Temperatures could reach into the upper 90s, marking near-record heat, on Friday and 30-mph winds will continue the dryout, according to the National Weather Service. There are slight chances for severe thunderstorms, mostly to the north, throughout the weekend and into Monday.

So agriculture producers are weighing their options.

Oliver County Extension Agent Rick Schmidt said the hay crop is predicted to be at a quarter of the average.

“Even that seems like a stretch,” he said. “There’s just nothing there.”

And pastures are expected to be completely out of grass by July 1 unless conditions change.

Schmidt said he doesn’t want to cause panic, because a few rains could turn things around a bit, but, without some moisture, a lot of Oliver County’s crop is about a week or so away from "total disaster."

Cool season grasses will reach their max growth by June 30 and any rain after that won’t make a difference. For a lot of early planted crops, yields aren't expected to meet past county averages even if it rains.

“If corn is supposed to be knee high by July 4th and we’ve only got two inches, we’ve got a long way to go,” Schmidt said, though he encourages producers not to give up on their corn yet because it tends to be hardier.

For those that planted soybeans, Schmidt said he’s hearing from a number producers that the crop isn’t even coming up.

“It’s just not coming out of the ground,”said Schmidt, adding that, with hopes of at least having something for the cows to eat, some are looking for re-planting options — millet or sorghum sudan grass that can be grown later in the season.

Replanting is a gamble and would lead to penalties on insurance payments if rain doesn’t come in the late season to make it grow. But Oliver County is unique, in that 80 percent of producers raise both crops and cattle. Those with cattle will be more likely to double down, trying to get at least something off the dry land, according to Schmidt.

Source - http://bismarcktribune.com