KHAS Weather
Farmers hope for a white Christmas
Christmas just isn't the same for families and children without a good snow fall. Leading into the winter season, for some farmers and producers any moisture they can get they're anxiously praying for it.
A white Christmas has never been so desperately wanted or in some cases needed, until now. "Did not have a measurable snow fall from February to about December which for parts of the country and parts of the central plains has been a record length of a lack of measurable snow," said Mike Moritz. Moritz is the Warning Coordination Meteorologist at the National Service Weather Center. More than 96 percent of Nebraska is suffering from extreme or exceptional drought conditions. "It would take an exceptional amount of snow that we've never seen here in recorded history so it's really not even possible to get enough snow to make up for the 15 or more inches of moisture that we're down," Moritz said. According to reports the state climatologist says Nebraska would need a snow fall of one hundred inches. "Usually the winter is for near normal precipitation which over the course of a winter in this part of the country would be about 30 inches of snow and about 3 inches of water equivalent moisture," said Moritz. "Going into 2012 we had a really dry harvest in 2011 and we didn't have any moisture at all until February of 2012 and we had a really heavy snow that was full of moisture," said Dewey Lienemann. Wintery conditions saved farmers and producers then, but it won't this time around. Dewey Leinemann UNL Extension Educator of Webster County says farmers are changing their planting methods. "They're taking a look at different types of seeds and there are some drought corn varieties that are out there some of them are taking a look at that both irrigated and dry land," said Lienemann. Looking ahead to next spring the lack therefore will spill trouble across the Central Plains. In the wake of the drought and winter Senator Mike Johanns released a statement Monday pushing for action for a five year farm bill. Johanns says Congress must act and give farmers a clear picture of policies before the next round of spring planting. |
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