KANSAS 2012 DROUGHT UPDATE – August 10, 2012 Summary of Climate and Drought Conditions and Responses ¾ Executive Order 12-10 issued by the Governor July 25, 2012, remains in effect, placing all Kansas counties under Emergency Drought Stage. ¾ August 8, 2012, USDA designated an additional eight counties as primary federal agricultural disaster areas, for a total of 103 counties. The remaining two counties are considered contiguous and are also eligible for disaster programs. Governor has requested federal disaster designation for Marshall and Nemaha counties. ¾ The U.S. Drought Monitor for August 7, 2012 shows the entire state in severe drought or worse. Extreme drought now covers 90 percent of the state, with over 39 percent of the state in exceptional drought. ¾ State Conservation Commission has cost-share available for livestock watering improvements. ¾ A drought watch remains in effect for the Water Marketing Program customers from Clinton Lake, Hillsdale Lake, Melvern Lake, Pomona Lake, Council Grove Lake, Marion Reservoir, Big Hill Lake, Elk City Reservoir, and Kanopolis Reservoir. ¾ A drought warning was issued August 6 for the Cottonwood/ Neosho River Assurance District, triggering Stage 2- water warning of public water suppliers conservation plans in that District. ¾ A drought watch remains in effect for the Kansas River and the Marais des Cygnes River Assurance Districts. This triggers the Water Watch (Stage 1) of members’ water conservation plans. ¾ Public water suppliers continue to request or mandate water conservation practices. o Stage 3 - Water Emergency: mandatory measures, 4 (Ellsworth, Russell, Augusta and Mulvane) o Stage 2 - Water Warning: some restrictions, 30 o Stage 1 - Water Watch: voluntary conservation, 73 ¾ Minimum Desirable Streamflow (MDS) Administration in place above 17 gages, requiring 541 appropriations junior to MDS to cease diversion. ¾ Health Advisories (6) and Warnings (8) are in effect for lakes due to concentrations of harmful toxin(s) or cyanobacteria cell counts. ¾ Fire Weather Watches and Red Flag warnings for fire conditions continue to be issued for many areas of Kansas each day. ¾ Burning restrictions in at least 79 counties and 11 communities. Counties under Kansas drought stages are shown on the map below. Drought stages remain in effect as the overall conditions for plant growth and deficits in precipitation require careful consideration in planning for future water use and needs as well as crop and pasture conditions. Kansas County Drought Declarations: The Governor’s Executive Order 12-10 (July 25, 2012) remains in effect. All 105 counties are under state Drought Emergency. 1 Federal: USDA agricultural disaster declarations are based on anticipated crop losses, while Kansas drought stages are based primarily on water resource conditions. Damages and losses prompting Secretarial disaster designations must be due to a natural disaster; and a minimum 30 percent production loss of at least one crop in the county must have occurred. Natural disaster conditions include: a blizzard, cyclone, earthquake, hurricane, tornado, severe hail, excessive rain, heavy snow, ice and/or high wind, an electrical storm, several weather patterns sustained over a period of time, including low or high temperatures, and related pests, epidemics or fires. Through July 12 and July 25, designations by USDA their fast track policy, a total 91counties are now designated agricultural disasters due to drought in Kansas. Another 9 counties are also eligible for disaster programs as contiguous counties. July 18, the Kansas Governor sent a request to USDA for disaster designation due to drought for 37 additional counties, 25 of these counties were included in the July 25 designation, August 1, four more of these counties were designated and August 8 an additional eight. The designation of the remaining two counties, Marshall and Nemaha, has been requested by the Governor. Federal Disaster Primary Kansas Counties: Allen, Anderson, Atchison, Barber, Barton, Bourbon, Brown, Butler, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Cheyenne, Clark, Clay, Cloud, Coffey, Comanche, Cowley, Crawford, Decatur, Dickinson, Doniphan, Douglas, Edwards, Elk, Ellis, Ellsworth, Finney, Ford, Franklin, Geary, Gove, Graham, Grant, Gray, Greeley, Greenwood, Hamilton, Harper, Harvey, Haskell, Hodgeman, Jackson, Jefferson, Jewell, Johnson, Kearny, Kingman, Kiowa, Labette, Lane, Leavenworth, Lincoln, Linn, Logan, Lyon, Marion, McPherson, Meade, Miami, Mitchell, Montgomery, Morris, Morton, Neosho, Ness, Norton, Osage, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Rawlins, Reno, Republic, Rice, Riley, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Scott, Sedgwick, Seward, Shawnee, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Stafford, Stanton, Stevens, Sumner, Thomas, Trego, Wabaunsee, Wallace, Washington, Wichita, Wilson, Woodson and Wyandotte Federal Disaster Assistance for Producers Agricultural producers from the Kansas counties declared as disaster areas are eligible for emergency FSA loans. The current loan interest rate, which was set in 1993 at 3.75percent, was reduced by USDA to 2.25 percent. Additionally, USDA lowered the rental payment reduction when landowners use Conservation Reserve Program acres for emergency grazing and haying from 25 percent to 10 percent in 2012. 