No Drought Relief in Sight for August

Aug 03, 2023

For the first three weeks in July, temperatures in the Corn Belt were generally near or below normal. In the final week of the month, week ending July 29, temperatures turned hot across the region making this the fourth hottest final week of July in over 30 years for the Corn Belt, according to data from WeatherTrends360.

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Hot weather combined with lingering drought issues in the region raised concern for heat stress among the corn crop. Precipitation was at the 11th lowest in 30-plus years for the final week of July in the Corn Belt. The heaviest precipitation fell in the eastern Corn Belt, where there are fewer drought issues.

The heat relaxes somewhat in the first week of August, week ending Aug. 5, but the week overall will still trend slightly warmer than normal. According to forecasts from WeatherTrends360, this will be the 13th warmest first week of August in 30-plus years for the Corn Belt. Southern areas will see a better chance of hotter weather while temperatures cool relative to the prior week across the core of the Corn Belt.

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Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.