MONTANA CROPS and LIVESTOCK - 1987 



January ; A warm and dry month with no snowcover on winter wheat. Winds 

 caused considerable soil blowing. Most areas had less than half of normal 

 precipitation, while the north central, central, and northeast had less than 

 one-third . 



February ; Mild and dry conditions continued until the last week. Winter 



wheat had broken dormancy and was greening. Fieldwork got started in some 



areas, an unusual occurrence. Calving and lambing conditions were ideal. 

 Precipitation was mostly below normal. 



March; Temperatures were record high early in the month but cooled at 

 month's end. Precipitation was much above normal over much of the state. 

 Winter wheat was mostly in good condition. Blizzard conditions late in the 

 month were hard on young livestock. 



Ap r i 1 ; Wet soils delayed fieldwork until mid-month and then good progress 

 was made. By month's end, soils were becoming short of moisture. 

 Precipitation amounts were about half of normal. 



May; The month started out very dry but timely rains eased soil moisture 

 deficiencies the middle of the month. Crops and pastures were mostly in 

 good condition. Grasshoppers were starting to be a problem. 



June ; Precipitation, although not generous, was enough to keep crops in 

 generally good condition. However, by the end of the month over half of the 

 soils were rated short of moisture. 



July ; General rains at mid-month soaked soils improving crop condition. 

 The rains continued to the end of the month slowing hay and winter wheat 

 harvest. Grasshopper infestation was mostly moderate. 



August : Wet weather for most of the month slowed grain harvest to about a 

 week behind normal. Almost all areas had above normal precipitation. 



September ; Dry weather returned and small grain harvest sped to a normal 

 completion by the third week. Winter wheat seeding was mostly done by 

 month's end, and nearly two-thirds had emerged. Livestock moved from summer 

 pastures was about normal. 



October ; Late season harvest was ahead of average, and nearly complete by 

 mid-month. By the end of the month, soil moisture was nearly two-thirds 

 short, the result of nearly two months without much rain. 



November ; Soils remained dry with precipitation well below average. Winter 

 wheat was mostly emerged and kept in fair to good condition by mild weather. 

 Grazing remained open. 



December ; Topsoil and subsoil moisture supplies were short. Snowcover 

 protection on winter wheat was lacking, but wind damage was light. There 

 was moderate to heavy precipitation west of the Divide, but continued very 

 dry across the Plains. 



