Drought takes turn for better

Well, that extreme drought didn’t last long … at least in Chickasaw County.
One week after the U.S. Drought Monitor said conditions had deteriorated from “severe” to “extreme” drought, the latest report from the agency showed a rapidly improving situation in the county as the northern two-thirds of the county are now in what officials called “moderate” drought while the southern third of the county returned to “severe” drought conditions.
And a number of farmers who talked to the Tribune last week said even though conditions are obviously drier than normal, they remain hopeful that yields will be solid this year.
The rains that fell over the weekend of Aug. 6-8 and into the morning of Monday, Aug. 9, proved to be a godsend for growers, especially to the north and west of New Hampton, which officially received more than five inches that weekend.
Other areas, especially near Ionia and Nashua, received far more rain during the storms. The National Weather Service reported that more than 12 inches fell near Ionia during the four-day period while local reports from just outside of Nashua showed more than 9 inches of precipitation.
— For more on this story, see the Aug. 17 Tribune