April showers make farmers happy

As recently as March, the talk among farmers and ranchers along the Hi-Line was about the lack of moisture and fears of what it could mean for the coming harvest.

But what a difference a month can make.

After a dryer than normal February and March, come April showers, or an April storm system.

In fact, Jim Brusda, forecaster with National Weather Service in Great Falls said that as of April 20, if there had been no more rainfall in April it still would be the sixth wettest April on record, with 2.62 inches of precipitation.

"Basically it was one nice, spring storm system that the pulse energy of the storm ended up affecting Hill County, Blaine and northern Chouteau County," Brusda said.

Brusda said the storm between Friday, April 15, and Sunday, April 17, soaked the Havre area with 2.3 inches of rain, and in some areas, such as the Bear Paw Mountains, those levels were closer to 3 inches of moisture.

The area is much wetter than this time last year. Between January and late April of 2015, the area saw 2.4 inches of precipitation, compared to this year in which a total of 3.48 inches has fallen.

But the ample moisture goes back to October of last year when there was 1.06 inches of precipitation or 0.48 inches above normal.

"So, actually, the Havre area is doing OK in terms of precipitation," Brusda said. "You've had some dry spells, but you've also had some wet periods. And the end result is, you actually have above-normal precip in your area."

Two-tenths of an inch of rainfall was expected for the weekend of April 23-24.

Between April 22 and 28, .92 inches of precipitation had fallen at the NWS recording station at the Havre City-County Airport, said NWS meteorologist Scott Coulston. This increased the year's total to 3.55 inches.

The added moisture also made April the second wettest on record in Havre, he added. Another .17 inches, between print deadline and May 1, would be needed to meet the 1955 record of 3.72 inches.

The wet spell is unlikely to last, Brusda said, adding that forecasters are predicting that in May, June and July north-central Montana and most of the U.S. will be experiencing conditions that are normal if not somewhat drier than usual.

However, Brusda said, as things stand now, forecasters do not believe the area will be dry enough to produce drought conditions - though that could change.

The moisture brings relief to the area, though.

"It was looking pretty bleak, and now it looks real good," said Mark Velk, a farmer and rancher north of Havre near the U.S.-Canada border.

He said that the benefits of the rain were compounded by the fact that the rain was not accompanied by heavy gusts of wind that would take evaporate th water before it could be absorbed into the soil.

Velk said adequate moisture is "crucial, very crucial" in these early stages of the season for both his crops and his cows.

"So this was monumental in our country," Velk said. "All you have to do is look out the window and anytime we're green, we're happy - well, except for harvest time."

Velk said this year's abundance of moisture will help ensure crops and pasture grass can grow.

He said that so far, it is a welcome contrast from last year.

Generally, wet and cold conditions are not good for calving, Velk said, but up where he ranches the most recent precipitation was almost entirely rain rather than snow.

The recent pattern of rain followed by sunshine followed by rain, Velk said, has struck the right balance for both his crops and cattle.

However, as far as rain goes, there is such a thing as too much of a good thing.

Velk said that a few years ago, it rained continuously, and his crops started to rot in the field.

For now, Velk said, things are still fine.

"We're still able to take a lot of rain right now and we will continue to take it but once it gets into harvest mode and raining an inch or two every week, it starts to stress a guy out," Velk said.

The high levels of moisture have already caused a few problems in area fields.

Nicole Gray, agent at Hill County's Montana State University Extension Service Office, said the moisture has helped the winter wheat at a good time, when the wheat is coming out of dormancy earlier than usual.

But the downside is risk of disease.

Last fall, moist soil conditions left a lot of green in the fields, which the wheat curl mite feeds off of, Gray said, this has affected strains of wheat and other crops, such as barley, planted in autumn.

The wheat curl mite injects a toxin which can ultimately stunt the growth of those crops. Gray said the scale on which crops are affected can vary.

"I have been getting samples and seeing it in the county and in fields sporadically," Gray said.

More than 6 inches of annual rainfall have been recorded at the Havre airport by this morning, at least 1.4 inches of that coming since Sunday night.

This added moisture will bring more disease pressure to crops, which have also been affected by wheat streak mosaic and powdery mildew in the past few weeks, said Arlene Morse of Taylor Aviation.

Washington and Idaho have seen a lot of rust this spring, Morse added, and prevailing west winds could bring that to the area as it did in 2011.

(This article originally ran in the May Hi-Line Farm & Ranch publication.

Pam Burke also contributed to this article.)