COLUMBUS, Ohio – In early June, Ohio had moderate drought conditions in over 62 percent of the state with 98 percent considered abnormally dry, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Agronomists were getting concerned. In response, The Ohio State University’s College of Food, Agriculture, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) activated a 25-member Drought Rapid Response team.

“At the time it was enacted, we didn’t see 2- to 6-inches inches of rain falling in the next two weeks across a good portion of Ohio,” said Aaron Wilson, OSU’s field specialist in agriculture weather and climate and the state climatologist of Ohio.

“The rain was concentrated in the northern Miami Valley, Central, North Central, and Eastern Ohio,” he said. “We still have drought in many parts of the state particularly in Northwestern, sections of Northeastern, and even along the Ohio River we have abnormally dry to moderate drought conditions.”

Because of that, the rapid response team still meets bi-weekly to continue monitoring the drought and give people accurate information about impacts and what to expect with current conditions, Wilson said.

The team was created because OSU Extension was hearing from educators and specialists statewide that farmers and producers had concerns about the growing drought conditions, said Sam Custer, OSU Extension interim assistant director, agriculture and natural resources.

“We’re also coordinating and collaborating with the Ohio Department of Agriculture, as well as providing state and federal elected officials up-to-date information on what we’re finding and recommending,” Custer said.

The drought webpage, at go.osu.edu/ohiodrought, also provides links to numerous CFAES resources and newsletters, including information specific to agronomic crops, dairy, farm management, fruit, livestock, poultry, vegetables, wine grapes and turfgrass.

Parts of the state are still struggling and facing some real agronomy issues because of those three weeks of extreme drought, Custer said. While some parts of the state aren’t looking too bad, even in areas that got a significant amount of rain, farmers can tell that the crop was hurt with that three-week dry period.

We should be seeing an inch of rain per week to hit normal rainfall amounts,” Wilson said. “So, if we’re not hitting an inch per week, we’re not making up any rainfall deficits. And once we’re into June, July, and August, it’s really hard to make up those rainfall deficits.”

The rapid response team was formed in 2020, Custer said.

“We first came together with the pandemic,” he explained. “We’ve come together with the East Palestine train derailment and we came together with this drought. There’s a couple of us that lead that team to respond to whatever event takes place that needs collaboration for the college and extension to address the issue at hand.”