The drought monitor, as of Tuesday, March 24, indicates increasing drought conditions with less than 30% of the state now out of dry conditions. Our entire area is now abnormally dry with moderate drought just to our south. The six-to-10-day forecast (March 31 to April 4) indicates a 70-80% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and a 40-50% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. The eight-to-14-day forecast (April 2 to 8) indicates a 50-60% chance of likely above normal for temperatures and a 33-40% chance of leaning above normal for precipitation. Definitely not what we need heading into April with the wheat crop and needing moisture to plant corn.
It seems as though the relatively wet conditions of 2025 may be over. This is especially true if the El Nino being forecast develops as strongly as thought. Time will tell what happens. Today, we will consider the wind events over the last several weeks, including this week, and soil erosion. While not any way near Dust Bowl levels, we are still losing parts of the A horizon (topsoil). So, what is actually happening and what we need to consider.
Western Kansas has a double whammy when it comes to soil erosion. As you move toward the Missouri border and east, you enter what is termed a humid climate with more rainfall. They deal with water erosion of soils. Here, water and wind erosion are challenges. We often don’t think about it, but we experience heavy rainfall and it takes almost no slope for sheet erosion to occur. It’s subtle, removing a uniform layer from the soil, and often unnoticed but can be significant. For sloped land, you may notice terracing to keep the soil on the field. Some of the soil that formed the bayou on the Gulf Coast is from Kansas.
The other factor degrading our soils, is wind erosion. During a recent high wind event, the sky turned hazy and brown from soil particles in the air. What makes it worse is the fact that these particles are primarily clay with some silt. This makes our soils coarser over time and clay is critical, along with organic matter, in holding water and plant nutrients along with providing soil structure. For every inch of topsoil lost, it can take hundreds of years, and here longer, to replace. And these extreme wind events are becoming more common. The reasons for this loss are twofold. First, recent wildfires left the soil bare, exposing it to wind erosion. The other factor is tillage, even reduced tillage, as producers are preparing for spring planting.
We can’t do much about wildfires, but we can help with ensuring the ground isn’t exposed in crop fields. Much of the area had made great progress in significantly reducing tillage, many no-tilling, and the adoption of cover crops. However, tillage has increased as weed resistance to common herbicides has. It’s a complex problem but one we must solve or producing crops here with climate change and more variable, extreme weather conditions combined with a declining aquifer will make it very difficult for producers to stay in business.
Dr. Martin is the agriculture instructor/coordinator for BCC. He can be reached at 620-792-9207, ext. 207, or martinv@bartonccc.edu.
