Drought emergency declared in 19 Montana counties, 2 reservations.
HELENA – Gov.
Parts of these counties have seen record low precipitation, high temperatures, and excessive wind in the last two months, state officials said.
These conditions rapidly deteriorated crop and forage viability after a winter of below average precipitation.
Crops such as oats, spring wheat, edible dry peas, and sugar beets are all suffering, officials said.
In addition, pasture and range conditions are poor to very poor, per the June 18 Crop Progress Report.
Ranchers reported extreme dust has made it difficult to keep track of all head, even during branding.
Bullock said farmers and ranchers from many eastern communities are feeling the impacts of drought conditions.
He said his administration is committed to making sure impacts are minimized and will continue to work closely with these communities to monitor conditions and provide further assistance.
Earlier Friday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture authorized emergency grazing on Conservation Reserve Program lands in Montana.

ROUNDS: Drought latest threat to ag industry.
Ranchers are struggling to feed their livestock and farmers are concerned about their crops.
The drought underscores the importance of the farm bill, the primary ag and food policy legislation that directs U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and is generally up for reauthorization every five years.
Those discussions include the importance of safety-net programs such as crop insurance and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which are designed to help farmers and ranchers during adverse times.
I recently joined Sen. John Thune in urging USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue to provide timely assistance to the South Dakota counties facing extreme drought conditions.
In our letter, we asked him to be ready to provide expedited assistance to counties that will likely soon be in extreme drought conditions and eligible for assistance from the Livestock Forage Program (LFP).
We also requested that CRP acres be made available for emergency haying and grazing as soon as possible due to the substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed.
We also asked USDA to open up CRP acres for haying and grazing no later than July 15, which is several weeks earlier than normal.
“Timely assistance is needed in order to preserve foundation grazing livestock herds in the drought-stricken areas of our state from further downsizing due to lack of feed and forage,” we wrote.
In South Dakota, our farmers and ranchers are not immune to challenging conditions.

We need drought relief.
Today in South Dakota, much of our state is experiencing a significant drought.
Ranchers are struggling to feed their livestock and farmers are concerned about their crops.
Despite recent rainfall across much of the state, these dry conditions are expected to continue into the summer.
The drought underscores the importance of the farm bill, the primary ag and food policy legislation that directs U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) programs and is generally up for reauthorization every five years.
Those discussions include the importance of safety net programs such as crop insurance and the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), which are designed to help farmers and ranchers during adverse times, such as during a drought.
In our letter, we asked him to be ready to provide expedited assistance to counties that will likely soon be in extreme drought conditions and eligible for assistance from the Livestock Forage Program (LFP).
We also requested that CRP acres be made available for emergency haying and grazing as soon as possible due to the substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed.
Most recently, Governor Dennis Daugaard declared a statewide emergency because of the ongoing drought conditions in South Dakota.
In South Dakota, our farmers and ranchers are not immune to challenging conditions.

Thune, Rounds Urge USDA to Provide Timely Drought Assistance, Open CRP.
Extreme drought conditions throughout the Northern Plains have led to a shortage of hay and pasture WASHINGTON — U.S. Sens.
John Thune (R-S.D.)
today urged U.S. Department of Agriculture Secretary (USDA) Sonny Perdue to provide timely assistance to counties currently facing extreme drought conditions, and if drought conditions worsen, as expected, to be ready to provide expedited assistance to counties that will likely soon be in extreme drought conditions and eligible for assistance from the Livestock Forage Program (LFP).
In their letter to Perdue, Thune and Rounds also requested that Conservation Reserve Program acres be made available for emergency haying and grazing as soon as possible due to the substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed.
“Timely assistance is needed in order to preserve foundation grazing livestock herds in the drought-stricken areas of our state from further downsizing due to lack of feed and forage …
“In addition, we request that as counties are triggered for emergency haying and grazing of Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) acres, that you make as many of the 977,555 CRP-enrolled acres in South Dakota available for haying and grazing due to the already realized substantial loss of grazing and forage for feed as soon as reasonably possible.” Counties are determined eligible for immediate assistance under the LFP as soon as any part of a county is at a D3 (extreme drought) category rating by the U.S. Drought Monitor.
Several counties in South Dakota are currently rated D2 and are expected to be rated D3 in the near future.
More than 484,000 CRP-enrolled acres in South Dakota are considered “environmentally sensitive” by USDA, which does not normally allow these acres to be hayed or grazed under emergency conditions.
Thune and Rounds are requesting that the environmentally sensitive acres be opened for haying and grazing, as they were in 2012, and that haying and grazing be allowed in eligible counties beginning no later than July 15.

Quick read: Drought hits Midwest while cattle producers find ways to adapt.
As of Thursday, most of northeastern South Dakota is considered to be in a moderate drought, according to the drought monitor index.
"So it’s a pretty impressive Top 10 stat there.
That kind of puts into perspective how dry this month has been.
North Dakota is getting pretty bad too," he said.
"Meanwhile, across eastern South Dakota, they’re much above average and into Minnesota.
So it’s a very tight radiant there."
Lueck said that, historically, the area has about 7.25 inches of precipitation by now.
So we are 4 inches below average," he said.
Follow @smarvel_AAN on Twitter.

