U.S. Drought Expands Across Key Agricultural Regions

Drought conditions worsened across several important U.S. agricultural regions in the National Drought Status released October 1. Based on conditions through September 29, 59.38% of the contiguous United States was classified as being in drought. Deterioration was reported across Texas and Oklahoma, the Lower Midwest, Lower Mississippi River region and Southeast, while some areas of the West and Plains recorded improvement.

The development is significant for agriculture because drought can reduce soil moisture and the quantity and quality of water available for crops, livestock and grazing land. Drought.gov lists 42 states as experiencing Moderate Drought or worse in the latest update. The report documents current drought conditions rather than confirmed crop-production losses, so specific yield or livestock impacts would need to be established separately through production and field reports.