NWA Drought Will Affect Crops for Years to Come
By: Cassidy Hodges
Updated: August 14, 2012
Five months worth of hot, dry weather. Even though we may be coming out of a drought, the effects are just getting started.
"The pastures are brown, they're thin," says Berni Kurz, who works in the Division of Agriculture at the University of Arkansas.
A landscape that hasn't changed all season long.
"This summer is almost a repeat of the last two summers," says Kurz.
Drought piled on drought, now with a rain deficit three summers thick.
"Cattle are being fed hay now because there's nothing left in the pasture," says Kurz.
"All the rain we've seen isn't enough to really replenish the water supply for these crops."
"Our soil and deep moisture is very little and it's going to take time to replenish that deep moisture where plants have that to draw on."
But once those rains come, the problems aren't over.
"You're going to see next summer, definitely the effects of this summer's drought."
Bad news for farmers.
"There's a lot of expense in the next year to two years that the producers have to invest in."
It could even take a toll on fall colors.
"We'll be seeing the effects for the next 5 years of trees in decline and further decline for the next 5 years," says Kurz.
And every day without rain, that number only increases...
"It's going to take a couple of good average rainfall for pastures to come back to strength for trees to gain some strength. It's going to take a good couple of years."
"The pastures are brown, they're thin," says Berni Kurz, who works in the Division of Agriculture at the University of Arkansas.
A landscape that hasn't changed all season long.
"This summer is almost a repeat of the last two summers," says Kurz.
Drought piled on drought, now with a rain deficit three summers thick.
"Cattle are being fed hay now because there's nothing left in the pasture," says Kurz.
"All the rain we've seen isn't enough to really replenish the water supply for these crops."
"Our soil and deep moisture is very little and it's going to take time to replenish that deep moisture where plants have that to draw on."
But once those rains come, the problems aren't over.
"You're going to see next summer, definitely the effects of this summer's drought."
Bad news for farmers.
"There's a lot of expense in the next year to two years that the producers have to invest in."
It could even take a toll on fall colors.
"We'll be seeing the effects for the next 5 years of trees in decline and further decline for the next 5 years," says Kurz.
And every day without rain, that number only increases...
"It's going to take a couple of good average rainfall for pastures to come back to strength for trees to gain some strength. It's going to take a good couple of years."
