Latest Reports: Drought Reaches 2012 Levels

While drought has continued to press farmers and ranchers across the Western U.S. for most of 2022, many have remained optimistic resting on the principle of “it’s not as bad as 2011”. However, the latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows that more than half of the U.S. is in drought, the highest since 2012. Most of the Corn Belt is dry, though due to the current ag lifecycle they are not facing dire consequences currently.

Wildfires throughout the Plains have wreaked havoc and there have been issues seeding winter wheat. Several periods of precipitation will be needed to shake much of the dryness out of the Corn Belt. Harvesting too dry of grain and heading into a dry planting season furrows the brow of many Midwestern farmers.

Read more on drought conditions and the ongoing expansive dryness here.