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Drought top concern for some farmers in the Great Plains

Some farmers in the Great Plains say recharging the soil profile and wind erosion are some of their top concerns.

Southwest Kansas grower Jim Sipes tells Brownfield “We’ve actually have had weather that has been worse than the Dust Bowl.  If we didn’t have good and different cropping practices, then we would’ve seen a repeat of the Dust Bowl.”

He says many growers don’t have crop residue and have begun chiseling the ground. “A bad wind erosion event (would) make you relevel the ground.  You’ve lost your organic matter.  You’ve lost your fertilizer.  It makes for an untenable situation.”

South Central Nebraska farmer Doug Saathoff says it would take several, one-inch soaking rains to bust the drought, but “With the snow, I became a little bit more optimistic for moisture because it was so dry before that.”

He says his area has received about 10 inches of snow, but his area still remains in extreme drought according to the latest US Drought Monitor.