03/02/05 The Northwest drought

03/02/05 The Northwest drought

Farm and Ranch March 2, 2005 There has been a little rain around the Pacific Northwest this week but it continues to be drier and warmer than normal in the region. And that is an understatement according to USDA meteorologist Mark Brusberg. Spokane, Washington, just completed the driest February on record. Seattle had its third driest. Olympia, the second driest ever. Brusberg: "And it really doesn't look like it is going end anytime soon. We still have a fairly persistent pattern. Even though they are expecting some rain in the coastal areas for much of the remainder of this week, in Washington for example, it doesn't look like the rainfall is going to get far enough inland to do any good. Certainly not to increase the snowpack the way they would like to see it for the upcoming spring." The USDA says state officials in Washington are considering asking for a federal disaster declaration. Meanwhile in the U.S. Midwest, Brusberg says producers are concerned about wet conditions delaying spring planting. Brusberg: "It has been warm and dry this past week. That did help. But again, it is going to have to dry out a little bit more for them of having any hopes of planting on time." Brusberg says it is not a big concern right now, but something they are keeping an eye on. The commodity markets have been focused on dry weather in Brazil, where Brusberg says drought is beginning to take its toll on the regions that produce 37 percent of Brazil's soybeans. I'm Bob Hoff and that's the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag information Network.
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