After a few dry years, the states ag producers are finally getting some relief – but there’s still a hole to dig out of.
Visually, the difference in the cattle country landscape is striking year-over-year with far more green grass and full ponds across West River.
It’s in the data too. The latest drought monitor shows the best conditions in three years.
Stuart Schmidt owns the Cross-S Ranch near Keldron in Corson County. He said there’s more than just rain on his mind now.
“You gotta deal with other natural disasters like grasshoppers too," Schmidt said. "Some places have been very well off this year and other places not so well. We live on the Grand River, and it seemed like that was a hot spot for grasshoppers, so our hay production is down although we’ve had really good grass.”
Schmidt said producers are enjoying a friendly cattle market, but that’s being tamped by inflation.
Source: sdpb.org
Photo Credit: gettyimages-steveoehlenschlager
Categories: South Dakota, Livestock, Beef Cattle, Dairy Cattle, Weather