Lack of moisture in Oklahoma withers ag hopes

So far, this is the fifth-driest winter in Oklahoma since 1921. The climatological winter is December through February. And the Oklahoma Climatological Survey has records back to 1921. With those facts in mind, the average precipitation statewide has been 0.93 inches since Dec. 1. That puts the current winter in the top five driest at this point, at almost 2 inches below normal. "Even though it is normally a dry season, winter precipitation is still vital for recharge of moisture in the soil,” said Gary McManus, assistant state climatologist for the Oklahoma Climatological Survey. "Things are getting worse with each dry day.” State Agriculture Secretary Terry Peach said we’re seeing and could continue to see a tremendous impact. "The drought this year could have a bigger impact than in years past,” Peach said, "because of the fact the producers have a significant increase in their input costs, from seed costs to fuel costs to fertilizer costs to the crops they have in the ground to the crops that will be planted this spring. "And this impact is also hitting our ranchers with the same severity because their winter feed costs were so expensive that they bought in the fall, their fuel costs were probably twice what they were last year because of early purchases and the volatility of the markets. "The impact will be felt statewide.”....