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  • From: Steve Diver <steved AT ncat.org>
  • To: market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Market-farming] Forest fire
  • Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2006 10:11:37 -0600

>You're in Virginia and it's that dry? I know the west has been dry for
>years. The OK/TX/KS region is almost like dustbowl days. We had our worst
>drought in a long time in northern Illinois last year and we have not
>recharged the subsoil yet this year. Kind of ominous.


Add Western Arkansas to the Dust Bowl states.
While we actually got some rains the last two weeks,
we are still far below normal with little recharge.

Eastern Arkansas was in last year's drought, along
with Illinois.

The most extreme drought in the country is currently
centered over SE Oklahoma - SW Arkansas. They
are 25-26 inches below normal rainfall in a region
that normally has lush, diverse vegetation.

For those of us on rural water, there was a tipping
point last August when irrigating to keep the
crops alive became unaffordable.
I was envious of my farming friends who have
irrigation water from rivers and ponds.
But my river irrigating friend explained what their
"pumping" costs were and it blew my mind.
And my pond irrigating friend explained they are
now going bone dry.
I talked to a grower in South-Central Missouri
last August. She said they grew 12-foot Bloody
Butcher corn in 2004. But in 2005 it didn't
even get knee-high, so they just mowed it down.
And so it goes... drought is a worrisome thing.

Steve Diver








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