Weather Favors Pasture Recovery

REDFIELD, Iowa (DTN) -- Little change was seen nationally in pasture and range conditions over the past week. However, adequate moisture and above-normal temperatures are expected this week, which could lead to improvement in the coming weeks.

Southern beef cow-calf states, Texas and Oklahoma, showed modest improvement and moved slightly away from extreme drought conditions. In Texas, pasture and range rated very poor to poor declined 3 percentage points to 45%, while good-to-excellent conditions improved 2 percentage points to 20%. Oklahoma posted a 7-percentage-point decline in very-poor-to-poor ratings to 49%, while good-to-excellent conditions increased 4 percentage points to 17%.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said showers are expected across the Plains and Upper Midwest early this week, along with a low-pressure system tracking from Nebraska into Minnesota.

"A bit of snow is going to be possible on the backside of the system across South Dakota, but otherwise it should be warm enough for rain," he said.

Nebraska and South Dakota each recorded a 2-percentage-point increase in good-to-excellent pasture and range conditions, though only 27% and 16% of their acreage, respectively, falls into that category. Nebraska improved 1 percentage point in the very-poor-to-poor category to 47%, while South Dakota worsened by 4 percentage points to 53%.

Baranick expects another cold front to move through northern areas later this week, bringing additional showers.

"We'll also see tropical moisture moving into Texas on Friday," he said. "That moisture will diffuse over the weekend as showers spread north and east, so the prospects for heavy rain are not very high. However, there could be enough widespread precipitation to improve soil moisture across much of the Plains and in some areas of the Upper Midwest."

While most western states have shown improvement, Wyoming continues to struggle. The state reported 73% of pasture and range in very-poor-to-poor condition, while just 1% was rated good to excellent, underscoring the need for additional moisture.

Most of the country is expected to see above-normal temperatures this week, with the exception of the Northern Plains, where cooler conditions are forecast. Baranick said the warmer temperatures should promote growth on pasture and rangeland where adequate moisture is available.

"The coming rain will help with that as well, and an overall improvement in conditions is forecast for this week," he concluded.

	Very poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
48 States	18	26	33	19	4
Previous week	19	26	32	19	4
Previous year	NA	NA	NA	NA	NA

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

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