Fire danger rises as state dries out

Burn ban for Garland County

LITTLE ROCK — The National Weather Service on Tuesday advised that drought conditions are developing in Arkansas, something already evident to farmers and ranchers whose fields are starting to show the effects.

The Arkansas Forestry Commission categorized all but the state’s northeast as being at moderate risk of wildfires.

Burn bans were in place Tuesday in Garland, Cleveland, Johnson, Newton, Pope, Saline and Searcy counties.

Even though fire conditions aren’t as acute in northeast Arkansas, heart of the state’s farmland, growers are responding to the dry weather.

“Irrigation is in full swing on all summer crops, even pastures and hay meadows,” said Brent Griffin, Prairie County extension staff chair for the University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture. “Corn, rice and soybeans are all competing for the same water at this time.”

In the state’s southeast, agriculture officials say growers have irrigated corn a half dozen times already this year and soybeans nearly as often.

Almost all Arkansas farms are irrigated but those without pumps are already in rough shape.

“Those with no water are looking ugly and taking a beating in yield loss right now,” said Gus Wilson, Chicot County extension staff chair. “Every well and re- lift pump is going and will be until a good rain comes.”

In hilly country, where ranches are more common, growers have watched grasses either start to turn brown or stop growing.

“It is getting downright powdery out there,” said Brian

See, Marion County extension agent.

Ranchers, many of whom had to sell off their stock during last year’s drought, benefited from a good first hay harvest this year. But the absence of rain has delayed a second harvest.

“Bermuda grass fields are still green for the most part but are pretty much at a standstill,” See said. “Fescue has all but burned up. Producers at least have hay in the barn should things continue to remain dry.”

The National Weather Service issued a special weather statement advising that uncontrolled fires can spread rapidly in most areas.

“Vegetation, such as grass and shrubs, continue to dry out. In fact, the moisture level of many of these plants is below the critical 10 percent threshold,” the advisory said.

Conditions aren’t as dire as they were a year ago when the state was sliding into an extreme drought that put ranchers under pressure and forced rowcrop farmers to heavily irrigate, adding significant costs for fuel to run their pumps.