Rain Friday has little effect on forage prices throughout Missouri
by Katie Maupin, posted Sept. 4, 2007
Rain poured down throughout the state Friday, but some are wondering if it will be enough to save forage crops.
Rob Kallenbach, MU associate professor of agronomy, said Missouri is like a “variable Garden of Eden,” with Mount Vernon receiving 12 inches of rain in June alone while the northeastern part of the state is way below its precipitation average.
The question is: how will this summer’s moderate drought conditions affect hay and pasture production. Kallenbach said that if it rains any more like it did Friday, we can expect pastures to come back and possibly have a slightly above average fall.
Hay prices do not look good, but Kallenbach said the summer’s drought is not to blame for the high prices. The prices are largely affected by the fact that there was little carryover from last year as well as higher commodity prices and increased demand, he said
Assistant professor of climatology and Missouri State Climatologist, Pat Guinan, has seen just how the lack of precipitation has affected Columbia. Precipitation was running near normal until the end of June, according to Guinan. The precipitation level had been consistently average until a seven-week period beginning in July when it plummeted to 3.11 inches below normal. Since July 20 Sanborn Field had received only 0.78 inches of rainfall until Aug. 24.
The intense heat combined with the lack of precipitation this past month has also had an impact on the production of roughages. The period between Aug. 1 and Aug. 23 was the third warmest on record since 1947, said Guinan. It has also been the third consecutive summer of drought, he said, but since we are in Missouri, we just need to wait five minutes for the weather to change.
