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News you can use
Dried banks show Monday at Beaver Creek Lake due to the low water level. The area is in drought conditions, with abnormally dry conditions on the northwest corner of Liberty County moving into moderate drought in most of that county and Chouteau and Hill counties ranging into severe drought on the northeast corner of Blaine County. Montana State University Extension is hosting a drought management workshop for agriculture producers and any other interested people Wednesday from 1 to 5 p.m. in the 4-H Chuckwagon on Great Northern Fairgrounds.
Much of the bank of Milk River sits out of water Monday near Havre. Some agriculture producers and officials say they are concerned that if not enough precipitation falls in the next few months, the region will slip into more severe drought conditions.
Hill County and much of the surrounding area finds itself in moderate drought conditions and Montana State University's Hill County Extension is hosting a workshop this week to educate ag producers and other community members on the effects of said conditions.
Hill County Extension Agent Colleen Buck said the workshop will run from 1 to 5 p.m. Wednesday at the Great Northern Fairgrounds int the 4-H Chuckwagon and will feature experts discussing the effects of drought conditions and what can be done to address them.
Buck said beef experts will be there to talk about the effect on the animals' reproduction, a range specialist will talk about forage and range management, and a forage specialist will go into detail about what is needed to maintain healthy forage under these circumstances.
She said ag producers can certainly benefit from the event, but anyone can attend if they want to learn more.
Buck said current conditions are the result of a winter with very little precipitation and things could get worse before they get better.
She said it's hard to say where things will go from here drought-wise, and the rainy season may just turn things around, but if not it could be a serious problem.
"If we don't get any more rain, it's not gonna look great," she said.
National Weather Service Meteorologist Jane Fogleman said the lack of precipitation this winter was caused by the speed and direction of the winter storms that would normally bring most of the moisture.
Fogleman said instead of storms coming from Canada, most traveled from west to east, losing most of their moisture over the Rocky Mountains then speeding across the state without causing much precipitation.
She said the La Niña system that happened this winter, which typically brings cooler-than-normal temperatures and higher-than-normal precipitation to this part of the country, was not as intense as predicted which also had an effect.
She said dry weather should continue through the week, particularly Friday, which might see some increased fire weather. She said no advisories have been issued, but her agency is keeping an eye on the situation which may change for better or worse in the coming days.
She said they are tracking a system that may cause some precipitation over the weekend and next week there's a chance temperatures and precipitation could get back to normal which may bump the county out of moderate drought conditions.
Buck said recent sporadic snow and rain in the area has helped conditions but ground moisture is still below average.
However, she said, recent precipitation, having been spread out over several days has likely loosened up previously compacted soil so it can receive more moisture later, preventing runoff.
Drought effects
Buck talked about some of the more direct effects of the drought on local ag producers and said it may already delay the germination of many crops that will have to send roots deeper to get the water they need to start growing.
If the drought continues or gets worse, she said, it could affect crop yields, especially for wheat and pulse plants, and reduce forage, necessitating that livestock owners sell off animals to accommodate the lost forage.
She said if conditions last, they could also affect hay production causing more expense for local ag producers.
Buck said the eastern areas of the state are in much worse shape, having already entered severe drought conditions, but ultimately drought is something every ag producer knows they will need to deal with and most will take it as it comes.
"It's one of those things we've kind of learned to live with," she said.
Hill County Farm Service Agency Executive Director Lisa Toth said she has concerns about the possibility of the county reaching severe drought conditions later this year if the rainy season ends up being a disappointment, concerns she said are shared by other in the area.
Toth said based on conversations she's had many are looking at their almanacs and predicting a dry year.
She said, if worse comes to worse and the area stays in severe drought conditions long enough, live stock producers may be eligible to apply for relief from the Livestock Forage Disaster Program, something she said producers would rather avoid if possible.
She asked that producers with drought-related concerns contact her office to get concerns on file in case things get worse this year.
Blaine County FSA Executive Director Trainee Lynsey Murphy said about 90 percent of Blaine County is in moderate drought as well, and some areas on the border with Philips County are already in severe drought, but she hasn't heard much concern from ag producers, who are mostly just reporting their situations to the office.
"The one thing in life we know we can't control is the weather," Murphy said.
She said she's hoping the rainy season helps with the conditions in the county.
While ag producers may be the group with the most immediate concerns about the drought, Buck said, recreation can also be negatively affected if conditions get bad enough.
"You might not be able to float your favorite river, or fish your favorite fishing hole because it's not there or moved or it's not as deep," she said.
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