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We select interesting and representative drought stories from all over the U.S. and around the world. We group them into the same categories that the Drought Impact Reporter uses, as well as a few others. Subscribe to Drought Headlines 
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Drought Headlines Archive
General Awareness
How dry is it? Extremely
The Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon), May 01, 2013
Eugene, Oregon
Eugene has received about a third of its usual rainfall since the start of 2013.
Rain Eases Drought For Some Farmers, But Not All
Associated Press, Apr 25, 2013
U.S.
Drought conditions improved in parts of the upper Midwest through the western corn belt and central sections of the Rockies and Great Plains, and deteriorated in parts of the Southwest.
Agriculture
Late corn crop likely to push up costs for Bunge, ADM and other grain buyers
stltoday.com (St. Louis, Missouri), May 15, 2013
U.S.
Last year’s drought and the cool, wet spring are putting the pinch on grain buyers. Just 28 percent of the corn crop had been planted as of May 13 and will likely mean a later harvest, drawing corn inventories down during the third quarter to very low levels. In the meantime, more acreage has been devoted to corn than ever before, leading to predictions of a record crop.
South American corn bolsters drought-ravaged U.S. stocks
CNBC, May 15, 2013
U.S.
Poor corn production in the Midwest in 2012 is the reason a record 2 million tons of corn is being shipped from Brazil and Argentina to the East Coast. Between September 2012 and February 2013, about 1.5 million tons of corn was purchased mainly from Brazil. Between March and August 2013, another 500,000 to 600,000 tons of corn is scheduled to arrive from Argentina for the most part. It’s cheaper to purchase the corn from South America than to ship the grain by rail from the Midwest to the East Coast.
Winter wheat production strong in NY, hay scarcer
The News-Times (Danbury, Connecticut), May 15, 2013
U.S.
Hay stocks nationwide on May 1 were 150,000 tons, less than half of the 327,000 tons on hand one year ago. Hay stocks were at historic lows in New York, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio, Vermont, and Wisconsin as drought limited hay production in 2012 and reduced available forage, leading farmers to feed more hay than usual throughout the year.
Report anticipates smallest Nebraska wheat crop since 1944
Omaha.com (Nebraska), May 13, 2013
Nebraska
The National Agricultural Statistics Service expects Nebraska’s wheat harvest to be 42.9 million bushels or 20 percent smaller than the 2012 wheat crop as drought continues to hamper plant growth. The crop is rated as 16 percent very poor, 33 percent poor, 39 percent fair, and 12 percent good with none of the crop in the excellent category. Given the state of the wheat in Nebraska and western Kansas, wheat prices may spike this year. This is Nebraska’s smallest crop of wheat since 1944.
Farm runoff generates record nitrate levels
Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa), May 12, 2013
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines Water Works began using its $4 million nitrate removal equipment to bring nitrate levels in the water from the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers into compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard of 10 milligrams per liter. During drought in 2012, plants did not take up all of the fertilizer in the soil, leaving it to be washed out with this spring’s rains. It costs roughly $7,000 daily to treat the water and remove nitrates to a safe level.
Business & Industry
Late corn crop likely to push up costs for Bunge, ADM and other grain buyers
stltoday.com (St. Louis, Missouri), May 15, 2013
U.S.
Last year’s drought and the cool, wet spring are putting the pinch on grain buyers. Just 28 percent of the corn crop had been planted as of May 13 and will likely mean a later harvest, drawing corn inventories down during the third quarter to very low levels. In the meantime, more acreage has been devoted to corn than ever before, leading to predictions of a record crop.
ADM 1st-Quarter Net Falls 33% on Drought, Confirms GrainCorp Deal
Fox Business , May 01, 2013
Archer-Daniels-Midland Co., the largest corn processor, saw its net income fall by a third to $269 million, or 41 cents a share, down from $399 million, or 60 cents a share at this time last year. The company’s chairman and chief executive officer stated, “This was a challenging quarter, with agricultural services negatively impacted by the ongoing effects of last summer’s U.S. drought.”
