NASS Data: Rain Boosts Eastern Pastures
Eastern States See Pasture Improvement While Drought Persists in Western Half of US
OMAHA (DTN) -- Variable rain showers across most of the country have made weekly changes seen in pasture and range conditions. States east of the Missouri River have ample moisture to make grass quality better than the rest of the country.
The western half of the United States continues to deal with drought issues; pasture and range conditions have dwindled in some states.
While Nebraska has seen some much-needed improvement in pastures, 42% continue to be in the very-poor-to-poor category and only 15% of the pastures are very good to excellent.
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The southwest states of Arizona and Nevada hold steady in their poor conditions at 85% and 90% respectively, while Wyoming saw a decline of 5 points this week to make 38% in the very-poor-to-poor category. Improvements were seen in New Mexico by 8 points to make 43% of pasture and range in the good-to-excellent side. Also, in Colorado a 7-point improvement makes 53% in good to excellent.
DTN Meteorologist Teresa Wells said widespread drought can be expected to continue from northern Kansas into Nebraska. "Upper-air troughing will keep the pattern active across Oklahoma and Texas this week with daily chances for shower and storms," she added.
A couple fronts are expected to move through the Midwest this week, with precipitation expected to linger in the eastern Midwest through the weekend.
DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick expects the drought to stay stable in the Southwest region through the summer. The Central and Southern Plains are forecast for hot and dry conditions. "Timely rains will be needed to save crops from significant damage," he said.
A hot and dry forecast is also predicted for the Midwest, which could lead to overstressed crops. Some parts of the region will receive timely rains, but those areas seem to be very localized.
Overall, in the past week improvements have been seen in the 48 contiguous states from the previous week, but these are still on the negative side from the year before.
See the accompanying maps for more on the changes in various states.
National Pasture and Range Conditions (48 states)
| Very poor | Poor | Fair | Good | Excellent | |
| 48 States | 13 | 18 | 26 | 32 | 11 |
| Previous week | 13 | 20 | 25 | 31 | 11 |
| Previous year | 9 | 13 | 27 | 39 | 12 |
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