Latest NASS Data Shows Plains Still Dry

By DTN Staff

OMAHA (DTN) -- Drought continues in 2025 in the High Plains and Southwest areas, just as was seen most of 2024, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service report for the week ending May 12.

There are concerns for pasture and range areas with 85% poor-to-very-poor conditions seen in the southwest states of Nevada and Arizona, followed by 54% of Montana pasture and range and 52% in Nebraska. Nebraska saw the largest jump with 22 points to the red from the previous week.

DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick said the poor pasture conditions in the High Plains and Southwest align pretty well with where the highest drought conditions are, which is common. "The Southwest is particularly brutal after a very dry winter season, which is when they receive the bulk of their precipitation," he added. "Limited snow in the mountains is going to lead to major issues throughout the summer and fall with how little is available there when the temperatures get hot."

Baranick expects monsoon-like rainfall in some areas to start up mid-July and last through mid-September, which will be a lifesaver for some areas when it comes to grass growth. The problem with this type of weather is it only brings enough moisture to localized areas.

The long-lasting drought in Nebraska continues to be concerning to Baranick. "While an active spring pattern has helped some in the region, early summer heat over the past week hasn't helped drought for a lot of areas," he said. "Much of the northern half of the Plains has been consistently in the upper 80s and 90s (Fahrenheit). A few spots in the Dakotas have hit the century mark as well, quickly sapping moisture out of plants and soils," he noted.

Late spring and early summer rains will be critical to help the drought areas. Baranick expects a more active pattern starting back up to provide some much-needed rain before a hot and dry summer is forecast to take over. If the rains don't come, some areas could be in for a long summer, Baranick said.

Good-to-excellent pasture conditions are seen in most of the Midwest and Eastern U.S., which is where spring moisture has fed the grasses. Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico and Colorado have also received timely moisture to help improve previously drought-stricken pasture and range.

Overall, the contiguous 48 states show 13% of pastures ranked very poor, 23% ranked poor, 28% as fair, 21% at good, and 8% rated excellent. When compared to the same time last year, it shows drought conditions continue to plague certain areas of the nation's pasture and range conditions.

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

National Pasture and Range Conditions (48 states)

	Very poor	Poor	Fair	Good	Excellent
48 States	13	23	28	21	8
Previous week	13	20	32	20	7
Previous year	9	15	29	29	8

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