DuPont Profit Doubles as Drought Boosts Farm Sales
New York Times, Apr 23, 2013
Net income for DuPont, based in Wilmington, Delaware, rose more than 50 percent to $3.35 billion, or $3.58 per share, during the first quarter of 2013, compared to the previous year, as farmers rushed to purchase drought tolerant seeds and crop-protection products to increase yields.
Drought closes landmark business
Wichita Falls Times Record News (Texas), Apr 18, 2013
Wichita Falls, Texas
Smith’s Gardentown Farms announced plans to close after serving the community for 64 years as drought and water restrictions prompt store owners to liquidate the store’s inventory. Revenue declined noticeably during stage two water restrictions and more drastically during stage three water restrictions. The nursery has 25 employees.
Cargill Profit Falls 42% on Pressure from Drought
Fox Business, Apr 09, 2013
Earnings during Cargill Inc.’s fiscal third quarter plummeted by 42 percent to $445 million, compared to the previous year, as drought hampered meat-processing and grain-handling operations. Corn prices skyrocketed, due to drought in 2012, sending feed costs higher for meat processors. Cargill closed one of its meat-processing plants in Plainview, Texas in February. Earnings declined in four of the company’s five business segments.
Energy
Drought puts drain on water supplies for power plants
Houston Chronicle (Texas), Feb 06, 2013
Texas
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas began requiring that new power companies show proof of water access and rights before the council will add the power company to its planning model. The goal is to ensure that power companies use their water supplies sensibly and have adequate supplies during drought.
The Rivers At Mid-Winter
Yankton Press & Dakotan (South Dakota), Feb 05, 2013
South Dakota
The six mainstem power plants on the Missouri River produced 569 million kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity in December 2012, about 127 kWh less than average December production, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Power generation is expected to be 8 billion kWh in 2013, compared to average production of 10 billion kWh.
Fighting mini-battles with continuing drought
The Ottumwa Courier (Iowa), Nov 03, 2012
Ottumwa, Iowa
Reduced water flows in the Des Moines River were not sufficient to turn the electrical turbines at Ottumwa Water Works and Hydro. The department originally anticipated operating revenue of $700,000 for the year, but $450,000 seemed more likely, given the lower water flow.
Illinois power plants get OK to release hotter water
Peoria Journal Star (Illinois), Aug 20, 2012
Illinois
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency was allowing four coal-fired and four nuclear power plants to release hundreds of millions of gallons of hot water near 100 degrees Fahrenheit into state lakes and rivers, according to the Chicago Tribune. Environmentalists fear that the hot water will harm wildlife.
Fire
Another wave of fire restrictions to hit NM
Carlsbad Current-Argus (New Mexico), May 15, 2013
New Mexico
Burn bans will take effect in large swaths of New Mexico in the next few days as various entities implement their own fire restrictions, but a statewide burn ban was enacted on May 8.
Agencies prepare for intense Oregon wildfire season
Statesman Journal (Salem, Oregon), May 14, 2013
Southern Oregon
Oregon has experienced 104 wildfires that burned 307 acres of land protected by the Oregon Department of Forestry since the start of 2013 as low precipitation and warm temperatures have increased the fire danger.
Some farmers in eastern Oregon began irrigating early or chose not to plant for lack of water.
Fierce fire season predicted for West
USA Today, May 13, 2013
Western U.S.
The 2013 fire season is expected to be “dangerous,” “difficult,” and “challenging” for the drought-stricken western U.S., according to officials with the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Although fire activity has been below normal so far this year, due to the cool, wet spring in the Southeast, there is potential for significant fire activity in Arizona, New Mexico, California and Oregon, and parts of Montana, Idaho, Colorado, Utah and Washington.
New Mexico to impose fire restrictions for all counties
Las Cruces Sun-News (New Mexico), May 03, 2013
New Mexico
New Mexico officials announced fire restrictions for the entire state, effective May 8, due to the elevated fire danger and prevalence of fires. The restrictions ban the use of fireworks, campfires and other open fires and are valid statewide, including non-municipal, non-federal and non-tribal lands. Most of the state is in extreme or exceptional drought, and soil moisture is nonexistent in many areas.
