BROOKINGS COUNTY — If you think it’s been incredibly dry as of late in and around Brookings, well, you’re not imagining things.
The county, along with neighboring counties in South Dakota, is in what Thursday’s U.S. Drought Monitor report has classified as a moderate drought, with some abnormally dry spots tossed in for good measure.
The rougher conditions are farther south and southwest, where places like Sioux Falls, Mitchell and Yankton are enduring severe drought conditions. It’s even worse in Bon Homme, Charles Mix, Douglas and Hutchinson counties, where extreme drought conditions persist.
So, all in all, things could be worse in and around Brookings. Still, that doesn’t mean there haven’t been some drought-related impacts, especially in regard to crops.
“It’s likely too little too late for some of the earlier spring crops like oats, barley, spring wheat. Those crops really needed moisture and some cooler temperatures in May and earlier June to really help them along,” SDSU Extension Climatologist Laura Edwards said in a phone interview on Wednesday. “I understand from reports across the area that those crops are pretty much done and people have decided what to do with those fields already.”
Fortunately, the picture is a bit better for corn and soybeans.
“Recent rain has helped kind of revive or save or hold up the corn and soybean crop that had been struggling a little bit up until now,” Edwards said. “Over the last week or so, the Brookings mesonet station has received about an inch and a half of rain or so, so that’s pretty good.
“From what I understand, corn is kind of coming back to life and soybeans are looking a little bit better. So there’s still time for those crops, especially since it’s still kind of early in the season,” she continued. “By that I mean those plants are still growing in their vegetative stage — they haven’t gone to the reproductive stage, which means they haven’t started to set an ear, they haven’t started flowering, they haven’t started with pods. … There’s still some time yet for those crops to do pretty well.”
Another plus, she said, is that livestock appear not to have had any health impacts yet because of the dry conditions. A bigger concern, though, involves forage and hay production, which producers are keeping a close eye on.

“Statewide, we’ve been short on forage and hay for a couple of years with some long-term drought concerns going on,” Edwards noted. “Across much of eastern South Dakota, we’ve gotten a first cutting of alfalfa that looked OK, but given the recent heat and dry conditions, a second cutting of alfalfa looks pretty tough. In this part of the country, we typically get maybe three, maybe four cuttings of alfalfa in good years. That’s really going to cut us short in the long run when you’re looking for forage and feed.”
It’s also an issue that goes beyond South Dakota’s borders.
“People do trade and buy and sell hay all across the state, and this is going to be a regional issue,” she said. “If we look to our east and southeast — Iowa, Missouri, southern Minnesota, Wisconsin — all those states, all the way to Ohio, are really struggling with drought. It’s not just the Brookings area or eastern South Dakota, but it’s going to be a regional issue and I wouldn’t be surprised to see an increase in cattle sales based on lack of feed or forage available.”
Wide-ranging effects
The drought’s impact extends outside of ag producers, with its reach also affecting gardens, lawns and trees. What can be done about it?
“If you talk to Dr. John Ball, he’ll say ‘Water your trees!,’” Edwards said, chuckling. “Trees need a lot of water and you’re in the long haul with them for multiple years, and it’s hard to get them back if there’s dieback.”
Dieback occurs when a tree or shrub begins to die from the tip of its leaves or roots backward.
Tree-watering is important, especially for young trees, as it helps establish solid root systems.
As for lawns, Edwards suggested letting them go dormant isn’t a bad thing.
“Our lawn, I don’t take the watering too seriously. I let it go dormant, is what it’s natural response is. It’ll come back,” she said. “You certainly can irrigate — of course, abiding by the watering rules of whatever community you live in.”
Gardeners, too, have options for keeping their veggie-making plants thriving.
“If you set up a soaker hose or drip irrigation, you can focus that water a little more to the individual plants or areas where you want the water rather than just spreading it out everywhere across your garden or landscape,” Edwards pointed out.
Insects everywhere
Tick populations are also up, especially in the northeast and parts of southwest South Dakota. That’s not necessarily drought-related. Grasshopper populations, though?
“Grasshoppers have been very plentiful, especially in the southeastern part of the state,” Edwards noted. “Part of that is because of the drought last year — they really like drought times. We (also) had a little later frost in the fall than usual, so they had a little more time to increase their numbers, increase their populations last year. They came out in force this year, and I know they’re all over.”
Edwards said weather models show some promise for wetter conditions as the Brookings area moves into the first half or so of July.
“We’ve had some moderate to severe drought the last couple of years in the Big Sioux River area, the Brookings area, but before (then) we really hadn’t seen drought since, really, probably 2012 of any significance,” Edwards said. “It’s not too, too bad right now. It’s certainly dry, but … greener pastures are coming, at least in the next month or so and it looks like things are really kind of turning around here in the next couple of weeks.”
— Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.