Richland County is a green mecca as crops are on track with seasonal averages.
Many farmers and ranchers in North Dakota will not pull a second cut from ditches or fields as grass and alfalfa is withering in the fields.
Eighty-four percent of the state is experiencing moderate drought and now 13.5 percent is in a severe drought, according to the U.S. drought monitor map.
Richland is in a moderate drought since the region has not received adequate precipitation the past there months.
The absence of moisture in April, May and June is severely impacting pastures for cattle producers, while crops in central and south-central North Dakota are barely making a stand in overly dry soil.
“Keep in mind the spring of 2017 was the ninth driest of the 123 years of recorded history.
That’s a big deal,” Akyuz said It’s hard to think drought after the region was pummeled by rain Tuesday, but North Dakota still has a long way to go to recover from a lack of normal precipitation.
On average, the southeastern corner of the state received an average of 1 1/2 inches of rain in one day, which still isn’t enough to circumvent the moderate drought, although it may lessen the overall severity in Richland, Akyuz said.
Farmers and ranchers in drought ravaged areas of the state watched the radar to track Tuesday’s massive storm that started in South Dakota and swept northeast.
The drought is dire in many parts of the state, prompting some farmers and ranchers to take drastic measures to feed livestock.