Dry winter, warming trend foretell wildfire danger across the West
Reno Gazette-Journal (Nevada), May 01, 2013
Western U.S.
The West Coast, the Southwest and parts of Idaho and Montana should prepare for above normal fire activity, said the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise. Drought limited vegetation growth in Nevada and Oregon’s open ranching country, lowering their fire danger.
Plants & Wildlife
Texas warm-season grass pastures still drought damaged
Drovers Cattle Network (Lenexa, Kansas), Apr 30, 2013
Texas
Ongoing drought, cool spring temperatures, reduced fertilizer use and overstocking were hindering pasture recovery in Texas from drought damage that occurred in 2010.
Brown evergreens reveal lasting effect of drought
Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier (Waterloo, Iowa), Apr 28, 2013
Iowa
Iowa trees continue to manifest drought damage from 2012 that was not apparent until this spring. A district forester with the Iowa department of Natural Resources said, “I've seen very mature 40- and 50-foot arbor vitae (evergreens) that are just dead brown. Typically, a mature tree like that can survive a dry summer. That just kind of expresses the magnitude of just how bad things were." Evergreen trees across Iowa sustained significant damage, notably in northeastern Iowa, where 30 to 50 percent of the arbor vitae died.
Officials ‘bear-proof’ Payson-area campsites after last year's attacks
azcentral.com (Phoenix, Arizona), Apr 27, 2013
Near Payson, Arizona
Concentrated bear activity in Payson-area campgrounds stemmed largely from drought as the bears roved around in search of food and water, stated a Payson wildlife manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Three bear attacks occurred within the span of one month in the summer of 2012. The state Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service are striving to bear-proof the area by educating visitors about safety and installing metal storage containers for food at campsites and bear-proof trashcans at campgrounds.
Uninvited guest: Alamosa residents must deal with deer invasion
Pueblo Chieftain (Colorado), Apr 23, 2013
Alamosa, Colorado
Between 300 and 500 mule deer have called Alamosa home since drought in 2002 drove them into the town in search of food. Residents complain that the deer graze on their gardens and saplings, particularly in areas along the Rio Grande River.
Valley drought affects roadside wildflower displays
Brownsville Herald (Texas), Apr 22, 2013
South Texas
The Rio Grande Valley has very few wildflowers to admire this year since drought has left most of the seeds dormant. An outdoor journalist who travels the Valley said, “This is the worst I have ever seen it this time of year here in Deep South Texas. We might have to wait until next year for wildflowers in the Valley.” Normally, fields full of bluebonnets, Western primrose and other flowers would be in bloom at this time of year.
Relief, Response, & Restrictions
Another wave of fire restrictions to hit NM
Carlsbad Current-Argus (New Mexico), May 15, 2013
New Mexico
Burn bans will take effect in large swaths of New Mexico in the next few days as various entities implement their own fire restrictions, but a statewide burn ban was enacted on May 8.
Officials dispatch maps to Obama
The Brownsville Herald (Texas), Apr 11, 2013
South Texas
A number of U.S. congressmen, are seeking President Obama’s involvement with the desperate water supply situation in South Texas and sent drought maps to show that Mexico was not in such dire drought that they could not release water into the Rio Grande River to provide relief to South Texas communities. The governor of Texas has also requested intervention from the president. The U.S. State Department and the U.S. International Boundary and Water Commission have not been able to persuade Mexico to release more water in addition to the inadequate amount that they have already released.
Carlsbad Irrigation District issues priority water call
Carlsbad Current-Argus (New Mexico), Apr 02, 2013
Southeastern New Mexico
The Carlsbad Irrigation District attorney expects that the New Mexico state engineer will implement the Active Water Resource Management Plan to decide where and how to direct the water, due to the priority water call.
Society & Public Health
Drought halts city flowers
Times Record News (Wichita Falls, Texas), May 13, 2013
Wichita Falls, Texas
Officials for Wichita Falls canceled the winter order of flowers that would normally be planted in October throughout the community. Staff for the city have also tried to sell flowers from the summer order, but could not find any buyers. The flowers were planted since they could not be sold.
