BARNYARD BRIEFS: 7 S.C. counties in moderate drought

7 SC counties in moderate drought

The committee that monitors drought conditions in South Carolina upgraded the drought status of seven Upstate counties.

The S.C. Drought Response Committee placed Greenville, Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, York, Chester and Fairfield counties in moderate drought. The committee maintained incipient drought status for 16 counties and normal conditions for the remaining 23 counties.

For the counties that did not change in status, there was less support for changes across multiple indicators and local reports.

As designated by the S.C. Drought Response Act, incipient is the first level of drought, followed by moderate, severe and extreme.

Low streamflow and impacts of the drought on feed and water for grazing animals were the primary driving factors leading to the upgraded drought declaration for those counties.

Brandon Lambert, county executive director for the U.S. Farm Service Agency, urged the committee to upgrade to the moderate drought level based on the impact of the drought on growers and producers in portions of the Upstate.

“There has not been enough moisture in the ground for many farmers to plant their winter grains which they depend on to feed their livestock,” Lambert said. “And a major concern is that access to water for grazing animals is getting limited. Producers are reporting their ponds are drying up with limited flow in streams which forces the producers to bring in water. From grazing to row crop producers, the drought has impacted the livelihood for many farmers.”

Orangeburg, Calhoun and Bamberg counties remain in “normal” status.

Freezer Beef/Meat Marketing Workshop

The Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service will be conducting a Freezer Beef/Meat Marketing Workshop Dec. 12 at the Florence Pee Dee Research and Education Center.

The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The research center is located at 2200 Pocket Road.

The topics include: 

• An overview of meat laws and restrictions on selling meat.
• Facilities
• Feeding strategies
• Cost of production
• What value of calf as a feeder calf?
• Feed
• Trucking
• Marketing Costs
• Labor
• Communicating with the buyer
• Cuts
• Production Costs

To register access this link: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cuces-freezer-beef-101-tickets-759896349437?aff=oddtdtcreator

Lunch will be provided.

The workshop sponsor is ArborOne Farm Credit.

Individuals with dietary restrictions are asked to make this known to event coordinators prior to Dec. 8.

Should one require special accommodations due to a disability, notify the Clemson Extension office 10 days prior to the event.