Sanders County in drought region

SANDERS COUNTY – Several counties in western Montana were designated as natural disaster areas last week as the region continues to experience drought following a mild winter with low snowpack and an early summer without much precipitation.

On Wednesday July 15, Governor Steve Bullock announced fifteen counties in the western portion of the state had been designated as primary natural disaster areas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture due to ongoing drought conditions.

Both Sanders and Mineral Counties were included in the primary natural disaster areas.

According to the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation, the current water supply and moisture conditions in both counties is rated at extremely dry indicating a severe drought.

In addition to the 15 counties within the primary natural disaster areas nine counties in Montana have been named contiguous disaster counties, due to the region’s widespread drought.

According to Communications Director Jayson O’Neill at the Montana Department of Agriculture the declaration allow farm operators in the counties designated as natural disaster areas to be considered for assistance from the Farm Services Agency (FSA) to recover from losses that occurred as a result of the natural disaster.

“The declaration offers farmers and ranchers the ability to apply for a few programs from the United States Department of Agriculture,” O’Neill said.  

O’Neill explained last week’s declaration came after a meeting of the state’s drought advisory committee.

The communications director explained this year’s low snow pack and a relatively dry spring have contributed to the current conditions.

“Much needed moisture the state usually receives in June was much lower this year,” O’Neill said.

The weekly United States Drought Monitor released every Thursday and last issued on July 16, shows Sanders and Mineral County as experiencing D3 extreme drought.

Last week’s drought monitor report also reported overall temperatures across the Pacific Northwest and Northern Plains were above normal for this juncture of the summer.

The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced through a partnership of the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

O’Neill noted that though drought conditions in western Montana have not noticeably improved they have not noticeably deteriorated either.

“The good news is the drought area didn’t expand the bad news is it didn’t shrink,” O’Neill said.

O’Neill encouraged farm producers to visit agr.mt.gov noting the website  is a good resource for those short of hay or looking to lease pasture.