Under new streamlined Drought Designation guidelines designed to more quickly declare disasters and get aid to struggling agricultural producers, the USDA has designated over 1100 counties in 26 states as Drought Disaster Areas as of this week.

I've linked the article below.

If you look at the two graphics, you'll see what a change the new guidelines have made. In the second map almost all of the counties in OK are included, except for a pocket of counties in NE OK.

With far-ranging drought, I bet our grocery prices climb and climb in the coming months.

I don't know if this will help anyone here who is not only a gardener, but also a market grower, farmer or rancher, but thought I'd link this info in case it might.

With all the trouble we're having keeping gardens happy across the state, this declaration doesn't surprise me. I hope it does help ag producers who are struggling to hang in there and survive.

We gardeners are on our own though. Just us, the gardens and landscapes and the weather. (And the grasshoppers, blister beetles, cucumber beetles, squash bugs, stink bugs, etc.)

Dawn

Here is a link that might be useful: USDA Ag Disaster Declaration Article