on the north side of the fire as the smoke is much worse to the south and east of the fire than it is here. Talked to a friend of mine today and he said one of his hayfields had been burnt and was having to move cattle out before the fire gets to the pasture.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

Never thought of the mountains in that respect.....Georgia has quite a few burning now, one up by the TN line is very large. I delivered hay up in that area the other day and it was very hazy. No precipitation since August 5th....none. Some fires appear to have been set by a fella pulling a trailer and the safety chains dragging.....very dry.


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## olschoolsteel (Mar 6, 2016)

My pasture is pretty much depleted at this point. If we had a bit more rain I could have squeezed a few more weeks out, but its pretty much done. Everything is getting water from the morning dew and the few mornings of soft frost. My pasture would be way healthier if it werent for the June drought we had. But then again, anything I have that is longer than 2 inches is BECAUSE it rained since summer. I was a week away from throwing hay in the middle of summer just to keep them alive.

In fact, I opened my feed area and let my 3 heifers dig into their winter round bale hay. They were more than ready for it. ....Lookin at me like "What took you so long?"


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## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I have had no summer grazing since early September. Brought all the cows/calves home to 2 pastures. Easier to feed hay in just two places.

We have been feeding full winter rations of hay and beef pellets since September.

My Alicia Bermuda is alive. I believe we lost the Fescue and a good bit of Bahia.

Still have not drilled the winter grazing, which we need in a bad way. Those who did drill lost it to the drought.

No rain in the two week forecast.


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## somedevildawg (Jun 20, 2011)

I feel for you guys Tim.....we are dry as a bone but the northwest section of Alabama is toast for sure.....no rain in our two week forecast either. Last rain for us here was Sept 3-4......catfish have ticks


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

The smoke was really bad yesterday here at the house. I hauled a load of soybeans to the elevator about 30 miles south of here and the smoke was much worse down that way. I drove through areas that visibility was less than 100 yards.....like driving in fog. Took a couple pictures right after I left the house.....didn't take any pictures where it was really bad as I had to really watch the road with the low visibility.


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## haybaler101 (Nov 30, 2008)

Ah, smoke and bean dust, two things that really light my asthma on fire. I would need an oxygen tank!


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## FarmerCline (Oct 12, 2011)

haybaler101 said:


> Ah, smoke and bean dust, two things that really light my asthma on fire. I would need an oxygen tank!


 You and me both. I was wearing a respirator in the field......should have worn it to the elevator as well since my throat and sinuses feel on fire now from all the smoke.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I feel for you guys, have the opposite problem here, had a good streak going and was almost getting stuff accomplished as it was finally drying out, Friday night ended that for awhile, then couldn't decide wether to rain, sleet or snow most of today.

I'd have to get some horse tranquilizers and force feed em to the wife to get her to calm down if forest fires were ever an issue here. Have 3600 acres across the road they don't even allow campers to pick dead wood up for campfires, a real tinderbox across the road it is, then figure in all the dead ash trees from that freakin asian (chinese) ash borer.


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