“The trouble is some of the drought right now anchored in Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado and Texas is rivaling the drought of ‘11 and ‘12. It's rivaling the 1950s. It's rivaling the 1930s in terms of how dry it's been since late last summer,” says meteorologist Eric Snodgrass. “There needs to be a slow, methodical increase of precipitation in May and in June to make us not worry so much about the rest of summer."
When soybean seed sits in the ground for weeks, unable to germinate, the risk for Sudden Death Syndrome to develop trends higher. Yield losses upward of 80% are documented.
As residences in John Phipps' area turn into stony, weedy spots in cornfields, traffic has slowed to a trickle, making a car passing a pretty big event.
