Dry conditions that have hampered crops are spreading quickly across the state.
The most recent update to the U.S. Drought Monitor map, released June 8, shows 57 counties across the Lower Peninsula are now “abnormally dry” or in a “moderate drought” — up from 30 counties over the course of a week. Portions of six counties in the Upper Peninsula are charting as “abnormally dry.”
The lack of rain has created concern across the state for wheat growers and is causing a reduction in yield potential, according to MSU Extension’s latest wheat watchers report.
“Weather continues to be dry with wheat on sandy soils starting to die,” a watcher reported from Monroe County near Ida. “Looks like this will be a poor wheat year as it is moving beyond the point where rain could help and the nearest rain in the forecast is still a week out.”
Thumb area wheat reports indicated a timely rain could help reduce the overall yield loss, but there’s already been irreversible impacts to the wheat crop there.
Although MSU Extension Meteorologist Jeff Andresen doesn’t expect significant relief to the current dryness through June, many producers are hoping the Grand Rapids National Weather Service predictions of widespread rainfall beginning Saturday evening into next Tuesday are realized.
Source: michiganfarmnews.com
Photo Credit: Science Photo Library-igor-stevanovic
Categories: Michigan, Crops, Wheat, Weather