Don’t expect drought to end anytime soon

The current drought impacting more than 60 percent of the United States, which crippled many crops last summer, is not expected to ease anytime soon, said Dave Relihan, chief meteorologist, WIBW Radio, who spoke Wednesday at the Kansas Commodity Classic in Manhattan, Kan..

Relihan said that this drought is massive and shows little sign of weakening. Some signs of weakening are showing up at the southern edges of Texas.

Speaking about the drought in Kansas, he said, "The rain this spring will be enough to sustain a wheat crop."

In predicting the ongoing impact of the drought on crops in the 2013 growing season, Relihan said July and August will be stressful for fall crops and that there will be more stress on fall crops in 2013.

Although Relihan said producers should not worry about global warming, Barry Flinchbaugh, professor emeritus, Kansas State University, said age has politician’s heads in the sand on global warming. But Flinchbaugh predicted that global warming and biotech will be the next issue raised in agriculture.

The Kansas Commodity Classic is the annual convention of the Kansas Corn, Wheat and Grain Sorghum Associations. The event is sponsored by the Kansas Agriculture Network, Kansas Corn Growers Association, Kansas Association of Wheat Growers and Kansas Grain Sorghum Producers Association.

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