Southeast Drought Continues to Impact Cattle and Hay Production Despite Recent Rain
Although some areas of the Southeast received rain over the weekend, drought conditions continue to challenge producers across much of the region. According to USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor data from early December shows ongoing stress on both cattle and hay production, even as a few pockets experience slight improvement.
Rippey explains that drought impacts have shifted but remain widespread. “As we look at the livestock and the hay situation, we’ve also seen decreases in drought coverage recently there. Thirty percent of the U.S. hay production area currently in drought and U.S. cattle inventory in drought. Just one quarter of U.S. cattle currently experiencing drought. There are still a few areas of concern.”
One of these areas is the Deep South, where producers have endured months of dry conditions. Rippey notes, “We have seen in the deep south, from south Texas to the southern Atlantic coast, that’s one area that they’re getting some rain now, so maybe we’ll see some improvement. But at the present time, as of December 2nd, we are still seeing drought-worsening conditions in that deep south area along the Gulf Coast.”
The most severe classification—D4, or exceptional drought—is now limited but still significant. Rippey details the latest readings: “The exceptional drought, as indicated by the U.S. Drought Monitor, is now confined to just parts of three states. We’ve got a tiny sliver of D4, or exceptional drought, in west Texas. Then in the lower southeast, we had a completely dry November in a number of communities across north Florida and southwest Georgia, and for that reason, we’ve seen some D4 development there.”
Exceptional drought conditions remain particularly concentrated in Georgia and Florida. As Rippey explains, “Exceptional drought currently covers a little over four percent of Georgia, all of that in the southwestern part of the state, and almost six percent of Florida, and the D4 there is in the northern part of the Sunshine State.”
For cattle producers and hay growers across the Southeast, the situation underscores the importance of continued monitoring and strategic resource management as the region enters the winter months.
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.