South Dakota State University Extension State Climatologist Laura Edwards says the severity depends on the location. “Down in the southeastern part of South Dakota, it’s the worst drought since 2012. In western South Dakota, there are pockets of dryness similar to 2016 or 2017. For the most part, I think it’s the lingering drought conditions that started out tough and we never got moisture to recover to get good growth.” Farmers can harvest quickly in the dry conditions, but Edwards says U.S. winter wheat conditions are the second worst in the last 20 years, slightly above 2012. “There are some fall planted crops that are struggling a bit. There’s some concern ahead for pasture grass and forage production next year as a lot of those grasses rely on fall soil moisture to get things off to a good start in 2021.”
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