It Will Take Time For Pastures To Recover, Says Rippey

This year's last look at pasture and rangeland conditions reflects the impact of the drought across the northern plains and the west.

"Even though soil moisture has improved, it does take a considerable amount of time to recover," said USDA meteorologist Brad Rippey. "Especially this time of year when the temperatures are lower; the days are shorter.  We don't expect to see full recovery in our hardest hut drought areas until at least the spring of 2022."

"We end the season with 42% on the nations pastures and rangelands rated in very poor to poor shape," Rippey continued. "That is a one percentage point improvement from last week, and on the flip-side, we see the good to excellent ratings, 26% of the country.  That is a 2 point improvement from last week."

Most of the country's best pastures are from the Mississippi Valley, eastward.  States with poor pasture conditions include Washington, Oregon, Montana and North Dakota.

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