As a whole, US ranges and pastures are in better shape than they were last year but last week still fell short of the forage-producing capabilities of the previous five years, according to the USDA’s weekly crop condition report.
What’s more, the weekly Drought Monitor from the National Weather Service Thursday revealed that western Kansas and surrounding areas remained entrenched in extreme to exceptional drought.
SOUTHERN PLAINS SEE SOME RELIEF
Showery weather across the southern half of the Plains provided additional drought relief during the week ended Tuesday, following the previous week’s major storm, the NWS said. Still, much of the rain arrived too late to rescue winter wheat, although rangeland, pastures and summer crops greatly benefited from soil moisture improvements.
Variable rainfall extended westward into the central and southern Rockies and eastward to the southern Atlantic Coast, maintaining generally favorable growing conditions for pastures and summer crops, the NWS said. Eventually, rain shifted northward along the northern Atlantic Coast, easing dry conditions.
Meanwhile, light showers dotted the Northwest, while little or no rain fell across the remainder of the country, including the north-central US and the Far West, the NWS said. A week-long hot spell elevated temperatures in the Pacific Northwest, although temperatures began to fall late in the drought-monitoring period.
A separate area of heat, accompanied by high humidity, affected much of the Deep South, the NWS said. Elsewhere, near- or slightly below-normal temperatures prevailed across the central and southern Plains, while cooler-than-normal weather covered much of the Northeast and environs.
DRYNESS RETURNS TO HIGH PLAINS
Following the previous week’s substantial drought relief, mostly dry weather returned across the High Plains, during the week ended Tuesday, the NWS said. However, locally heavy showers continued in parts of eastern Colorado and southern and western Kansas, leading to some additional reductions in the coverage of moderate to exceptional drought.
By Sunday, Nebraska led the US with rangeland and pastures rated 55% very poor to poor, according to the US Department of Agriculture. At the same time, Nebraska led the High Plains with topsoil moisture rated 58% very short to short, followed by Kansas at 52% and South Dakota at 36%.
Much of the recent rainfall has bypassed eastern sections of South Dakota and Nebraska, with some increase in drought coverage noted in Nebraska.
MIDWEST DRYNESS INTENSIFIES
Midwestern dryness intensified, especially along an axis from the lower Missouri Valley into the lower Great Lakes region, the NWS said. This led to the introduction or expansion of several areas of abnormal dryness.
In addition, moderate to severe drought was added or expanded in a few spots across Illinois, Iowa and Missouri. Dry weather continued to support rapid fieldwork.
CATTLE, BEEF RECAP
The USDA reported formula and contract base prices for live FOB steers and heifers this week ranged from $169.74 per cwt to $179.53, compared with last week’s range of $169.94 to $177.58 per cwt. FOB dressed steers, and heifers went for $268.57 per cwt to $278.21, compared with $269.65 to $276.85.
The USDA choice cutout Thursday was up $1.64 per cwt at $299.94 while select was up $0.75 at $284.54. The choice/select spread widened to $15.40 from $14.51 with 97 loads of fabricated product and seven loads of trimmings and grinds sold into the spot market.
The USDA said basis bids for corn from feeders in the Southern Plains were unchanged at $1.73 to $1.85 a bushel over the Jul corn contract, which settled at $5.90 3/4 a bushel, up $0.03 1/2.
The CME Feeder Cattle Index for the seven days ended Wednesday was $208.14 per cwt, up $0.78. This compares with Thursday’s May contract settlement of $208.97 per cwt, unchanged and Aug’s $234.70, up $0.17.