Farm Credit Services of America (FCSAmerica) and Frontier Farm Credit are co-sponsoring a webinar series, Side by Side Digital. Our April installment featured Eric Snodgrass, Science Fellow and Principal Atmospheric Scientist for Nutrien Ag Solutions.
Drought in 2022 Could be Unlike Any This Century
The drought picture as U.S. producers head into the fields for the 2022 growing season is unique, says atmospheric scientist Eric Snodgrass. The extent of dryness and its location, combined with the general agreement of forecasts for persistent challenges, points to the potential for an exceptional drought in grain country.
“I have never seen the drought area look like this in early April,” says Snodgrass, referring to the Drought Monitor, which has been tracking drought conditions in the U.S. since 1999 through the joint efforts of the National Drought Mitigation Center (NDMC) at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). “We’ve had this much drought in the United States. But it’s a unique position . . .
What worries Snodgrass is worsening conditions in areas of Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa, western U.S. states and pockets of the cotton belt. April into May, combined with changes in the Drought Monitor, will provide important insights into the direction of drought in coming weeks and months, Snodgrass said.
To help producers better understand their weather-related risks this growing season, Snodgrass walks webinar viewers through the most reliable forecasts. He also details factors beyond the forecast that producers can watch to gain greater insights into evolving weather conditions.
