US Wheat Crops Wither, Herds Thin as Spring Drought Deepens.

The article focuses on the severe drought affecting farmers and cattle producers across the Great Plains, particularly in Nebraska and Oklahoma, where nearly 90% of the land is drought-stricken. This drought threatens winter wheat harvests by limiting soil moisture critical for grain development and is forcing cattle producers to consider costly feed purchases or herd reductions due to pasture losses and high input costs, including fertilizer price increases. The drought’s persistence through spring, combined with late-winter heat and wildfires, has damaged hayfields and pastureland, complicating efforts to rebuild the US cattle herd, which is at a 75-year low. Relief is uncertain, as forecasts predict continued dryness and warm temperatures until the potential arrival of El Niño later in the year, while local organizations have initiated aid efforts to support affected ranchers. [Extracted from the article]