Parts of central, southeastern and southern Ohio are battling drought conditions that are wreaking havoc on local agriculture. The recent heat wave combined with sparse precipitation has resulted in at least 63 percent of the state being considered abnormally dry or worse, including 24 percent in severe drought and 12 percent in extreme drought, according to the Aug. 22 update of the U.S. Drought Monitor.
The ongoing drought has dried out pastures and left forage availability precariously low, leaving some farmers facing an acute shortage of hay, says Garth Ruff, a cattle and livestock marketing specialist at Ohio State University Extension.
“Farmers are facing increasing challenges as they struggle to feed their livestock,” Ruff said. “In areas where ponds, streams or springs have dried up, farmers now have to collect water daily, adding additional costs and labor to their already overburdened farms.”
“Deteriorating grazing conditions are forcing ranchers to consider supplementing their herds as fall approaches. Without significant rainfall, many may have to resort to early marketing of beef calves or, in the driest areas, culling animals to cope with dwindling resources.”
With growing concerns among farmers and producers across the state about the impacts of drought on their crops and livestock, The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) has activated its Drought Rapid Response Team, which meets weekly to monitor conditions and provide farmers, producers, gardeners, lawn care professionals and others with information on how to deal with a drought.
“Despite heavy rainfall in western and parts of northeast Ohio, southern and southeastern counties largely missed the most beneficial rainfall of the past 90 days,” said Aaron Wilson, Ohio State climatologist and OSU Extension agriculture, weather and climate specialist. OSU Extension is the field arm of CFAES.
“Combined with periods of high temperatures, the soil has lost tremendous amounts of water through evaporation, impacting grazing conditions, lowering water levels in streams, ponds and private wells, and impacting grain crops in this part of the state,” Wilson said.
And the situation is likely to get worse, he said.
“The next seven days show that most of the state will have no precipitation during this period, while the Climate Prediction Center’s six- to 14-day forecasts likely show above-average temperatures with near or below-average precipitation,” Wilson said. “With temperatures rising above 30 degrees this weekend, drought conditions across the state are likely to persist or even worsen.”
The team is updating its “Drought Conditions and Resources” webpage to provide resources for Ohio farmers, said Chris Zoller, OSU Extension acting deputy director for agriculture and natural resources.
He said the Drought Rapid Response Team was activated because OSU Extension learned from educators and specialists across the state about farmers’ and producers’ concerns about worsening drought.
The team was activated last spring due to significant rainfall deficits in May and in 2019 due to extreme agricultural flooding. The team assesses rapidly changing weather conditions, studies impacts on agriculture, water and soil, and provides effective public communications and education to help clients respond.
“The Drought Rapid Response Team is part of fulfilling CFAES and OSU Extension’s land grant mission by mobilizing people and resources to address the issues facing Ohio’s drought-affected crop farmers and ranchers,” Zoller said. “We are here to support Ohio by providing the best research-based information they need to make informed decisions when dealing with drought.”
“We also coordinate and collaborate with the Ohio Department of Agriculture and provide state and federal elected officials with updates on our findings and recommendations.”
The drought webpage also provides links to numerous CFAES resources and newsletters, including specific information on agricultural crops, dairy, farm management, fruits, livestock, poultry, vegetables, grapes and turf. The information is especially timely and important given the rapidly spreading drought conditions negatively impacting farmers and producers.
Currently, 43 percent of Ohio’s corn acreage is considered fair to very poor, while 44 percent of Ohio’s soybean acreage is considered fair to very poor, according to the Aug. 19 crop progress report from the Ohio Field Office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. And more than half, 66 percent, of pastures and rangelands are considered fair to very poor, according to the report.
With the ongoing drought, ranchers are facing significant challenges in managing their herds. Jason Hartschuh, an OSU Extension dairy and precision livestock specialist, said some farmers are concerned about forage availability and potential toxicity issues in cattle.
“When crops like corn and sorghum are exposed to drought, nitrates can build up in the plant,” Hartschuh said. “Because drought stress inhibits active growth, plants cannot use these nitrates for protein synthesis, leading to potentially toxic levels.”
Hartschuh explained that some farmers normally use pasture for livestock feed throughout the summer, but this year the drought forced them to feed their livestock hay. And without a second cut of their hay crops, those folks could run out of hay this winter. “This shortage could lead to higher production costs, as farmers may have to buy feed instead,” he said.
Many grain farmers are also under pressure.
“Drought stress during grain filling in corn and soybeans means shortened grain filling times,” said Stephanie Karhoff, OSU Extension agricultural systems specialist. “This leads to lower seed weights and yields, as well as premature maturity. Drought-stressed corn can also suffer from increased lodging problems.
“Lower corn yields also mean that residual nitrogen levels in the soil will be higher due to lower nitrogen uptake.”
Karhoff suggested that farmers consider planting overwintering cover crops such as rye after the fall harvest to store that nitrogen, but she cautioned that prolonged drought could make that strategy unfeasible if soil moisture is insufficient for cover crops to become established.
And some vegetable and specialty crop growers have also been negatively affected, says Logan Minter, specialty crop production systems specialist at OSU Extension.
“The hot and dry conditions this summer following a mild winter have exacerbated and intensified problems in many vegetable and specialty crops with increased insect pest pressure,” he said.
For current drought-related resources, visit go.osu.edu/ohiodrought.