Lakes Arrowhead and Kickapoo had a combined storage of 38.5 percent of capacity on May 6.
High hay prices, low donations threaten the Nokota horse
The Jamestown Sun (North Dakota), May 11, 2013
North Dakota
Hay supplies for the breeding herds for the Nokota Horse Conservancy are running low because hay prices are high, since years of drought have affected hay supplies and prices, and monetary donations have fallen off. The Nokota horses are descendants of the Plains Indian horses, including ponies from Sitting Bull’s group when it surrendered in 1881. The Nokota Horse Conservancy may have to dissolve its herds if it cannot get more hay, which would result in the loss of the unique breeding stock.
Drought across the West spurs resurgence of faith
Houston Chronicle (Texas), May 03, 2013
New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas
The faithful in the southern U.S. are turning back to their traditional religious practices as they cope with ongoing drought.
Valley fever response: Vulnerable inmates ordered out of Avenal, Coalinga prisons
Fresno Bee (California), Apr 29, 2013
San Joaquin Valley in California
Thousands of high-risk inmates were ordered to be removed from the Avenal and Coalinga prisons in the San Joaquin Valley. The order is complicated by the fact that California prisons are already overcrowded and the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is to reduce the state prison population by 9,000 inmates by December 2013.
Valley fever cases are highest in Arizona (70 percent of cases) and California (25 percent), according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most incidences of Valley fever occur in the central San Joaquin Valley, with the highest rates of illness at the Avenal and Coalinga prisons, where the disease contributed to the deaths of 24 inmates between 2006 and 2011.
Officials ‘bear-proof’ Payson-area campsites after last year's attacks
azcentral.com (Phoenix, Arizona), Apr 27, 2013
Near Payson, Arizona
Concentrated bear activity in Payson-area campgrounds stemmed largely from drought as the bears roved around in search of food and water, stated a Payson wildlife manager for the Arizona Game and Fish Department. Three bear attacks occurred within the span of one month in the summer of 2012. The state Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Forest Service are striving to bear-proof the area by educating visitors about safety and installing metal storage containers for food at campsites and bear-proof trashcans at campgrounds.
Tourism & Recreation
Drought impact cancels Indiana trout release
hometownstations.com (Lima, Ohio), May 03, 2013
Indiana
Drought limited trout production at a state fishery last summer. Five streams in northern Indiana will not be stocked with trout as usual, but the trout releases will resume in spring 2014.
GFP seeks smaller deer harvests in some areas
Aberdeen American News (South Dakota), May 03, 2013
South Dakota
The South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks Commission recommended offering thousands fewer deer licenses and tags this fall to hunters near the East River and West River where roughly 3,700 deer were killed by disease in 2012.
DEER HARVEST DECLINED 30% IN 2012
Panhandle Post (Chadron, Nebraska), Mar 01, 2013
Nebraska
The total deer harvest in Nebraska was down 30 percent to 60,548 after exceptional drought and an unusually severe episode of epizootic hemorrhagic disease killed thousands of whitetail deer, leading the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission to cut the number of antlerless permits. Hunters bought fewer permits and killed fewer deer.
Waning water supply claims Comanche golf course
The Lawton Constitution (Oklahoma), Feb 28, 2013
Lawton, Oklahoma
The golf course in Comanche, Oklahoma closed after the operator and the town council could not agree on a new management contract. In previous years, the city allowed the golf course operator to draw water from Comanche Lake for free, but ongoing drought has changed the town council’s valuation of the water in the lake and their willingness to allow the golf course to take the water at no charge.
Water Supply & Quality
Corps Bracing For Low Runoff
Yankton Daily Press & Dakotan (South Dakota), May 14, 2013
Missouri River Basin
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is keeping water releases from Gavins Point dam on the South Dakota-Nebraska border at a minimum because the region remains in drought. The Corps expected runoff will be about 20 million acre-feet, which is 79 percent of normal.
Farm runoff generates record nitrate levels
Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa), May 12, 2013
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines Water Works began using its $4 million nitrate removal equipment to bring nitrate levels in the water from the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers into compliance with the Environmental Protection Agency’s standard of 10 milligrams per liter. During drought in 2012, plants did not take up all of the fertilizer in the soil, leaving it to be washed out with this spring’s rains. It costs roughly $7,000 daily to treat the water and remove nitrates to a safe level.
