NEWS FLASH: Drought ends at Ponderosa

A really nice and unusual wet weather pattern here at the Ponderosa. Last year's 8.00" annual rainfall has taken a toll on this area and the subsoil is severely depleted. My winter wheat has come back from the brink of death to a cuttable crop(hopefully). The pastures(buffalo grass) are unbelievable green(much like the Kansas flint hills after a nice rain after the spring burns). How long it will stay this way is anyone's guess as the shallow upper moisture is taken and there is no subsoil available. Some have not been as fortunate and will not have a wheat crop on much of their acreage this year. I also have friends in Elk County in the Flint Hills that have dry or very low ponds and some limited cattle stocking this year. Friends in Ellsworth County in the Smoky Hills report dry or very low ponds also. Out here, these short grass prairies can go from green to the color of a manilla envelope when they run out of moisture. Yesterday, Friday, June 2nd, gave us a nice 2.00" rain and today more rain. My waste areas(not grazed or farmed) are growing up to be a jungle in giant ragweed, lambsquarters, and kochia. I love when that happens as it is great habitat for all the wildlife. Last year resulted in zero turkey poults, only one fawn recruitment, extremely low quail, pheasant and lesser prairie chicken hatches. This year seems very different; I think hen turkeys are nesting, I've seen a couple of pairs of quail and heard some calling around the farmstead(something I didn't hear last year and I can't remember going a year without hearing quail around the farmstead).
Praise the Lord for this moisture and cool weather, I pray it continues and heals this land and the wildlife will respond in abundance.
 
Yeah, Maynard, I'd sure like to see some population numbers take an upswing! It's been a tough few years. My deer have made some progress, but most everything else hasn't. Had walnuts all over the yard and never saw any squirrel activity. Turkeys are around, but not in the numbers we had a decade ago. It's been hard on the bobwhite. It's good to see mud. Tuesday was our Monday here and Dave didn't disappoint. He got stuck within 30 yards of entering where I wanted him to disk! Didn't even mind that. Better than blowing all the dust out of things.
 
Prairie Drifter said:
Yeah, Maynard, I'd sure like to see some population numbers take an upswing! It's been a tough few years. My deer have made some progress, but most everything else hasn't. Had walnuts all over the yard and never saw any squirrel activity. Turkeys are around, but not in the numbers we had a decade ago. It's been hard on the bobwhite. It's good to see mud. Tuesday was our Monday here and Dave didn't disappoint. He got stuck within 30 yards of entering where I wanted him to disk! Didn't even mind that. Better than blowing all the dust out of things.
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I started putting up squirrel boxes 3 or 4 years ago and I have squirrels every where. I have 6 boxes around my large yard. Typically the litters have been 2 or 3 but had a litter of 5 come out of a box this year. They raise at least one litter a year in the boxes I put up. They pick off the walnuts before they ever hit the ground but they seem to prefer sunflower seeds to anything.
 
You guys in Kansas having been getting more rain than me in Minnesota this spring. We're quickly heading into a flash drought here.
 
Chessie 67 said:
Good luck with the pups! Lots of work, but really amazing experience!
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Thanks Chessie! I may be getting old, but these all night whelping experiences are really testing my metal. The world is full of firsts! This female went two nights nesting and WAY after all the vet offices closed she had been in labor for hours and still hadn't given one push to indicate things were progressing. Around 2 this morning she deposited the hardest turd I think I've seen a dog create and within 10 minutes was pushing out the first pup. The pups were fairly large and all I can guess is the turd was king of the birthing canal! 4 girls and 1 boy joined the Prairie Drifter team. Wife and I got to bed about 7:30 this morning.
 
I assume western Kansas got a nice dose of rain on Saturday evening. A big line of t-storms rolled in from the west.

I finally got some rain on Sunday here, about 1/2 inch. Its the most I've had in over a month.
 
BrownDogsCan2 said:
Steve said it split and missed him to the south. I was in ness when it came rolling through. Dighton and Scott were as green as I’ve ever seen them
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Wind blew like hell but just not much rain. Radar was purple and pink going over the top of us but didn't get much. That's okay though. Our rains have been frequent but small in amounts. Which is what we want. It will be the rain we get in July that really matters for habitat to stop emergency grazing.
 
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