Drought: Experts express concern over drought in senate hearing
Senate panel hears stark warnings on Western drought, E&E Daily – Worsening droughts spurred by a changing climate will change the face of agriculture in Western states and could rule out crops in some areas, witnesses told a Senate Agriculture subcommittee yesterday. At a hearing on water shortages across the West, panelists painted a grim picture for agricultural and other water needs, urging lawmakers to use next year’s five-year farm bill to gear programs more directly at water conservation. “This problem is real. It cannot be kicked down the road,” said Tom Willis, a farmer from Liberal, Kan., who’s used state programs to experiment with water-saving techniques and high-tech monitoring, saving more than a billion gallons over six years, he said.
WOTUS: KS roundtable deemed EPA WOTUS definition concerning; EPA promises “complimentary” regulations
Midwest, Southeast Livestock Producers, Farmers Outline WOTUS Definition Concerns to EPA, Progressive Farmer – From Aaron Popelka’s viewpoint, for about one year, the Trump administration’s Navigable Waters Protection rule helped to expand conservation efforts in Kansas. The Republic County rancher and vice president of legal and government affairs for the Kansas Livestock Association said during an EPA-hosted waters of the U.S. Midwest roundtable on Monday that he disagreed with EPA’s assessment that the previous rule left more waters unprotected.
Coming WOTUS Regs Will be ‘Complementary’, Ag Web – EPA Administrator Michael Regan said the new definition of Waters of the U.S. (WOTUS) that EPA is writing will be “complementary” to an expected ruling from the Supreme Court in a case covering the scope of the Clean Water Act relative to waters and wetlands connected to large navigable bodies of water. According to Bloomberg, the Supreme Court is expected to narrowly define what constitutes WOTUS in a case pending before it. EPA is preparing a rule with a new definition of what constitutes WOTUS and has held three out of 10 regional roundtables to gather stakeholder input.
Herd Numbers: Worsening range conditions forces herd culling
Poor Range Conditions to Impact Cattle Numbers and Price, Ag Info – The Livestock Information Center’s Director and Senior Agricultural Economist Katelyn McCullock is concerned about what poor conditions will mean for beef cow numbers down the road. “I can’t believe I’m saying this but this year’s U.S. pasture and range conditions are worse than they were last year, which is maybe tough to believe and disheartening, but it has moved around a little bit much more centered on the Southern Plains, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, just excessive dryness over that.” “We haven’t seen a ton of lightweight placements in feedlots yet, but that’s probably coming.”
ESA: USFWS proposes change to species listing populations; CFGC set to consider Joshua Tree listing under CESA
Government calls for change to help endangered species, Boise State Public Radio – The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is proposing a regulation change under the Endangered Species Act that would allow some species to be introduced outside their historical ranges. With more flexibility some endangered and threatened species could be moved to other suitable habitats. Noah Greenwald, the endangered species director at the Center for Biological Diversity, says the main driver for the proposal is climate change.
Western Joshua tree: California Endangered Species Act decision coming, Desert Sun – The science surrounding the iconic western Joshua tree is grim. The tree’s suitable habitat is expected to decline substantially by 2100 due to climate change, especially in the southern portions of its range — meaning the Joshua tree would largely be unable to survive in its namesake park by the end of this century. Identifying and protecting areas known as “climate refugia,” where Joshua trees may be able to thrive at higher elevations amid rising temperatures and climate change, will become even more important to the species’ survival.
Cattle Markets: Cash market and export strengths rally cattle futures
U.S. livestock: Cattle, hog futures rise, Alberta Farmer – Chicago Mercantile Exchange cattle futures rose on Tuesday, supported by good export prospects and strength in the cash market, traders said. Hog futures firmed on a technical bounce. U.S. beef processors on Tuesday slaughtered an estimated 126,000 cattle, up from 121,000 a year ago, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. Hog slaughter was reported at 479,000 compared to 483,000 last year. CME June live cattle rose 0.9 cent to settle at 133.725 cents (all figures US$). The most-active August live cattle gained 1.225 cents, to 134.125 cents. CME August feeder cattle rose 0.475 cent, to 172.45 cents/lb.
Wildfire: Cal Fire plans control burn in North Central CA
Cal Fire to burn 345 acres east of Vina, Daily News – Cal Fire is teaming up with The Nature Conservancy to burn 345 acres of grass rangeland near Lassen Road east of Vina starting Wednesday morning. Cal Fire said this controlled burning is in an effort to control invasive weeds like medusa head and star thistle and to improve rangeland and reduce noxious grass species for better cattle grazing. Burning will start around 10 a.m. and should be completed by 5 p.m each day until done. This project is weather dependent. The controlled burn will incorporate a live-fire training course that will provide instruction for firefighters from California’s northern region.
$9 Million Awarded to Sagebrush Projects
The Biden administration announced on Thursday that they will invest over $9 million in fiscal year 2022 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds to support projects to restore and conserve strategic areas within the sagebrush ecosystem. More than 50 projects across Western states will work to combat invasive grasses and wildfire, reduce conifers, protect water resources, and promote community and economic sustainability.
To read more about the sagebrush conservation projects, visit: fws.gov/program/sagebrush-conservation
Heat and Drought Wreaks Havoc in West, Midwest
In Kansas, thousands of cattle died this week due to an extreme heat wave that caused a perfect storm with no relief. Across the West, conversations about heat and drought are driving much of the narrative.
This week’s Drought Monitor (https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu) continues to show critical levels of drought across much of the Southwest. PLC keeps an up-to-date list of producer resources for those affected by heat, drought, fire and other natural resources.
Further east, the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources heard from witnesses on Tuesday that across the country, the drought situation is dire and landscapes need to be more resilient. Wyoming Rancher Pat O’Toole shared his perspective with the committee, recommending that “…active forest management can increase water yield, improve water quality, provide for jobs, and reduce the cost of firefighting, while increasing forest resiliency. This can be done, in part, by increasing the productivity of national forests and grasslands; employing grazing as an effective, affordable forest and grassland management tool; increasing access to national forest system lands; expediting environmental reviews to support active management; and designing West-wide studies to quantify water yield.”
To watch the Senate hearing, visit: energy.senate.gov/hearings/2022/6/full-committee-hearing-to-examine-short-and-long-term-solutions-to-extreme-drought-in-the-western-u-s