Another drought year……..

[Drycreek]

………..had me planting a month later than I wanted to. Last year and this year were weather twins. Rainy summer and then cuts off about the end of July to mid August. I waited and waited for a hint of rain, only to be greeted with a burn ban. Finally, we got a good rain and I planted, no rain to speak of since and none in the forecast. There was enough moisture in the ground for germination but we need another one pretty quickly.

Another thing is, last year we had lots of winds with an Eastern component, this year has been the same. This is unusual for us, especially straight E or NE winds. We do get the occasional SE wind but mainly S or SW winds until a front comes in. The problem is, I have no stand setups for these winds. Drat ! Don’t you hate it when that happens ? So I just set up another stand for winds that don’t cooperate with my usual sets.

I do have some green fuzz in my food plots but not enough to write home about. This weekend was the opener for firearms season and the first one I’ve sat out in many years. That’s ok, I’m retired, I can hunt anytime I wish within reason. I kinda like to hunt during the week anyway, my theory is that on small properties or heavily hunted land of any size, Wednesday through Friday is a good time to hunt deer that are less pressured. So…..deer beware, Wednesday is just a couple days away !

 

[yoderjac]

I had to plant late this year too. I like to plant soon after labor day but with rain in the forecast. We too had a rainy summer but dry September. We got reasonable rain after I planted. We had a poor acorn year at my place. We got some chestnut oaks producing but deer only use them when they have no other acorns. Our reds and whites did not produce much if any. This put a lot of early pressure on my plot. I doubt if we will have enough time to get much in the way of turnip bulbs.

 

[victory]

Curious if anyone believes that if I broadcast 200 pounds of rye around November 21 will it germinate or if it did germinate would the next frost or snow kill it?

 

[yoderjac]

Curious if anyone believes that if I broadcast 200 pounds of rye around November 21 will it germinate or if it did germinate would the next frost or snow kill it?

200 lbs/ac is a lot if you are mixing it with clover or anything else. It depends on your location and microclimate. The best way is to get a soil thermometer and check you soil temp between 8am and 9am. Winter rye will germinate in soil temps as low as 34 degrees. Cold will not kill it. It just stops growing when soil temps get below 38 degrees. In my area, we have enough warm days in the winter that it continues growing and deer continue using it until it gets rank in the spring.

 

[victory]

Thanks for the info Yoder greatly appreciated

 

[Mennoniteman]

………..had me planting a month later than I wanted to. Last year and this year were weather twins. Rainy summer and then cuts off about the end of July to mid August. I waited and waited for a hint of rain, only to be greeted with a burn ban. Finally, we got a good rain and I planted, no rain to speak of since and none in the forecast. There was enough moisture in the ground for germination but we need another one pretty quickly.

Another thing is, last year we had lots of winds with an Eastern component, this year has been the same. This is unusual for us, especially straight E or NE winds. We do get the occasional SE wind but mainly S or SW winds until a front comes in. The problem is, I have no stand setups for these winds. Drat ! Don’t you hate it when that happens ? So I just set up another stand for winds that don’t cooperate with my usual sets.

I do have some green fuzz in my food plots but not enough to write home about. This weekend was the opener for firearms season and the first one I’ve sat out in many years. That’s ok, I’m retired, I can hunt anytime I wish within reason. I kinda like to hunt during the week anyway, my theory is that on small properties or heavily hunted land of any size, Wednesday through Friday is a good time to hunt deer that are less pressured. So…..deer beware, Wednesday is just a couple days away !View attachment 30550View attachment 30551View attachment 30552

You're story is a carbon copy of ours, two identical dry fall seasons in a row, and weak prevailing winds to blame it on. Our fall plots were a failure, but we managed a slight rescue by slathering our plots with grain right before a good rain in early October. Hopefully your brown plots green up in late fall here, your growing season goes a lot longer than ours.

 

[Drycreek]

Mine are looking pretty good right now, but we need rain and they aren’t calling for any in the ten day forecast.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Mine are looking pretty good right now, but we need rain and they aren’t calling for any in the ten day forecast. View attachment 30575View attachment 30576

Time to fire up the irrigation pump? But you're probably like most of us, not a good source of water

 

[victory]

Or in my case instead of throwing in the towel you throw another 200 pounds of rye on your field after the first 200 pounds died and hope it germinate the end of November. Ughh.

 

[Mennoniteman]

Or in my case instead of throwing in the towel you throw another 200 pounds of rye on your field after the first 200 pounds died and hope it germinate the end of November. Ughh.

My October 7th seeded rye in zone 6 is coming very nicely, a rescue indeed for us

 

[Mennoniteman]

Well, there might be good news in the air for drought weary food plotters:

El Niño is expected to develop in the summer of 2026, with a 62% chance of emerging by June–August, according to NOAA and NWS. This pattern is predicted to persist through the end of 2026, potentially becoming a strong or "super" El Niño that drives up global temperatures and affects global weather patterns.

El Niño summers often bring increased humidity and above-average rainfall to the Mid-Atlantic and southeastern US due to a more active subtropical jet stream and enhanced moisture, per this YouTube video from Feb 17, 2026 and this NWS document. While El Niño typically reduces hurricane activity, it can increase tropical moisture, leading to higher rainfall rates, even as temperatures may be slightly cooler, notes The Weather Channel.
National Weather Service (.gov) +3
Key Impacts for the Mid-Atlantic Region:

• Increased Precipitation: The region often experiences wetter-than-average conditions in the summer and autumn as the subtropical jet stream moves northward, driving more thunderstorms and moderate to heavy rain, says this NWS document and this YouTube video from Feb 17, 2026.