The drought remains an ongoing issue for farmers this year. “There’s a double whammy going on right now in the Northern Plains,” explained Dennis Todey, director, USDA Midwest Climate Hub. “There’s a lack of rain and then, there’s been very dry air several times throughout the spring putting less water into the soil. We had dry air in very warm conditions and that is trying to evaporate more water from the soil surface. It’s just not there right now. We have to break this cycle, but mid-to-late June is not a time for that to happen.” Todey says more moisture is needed. “We are concerned.” The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed a slight increase in drought across South Dakota and Minnesota. The dryness in North Dakota remains in severe to exceptional drought.
