The drought monitor report as of Tuesday, May 27th shows marked improvement for the state with an increase from 19 to 30% of the state totally out of dry conditions. Only 1% is in severe drought with the portion in moderate drought cut in half to 17%. Much of our area has improved to just abnormally dry with the northeastern/north central part of Barton County still listed in moderate drought. This doesn’t include the Wednesday rain. The six-to ten-day outlook (June 3 to 7) indicates a 33 to 50% chance of leaning above normal temperatures and a 40 to 50% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. The eight to 14-day outlook (June 5 to 11) indicates normal for temperatures and a 33 to 40% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. Good for summer crops and the maturing wheat crop. The rains of the last week benefitted some of the later wheat while the winds and wet soil did knock some wheat over.
Today is the last in the series of parts of the USDA. As the current administration seeks efficiencies through downsizing, many of us really don’t have more than a general understanding of what agencies do. We have already discussed the NRCS and APHIS. Today, a very brief overview of some of the rest.
• Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) – works on domestic and internation marketing of commodities and works to ensure fair trade practices.
• Agricultural Research Service (ARS) – This is exactly what you think. It’s the research arm of the USDA and helps find solutions to problems in agricultural production. It partners with local and state governments/institutions (think K-State) and private companies.
• Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) – works to ensure a safe healthy food supply through inspection and testing. There are labs, some have closed recently, across the US as well as inspectors.
• National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) – This may seem wonky, but NASS ensures with have the best data available regarding all aspects of food production. There isn’t room here to list all the important uses of this data.
• Rural Development (RD) – to maintain agricultural production we need people and not just producers. RD provides financial and technical resources to maintain and improve the quality of rural life.
• Risk Management Agency (RMA) – Agriculture has a great deal to do with mitigating risk. The RMA provides financial tools and information regarding financial risk and much of this is provided through the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation.
There are more including the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Forest Service, Economic Research Service, and the Food and Nutrition Service.
Dr. Victor L. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for Barton Community College. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
