As a punishing drought continues, farms are suffering

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Dry weather for much of the region is growing dangerous and could be intensified by another stifling heat wave this week, producing browned grass and pushing farmers into a difficult financial spot in what is often a vital growth period for a range of crops.  

That’s the word from officials at East Tennessee State University, where the state’s official climate office is housed.  

“For parts of Northeast Tennessee, we haven’t seen drought levels like this since the summer of 2016,” said Dr. Andrew Joyner, a member of ETSU’s Department of Geosciences and Tennessee’s official climatologist. “For some of the region, dry weather hasn’t been this bad since summer 2008, the worst drought since the US Drought Monitor began depicting drought conditions across the country in 2000.”  

ETSU plays a key role in advising governments about the risks and vulnerabilities associated with extreme weather – something that is increasing around the world and in Appalachia.  

Joyner, Assistant State Climatologist Wil Tollefson and Chief Drought Officer Elijah Worley provide important insights for the U.S. Drought Monitor, a metric that includes multiple categories from “abnormally dry” to “exceptional drought.” The Drought Monitor is a critical document, in part because as counties reach specific drought designations, farmers and other businesses may qualify for government-based financial assistance.  

Joyner and his team said the combination of high temperatures and low precipitation prompted rapidly emerging dry conditions, stressing grasses, hay fields and pastures throughout Southern Appalachia and much of Tennessee.  

In at least one instance, calves died soon after birth because the mother incurred a fescue-related illness – something exacerbated, and in some cases caused, by drought and extreme heat.  

What makes this year’s drought so different: Most of the time, such aridity comes much later in the year. 

“You don’t typically see a drought this bad this early,” said Worley. “The big question is how major will the yield losses be?” 

Joyner and his staff encourage the public to report dry weather conditions. Do so through the National Drought Mitigation Center here.  

Because the university houses the state’s climate office, ETSU is playing an outsized role in climate research, as well as educating the area on seasonal outlooks.   

Earlier this year, the climate office became one of only nine such sites in the nation tabbed for a pilot funding proposal aimed at helping communities better understand and utilize climate data and resources to address long-term extreme weather vulnerabilities.  

East Tennessee State University was founded in 1911 with a singular mission: to improve the quality of life for people in the region and beyond. Through its world-class health sciences programs and interprofessional approach to health care education, ETSU is a highly respected leader in rural health research and practices. The university also boasts nationally ranked programs in the arts, technology, computing, and media studies. ETSU serves approximately 14,000 students each year and is ranked among the top 10 percent of colleges in the nation for students graduating with the least amount of debt.