Dry conditions impacting harvest timeline in southwest Kansas – Brownfield Ag News

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Dry conditions impacting harvest timeline in southwest Kansas

A lack of rain in southwest Kansas is impacting the harvest timeline for some dryland farmers.

Jim Sipes says grain sorghum harvest will likely start early.

“And that will be highly variable across the area. There’s some folks that may not be able to harvest their crops as it’s just not going to be very good and other folks who have pretty decent grain sorghum,” he says.

He says he was fortunate to receive two timely rains in September.

“Thankfully, that moisture came out at the time that we really should be planting wheat. I think all is going to be in pretty decent shape for most of us out here, as far as getting the wheat crop a good start for the next year,” he says.

Kansas State University Assistant Climatologist Matthew Sittel says the dry weather pattern will continue.

“The outlooks for the next two to three weeks are all saying below normal precipitation is likely across the entirety of Kansas,” he says.

Sipes says he expects most farmers will finish harvest by mid-October.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

SDGs Addressed or Connected to the Issues Highlighted in the Article:

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
3. SDG 13: Climate Action

Specific Targets Under Those SDGs Based on the Article’s Content:

• SDG 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality.
• SDG 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity.
• SDG 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

Indicators Mentioned or Implied in the Article:

• Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture.
• Indicator 6.4.1: Change in water-use efficiency over time.
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Based on the article, the issues highlighted are the impact of dry conditions on the harvest timeline for dryland farmers in southwest Kansas. These issues are connected to several SDGs:

1. SDG 2: Zero Hunger – The article mentions the impact of dry conditions on grain sorghum harvest, which is a food crop. SDG 2 aims to ensure sustainable food production systems and resilient agricultural practices.
2. SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation – The article mentions the lack of rain and dry weather pattern, which can lead to water scarcity. SDG 6 aims to ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater.
3. SDG 13: Climate Action – The article mentions the dry weather pattern and the need to strengthen resilience to climate-related hazards. SDG 13 aims to strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate change.

Based on the content of the article, specific targets can be identified:

• Target 2.4: By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change, extreme weather, drought, flooding, and other disasters, and that progressively improve land and soil quality. This target is relevant as it addresses the need for resilient agricultural practices in the face of dry conditions.
• Target 6.4: By 2030, substantially increase water-use efficiency across all sectors and ensure sustainable withdrawals and supply of freshwater to address water scarcity and substantially reduce the number of people suffering from water scarcity. This target is relevant as it addresses the impact of water scarcity due to lack of rain.
• Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. This target is relevant as it addresses the need to strengthen resilience to the dry weather pattern and its impact on agriculture.

The article mentions or implies several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets:

• Indicator 2.4.1: Proportion of agricultural area under productive and sustainable agriculture. This indicator can measure the extent to which sustainable agricultural practices are being implemented in the face of dry conditions.
• Indicator 6.4.1: Change in water-use efficiency over time. This indicator can measure the improvement in water-use efficiency to address water scarcity caused by lack of rain.
• Indicator 13.1.1: Number of deaths, missing persons, and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population. This indicator can measure the impact of climate-related hazards and natural disasters, such as the dry weather pattern, on the population in the affected area.

Source: brownfieldagnews.com