Pasture and Range Conditions Vary

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- Many states saw a downturn in range and pasture conditions for the week ended Aug. 18, according to the latest data from USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Surveys show that 20 of the contiguous 48 states saw a decrease in grazing areas rated good to excellent. There were 22 states that reported an increase of grazing areas in poor to very poor condition. Wyoming and South Dakota reported the largest negative change. Wyoming saw 66% rated good to excellent, down 6 points from the previous week, and saw an 11-point increase in poor-to-very-poor grazing areas. South Dakota saw a drop of 8 points to 22% good to excellent and a 14-point increase in poor-to-very-poor ratings.

On the positive side, Colorado and New Mexico showed significant improvement with 14- and 16-point, respectively, climbs in grazing land rated good to excellent.

Online users can click on the accompanying maps to see changes in various states.

For information on buying hay under the current conditions see this recent story by DTN Staff Reporter Russ Quinn here: https://www.dtnpf.com/….

National Pasture and Range Conditions (48 states)
	Very Poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
Week Ending Aug. 18	14	20	32	27	7
Previous Week	12	20	33	28	7
Previous Year	16	19	28	31	6
* Data from USDA NASS weekly Crop Progress report.

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