Drought....and the Potential for More Drought

US Drought Monitor report for Indiana.  For more information, see the Drought Monitor website.

This week's US Drought Monitor Report indicates an increasing area of Indiana is now under a moderate or severe drought, with a portion of southwest Indiana falling under the "severe" category.  While certain aspects of the current drought conditions have some producers and others thinking "1988" in the back of their minds, it is too early to make such a prediction.

So far, Spencer County has fared better than our neighbors to the west and northwest.  Though we are in the moderate drought category, infrequent but timely rainfall, combined with cooler temperatures, especially overnight, have kept drought effects in crops, gardens, and home landscapes from becoming widespread.   

There is a slight chance of scattered showers this weekend but according to staff at the Indiana State Climate Office, the next chance for more widespread, substantial rainfall is not until late next week.  As a result, we are in a bit of a wait-and-see pattern as far as how the drought will progress, with the next 10-14 days being crucial.  If one or both of these predicted systems produce rainfall,  it could be just the timely rain event we need to hold off further drought progression, at least for a few more weeks.  However, if these systems fail to bring moisture, we could then be at the tipping point for something much more severe. 

As we watch how the situation progresses over the next two weeks, we will continue to post drought management information on the Gazette, on our Facebook page, and in our bi-monthly newsletter.  In the meantime, below are two articles addressing the topic.  The first is a recent article covering the effects we are currently seeing in corn and soybean crops.  The second, originally written in 2007, covers tips for home gardens and landscapes.

More Crops Affected as Drought Spreads Throughout Indiana

Help Your Garden Cope with Dry Spell

On Six Legs - Insects Down on the Farm

A couple of weeks ago I was facing a long plane flight and needed something to do while cramped in one of those tight seats. So I grabbed two books to read. One was "The Land, The People" by Rachel Peden.

Peden was a newspaper columnist and book author who wrote about life on a family farm in Monroe County, Indiana. The book chronicled farm life from the 1940s through the 1960s. First published in 1966, the book was republished in 2010 by the Indiana University Press.

I loved reading the book because it captured the time when I was growing up on a farm. Peden was a wonderful writer who accurately and poignantly captured the people and the rapid changes associated with rural America of the time.  <Read More>

In the Grow - Q & A

Q. I have been trying, without success, to eliminate the wild violets from my yard. I have tried many different broad leaf weed sprays with no luck. They seem to be invincible! What can I use that is effective?

A. My yard also has a great population of both white- and blue-flowering violets, but I like them! I welcome their presence and look forward to seeing their lovely blossoms each spring. But I realize I may be in the minority on that.  <Read More>

Weekly Outlook - Update on Export Progress

Much of the attention in the crop markets is rightly focused on the potential size of the northern hemisphere crops. Still, the on-going pace of consumption is an important measure of demand strength and the likely level of year ending stocks. Here we focus on the U.S. export sector for wheat, corn, and soybeans.

For wheat, the 2011-12 marketing year ended on May 31. Cumulative export inspections for the year totaled 1.036 billion bushels, slightly above last month's USDA projection of 1.025 billion bushels. Through April, cumulative Census Bureau export estimates were about 4 million bushels less than cumulative inspections. Assuming that margin persisted through May, marketing year exports were about 7 million bushels larger than forecast. For the marketing year that began on June 1, the USDA has projected exports at 1.150 billion bushels. As of May 31, new sales plus unshipped sales from the past marketing year totaled 235.6 million bushels, near the level of sales of a year earlier. To reach the USDA projection, shipments will need to average about 22.1 million bushels per week this year. Export inspections during the first week of the year were reported at 21.5 million bushels.  <Read More>