Photo by Kevin Hudson, Mississippi State University Extension Service Last year’s drought will likely affect this year’s hay acreage in Mississippi.
Rocky Lemus, forage specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said he anticipates about 690,000 hay acres.
Mississippi livestock producers heavily depend on perennial warm-season grasses — mostly bahiagrass and bermudagrass — for their grazing systems.
The state had just over 900,000 acres of bahiagrass and 770,000 acres of bermudagrass last year.
Despite last year’s dry conditions, rainfall totals have been closer to average this spring, causing bermudagrass and bahiagrass to break dormancy at least two weeks before they normally do across the state.
“Controlling those weeds, along with taking a soil sample to determine nutrient management recommendations that will aid pasture recovery after the drought, is very important.” Pasture management and productivity are equally important, Lemus added.
“Now is a good time to walk your pastures and hay fields, determine stand losses, and develop a management plan that could help with pasture renovation or pasture restoration,” he said.
“Growers who have planted annual ryegrass into a bermudagrass or bahiagrass sod for winter grazing should put a heavy grazing pressure this time of year to open that canopy and allow the release of the summer grasses.” Brett Rushing, Extension and research professor at the MSU Coastal Plain Branch Experiment Station in Newton, said renovating pastures is an expensive process that causes growers to temporarily lose grazing areas during establishment.
“Unfortunately, seed costs for a lot of warm-season grasses this year are very high.
“Pastures can then be converted into a cool-season annual in the fall once they have been grazed out.” Long-range forecasts indicate more of the same conditions for growers this summer.

Ranchers in dry areas may need to reassess drought plans.
In light of the dry range conditions forecast for much of central and western South Dakota, cattle producers are encouraged to review their drought management plans.
"Areas in central South Dakota that were not in drought conditions last year, are experiencing dry conditions right now.
Kelly encouraged those cattle and forage producers entering their second season of drought conditions to continue with management actions taken last season and make necessary adjustments to this year’s drought plan if dry conditions persist.
To help with developing a drought management plan for the 2017 grazing season, Kelly outlines tools cattle producers and range managers can reference.
The first trigger date is based on growing conditions from the previous year.
"For example, much of western South Dakota was experiencing drought conditions last year, therefore average precipitation will not be enough to recharge soil moisture this year," Kelly said.
Kelly added that cattle producers in central South Dakota who had normal precipitation last year need to keep a very close eye on precipitation and grass conditions for the rest of this spring.
"Producers in these areas need to have a drought management action plan in place if dry conditions persist and a reduction in livestock numbers is needed," Kelly said.
Roughly May 15 is another trigger date Kelly encouraged cattle and forage producers to be aware of.

BROOKINGS – In light of the dry range conditions forecast for much of central and western South Dakota, cattle producers are encouraged to review their drought management plans.
"Areas in central South Dakota that were not in drought conditions last year, are experiencing dry conditions right now.
Kelly encouraged those cattle and forage producers entering their second season of drought conditions to continue with management actions taken last season and make necessary adjustments to this year’s drought plan if dry conditions persist.
South Dakota Drought Tool This is an excellent place to start if your ranch does not have a drought plan in place (Figure 3).
"For example, much of western South Dakota was experiencing drought conditions last year (Figure 5), therefore average precipitation will not be enough to recharge soil moisture this year," Kelly explained.
Kelly added that cattle producers in central South Dakota who had normal precipitation last year need to keep a very close eye on precipitation and grass conditions for the rest of this spring.
"Producers in these areas need to have a drought management action plan in place if dry conditions persist and a reduction in livestock numbers is needed," Kelly said.
"In the Northern Plains, where rangelands are dominated by cool-season grasses, spring precipitation – April, May and June – the best single predictor of vegetation production for the entire growing season," Gates said.
If rainfall forecast predictions are below normal for the next three months reductions in livestock numbers should be made."
"This reinforces the fact that cattle operations in areas with normal precipitation last year, do need to start thinking about how they can reduce their livestock numbers and have a plan in place, if the precipitation outlook for the rest of this spring is below normal," Kelly said.

Recovering pastures after a drought.
A lack of moisture in the fall, along with cooler weather, may negatively impact plant growth and delay root development.
Follow soil test recommendations to apply lime and other recommended nutrients.
Before any fertilizer is applied to bermudagrass or bahiagrass this spring, be sure the pasture has 80 to 90 percent green up.
If root growth needs to be stimulated, focus on adding phosphorus.
To allow plant recovery and root development, limit postgrazing height to 3 inches.
Also, pastures are less able to compete with vigorous weeds, especially annual weeds.
If a pasture has at least one viable plant per square foot, then the pasture will likely recover with appropriate applied nutrients and grazing management.
Pastures with less than 30 percent stand loss should recover quickly with strategic fertility, weed control, and grazing management.
Stands with over 60 percent loss may require renovation or long rest periods, which may be nine months to a year under favorable weather conditions, for full recovery.

Among the assistance services are programs for livestock operations whose grazing has been affected by disasters and an aid program covering losses not covered by federal insurance.
The program, based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration drought rating, evaluated each farmer based on the number, type and size of cows and the grazing area, farmer Mike Dee said.
Smith, who runs the XTRA Ranch, a cattle operation on 2,500 acres with his wife Erin, and other cattle farmers who typically rely on hay and rye grass to feed their livestock over the winter began feeding their herds hay earlier than usual as the drought dried up pastures.
They have to have grass," Dee said.
The issue is compounded because farmers must look for quality hay, which meets the nutritional needs of the herd.
While selling may mitigate the cost of feeding a herd, it potentially still ends with a loss.
Dee, Runge and Smith said calves were not worth as much last fall because there were a lot on the market.
Smith chose to sell market-ready calves and continued as if it were a normal year, he said, even though he operated at a loss.
Row crops Crop insurance provides some security year to year for row crop producers.
In addition to cattle, Dee grows corn and soybeans on about 3,500 acres.