Sad Nebraska

Visitors to this blog can usually expect to see beautiful pictures of the Nebraska Outback. However, right now, the landscape in the Outback is rather sad. Nebraska has seen one of the driest summers on record, with precipitation that is nearly 6" below normal.

This drought, coupled with steady brisk winds and high temperatures have combined to make this one of the worst fire seasons in memory. Nebraska has lost more than 300,000 acres of crop land, grazing land and forests to fires this summer.

On a recent driveabout in the Nebraska Sandhills, we see reminders of the drought and the fires of this past summer. As you can see, the loss of grass cover on this fragile ecosystem can quickly have devastating effects.

Below a herd of Antelope kick up a cloud of dust as they race through a landscape that looks more like a desert than the greatest grassland on earth.

Closer to home, a pivot stands amid a burned out corn field, results of a 10,000 acre fire that occurred a month ago amid a day of 60+ mile per hour wind. That day also saw a huge dust storm stretch from Nebraska to Oklahoma.

The Nebraska Department of Agriculture even has a "drought central" website for farmers and ranchers affected by the drought.

Hopefully brighter days are in our future. Thanks for stopping by. The coffee is always on.