Drought takes toll on crops across Northern Plains
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July 23, 2017
BILLINGS, Mont. (AP) — Federal officials say a punishing drought that stretches across much of the U.S. Northern Plains is expected to cause farmers to lose 64 million bushels of wheat production this year.
The Billings Gazette reports (http://bit.ly/2eG3ubV ) that northeast Montana is experiencing the worst drought in the country, with similar dry conditions in neighboring North Dakota and South Dakota.
Federal agriculture officials have labeled as poor or very poor more than half of Montana's 2017 crops of spring wheat, lentils and durum. Combined, the three crops were valued at more than $600 million in 2016.
In the small town of Nashua on the edge of the Fort Peck Indian Reservation a scant 1.2 inches of rain have been recorded since April 1.
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Information from: The Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com
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