BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Yellowstone and Stillwater county commissions have declared drought disasters, with low rainfall and warm temperatures creating conditions that one farmer says are not usually seen until mid-September.
Both counties adopted resolutions Tuesday that could be a first step in getting help to producers. Yellowstone County’s resolution urges Gov. Brian Schweitzer and the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to support the drought declaration and to provide “all available assistance to the agricultural producers in Yellowstone County.”
A state and federal disaster declaration could make low-interest loans available to producers and give them a tax break if they need to liquidate livestock, said Darla Rhodes, the Farm Service Agency’s executive director in Yellowstone County.
Steve Lackman, Yellowstone County’s agricultural agent, told the Billings Gazette (http://bit.ly/NaN8Ry) that wildfires and drought are the biggest problem for the county’s No. 1 industry.
An assessment of agriculture losses shows a 50 percent loss of feed on pasture and normal grazing land, plus an estimated 80 percent loss on dry land hay production, Lackman said.
The Stillwater County resolution says dry land hay production there is estimated to be 15 percent of normal, and most of the dry land spring wheat is not expected to make a harvestable grain crop. Livestock pasture and range conditions are also extremely poor, it says.
Molt farmer Dave Kelsey showed a handful of dead winter wheat to Yellowstone County commissioners as they considered the resolution. At least 130 of his acres have the white and dry stalks.
“I’ve never seen anything take hold quite this quickly. We are in mid-September conditions right now,” he said.
The dry conditions are a sharp contrast from last year, when a lingering snowpack and heavy rains late into spring created wetter conditions.
Spring grains are “taking it on the chin,” with crops about 50 percent of normal, Kelsey said.
Creeks that provide stock water are running dry and there is no soil moisture, he said.
Most producers have crop insurance on forage and grain crops, but that only covers a certain percentage when there is a total loss, Kelsey said.
Yellowstone County Commission Chairman John Ostlund said he was concerned about the industry.
“When ag suffers, our economy suffers,” he said.
The drought also appears to be having an effect on animals in the county. Yellowstone County Sheriff Mike Linder said his office is getting more calls about neglected animals, such as horses, that don’t appear to be getting food, either because of a lack of hay or the expense of feed.
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Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com
