While range and pasture conditions continue to be the best in many years, drying topsoil and even drought are beginning to show. The Southern Plains (Oklahoma and Texas) is the area showing the most stress, as mid-July temperatures were hotter than average. Kansas, Nebraska and the Corn Belt have also felt summer’s heat, but ample rains in prior months still leave a legacy of surplus topsoil moisture in those areas, according to the Daily Livestock Report.
Kansas is on the cusp of changing pasture conditions, as topsoil conditions are only slightly better (3% rated surplus) than Texas and Oklahoma. During July, Kansas pastures rated good to excellent slipped from 75% to 69% but pastures rated poor or very poor only increased from 4% to 5%. This compares with the Southern Plains pastures rated poor or very poor in July that went from 5% to 11% over the course of the month.
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