Long drought shrinks lake water levels
The Daytona Beach News-Journal (Fla.), May 11, 2013
Florida
Lakes in Volusia County are very low due to below normal precipitation in six of the last seven years. Trout Lake in Deltona is nearly dry; Lake Helen is so low that it is comprised of three small lakes rather than one large lake; and Lake Winnemissett east of DeLand is lower than it has ever been, setting new lows in February and March. A climate specialist with the National Weather Service noted that during eight of the past 14 dry seasons, which run from December through April, precipitation was less than 25 percent of average.
More Ore. irrigators could face restrictions
Herald and News (Klamath Falls, Oregon), May 11, 2013
Oregon
Low snowfall and early melt are leading to water stress in the southern parts of Oregon. Water restrictions are in the offing for the Klamath Basin and the South Umpqua River in southwestern Oregon. Two Oregon senators requested emergency grazing on federal land in southeastern Oregon. Two irrigation districts in eastern Oregon are working together to reduce water losses.
International
Red Cross Sends Emergency Water Team to Marshall Islands
Scoop News (New Zealand), May 12, 2013
Marshall Islands
An emergency response team from New Zealand went to the Marshall Islands where drought has cut into water supplies, which have become contaminated with salt and other pollutants.
Drought-stricken Panama orders power rationing, closes schools
Thomson Reuters Foundation (London, England), May 08, 2013
Panama
Drought has cut the hydroelectric supply, which represents about 60 percent of the energy used in Panama. Drought has also resulted in about $200 million in various types of losses.
Drought conditions plaguing Marshall Islands
United Nations Radio (New York, N.Y.), May 07, 2013
Marshall Islands
Meager rainfall since February prompted the government to declare a state of emergency as water supplies ran very low.
Drought impacting Gulf barra fishers
Australian Broadcasting Corporation News, May 07, 2013
Northern Australia
The wet season that didn’t happen has reduced the number of barramundi that fishermen are able to catch by 80 percent, leaving the fishermen struggling to fill orders for the fish.
Research
Stratospheric Aerosols Linked to Catastrophic Drought
Laboratory Equipment Magazine (Rockaway, New Jersey), Apr 02, 2013
Researcher Jim Haywood and his colleagues at the Met Office found a connection between sporadic volcanic eruptions in the northern hemisphere, sea surface temperature gradients and Sahelian drought.
Study: Bark beetles not a factor fast wildfire spread
The Coloradoan (Fort Collins, Colorado), Jan 24, 2013
Colorado
Research shows that climate change-fueled drought contributed to the rapid expansion and severity of the wildfires in Larimer County in northern Colorado. The study was undertaken by scientists from Colorado State University, Clark University, the Xerces Society and the Geos Institute. The results of the research conflict with the opinions of others who feel that trees killed by mountain pine beetles play a larger role in large, hard to control wildfires.
Did Mega-Drought Kill Ancient Aboriginal Culture?
Live Science (Ogden, Utah), Jan 10, 2013
Australia
Research from the University of Queensland in Australia examined changes in rock art as the culture changed, which coincided with mega drought in the western part of the country.
Mitigation
Ranchers consider using cotton plants as food
Bryan-College Station Eagle (Texas), Nov 03, 2011
Central Texas
Cotton plants tested by a nutritionist found that the plants provide adequate protein and could be used as a good energy source for cattle.
Study shows heifers don’t have to be pigs at the feed bunk
Billings Gazette (Mont.), Oct 02, 2011
Research from Montana State University
Heifers can consume 20 percent less during the seven month period between weaning and breeding without any ill effects. This discovery could benefit producers during drought, allow them to purchase less hay and save money.
Spring flow sales tax increase closer
San Antonio Express-News, Feb 11, 2011
San Antonio and vicinity
There is discussion about raising the sales tax by one-quarter of a cent to pay for a mitigation plan to protect San Marcos and Comal springs during drought.
Drought Headlines Archive
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