2 In addition to the USDA assistance announced in July (described later in document), on August 7 the President announced additional drought response as described below. Additional USDA Emergency Funding to assist livestock and crop producers: To assist producers facing extreme drought conditions, USDA announced Tuesday that it will utilize nearly $16 million in financial and technical assistance to immediately help crop and livestock producers in 19 states cope with the adverse impacts of the historic drought. In addition, USDA will initiate a transfer of $14 million in unobligated program funds into the Emergency Conservation Program. These funds can be used to assist in moving water to livestock in need, providing emergency forage for livestock, and rehabilitating lands severely impacted by the drought. Together these efforts should provide nearly $30 million to producers struggling with drought conditions. Department of Transportation Emergency Exemptions of Federal Operating Requirements: This authority can put more commercial drivers behind the wheel-driving large trucks needed to assist the farmers and ranchers in need. If a qualifying drought emergency has been declared in a state by the Governor or appropriate official, the state automatically gets Hours of Service and other regulatory relief for those providing emergency assistance; no application is needed. If the situation does not qualify for emergency relief, the Federal rules regulating large truck and bus operations may be waived in certain circumstances. DOT can process a request to waive regulations in 7-14 days. Department of Interior grazing on Federal lands: The Department of the Interior’s Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the USDA Forest Service are providing relief to ranchers who graze on public lands by employing flexibility to accommodate needs and conditions on the ground. BLM will issue refunds to cattlemen that were displaced by early season fires and therefore not able to make use of their allotments and the Forest Service has liberally granted Permittee requested non-use. Both agencies are making vacant land available for grazing and allowing for: changes in grazing use, including delayed or early turnout if conditions allow; increased salting to improve livestock distribution; water hauling and temporary portable water troughs; and other measures. Other assistance is outlined in the press release http://content.govdelivery.com/bulletins/gd/USDAOC-4dba29 Assistance announced July 23 using the Secretary of Agriculture’s authority to help create and encourage flexibility within four USDA programs includes: Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) – Allow additional acres under CRP to be used for haying or grazing under emergency conditions. CRP is a voluntary program that provides producers with annual rental payments on their land in exchange for planting resource-conserving crops on cropland to help prevent erosion, provide wildlife habitat and improve the environment. CRP acres can already be used for emergency haying and grazing during natural disasters to provide much needed feed to livestock. Given the widespread nature of this drought, forage for livestock is already substantially reduced. Vilsack’s action will allow lands that are not yet classified as "under severe drought," but are "abnormally dry," to be used for haying and grazing. Haying and grazing will only be allowed following the local birds’ primary nesting seasons, which have already passed in most areas. Especially sensitive lands, such as wetlands, stream buffers and rare habitats will not be eligible. Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) – This program provides assistance to farmers and ranchers by allowing them to modify current EQIP contracts to allow for prescribed grazing, livestock watering facilities, water conservation and other conservation activities to address drought conditions. EQIP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to agricultural producers to address natural resource concerns on their agricultural and forest land. The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will work closely with producers to modify existing EQIP contracts to ensure successful implementation of planned conservation